Hello tanamesers! We have reached the last week of October, the only month in history that had a night that lasted 10 days.

In 1582, people around the world went to sleep on Wednesday, October 4, and woke up to find the calendar marked Friday, October 15.

The change was made to correct an error in the current calendar and gave rise to the format we follow today, the Gregorian calendar.

This means that October 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and 14, 1582 never existed in history.

THE MUSTS

World

ladies and gentleman, next Eurovision winner

 Have you heard of the Republic of Verdis?

When you thought the whole world has taken. A 20-year-old man found a piece of land between Croatia and Serbia that was not claimed by either country. Under international law, in such cases, anyone can claim the territory.

• The founder of the country is Daniel Jackson, an Australian who declared the Republic an ecological constitutional monarchy, announcing that it will be a country built by Generation Z. It is possible to apply for citizenship in the country.

So far, no other state has recognized the existence of Verdis. For a country to be recognized on the international stage, it needs to become a member of the UN. The last time this happened was with South Sudan in 2011.

What else in on:

• Madagascar: Thousands of young people took to the streets to overthrow the president. In a few days, Generation Z, which makes up the majority of the country's population, joined forces with trade unions and the army. (Read)

• Greece: The Greek Parliament has passed a law allowing working days of up to 13 hours. According to the government, the measure will only apply to the private sector, with a limit of 37 days per year, and will depend on the consent of the worker. (Read)

• Argentina: Javier Milei’s La Libertad Avanza party won 41% of the votes with 90% of ballots counted, handily outperforming market predictions that it would win 30% of available seats. (Read)

• Portugal: The Portuguese Parliament today approved a ban on wearing clothing that conceals the face in public spaces. In practice, the measure prohibits the burqa and niqab, worn in Islamic culture. (Read)

• Tanzania: “You can't discuss electric cars at COP30 when 45% of Africa has no electricity” — Richard Muyungi, Tanzanian diplomat. (Read)

Earth has captured an asteroid and turned it into a temporary mini-moon. The body, only 11 meters in diameter, will remain in orbit until November, when it will resume its journey around the Sun. Another 19-meter satellite also travels with us and is expected to continue doing so until 2083.

West End Girl by Lily Allen: While in Brazil, I’ve been trying to catch up with all the new album releases, Doja Cat, Maggie Lindemann, Rosalía next week… but when I saw that Lily Allen had dropped a new album after seven years, I immediately dropped everything else to listen.

• Inspired by her recent divorce and “deep-rooted issues with rejection and abandonment,” West End Girl plays like an emotional exorcism rather than a strategic release. Across the record, Allen revisits the collapse of her marriage, telling the story from start to finish, all wrapped in melodies that shimmer like a fairytale ending. It’s almost uncomfortably intimate, but that’s exactly what makes it so good.

What stands out most for me is how Allen makes devastation sound exciting. Her lyrics are sharp, but her pop instincts never fail her. Beneath the heartbreak, there’s humor, perspective, and a rare kind of vulnerability that feels earned. West End Girl isn’t just a breakup album, For me, this is pure art. (8.5/10)

I’ve been on vacation lately, and I’ve only had time to read the news between flights and over breakfast. There’s so much happening in the world while I can barely keep track of what day it is (and honestly, what a privilege!).

I’ve never mentioned this here before, but sometimes I catch myself thinking, “My God, there’s so much going on — what should I write about? What matters most?” In the beginning, that used to give me a bit of anxiety. I wanted to cover everything. Say everything. Have a take on everything.

But then I learned a big lesson — one that writing this newsletter has taught me more than I could’ve imagined: You don’t need to react to everything. You don’t need to have an opinion about everything. You don’t need to hold everything.

Sometimes, you just need to simplify.

• And simplifying isn’t easy. It takes clarity. It takes detachment. It takes humility — and a kind of emotional maturity as well. I remember the very first edition of this newsletter, when we had not three but five sections, and it was almost 40% longer (and let’s be honest, most people barely make it to the end now — imagine back then!).

It’s the same in life. How often do we try to do everything at once? We want to start running, but also swimming, crocheting, cooking... and the world makes us feel like we need a strong opinion about absolutely everything. But the more we grow, the more we mature — and with maturity comes wisdom. And wisdom, among many other things, is:

• Knowing when to stay silent.

• Knowing how to observe without absorbing.

• Knowing to give time some time, to pause before reacting.

• Knowing to question instead of just accepting.

• Knowing to listen to learn, not just to reply.

Wisdom is also knowing how to simplify.

So that’s what I’ve been trying to do — in what I write here, in what I take on daily, and in how I spend my energy. Maybe it’s the vacation mindset talking, but today’s message is simple: Sometimes, you just need to simplify.

With love,
M.

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