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Older trees are able to accelerate their rates of absorbing planet-warming emissions, scientists at the University of Birmingham have found. A forest of mature oak trees was exposed to elevated levels of carbon dioxide for seven years and in response, the trees increased their production of wood - locking in the greenhouse gas and preventing it from warming the planet. The researchers hope the study, published in Nature Climate Change, will demonstrate the importance of protecting and maintaining mature forests for tackling climate change.
[...]
"I think it is a hopeful and positive story," said Professor Rob MacKenzie, director of Birmingham Institute of Forest Research and one of the co-authors of the study. "This is evidence in favour of careful management of established forests. The old forest is doing a huge amount of work for us. What we definitely should not be doing is cutting it down," he said.
[...]
Prof MacKenzie told the BBC it was important for the team to understand how older trees behave as that is the majority of the tree cover we have globally. Although the results are positive he warned: "This absolutely is not a silver bullet and a get out of jail free card our fossil fuel emissions." "There's absolutely no way we could transform the world into enough forest to continue to let us burn fossil fuels in the way that we are doing now," he said.
12 August 2024
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My alternate universe fantasy colonial Hong Kong is more authoritarian and just as racist but less homophobic than in real life, should I change that?
@floatyhands asked:
Iâm a Hongkonger working on a magical alternate universe dystopia set in what is basically British colonial Hong Kong in the late 1920s. My main character is a young upper middle-class Eurasian bisexual man. I plan to keep the colonyâs historical racial hierarchy in this universe, but I also want the fantasy quirks to mean that unlike in real life history, homosexuality was either recently decriminalized, or that the laws are barely enforced, because my boy deserves a break. Still, the institutions are quite homophobic, and this relative tolerance might not last. Meanwhile, due to other divergences (e.g. eldritch horrors, also the governmentâs even worse mishandling of the 1922 Seamen's Strike and the 1925 Canton-Hong Kong Strike), the colonial administration is a lot more authoritarian than it was in real history. This growing authoritarianism is not exclusive to the colony, and is part of a larger global trend in this universe. I realize these worldbuilding decisions above may whitewash colonialism, or come off as choosing to ignore one colonial oppression in favor of exaggerating another. Is there any advice as to how I can address this issue? (Maybe I could have my character get away by bribing the cops, though institutional corruption is more associated with the 1960s?) Thank you!
Historical Precedent for Imperialistic Gay Rights
There is a recently-published book about this topic that might actually interest you: Racism And The Making of Gay Rights by Laurie Marhoefer (note: I have yet to read it, itâs on my list). It essentially describes how the modern gay rights movement was built from colonialism and imperialism.Â
The book covers Magnus Hirschfeld, a German sexologist in the early 1900s, and (one of) his lover(s), Li Shiu Tong, who he met in British Shanghai. Magnus is generally considered to have laid the groundwork for a lot of gay rights, and his research via the Institut fĂŒr Sexualwissenschaft was a target of Nazi book-burnings, but he was working with imperial governments in an era where the British Empire was still everywhere.Â
Considering they both ended up speaking to multiple world leaders about natural human sexual variation both in terms of intersex issues and sexual attraction, your time period really isnât that far off for people beginning to be slightly more open-mindedâwhile also being deeply imperialist in other ways.
The thing about this particular time period is homosexuality as we know it was recently coming into play, starting with the trial of Oscar Wilde and the rise of Nazism. But between those two is a pretty wildly fluctuating gap of attitudes.
Oscar Wildeâs trial is generally considered the period where gay people, specifically men who loved men, started becoming a group to be disliked for disrupting social order. It was very public, very scandalous, and his fall from grace is one of the things that drove so many gay and/or queer men underground. It also helped produce some of the extremely queercoded classical literature of the Victorian and Edwardian eras (ex: Dracula), because so many writers were exploring what it meant to be seen as such negative forces. A lot of people hated Oscar Wilde for bringing the concept to such a public discussion point, when being discreet had been so important.
But come the 1920s, people were beginning to wonder if being gay was that bad, and Mangus Hirschfeld managed to do a world tour of speaking come the 1930s, before all of that was derailed by wwii. He (and/or Li Shiu Tong) were writing papers that were getting published and sent to various health departments about how being gay wasnât an illness, and more just an âalternativeâ way of loving others.Â
This was also the era of Boston Marriages where wealthy single women lived together as partners (Iâm sure thereâs an mlm-equivalent but I cannot remember or find it). People were a lot less likely to care if you kept things discreet, so there might be less day to day homophobia than one would expect. Romantic friendships were everywhere, and were considered the idealâthe amount of affection you could express to your same-sex best friend was far above what is socially tolerable now.
Kaz Rowe has a lot of videos with cited bibliographies about various queer disasters [affectionate] of the late 1800s/early 1900s, not to mention a lot of other cultural oddities of the Victorian era (and how many of those attitudes have carried into modern day) so you can start to get the proper terms to look it up for yourself.
I know thereâs a certain⊠mistrust of specifically queer media analysts on YouTube in the current. Well. Plagiarism/fact-creation scandal (if you donât know about the fact-creation, check out Todd in the Shadows). I recommend Kaz because they have citations on screen and in the description that arenât whole-cloth ripped off from wikipediaâs citation list (theyâve also been published via Getty Publications, a museum press).Â
For audio-preferring people (hi), a video is more accessible than text, and sometimes the exposure to stuff thatâs able to pull exact terms can finally get you the resources you need. If text is more accessible, just jump to the description box/transcript and have fun. Consider them and their work a starting place, not a professor.Â
There is always a vulnerability in learning things, because we can never outrun our own confirmation bias and we always have limited time to chase down facts and sourcesâwe can only do our best and be open to finding facts that disprove what we researched prior.
Colonialismâs Popularity Problem
Something about colonialism that Iâve rarely discussed is how some colonial empires actually âallowâ certain types of âdevianceâ if that deviance will temporarily serve its ends. Namely, when colonialism needs to expand its territory, either from landing in a new area or having recently messed up and needing to re-charm the population.
By that I mean: if a fascist group is struggling to maintain popularity, it will often conditionally open its doors to all walks of life in order to capture a greater market. It will also pay its spokespeople for the privilege of serving their ends, often very well. Authoritarians know the power of having the token supporter from a marginalized group on payroll: it both opens you up directly to that personâs identity, and sways the moderates towards going âwell they allow [person/group] so they canât be that bad, and I prefer them.â
Like it or not, any marginalized group can have its fascist members, sometimes even masquerading as the progressives. Being marginalized does not automatically equate to not wanting fascism, because people tend to want fascist leaders they agree with instead of democracy and coalition building. People can also think that certain people are exaggerating the horrors of colonialism, because it doesnât happen to good people, and look, they accept their friends who are good people, so theyâre fine.Â
A dominant fascist group can absolutely use this to their advantage in order to gain more foot soldiers, which then increases their raw numbers, which puts them in enough power they can stop caring about opening their ranks, and only then do they turn on their âdeviantâ members. By the time they turn, itâs usually too late, and thereâs often a lot of feelings of betrayal because the spokesperson (and those who liked them) thought they were accepted, instead of just used.
You said it yourself that this colonial government is even stricter than the historical equivalentâwhich could mean it needs some sort of leverage to maintain its popularity. âAllowingâ gay people to be some variation of themselves would be an ideal solution to this, but it would come with a bunch of conditions. What those conditions are I couldnât tell youâthatâs for your own imagination, based off what this groupâs ideal is, but some suggestions are âfollow the traditional dating/friendship normsâ, âhave their own gender identity slightly to the left of the cis idealâ, and/or âpretend to never actually be dating but everyone knows and pretends to not care so long as they donât out themselvesââthat would signal to the reader that this is deeply conditional and about to all come apart.Â
It would, however, mean your poor boy is less likely to get a break, because he would be policed to be the âacceptable kind of gayâ that the colonial government is currently tolerating (not unlike the way the States claims to support white cis same-sex couples in the suburbs but not bipoc queer-trans people in polycules). It also provides a more salient angle for this colonial government to come crashing down, if thatâs the way this narrative goes.
Colonial governments are often looking for scapegoats; if gay people arenât the current one, then theyâd be offered a lot more freedom just to improve the public image of those in power. You have the opportunity to have the strikers be the current scapegoats, which would take the heat off many other groupsâincluding those hit by homophobia.
In Conclusion
Personally, Iâd take a more âgays for Trumpâ attitude about the colonialism and their apparent âlackâ of homophobiaâtheyâre just trying to regain popularity after mishandling a major scandal, and the gay people will be on the outs soon enough.
You could also take the more nuanced approach and see how imperialism shaped modern gay rights and just fast-track that in your time period, to give it the right flavour of imperialism. A lot of BIPOC lgbtqa+ people will tell you the modern gay rights movement is assimilationalist, colonialist, and other flavours of ick, so that angle is viable.
You can also make something that looks more accepting to the modern eye by leaning heavily on romantic friendships that encouraged people waxing poetic for their âbest friendsâ, keeping the âloversâ part deeply on the down low, but is still restrictive and people just donât talk about it in public unless itâs in euphemisms or among other same-sex-attracted people because thereâs nothing wrong with loving your best friend, you just canât go off and claim youâre a couple like a heterosexual couple is.
Either way, youâre not sanitizing colonialism inherently by having there be less modern-recognized homophobia in this deeply authoritarian setting. You just need to add some guard rails on it so that, sure, your character might be fine if he behaves, but there are still âdeviantsâ that the government will not accept.Â
Because thatâs, in the end, one of the core tenants that makes a government colonial: its acceptance of groups is frequently based on how closely you follow the rules and police others for not following them, and anyone who isnât their ideal person will be on the outs eventually. But that doesnât mean they canât have a facade of pretending those rules are totally going to include people who are to the left of those ideals, if those people fit in every other ideal, or youâre safe only if you keep it quiet.
~ Leigh
#colonialism#colonization#worldbuilding#alternate history#history#lgbt#china#hong kong#british empire#ask
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I made an updated ref for my iterator OC Three Stars Above Clouds! Not much has changed since I designed them earlier this year, but I figured it was useful to make a more detailed ref sheet (primarily for my own convenience).
Iâve included some extra biographical info as well as my region map for TSACâs internals, as well as what their can looks like from the outside, and the inside of their puppet chamber.
I have an in-character ask blog for TSAC over here. Give it a look! I love exploring their character and I'm having a lot of fun.
Some additional links:
TSAC's original ref (contains an extended backstory as well)
TSAC's region map (contains descriptions of the subregions and connections)
TSAC's facility grounds map (details their surrounding area and explains the purposes of each section)
TSAC's general tag on my main blog (misc. info and musings)
A transcription for the text in the images plus some additional notes can be found under the cut.
[ First image - a standard character reference sheet ]
Three Stars Above Clouds
Experimental mountaintop iterator created to catalogue and study celestial objects. Iterator of the Institute-Metropolis of Zenith*. Director of the Zenith Stellar Observatory Consortium and Lead Archivist of the Zenith Data Archives. they/them
Three Stars Above Clouds is an iterator- a massive biomechanical superstructure and supercomputer designed by the "Ancient" civilization to search for a true Solution for Global Ascension.
Three Stars Above Clouds ('TSAC' for short, occasionally 'Three Stars' or rarely just 'Stars') was created by a Firmamentalist** splinter group of Ancients who believed that the Solution could only be found in the sky. TSAC was created to be an advanced stellar observatory, meticulously cataloguing and analyzing all manner of night sky phenomena, as well as a home and institute of learning for the researchers, scholars, and priests of the Firmamentalist sect.
[ Second image - A drawing of TSAC facing away from the viewer, next to an extended description ]
TSAC might not share all of their creators' beliefs, but believes their assigned task of recording and studying the sky to be of upmost importance. They take this responsibility very seriously and value it above all else.
As a result, they are quite reclusive, always too busy with work to talk to anyone. Before the Global Ascension Event, the majority of their social contact was with high-ranking researchers and priests from Zenith, as well as brief, professional conversations with other iterators in their field to discuss theories and compare data. Because all of their social development was in a formal academic setting, they have a polite, professional, almost robotic tone (even by iterator standards).
Despite this, TSAC is not actively antisocial. They enjoy talking to others, and enjoy education in particular. However their intense focus on their work and sheltered upbringing meant they very rarely initiated social contact, only responding if spoken to first. After the Global Ascension Event, TSAC became even more reclusive, choosing only to listen to broadcasts and rarely speaking publicly, if ever.
In the absence of their creators, TSAC was no longer in charge of managing everyday life in the city of Zenith and found themself with free time for the first time in ages. Their self reflections during this time, combined with the worsening decay of the global iterator communications network, made TSAC realize that they barely knew their fellow iterators, and they decided to try and get to know them before they lost the chance.
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*Zenith is the name of the city atop TSAC's can. It is home to several colleges, research institutes, and observatories.
**The Firmamentalists are the name I came up with for the group that created TSAC. They share much of the same religious beliefs as the rest of Ancient society, but believe that the Solution can only be found by searching the sky (aka the firmament). I'll assume that Firmamentalists or other like-minded splinter groups created other similar astronomy-focused iterators.
The Firmamentalist society of Zenith places a focus on education and the acquisition of knowledge, and considers anything related to learning holy. To learn is to better understand the nature of the carnal plane, as well as how to ascend beyond it. Three Stars Above Clouds was created to aid them in this task.
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In a recent report published by Open Research Africa discussing disparities in Covid-19 research funding and leadership, scientists revealed that the majority of Long Covid research in Africa is primarily financed and overseen by foreign nations. The reportâs authors analyzed projects documented in a global database tracking funded Covid-19 research projects. Out of a staggering 17,995 research projects cataloged in the Tracker as of July 2022, only 786 were carried out in African countries. Noteworthy contributors to Covid-19 research efforts on the continent included Morocco, with 183 projects, South Africa with 128 projects, and Kenya with 91 projects. In total, 75 research funders representing 17 countries directed USD $267 million to Covid-19 research in Africa. But the funders of these projects were predominantly public or governmental organizations from Europe and the U.S. Institutions such as the National Center for Scientific and Technical Research and UK Research and Innovation led the charge. While the bulk of funding stemmed from international entities, nine funders based in Africa also contributed to the cause. This imbalance in research investments poses a challenge for African scientists, as local research needs may differ from external agendas. The lack of sufficient evidence produced within and in the context of Africa worsens the marginalization of Long Covid in the region and weakens attempts to advocate for its acknowledgment and management.
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Top 5 archaeological sites in Australia that you feel people should know more about? Or top 5 Australian artefacts?
I feel like Iâve talked a bit about artefacts in a few recent asks, and also I feel like a lot of Australian archaeology (and as such, sites) are very underrated, particularly on a global scale. Its often acknowledged in Australian archaeology that getting international academia to recognise the importance of our countryâs archaeology is very very difficult.
While thereâs a million and one sites Iâd love to talk about, Iâm going to TRY and give sites that relate to different aspects and locations
This is probably going to be long, so...
1. Nauwalabila, Madjedbebe (Malakunanja II), and the Deaf Adder Gorge region, Northern Territory (Aboriginal)
Rock shelters in this region, and specifically Madjedbebe, are currently the oldest location of human habitation in Australia. Dating evidence from 2017 excavations provided an estimate of earliest occupation of 50 000 years at certainty, possibly extending back as early as 65 000 (+/-6000). It also has provided a lot of evidence for research into the extensive grind stone technologies of the Pleistocene.
2. Cloggs Cave and the Buchan region of the Victorian Gippsland (Aboriginal)
So much research has been done into this region in various ways. Josephine Flood focused her research on Bogong Moth usage (and festivals) within this region, providing some of the earliest accepted academic research in support of Aboriginal peoplesâ claims of large scale Bogong Moth Festivals in Australiaâs highlands (although the fac that no one really believed communities until thenâŠâŠâŠâŠ..). In 2021 grind analysis found Bogong Moth residue, making this the earliest stone artefact with evidence of insect food remains. And in addition to that recent 2017 research in the area investigated Holocene occupation with Aboriginal community members, with a focus on understanding the interaction of spirituality with the resources found in the caves.
3. Mabuyag Island, Torres Strait Islands, Queensland (Torres Strait Islander)
Mabuyag Island (alternatively known as Mabuiag or Mabuyaagi) has archaeological evidence of human occupation since 7300 years ago. The island is both associated with recent religious practices associated with he heavy processing of dugong remains, and totemic associations with these, which played a role in early 2000s into community lead and directed archaeological research into ritual and religious traditions and practices. In addition to this, Mabuyag is the location of the first archaeological excavations in Australia to find pre-colonial pottery fragments. The fragments at the two sites on the island were associated with Melanesian and Papua New Guinean pottery trade. The excavations relating to pottery on the island played an important role in our understanding of domestic and international trade in pre-colonial Australia, and also formed an influence for the recent excavations at Lizard Island, 300km south, which identified the first datable domestically made pottery technology found in Australia.
4. Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney, NSW
Hyde Park Barracks is part of a collection of colonial heritage structures in Australia, relating to Australiaâs time as a penal settlement. Hyde Park Barracks in particular were the location of the housing of convict men from 1819 to 1830, with the 1830s to 1840s also involving the site being a location of additional convict punishment, and the base for the Board of Assignment of Servants. Following on from a reduction of convicts to NSW in the 1840s, the Barracks became the Female Immigration Depot, and the Orphan Institution, later becoming the Asylum for Infirm and Destitute Women.
This time period of womenâs occupation provides some of the most interesting archaeological remains, as redevelopment and management of the site has found high rates of preservation within walls, and in areas below floorboards. This includes textiles and fabrics, papers, and other non-organic materials such as pipes (with their tobacco intact) stashed in what was once floor, wall, and ceiling cavities. Archaeological investigations in the area form one of the most detailed assemblages of artefacts relating to instituted women in the British Empire during the 19th century.
5. Notch Point, Western Australia (Multicultural heritage)
Notch Point is a site of varied and mixed archaeology, ranging from pre- and post- colonial period Aboriginal heritage, to diverse 19th century occupation of the region by Chinese, European, Malay, and Aboriginal peoples in association with pearling industries off the coast. In addition to this, the point is located on Dirk Hartog Island (otherwise known as Wirruwana), the site of the earliest European arrival in Western Australia in 1616, and contains archaeological evidence of both various early Dutch interactions with the island in 1616 and 1697, as well as French arrival in 1772, 1801, and 1818. Notch Point in particular also contains evidence of conflict between the predominantly Chinese population of the pearling industry, with white-Australian and European pearling masters, and pastoral agents. Its not a site that is widely discussed, but provides a fascinating overlay of the amount of varied cultural groups that can be present within Australiaâs archaeological sites.
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Honourable mentions to:
Lake Mungo and the Willandra Lakes which should 100% be on this list, but also I feel like I talk about it ALL the time and I wanted to mention sites that I actually donât see discussed a lot. Theyre super important for cultural reasons, for archaeological reasons, and also for their role the development of archaeology, Aboriginal community consultation, and the role its played in developing repatriation practices in modern Australia. I have multiple posts about them HERE
Budj Bin Eel Traps in Victoria (same reasons, Iâve definitely talked about them before).
Juukan Gorge (and its destruction, im still horrified)
Harrietville Chinese Mining Village
Strangway Strings and The Peake Afghan Cameleer sites
Recherche Bay in Tasmania, and its 1792 French settlement sites
Homebush Mill & Mission Hall in QLD and Beowa National Park sites containing South Sea Islander heritage
#I feel like this constitutes a solid answer#i had fun#and hopefully people learn new things about Australian archaeology#and its diversity#sorry this took literally forever to answer#i got sick for a bit#and then its going to chill in my queue for a couple of days#archaeology#Australia#aboriginal and torres strait islander peoples#they let a mouse do archaeology?#Mice answers things
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as someone who was doing academic/professional research and applying to graduate school last year and is doing professional research and applying to graduate school this year the difference in how inaccessible research has become in just TWELVE MONTHS is STARK and so deeply felt. I am lucky enough to have someoneâs institutional IDs but itâs insane how I needed that to write the most basic lit reviews/application materials when I spent the last ~5 years in a broke third world public university with almost no institutional access and managed just fine. the destruction and hobbling of sci-hub, libgen, internet archive, and other open source resources is nothing less than mass epistemic violence against global south students and itâs only going to compound every year as the materials these platforms have access to become increasingly dated.
#on academia#research#epistemic injustice#I started of my college career with my professors hand writing the link to libgen and sci-hub on the blackboard#I ended my academic career with my cityâs high court essentially killing libgen#the decline has been exponential
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"The Growing Dangers of the MAGA Movement"
A Growing Threat to American DemocracyIntroductionThe "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) movement, which coalesced around Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and has persisted beyond his presidency, represents one of the most significant political and cultural forces in modern American history. What began as a catchy campaign slogan has evolved into a broad ideological movement with tens of millions of devoted adherents.
While supporters view it as a patriotic effort to restore traditional American values and strength, critics see the MAGA movement as an existential threat to democracy, pluralism, and the rule of law in the United States. This essay will examine the origins and evolution of the MAGA movement, analyze its core ideological tenets and tactics, and explore the various ways in which it poses growing dangers to American democratic institutions and social cohesion.
By synthesizing research, expert analysis, and recent events, we can better understand the nature of this movement and the challenges it presents.
Origins and Evolution of the MAGA Movement
The roots of the MAGA movement can be traced back to long-standing currents of populism, nativism, and anti-establishment sentiment in American politics. However, it was Donald Trump who managed to coalesce these disparate threads into a potent political force during his 2016 presidential campaign. Trump's promise to "Make America Great Again" resonated with millions of Americans who felt left behind by globalization, demographic changes, and shifting cultural norms.
His brash, outsider persona and willingness to buck political correctness attracted those who were disillusioned with conventional politicians. Trump tapped into feelings of economic anxiety, cultural displacement, and resentment toward coastal elites to build a devoted base of support.
After his surprise victory in 2016, the MAGA slogan transformed from a campaign catchphrase into a full-fledged movement and identity. Trump supporters eagerly adopted the MAGA label, proudly wearing red hats and using the hashtag online. The movement took on a life of its own, with Trump as its figurehead but extending well beyond just one man.
Throughout Trump's presidency, the MAGA movement continued to evolve and radicalize. As Trump faced investigations, impeachment proceedings, and constant media scrutiny, his base became increasingly defensive and hostile toward perceived enemies.
Conspiracy theories like QAnon found fertile ground among MAGA adherents. The movement adopted an increasingly apocalyptic and militant tone, portraying itself as the last line of defense against sinister forces trying to destroy America.
The movement reached a crescendo - and a dangerous breaking point - on January 6, 2021, when thousands of Trump supporters violently stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election. This event crystallized the growing extremism within the MAGA movement and its willingness to subvert democratic processes. Even after Trump left office, the MAGA movement has endured as a powerful force in American politics. It has reshaped the Republican Party in Trump's image and continues to exert enormous influence through primaries, fundraising, and setting the terms of political debate on the right.
Core Tenets and Ideology
While the MAGA movement encompasses a range of views, several core ideological tenets have emerged as central to its worldview:
America First Nationalism: The movement advocates an "America First" foreign and economic policy, rejecting globalism in favor of national sovereignty and protectionism.
Anti-immigration: Restricting both legal and illegal immigration is a top priority, often couched in nativist rhetoric about preserving American culture.
Cultural traditionalism: MAGA adherents push back against progressive social changes, championing traditional gender roles, religious values, and a nostalgic view of America's past.
Deep state paranoia: The movement is deeply distrustful of government institutions, mainstream media, and other power centers, believing them to be corrupt and working against the interests of everyday Americans.
Cult of personality: Loyalty to Donald Trump personally is a defining feature, with the movement portraying him as a messianic figure fighting dark forces.
Anti-"wokeness": The MAGA movement positions itself in staunch opposition to progressive ideas about systemic racism, LGBTQ+ rights, and other social justice causes.
Election denialism: Following Trump's lead, much of the movement refuses to accept the legitimacy of the 2020 election results, pushing baseless fraud claims.
Conspiratorial thinking: The movement is prone to embracing and amplifying conspiracy theories that support its worldview, from QAnon to COVID-19 misinformation.
These ideological pillars form the foundation of the MAGA movement's grievance-fueled politics and its antagonistic stance toward democratic institutions and norms.
Tactics and Strategies
The MAGA movement employs a range of tactics to advance its goals and expand its influence:
Social media mobilization: Savvy use of platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and newer alt-tech sites allows rapid dissemination of messaging and coordination of grassroots action.
Alternative media ecosystem: A network of right-wing news outlets, podcasts, and influencers creates an insular information bubble for supporters.
Intimidation and threats: Movement figures often use violent rhetoric and veiled threats to intimidate opponents and critics.
Litigation and legal challenges: An army of pro-Trump lawyers file dubious lawsuits to challenge election results and other perceived slights.
Primary challenges: The movement targets "disloyal" Republicans with primary opponents to enforce ideological conformity.
Propaganda and disinformation: Coordinated campaigns spread misleading narratives and outright falsehoods to shape public opinion.
Protests and rallies: Mass gatherings serve to energize the base and project a show of force.
Infiltration of local offices: The movement has pushed supporters to take over low-level government positions like election boards and school boards.
These tactics have proven effective at solidifying the movement's power within the Republican Party and exerting outsized influence on the national political conversation.Growing Dangers to DemocracyThe MAGA movement poses several interconnected threats to the stability and functioning of American democracy:
Undermining faith in elections
Perhaps the most immediate danger is the movement's persistent efforts to cast doubt on the integrity of U.S. elections. By pushing baseless claims of widespread voter fraud and refusing to accept unfavorable results, MAGA leaders are actively eroding public trust in the democratic process.This delegitimization of elections has several alarming consequences. It provides justification for new voting restrictions that disproportionately impact minority communities. It increases the risk of political violence, as we saw on January 6th when MAGA supporters felt empowered to use force to "stop the steal." And it creates a permission structure for future attempts to overturn legitimate election results.If a large segment of the population no longer believes in the basic mechanics of democracy, it becomes nearly impossible to have peaceful transfers of power or to solve problems through normal political channels.
2.Assault on the rule of law
The MAGA movement has shown a troubling willingness to disregard the rule of law when it conflicts with their goals. This manifests in several ways:
Refusing to comply with lawful subpoenas and oversight efforts
Pardoning political allies convicted of crimes
Interfering in ongoing investigations for political purposes
Calling for the imprisonment of political opponents without due process
Flouting ethics rules and profiting from public office
By treating the law as optional or applicable only to their enemies, MAGA leaders set a dangerous precedent that threatens the foundations of constitutional governance.
3.Embracing political violence
While not universal among supporters, there is a strong current of militancy within the MAGA movement that views violence as a legitimate political tool. This mindset has led to increased threats against public officials, journalists, and even fellow Republicans deemed insufficiently loyal.The events of January 6th represented a shocking escalation, demonstrating that a significant portion of the movement is willing to use force to achieve its ends. Even more concerning is the way many MAGA leaders have subsequently downplayed or justified the Capitol attack.This normalization of political violence profoundly destabilizes democracy and makes peaceful resolution of differences far more difficult
4.Undermining truth and shared reality
The MAGA movement's loose relationship with factual reality represents another serious threat to functional democracy. By embracing conspiracy theories, rejecting scientific expertise, and creating alternative information ecosystems, the movement erodes the possibility of having good-faith debates based on a shared set of facts.When a large segment of the population lives in a completely different epistemic reality, it becomes nearly impossible to find common ground or craft effective policy solutions. This rejection of truth and expertise also leaves followers vulnerable to manipulation and extreme ideas.
5.Weakening of democratic institutions
MAGA leaders have waged a sustained assault on the legitimacy of key democratic institutions like the justice system, intelligence agencies, the press, and career civil servants. By portraying these entities as part of a nefarious "deep state" working against the people, the movement weakens public trust in the very institutions needed for democracy to function.This institutional erosion creates a vicious cycle, as weakened institutions are less able to serve as a check on abuses of power, leading to further deterioration.6.
Personality cult dynamics
The MAGA movement's intense devotion to Donald Trump personally introduces instability and irrationality into the political system. When loyalty to an individual trumps commitment to principles or the national interest, it opens the door to significant abuses of power.The personalization of politics around Trump also makes it more difficult to resolve political differences through normal democratic means. Policy debates get reduced to whether one supports or opposes Trump as an individual.
7.Minority rule tendencies
There are strong anti-democratic currents within the MAGA movement that seek to entrench minority rule through a variety of mechanisms:
Extreme gerrymandering
Voter suppression targeting Democratic-leaning groups
Exploiting the electoral college and Senate's rural bias
Court packing to lock in a conservative judiciary
Calls to repeal the 17th Amendment (direct election of Senators)
These efforts to insulate MAGA power from the will of the majority represent a fundamental threat to the principle of popular sovereignty.
8.Scapegoating and demonitiization
The MAGA movement's rhetoric often seeks to divide Americans into "real" patriots versus dangerous "others" - whether immigrants, racial minorities, liberals, or the nebulous "elite." This deliberate "us vs. them" framing corrodes social cohesion and paints political opponents as existential enemies rather than fellow citizens with differing views.Taken to extremes, this dehumanization of the opposition can be used to justify anti-democratic actions or even violence in the name of defending the "real America.
Potential Future Trajectories
Looking ahead, there are several potential paths the MAGA movement could take, each with significant implications for American democracy:
Moderation and reintegration: In this optimistic scenario, the movement gradually moderates its views and tactics, allowing for its reintegration into normal democratic politics. This would likely require new leadership and a rejection of its most extreme elements.
Continued radicalization: The movement could continue down the path of escalating extremism, embracing more conspiratorial thinking and explicit calls for anti-democratic action. This risks further political violence and democratic backsliding.
Splintering: Internal divisions could cause the movement to fragment into competing factions, potentially diminishing its overall influence but also creating space for even more radical offshoots.
Institutional capture: The movement could succeed in taking over the Republican Party entirely and gaining control of key government institutions, allowing for the implementation of its agenda through official channels.
Authoritarian takeover: In a worst-case scenario, MAGA leaders could leverage a crisis or electoral victory to rapidly dismantle democratic guardrails and institute authoritarian rule, similar to what has occurred in countries like Hungary.
The trajectory the movement takes will depend on a variety of factors, including the actions of MAGA leaders, the response of democratic institutions, economic conditions, and unforeseen events that could reshape the political landscape. Responding to the Threat Given the serious dangers posed by the MAGA movement, a robust democratic response is necessary. Some potential strategies include:
Strengthening democratic institutions: Shoring up the integrity and independence of bodies like the Justice Department, election administration, and civil service to withstand political pressure.
Civic education: Improving public understanding of democratic processes and values to build resilience against anti-democratic messaging.
Media literacy: Equipping citizens with the tools to critically evaluate information sources and resist disinformation.
Bipartisan coalition building: Forging alliances between Democrats and non-MAGA Republicans to present a united front in defense of democratic norms.
Economic policy: Addressing the legitimate economic grievances that fuel support for the movement through inclusive growth policies.
Legal accountability: Ensuring that violations of law and democratic norms face appropriate consequences, regardless of political affiliation.
Depolarization efforts: Investing in initiatives that bridge partisan divides and rebuild social cohesion at the community level.
Election reform: Implementing reforms to increase faith in election integrity while expanding access to voting.
Countering extremism: Providing off-ramps and support for those at risk of radicalization into anti-democratic ideologies.
Conclusion
The MAGA movement represents one of the most significant challenges to American democracy in generations. Its potent mix of grievance politics, personality cult dynamics, and anti-democratic tendencies poses a multifaceted threat to the stability and functioning of the country's political system.
While the movement taps into some legitimate frustrations with the status quo, its proposed solutions and tactics risk undermining the very foundations of constitutional governance. The normalization of political violence, erosion of truth, and delegitimization of democratic institutions create a volatile situation with the potential for severe instability.
Responding effectively to this threat will require a clear-eyed understanding of the movement's appeal and tactics, coupled with proactive efforts to strengthen democratic guardrails and rebuild civic cohesion. The future of American democracy may well hinge on the ability to successfully navigate this challenge in the years to come.
Ultimately, preserving a healthy democracy requires constant vigilance and renewal. The MAGA movement serves as a stark reminder that even long-established democracies are not immune to authoritarian impulses. By understanding the nature of this threat, Americans across the political spectrum can work to uphold the principles of democratic self-governance for future generations.
#politics#donald trump#joe biden#potus#scotus#heritage foundation#trump#democracy#democrats#maga#maga morons#maga cult#make america great again
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The Collective Intelligence Institute
History is written by the winners, which is why Luddite is a slur meaning âtechnophobeâ and not a badge of honor meaning, âPerson who goes beyond asking what technology does, to asking who it does it for and who it does it to.â
https://locusmag.com/2022/01/cory-doctorow-science-fiction-is-a-luddite-literature/
If youâd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, hereâs a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:
https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/07/full-stack-luddites/#subsidiarity
Luddites werenât anti-machine activists, they were pro-worker advocates, who believed that the spoils of automation shouldnât automatically be allocated to the bosses who skimmed the profits from their labor and spent them on machines that put them out of a job. There is no empirical right answer about who should benefit from automation, only social contestation, which includes all the things that desperate people whose access to food, shelter and comfort are threatened might do, such as smashing looms and torching factories.
The question of who should benefit from automation is always urgent, and itâs also always up for grabs. Automation can deepen and reinforce unfair arrangements, or it can upend them. No one came off a mountain with two stone tablets reading âThy machines shall condemn labor to the scrapheap of the history while capital amasses more wealth and power.â We get to choose.
Capitalâs greatest weapon in this battle is inevitabilism, sometimes called âcapitalist realism,â summed up with Frederic Jamesonâs famous quote âItâs easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalismâ (often misattributed to ĆœiĆŸek). A simpler formulation can be found in the doctrine of Margaret Thatcher: âThere Is No Alternative,â or even Danteâs âAbandon hope all ye who enter here.â
Hopeâââalternativesâââlies in reviving our structural imagination, thinking through other ways of managing our collective future. Last May, Wired published a brilliant article that did just that, by Divya Siddarth, Danielle Allen and E. Glen Weyl:
https://www.wired.com/story/web3-blockchain-decentralization-governance/
That article, âThe Web3 Decentralization Debate Is Focused on the Wrong Question,â set forth a taxonomy of decentralization, exploring ways that power could be distributed, checked, and shared. It went beyond blockchains and hyperspeculative, Ponzi-prone âmechanism design,â prompting me to subtitle my analysis âNot all who decentralize are brosâ:
https://pluralistic.net/2022/05/12/crypto-means-cryptography/#p2p-rides-again
That article was just one installment in a long, ongoing project by the authors. Now, Siddarth has teamed up with Saffron Huang to launch the Collective Intelligence project, âan incubator for new governance models for transformative technology.â
https://cip.org/whitepaper
The Collective Intelligence Projectâs research focus is âcollective intelligence capabilities: decision-making technologies, processes, and institutions that expand a groupâs capacity to construct and cooperate towards shared goals.â That is, asking more than how automation works, but who it should work for.
Collective Intelligence institutions include âmarketsâŠnation-state democracyâŠglobal governance institutions and transnational corporations, standards-setting organizations and judicial courts, the decision structures of universities, startups, and nonprofits.â All of these institutions let two or more people collaborate, which is to say, it lets us do superhuman thingsâââthings that transcend the limitations of the lone individual.
Our institutions are failing us. Confidence in democracy is in decline, and democratic states have failed to coordinate to solve urgent crises, like the climate emergency. Markets are also failing us, âflatten[ing] complex values in favor of over-optimizing for cost, profit, or share price.â
Neither traditional voting systems nor speculative markets are up to the task of steering our emerging, transformative technologiesâââneither machine learning, nor bioengineering, nor labor automation. Hence the mission of CIP: âHumans created our current CI systems to help achieve collective goals. We can remake them.â
The plan to do this is in two phases:
Value elicitation: âways to develop scalable processes for surfacing and combining group beliefs, goals, values, and preferences.â Think of tools like Pol.is, which Taiwan uses to identify ideas that have the broadest consensus, not just the most active engagement.
Remake technology institutions: âtechnology development beyond the existing options of non-profit, VC-funded startup, or academic project.â Practically, thatâs developing tools and models for âdecentralized governance and metagovernance, internet standards-setting,â and consortia.
The founders pose this as a solution to âThe Transformative Technology Trilemmaââââthat is, the supposed need to trade off between participation, progress and safety.
This trilemma usually yields one of three unsatisfactory outcomes:
Capitalist Acceleration: âSacrificing safety for progress while maintaining basic participation.â Think of private-sector geoengineering, CRISPR experimentation, or deployment of machine learning tools. AKA âbro shit.â
Authoritarian Technocracy: âSacrificing participation for progress while maintaining basic safety.â Think of the vulnerable world hypothesis weirdos who advocate for universal, total surveillance to prevent ârunaway AI,â or, of course, the Chinese technocratic system.
Shared Stagnation: âSacrificing progress for participation while maintaining basic safety.â A drive for local control above transnational coordination, unwarranted skepticism of useful technologies (AKA âWhat the Luddites are unfairly accused ofâ).
The Instituteâs goal is to chart a fourth path, which seeks out the best parts of all three outcomes, while leaving behind their flaws. This includes deliberative democracy tools like sortition and assemblies, backed by transparent machine learning tools that help surface broadly held views from within a community, not just the views held by the loudest participants.
This dovetails into creating new tech development institutions to replace the default, venture-backed startup for âsocietally-consequential, infrastructural projects,â including public benefit companies, focused research organizations, perpetual purpose trusts, co-ops, etc.
Itâs a view I find compelling, personally, enough so that I have joined the organization as a volunteer advisor.
This vision resembles the watershed groups in Ruthanna Emrysâs spectacular âHalf-Built Garden,â which was one of the most inspiring novels I read last year (a far better source of stfnal inspo than the technocratic fantasies of the âGolden Ageâ):
https://pluralistic.net/2022/07/26/aislands/#dead-ringers
And it revives the long-dormant, utterly necessary spirit of the Luddites, which you can learn a lot more about in Brian Merchantâs forthcoming, magesterial âBlood In the Machine: The Origins of the Rebellion Against Big Techâ:
https://www.littlebrown.com/titles/brian-merchant/blood-in-the-machine/9780316487740/
This week (Feb 8â17), Iâll be in Australia, touring my book Chokepoint Capitalism with my co-author, Rebecca Giblin. Weâll be in Brisbane tomorrow (Feb 8), and then weâre doing a remote event for NZ on Feb 9. Next are Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra. I hope to see you!
[Image ID: An old Ace Double paperback. The cover illustration has been replaced with an 18th century illustration depicting a giant Ned Ludd leading an army of Luddites who have just torched a factory. The cover text reads: 'The Luddites. Smashing looms was their tactic, not their goal.']
#pluralistic#ai#artificial intelligence#b-corps#collective intelligence#full-stack luddism#full-stack luddites#governance#luddism#ml#sortition#subsidiarity
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Also preserved in our archive
Another great reason to keep masking: We don't even have a good treatment for long covid yet, and many doctors know simply nothing about the condition.
Global efforts to understand and manage long Covid post-pandemic, with varied symptoms and limited treatment guidelines worldwide
Doctors in India are grappling to diagnose and treat unexplained and persistent symptoms of long Covid patients due to limited guidelines, whereas researchers have flagged inadequate studies on the condition.
With the World Health Organization declaring an end to COVID-19 as a global health emergency in May last year, focused efforts are underway around the world to estimate the burden of long Covid among the population.
The condition refers to the set of lingering symptoms affecting varied body parts and persisting well beyond the acute Covid infection period, including cough, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, brain fog and difficulty in focusing. The viral disease is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
While studies have suggested that about a third of those moderately or severely infected are likely to suffer from long Covid, region-wise though, incidence could vary.
A study by researchers, including those from Harvard Medical School, U.S., estimated that 31% of the once-infected people in North America, 44% in Europe, and 51% in Asia, have long Covid, which is âchallenging the healthcare system, but there are limited guidelines for its treatmentâ. It was published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases in September.
In India, however, studies on long Covid are few and far between.
One such study by Maulana Azad Medical College in New Delhi, conducted from May 2022 to March 2023 on 553 patients who had recovered from Covid, found that about 45% had lingering symptoms, persistent fatigue and dry cough being the most common.
âThere is limited exploratory research on the long Covid syndrome with scarce data on long-term outcomes,â the authors wrote in the study published in the journal Cureus in May this year.
Understanding the long-term effects of the virus is important for developing management strategies, optimising healthcare delivery, and providing support to recovered Covid patients in the community, they said.
Dr Rajesh Sagar, Professor of Psychiatry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, said, âLooking at the current state of long Covid studies in India, it is too premature to say that we understand the condition well enough to know how to diagnose or treat it.â
Animesh Samanta, assistant professor at School of Natural Sciences in Shiv Nadar University, Greater Noida, said, âWhile studies in India highlight the growing recognition of neurological complications in long Covid patients, more focused research on neuroinflammation is needed.â
Doctors, too, have reported a rise in patients complaining of symptoms that they did not have pre-Covid. âPeople who never had asthma in the past, post-Covid, with every viral infection, they get a long cough, shortness of breath and wheezing, which require the use of inhalers or nebuliser,â senior consultant Dr. Neetu Jain, who runs a post-Covid care clinic at Pushpawati Singhania Hospital and Research Institute, New Delhi, said.
Dr. Arun Garg, chairman, Neurology and Neurosciences, Medanta-The Medicity, Gurugram, said that he was noticing a spike in stroke cases among young patients not suffering from known risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity.
âSimilarly, we are seeing more cases of encephalopathy (swelling of the brain) without reason and having a confused state of mind following one or two days of fever. Their MRI scans show no changes. These patients have increased significantly after Covid,â he said.
In the absence of medical guidelines to diagnose long Covid, doctors are having to resort to broad, non-specific tests and questionnaires to gauge a patientâs âquality of lifeâ.
Studies have shown that the fatigue experienced in long Covid is similar to that in cancer patients, with a quality of life similar to patients of Parkinsonâs disease.
âWe really do not have any test to diagnose long Covid, even though it is definitely a clinical diagnosis. We diagnose long Covid for people who had at least moderate to severe infection, following which they could never regain the quality-of-life pre-Covid. Checking for inflammatory markers like C-reactive proteins (CRP) can support the diagnosis,â Dr. Jain said.
âOther than routine blood tests that measure inflammation, we do antibody tests to look for direct markers. In many of these patients, we are finding rare antibodies which are very new to us and were not there pre-Covid,â Dr. Garg said.
Inflammation persisting despite recovery from acute Covid infection is thought to lie at the heart of long Covid. However, tests to measure this specific immune response are lacking, even as researchers have been working in this direction worldwide.
One such effort comes from Shiv Nadar University, where a team led by Mr. Samanta has developed a fluorescent probe capable of detecting inflammation in brain cells that can arise due to Covid infection.
The probe measures nitric oxide levels in brain cells, especially in human microglia cells, where increased NO levels are linked to the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Microglia are immune cells in the brain that fight disease and help maintain brain health.
Lysosomes within microglia, which help clear foreign disease-causing agents like the SARS-CoV-2 virus, produce nitric oxide as part of an immune response to infection. The probe detects nitric oxide produced in lysosomes in response to infection and thereby allows for a measurement of inflammation levels.
This examination method can provide âqualitative information on infection statusâ, said Mr. Samanta, corresponding author on the study published in the journal Analytical Chemistry in American Chemical Society.
He explained that patients with pre-existing conditions such as Alzheimerâs disease, Parkinsonâs disease or multiple sclerosis (an autoimmune disorder) could exhibit prolonged neuroinflammation and loss of brain cells following Covid infection.
While the probe has shown efficacy in cell cultures, animal studies would need to be done, before testing it in humans, Mr. Samanta said.
Looking at the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, the study by Harvard Medical School had found that 587 clinical studies were conducted on long Covid, of which about 53% (312) were testing potential treatments.
Most of these were found to be conducted in the U.S. (58), followed by India (55) and Spain (20). The trials looked at interventions including physical exercise, psychotherapy, and pharmacological ones such as paxlovid and fluvoxamine.
However, âto date, only 11 of these 312 studies have published their results that were not confirmative,â the researchers wrote.
The team called for studies to look into sleep disorders which were rarely included in the registered clinical studies. Further, interventions targeting the biological processes responsible for long Covid are needed but currently lacking, they said.
#mask up#covid#pandemic#public health#wear a mask#covid 19#wear a respirator#still coviding#coronavirus#sars cov 2#long covid#india
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The new global study, in partnership with The Upwork Research Institute, interviewed 2,500 global C-suite executives, full-time employees and freelancers. Results show that the optimistic expectations about AI's impact are not aligning with the reality faced by many employees. The study identifies a disconnect between the high expectations of managers and the actual experiences of employees using AI. Despite 96% of C-suite executives expecting AI to boost productivity, the study reveals that, 77% of employees using AI say it has added to their workload and created challenges in achieving the expected productivity gains. Not only is AI increasing the workloads of full-time employees, itâs hampering productivity and contributing to employee burnout. To add insult to injury, nearly half (47%) of employees using AI say they donât know how to achieve the expected productivity gains their employers expect, and 40% feel their company is asking too much of them when it comes to AI. Workers are feeling the strain from rising productivity demands, with one in three full-time employees saying they will likely quit their jobs in the next six months due to feeling overworked and burnt out. The majority of global C-suite leaders (81%) acknowledge they have increased demands on their workers in the past year. Consequently, 71% of full-time employees are burned out, and 65% report struggling with their employerâs demands on their productivity.
Archived from Forbes.
23 July 2024
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Wheat on repeat (Anthropocene Magazine)
Excerpt from this story from Anthropocene Magazine:
Disguised within an ordinary-looking bowl of pasta before me is a brand new ingredient, 20-years in the making, that many believe could single-handedly slash emissions, store carbon in the soil, and help the wider environment.
The neat fusilli coils contain flour ground from Kernza, a perennial wheat-like crop that produces multiple harvests from one plant, year after year after year. I received some cooking instructions to get the best out of the novel ingredient: âDonât cover it up with a bunch of sauce! Make sure you can taste it,â says Lee DeHaan, a scientist at The Land Institute, a non-profit agriculture research organization based in Salina, Kansas, that developed the Kernza grain. I follow his guidance, drizzling in a little olive oil and a pinch of salt, and then take a bite, letting the pastaâs flavors emerge: a subtle but unmistakable hint of cinnamon, followed by nutmeg. Itâs unexpectedly warm and earthy, like a salute to the rich Kansas soils that Kernza first sprouted from.
The way this crop was raised there was very different to its cousin, conventional wheat. Wheat is an annual crop, like rice and corn, which together account for almost half of the calories humanity consumes. Annuals must be planted and harvested anew each year, a system that requires farmers to heap fertilizers and herbicides onto the land, dispersed by gas-guzzling machinery that bloats agricultureâs carbon footprint. Meanwhile, repeated cycles of tilling and replanting strips the soil of nutrients, and loses vital topsoil to wind and rain. Over time, those soils may degrade, pushing farmers onto new land in search of fertile ground.Â
Each mouthful of this Kernza-rich pasta, on the other hand, supports farming that locks topsoil in place and stores carbon in the earth. A growing movement of researchers, farmers, and producers believe that perennial crops have unmatched potential to reform agricultureâs warped system, and are pinning their hopesâand research dollarsâon the likes of Kernza to deliver that. The grain is now cultivated across 4,000 acres of land, by over 100 farmers across the US Midwest and as far afield as Sweden and France. Its distinct aromas have made their way into craft beers, cereals, crackers, and whiskey, and have been embraced by major brands such as Patagonia.Â
As a potential substitute for wheat, which covers more global land area than any other commercial crop, Kernza seems to herald a wholesome, low-carbon revolution in the vast agricultural sector. And yet 15 years since the first stands took root, the crop has only managed to capture a tiny fraction of the market, a victim of limited yields, government regulation, and a conservative farming industry. So can Kernza ever displace traditional amber waves of grain, or is it doomed to be a perennial runner-up?Â
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Free tactical medicine learning resources
If you want to learn first aid, emergency care or tactical medical care for real, you will need to practice these skills. A lot. Regularly. Thereâs no way to learn them just from books. But if youâre looking to supplement your training, canât access hands on training, are a layperson doing research for your writing or otherwise just curious, here are some free resources (some may need a free account to access them).
TCCC
The current gold standard in the field is Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC), developed by the US army but used by militaries around the world. There is also a civilian version of the system called Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC). Training materials, Standards of Care, instructional videos, etc. can be accessed at deployedmedicine.com. Youâll need a free account. This should be your first and possibly only stop.
Thereâs also an app and a podcast if those are more your thing, although I havenât personally tried them.
More TCCC (video) resources
STOP THE BLEEDÂź Interactive Course
TCCC-MP Guidelines and Curriculum presentations and training videos
EURMEDâs Medical Beginner's Resource List has suggested list of video materials (disclaimer: I havenât watched the playlists, but I have been trained by nearly all of the linked systems/organisations and can vouch for them)
Tactical Medical Solutions training resource page (requires registration; some of the courses are free)
North American Rescue video downloads
Emergency medicine
WHO-ICRC Basic Emergency Care: approach to the acutely ill and injured â an open-access course workbook for basic emergency care with limited resources
Global Health Emergency Medicine â open-access, evidence-based, peer-reviewed emergency medicine modules designed for teachers and learners in low-resource health setting
AFEM Resources â curricula, lecture bank, reviews, etc.
Global Emergency Medicine Academy Resources (links to more resources)
OpenStax Anatomy and Physiology textbook
Open-access anatomy and physiology learning resources
OpenStax Pharmacology for nurses textbook
Principles of Pharmacology â Study Guide
Multiple Casualty Incidents
Management of Multiple Casualty Incidents lecture
Bombings: Injury Patterns and Care blast injuries course (scroll down on the page)
Borden Institute has medical textbooks about biological, chemical and nuclear threats
Psychological first aid: Guide for field workers
Prolonged field care
When the evac isnât coming anytime soon.
Prolonged Field Care Basics lecture (requires registration)
Aerie 14th Edition Wilderness Medicine Manual (textbook)
Austere Emergency Medical Support (AEMS) Field Guide (textbook)
Prolonged Casualty Care (PCC) Guidelines
Wilderness Medical Society Clinical Practice Guidelines
Austere Medicine Resources: Practice Guidelines â a great resource of WMS, PFC, TCCC, etc. clinical practice guidelines in one place
The Wilderness and Environmental Medicine Journal (you can read past issues without a membership)
Prolonged Field Care Collective: Resources
National Park Services Emergency Medical Services Resources
Guerilla Medicine: An Introduction to the Concepts of Austere Medicine in Asymmetric Conflicts (article)
Mental health & PTSD
National Center for PTSD
Psychological first aid: Guide for field workers
Combat and Operational Behavioral Health (medical textbook)
Resources for doctors and medical students
Or you know, other curious people who arenât afraid of medical jargon.
Borden Institute Military Medical Textbooks and Resources â suggestions: start with Fundamentals of Military Medicine; mechanism of injury of conventional weapons; these two volumes on medical aspects of operating in extreme environments; psychosocial aspects of military medicine; or Combat Anesthesia
Emergency War Surgery textbook and lectures
Disaster Health Core Curriculum â online course for health professionals
MĂ©decins Sans FrontiĂšres Clinical guidelines
Pocket book of hospital care for children: Second edition â guidelines for the management of common childhood illnesses in low resource settings
Greyâs Quick Reference: Basic Protocols in Paediatrics and Internal Medicine For Resource Limited Settings
The Department of Defense Center of Excellence for Trauma: Trauma Care Resources (links to more resources)
#feel free to share and add more#tactical medicine#tactical combat casualty care#prolonged field care#austere medicine#military medicine#tccc#tecc#disaster medicine#wilderness medicine#emergency medicine#emergency medical services#learning resources#writing resources#mandalorian medics#paramedicine#medicine
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Good News - May 8-14
Like these weekly compilations? Support me on Ko-fi! Also, if you tip me on Ko-fi, at the end of the month I'll send you a link to all of the articles I found but didn't use each week - almost double the content!
1. Critically endangered fish with red hands and 'sad toad face' returned to the wild in Tasmania
âConservationists in Australia are celebrating the return of 18 critically endangered red handfish to the sea after they were taken into care at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) in January to protect them from marine heatwaves.â
2. A rare Australian marsupial is being genetically modified to save it from extinction. Here's how
âScientists are trying to genetically 'edit' the endangered northern quoll to make it resistant to the neurotoxin of the invasive cane toad. [âŠ] Now experts in gene-editing [âŠ] say they can introduce genetic resistance to the toxin by taking DNA from a species of South American lizard and âeditâ that into the cells of a northern quoll. They have already managed to do this with the cells of the closely related dunnart, another endemic marsupial.â
3. More and faster: Electricity from clean sources reaches 30% of global total
âFor the first time, 30% of electricity produced worldwide was from clean energy sources as the number of solar and wind farms continued to grow fast. [...] Some of [the past yearâs] new demand was for heat pumps, which are an efficient way to both heat and cool buildings, and for electric vehicles. [... Last year was also] the 19th year in a row that solar was the fastest-growing source of electricity generation.â
4. Standards Established To Improve Health Care For Kids With Disabilities
âDeveloped by a panel of health care experts, adults with disabilities and caregivers, the plan published recently in the journal Pediatrics [âŠ] calls for providers to be trained about caring for those with neurodevelopmental disabilities, improved communication with patients and their families and proactive planning in advance of health care encounters to ensure that patients are at ease and provided accommodations.â
5. Working together to better understand Alaskaâs beluga whales
âBeluga conservation efforts depend on an accurate count of whales. Indigenous hunters also need to know how many belugas there are so that they [can] decide how many can be safely harvested. Thatâs why WWF is bringing together Western science and Indigenous knowledge [âŠ. U]sing hydrophones to detect belugas in the Yukon River worksâand it is an approach that is both cost-effective and non-invasive.â
6. Robotic system feeds people with severe mobility limitations
âResearchers have developed a robotic feeding system that uses computer vision, machine learning and multimodal sensing to safely feed people with severe mobility limitations, including those with spinal cord injuries, cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis. [âŠ] The robotic system successfully fed 13 individuals with diverse medical conditions in a user study spanning three locations[âŠ.] Users of the robot found it to be safe and comfortable, researchers said.â
7. Senate Passage of Americaâs Conservation Enhancement Act a Win for Wildlife
âThe Senateâs reauthorization of the Americaâs Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Act will benefit Americaâs wildlife and way of life. Led by Senators Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Shelley Capito (R-W.Va.), the bill invests in wetlands and habitat restoration projects across the country as well as strategies to reduce conflicts between wildlife and livestock. [âŠ] The passage of this bill shows us once again that Americans are united on the need to protect wildlife and our outdoor heritage,â said Andrew Wilkins, director of land conservation policy at the National Wildlife Federation.â
8. Liberals and conservatives differ on climate change beliefs--but are relatively united in taking action
âThe study, led by researchers at New York University, finds that when given the opportunity, liberals and conservatives take action to address climate change at roughly the same levels -- and that this is due to conservatives choosing to take action despite their climate-change beliefs rather than liberals failing to act on theirs.â
9. Democratic state attorneys general are teaming up to protect abortion access
âA group of Democratic attorneys general are working to strengthen state-level protections for abortion, contraception and gender-affirming care. These protections could include expanding the use of so-called âshield laws,â which assert that states where abortion or gender-affirming care are legal wonât cooperate with out-of-state efforts to prosecute anyone who helped provide treatment.â
10. Antwerp gives residents free trees
âThe Belgian city of Antwerp has 2,000 trees to give away, and it wants to give them to residents to plant in their gardens [...] with the aim of involving citizens in the greenifying process of the city. [...] Whatâs more, the city website offers practical advice on how to proceed with planting and caring for the tree so that it will meet the standards set by the municipality. [...] The City makes sure to give dead trees a second life by using their wood in the making of natural kidsâ playgrounds.â
May 1-7 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I donât claim credit for anything but curating.)
#good news#hopepunk#fish#australia#endangered species#marsupial#gene editing#toad#electricity#clean energy#solar#solar energy#wind farm#wind energy#healthcare#disability#disabled#neurodivergent#alaska#alaska native#native#beluga#robots#wildlife#habitat restoration#politics#climate#climate change#abortion#abortion rights
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The phone or computer youâre reading this on may not be long for this world. Maybe youâll drop it in water, or your dog will make a chew toy of it, or itâll reach obsolescence. If you canât repair it and have to discard it, the device will become e-waste, joining an alarmingly large mountain of defunct TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, cameras, routers, electric toothbrushes, headphones. This is âelectrical and electronic equipment,â aka EEEâanything with a plug or battery. Itâs increasingly out of control.
As economies develop and the consumerist lifestyle spreads around the world, e-waste has turned into a full-blown environmental crisis. People living in high-income countries own, on average, 109 EEE devices per capita, while those in low-income nations have just four. A new UN report finds that in 2022, humanity churned out 137 billion pounds of e-wasteâmore than 17 pounds for every person on Earthâand recycled less than a quarter of it.
That also represents about $62 billion worth of recoverable materials, like iron, copper, and gold, hitting e-waste landfills each year. At this pace, e-waste will grow by 33 percent by 2030, while the recycling rate could decline to 20 percent. (You can see this growth in the graph below: purple is EEE on the market, black is e-waste, and green is what gets recycled.)
âWhat was really alarming to me is that the speed at which this is growing is much quicker than the speed that e-waste is properly collected and recycled,â says Kees BaldĂ©, a senior scientific specialist at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research and lead author of the report. âWe just consume way too much, and we dispose of things way too quickly. We buy things we may not even need, because it's just very cheap. And also these products are not designed to be repaired.â
Humanity has to quickly bump up those recycling rates, the report stresses. In the first pie chart below, you can see the significant amount of metals we could be saving, mostly iron (chemical symbol Fe, in light gray), along with aluminum (Al, in dark gray), copper (Cu), and nickel (Ni). Other EEE metals include zinc, tin, and antimony. Overall, the report found that in 2022, generated e-waste contained 68 billion pounds of metal.
E-waste is a complex thing to break down: A washing machine is made of totally different components than a TV. And even for product categories, not only do different brands use different manufacturing processes, but even different models within those brands vary significantly. A new washing machine has way more sensors and other electronics than one built 30 years ago.
Complicating matters even further, e-waste can contain hazardous materials, like cobalt, flame retardants, and lead. The report found that each year, improperly processed e-waste releases more than 125,000 pounds of mercury alone, imperiling the health of humans and other animals. âElectronic waste is an extremely complex waste stream,â says Vanessa Gray, head of the Environment and Emergency Telecommunications Division at the UNâs International Telecommunication Union and an author of the report. âYou have a lot of value in electronic waste, but you also have a lot of toxic materials that are dangerous to the environment.â
That makes recycling e-waste a dangerous occupation. In low- and middle-income countries, informal e-waste recyclers might go door-to-door collecting the stuff. To extract valuable metals, they melt down components without proper safety equipment, poisoning themselves and the environment. The new report notes that in total, 7.3 billion pounds of e-waste is shipped uncontrolled globally, meaning its ultimate management is unknown and likely not done in an environmentally friendly way. Of that, high-income countries shipped 1.8 billion pounds to low- and middle-income countries in 2022, swamping them with dangerous materials.
High-income countries have some of this informal recycling, but they also have formal facilities where e-waste is sorted and safely broken down. Europe, for example, has fairly high formal e-waste recycling rates, at about 43 percent. But globally, recycling is happening nowhere near enough to keep up with the year-over-year growth of the waste. Instead of properly mining EEE for metals, humanity keeps mining more ore out of the ground.
Still, the report found that even the small amount of e-waste that currently gets recycled avoided the mining of 2 trillion pounds of ore for virgin metal in 2022. (It takes a lot of ore to produce a little bit of metal.) The more metals we can recycle from e-waste, the less mining weâll need to support the proliferation of gadgets. That would in turn avoid the greenhouse gases from such mining operations, plus losses of biodiversity.
The complexity of e-waste, though, makes it expensive to process. As the chart above shows, even an ambitious scenario of a formal e-waste collection rate in 2030 is 44 percent. âThere is no business case for companies to just collect e-waste and to make a profit out of this in a sustainable manner,â says BaldĂ©. âThey can only survive if there is legislation in place which is also compensating them.â
The report notes that 81 countries have e-waste policies on the books, and of those, 67 have provisions regarding extended producer responsibility, or EPR. This involves fees paid by manufacturers of EEE that would go toward e-waste management.
Of course, people could also stop throwing so many devices away in the first place, something right-to-repair advocates have spent years fighting for. Batteries, for instance, lose capacity after a certain number of charge cycles. If a phone canât hold a charge all day anymore, customers should be able to swap in a new battery. âManufacturers shouldn't be able to put artificial limitations on that ability,â says Elizabeth Chamberlain, director of sustainability at iFixit, which provides repair guides and tools. That includes limiting access to parts and documentation. âRepair is a harm-reduction strategy. It's not the be-all-end-all solution, but it's one of many things we need to do as a global society to slow down the rate at which we're demanding things of the planet.â
At the core of the e-waste crisis is the demand: A growing human population needs phones to communicate and fridges to keep food safe and heat pumps to stay comfortable indoors. So first and foremost we need high-quality products that donât immediately break down, but also the right to repair when they do. And what absolutely canât be fixed needs to move through a safe, robust e-waste recycling system. âWe are consuming so much,â says BaldĂ©, âwe cannot really recycle our way out of the problem.â
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Brazil's digital competitiveness remains near bottom globally
Brazil ranks 57th out of 67 countries, hampered by financing and infrastructure gaps
Brazil remains stagnant in the World Digital Competitiveness ranking, holding 57th place out of 67 countries for the second consecutive year. The ranking compiled by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in collaboration with the Dom Cabral Foundationâs Innovation and Digital Technologies Center evaluates nationsâ capacity to adopt and leverage digital technologies that transform government practices, business models, and society.
According to Hugo Tadeu, director of the Dom Cabral Foundation Center, despite progress in education, scientific research, and artificial intelligence policies, key challenges persist.
âAttracting and retaining talent, facilitating knowledge transfer, financing technological development, and creating a more dynamic regulatory environment are critical areas that demand further attention,â he notes.
Strategic investment in technological infrastructure, especially in cybersecurity, connectivity, and digital skills, is also needed to bolster Brazilâs global competitiveness, Mr. Tadeu adds.
Continue reading.
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Tan Ming Li is a certified death doula. Just as there are those who facilitate bringing new life into the world, there should be people facilitating more and better ways to talk about death and dying, she reasons.
In 2023, she started The Life Review, a social venture with the mission to normalise conversations about death, dying and bereavement. Events open to the public include Life Stories, a series of chat sessions with topics such as âMotherless daughtersâ, âReal men donât cryâ and âPet loss and our enduring bondsâ; as well as Death Over Dinner, in which people come together to have conversations guided by Tan about their personal experiences with loss while sharing a meal.
The last Death Over Dinner took place at South Indian restaurant Podi & Poriyal, where participants were served dishes containing ingredients with special life and death significance in South Indian culture such as black sesame seeds, which signify purification; and jackfruit, the wood of which is often used as funeral pyre logs during cremation.
âWhat better way for Asians to connect than through food?â said Tan, explaining that Death Over Dinner is actually a global movement that originated in the US, âbut we tweaked it so that food was a much bigger component, building the conversations around the ingredients and dishes. In other countries, the concept is just for people to talk about death over the dinner table.â
Tan, who is in her 40s, believes that getting comfortable with talking openly and honestly about such topics is vitally important.
âA nationwide survey conducted last year (by the Singapore Management University) revealed that âonly 53 per cent of Singaporeans are comfortable discussing their own death while barely a third (33.4 per cent) would do so with someone who is dyingâ,â she shared.
She feels there is also a tendency to over-medicalise conversations about death, focusing on treatments and doctors.
âAs a society, death is not something that is commonly discussed and we tend to be âdeath-denyingâ. Healthcare and wellness are all about âpreventingâ death. In fighting against death, we are unaccepting of this natural part of life. This makes it hard to be vulnerable about our emotions around it,â she said.
Even if you havenât lost a loved one yourself, âWhen someone else experiences a loss, many of us donât know how to address the topic and end up using platitudes like âIâm sorry for your lossâ or worse, âEverything happens for a reasonâ,â she pointed out.
Ironically, avoiding the subject of death inadvertently gives it more power. âThis power can then suppress our thoughts, beliefs and behaviour,â she opined.
NO STRANGER TO DEATH AND DENIAL
Tan speaks from personal experience. When she was 17, her mum died of cancer. âDad said, âDonât worry, she will recover.â Her sudden passing left us in shock. I remember my dad brought me to the hospital canteen, broke the news to me and simply said, âWe just have to accept it and move onâ. I donât think he ever recovered. As far as I recall, there were no conversations about it within the family.
âIn the years that followed, I lost my dad, grandma, uncles and aunts⊠I was frozen in my grief response and it took a mental health crisis for me to start addressing these issues.â
Concurrently, Tan had always been interested in social work, from her university years when she volunteered to support children with special needs, to volunteering to teach yoga and breathing at various institutions including the Society for the Physically Disabled (SPD) and the Institute of Mental Health (IMH). She also lived in Thailand for several years, where she gave her time to a social enterprise helping indigenous craftsmen sell their goods.
Her career was in Advertising Research until she took a sabbatical and travelled to India in 2013. Following that period of time in which to think and reflect, she embarked on a new path, offering services such as mindfulness and movement.
âIn the course of my work, I encountered clients who are terminally ill or grieving the loss of a loved one. Curious about how to better support them, I started researching the topic,â she recalled. âOne day, I received an email from students working on a grief literacy event, inviting me to facilitate a somatic movement session for parents who had lost their child. Somatic movement involves exploring the body's sensations and movements to promote healing. During this session, many participants were able to release long held emotions within their bodies, even years after their loved one had passed.â
Motivated by the experience, she enrolled in the death doula course offered by the International End of Life Doula Association, an organisation in the US. Participants acquire skills revolving around how to support and comfort the dying and their loved ones.
âAs I delved deeper into the subject, I realised that this was something that needed to go beyond supporting my clients one-to-one. The societal reluctance to discuss death openly leads to a lot of discomfort and unresolved emotions surrounding the topic, and I realised the need to scale and bring this out to the public,â she said.
So, âI decided to pursue a Masters of Science degree in Thanotology â even doctors go, âWhatâs that?â â and start The Life Review as a platform for people to get comfortable discussing end-of-life matters through education and engagement.â
As far as she knows, sheâs the only one in Singapore taking a Masters in Thanatology (âWhen the course started, the Programme Director said, âNow we are an international programme, thanks to Ming Li!ââ) and one of just four people in Singapore who have completed death doula training.
âWhile trying to help people going through bereavement and grief, it struck me that I also had to look at my own experiences and work through all the emotions and experiences that I hadnât known how to deal with â or even realised was necessary to,â she divulged.
âThe way society operates, if we experience a loss, we are given three days of compassionate leave â and only for immediate family â and then we are expected to get back to ânormalâ as productive members of society. But what about losing a friend? A partner? A pet? Do you get over it in three days? Since the norm was to get on with life, thatâs what I did. It was only later in life that I realised that it was affecting me in ways that I did not immediately connect back to my earlier experiences, such as in the way I interacted with people in relationships and friendships. I would not get too close in case they would disappear,â she shared.
And so, âThe main reason Iâm doing this now is because of what I have gone through in my own life. The programmes Iâm planning are skewed towards caregivers for now, as I donât want anyone to be in a situation that I was in.â She added, âIt was a turning point for me to adopt cats, knowing that they will die before me, yet to accept this and love them.â
Her work has also turned into âmy legacy project for my parentsâ.
âI have a purpose to fulfil now, to bring The Life Review into fruition, in the remaining years left of my life. And in a way, Iâm already planning for my end, making sure that I donât regret things that I could or should have done,â she said.
DINNER WITH A PURPOSE
At Death Over Dinner events, âThe framing of conversations is intentionally designed to be inclusive and non-confrontational. Participants are encouraged to share their thoughts and experiences without feeling pressured to delve into deeply personal reflections or imagine their own funerals,â Tan said.
The dinner serves as a casual starting point for discussions about a normally taboo topic to unfold naturally, fostering a sense of comfort and familiarity around the topic of death, she continued. âThe intention is not to impose rigid guidelines or restrictions but rather to offer gentle guidance and prompts to steer the dialogue in a constructive directionâ while embracing cultural elements within our specific society.
It is also about equipping people with the knowhow and language to either walk alongside a person who is dying, or to support a caregiver.
There are sessions taking place every quarter, which are open for individual sign-ups. The next Death Over Dinner event is planned for Apr 25 at Podi & Poriyal, with a group size of 12 to 16 people. Tan is also open to private group bookings, and hopes to possibly work with other restaurants as well.
The topic of death is rarely broached when everyone is healthy, she mused. But, in the face of loss, which comes sooner or later to all of us, âPeople may struggle to find the right words to express their feelings or fears, fearing that broaching the topic could cause further distress or discomfort to the person who is ill. As a result, conversations about end-of-life wishes, funeral arrangements, or even acknowledging the possibility of death may be avoided altogether, creating a palpable tension and unease.
"Dealing with it openly and saying what needs to be said can help the ones left behind adjust to the loss after the person passes away.â
And, âIn the case of someone who knows they are dying, people around them not wanting to talk about it can leave them feeling unheard. They may not be able to express their desires; there may be things left unsaid; there may be people tiptoeing around them and telling them, âYouâre going to be fineâ when they know full well they wonât be.â
The question of how we can begin to approach the topic of death in a meaningful way begs another: How talking about death openly and frankly can help us to live our lives more fully and intentionally.
âAccepting the finite nature of life and finding peace with it can change our outlook on life. When we acknowledge that life inevitably starts and ends, we are able to define what happens in between that holds significance,â Tan said.
âHow do we make what happens in the middle matter? How do we leave a legacy for ourselves and future generations? Do we want to spend our time sweating the small stuff and harbouring grudges, or instead, use it to create memories and foster deep relationships? Living intentionally prompts us to confront these questions and align our actions with our values.
âUltimately, embracing the impermanence of life compels us to live authentically, love fiercely and leave a legacy of compassion and connection.â
To sign up for Death Over Dinner, visit https://thelifereview.org/death-over-dinner.
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