Museums have a reckoning...
Together with [Mugsy]( [May 08, 2022]( | [View Online]( | [Sign Up]( | [Shop](
[Mother's Day illustration] Mark Wang IN THIS ISSUE The YouTuber who built her own Tesla Breaking things off with a co-worker What to do with stolen artifacts Â
 Editor's Note Â
 Good morning. Iâm at the stage in my life where many of the people I knew when we were just kids are now recent parents of their own. And I can tell you itâs one of the most beautiful things to see those women become strong, loving, caring mothers of some adorable little humans. It doesnât bother me at all that their first word wasnât âNeal.â Not a bit. Whether itâs your first year as a mother or, in my own momâs case, your 30th, Happy Motherâs Day. âNeal Freyman  CULTURE  [Stock watch](
[Stock watch]( mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20this%20story%20from%20Morning%20Brew%21&body=Stock%20watch%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.morningbrew.com%2Fdaily%2Fstories%2F2022%2F05%2F06%2Fstock-watch-may-8%3Futm_campaign%3Dmb%26utm_medium%3Dnewsletter%26utm_source%3Dmorning_brew%0A%0AWant%20more%20great%20content%3F%20Subscribe%20to%20Sunday%20Edition%20%E2%80%94%20Delivering%20the%20latest%20business%20news%20from%20Wall%20St.%20to%20Silicon%20Valley%20daily.%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.morningbrew.com%2Fdaily%2Fr%2F%3Fkid%3Da905682a%26utm_source%3Demail_share%0A  Q&A  [Icebreakers withâ¦YouTuber and inventor Simone Giertz](
[Simone Giertz eating cereal with bad robot](Simone Giertz Simone Giertz is a Swedish inventor and product designer whoâs created highly impractical robots, built her very own Tesla truck (âTrucklaâ), and decided to sell a solid white puzzle that is intentionally missing a piece. For the last seven years, sheâs been documenting it allâeven a brain tumorâon [YouTube]( for her loyal 2.6 million subscribers. We chatted with Giertz while she finished assembling what, to us, sounds like the most frustrating puzzle in existence. Whatâs an upcoming project that youâre excited about? For YouTube, Iâm building a Bubble Wrap music box. So you know a small music box with a barrel? Imagine that itâs a lot bigger. And instead of little spikes hitting prongs and playing different notes, you feed in a sheet of bubble wrap, and there are different spikes that pop different bubbles. Then the bubbles resonate in different length tubes, and it can actually play a melody. But whatâs been eating up almost all of my time is this product business. Iâve been building things on YouTube for the last seven years, And I was like, okay, I should turn my YouTube channel into an R&D department. Itâs been an interesting way to see whatâs the next step for me in my career. Because I think the industry of creators and influencers is so young that you havenât really seen what the end [of a career] is like. What have you learned by building and launching actual products? Iâm exchanging one of the easiest business models, which is influencingâmoney in from brands, and content outâfor one of the most complex and antagonizing business models you could possibly have. Why am I doing this? Iâm in such a sweet spot. But Iâm stoked. I see a lot of people who are still doing the same thing that they did five years ago, and you can tell that theyâre not that interested in it. And I never want to overstay my welcome. What is your YouTube search history? Oh, no. This is all embarrassing. I want to talk to my lawyer. Itâs rewatching a section of one of my old videos, then itâs a gossip video, some girl I went to high school with who started a YouTube channel, a trailer for a premiere that I was invited to but didnât end up going to, a video about Lindsay Lohan, and a TED Talk about orgasms. Would you build another car? I would love to. But my Tesla pickup truck, Truckla, is such a tough act to follow. I donât know what to do. And it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime project. Itâs such a weird worldâto be invited to car events when youâre like, âI got my driverâs license two years ago. I donât know what I'm doing here. But I guess Iâm a truck influencer now!â This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20this%20story%20from%20Morning%20Brew%21&body=Icebreakers%20with%E2%80%A6YouTuber%20and%20inventor%20Simone%20Giertz%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.morningbrew.com%2Fdaily%2Fstories%2Ficebreakers-with-youtuber-and-inventor-simone-giertz%3Futm_campaign%3Dmb%26utm_medium%3Dnewsletter%26utm_source%3Dmorning_brew%0A%0AWant%20more%20great%20content%3F%20Subscribe%20to%20Sunday%20Edition%20%E2%80%94%20Delivering%20the%20latest%20business%20news%20from%20Wall%20St.%20to%20Silicon%20Valley%20daily.%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.morningbrew.com%2Fdaily%2Fr%2F%3Fkid%3Da905682a%26utm_source%3Demail_share%0A Â TOGETHER WITH MUGSY Get ready to dominate summer [Mugsy]( Because the self-proclaimed ~kings of denim~ are back, and this season theyâre dropping some of the hottest swim patterns pools have ever seen. We all know by now that [Mugsy jeans]( are perfect for work and play. Their patented stretch denim feels just like sweatpantsâsoft and cozy 24/7, but never lacking in style. And when youâre ready to make a splash, Mugsyâs [limited-edition swim trunks]( are all youâll need. Theyâre ultra flexible and water repellent, and have a smooth yet snug inner liner to keep everything in, ahem, placeâand they come in 10 new patterns in multiple inseams. [Get 10% off your Mugsy order with code BREW10](. Â WORK LIFE Â [This recurring meeting needs to end](
[Make it work image ]( Each week, our workplace whisperer Shane Loughnane answers a reader-submitted question about problems at work. Anything nagging at you? [Ask Shane here](. About a year ago, I really hit it off with a co-worker in a virtual mixer event, so we decided to keep a recurring monthly invite for us to catch up. However, it turns out only that first conversation was fruitful. I canât take how condescending he is anymore, and it turns out we had less in common than we originally thought, so it feels like a waste of time. Iâm out of excuses to cancel or be late, so how do I break it off while still being cordial?âAnonymous Whether itâs that pesky monthly charge or an ongoing health complaint, it seems to me that the word ârecurringâ is most often followed by something unpleasant. And while Iâm not suggesting we abolish all standing engagements per se, itâs safe to say that the wrong recurring character(s) can quickly turn your recurring meeting into a recurring nightmare. It sounds like this breakup is inevitable, so I think it really comes down to how direct youâre inclined to be with your co-worker. Can you be blunt and remain cordial? Sure, but itâs a tougher needle to thread. In any case, as a professional acquaintance, Iâm not certain itâs your place to give him feedback that might feel very personal. So while itâs usually best to be honest, itâs worth considering if you can get the outcome you desire without hurting any feelings. This seems like a good spot to employ the old, âItâs not you, itâs meâ [routine]( (though, given his proclivity for condescension, your colleague may well insist that if itâs anyone, itâs him). I think you can take this approach without being too disingenuous. Perhaps your workload has also changed, for example. Whatever the case, let him know that you just canât commit to this time block anymore. The fact that youâve been late/had to cancel prior meetings would seem to suggest as much, after all. To borrow an old credo from the Networkers and Bakersâ alliance: Itâs better to have mixed and separated, than to never have mixed at all. At least youâll always have that first fruitful conversation. Share your workplace conundrum with Make It Work [here](. mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20this%20story%20from%20Morning%20Brew%21&body=This%20recurring%20meeting%20needs%20to%20end%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.morningbrew.com%2Fdaily%2Fstories%2F2022%2F05%2F06%2Frecurring-meeting-end%3Futm_campaign%3Dmb%26utm_medium%3Dnewsletter%26utm_source%3Dmorning_brew%0A%0AWant%20more%20great%20content%3F%20Subscribe%20to%20Sunday%20Edition%20%E2%80%94%20Delivering%20the%20latest%20business%20news%20from%20Wall%20St.%20to%20Silicon%20Valley%20daily.%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.morningbrew.com%2Fdaily%2Fr%2F%3Fkid%3Da905682a%26utm_source%3Demail_share%0A Â ANALYSIS Â [Museums reckon with their âfinders keepersâ problem](
[Parthenon Scultures at the British Museum](Claudiodivizia/Getty Images The Smithsonian recently announced itâll return items that it acquired under [unethical circumstances](. The policy shift may sound small, but itâs actually a BFD for artifact-collecting institutions like museumsâwhich have traditionally kept questionable items theyâve procured, regardless of their murky backstories. The debate over ill-gotten artifacts has been brewing for decades: In 1991, South Korean antiques dealer Kim Soo-hong stole nine porcelains from Japanese collector Kenichi Higasa. Soo-hong said they were stolen by Japanese authorities during their occupation of Korea, but Higasaâs family insisted they had [fairly acquired]( them in private transactions. Both stories could be true in the eyes of the law, but Higasaâs claim to ownership is the status quo: Even in cases where the items were originally stolen, if the current owners acquired them lawfully, those owners generally kept them. In other words, finders keepers, losers weepers. Thatâs how the Smithsonian treated its artifacts prior to its policy shift, too. But now, individual museums under the Smithsonianâs umbrella (including the National Portrait Gallery and the National Museum of American History) can individually decide to return artifacts, even when their hand isnât forced by the law. Though their hand may not be forced, it has been repeatedly nudged For instance⦠- Activists led âStolen Goodsâ tours of the British Museum in 2018 and 2019, exploring items such as the Gweagal Shield, which was stolen from Indigenous Australians in 1770.
- Art historians have rained down criticism on Berlinâs Humboldt Forum, especially its Ethnology Museum, for its âcolonial amnesia.â
- Museums full of Parthenon Marbles taken from Greece and Benin Bronzes originally from Nigeria in particular have been pressured to return the historical piecesâincluding by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of Greece. Now, only *checks Gcal* thousands of years after the artifacts were stolen from their home countries, museums and collectors are seriously [considering repatriation](. Italy loaned back a fragment of the Parthenon Marbles (a goddessâs foot) this year. Italyâs move could put pressure on Britain to lose its marbles, tooâwhich a UNESCO commission unanimously agreed it should do last year. Last month, museums in Glasgow returned 17 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, which was Scotlandâs largest restitution ever. And in the US, there have been ongoing efforts to return Native American artifacts: The Museum of Natural History has given back over 1,850 since 1998 to American Indigenous communities. Zoom out: Unlike in a game of Operation, just putting everything back where it came from may not be the best solution. Instead, more museums are opting to collaborate with objectsâ countries of origin to provide historically accurate context. Regarding the tussle over the South Korean porcelains in Japan, the director general of the National Museum of Korea at the time, Han Byong Sam, said, âIt is clear there are great amounts of treasures [in Japan], but we don't even know who owns it or where it is. Our aim is not to get it all back, but to make certain it is preserved and displayed.ââJW mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20this%20story%20from%20Morning%20Brew%21&body=Museums%20reckon%20with%20their%20%E2%80%98finders%20keepers%E2%80%99%20problem%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.morningbrew.com%2Fdaily%2Fstories%2Fmuseums-reckon-with-their-finders-keepers-problem%3Futm_campaign%3Dmb%26utm_medium%3Dnewsletter%26utm_source%3Dmorning_brew%0A%0AWant%20more%20great%20content%3F%20Subscribe%20to%20Sunday%20Edition%20%E2%80%94%20Delivering%20the%20latest%20business%20news%20from%20Wall%20St.%20to%20Silicon%20Valley%20daily.%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.morningbrew.com%2Fdaily%2Fr%2F%3Fkid%3Da905682a%26utm_source%3Demail_share%0A Â FROM THE CREW Â
Candid convos with industry icons. Hosted by Brew co-founder Alex Lieberman, the Imposters podcast delves deep into the personal and mental challenges some of the biggest names in biz have faced while reaching their most resounding achievements. [Listen here](. Â REAL ESTATE Â [Open house]( Welcome to Open House, the only newsletter section that knows you need some distance from your kids. Weâll give you a few facts about a listing and you try to guess the price. [Home in Mexico City: Privacy wall, backyard, front yard, living room, master bedroom, two extra bedrooms, and indoor pool.]JamesEdition Todayâs [home]( is in Bosques de las Lomas, a neighborhood in the western part of Mexico City. Itâs an incredibly exclusive place to live (hence the sky-high privacy walls and trees). Donât even think about bringing your clearance Wayfair furniture into this 14,489 square-foot casa. Amenities include: - 4 beds, 3 baths
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- Indoor pool so every day feels like a hotel day How much to one-up all your friends who had soooo much fun at their Mexico City bachelor party? mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20this%20story%20from%20Morning%20Brew%21&body=Open%20house%3A%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.morningbrew.com%2Fdaily%2Fstories%2Fopen-house-mexico-city-with-an-indoor-pool%3Futm_campaign%3Dmb%26utm_medium%3Dnewsletter%26utm_source%3Dmorning_brew%0A%0AWant%20more%20great%20content%3F%20Subscribe%20to%20Sunday%20Edition%20%E2%80%94%20Delivering%20the%20latest%20business%20news%20from%20Wall%20St.%20to%20Silicon%20Valley%20daily.%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.morningbrew.com%2Fdaily%2Fr%2F%3Fkid%3Da905682a%26utm_source%3Demail_share%0A Â RECS Â [Just click it](#) - Ransomware attacks are part of the cost of doing business. ([Morning Brew]()
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- How to resurrect a coral reef. ([Recode]() Right on the money: The Brewâs weekly Money With Katie newsletter dishes out a fresh approach to spending, investing, and tax strategies. Because finance bros are outâand accessible personal finance is in. [Check it out here](. Â CONTEST Â [Meme competition](#) Welcome back to Morning Brewâs Meme Competition, where we crown a single memelord every Sunday. Todayâs winner: Silas in Verde Valley, AZ [Meme contest winner] This weekâs challenge: You can find the new template [here]( for next Sunday. Once youâre done making your meme, [submit it at this link for consideration](. Â ANSWER Â # $1.7 million Written by [Neal Freyman](, [Jamie Wilde](, [Matty Merritt](, Shane Loughnane, and [Max Knoblauch]( Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up [here]( WANT MORE BREW? Industry news, with a sense of humor â - [Emerging Tech Brew](: AI, crypto, space, autonomous vehicles, and more
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