The Weird Times
Inner Monologues and Desultory Reporting from Outer Spaces: Issue 241, December 22, 2024 (V5 #33)
Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered, yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value.—Thomas Paine
The owner of a car company is controlling the House of Representatives from a social media app.—Ron Filipkowski
Apparently America elected Elon Musk President. Trump is just his errand boy.—Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI)
Books, Music, Art, Culture
Zilia Sánchez, Artist of Sensual Abstractions, Dies at 98: Her sculptural canvases or “erotic topologies” evoked the sinuous rhythms of the natural world and their echoes in the female body, Valentina Di Liscia, Rhea Nayyar, Hyperallergenic, 12/19/24: “Many of her paintings are titled after women warriors and heroines of Greek mythology, such as Antigone, whose story of resistance and defiance resonated with Sánchez’s own experiences of political exile and being a gay woman artist in male-dominated spaces.”
‘Insouciant Pagan Journal:’ The Little Review, the radical and short-lived magazine helmed by Jane Heap and Margaret Anderson, was a vanguard of modernism in American culture, Francesca Wade, NY Review of Books, 12/19/24 issue Book: Making No Compromise: Margaret Anderson, Jane Heap, and the Little Review
Pockets of Weird: The Fight Over Reality, Douglas Rushkoff, Rushkoff, 12/18/24: “In order to make room for this weird, this liminal zone of possibility, we need to get off the grid-like map of quantized utility and grow a culture instead. We do this together by forming clusters of human weirdness; groups of people with varying forms of space, voltage, and potential between them.”
The Shoals of Prose: Recent books of prose by two of our best poets suggest the importance of criticism to the development of a poet’s work, Ange Mlinko, NY Review of Books, 12/19/24 issue. Books: My Poetics, Maureen N. McLane and Watch Your Language: Visual and Literary Reflections on a Century of American Poetry, Terrance Hayes
The Real-Life Origins of Taboo Fairy Romance: Long before “A Court of Thorns and Roses,” 17th-century Swedish courts investigated supernatural love, Andrew Coletti, Atlas Obscura, 12/17/24: “Stories of supernatural love affairs forced people to examine their own beliefs and question what was possible, or acceptable, within their own reality.”
Why the Black American origins of mac and cheese are so hotly debated: In an era punctuated with persistent loss, our culinary rituals are a scrumptious bridge, Nneka M. Okona, The Guardian, 12/22/24
Why Gregory Bateson Matters: Or what a counterculture might look like in the 21st century, Ted Gioia, Honest Broker, 12/16/24: “Bateson worked at the interfaces between technology, environment, and individual psychology. And he grasped the specific dangers faced by society when these three forces are in conflict with each other…. His specialty was understanding the ways these are all linked and how changes in one sphere often start with shifts in another. Perhaps more than anyone of his generation, Bateson grasped that the revolution won’t be televised — in fact, it can’t — if the conflict is taking place in our own heads.”
My Last Column: Finding Hope in an Age of Resentment, Paul Krugman, NY Times, 12/9/24: “At some point the public will realize that most politicians railing against elites actually are elites in every sense that matters and start to hold them accountable for their failure to deliver on their promises. And at that point the public may be willing to listen to people who don’t try to argue from authority, don’t make false promises, but do try to tell the truth as best they can.”
Five O’Clock Somewhere: the history of tiki culture in California, Lina Abascal, LA Review of Books, 12/18/24: “For many, Los Angeles is the escape. A place to reinvent yourself.”
MLB’s all-time stolen base leader Rickey Henderson dead at age 65, Homero De La Fuente, CNN, 12/21/24: “…one of the best leadoff hitters in the sport’s history and the greatest base stealer of all-time.”
Remembrance: Jerome Rothenberg (1931–2024), Pierre Joris, Poetry Project Newsletter #278, Fall 2024: “The same lively, wide-awake intelligence that looks at & engages the world with great care & humor, the same explorative desire to investigate & change the world by experimenting along that core human interface between man & world, i.e. language, drove his poetry for over 70 years.”
he picks a coin up
from the ground
it burns his hand
like ashes it is red
& marks him as it marks
the others hidden
he is hidden in the forest
in a world of nails
his dibbik fills him
—from “Der Gilgul (The Possessed)”, Jerry Rothenberg
Politics, Economics, Technology
The Sky is Falling in America: For the past nine years, many of us knew this day was coming, John Pavlovitz, The Beautiful Mess, 12/20/24: “And yet, as bad as it is or becomes here in America and elsewhere, people who believe love will have the last, loudest word, still have the responsibility and the ability to walk into the tumult of days like these, to press our shoulders together, to steady ourselves, to raise our arms to the heavens—and to hold up the sky.”
How Did the Press Get This So Wrong? We clearly know why, Scott Dworkin, Dworkin Report, 12/22/24: “By tanking the bipartisan bill, Elon and Donald stirred up heavy Republican infighting in the House, or so it seemed….Democrats demonstrated that they could be a mighty force to be reckoned with. But if you were to read corporate media’s take, that’s not the impression you would walk away with. Almost every major news org spun a story to soften the blow for Trump and Republicans.”
Gerrymandering Decided House Control: Unfair maps gave the GOP a razor-thin majority, Michael Waldman, Brennan Center, 12/17/24: “Republicans won a net 16-seat advantage due to manipulated maps drawn for party advantage.”
The Fear Is the Point: They want us to be afraid. Don't be, Charlie Sykes, To the Contrary, 12/16/24: “The point is to make critics, and reporters, and editors wonder if it is all worth it; to wonder why they should stand and fight, if the billionaires and the corporations who run major media outlets run and hide.”
Meet the Project 2025 People Who Are Filling Up Trump’s Administration: Trump denied any ties to Project 2025 but these 10 appointments prove he was lying, Team Zeteo, Zeteo, 12/16/24: “…from co-authors to contributors to top affiliates…” (video)
Trump planning to target progressive non-profits, US watchdog warns: Congressional Integrity Project creates initiative to counter growing ‘authoritarianism’ and defend progressives, David Smith, The Guardian, 12/18/24
Joe Biden’s Bodyguard of Liars Betrayed American Democracy: Gerontocracy, pro-establishment politics and deception by Democratic Party insiders all helped elect Donald Trump, Jeet Heer, The Nation, 12/20/24
Capitulating to Trump, American Elites Follow a History of Autocratic Enabling that Doesn't End Well, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Lucid, 12/17/24: “Elites retain power and privileges, and have the potential to expand their profits, in return for supporting the autocrat no matter what he says or does.”
Why is Musk-Trump the "Mump Regime"? Ask the Mumpers and the Mumpets, Timothy Snyder, Thinking About, 12/22/24: “We are heading for a situation in which the fracturing of the government is deliberate and the weakness of the society desired.”
Elon Musk: A New and Sinister Force in Government: Autocratic Capture through Partnership with Trump? What Should We Call His Presence in Government? Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Lucid, 12/20/24: “Because it is dangerous in a new way, we lack the language to label it and communicate the extent of the threat…. Money is Musk’s main weapon in the battle to consolidate anti-democratic power and influence.”
How Trump Transforms Democracy to Dictatorship: A Warning America Can’t Afford to Ignore: Trump’s proven plan to crush opposition, corrupt government, and rewrite the rules in his and his billionaire buddies’ favor…Thom Hartmann, Hartmann Report, 12/19/24: “Republicans beholden to Trump are now openly discussing rewriting the US Constitution.”
He’s anti-democracy and pro-Trump: the obscure ‘dark enlightenment’ blogger influencing the next US administration: Key figures in the incoming administration follow Curtis Yarvin, who’s pushing for an autocratic takeover of the US, Jason Wilson, The Guardian, 12/21/24: “The growing parallels between the incoming administration’s actions – especially Vance’s views – and Yarvin’s suggestions raise questions about his influence.”
Where the Hell Are the Democratic Warriors Ready to Take the Fight to Trump’s Fascism & the GOP Machine? As the old guard fades and democracy is under siege, the next generation of leaders is missing in action: who will step up and fight? Thom Hartmann, Hartmann Report, 12/18/24: “Remember the night of President Obama’s first inauguration? Republican leaders were gathered at the Caucus Room Restaurant in DC to organize a “massive resistance” campaign against our nation’s first Black president.”
Time to start breaking things: A simple solution for bringing Democrats out of the wilderness, Lucas Kunze, Newsletter, 12/15/24: “…if Democrats want to be trusted again, they are going to have to start breaking things.”
Forming The New American Resistance: Redefining FAFO Can Guide You to Stand Up to the Coming Orange Tyranny. Here is How, Malcolm Nance, Special Intelligence, 12/18/24: “I propose everyone be given simple, easy-to-understand goals to carry out the first impactful protest acts in such a way that the entire narrative of the Trump administration is challenged in the real space right in the face of Red America.”
State Constitutions Are Far Better at Constraining Executive Power and Defending Rights than the Federal One: Committed liberals should look to them for guidance on structural reforms to stop Uncle Sam’s attacks on American liberties, Anthony Sanders, Unpopulist, 12/17/24
Where Do Democrats Go From Here? It Starts with Bold Leadership: As chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party, I believe state parties need to be full partners at the table to ensure rural America is heard, Jane Fleming Kleeb, Barn Raiser, 12/19/24: “We need to make sure the guy at the dive bar feels just as welcome in our party as the mom at the wine bar.”
Yes, It Is Us Vs. Them in America. That's What Trump Supporters Voted For, John Pavlovitz, The Beautiful Mess, 12/18/24: “…the one mistake Kamala Harris and Tim Walz did make, was that they underestimated the hearts of tens of millions of America’s people…. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz confidently bet the house on unity—and they lost. They lost, because 77 million Americans chose division.”
Senator Slams Corporate Media on Live TV: More of this, please, Scott Dworkin, Dworkin Report, 12/20/24: “The minute that we pretend that this is a normal exercise of executive power, is the day that people give up fighting.”
Hope in Turbulent Times: Native Leaders Take the Long View: Representatives from three tribes discuss how their communities have learned to endure by celebrating connections, Stephanie Woodard, Barn Raiser, 12/16/24: “the world needs the wisdom, resilience and stewardship that Indigenous leaders uniquely bring. Our survival in this rapidly changing world may well depend on it.”
America is losing the physical technologies of the future: Electrical technology isn't just a climate thing. It's about national power and prosperity, Noah Smith, Noahpinion, 12/18/24: “Americans on both political sides have essentially agreed to frame emerging electrical technologies as being fundamentally about climate change, instead of about national power and prosperity. This is a dangerous misconception.”
Macroeconomics: The predator of foolish regimes: One thing no ruler can control, Noah Smith, Noahpinion, 12/19/24: “I think there’s a possibility that this new Trump administration could cause some unforced errors and increased economic difficulty. As I like to say, macro will not be mocked.”
3D-printed guns, like the one allegedly used to kill a health care CEO, are a growing threat in the US and around the world, Nir Ksetri, The Conversation, 12/19/24
Mozizm otra vez be slayed,
quantum slanguage byways get made
of siphonophonic cargo,
un regalo del hombre who
swore he was an average jose…
—from “Ramm:Ell:Zee’s Reboot (Non Elegy / iDécima)” by Vincent Toro
Science, Environment
Montana Supreme Court affirms decision in Held, historic youth climate case: Limit on analysis of greenhouse gas emissions unconstitutional, court says in 6-1 opinion, Micah Drew, Blair Miller, Daily Montanan, 12/18/24: “Plaintiffs showed at trial—without dispute—that climate change is harming Montana’s environmental life support system now and with increasing severity for the foreseeable future…”
Wiped Off the Map: A federal clerk’s error put more than 90,000 acres of Yakama Nation land in the hands of Washington state. The tribe wants it back, Maria Parazo Rose, Grist, 12/20/24
The Canoe in the Forest: An unfinished boat hidden on a remote island in Alaska illuminates a missing chapter in the history of traditional Haida and Tlingit canoe building, Joshua Hunt, Hakai, 12/19/24: “It may have hidden secrets.”
Photographs reveal first glimpse of uncontacted Amazon community: Automatic cameras in the Brazilian rainforest show images of the Massaco people, who are flourishing despite environmental threats, John Reid, Daniel Biasetto, The Guardian, 12/22/24: “There are 61 confirmed groups living in the Amazon and Gran Chaco region, with a reported 128 not yet verified by authorities.”
‘I didn’t realize the role rice played’: the ingenious crop cultivation of the Gullah Geechee people: Researchers in North Carolina used underwater sonar to map a system created by enslaved people centuries ago, Adria R Walker, The Guardian, 12/21/24: “They were able to actually use, regulate, introduce the water and drain it with the tides instead of having these big ponds and using the traditional way.”
Bamboo bonanza: how a village in India used its forest to go from poverty to prosperity, Roli Srivistava, The Guardian, 12/17/24: “Restoring age-old land rights has enabled 300 villagers to build a profitable business and halt the exodus to the city.”
Octopuses and their relatives are a new animal welfare frontier − here’s what scientists know about consciousness in these unique creatures, Rachel Blaser, The Conversation, 12/20/24: “Considering what’s known about their brain structures, sensory systems and learning capacity, it appears that cephalopods as a group may be similar in intelligence to vertebrates as a group.”
The Race to Translate Animal Sounds Into Human Language: With big cash prizes at stake—and AI supercharging research—interspecies translation is closer than ever. But what, if anything, would animals want to tell us? Arik Kershenbaum, Wired, 12/22/24
Corals depend on near neighbors to reproduce, Univ of Queensland, ScienceDaily, 12/16/24: A new study reveals corals must be within only a few meters of each other to successfully reproduce, leaving them vulnerable in a warming world.
Satellite data reveals true scale of methane pollution: New findings suggest that emissions of the potent global warming gas from landfills could be much higher than officially reported, YCC Team, Yale Climate Connections, 12/17/24
AI is guzzling gas: Big Tech is paying for gas plants and pipelines to directly power data centers, threatening global climate goals, Arielle Samuelson, Heated, 12/19/24
The controversial machine sending CO2 to the ocean and making hydrogen, Jocelyn Timperley, BBC, 12/18/24: “Unrelenting global emissions have led many scientists to believe we now need to intervene to take large amounts of CO2 back out of the atmosphere.”
Massive volcanic eruptions did not cause the extinction of dinosaurs, Utrecht Univ, ScienceDaily, 12/18/24: “While volcanism caused a temporary cold period, the effects had already worn off thousands of years before the meteorite, the ultimate cause of the dinosaur extinction event, impacted.”
Chart of life extended by nearly 1.5 billion years, Virginia Tech, ScienceDaily, 12/19/24: “With this new study, the chart of life now includes life forms from the Proterozoic Eon, 2,500 million to 539 million years ago.”
Our ugliness preceded us like a mirror held up to the assembling wind
When will you draw the bitterness inflaming our upturned faces
—from “A Voice in the Studio of Peter Paul Rubens,” John Yau
Health, Wellness
What we just found out about the possible tie between microplastics and cancer: The new research gathers evidence that microplastics are already causing health problems, Shannon Osaka, Washington Post, 12/18/24: “Double the number of adults under age 55 are being diagnosed with colon cancer today compared with a decade ago. The rate of lung cancer among non-smokers is also rising.”
To Improve Your Gut Microbiome, Spend More Time in Nature: Microbes found in green spaces can transfer into your body, increasing bacterial diversity and potentially boosting the strength of the immune system, Kathy Willis, Wired, 12/21/24
Your Blood Pressure Reading Is Probably Wrong: Dangling your arm, wearing the wrong size cuff and scrolling on your phone can make a reading higher or lower than it should be, Betsy McKay, Wall Street Journal, 12/16/24: “Getting the right reading is important for preventing heart attacks, strokes and other potentially fatal conditions.”
I believe in death, in death’s eternal pulse, and I believe our
moment will come again when the sea regains its color and
the sphere lights up, emblazons the hilltop, and celebrates
the dignity—this time—of the sick at heart.
—from “86,” Ennio Moltedo, tr. from Spanish by Marguerite Feitlowitz
Birds, Birding
How Much Longer Can These Cold-Loving Birds Last in the Rapidly Warming Rockies? In Colorado and New Mexico, scientists put in long days scouring the high country for signs of how well White-tailed Ptarmigan can adapt, Elizabeth Miller, Audubon, Winter 2024
AI is changing how we study bird migration: After decades of frustration, machine-learning tools are unlocking a treasure trove of acoustic data for ecologists, Christian Elliott, MIT Technology Review, 12/18/24
Miscellania
My latest Writerscast interview is with photographer and writer, B.A. Van Sise, about his beautiful, inspiring book, On the National Language: The Poetry of America’s Endangered Tongues. It’s a great last minute present…
The Weird Times reflects my best efforts to collect and share what seems most important or useful to share with all of you. I hope it succeeds. While it is achingly difficult not to be worried about the future, we must not allow the news to defeat us. There is so much we can do, all of us together. And our connections to each other will help us survive and thrive.
Love is always the place where I begin and end.—bell hooks
We can open the door to the light.—Timothy Snyder
I recommend old age. There’s just nothing as wonderful as knowing you have done your job.—Nikki Giovanni
Be well, everyone. Stay strong.
Best wishes for whichever holidays you may be celebrating this week and next.
Love always—David