Sobering summary of our current state from The Atlantic’s George Packer: When the virus came here, it found a country with serious underlying conditions, and it exploited them ruthlessly. Chronic ills—a corrupt political class, a sclerotic bureaucracy, a heartless economy, a divided and distracted public—had gone untreated for years. We had learned to live, uncomfortably, … [Read more…]
In the Guardian, an essay on the performance artists Abramovi? and Ulay, and their attempt to walk the Sleeping Dragon, the Great Wall of China. The bittersweet story of Marina Abramovi?’s epic walk on the Great Wall of China – In 1988 Abramovi? and Ulay trekked from opposite ends of the wall to meet in … [Read more…]
From the Guardian, April 18, 2020 Chris Patten, the last governor of Hong Kong, said while the world’s attention is focused on the covid-19 epidemic, Beijing has taken “yet another step towards burying one-country, two-system” and the arrests show that “Beijing is determined to throttle Hong Kong”. He said the liaison office’s claim that it … [Read more…]
At about 04:30 AM this morning, I woke while dreaming that I was watching Joe Biden’s inauguration speech on TV. Biden was speaking of the need for a green new-deal and infrastructure initiative to put America back to where it should be and increase employment. It was the most pleasant dream I’ve had in many … [Read more…]
Last time I shaved off my beard was in 2009, just after I was fired during the recession. Then I did it just to see what was under the facial hair, as part of the ritual of self-examination during a fit of depression. This time I cut it off slowly to make sure my face … [Read more…]
NYT Magazine – Jessica Lustig – March 24, 2020 What I Learned When My Husband Got Sick With Coronavirus Well written essay with no hype …
Jeremy Marre, Documentarian of World Music, Is Dead at 76 New York Times By Jon Pareles March 23, 2020 Jeremy Marre, an English filmmaker who documented music from across the world with hardheaded clarity, died on March 15 at a hospital in London, where he had lived. He was 76.
by Chris McGreal, Thu 19 Mar 2020 A system based on corporate pursuit of profit sets the US apart from other countries, fleecing the poor to give to the rich. The couple concluded that the medical industry is at the heart of two key drivers in making those deaths an American phenomenon. “One fact is … [Read more…]
Analysis of 35 leading investment banks shows financing of more than $2.66tn for fossil fuel industries since the Paris agreement Kirsch said: “This makes it crystal clear that banks are failing miserably when it comes to responding to the urgency of the climate crisis. As the toll of death and destruction from unprecedented floods, droughts, … [Read more…]
From the Columbia Journalism Review, Preserving a ‘national memory’ of an outbreak by Betsy Joles, 03/03/2020. “We actually have really good journalism in China,” Shen says. “It’s just those who are working very hard to get the stories out, they’re usually not recognized.”