Layover Thoughts
I'm off on yet another reporting trip.
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LISTENING: to sad piano music in this airport lounge
FEELING: in need of a shower
SEEING: a bunch of travelers who probably feel the same
"Sustainability" can find you in the most unexpected of places.
I'm on a layover in Turkey for a big reporting trip I'll be on the next two weeks. If you're a creature of detail, then you probably know where I'm headed. (I've shared a link about it here twice.) I can't say much more until I'm back home and safe, but let me tell you about this airport lounge I'm at.
Istanbul Airport has the world's largest airport museum. I haven't yet made my way to the museum — I hope I'll have time — but you can find mini exhibits throughout the airport. In this lounge, for instance, there's a small one called, "From Waste to Art." It's a zero-waste project where the artists upcycle used material.
One artist, Yildiz Özer, created a colorful web display representative of our brains — and all the pollutants that make their way there. Another, Mustafa Tugrul, created a metal monkey sculpture. The animal is holding a red paper plane, symbolizing the desire to fly from two-legged apes such ourselves.
"Wasn't this the dream that started everything?" the information placard reads.
These artworks reminded me how we're all in this fight together. The fight to save the planet (because every little bit helps). The fight to keep the people inspired (because what is art if not fuel for our souls?). The fight to liberate oppressed peoples (because what else would be fighting for?).
I'm going to head to my gate soon to catch my next flight. I'll have a more thorough news analysis once I'm back home and have the mental space to process and think without being jet-lagged. Expect next week's newsletter to be similarly short and sweet.
Send me good vibes, y'all. And stay safe, too! These are wild, weird times. 🌀
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Rest in Power
While we can't say for certain that climate change led to these specific weather events (we need attribution studies for that), we do know that the Earth's rising temperatures are already creating more frequent and/or stronger disasters like these.