302 posts tagged with power.
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Galaxy Gals
The queen of suspense: how Ann Radcliffe inspired Dickens and Austen – then got written out of the canon - "She was all but forgotten. Now the 18th-century author's republished novels reveal why she made such an extraordinary contribution to literature." [more inside]
Our energy system is stuck in the past
Fire has been our primary source of energy for over a million years, providing the essential heat needed to survive. This reliance on fire made sense when our principal energy needs were purely for heat. However, today’s energy demands have evolved far beyond this primal necessity. Unlike in past millennia, we now require more work than heat: we desire mobility, motors, electrical appliances, and data processing in greater quantities than we do warmth. Despite this transformation over the past century from heat demand to work demand, our fundamental energy supply methods have not changed much, and are still mostly heat generation. This has led to incredible inefficiency.... We need energy sources fit for an era of work demand, not heat demand. Fortunately, thanks to the rapid growth and cost decline of solar, wind, and electrification, “firepower” faces inexorable decline. from Energy after Fire [Rocky Mountain Institute]
A Tower Struck Down
Sorry for ruining Wordle for you
What if your Wordle strategy was to always start with the same 4 words, all with unique letters? That would use 20 letters, with the exception, of J, K, Q, V, X, Z. Slate's "The Fastest Wordle Winning Strategy Ever" (archive). [more inside]
'Metaperson'
"When the academic reviews of The New Science of the Enchanted Universe began to appear, following its publication a year after Sahlins’s death, I noticed a strange phenomenon: For a genre conventionally prosaic, the scholarly critics kept having encounters with the metaperson of Sahlins himself. When Katherine Pratt Ewing, a professor of Islam at Columbia University, sat down to write her review at her dining table on a Sunday morning, she suddenly found herself slipping into “an almost hypnagogic state in which Marshall was a felt presence,” she recalled in HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory. “It wasn’t a matter of belief about whether this was possible—it just was.”
'The enchanted worlds of Marshall Sahlins'
(via A&L Daily)
Someone Who Is Good At The Economy Please Help Me
Articles asking us to feel sympathy for families barely scraping by on healthy six-figure incomes may be staples of the financial press, but it’s rare that they come packaged as real-world case studies attached to flesh-and-blood individuals. But that’s what happened just before Christmas... Clarence Thomas and the bottomless self-pity of the upper classes
Power (Plough, Sword & Book) and Progress (Exit, Voice & Loyalty)
Justice by Means of Democracy [archive|transcript] - "[T]he work of democracy is to continuously resist capture. There is no end of history. There is no state of rest for democracy. Democracy is the work of resisting capture by powerful interests and restoring power-sharing just over and over and over again. So we have to do work to introduce new governance mechanisms in the place of those that are not working."[1,2; link-heavy post!] [more inside]
A Land of Contrasts ^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H Sinicisation
How China is tearing down Islam [ungated; viz. cf.] - "Thousands of mosques have been altered or destroyed as Beijing's suppression of Islamic culture spreads."[1,2] [more inside]
"A sovereign entity with the power to mobilize all of society"
By the end of the 1990s, capital had triumphed and consolidated a new neoliberal spirit of the laws. But, as Maier makes clear, neoliberalism was not about expanding the reach of the market, the rallying cry of its advocates, per se. Rather, it was about shifting the income distribution from labor to capital. This was to be done by any means necessary. While it sometimes required deregulation and the removal of the state, it just as frequently required the use of state power – especially American power – and the legitimacy conferred by recommendations from Harvard experts. from The Evolution of Modern Political Power [Project Syndicate; ungated]
On Ageism
Are you ageist? Take a 10-minute implicit bias test and find out. Work against ageism. It's good for you, it's good for society. [more inside]
Son House -- Full Live Performance (November 15, 1969)
No nuclear power any more: Germany
Shut them down: In about 3 hours Germany will shut down their last 3 nuclear power plants. There's still open questions on how or where to dismantle them, esp. the highly radioactive fuels [more inside]
Dashing Diva Nails Abandoned MLM Plans After Executive Rant Sent to ALL
I'm a guy, so I have never heard of Dashing Diva, which I understand has a cult following for its high-quality pre-made nails with great color selection, and reasonable prices, and they sell direct as well as in major drugstores and supermarkets.
However, I do track MLMs at times, and I was surprised to see a mention on BehindMLM.com that DashingDivas had abandoned their attempt to go MLM after major member backlash.
And the story indeed had less to do with MLM, and more to do with one man's hubris... [more inside]
But What Kind of America?
The world is bullish on America and American power. You read that right. This is the same world that looks on with glee or horror at the carnivalesque, occasionally violent politics on Capitol Hill. The same one that barely a year ago dismissed an America defeated in Afghanistan as a has-been and hailed the rise of a new authoritarian age led by China, with an assist from Vladimir Putin’s confident Russia. Now some caveats.... from America in Decline? World Thinks Again.
[more inside]
The ten uncommandments
Fight Climate Change With Your Undies
The Misery of Monochronic Time
We have imagined time, at least in Western countries, as subservient to commerce, and attempted to export or forcibly impose that understanding worldwide. And just as there’s nothing “natural” about eating with, say, a fork, there’s nothing natural about the way we’ve organized time. It is ideological, which is to say, it is also political — and a means of imposing a particular type of order on others.
For her Culture Study newsletter, Anne Helen Petersen writes on The Diminishing Returns of Calendar Culture and those who suffer under this approach to time, including folks who have disabilities, those with ADHD, and many more. [more inside]
The "FU" is how you answer the phone when the man tries to bring ya down
Futel: Free Public Telephony in the name of Social Justice. "Denial of telephony services has long been a tactic used against undesirable populations, and our devices will counteract that. But more importantly, we will help to establish a new era of communication, one in which reaching out is not only desirable, but mandatory." In a nutshell, Futel fixes up old public telephone booths, and then resituates them back into public spaces so that Anyone can call Anyone again, and be able to stick their used gum in the plastic folder that used to hold a phone book. Here's a HOPE talk from 2018: "Futel: A Technology So Advanced We Leave It Out On The Street All Night"
Constructed Worlds, Group Beliefs and Narrative Consciousness
Three Simple Policy Heuristics - "The most important thing to understand is this: Harm ripples, kindness ripples. People you hurt go on to hurt other people. People who are treated with kindness become better people, or more prosperous people, and go on to help others. Yes, there are exceptions (we'll deal with those people), but they are exceptions." (via) [more inside]
A brief refresher on legal abortion in the USA
Roe vs. Wade (1973): The Supreme Court case that held that the Constitution protected a woman’s right to an abortion prior to the viability of the fetus. (Link also covers Abortion in the Supreme Court Post-Roe) [more inside]
Why and how we are going to be flying electric
Cheddar explains why he believes Electric Planes are Inevitably Coming - with particular reference to the economics of short distance, commercial flights. Electric Future announces"Electric Planes have arrived" - a review of current and models and those in the immediate pipeline. Real Engineering summarises the the technical challenges and limits. [more inside]
Inside the Tax Records of the .001%
ProPublica has obtained a vast cache of IRS information showing how billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Warren Buffett pay little in income tax compared to their massive wealth — sometimes, even nothing. [more inside]
Energy Transition
Where Wind and Solar Power Need to Grow for America to Meet Its Goals [ungated link] - "A broad shift toward renewable energy could transform landscapes and coastlines all over the United States." (Net Zero America Project) [more inside]
The Hidden Science Making Batteries Better, Cheaper and Everywhere
How Batteries Work: Inside The Batteries Powering Your Car, Phone and More - "From electric vehicles to your cell phone, lithium ion batteries have evolved quickly over the past few years. Bloomberg Green charted the evolution of their makeup and how they work." (Bloomberg: The Next Generation of Batteries | How a New Generation of Batteries Will Change the World) [more inside]
For ye have the rich always with you
Forbes’ 35th Annual World’s Billionaires List: Facts And Figures 2021 — Despite the pandemic, it was a record-setting year for the world’s wealthiest with a $5 trillion surge in wealth and an unprecedented number of new billionaires. The number of billionaires on Forbes’ 35th annual list of the world’s wealthiest exploded to an unprecedented 2,755 (660 more than a year ago). Altogether they are worth $13.1 trillion, up from $8 trillion on the 2020 list. Forbes, April 6, 2021.
Carbon‐Neutral Pathways
New study: A zero-emissions US is now pretty cheap (pdf) - "In 2050, benefits to the US offset costs, but there are some unexpected outcomes." [more inside]
The magic of cheap energy
Why I'm so excited about solar and batteries - "Instead of the Jetsons future, we got the cyberpunk future. Why did that happen? ... I blame the slowdown in energy technology... we didn't get anything better than oil during this time. Nuclear fission provided a bit of a boost to electricity generation (and a big boost in France), but nobody ended up driving fission cars around or flying fission planes through the sky."[1] [more inside]
The Trick of Orthodoxy
Economics truly is a disgrace - "This is very personal post. It is my story of the retaliation I suffered immediately after my 'economics is a disgrace' blog post went viral. The retaliation came from Heather Boushey–a recent Biden appointee to the Council of Economic Adviser and the President and CEO of Equitable Growth where I then worked. This is not the story I wanted to be telling (or living). Writing this post is painful. I am sorry." (via; previously) [more inside]
Unbearable whiteness of Bey-ing
First published in 2017, the Colour of Power was developed to graphically illustrate the lack of female and BAME representation in the upper echelons of the UK’s most powerful institutions. With thumbnails! Of course, these 1,000ish positions are top heavy with patriarchs; but some cohorts are whiter and blokier than others. CEOs NHS Trusts? Leaders of political parties? Managing Partners of law firms? Chief Constables? Disclaimer: GreenPark are head-hunters and management consultants.
Age of Discord II
Welcome To The 'Turbulent Twenties' - "We predicted political upheaval in America in the 2020s. This is why it's here and what we can do to temper it."[1,2] (via) [more inside]
The sun beneath our feet
Geothermal energy is poised for a big breakout - "An engineering problem that, when solved, solves energy." (via) [more inside]
“absolutely feel that the Hungarian government is in their pockets”
In the autumn of 2019, the German Embassy in Budapest invited Hungarian journalists working for several independent outlets for an off-the-record discussion to talk honestly about the media situation in Hungary. After several journalists complained about the attitude of German corporations doing business with the government toward Hungarian media freedom, a high-ranking German diplomat reacted by saying that he is fully aware of this and ashamed of himself. “But please understand that this is Germany, which is a democracy where the Federal Foreign Office cannot put pressure on German companies[...]”
Burn it down: economics failed us.
Economics is a disgrace - "The indignities are astounding..." Claudia Sahm -- macromom -- a former Fed economist (with her own rule and automatic stabilizer) rips the economics priesthood a new one.[1,2] [more inside]
Angry, educated and rich
Intra-Elite Competition: A Key Concept for Understanding the Dynamics of Complex Societies - "Elites are a small proportion of the population (on the order of 1 percent) who concentrate social power in their hands."[1] (via; previously) [more inside]
Lean Out
Leigh Stein, former cofounder and executive director of Out of the Binders/BinderCon, maps out the meteoric rise and sudden fall of the Girlboss: "The girlboss didn’t change the system; she thrived within it. Now that system is cracking, and so is this icon of millennial hustle." [more inside]
パワハラ防止法
Japan: Law to Prevent “Powa-Hara” (Power Harassment) Takes Effect
The amended act obligates employers to take measures to prevent power harassment, such as establishing a proper system for providing consultations for employees regarding power harassment followed by responses to their concerns. (Art. 30-2, para. 1.) The amended act also prohibits employers from punishing employees for filing power harassment complaints. (Art. 30-2, para. 2.)[more inside]
Stories vs. Reality: Who Are We Without Storytelling?
- The Fundamental Difference Between Stories And Reality - "Characters have clear transformative arcs [whereas] our identities and personal journeys are so much more complex."
- Your Life is Not a Hero's Journey - "The history of the heroic adventure and the implications of projecting the hero's journey on our own lives."
- Identity Without Storytelling - "The only thing is, when it comes to the stories of our own lives, we are both author and character."[1,2,3]
Innovation in 'atoms': build more solar, get cheaper energy
Solar's Future is Insanely Cheap (2020) [thread] - "This incredible pace of solar cost decline, with average prices in sunny parts of the world down to a penny or two by 2030 or 2035, is just remarkable. Building new solar would routinely be cheaper than operating already built fossil fuel plants, even in the world of ultra-cheap natural gas we live in now. This is what I've called the third phase of clean energy, where building new clean energy is cheaper than keeping fossil fuel plants running." [more inside]
Identity Politics and Elite Capture
"The black feminist Combahee River Collective manifesto and E. Franklin Frazier’s Black Bourgeoisie share the diagnosis that the wealthy and powerful will take every opportunity to hijack activist energies for their own ends." [more inside]
The Youngest Prime Minister In The World
Sanna Marin became the world’s youngest state leader when she was made prime minister of Finland in December (2019) at the age of 34. Here, she sits down with Sirin Kale for the May 2020 issue of British Vogue.
The Landlord Is A Boss
Rent strikes — in which tenants aim to withhold rent until their grievances are addressed — have grown more common in several cities contending with the impact of gentrification on affordable housing. When Tenants Take On Landlords Over Bad Conditions: A Rent-Strike Explainer (WAMU) “ What are the implications for a tenant’s union? We are currently involved in both building-level landlord fights but also in larger city or even province-wide fights for improved tenant policy.” “Organizing 4 power”, from workers to tenants (Spring Mag) Jane McAlevey talks at The Strand about tenants and collective bargaining (YouTube)
Political hobbyists are ruining politics
Many college-educated people think they are deeply engaged in politics. They follow the news—reading articles like this one—and debate the latest developments on social media. They might sign an online petition or throw a $5 online donation at a presidential candidate. Mostly, they consume political information as a way of satisfying their own emotional and intellectual needs. These people are political hobbyists. What they are doing is no closer to engaging in politics than watching SportsCenter is to playing football. From Eitan Hersh, author of Politics Is for Power, in The Atlantic. [more inside]
A Useful Tool For Radicalizing Your Peers
HOW BIG IS A BILLION? "1,000,000,000" doesn't cut it. A billion is far too large to understand by merely seeing a one followed by 9 zeroes. It is 1,000 millions. The interest on $1,000,000,000 accrues $1,370/day. It would require 4,000 bank accounts to safely store $1,000,000,000. But the best way to understand the size of a billion is to do what we do best...
Scroll! Each 1 pixel thick line represents 100. [more inside]
attachment breeds fear
Money Is the Megaphone of Identity - "If you don't give money its purpose, it will end up defining yours." [more inside]
The atomic age at last? Manipulating bits to manipulate atoms
After decades of decline, the U.S. national fusion lab seeks a rebirth - "A visionary new leader aims to expand and diversify the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory—and get back to building fusion reactors." [more inside]
No ancient emperor ever lived so well
"More likely than not, if you are reading this, this is about you."
"I often think of groups like this during evenings I spend on my couch. As I fold laundry half-heartedly, I watch TV and clutch my phone. I refresh my Twitter feed to keep up on the latest political crisis, then toggle over to Facebook to read clickbait news stories, then over to YouTube to see a montage of juicy clips from the latest congressional hearing. I then complain to my family about all the things I don’t like that I have seen. What I’m doing, that isn’t politics." Politics is for Power, Not Consumption:
Political hobbyism takes well-meaning citizens away from pursuing power. (Boston Review)
Lock in: no exit, voice nor loyalty
Facebook and Speech: It's All About Power - "As long as there is one Facebook algorithm, one Twitter algorithm, one Instagram algorithm, etc. that will always be way too much power in one place. We all need to be able to programmatically interact with these services." [more inside]
Those Sorts Of People
“When the rude masses began arriving from Eastern Europe, the WASPs got paranoid that they were, to use the phrase chanted by the rioting Nazis in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017, about to be “replaced.” They turned on their former class siblings, the German Jews, with whom they’d once shared the upper rungs of American society. As the nineteenth century turned into the twentieth, many old-line WASPs embraced a toxic mix of social Darwinism and eugenics.” To Serve Is To Rule: On WASPs and the longing for a more polite ruling class. (Harper’s)
Death By Structural Power
OluTimehin Adegbeye, writing for The Correspondent: "People die violent deaths in both the US and Nigeria – why do I fear it there and not here? Where people have little power, they become more vulnerable." [more inside]