I'll Be Swift
For those of you who aren't charting a song on the Top 10 list, I'd suggest you write better songs and wear red lipstick.
Hey friends,
Good morning to everyone, especially if you are Taylor Swift.
Taylor is the only artist to have a song in the Billboard Top 10 this week – actually 10 songs, the first time anyone has ever done so.
Swift not only holds all 10 of the top 10 spots, but she also holds the 13th, 14th, 15th, 20th, 21st, 32nd, 33rd, 41st, and 45th spots.
For those of you who aren't charting a song on the Top 10 list this week, thanks for joining me to read The Lorem Ipsum Weekly this morning. We have a lot to cover.
Trick or Treat
This week was Halloween, and I still to this day have never been trick-or-treating. Here's an article that I wrote last year about the subject.
Daniel Herndon
But this year, I did at least wear a costume. I'll get to that in a minute...
But first, let's get to The News.
Hot Takes
Week 44 of 2022
The Mid Terms
Just a note about the United States elections for those of you reading here in the States. This email marks four days until the elections, and you should vote.
Vote your conscience, or vote mine if you must, but whatever you do – VOTE.
Nancy Pelosi's Husband Attacked in His Home
Last week an intrusion took place at what was believed to be a nursing home – but was actually Paul and Nancy Pelosi's home in San Francisco. Nancy, the Speaker of the House was in Washington when 82-year-old Paul Pelosi found himself under attack by 42-year-old intruder David DePape who said "Where's Nancy?".
A lot of conspiracy theories have risen since the attack, including theories like that the intrusion was actually a drunken fight between Mr. Pelosi and a male prostitute, that Pelosi wears tightie whities, and that the attack was not politically motivated, and finally, that DePape discovered that the Pelosi's had been hoarding gallons of milk, given their inside knowledge that the cost of groceries would be increasing.
DePape had the book thrown at him – by Mr. Pelosi, in self-defense. After the police arrived and DePape was booked, he was indicted on a litany of charges including attempted murder. (more)
Elon Musk Cleans Up His Twitter
I'm not referring to his actual posts, but the entire Twitter company which is now his, after closing last Thursday night. Upon entering the company as its owner, he walked in carrying a sink, saying "let that sink in" (influencers will do anything for content – he was wearing too much makeup too, by the way).
Musk immediately fired the top four executives at the company including CEO Parag Agrawal and proposed countless strategies ranging from bringing back the video feature known as "Vines" all the way to bringing back "profits" a feature where a business makes money above its expenses – something Twitter hasn't had for 8 of the last 10 years.
Twitter announced it will be exercising layoffs across its global workforce today in an announcement sent to employees last night.
I discuss the topic more in this week's feature article and here's more from the New York Times on the story, but also literally everyone else has written about Elon Musk and Twitter including one I recommend from Matt Labash, even if he has a bad attitude.
Affirmative Action
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on the use of race as a factor in college admissions.
The two cases, lawsuits against Harvard and U.N.C. Chapel Hill, were brought by Students for Fair Admissions, a group opposing racial preferences in college admissions negatively impacting Asian applicants who tend to receive higher test scores.
Based on the line of questioning and the known position of some of the conservative justices, it appears likely the court will overrule affirmative action, the law designed to alter the negative trajectory of Black students set in motion by slavery in the 1800s and reinforced by various admissions policies today.
College attainment remains behind for Black students compared to others with 29% of Black people having a college degree compared to 45% of whites. This is not funny.
Bummed but Not Busted
Tech giants, formerly known as the world's fastest-growing companies might be picking up a side gig (I'd suggest cleaning virtual houses in the metaverse). I already mentioned that Twitter doesn't print money, but Alphabet, Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta shares have all lost value and are seeing decreasing revenues. Most Americans, when asked to comment said "poor baby" or "same". (more)
And Quickly
- God Rest Their Seoul. An urban celebration in Seoul Korea lead to the collapse of a suspension bridge resulting in at least 150 deaths.
- Who has a combover and just won reelection? Benjamin Netanyahu was elected president of Israel once again, moving its government to the right.
- Brazil doesn't call it a comeback. Jair Bolsonaro, the Brazillian Trump lost his reelection bid hesitantly agreed to transition out of office. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva or "Lula" returns after serving from 2002 to 2006 and then spending over 580 days in jail afterward for fraud which he has been acquitted of.
That's it for the news. Now here's The Gist.
The Digital Town Square
The Gist
For Halloween this week I went as a Twitter user. The costume was simple because Twitter users look just like you and me, except 69% of them are democrats, half of them are bots, and the Balance of them are Ted Cruz.
But then after that, I found myself awash in news about Elon Musk's Twitter takeover. So if I Musk, here are my thoughts on the power dynamics of information, and those who control it.
Daniel Herndon
That's it for this week. Have a great weekend!
An Invitation:
We're living in a world where people are no longer fighting over whether Chipotle or Qdoba is better, but one where we create enemies because we know for a fact that it's Chipotle. In America, we need not only to hear reasoned arguments from both sides, but we also need to be able to make fun of how greasy Ted Cruz's hair is. On a serious note, we need to have tough conversations without it being about party or ideology, but the truth.
The Lorem Ipsum has grown steadily since I launched it over a year ago. At the moment, I am just one guy and one set of pronouns, but with your help, we can make the world a better place by having reasonable conversations, and not demonizing each other. We can take important issues seriously without taking ourselves too seriously.
That's why I created this publication. But it exists only because you do – and it keeps growing because of you. Please consider supporting the mission of The Lorem Ipsum by becoming a founder, or sharing the publication with others. Preferably both.
Thank you.