The United Nations has taken a major step in trying to correct a historic wrong. It has called for reparations for African nations that were subjected to the transatlantic slave trade and voted to recognize slavery as a crime against humanity. Though African countries welcomed the U.N.’s resolution, other nations, including the U.S., viewed the vote with skepticism.

What did the UN vote for?
The resolution was spearheaded by Ghana, one of the countries from which an estimated 12.5 million people across the African continent were captured by Europeans during the height of the slave trade. The resolution declares the “trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialized chattel enslavement of Africans” to be the “gravest crime against humanity.” Ghanaian President John Mahama “called on U.N. members to ‘engage in inclusive good-faith dialogue on reparatory justice, including a full and formal apology,’ as well as measures of restitution and compensation,” said Bloomberg. 

Why are some countries against it?
The resolution was largely well-received, passing 123-3. But the three countries that voted “no” were significant: Argentina, Israel and the U.S. The American vote comes as “policy groups, human rights organizations and academics have accused President Donald Trump of minimizing Black history,” said The New York Times.

Critics often point to Trump’s gripe against the Smithsonian Institution, which the president has accused of “focusing too much on ‘how bad slavery was’ and not enough on the ‘brightness,’” said the Times. U.S. officials claim the decision to vote “no” on the resolution was not about race. The White House “strongly objects to the resolution’s attempt to rank crimes against humanity in any type of hierarchy,” said Deputy U.S. Ambassador Dan Negrea in a speech to the United Nations. The U.K., which abstained from the vote, used almost identical language.

Others felt the move by the U.N. was a necessary one. The resolution was “significant,” said Justin Hansford, a ⁠law professor at Howard University, to Reuters, as it “represented the furthest the U.N. has ​gone in recognizing transatlantic slavery as a crime against humanity and in calling for reparations.” 

Tech enthusiasts and industry analysts are sounding the alarm about RAMageddon, a shortage of random-access-memory chips crucial for running many consumer electronics. Though the future implications of the mass integration of generative AI have had much of the industry worried, the immediate impact of AI’s excessive memory needs is being felt worldwide.

‘Insatiable high-margin demand’
The memory chip shortage is “beginning to hammer profits, derail corporate plans and inflate price tags” on everything from “laptops and smartphones to automobiles and data centers,” said Bloomberg. Major technology companies have hinted that going forward, the shortage of DRAM, or dynamic random access memory, the “fundamental building block of almost all technology,” will constrain production.

RAMageddon has been driven by the “insatiable high-margin demand for AI data center infrastructure,” leading manufacturers to shift “production capacity away from consumer products,” said CNN. This has led to the shortage “expected to last well into 2026 and potentially up to 2028,” analysts said to the outlet.

‘Bigger than anything we have faced before’
The tech industry may be reeling because of the shortage, but an easy fix is not imminent. There’s “no relief until 2028,” said Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan early last month, after speaking to two of the big three memory companies — Micron, Samsung and SK Hynix — which control about 95% of the global DRAM supply.

We stand at the “cusp of something that’s bigger than anything we have faced before,” said Tim Archer, the CEO of chip equipment supplier Lam Research, at a conference in South Korea, per Bloomberg. What lies ahead “between now and the end of this decade” will “overwhelm all other sources of demand.”

The ongoing memory crisis is making it “hard for tech enthusiasts and the general population not to feel more than a little deflated,” said Tom’s Guide (a sister site of The Week). We are “marching toward lining the pockets of a small few” while “giving up environmental and financial stability.” It’s “easy to feel jaded,” but this kind of crisis “feels a little unprecedented.”

Secondary school students in Patna, the capital of the Indian state of Bihar, celebrate with traditional ladoo sweets after getting the results of their Class 10 exams, the mandatory standardized tests taken nationwide that finished earlier this month. Bihar is the first state to release scores.
Santosh Kumar / Hindustan Times / Getty Images

Welcome to the icons-only edition of where to drink this spring. These bars have been around for a spell, achieving venerable notoriety in their respective cities. All hail the longtimers.

Clermont Lounge, Atlanta
It’s unjust to call this a strip club. Let’s call it a bar with strippers. A “core group of women” has worked there for more than 25 years, said Dana Hazels Seith at The Bitter Southerner. The Clermont, which debuted in 1965, is a rip-roaring good time. “Every person who spent time there, from bartender to customer to dancer, told me the same thing,” said Seith. “You can be yourself at the Clermont Lounge.”

Julius’, New York City
At once a raunchy dive bar and an LGBTQ+ icon, Julius’ has been open since the 1860s in Manhattan’s West Village. It’s a place to meet the man of your dreams for a night, as well as one of the centerpieces of the queer civil rights movement. And as of 2022, Julius’ is an officially designated New York City landmark. 

Smuggler’s Cove, San Francisco
The Tiki heyday occurred during the middle of the 20th century, with Americans pining for exotic locales and fruity cocktails. You could argue, though, that the finest incarnation of Tiki-dom launched when Smuggler’s Cove opened in 2009. Fresh juices, quality rums, pristine drinkmaking technique — this place has it all. Yes, a Zombie from the Cove will render you lifeless, but it will taste so good before your demise begins.