Arts/Politics: The Atlantic Magazine – January 2024

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The Atlantic Magazine – December 7, 2023: The latest January/February 2024 issue features ‘IF TRUMP WINS’ – A second Trump presidency won’t just mirror the first. It will be much worse. In The Atlantic’s January/February issue, two dozen writers warn what could happen if Donald Trump is reelected, from destroying the rule of law to abandoning NATO and reshaping the international order.

TRUMP ISN’T BLUFFING

A black-and-white photo of the lower half of Trump's face while he's speaking

We’ve become inured to his rhetoric, but his message has grown darker.

By David A. Graham

“We pledge to you that we will root out the Communists, Marxists, fascists, and the radical-left thugs that live like vermin within the confines of our country, that lie and steal and cheat on elections,” Donald Trump said this past November, in a campaign speech that was ostensibly honoring Veterans Day. “The real threat is not from the radical right; the real threat is from the radical left … The threat from outside forces is far less sinister, dangerous, and grave than the threat from within. Our threat is from within.”

CIVIL RIGHTS UNDONE

black-and-white photo of Bill Barr and Ben Carson conferring with each other with audience in background
Bill Barr and Ben Carson: not fans of disparate-impact theory

How Trump could unwind generations of progress

By Vann R. Newkirk II

In late 2020, even as the instigators of insurrection were marshaling their followers to travel to Washington, D.C., another kind of coup—a quieter one—was in the works. On December 21, in one of his departing acts as attorney general, Bill Barr submitted a proposed rule change to the White House. The change would eliminate the venerable standard used by the Justice Department to handle discrimination cases, known as “disparate impact.” The memo was quickly overshadowed by the events of January 6, and, in the chaotic final days of Donald Trump’s presidency, it was never implemented. But Barr’s proposal represented perhaps the most aggressive step the administration took in its effort to dismantle existing civil-rights law. Should Trump return to power, he would surely attempt to see the effort through.

Trump’s Plan to Police Gender

His campaign is promising a more repressive and dangerous America.

A War on Blue America

In a second term, Trump would punish the cities and states that don’t support him.

Research Preview: Science Magazine – Dec 8, 2023

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Science Magazine – December 7, 2023: The new issue cover features new research that shows that farm animals may be capable of much cognitive powers than currently known…

What are farm animals thinking?

New research is revealing surprising complexity in the minds of goats, pigs, and other livestock

Delivering drugs with microrobots

Biomedical microrobots could overcome current challenges in targeted therapies

The unsustainable harvest of coastal sands

Sustainable management approaches are needed to protect coastal environments

Paris Exhibitions: Gustave Eiffel ‘Higher And Higher’

RFI English (December 7, 2023) – 2023 marks the death centenary of Gustave Eiffel. To mark the occasion, an exhibition titled ‘Eiffel Higher and Higher is being held at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. Savin Yeatman-Eiffel, who is exhibition’s curator and a descendant of Gustave Eiffel, spoke to RFI on this occasion.

The sheet of stamps in honor of Gustave Eiffel

Graphic design Patte&Besset, stamp “Fêtes du cinquantenaire de la tour Eiffel”, 1939, creation by Henri Cheffer (c) adagp Paris ; Stamp “Gustave Eiffel 1832 – 1923” creation by Marie-Noëlle Goffin.

Preview: London Review Of Books – Dec 14, 2023

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London Review of Books (LRB) – December 7, 2023: The latest issue features Monet: The Restless Vision; Aldus Manutius – The Invention of the Publisher; The Fraud by Zadie Smith and Capitalism and Slavery…

Julian Barnes – Monet: The Restless Vision by Jackie Wullschläger

Erin Maglaque – Aldus Manutius: The Invention of the Publisher by Oren Margolis

Colin Burrow – The Fraud by Zadie Smith

Christopher L. Brown – Capitalism and Slavery by Eric Williams

Preview: Philosophy Now Magazine January 2024

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Philosophy Now Magazine (December 2023/January 2024) – The new issue features Freewill versus Determinism – Are we free to choose? Or is Everything Fixed In Advance?; Materialism, Freedom and Ethics; Žižek on Cancel Culture; Spinoza, Hume and other Determinists, and more…

Spinoza & Other Determinists

Myint Zan compares different ways of denying free will.

What Is Free Will?

Grant Bartley wants to know what the problem with freedom is all about.

Criticising Strawson’s Compatibilism

Nurana Rajabova is wary of an attempt to dismiss determinism to keep free will.

Materialism, Freedom & Ethics

Philip Badger constructs a materialist ethical theory, with the help of John Rawls.

The Will Is Not Free: You Have To Earn It

Basil Gala on what it takes to free ourselves from our formative factors.

Architecture: House Of The Year 2023 In London

Dezeen Films (December 7, 2023) – The polycarbonate-clad Green House that architecture studio Hayhurst & Co slotted into a tight site in London has been named the RIBA’s House of the Year for 2023.

Replacing an existing home in an alleyway in Tottenham, the plant and light-filled residence is modelled on a riad – a type of traditional Moroccan house built around a central courtyard. It was hailed by the jury of this year’s RIBA House of the Year prize as “a true oasis within the city”.

Read more on Dezeen: https://www.dezeen.com/?p=2009884

News: Islamist Extremism In Sahel Africa, Hamas Use Of ‘Rape’ As Terror Tool

The Globalist Podcast (December 7, 2023) – The rise of Islamist extremism in the Sahel region of Africa and Christina Lamb examines widespread reports that rape was used as a tool of terror in the Hamas attacks.

Plus: the latest from Cop 28, the future of luxury travel and Portugal unveils plans for a new Lisbon airport.

The New York Times — Thursday, Dec 7, 2023

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Biden Calls on Congress to Approve Aid to Ukraine: ‘This Cannot Wait’

President Biden urged Congress in a televised speech on Wednesday to pass aid for Ukraine.

The administration has already alerted Congress that money for Ukraine will run out by the end of the year.

Nikki Haley’s Path From Trump Critic to Defender and Back

Nikki Haley has stepped up her criticism of Donald J. Trump’s norm-breaking foreign policy. But as ambassador to the United Nations, she strove to stay on his good side. “I just know that’s who he is,” she said at the time.

As ambassador to the United Nations, Ms. Haley strove to stay in the president’s favor and avoided some battles to change his mind on contentious issues.

Police Trainers Used Sexist Language and Glorified Violence, Videos Show

Street Cop Training, a private police training company, encouraged the use of unconstitutional tactics, a report by New Jersey’s comptroller says.

Jewish American Families Confront a Generational Divide Over Israel

Gen Z and young Millennials often see Israel as an occupying power oppressing Palestinians — a shock to their parents and grandparents, who tend to see it as an essential haven fighting for survival.

Research Preview: Nature Magazine Dec 7, 2023

Volume 624 Issue 7990

Nature Magazine – December 6, 2023: The latest issue cover features Internal Clocks – Blood proteins reveal age of human organs to help track health and disease…

A 27,000-year-old pyramid? Controversy hits an extraordinary archaeological claim

The massive buried structures at Gunung Padang in Indonesia would be much older than Egypt’s great pyramids — if they’re even human constructions at all.

Humanity’s oldest art is flaking away. Can scientists save it?

Ancient humans painted scenes in Indonesian caves more than 45,000 years ago, but their art is disappearing rapidly. Researchers are trying to discover what’s causing the damage and how to stop it — before the murals are gone forever.

Tinkering with immune cells gives cancer treatment a boost

Tumours respond more readily to radiation and other therapies in mice without a specific protein in their dendritic cells.

Analysis: U.S. Builds Drone Fleet To Counter China

Wall Street Journal (December 6, 2023) – To help counter China, the U.S. military is racing to develop a fleet of next-generation drones. For the Pentagon, it’s not just a matter of gaining the technological edge.

Video timeline: 0:00 Autonomous systems 0:40 The need for next-generation drones 1:49 Scaling up 4:07 Keeping up with China

It’s a race against the clock, as Beijing has militarized islands in the South China Sea, and President Xi Jinping has ordered his military to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027. Some experts are skeptical the U.S. military can work fast enough to meet its goals.

News, Views and Reviews For The Intellectually Curious