The Weird Times
Inner Monologues and Desultory Reporting from Outer Spaces: Issue 214, June 16, 2024 (V5 #6)
The American people have allowed for the accumulation of enough imbeciles in Washington, DC, to topple the entire American experiment because Trump couldn’t psychologically handle being rejected by the country that he abused and violated.—Steve Schmidt
If I am elected, I will create a new cabinet-level department, The Clandestine Indigenous Trickster Alliance of Luminous Wild Things, and I will hire witches and wizards and shamans to cast reversal spells on the corporate criminals who have been torturing the earth's beloved animals and plants.—Rob Brezsny
Books, Music, Art, Culture
Françoise Hardy, French pop singer and fashion muse, dies aged 80: Singer and actor who wrote some of her country’s biggest pop hits had suffered with lymphatic cancer for many years, Ben Beaumont-Thomas, The Guardian, 6/11/24: “Inspired by the French chanson style of crooned ballads as well as the emerging edgier styles of pop and rock’n’roll, Hardy became a key part of the yé-yé style that dominated mid-century French music.”
All over the sky
There is the same warm glow
Here under that star
I'm wanting you to know
Wherever you are
That I still love you so
—from “All Over the World,” Francoise Hardy, by Francoise Hardy/Julian More
The Lost Abortion Plot: Power and choice in the 1930s novel, Julia Cooke, The Point, 6/11/24: “… debates about abortion’s legality have never been about fetuses, babies or mothers. They are always about power slamming into the confounding, awe-inspiring reality of creating human life. To consider the nuances of that reality—and I want to consider and understand them, because I want that power, all the “undue power” for myself, my daughter, every childbearing body in the world—a reexamination of these books would be a good place to start.”
Jerry West, NBA legend who helped the Lakers dominate, dies at 86: Mr. West was one of the greatest athletes of all time on the basketball court, and his graceful, dribbling silhouette inspired the NBA logo, John Otis, Washington Post, 6/12/24
A Fundamental Boundary: What the Mississippi River Means to America: on the Meaning and Use of Rivers and Other Waterways, Boyce Upholt, LitHub, 6/11/24: “The poet Gary Snyder has made a compelling argument that the watershed is the most fundamental boundary on this planet. Unlike the strange geometry of our states and counties, this is not some arbitrary declaration by a government; it’s a shape literally carved into the Earth itself. Here, then, is one last purpose to a river: It marks the outlines of our homes.” Book: The Great River: The Making and Unmaking of the Mississippi
What a Young John Muir Learned In the Wisconsin Wilderness: on the Scottish-Born Naturalist’s Early Years in the United States, Amanda Bellows, LitHub, 6/14/24: “Muir came of age in central Wisconsin without a serious awareness of the consequences of settlement for the local Indigenous population.” Book: The Explorers: A New History of America in Ten Expeditions
A Billionaire Has a Plan to Save the Internet—Buying TikTok Is the Next Step: Frank McCourt, the real estate mogul and former LA Dodgers owner, wants to go all in on the Decentralized Social Networking Protocol, Makena Kelly, Wired, 6/13/24: “The whole American project is based on our ability to be in charge of our lives and have, first of all, agency, autonomy, choice, and liberty, and our rights have been stripped away from us by these big platforms.”
'Challenges our authority': School board in Florida bans book about book bans: Indian River County School Board members said they disliked how it referenced other books that already had been removed from schools and accused it of “teaching rebellion of school board authority,” Douglas Soule, Tallahassee Democrat, 6/11/24 DW: Florida is the upside down world now.
Those That Are Fools: At Clownchella, Rob Goyanes, Paris Review, 6/12/24: “Goats can make you laugh, but can they make you cry? Can they make you think? Can they make you care?”
The Encyclopedia Project, or How to Know in the Age of AI, Janet Vertisi, Public Books, 6/13/24: “The problem of the internet is the problem of epistemology…. knowledge is not a market commodity. Moreover, “justified true belief” does not result from an optimization function. Knowledge may be refined through questioning or falsification, but it does not improve from competition with purposeful nonknowledge. If anything, in the face of nonknowledge, knowledge loses.”
How gamification took over the world: Gamification was always just behaviorism dressed up in pixels and point systems. Why did we fall for it? Bryan Gardiner, MIT Technology Review, 6/13/24: “Instead of liberating us, gamification turned out to be just another tool for coercion, distraction, and control.”
An Interview with Judy Collins: The 85-year-old folk legend talks with former music executive Cliff Chenfeld about her storied career, knowing Dylan and Leonard Cohen before their starts, still playing 100 shows a year, and more, Cliff Chenfeld, Sari Botton, Oldster, 6/13/24. Judy Collins sings “I’m Still Here” by Stephen Sondheim
Poetry collection “The Dove That Didn’t Return” by Yael S. Hacohen provides insightful, moving perspective on faith, duty, and war from experiences in the Middle East conflict, Dan Jordan, Los Angeles Tribune, 6/12/24: “…an exploration of human dichotomy, from the violence and tragedy of warfare to the tender moments of connection shared among individuals.”
You Are a Prophet: Imagine Yourself to Freedom, Rob Brezsny, Astrology Newsletter, 6/11/24: “It’s downright self-destructive to keep infecting our imaginations with pictures of loss and failure, doom and gloom, fear and loathing. The far more sensible and practical approach is to expect blessings.”
‘Hip-hop is the new avant garde’: John Cale on Lou Reed, anger and continual reinvention: He made rock history with the Velvet Underground, produced landmark albums for the likes of Patti Smith and collaborated with John Cage. At 82, Cale’s 18th solo outing proves he’s still making music at the bleeding edge, Sean O’Hagan, The Guardian, 6/16/24: “John Cale is still pushing and pulling at the parameters of the song.”
Can I close another chapter
In the way we run our lives?
More decisive in the future
Or deliberate in the end
—from “How We See the Light,” John Cale
Politics, Technology, Economics
A January 6 Rioter Is Leading an Armed National Militia From Prison: As the US election approaches, Edward “Jake” Lang says that the militia will focus on potential “civil unrest” around the vote and will be ready to activate at a moment’s notice, David Gilbert, Wired, 6/12/24
The most important crime statistics of the 2024 campaign, Judd Legum, Popular Information, 6/12/24: “New data released this week by the FBI reveals that both violent crime and property crime have dropped precipitously this year.”
Sinclair injects deceptive attacks on Biden's age into dozens of local broadcasts, Judd Legum, Aaron Rupar, Popular Information, 6/11/24: “Delivering right-wing attacks on Biden's mental fitness under the guise of ‘local news’ is an extremely powerful tactic.”
America’s problem is massive inequality – not ‘woke’ educated elites: Fake populists like Elise Stefanik (Harvard ’06) and Josh Hawley (Yale ’06) attack higher ed to protect corporations and the rich, Robert Reich, The Guardian, 6/11/24: “Trump and much of his Republican party are deploying criticisms of the educated class to pose as populists on the side of the people.”
Harlan Crow Provided Clarence Thomas at Least 3 Previously Undisclosed Private Jet Trips, Senate Probe Finds: The Supreme Court justice flew to Montana and other destinations on the billionaire GOP donor’s dime. Crow’s lawyer revealed these flights to the Senate Judiciary Committee, whose ongoing investigation was sparked by ProPublica’s reporting, Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan, Alex Mierjeski, ProPublica, 6/13/24
The Shamans and the Chieftain: Modern revenge culture, explained by Mrs. and Mr. Alito, Timothy Snyder, Thinking About, 6/12/24: “The words "presidential immunity" are an incantation directed to directed to people in black robes, summoning them to act as the chieftain's shamans and confirm his magical status….To contemplate "presidential immunity," as the shamans are now doing, is to cast aside the rule of law and summon up the ghost of revenge culture.”
How the US supreme court could be a key election issue: ‘They’ve grown too powerful’: Grassroots Democrats seek to make ‘judicial activism’ a driving voting issue, but swing voters have other priorities, David Smith, The Guardian, 6/15/24
Felon Seeks Vice: Trump’s VP Search and the Politics of Impotence, Timothy Snyder, Thinking About, 6/16/24: “Trump is not so much trying to win an election as he is trying to gain power, so he needs someone who agrees with his Big Lie that he won the election last time, and who will stand with him during his second coup attempt. He does not contemplate ceding power at any later point, so the question of the qualifications of a vice-presidential candidate is not so relevant.”
The Chilling Reason You May Never See the New Trump Movie, Michelle Goldberg, NY Times, 6/14/24: “…the possibility that American audiences won’t be able to see “The Apprentice” isn’t just frustrating. It’s frightening, because it suggests that Trump and his supporters have already intimidated some media companies, which seem to be pre-emptively capitulating to him.”
Why Plutocrats Are Rallying to Trump: Civic lessons won’t sway America’s oligarchs. Instead, we need forthright economic populism to bring them to heel, Jeet Heer, The Nation, 6/10/24: “In response to the rich rallying to Trump, The Economist published a polemic by LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman arguing that investors should realize that Trump’s return to the White House would undermine the rule of law, an essential prerequisite for capitalist health.”
Trump’s Bizarre Rants at Private GOP Meeting Are a Break-Glass Moment: As awful new reports emerge about the GOP capitulation to Donald Trump, a veteran observer of Republican politics explains why all this is cause for genuinely profound alarm, Greg Sargent, New Republic, 6/14/24: “It’s crazier and more dangerous than you thought.”
Trump Is Not America’s Le Pen: He’s worse, Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 6/11/24: “If Trump wins in November, America could radicalize Europe, not the other way around.” (No paywall)
How a Palestinian/Jewish Village in Israel Changed After October 7th: Wahat al-Salam/Neve Shalom was founded on a total belief in the power of dialogue. In the wake of Hamas’s attack and amid Israel’s war in Gaza, a “very loud silence” has fallen, Masha Gessen, New Yorker, 6/10/24: “Hope becomes a topic of interest in dark times.”
Gaza Chief’s Brutal Calculation: Civilian Bloodshed Will Help Hamas: Yahya Sinwar’s correspondence with compatriots and mediators shows he is confident that Hamas can outlast Israel, Summer Said, Rory Jones, Wall Street Journal, 6/10/24: “Sinwar isn’t the first Palestinian leader to embrace bloodshed as a means to pressure Israel. But the scale of the collateral damage in this war—civilians killed and destruction wrought—is unprecedented between Israelis and Palestinians.” (No paywall)
What Has Been Lost In Israel/Gaza Or: How Complicit Am I In What's Happening? Sam Kahn, Castalia, 6/11/24: “Of course Israel has the right to defend itself. But the brutality of Israel’s conduct moves beyond the framework of a just war. That in turn doesn’t illegitimize Israel as a state — just as the invasion of Ukraine doesn’t somehow illegitimate Russia — but it places Israel, as well as all those who have deep sympathy for Israel, somewhere in a moral no-man’s land. The hope in writing, always, is to get to some sort of clarity. Instead, this post just ends in grief.”
U.S. Voters Believe Netanyahu Is an Obstacle to Achieving Peace: Survey shows a majority of Americans also want to cut military aid to Israel if Netanyahu rejects Biden's ceasefire proposal, Ryan O’Donnell, Zeteo, 6/12/24
You always told me, go where the light is
Nobody show you, how to get there
It's a good time for trying to walk through the darkness
We should get started
—“Wherever Your Heart Is,” Lone Bellow, written by Zachary Ray Williams, Brian Elmquist
Science, Environment
An account of Jesus as a boy is decoded from an ancient papyrus scrap: The 1,600-year-old manuscript had sat unnoticed for decades at a German university. Experts say it may be the oldest written document detailing Jesus’ childhood, Kelsey Ables, Washington Post, 6/13/24 (No paywall)
DNA reveals surprise about the children ancient Mayans chose to sacrifice: Researchers analyzing DNA at ancient Mayan city of Chichén Itzá, a site for human sacrifices, found that young boys, including twins, were buried in a mass grave there, Victoria Bisset, Washington Post, 6/14/24: “Early 20th century accounts falsely popularized lurid tales of young women and girls being sacrificed at the site.”
Is the West falling behind in science? China is now the leader in applied physical sciences. How can the U.S. and its allies catch up? Noah Smith, Noahpinion, 6/16/24: “Western leaders need to ask themselves whether they can really afford to cede leadership in those fields.”
No, You Don’t Have the Power to Stop Climate Change: Developing countries are the new emissions hotspots, Quico Toro, Persuasion, 6/12/24: “What drives emissions growth these days is the billions of poor people in the developing world striving for the security and comfort of middle-class life. And escaping poverty turns out to be highly carbon intensive.”
Agricultural Lands Are Losing Topsoil—Here’s How Bad It Could Get: A new study says topsoil erosion is likely to increase under climate change, though policy changes now could help stem the loss, Nathaniel Scharping, Eos, 6/11/24: ““I’m optimistic it can be done. I’m not optimistic that it will be done.”
The US is losing wetlands at an accelerating rate − here’s how the private sector can help protect these valuable resources, Steph Tai, The Conversation, 6/13/24: “Until states and Congress pass new laws to prevent wetlands from being destroyed, we see action by businesses and nongovernment organizations as the most promising substitute.”
Forever Chemicals Are Poisoning Your Insurance: As commercial insurers cut PFAS coverage, small businesses and consumers will swallow the cost, Helen Santoro, The Lever, 6/11/24: “As concerns about the dangers of forever chemicals rise nationwide and lawyers warn of a deluge of “astronomical” lawsuits, commercial insurers are quietly eliminating liability coverage for these chemicals’ health and ecological consequences.”
Titicaca in Crisis: Climate Change Is Drying Up the Biggest Lake in the Andes: Persistent drought has caused havoc for the Indigenous peoples who live on floating islands and depend on rains that have stopped falling, Tim Brinkhoff, The Revelator, 6/10/24
How grassroots climate activists are taking on Big Tech: In Virginia, a small conservation group is leading the fight against the powerful and secretive data center industry, Arielle Samuelson, Heated, 6/13/24
Companies Kick the Plastic Can Down the Road (Again): Producers representing a third of plastic packaging in the U.S. signed a pact committing to recycling targets for 2025. Now some of the deadlines have been moved to 2030, H. Claire Brown, Wall Street Journal, 6/10/24: “…not a single one of 11 materials singled out for elimination was confirmed for across-the-board removal in time for the deadline.”
Rise of the Nanomachines: Nanotechnology can already puncture cancer cells and drug-resistant bacteria. What will it do next? Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 6/13/24: “We’re not inventing anything new. We’re taking inspiration from what already happens in nature. But now we’re getting more of a say in how the story plays out.”
The world’s on the verge of a carbon storage boom: Hundreds of looming projects will force communities to weigh the climate claims and environmental risks of capturing, moving, and storing carbon dioxide, James Temple, MIT Technology Review, 6/12/24
Electrified charcoal sponge soaks up CO2 from the air: When researchers ran a charge through charcoal sponges commonly used in home water filters, they discovered a low-cost, low-energy route to remove CO2 from the air, Anthropocene Team, Anthropocene, 6/13/24
What You Want is an S Curve: And we're finally hitting the sweet spot of the crucial one, Bill McKibben, The Crucial Years, 6/11/24: “…sun and wind are now growing faster than any other energy sources in history, and they are coming online faster that anyone had predicted, even in the last few years.”
At night, when the outlines
of familiar objects run into the dark,
I like to think there is a part of me
that isn’t afraid, one slender curl
shining in the moonlight.
—from “Why I Like to Tie My Hair to Trees,” Nancy Miller Gomez (thanks to Terence Winch and Best American Poetry)
Health, Wellness
This diet will likely keep you alive longer — and help the planet: New research finds the Planetary Health Diet lowers our risk to most major causes of death, Brian Bienkowski, Daily Climate, 6/10/24: “It is “a plant-forward diet where whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes comprise a greater proportion of foods consumed.” It avoids most processed and ultra-processed foods, but still allows for meat and dairy consumption.”
The Brainstem Fine-Tunes Inflammation Throughout the Body: The evolutionarily ancient part of the brain that controls breathing and heart rate also regulates the immune system — a discovery about the brain-body axis made by experts on taste, Esther Landhuis, Quanta, 6/14/24: “Perhaps the most exciting part of the discovery is its implications for medicine.”
Birds
Hawaii's birds are going extinct. Their last hope could be millions of mosquitoes, Lauren Sommer, Ryan Kellman, NPR, 6/12/24: “Hawaii’s honeycreepers are found nowhere else on Earth and make up an integral part of the ecosystem. The birds help pollinate Hawaii’s native plants, eat insects and support the forest. Those forests also filter the rainfall that provides drinking water to many communities.”
From Alexis Krasilovsky: “Three weeks ago, the Remal Cyclone hit Bangladesh, affecting 3.75 million people and destroying over 35,000 homes. We hope that “The Cyclone Song” will help people to heal from recent cyclones, tornadoes and hurricanes, as well as to commemorate those who lost their homes or lives in earlier storms.”
Sayka Shafrin of Dhaka, Bangladesh sings “The Cyclone Song.” (Alexis wrote the lyrics.)
On this day each year you loved to relate
that the moment of your birth
your mother glanced out the window
and saw lilacs in bloom. Well, today
lilacs are blooming in side yards
all over Iowa, still welcoming you.
—from “Father,” Ted Kooser
(Happy Father’s Day)
I say this every week 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.
Love always—David