Hey friends and family!

Let me tell you a short story: one day, I was walking in a nature preserve with a friend to observe the wonderful wildflowers of California. We were by the bay, with gentle waves lapping up to the shore. I wanted to trek down to see the water through some scrubby plant growth, which happened to be beyond a sorta fence/suggested guide post to not go beyond. I made it soooo close to my goal, against the advice of my accompanying friend. One step from reaching the shore, my foot sank deep into wet, cold, viscous mud. Lesson learned, Maya— listen to the suggested fences. And remember, the ground isn’t always as solid as it seems.

With that tale, here are some links and recent reads.

What’s been going on in your world lately?

Cheers,

Maya

---

Links!

• The Museum of Failure celebrates unexpectedly bad design, including a strikingly modern and completely nonfunctional water kettle
• A manifesto for extreme biology, “renewed exploration of incredible organisms and phenotypes across the tree of life”
• A personal and scientific view of a congenital heart defect that is a leading killer of young athletes by author David Epstein— I appreciate Epstein’s ability to convey scientific knowledge in an understandable way while maintaining the ground truth!
• Profiles of the inspiring and impactful work of conservation photographers
• “Rewilding can be among the best nature-based climate solutions available to humankind.”
• How a gambler beat roulette — spoiler, it’s because of imperfect wheels
• A video interview with Catherine DeNardo, who wrote a biography / apology about Lolita, a killer whale who has lived in dismal captive conditions for over fifty years. An authentic, honest attempt to acknowledge an impossible-to- correct wrongdoing.
• The Food Disgust Index: mine is “Elevated” at over 71%; what’s yours?
• Ride this Space Elevator to understand the scale of Earth’s atmosphere
• A crazy Radiolab episode about Zoroastrians, vultures, and NSAIDs. Listen to learn the link…

---

Books!

• How to Speak Whale — Tom Mustill
  • A personal and scientific journey into the language of animals like whales and interspecies communication
• Bicycling with Butterflies — Sara Dykman
  • The author embarks on an epic journey to follow the migration of monarchs from Mexico to Canada, and back— by bike!
  • While Dykam’s account of her expedition was fascinating and I learned a lot about monarch butterflies, I found her commentary on climate and social problems somewhat irritating and melodramatic….
• Listen Like You Mean It — Ximena Vengoeche
  • [Reclaiming the Lost Art of True Connection]
  • How to engage in the powerful, quiet art of empathetic listening — finding ways to relate to others without making the conversation about you; practicing humility & curiosity; staying present (trust, patience, mindfulness)
  • Learn to read body language, word choice, voice/tone cues (tenor, pitch, cadence)
  • Identify your “default listening mode” so you can adapt it for specific conversations: the explainer, the validator, the identifier, the problem-solver, the nurse, the mediator, the diffuser, the empath, the interruptor, the interviewer, the daydreamer — can ask clarifying questions to identify what your conversation partner is looking for; important to be able to utilize all modes, not just your default one
  • Ask connection questions (open-ended, “what” or “how”, but now “why”— can be invasive or judgmental) and reflection questions (comparisons)
  • Be flexible in your conversations— be okay with silence, physically go somewhere else, use a “yes, and” mentality
  • Confirm your understanding of what’s being said
  • Buddhist concept of “idiot compassion”— when your empathy helps you feel better, but probably isn’t helping the other person
• What Would Animals Say If We Asked the Right Questions? — Vinciane Despret, transl. by Brett Buchanan
  • An exemplar of “scientific fables”
  • Soooo philosophical, I don’t know if I can get through it!
• On Animals — Susan Orlean
  • Ah, the comfort of a familiar voice!
  • And a familiar love of animals :)
  • Orlean tells the stories of human lives (sometimes her own) intersecting with dogs, chickens, tigers, mules, homing pigeons, lions, donkeys, rabbits, cats…
• Border Hacker — Levi Vonk with Axel Kirschner
  • [A Tale of Treachery, Trafficking, and Two Friends on the Run]
  • Mexico book.
  • I know so little about migrants and the “crisis at the border,” so this book provided me with an impactful and jarring glimpse into one particular experience with the topics. The violence, comraderie, and conflicting factions highlighted the dynamic whirlwind of truth and lies that border-crossing can be.
• Cloud Cuckoo Land — Anthony Doerr
  • Turkey book? Sort of sci-fi, futuristic and historical, magical realism, all in one, in part focused on the lives of a few children around the city of Constantinople
• The Properties of Perpetual Light — Julian Aguon
  • Guam book.
  • “Despite what we’ve been told, the world is not ours for the taking.”
  • “…the function of freedom is to free someone else.”
  • “…it is strength, not power, that must be the object of our affection.”
  • “We made starcastles. We cartwheeled over constellations. We ran around and fell down on a blanket of stars. We took turns burying each other in a beautiful graveyard of celestial bodies.”
• To Repair the World — edited by Jonathan Weigel
  • [Paul Farmer Speaks to the Next Generation]
  • Bertolt Brecht: “the compassion of the oppressed for the oppressed is indispensable. It is the world’s one hope.”