The Weird Times
Inner Monologues and Desultory Reporting from Outer Spaces: Issue 216, June 30, 2024 (V5 #8)
The economic divide in this country has not been unwittingly created. The divide is the result of concerted effort by a greedy class, not the educated class. The educated class, though, has been better at navigating the resulting system than the working class, an effect that the wealthy class has used to divide and conquer to insure that the educated and working classes do not finally work together to create a more just society.—John Q. Gale, Hartford CT City Councilor
I have seen the best poets and baseball players of our generation caught in the complete and contemptible whoredom of capitalist society—Jack Spicer
Restoring reality to the center of our political debates would protect the rights stolen from us by ideologues…—Heather Cox Richardson
Books, Music, Art, Culture
They took part in Apache ceremonies. Their schools expelled them for satanic activities: Educators on the Fort Apache Reservation have repeatedly condemned teens for participating in a sacred dance. It follows a pattern of Christian discipline begun more than a century ago, Nicolle Ocoren, The Guardian, 6/24/24
The Lagoon of Languages: Combining poetry and critical theory, esteemed Tahitian poet Flora Aurima Devatine creatively navigates the symbolic relationship between water and language, Flora Aurima Devatine, Translated by Jean Anderson, Words without Borders, 6/24/24: “The watery tongue of the mothersea flows from the originary depths, entering the land masses and shaping tongues of land.”
Orlando Cepeda, Hall of Famer and baseball’s ‘Baby Bull,’ dies at 86: His exuberant play made him a fan favorite in San Francisco and St. Louis, but a drug conviction delayed his election to the Hall of Fame, Matt Schudel, Washington Post, 6/29/24
Kinky Friedman, provocative satirist and one-time gubernatorial candidate, dies at 79: Friedman launched a boisterous campaign for governor in 2006, decades after forming the band Kinky Friedman and The Texas Jewboys, Emily Foxhall, Joshua Fechter, Texas Tribune, 6/27/24
Today’s Teenagers Have Invented a Language That Captures the World Perfectly, Stephen Marche, NY Times, 6/25/24: “Young people, as they have from the beginning of time, are figuring out exclusive terms to describe their world. As always, it’s a world that the olds cannot comprehend or co-opt. The world of my son’s generation is a dark one — full of corporate triumph and the defeat of public spirit, where systems of meaning are decaying and a lack of clarity is spreading.”
In Search of the Rarest Book in American Literature: Edgar Allan Poe’s Tamerlane: on the Bibliophile’s Holy Grail, Otherwise Known as the “Black Tulip,” Bradford Morrow, LitHub, 6/25/24: “Some books become our friends. The writings inside them, as well as the tangible volumes themselves.”
37-08 Utopia Parkway: Joseph Cornell’s House, Eliza Barry Callahan, Paris Review, 6/26/24: “Cornell lived with his mother in the house on Utopia Parkway; in his last phone call to his sister on the day he died, he said that he wished he “had not been so reserved.” Part of him wished he had left the house.”
Inside the battle to release controversial Trump movie ‘The Apprentice’: Ex-NFL owner and Trump backer Dan Snyder is a funder of the production company that helped produce the Cannes hit, which stars Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong. Is the company also blocking the film’s U.S. distribution? Jada Yuan, Washington Post, 6/25/24
Oklahoma state superintendent orders schools to teach the Bible in grades 5 through 12, Sean Murphy, AP News, 6/27/24. DW: Who will be the first to sue Oklahoma?
AI isn’t meant for us: The question on people’s minds today seems to be: How did we get into this mess? Mark Hurst, Creative Good, 6/28/24: “How did we enter into an economy drenched in AI investments with (so far) little or no appreciable payoff for us, the citizens and students and customers? Because the AIs weren’t developed for us. They were never meant for us. They’re instead meant for the owners of the corporations: promising to cut costs, or employee count, or speed up operations, or otherwise juice the quarterly metrics so that “number go up” just a bit more – with no regard for how it affects the customer experience, the worker experience, the career prospects of creators and writers and musicians who have been raising the alarm about these technologies for years.”
He Helped Invent Generative AI. Now He Wants to Save It: Illia Polosukhin doesn't want big companies to determine the future of artificial intelligence. His alternative vision for “user-owned AI” is already starting to take shape, Steven Levy, Wired, 6/29/24
How the ‘Owner’s Guide’ Became a Rare Book: A good manual is hard to find, Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 6/26/24: “A manual suggests a relationship with a product.”
The other 1969 concert that changed music: ‘one of the most important stories in rock history:’ Revival69 glimpses into starry Toronto Rock and Roll Revival, which gave Beatles fans a new look at John Lennon, Jim Farber, The Guardian, 6/28/24: “There’s nothing like walking away from a show, shaking your head and saying: ‘What the hell was that?’ It’s the ultimate reaction.” Trailer for film, Revival69: The Concert That Rocked The World
How a Small Press Poetry Contest Launched Samuel Beckett’s Career: on Nancy Cunard, the Woman Who First Discovered the Future Nobel Laureate, Adam Smyth, LitHub, 6/26/24: “Neither Cunard nor Aldington knew the name, but they realized four or five lines in that they had a poem possessed of a strange, abrasive vitality.”
Galileo how are you
and his consecutive thirds!
The vile old Copernican lead-swinging son of a sutler!
We’re moving he said we’re off — Porca Madonna!
the way a boatswain would be, or a sack-of-potatoes charging Pretender
That’s not moving, that’s moving.
—from “Whoroscope,” Samuel Beckett
Politics, Technology
How America Got Into This Omnishambles: The Democrats have for too long prized polite lies over uncomfortable truths, Yascha Mounk, Persuasion, 6/28/24: “… at every juncture, people whose obligations should have been towards truth and political responsibility bowed to the perceived imperatives of groupthink. And while the costs of these decisions seemed to be moderate at each juncture, they slowly accumulated, ultimately producing the omnishambles in which America now finds itself.”
Biden crashes, Trump lies: A campaign-defining presidential debate, Mary Kate Cary, Karen Vasby Anderson, The Conversation, 6/28/24: “Former President Donald Trump was aggressive, confident and disciplined, but he peppered his remarks with a steady stream of lies, half-truths and misinformation. President Joe Biden focused on Trump’s documented record – both criminal and political – but failed as an orator…”
Give Joe Some Room: If it's time to withdraw he will--and in the process perhaps reshape our politics, Bill McKibben, Crucial Years, 6/29/24: “Trumpism is selfishness—that is its parts and that is its sum. With a powerful act of selflessness Biden can break the evil spell that selfishness has cast. It would be a remarkable thing for an old man to do, and a hell of a way to cap a career that began in the 1960s. Ask what you can do for your country!”
Biden Gets Up After His Debate Meltdown: The President’s political decision-making has long been shaped by two instincts: bouncing back and reading the room. They could lead him in opposite directions in the days ahead, Evan Osnos, New Yorker, 6/29/24: “The choice in this election is simple: Donald Trump will destroy democracy. I will defend it.” In fact, there is nothing simple about the choices that Biden has given the public.
Should Democrats stay the course or replace Biden? After the president’s disastrous debate performance, some want to drop him as the party nominee. But it’s not so simple, Robert Reich, The Guardian, 6/30/24: “I’m not saying it’s impossible to replace Biden at this juncture, only that it would require extraordinary deftness and collaboration on the part of the leaders of the Democratic party, who are not always known for their deftness and collaboration.”
A few quick thoughts about Biden’s performance at the debate, Jim Hightower, Lowdown, 6/28/24: “I don’t care if Biden is a sack of cement, I’m going to help haul him to the finish line.”
Reports of Biden’s Black and Hispanic Problem Are Vastly Overstated: Yes, the president has work to do with Black and Hispanic voters, but no, they’re not flocking to Donald Trump, Susan Milligan, New Republic, 6/24/24
The Unadorned Truth About Donald Trump: We must treat him like any other candidate for high office who is emotionally and mentally unstable, Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic, 6/27/24: “Trump overwhelms us with nonsense. This is the ‘banality of crazy.’”
Troubling News From the Shit-Stirring Department: What if we’re not as divided as we’re being told we are? Shalom Auslander, Persuasion, 6/24/24: “60% of Americans agree that both Biden and Trump are too goddamned old to be president. 80% of Americans agree that elected officials don’t give a shit what people like them think.”
Yes, of course crime is way down: The people telling you crime isn't falling are feeding you a line, Noah Smith, Noahpinion, 6/26/24: “An unfortunate lesson from the past few years is that if Americans don’t want to believe a plain and simple fact, they simply won’t. No amount of data, careful studies, or reasoned argument will convince them. And so a whole lot of Americans will march to the polls in November absolutely, utterly convinced that crime has soared under Biden.”
Supreme Court overturns Chevron decision, curtailing federal agencies' power in major shift, Melissa Quinn, CBS, 6/28/24: “The Supreme Court's reversal of the Chevron decision also further demonstrates the willingness of its six-justice conservative majority to jettison decades of past rulings.”
“In one fell swoop, the majority today gives itself exclusive power over every open issue — no matter how expertise-driven or policy-laden — involving the meaning of regulatory law. As if it did not have enough on its plate, the majority turns itself into the country's administrative czar.”—Justice Kagan’s dissent.
Why You Should Be Concerned About Loper Bright, Joyce Vance, Civil Discourse, 6/30/24: “When longstanding precedent is reversed simply because the personalities that make up the Court change, it undercuts public confidence in the rule of law.”
The Limited Effects of Fischer: DOJ Data Reveals Supreme Court’s Narrowing of Jan. 6th Obstruction Charges Will Have Minimal Impact, Ryan Goodman, Mary B. McCord and Andrew Weissmann, Just Security, 6/28/24: “…the decision means little in terms of the pending charges against former President Donald Trump.”
Iowa just banned abortions: And how this will impact the healthcare landscape in Iowa, Lyz Lenz, Men Yell at Me, 6/28/24: “We now live in a state where pregnant people have fewer rights than a bag of trash.”
Should Trump Get Jail Time? A Survey of Sentences for Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree, Norman L. Eisen, Samara Angel, Riley Pynnonen, Alexandra Herrera, Just Security, 6/26/24: “…when Judge Juan Merchan announces Trump’s sentence on July 11, a sentence of incarceration is warranted — not only for the seriousness of the crime but also because many other factors that influence sentencing also favor jail time.”
How COVID Broke Our Trust In Government: Hard questions still need to be asked about the pandemic response, Bethany McLean, Persuasion, 6/26/24: “The problems with our COVID-19 response went deeper than incoherent, unscientific public health mandates. If the global financial crisis of 2008 started a mistrust of capitalism, the pandemic exacerbated it…. once people lose trust in institutions, they become more open to conspiracy theories.”
The Profit Trap: Capitalism has become a major source of global problems, when it should be delivering solutions. But as a powerful engine of prosperity that also lends itself to the defense of political liberty, the system is well worth saving – albeit in a revised form, Jean-Baptiste Wautier, Project Syndicate, 6/28/24: “Capitalism also provides a foundation for liberalism, since it requires free choice and agency….. in their current form, they have entrenched the fundamentally flawed profit-centered model.”
What Unlearning Zionism Can Teach American Jews About Israel and Palestine: on Jewish Identity, Community Myths and Personal and Political Transformation, Oren Kroll-Zeldin, LitHub, 6/26/24: “Unlearning is a commitment to doing the emotional and political labor necessary to work in solidarity with Palestinians in the struggle for justice.”
Israel’s Two Front War, Lawrence Freedman, Comment is Freed, 6/30/24: “The simplest way out of this dreadful situation would be for a cease-fire in Gaza to be agreed soon, which would allow Hizballah to accept one too.”
You cannot let me walk inside you too long inside
the veins where my small feet touch
bottom.
You must reach inside and pull me
like a silver bullet
from your arm.
—from “Inside Out,” Diane Wakoski
Science, Environment
Harvesting Destruction: Reflections of a lifelong Montana rancher on the corporate takeover of our food system and what it means for the future of our nation and planet, Gilles Stockton, Barn Raiser, 6/24/24: “The lie in all of this is that the larger farms are not, in fact, more efficient, because the concept of economies of scale is an illusion. Small farmers have yields that match or exceed those of the large. The real problem is the excess production capacity, along with the corporate appropriation of the market infrastructure. American family farmers have been left holding the bag from the anti–family farm policies of the last 60 years. The American public is also on the hook, because these failed farm policies cost taxpayers more and more.” Book: Feeding a Divided America: Reflections of a Western Rancher in the Era of Climate Change
Projections aren’t predictions. But climate media doesn’t always capture the difference: The IPCC—and climate scientists in general—need to do a lot more work explaining the concept of scenarios, Sarah DeWeerdt, Anthropocene, 6/25/24: “…climate scientists and journalists need to do more to communicate how population trends, technological advances, economic growth, and climate policy could interact to shape future carbon emissions.”
The media is still falling short on climate: HEATED analyzed 133 breaking news stories about recent climate-fueled weather in the United States. The results were dismal—but there were some bright spots, Emily Adkin, Arielle Samuelson, Heated, 6/27/24: “But when over half of breaking news articles about climate-fueled weather don’t mention the climate crisis, one has to wonder whether there are forces other than sheer ignorance driving these omissions.”
Garbage dumps may be ‘burping’ toxic ‘forever chemicals’: Study, Sharon Udasin, The Hill, 6/26/24: “Scientists measured unexpectedly high levels of airborne per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at three dumps they surveyed .”
To Foil a Deadly Pest, Scientists Aim for a Beetle-Resistant Ash Tree: Emerald ash borer beetles have killed hundreds of millions of ash trees in the U.S. Now, researchers are nurturing ash that can withstand the insects, in the hope of producing resistant seeds that would ensure a future for trees that are a crucial part of Eastern forests, Elizabeth Kolbert, Yale Climate 360, 6/24/24
By a Stream in Vermont, a Glimpse of a Plant Last Seen a Century Ago: “Are you sitting down?” Vermont’s state botanist asked a fellow plant expert after spotting false mermaid-weed last month, Jenna Russell, NY Times, 6/11/24: “It’s a glimmer of hope in an otherwise grim world.” (No Paywall)
The Promise and Possible Pitfalls of American Kelp Farming: Kelp can both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and remedy their impact on the environment. With very little regulatory oversight, and funding rushing in for seaweed farming, how will this industry evolve? Alexandra Talty, Civil Eats, 6/27/24
Radical Technology Aims to Rev Up Oceans’ Power to Cool the World: Oceans already absorb a third of Earth’s atmospheric C02. Startups want to boost that with electrochemistry, other unusual methods, Amrith Ramkumar, Eric Niiler, Wall Street Journal, 6/25/24: “…at least a dozen young companies are embarking on the world’s first major projects to get oceans to soak up more carbon dioxide” (No paywall)
Batteries and Rooftop Solar Can Lead to Huge Savings for the Entire Grid. A New Study Shows How—and How Much: Reducing demand for electricity has broad benefits, including less need to add new wires and grid equipment, Dan Gearino, Inside Climate News, 6/27/24
How Water Could be the Future of Fuel: A new generation of fuels could power planes and ships without warming the planet, Nicolas Rivero, Emily Wright, Washington Post, 6/27/24: “…hydrogen made from water using renewable electricity, also known as green hydrogen.”
The triumph of electromagnetism over thermodynamics: How electricity is replacing combustion as humanity's key tool for mastering the physical world, Noah Smith, Noahpinion, 6/24/24: “It’s about a shift in which fundamental physical processes human technology as a whole is based on.”
With AI Tools, Scientists Can Crack the Code of Life: Google’s AI research lab DeepMind is steadily building knowledge of how genes and their products work inside the body—and how and why they sometimes go wrong, Joao Medeiros, Wired, 6/26/24: “AI could eventually lead to the creation of a virtual cell that could radically accelerate biomedical research, enabling biology to be explored in-silico rather than in real-world laboratories.”
Health, Wellness
Scientists found another way we’re exposed to ‘forever chemicals’: Through our skin: This study adds to the limited body of evidence that proves dermal exposure to PFAS can lead to skin absorption, Amudalat Ajasa, Washington Post, 6/26/24 (No paywall)
Drinking from plastic bottles can raise type 2 diabetes risk, study warns: Findings are first to provide evidence that chemical’s administration increases type 2 diabetes risk, researchers say, Vishwam Sankaran, The Independent (UK), 6/25/24
Baby bottle makers deceived parents over dangers of plastic products, lawsuits allege, Carey Gillam, New Lede, 6/25/24: “lawyers representing a small group of California parents alleged that Philips North America and the Handi-Craft Co. marketed baby bottles and plastic cups as safe for children even though they knew that when the products were heated microplastics from the containers could leach into the food and liquids being served to the children.”
I swear, there is in me no wizardry of words.
I speak to you with silence like a cloud or a tree.
—from “Dedication,” Czeslaw Milosz
Birds
Conservationists stunned after spotting eagle species for first time in 500 years: ‘We are absolutely thrilled,’ “Their presence here is a testament to the power we all have to create positive change for our planet,” Leslie Sattler, The Cool Down, 6/24/24
Great Tits Show How Animals Can Thrive in Cities: One of Europe’s most common birds, the great tit, show an amazing adaptability to human-made habitats. There seem no limits for this species when it comes inventing new ways of acquiring food from people, Anders Brodin, Scientific American, 6/25/24
All in good time, our plan went to shit
I told my future by reading your lips
You wore my ring until it didn't fit
All in good time
—from “All in Good Time,” Iron and Wine, written by Samuel Ervin Beam
Just a note of reminder - I try to provide links that are not behind paywalls whenever possible. All Guardian, most NY Times, Washington Post, and Atlantic posts are readable without subscriptions. Apologies in advance for any articles you cannot read in full.
I hope you don’t mind me repeating this every week — (and this week was a really tough one for so many of us) because I really mean it — wherever you are, whoever you are with, whatever you are doing — thanks for who you are and what you do. Please continue to keep in touch. Send messages and your own news. Hearing from you makes this all worthwhile.
Above all, stay well; share love; work for good. We need each other, now more than ever. Fight for what’s right, no matter what.
Love always—David