Jodi Ettenberg writes one of my favourite newsletters (go subscribe!). This, however, isn’t from her, but about her. An essay on acceptance, resilience and dedication – after her life took a drastic turn eight years ago. «Finding ways to help others can provide much needed meaning in our lives, especially if we have had our identity stolen or life has changed.»

How do we know what we know? Why do we believe what we believe? And why do we change our minds less willingly than we’d like to admit? «Notoriously often, small but key events in our lives can produce a rigid intellectual or political orientation thereafter.» And thus: «Our political opinions, ultimately, are what we feel about the world, not what we think about it.» And also: «Most people’s views about the kind of things that happen today are extensions of concerns of their own ego. And consequently, invitations to change their minds because new facts emerge are in fact a threat to the strength and even survival of that ego.»

This video is nine years old, I only discovered it this week. It hasn’t lost any of its relevance, because, well, gender norms change at glacial speed. Make sure to also watch the second video: 48 Things Men Hear In A Lifetime (That Are Bad For Everyone).

Two weeks ago, most of Portugal and Spain went dark, due to a massive power outage. What happened? And why is it relevant to the green energy transition? Illuminating conversation.

Two nuclear powers on the brink of war – just what we needed. If you’re not particularly familiar with the history of tensions between India and Pakistan, and what sparked the most recent escalation, this is a helpful primer for you.

This is intense. ZEIT Magazine has spoken to 30 Holocaust survivors from all over the world. We get to hear them, in their own voices, answer one question each. Questions like: Is there something that helps you forget it all? What question continues to plague you? What is it like to live through war again at the age of 89? What connects you to the child you were so long ago? What do you think about when you look at today’s world? What are you proud of?

Good observations and good questions on the «child-centered, expert guided, emotionally absorbing, labor intensive and financially expensive» practice of intensive parenting.

You might have heard of the Japanese term tsundoku – the habit of buying books and letting them pile up unread. The antilibrary is the guilt-free version of it – in fact, it turns it into a positive thing: all the books you have discovered, ready for you to dive in when (if) the right time comes. I like how Adam calls all those unread books «scaffolding for future thinking». His short piece not only explains the idea, but gives advice on how to make it work for you.

There’s still good news. Not long ago, Canadians really, really wanted its Liberal government gone. Along came Trump with his verbal and tariff-shaped aggression – and provoked one of the most spectacular swings in voter preference. Canadians now apparently prefer a prime minister who will stand up to Trump. Mark Carney could, among other things, also mean good news for the fight against the climate crisis. He could be, veteran climate activist Bill McKibben argues, «be a truly crucial figure in the fight to turn the climate tide.»

Founded 30 years ago as a battery maker, BYD now produces more electric cars than any other company in the world. This story recounts BYD’s rapid rise and spotlights its global ambitions, in a time when trade is becoming more complicated and power dynamics are shifting.