The Weird Times
Inner Monologues and Desultory Reporting from Outer Spaces: Issue 195, February 4, 2024 (V4 #39)
The GOP look terrible for committing crimes. The Democrats look terrible for abetting them through complicity or inaction. The media look terrible for ignoring the crimes for decades. The story reveals the US government to be an insular criminal elite over which citizens have little sway.—Sarah Kendzior
The most difficult thing to admit, and to realize with one’s whole being, is that you alone control nothing. To be able to put yourself in tune or rhythm with the forces beyond, which are the truly operative ones, that is the task — and the solution, if we can speak of “solutions.”—Henry Miller
Books, Art, Music, Culture
N. Scott Momaday, Pulitzer-Winning Native American Novelist, Dies at 89: The success of his novel “House Made of Dawn,” the first work by a Native American to win a Pulitzer, inspired a wave of Native literature, John Motyka, NY Times, 1/29/24: “My purpose is to carry on what was begun a long time ago; there’s no end to it that I see.”
‘A way to build on our ancestral legacy’: artists reclaim a major center of Black culture: Freedmen’s Town was once a destination for Black people after the civil war but after decades of decline and gentrification, a new exhibition aims to take it back, Veronica Esposito, The Guardian, 2/1/24: “When artists care about things, they make other people care about things.”
A Brief History of the Grand Old American Tradition of Banning Books: Laura Pappano Investigates the “Chaotic and Illogical Business” of Censorship, Laura Pappano, LitHub, 1/30/24 Book: School Moms: Parent Activism, Partisan Politics, and the Battle for Public Education
Why Are We Talking About Books Like This?What the language we use says about our perception of reading, Molly Templeton, Reactor, 2/1/24: “I want people to think less about being authoritative and more about being appreciative, emotional, engrossed, impassioned, full of questions, ready to be awed.”
The Grand Canyon-Sized Chasm Between Elites and Ordinary Americans: Ivy Leaguers versus everyone else, Rob Henderson, Newsletter, 2/4/24: “The Elite class – regardless of party – is an exclusive club that sees and experiences America through a different lens than ordinary Americans.”
Art has always been a performance, Lyz Lenz, Men Yell at Me, 2/4/24: “…at the end of the day, aren’t we all just Julia Roberts in Notting Hill? Noting that none of our jobs are real. Money isn’t real. Fame isn’t real. But our hearts are. And Hugh Grant keeps crushing them.”
‘Who Owns This Sentence?’ Review: Copyright Chronicles: Early copyright law separated the rights of the author from those of the printer. The idea was novel, Dominic Green, Wall Street Journal, 2/2/24: “In “Who Owns This Sentence?” David Bellos and Alexandre Montagu explain how copyright became an invisible economic architecture that governs not just vital matters such as royalties, but also ephemera such as commercial trademarks and medical patents.” Who Owns This Sentence?: A History of Copyrights and Wrongs (gift article)
Inside the Music Industry’s High-Stakes A.I. Experiments: Lucian Grainge, the chairman of UMG, has helped record labels rake in billions of dollars from streaming. Can he do the same with generative artificial intelligence? John Seabrook, New Yorker, 1/29/24: “ Is a new era of musical invention at hand, or will A.I. cripple human creativity?”
On the Psychology of Tennis, Historical Omissions, and Wanting to Be an Architect: The Author of “Spectral Evidence” Takes the Lit Hub Questionnaire, Gregory Pardlo, LitHub, 1/30/24: “Ultimately, tennis is theory of mind. The ball is a projection of our vain attempts to escape the subconscious, to get outside our heads.”
Transcendence is for Losers: Look Down: Your Soul is in the Soil, Douglas Rushkoff, Rushkoff, 1/31/24: “I feel like we’re still running away from what matters. Or maybe from matter, itself. Trying to escape.”
The big idea: what if every little thing you do changes history? We like to pretend that momentous events have big causes, but science says otherwise, Brian Klaas, The Guardian, 1/29/24: “In a broader sense, our species only exists because of a series of flukes.”
Dada was born of a need for independence, of a distrust toward unity. Those who are with us preserve their freedom. We recognize no theory. We have enough cubist and futurist academies: laboratories of formal ideas. Is the aim of art to make money and cajole the nice nice bourgeois?
—Tristan Tzara, 1918
Politics, Economics
It Can't Happen Here: Denial, Detachment, and the Desire for Normality, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Lucid, 1/31/24: “Creating an aura of destiny around the leader galvanizes his supporters by making his movement seem much stronger than it actually is. The manipulation of perception is everything.”
Bad Arguments and Good Historians: The History of Section 3 and the Future of the Republic, Timothy Snyder, Thinking About, 2/3/24: “Should the Court yield in advance to the threat of violence, it is no longer a court and this is no longer a rule-of-law state. The whole point of Section 3 is to allow the Constitution to defend itself against those who would use violence to overturn our constitutional order.”
The Second Insurrection, Judd Legum, Popular Information, 1/29/24: “The radical and dangerous legal theories being advanced by Texas previously provoked a Civil War and have been broadly rejected for more than a century.”
America Is Not a Democracy: The movement to save democracy from threats is too quick to overlook the problems that have been present since the founding, David Dayen, American Prospect, 1/29/24: “America is uniquely terrible at achieving democratic outcomes.”
Fearing the Reapers: Trump, Biden, and careers of evil, Sarah Kendzior, Newsletter, 1/31/24: “Maybe you should roll on out to Delphi for a change of pace. I hear there’s an Oracle there, singing about the reaper while eating pork cubes on a stick, couching facts in riddles, because the truth hurts too much to tell it any other way.”
Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied, Josh Marshall, Talking Points Memo, 1/31/24: “What I’m talking about are the fair-minded judges who allow a mix of institutional courtesy, established practice and inertia to allow Trump to make a mockery of the criminal justice system.”
The crisis within Texas’ border crisis, Ankush Khardori, Politico Nightly, 1/30/24: “The long game is legal — to fundamentally alter the constitutional relationship between the federal government and the states on a signature policy issue for Republicans — and it is just as important as what happens between now and November.”
Russia amplifies calls for civil war in the U.S.: One Russian Twitter account even suggested sending "informational weapons" to Texas, Caroline Orr Bueno, Weaponized, 2/3/24: “This tactic — amplifying extremes on both sides of a divisive issue — comes straight out of Russia’s disinformation playbook and was used extensively during the 2016 election interference campaign.”
US rightwing conspiracy theory touts Taylor Swift as ‘Pentagon asset:’ Far-right influencers make absurd claim singer an ‘election psyop’ to ‘manipulate’ voters after ‘rigged’ Super Bowl favors Chiefs, Adam Gabbatt, The Guardian, 1/31/24
A fake recording of a candidate saying he’d rigged the election went viral. Experts say it’s only the beginning, Curt Devine, Donie O'Sullivan, Sean Lyngaas, CNN, 2/1/24: “ I do believe that this deepfake was part of a wider influence campaign by Russia to interfere in the Slovak elections.”
Grave peril of digital conspiracy theories: ‘What happens when no one believes anything anymore?’ David Klepper, APNews, 1/31/24: “The disinformation spread by extremist groups and even politicians like former President Donald Trump can create the conditions for violence by demonizing the other side, targeting democratic institutions and convincing their supporters that they’re in an existential struggle against those who don’t share their beliefs.”
Election Countdown, 282 Days to Go: The “States’ Rights” Era Returns: In 2000, the Supreme Court told Florida to stop counting votes. Florida obeyed. In 2024, the Court tells Texas to stop disobeying US Border Patrol policies at the border. Texas says, Make us, James Fallows, Breaking the News, 1/28/24
Is it really sexism that Trump is showing? Or is it something worse? Trump’s resentment toward certain women may be a sign of a something beyond simple misogyny, Monica Hesse, Washington Post, 1/29/24: “I think that what often gets interpreted as sexism is in fact a flagrant disregard for humanity in general, which is so unparalleled in American political history that we don’t have the vocabulary to describe it.”
Biden should run on a message of abundance: Things are going pretty well in America, and Biden's policies have largely helped, Noah Smith, Noahpinion, 2/1/24
James Madison Warned us the Morbidly Rich Are the Greatest Threat to our Republic: Madison wasn’t talking about an abstraction or some highfalutin concept. He was talking about how some rich people will inevitably try to seize political power to screw everybody else, Thom Hartmann, Hartmann Report, 2/2/24
Judge orders Tesla to undo Elon Musk’s $56 billion pay package: The ruling by a Delaware court stems from a Tesla shareholder lawsuit over the tech billionaire’s 2018 compensation package, Faiz Siddiqui, Rachel Lerman, Will Oremus, Washington Post, 1/31/24
The Rise of Techno-Authoritarianism: Silicon Valley has its own ascendant political ideology. It’s past time we call it what it is, Adrienne LaFrance, The Atlantic, 1/30/24: “The new technocrats claim to embrace Enlightenment values, but in fact they are leading an antidemocratic, illiberal movement.”
America, please be reasonable on immigration: In order to preserve our nation of immigrants, we need to compromise, Noah Smith, Noahpinion, 1/29/24: “Our country needs lots of immigrants for our economy, and because taking in immigrants is a core part of how we define ourselves as a nation. But a chaotic border that encourages mass illegal entry does not help advance that goal.”
Obamacare Created Big Medicine: There’s a basic conflict of interest at the heart of American health care. We need to break up the industry to fix it, Matt Stoller, The Lever, 1/29/24: “…since the passage of Obamacare, the firms who control our health care system have become far bigger, and much more powerful.”
Stop blaming male alienation on female liberation: Bad data and misogyny, Lyz Lenz, Men Yell at Me, 1/31/24: “Asking “what about the men?” is effective because it reframes stories of female liberation into tales of male alienation.”
Is There Hope for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women? A hashtag and a political campaign have brought attention to the epidemic of violence, but a New Mexico woman is fighting case by case, Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 2/1/24: “The Bureau of Indian Affairs estimates that there are more than four thousand cases of missing and murdered American Indian and Alaska Natives that have gone unsolved.”
The Profound Nihilism of Gaza Voter-Scolding: Shifting the burden from the specific and powerful to the abstract and powerless has blinkered our moral—and political—thinking, Adam Johnson, The Column, 1/29/24
You ask me why I'm weary
Why I can't speak to you
You blame me for my silence
Say it's time I changed and grew
But the war's still going on, dear
And there's no end that I know
—from “Veterans of the Psychic Wars,” Blue Oyster Cult
Science, Environment
‘Smoking gun proof’: fossil fuel industry knew of climate danger as early as 1954, documents show: Documents show industry-backed Air Pollution Foundation uncovered the severe harm climate change would wreak, Oliver Milman, The Guardian, 1/30/24
Deer Are Beta-Testing a Nightmare Disease: Prion diseases are poorly understood, and this one is devastating, Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 2/1/24: “What makes CWD so formidable is its cause: infectious misfolded proteins called prions. Prion diseases, which include mad cow disease, have long been known as terrifying and poorly understood threats. And CWD is, in many ways, “the most difficult” among them to contend with—more transmissible and widespread than any other known.” (gift article)
Right Whales Are Losing the Right Genes: Losing young is sad, but for small inbred populations it can sometimes be a good thing—in the long run, Bas den Hond, Hakai, 1/31/24: “…there are signs that genetic purging is keeping these killer whale genomes relatively tidy.”
In China, clean energy is now THE driver of overall economic growth, Adam Tooze, ChartBook, 1/31/24: “Chinese manufacturers are expanding production of solar, wind, batteries and EV at a breakneck rate.”
Move to sustainable food systems could bring $10tn benefits a year, study finds: Existing production destroys more value than it creates due to medical and environmental costs, researchers say, Jonathan Watts, The Guardian, 1/29/24
Moving at the Speed of Snow: Snowflakes fall at startlingly predictable speeds, Rebecca Owen, Eos, 1/30/24: “… a new study published in Physics of Fluids showed that predicting how fast a snowflake moves might be a lot simpler than previously thought.”
You Love to See It: America’s Largest Solar Project Comes Online, Katherine Li, The Lever, 2/3/24: “It’s the biggest public-private partnership in which the U.S. Air Force has ever engaged.”
This ancient material is displacing plastics and creating a billion-dollar industry, Marta Vidal, Washington Post, 2/3/24: “Now cork is experiencing a revival as more industries look for sustainable alternatives to plastic and other materials derived from fossil fuels…The cork oak is unique in its ability to regenerate its bark.”
How Parking Reform Is Helping Transform American Cities: In cities across the U.S., planners are pushing to eliminate mandates requiring parking spaces in new buildings. The reforms — along with banning street parking or adding meters — help to reduce car dependency, create public and green spaces, and lower housing costs, Henry Graber, Yale Environment 360, 1/31/24
Scientists Just Discovered a New Type of Magnetism: In an atomically thin stack of semiconductors, a mechanism unseen in any natural substance causes electrons’ spins to align, Michael Greshko, Wired, 1/28/24: “The discovery…marks the latest advance in the five-decade hunt for Nagaoka ferromagnetism, in which a material magnetizes as the electrons within it minimize their kinetic energy, in contrast to traditional magnets.”
On What We Do (And Don’t) Understand About Tornadoes: on the Science and Mystery Behind One of Weather’s Great Spectacles, Nell Greenfieldboyce, LitHub, 2/1/24: “The destructive power of a tornado, I have learned, has nothing to do with its appearance.”
In a ‘Dark Dimension,’ Physicists Search for the Universe’s Missing Matter: An idea derived from string theory suggests that dark matter is hiding in a (relatively) large extra dimension. The theory makes testable predictions that physicists are investigating now, Steve Nadis, Quanta, 2/1/24: “The scenario proposes an as-yet-unseen dimension that lives within the already complex realm of string theory…”
Health, Wellness
They’ve lived 100 years. Here’s their advice about everything, Annabelle Timsit, Teddy Amenabar, Niha Masih, Naomi Schanen, Washington Post, 2/2/24: “Everything in our life — we create it.”— Pearl Taylor
Several Bizarre Visual Symptoms Shown to Be a Strong Predictor For Alzheimer's, David Nield, Science Alert, 2/2/24: "From a scientific point of view, we really need to understand why Alzheimer's is specifically targeting visual rather than memory areas of the brain.”
A Leading Memory Researcher Explains How to Make Precious Moments Last, David Marchese, NY Times, 2/2/24: “If we want to form a new memory, focus on aspects of the experience you want to take with you.” (Gift article)
Scientists found a major clue why 4 of 5 autoimmune patients are women, Mark Johnson, Sabrina Malhi, Washington Post, 2/1/24: “…a molecule called Xist — pronounced like the word “exist” and found only in women — is a major culprit in these diseases.”
Birds, Birds, Birds
The crane who loved me: Zookeeper mourns bird who chose him as mate: Elderly bird had once bonded with her keeper at the National Zoo, who mimicked a mate, Michael E. Ruane, Washington Post, 2/1/24: “He was the only person she tolerated. And with his arm-flapping imitation of a male crane, he eased the artificial insemination that helped her produce eight chicks for her vulnerable species.”
Birds Prefer Areas Devastated by Wildfires, Frank Graff, PBS North Carolina, 2/2/24: “…the number and variety of birds in areas with the most damage were double what they found in unburned sections.”
Cerebellum Growth Was Key to How Birds First Took Flight, Vanessa Wasta, Futurity, 2/2/24: “…identified and traced a sizable increase in cerebellum volume to some of the earliest species of maniraptoran dinosaurs.”
Tiny chickadees grow bigger brains when needed: They boost their spatial memory each winter to record and recall where they stored thousands of bits of food, Val Cunningham, Star Tribune, 2/1/24
Long ago, everyone felt safe. Aristotle
never felt danger. Herodotus felt danger
only when Xerxes was around. Young women
were afraid of winged dragons, but felt
relaxed otherwise. Timotheus, however,
was terrified of storms until he played
one on the flute. After that, everyone
was more afraid of him than of the violent
west wind, which was fine with Timotheus.
Euclid, full of music himself, believed only
that there was safety in numbers.
—from “Social Security,” Terence Winch
Wherever you are, whoever you are with, whatever you are doing — I send you my warm regards and thanks for who you are and what you do. Please continue to keep in touch. Send messages and news….
Above all, stay well; share love; work for good. Take care all. We need each other, now more than ever. Best wishes—David
nailing it as usual, THANKS! —Tej