ruff linkage, , , ,

ruff linkage 20184913 min read

Posted: 8.12.2018

[weekly linkdump, somewhat edited from my diigo]

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#ifyouonlyreadone okay three and watch one more

Contrapoints – The Apocalypse

How US billionaires are fuelling the hard-right cause in Britain | George Monbiot (the guardian) – “That Spiked magazine’s US funding arm received $300,000 from the Charles Koch Foundation suggests a hidden agenda” So as it turns out, the people who run the Battle of Ideas are funded by rightwing oligarch money.

Revealed: US Oil Billionaire Charles Koch Funds UK Anti-Environment Spiked Network – “A shadowy group based around Spiked emerged from a libel trial and bankruptcy of the ‘Living Marxism’ magazine in 2000, has roots in the Trotskyist left, and is now the factory behind a production line of far-right polemic that has infiltrated mainstream media and politics.” More in depth on this research by Monbiot/Desmog.

Four Days Trapped at Sea With Crypto’s Nouveau Riche (breaker) – “In 10 years of political reporting I’ve met a lot of intense, oddly dressed people with very specific ideas about what the perfect world would look like, some of them in elected office—but none quite so strange as the ideological soup of starry-eyed techno-utopians and sketchy-ass crypto-grifters on the 2018 CoinsBank Blockchain Cruise.” Fantastic. Oh wow. Whenever I read Laurie Penny I turn into an awestruck fanboy.

#watch,

Mushroom Bloom Timelapse Set to Trippy Music – Watching shrooms grow is the new kitten.

R.I.P. Pete Shelley.

Trouble 17: Mad Worlds – “Mental Health in all its complexities is a topic that impacts just about everyone… and yet is rarely talked about. Ableism, rooted in an assumed mental wellness, is prevalent even among communities that fight against other oppressive social norms such as hetero-patriarchy and institutionalized racism. For those of us experiencing depression, psychosis or any other form of madness, our struggles usually remain invisible and unacknowledged until they boil over into full blown crisis. When this happens the massive coercive potential of the state is used to force us back into line. If we are lucky enough to escape the prisons and psych wards that form the double-edged sword of carceral psychology, we are often left traumatized, heavily medicated and likely to face further institutionalization down the road.”

listen and


30 years of Solid Steel | DJ Food – “Each mix should have at least two or three points that would make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up or blend the sound to such a point that you got a rush. It’s not enough to just blend two ends of a track together, we’re sculpting here, making connections that wouldn’t normally sit together and, in the best instances, mean that you can never hear one of those tracks on it’s own again without hearing the other playing in your head.” Oh, he sure knows how to make a mixtape.

gilets jaunes

DANS LA GUERRE DES GILETS AUX CHAMPS ÉLYSÉES – “Immersion dans la manifestation du 01/12/18 des gilets jaunes sur les avenues des Champs-Élysées.” The way this video is cut, it makes it look like a war, which in a sense it is.

The “Yellow Vests” Show How Much the Ground Moves Under Our Feet – “These new movements do not need an intellectual vanguard to provide them with an ideology because they already have one: the rejection of intellectual vanguards and embrace of multiplicity and horizontal democracy itself.” The David Graeber article in its extended, English form.

«Les “gilets jaunes” montrent combien le sol bouge sous nos pieds » par David Graeber (anthropologue) – “Le mouvement s’inscrit dans un grand renouvellement des pratiques contestataires, analyse l’anthropologue et penseur du capitalisme dans une tribune au « Monde ».””

The Movement as Battleground : Fighting for the Soul of the Yellow Vest Movement (crimethinc) – “This grassroots uprising illustrates how the contradictions of modern centrism—such as the false dichotomy between addressing climate change and considering the needs of the poor—can create social movements that offer fertile ground for populists and nationalists. At the same time, the increasing involvement of anarchists and other autonomous rebels in the unrest raises important questions. If far-right groups can hijack movements, as they did in Ukraine and Brazil, can anti-capitalists and anti-authoritarians reorient them towards more systemic solutions?”

Daniel Cohn-Bendit über Gelbwesten: „Lasse mich nicht ins Trikot zwingen“ – “Politisch ist das das Gebot der Stunde – ökologisch eine Katastrophe. Es geht nicht anders. Im kommenden Jahr müssen die Ökobewegung und der Umweltminister dafür sorgen, dass ein sozialer Ausgleich geschaffen wird, damit die Ökosteuer wieder eingeführt werden kann.” Bit of a contrast to the Lagasnerie Interview bellow.

On a Ridgeline: Notes on the “Yellow Vests” Movement (viewpoint magazine) – “Below you will find the English translation of the analysis by the Parisian collective Plateforme d’Enquêtes Militantes, published Friday, November 30th, on the eve of Act III of the yellow vests movement [gilets jaunes]. As is known, this third act that took place in Paris and in many other cities in the Hexagon on Saturday, December 1st, assumed, with every passing hour, some truly insurrectionary features.”

«Wir sollten die Gilets jaunes umarmen» (woz) – “Politik besteht darin, die Bewegung umzuwandeln, ihr eine andere Bedeutung zu geben. Die Rolle der Linken ist es, die Bewegung zu umarmen, eine Verbindung zu ihr herzustellen und sie ins progressive Lager zu holen.” This to me is a one-dimensional take, placing class above all, and almost ignoring the ecological aspect.

Les gilets jaunes du point de vue révolutionnaire – “Difficile de le dire autrement : on a envie de la révolte, maison n’a pas envie que ça parte de là.Depuis toujours, pour ainsi dire, on attend que les quartiers populaires se rebellent. Ne serait-ce que de manière minimale, on a cru à la révolte contre la loi travail, on a cru aux cheminots. Mais là,on ne peut pas y croire.” But then, insurrectionists that they are, they go on to argue why they support the movement. I am lost.

L’insurrection qui tient, chanson | laviemanifeste – “J’ai tout renversé les poubelles, j’ai allumé des incendies j’ai fait gazer tout le 8e qui s’en souviendra pour la vie”

#learn

Revealed: the hidden global network behind Tommy Robinson (the guardian) – “Guardian investigation shows how cash, legal support and millions of tweets underpin anti-Islam activist – but Facebook removes his ‘donate’ button”

Lessons From Chomsky (current affairs) – “Some things I’ve learned from his writings…” As Noam Chomsky turned 90, his message is more relevant than ever. A hero, who makes sure he is not adulated as one.

The Nihilism of Moderation (jacobin) – “When the survival of the planet is at stake, calls for moderation and compromise aren’t a mark of adult politics — they’re a threat to civilization.” The article offers nothing new, saved here for the title and lead, who actually say it all.

Banksy – Choose Love – Help Refugees – “This coin operated sculpture was created by the graffiti artist Banksy as part of his acclaimed theme park Dismaland. Is it a darkly satirical work of art or a remote control toy in very bad taste? It might be both. It certainly is unique and it could be yours in time for Christmas… Make a minimum donation of £2 and guess the weight.” At least 15 kilos. 😉

These ants decorate their homes with the heads of their enemies (national geographic) – “We’re beginning to understand how and why one species goes after larger foes—and it may have something to do with evading kidnapper ants.” Yes, clickbait title, apparently this has been known for 60 years. But wow. There are kidnapper and headhunter ants.

‘Their ideas had no place here’: how Crete kicked out Golden Dawn (the guardian) – “Teachers and activists in Heraklion explain how they drove the ultra-nationalist, far-right Greek party from the island” This is how it’s done.

We Talked to the Heckler Who Told Louis C.K. to Take His Dick Out at the Comedy Cellar (vice) – “”I am four feet away from him, and I yell: ‘Get your dick out!’ He looks at me and makes direct eye contact and says, ‘What?’ And I say: ‘Get your fucking dick out.’”” Every “spontaneous” gig of CK needs to be heckled.

Announcing Better Worlds: a science fiction project about hope (the verge) – “That’s why, starting on January 14th, we’ll be publishing Better Worlds: 10 original fiction stories, five animated adaptations, and five audio adaptations by a diverse roster of science fiction authors who take a more optimistic view of what lies ahead in ways both large and small, fantastical and everyday.” This looks promising.

Prisoners of memes, social media victims – “India is increasingly jailing its young for online posts that ‘offend’ politicians. The impact on their lives and families is devastating” Another sad story of the real life implications of nationalist populism.

Why You Should Never, Ever Use Quora (waxy.org) – “Security breaches like these are a strong argument for using a password manager, but not a compelling reason to avoid a service you love, unless you plan to quit the internet entirely. But this does seem like a good time to remind you of all the other reasons why you should never, ever use Quora.” After some breaches it can be said, this service should never have been used to begin with.

Pro Office Calculator – “A completely normal office calculator.” No it’s not, it’s a puzzle game, and yes I am stuck on level two… Argh.

Rudy Giuliani doesn’t understand the internet (boing boing) – “Trump hires all the best people. He really does. Let’s hope these text invaders are brought to justice.” The best people…

Climate Change First Became News 30 Years Ago. Why Haven’t We Fixed It? (national geographic) – “In the time it took to build the case that climate change is a pollution problem, it’s become unnervingly more than that.” I remember, when in 1988 the article by Hansen came out, when climate change was called the greenhouse effect.

The Digital Maginot Line – “If the warm war is allowed to continue as it has, there is a very real threat of descent into illegitimate leadership and fractured, paralyzed societies. If algorithmic amplification continues to privilege the propagandists most effective at gaming the system, if combatant persona accounts continue to harass civilian voices off of platforms, and if hostile state intelligence services remain able to recruit millions of Americans into fake “communities”, the norms that have traditionally protected democratic societies will fail.” Defending in all the wrong places.

10×18 – “Follow along as thirty-three artists visually interpret and countdown their favorite albums of 2018.” Nice illustration project.

The Death of Tumblr (boing boing) – “This has been a disaster for Tumblr and instead of fixing their platform, it’s just putting the final nail in their coffin. I have been wrong about a lot of things in my life, but I would be very surprised if Tumblr is as relevant as MySpace a year from now.” It fucking sucks.

Germany: Billionaire Backing May Have Helped Launch AfD (der spiegel) – “All eyes are on the AfD’s finances following reports of large donations from Switzerland and Holland. Now, reporting has revealed that the right-wing party has enjoyed big-money support from the very beginning.”

We ban cannabis but let people eat as much meat as they want. That makes no sense | Sonia Sodha (the guardian) – “Which brings me to the vegan burger. Take a step back and it seems bonkers that our political leaders hold firm on outlawing weed but seem loth to invoke the nanny state where it’s most needed: in avoiding catastrophic climate change. We won’t succeed in this unless we persuade people to fly less and eat less meat and dairy.” Legalise it.

#oldiebutgoodie

Jenny Turner · Who Are They?: The Institute of Ideas – “The Battle of Ideas has been held annually since 2005 by the Institute of Ideas, an organisation that from the outside looks pretty much like a standard right-wing public policy think tank – much talk about ‘free speech, not me speech’ and ‘the crisis in authority’, much condemnation of ‘greenthink’ and ‘meddling policymakers’ – but which also functions as some sort of platform and refuge for people who used to be in the Revolutionary Communist Party, a British Trotskyist sect that had its heyday in the 1980s and early 1990s.” Older longread with more background on the Institure of Ideas, Spiked and the Battle of Ideas.

Why we stopped trusting elites (the guardian) – “What nobody foresaw was that, when trust sinks beneath a certain point, many people may come to view the entire spectacle of politics and public life as a sham. This happens not because trust in general declines, but because key public figures – notably politicians and journalists – are perceived as untrustworthy.” The marketplace of opinions.

#francais_deutsch_other

Die unheilige Allianz (taz) – “Wie sich christliche FundamentalistInnen, radikale AbtreibungsgegnerInnen und rechte Parteien verbünden, um an die Macht in Europa zu gelangen” Explains why we have seen former atheists on the right wing turn christian fundamentalist (Köppel).

[diigo.com/user/pieceoplastic or subscribe to this RSS feed – with all the typos]

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One Reply to “ruff linkage 20184913 min read”

  1. Pingback: Recommended Readings vom Dezember 2018 – habi.gna.ch

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