THE MUSTS

World

and now, what happens?

 Tech Has Taken Over the World

I’ll keep this short and to the point: The 10 largest American companies are worth more than the combined economies of all G7 countries (excluding the U.S.).

I’m bringing this up on this edition because I think it’s important for us to start thinking about what a world would look like where companies have more power than countries—a world where, in many cases, companies could control public policy. And what solutions would you suggest for a problem like this? (I’m assuming everyone can see how this would be a problem, but if you disagree, please let me know because I’d love to hear your thoughts.)

Sometimes I get caught up in this, and sometimes I feel a bit hopeless. At the same time, I invest money in many of them... Because if you can’t beat them, join them, (right?) I don’t know if that makes me a hypocrite, but I wanted to share these thoughts.

What else in on

• The world has finally crossed the 10% mark for ocean protection. In the past two years, we’ve protected 5 million km² of ocean, an area larger than the EU. Satellite tracking and machine learning are making enforcement easier too, even for nations with small budgets and huge protected areas. (Read)

• UK: Britain has passed a law preventing anyone born after 2009 from ever legally buying cigarettes, with the minimum purchase age rising by one year every year. When kids born in 2019 turn 18 next year, the minimum age moves to 19 — and so on forever. (Read)

• Germany: Under a new defense law, German men between 17 and 45 must obtain formal military authorization before leaving the country for more than three months — affecting anyone planning exchanges, sabbaticals, or professional relocations. The measure, last seen during the Cold War, is part of a broader push to rebuild Europe's largest military force, targeting 460,000 troops by 2035. (Read)

• Canada has never had more Muslim schools: Enrollment in Islamic private schools in Toronto has grown roughly 50% over the past decade, outpacing even the growth of the Muslim population itself. Islam is now the fastest-growing religion in Canada, with projections suggesting the Muslim population could triple to 5 million by 2041. (Read)

• Italy: A lightning-fast heist. Works by Renoir, Matisse, and Cézanne, valued at millions of euros, were stolen from a museum in the province of Parma, Italy. The heist involved four hooded men and lasted less than three minutes. (Read)

   

  Find out: The true size of countries (without the bias of maps)
  

 EQUILIBRIVM by Anitta: Okay, okay — I think many of you saw this one coming 😃 

But before the review, a word about timing:

There's a version of Anitta that spent years trying to conquer the world on the world's terms — chasing playlists, courting markets, learning what sounds travel across borders. And she did it. But if Funk Generation was the moment she stopped apologizing for where she came from, EQUILIBRIVM is the moment she stopped apologizing for who she is.

• The comparison that keeps coming to mind is Madonna and Ray of Light — an artist who brought her spiritual life into the studio and let it reshape everything. Anitta does something similar here with Candomblé, the Afro-Brazilian religion she practices, and the result is her most cohesive, most intentional album to date. Where earlier projects often felt like collections of singles held together by goodwill — even Versions of Me, which tried hard — EQUILIBRIVM has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Anitta herself described it as a ritual: "We can see it as a ritual, because it goes from one point that follows an idea." You feel that architecture in the listening.

Addressing Candomblé and African-rooted religions in mainstream Brazilian pop isn't new — but it isn't uncomplicated either, especially in a cultural moment of growing religious intolerance in Brazil. Anitta isn't the first Brazilian artist to go here, and it would be wrong to call this pioneering. But it is courageous — not least because she has the platform to make even international listeners go look up what a terreiro is.

• The album opens with a gorgeous, swinging MPB stretch that immediately signals a different kind of ambition. The highlight is "Mandinga" with Marina Sena, built around a sample of "Canto de Ossanha" from Baden Powell and Vinicius de Moraes. The midpoint is when the album enbraces more international audiences, with — "Varias Quejas," "So Much Love" for example.

"Choka Choka" with Shakira is the collaboration people have been waiting years for — and although it is quite short, it truly delivers. A full funk track where Anitta sings in Spanish and Shakira in Portuguese, both clearly having a great time. And then there's "Meia Noite," quietly one of the strongest tracks she's ever recorded. The studio version lets the percussion and chorus build until the result is genuinely hypnotic — the macumbeats aesthetic, that meeting point of funk and Candomblé at its most powerful.

When she makes something with genuine faith and passion, you feel it from the other side. This is not Anitta the artist, or Anitta the individual. This is, finally, Anitta. (Rating: 8.5/10)

Hi Tanamesars,

This week, I decided to do something different. Something I've never done here before.

Some of you may not know this, but I used to write when I was younger. I even had a Tumblr once with a story about a girl who starts dating someone in São Paulo and slowly gets entangled in secrets — only to discover she doesn't really know who she is at all. Every week I used to publish a new chapter. It was, I must say, quite the hit in the São Paulo Tumblr community. I've also written other things over my teenage years, but I've never shared any of it here.

Lately, I've been feeling the urge to write again — even though I haven't done it in years. So why not? I even have a newsletter, so it seemed appropriate.

This week's What About Me will arrive tomorrow, at the usual time — which is also why today's newsletter is landing on a Wednesday. Oops.

I hope you enjoy it.

With love,

Micael.

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