«We don’t have a word for the opposite of loneliness, but if we did, I could say that’s what I want in life. […] It’s not quite love and it’s not quite community; it’s just this feeling that there are people, an abundance of people, who are in this together. Who are on your team.» A beautiful short essay, and heartbreaking to read that the author, 22 years old, died in an accident just a few days after writing it.

What is happening with China’s economy? And where might it go from here? The David McWilliams provides a good big picture analysis. The key assumption: China has «economic long Covid».

Something to ponder and explore over the weekend: 30 questions to elevate your awareness (and literacy) of the greater place in which you live. Point North. How many people live in your watershed? Where does the pollution in your air come from?

An excellent, in-depth profile of Elon Musk. It tells the story of a determined, wildly successful man, deeply lonely, increasingly spiralling out of control – all while being in control of critical infrastructure with wide geopolitical ramifications.

It’s a thin line between documenting suffering and injustice to raise awareness, and exploiting the people depicted in the images (the iconic image of the «Afghan Girl» is an infamous example). Sometimes, it’s not a thin line: This historical essay describes how slum photography was explicitly used against the people it showed, to make their lives worse.

Gripping first episode of a new podcast. Real Survival Stories tells the «astonishing tales of ordinary people thrust into extraordinary situations». In this first episode: a paraglider gets sucked into a thunderstorm, rises to 10000 meters, becomes unconscious…and somehow survives.

Everyone who made it through the Covid pandemic largely unharmed should take the time to read this. For most people, Covid might be an unpleasant memory. For some, it meant «a complete depletion of the essence of who you are, of your life force». Ed Yong with a compassionate and nuanced perspective on the profound effects of Long Covid and ME/CFS.

A dive into the recent Niger crisis — the ninth coup or attempted power grab in west and central Africa since 2020 — and its broader implications for the entire continent. Guardian columnist Nesrine Malik on an «oddly hopeful» new reality. I’ve got a game for you.

«For every person you know, there are ten million people you do not know.» A great piece on why we need to embrace statistics to understand the world. Key point: «A statistical view without personal experience lacks depth, and personal experience without statistical knowledge lacks perspective.»