KWICK 6: Glass Onion, Black Reconstruction, & Global Warming

Thought of the Week:

The start of a new year is always exciting. The new opportunity and the feeling to start fresh are abundant. It's also a time to see what your priority is. Is that goal you set during December making it through the first week of the year? This weekend I took the time to reevaluate my 2023 goals based on how I spent my first week of 2023. I am happy to say that what I want to prioritize in quarter one is exactly how I spend my free time. So take the time to look at your goals again. Are they where you want to spend your time? Have you realized the goals were made in the excitement of the holidays?

What I've Consumed:

Knives Out and Glass Onion Are Great Movies

When Glass Onion premiered on Netflix, I was one of the millions who watched the movie. I then went back to watch Knives Out and wondered why this was my first time watching the movie. This may be controversial, but I liked Glass Onion better than Knives Out. Now, don't get me wrong, Knives Out was fantastic. The character motivations were well developed, and the mystery was well done. It reminded me of classic whodunits in film and novel formats. However, Glass Onion felt more fast-paced. While the character motivations weren't as fleshed out and obvious individually, you did get a sense of group motivation.

I liked the movie more because of the way the story was told. Knives Out felt more traditional. You had to pay attention in both movies, but in Glass Onion, we saw how a differing perspective could change how things are viewed. I really enjoyed that aspect.

Both movies had themes about the rich and powerful. Glass Onion asked why we assume billionaires are geniuses. We dismiss the weirdness of rich people because we all think there is a thin line between genius and insanity. Glass Onion forces us to examine that. Likewise, Knives Out forces us to analyze how quickly we turn on each other for wealth and highlights how motivations affect actions.

Although the mysteries are solved by the end, both movies are re-watchable. The clues, hints, and foreshadowing are easy to miss. The details are there, but you have to pay attention. These movies aren't meant to be a passive watch but for the viewer to be attentive. On my rewatch, I noticed a lot more details. I highly recommend both movies.

A Quick History Lesson on Global Warming

Simon Clark is a science YouTuber and author. I've been watching his channel for a few months and thought his recent video on Global Warming was well done and very interesting. I learned a lot of new things from the video. Here is what stuck out to me:

The discovery of CO2 was first discovered in 1757 by Joseph Black. Eventually, its effects on temperature were discovered by Eunice Newton Foote, who published her paper in a science journal, the first time by a woman. The video introduced some names and how the science community came to know that global warming was indeed occurring. It also makes you realize how long that knowledge has been around.

I did leave with some questions. Why is global warming so controversial now? Why was the uptick of CO2 in the atmosphere starting in 1960? Is renewable energy an effective way of reducing CO2 and cooling the Earth? This may be an area I explore more in the future.

Black Reconstruction in America Read-a-long

W.E.B. Dubois is well known, or I hope everyone knows his name. However, if you don't know, he was one of the founders of the NAACP, a prolific writer, a leader, and of course, like many leaders in the black community, had a file compiled against him by the FBI. I have always wanted to read more of his works, and this book really interested me. However, it is a thick book. I found a read-a-long on Instagram that will take place over the year. I could do that! The Instagram live discussion will be based on the reading and questions they post the week prior. I am super excited to dive into this book and discuss it with a group of people online. If you want to join me, you can see the reading schedule above, find out more here and then let me know if you will participate.

📚 Currently Reading:

I decided to start 2023 with a few shorter and easier reads to start the reading year with some momentum. So it is the first week, and I have already finished six books; what follows are some thoughts I had.

Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon

• Kleon is basically saying that creativity is a sum of you and those you admire. I find that to be true. What we think of creativity is the individual spice that is added to something we have seen many times. Early in the book, he states: "Every new idea is just a mashup or a remix of one or more previous ideas." While this book wasn't mind-blowing, it was an excellent way to start the year by reminding me that creativity isn't a skill that cannot be nurtured. So embrace those I admire, and add my flavor to them. Everyone is different, so everyone is creative in their own right.

Reel by Kennedy Ryan

• This is a slow-burn romance between a director and an actress. I truly enjoyed the book, but the best quotes came from the movie's script. We follow Canon and Neevah as they fall in love while making a movie. The characters are well-developed and have unique voices. This was my first read by the author, and I cannot wait to read more from her. The book is a little over 400 pages, but as a romance, it is easy to read. A great book to read over a relaxing weekend.

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

• This novella is confusing to me. I am not sure how I feel about it. The writing is beautiful and written like a fable. The novella's start was vague but did end on a high note, which makes me want to pick up the other novellas. I am interested. I hope I don't get lost as I did in this book.

The Old Guard, Book One, Two, & Three by Greg Rucka with Leandro Fernandez

• I have not watched the Netflix adaptation yet because I knew another one was coming. Instead, I decided to read graphic novels. Books One and Two are better than Book Three. They did make me excited to watch the movies. I enjoyed the illustrations in all 3 books. The stories were fast-paced and action-packed. One message I think was explored is that although the characters live long, many societal norms come, go, and come back around. They struggle with how much society is changing and their purpose for long life. I am unsure when the last book will come out and wrap up the storylines from Books One and Two, but I hope it is soon.

Next week I will have updates on my current reads. But if you need some recommendations, check out my Goodreads or StoryGraph. And then follow me on Instagram and Twitter. One of my favorite newsletters to read for current events is Morning Brew. Check it out.