for - Title: Losing the Plot: The "Leftists" Who Turn Right - Subtitle: What do we make of former friends who fell down the rabbit hole of the Right? - Author: Kathryn Joyce, Jeff Sharlet - Source: In These Times - Date: Dec 12,2023

Summary - Once leftist thought leaders - like reporter Matt Taibbi - are appearing to shift right - Once writing about Occupy Wall Street for the Rolling Stones and now - appearing in the right-wing Epoch Times. - Other examples are: - David Horowitz - Once a sponsor of In These Times magazine now author of the book: - Blitz: Trup Will Smash the Left and Win - Christopher Hitchens - Joined the religious nationalists he long derided - Comedians - Dave Chappelle - Roseanne - Russell Brand - who make fun of, traffic in and deride - Trans people, - pandemic <br /> - pedophille conspiracy theories - Robert Kennedy Junior

• Naomi Klein, in her latest book Doppleganger,
• chronicles the same subject.

Zusammenfassender Artikel über Studien zu Klimafolgen in der Antarktis und zu dafür relevanten Ereignissen. 2023 sind Entwicklungen sichtbar geworden, die erst für wesentlich später in diesem Jahrhundert erwartet worden waren. Der enorme und möglicherweise dauerhafte Verlust an Merreis ist dafür genauso relevant wie die zunehmende Instabilität des westantarktischen und möglicherweise inzwischen auch des ostantarktischen Eisschilds. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/dec/31/red-alert-in-antarctica-the-year-rapid-dramatic-change-hit-climate-scientists-like-a-punch-in-the-guts

https://funnyhow.substack.com/p/how-chris-rock-and-jerry-seinfeld

Comedian Matt Ruby relates his personal experience watching Chris Rock workshopping his comedy writing in front of auciences at stress Factory in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Rock would show up unannounced and perform new material in front of small crowds to test it out. He'd read/perform material off of a yellow legal pad.

Peter Sims included some of it in the introduction of his book Little Bets.

This is broadly similar to my own experience seeing Rock at the Laugh Factory trying out material for the Academy Awards as well as Adam Sandler at the Improv on Melrose doing midnight sets reading straight off of a notebook.

https://www.tumblr.com/photomatt/733546273183006720/youve-mentioned-in-the-past-that-adding-some

Seit dem Beginn von Satelliten-Beobachtungen vor vier Jahrzehnten ist das antarktische Meereis noch nie so geschrumpft wie im Februar 2023.

https://ditchthattextbook.com/

https://wordpress.org/news/2022/11/state-of-the-word-2022/

ReconfigBehSci. (2020, November 24). RT @STWorg: .@Scibeh This is pretty interesting because it does seem to involve some rewriting of history. Https://t.co/O0yJ8dVZhy [Tweet]. @SciBeh. https://twitter.com/SciBeh/status/1331216108758642690

Matt Ridley cites a lot of statistics in The Rational Optimist to indicate that inequality has been declining worldwide, though he doesn't do it as convincingly or as well cited as Thomas Piketty does in A Brief History of Equality.

Humanity is a zettelkasten in biological form.

Our social ties (links) putting us into proximity with other humans over time creates a new links between us and our ideas, and slowly evolves new ideas over time. Those new ideas that win this evolutionary process are called innovation.

The general statistical thermodynamics of this idea innovation process can be "heated up" by improving communication channels with those far away from us (think letters, telegraph, radio, television, internet, social media).

This reaction can be further accelerated by actively permuting the ideas with respect to each other as suggested by Raymond Llull's combinatorial arts.

motivating reference: Matt Ridley in The Rational Optimist

link to: - Mark Granovetter and weak ties - life of x

https://wptavern.com/matt-mullenweg-identifies-godaddy-as-a-parasitic-company-and-an-existential-threat-to-wordpress-future

WordPress open source or WordPress.com? Recall that Automattic is a VC backed company now and Matt has a big dog in the hunt.

https://scottaaronson.blog/?p=6183

https://winnielim.org/notes/some-thoughts-snippets-from-matt-mullenweg-on-wordpress-and-tumblr/

https://www.protocol.com/matt-mullenweg

Matt Mullenweg’s criticism of Jamstack.

Anthony Costello on Twitter. (n.d.). Twitter. Retrieved September 9, 2020, from https://twitter.com/globalhlthtwit/status/1303597547546652672

Devi Sridhar on Twitter: “Early serology results based on antibody testing: 5% for UK, 17% for London. From Matt Hancock, Health Secretary in today’s briefing. In line with what other countries have reported on their seroprevalence.” / Twitter. (n.d.). Twitter. Retrieved May 31, 2020, from https://twitter.com/devisridhar/status/1263507332224475136

In this part of the Rockfish Gap Report, the writer is showing that the individual and the school are separate. This reminds me of how the University will say that certain clubs or groups are not affiliated with the University and do not reflect the institution's views. It's interesting that the basis for this was rooted so long ago.

In this piece of the document, Jefferson highlights what he values in education. He lists subjects and shows that Jefferson wants to produce very well rounded students and that these students should have knowledge from a wide range of subjects and disciplines. Today, we uphold Jefferson's view of diverse knowledge by taking a variety of subjects.

I like that he referred to the students as citizens. This shows how Thomas Jefferson truly thought he was creating a community rather than a school. Also, these students had rights and interests that the University should uphold and these are constantly being tested today. As students, we should question if the University is giving is the rights we all deserve. Also important to note that he said men as women were not yet part of the school. I wonder if UVa had trouble outlining women's rights here as men's rights were established first. -Ella S. (es4vr)

The fact that Ethics was one of the main areas of study that Thomas Jefferson thought of shows how much he valued a liberal arts education. Also shown throughout the document, he really wanted the University to be a community. I wonder if he thought there was a direct relationship between creating a community and ethics. In my Engaged Citizenship class we discussed how now we believe that ethics and citizenship (or being part of community) go hand in hand and we do see that aspect a lot at UVa. TJ may have thought about this first simply with creating a community who should value studying ethics. -Ella S. (es4vr)

I found this statement interesting because it demonstrates the never-ending trend of society continuously advancing and moving forward. It is almost comical to think back how in 1818, when the document was written, the writers believed that their society and educational systems were so advanced. Looking back, this was obviously not the case; however, it is true that they had made many advances from previous centuries. Furthermore, today’s society has surpassed the first generations of UVA by a remarkable amount, not only in the technological and educational regard, but also in the moral regard, considering the original UVA was a school for solely white men of high status. The “indigenous” neighbors the document goes on to mention who the writers perceive to be less advanced than themselves are described as “barbaric and wretched.” This description is ironic considering the low moral standard of these founders who are almost barbaric and wretched themselves. Finally, it is again ironic that the writers are calling themselves “advanced” when they still have ignorant and amateur views about themselves and others.

In comparison to the list of courses offered by the University today, the core component of a religious department is missing. The reason for this is explained in the document, but it is still interesting that Jefferson did not think it wise to offer an opportunity to study all religions. Religious equality and freedom is about offering insight and opportunity in all sects of all religious backgrounds, rather than exempting religious opportunities from education altogether. Because the population at the time was, however, primarily Christian, it is understandable why Jefferson exempted its teachings from the University for the sake of a separation between church and state.

This is an interesting way to describe education. It suggests that Thomas Jefferson was surely knowledgeable in philosophy, as he takes on a very philosophical approach to education and its value. This statement carries with it hints of Plato's Allegory of the Cave and the concept that virtue and rebirth as a philosopher king arises when one educates himself. -Avery Finkelson

I like this quote because this is an example of how we can use our positive fundamental historical beliefs to fight against our negative history. Education is extremely value and UVa is constantly trying to expand knowledge, especially shown through this New Curriculum. Through expanding knowledge and education to help form our morals, we can learn to balance our controversial history with recent events and fight to be a culturally aware and genuinely progressive University. If students are aware and knowledgable, there's so much a student body can do to progress out society. -Ella S.

Even in our formation of the University, we believed higher education meant supremacy. When UVa didn't allow black people into the school, we believed we were superior and they weren't allowed to have the higher education we have. Even now when we look at demographics, the minority percentage is so low, it seems as if we still follow this superiority complex of education for white people. -Ella S.

The way language was used back then gives a good index of what cultural views were back 200 years ago - especially on the subject of gender. It would be difficult to say whether or not the founders of the University were explicitly sexist based on the language used in the Rockfish Gap Report, but it we can conclude with a fair amount of certainty that men were typically seen as those who held positions of power.

Jedidiah Park

Although it may seem strikingly odd that a subject called "military architecture" would be put in a list with many other subjects we are used to seeing taught in a university, it actually is very fitting given the time period. America was a new country and a strong military was something seen as necessary to protect sovereignty. To this day, America puts a lot of emphasis on military strength and many branches of engineering put a focus on defense and military. So in a sense, military architecture is probably still taught, just under a different name and different conventions today.

Jedidiah Park

The focus on healthiness and fertility reminds me sickeningly of the treatment of slaves and of women throughout history, as land, a place for a school to be built, was regarded in the same way that human beings were -- property; only worthy of life if they met specific criteria. A slave was only useful if it was healthy enough to perform the work necessary of its existence (as the slave owners thought). If a slave could not work in a field or in the home, they were a useless slave and often times killed for their inability to perform. The fertility of a slave and it's ability to reproduce was profitable as slave owners were able to buy a slave (if they raped their females) or two (male and female), and have their slave continue to produce more slaves and therefore more bodies able to do the slaveowner's biding. Such is similar to the view of women, as health and fertility were the most important aspects of a woman to society, besides obedience. Women's fertility could be manipulated and used for gain of both men and society. In some instances, women were only considered worthy of life if they produced male offspring. Such is seen in royalty, as King Henry vehemently believed that Catherine "was condemned by God not to have a boy and that Anne would provide him with one". This belief that the only worth of a woman is their ability to produce male heirs was carried into society for a long time after the Tudor times. And although the thoughts towards women are not as strict in modern society, the stigma towards women unable to have children or who do not want children has continued into modern society.

source link : http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/tudor-england/henry-and-divorce/

I find this phrase "branches of learning" interesting, as it implies that learning stems from a singular object, which in essence is a university. It is a very remarkable way to think of learning, as the university is the foundation for learning, but the different branches (topics) stem from not only what is taught officially at the university in classrooms, but also from the experiences that occur here and people that call this place home. I know that this statement did not mean what I think it means now back when it was written, but I still find it a beautiful way to talk about learning. The metaphor of a tree implies that roots in the university - the land it was built on, the people who built it, the people who used to live on this land - can affect the university and the way students learn from it and on it. Such is so applicable to today as we are attempting to embrace the rotten roots of our dear university, attempting to learn from the injustisces against humanity that occurred on and before our university.

Here, as others have mentioned, Jefferson shows his intolerance for people of other cultures and races. I assume the "indigenous neighbours" he refers to are the Native Americans that we as Americans kicked out of their land and homes. To answer his rhetorical question, obviously things other than education have advanced people beyond their condition: race, for one thing, allows white people to gain a great advantage over indigenous people, whether educated or not. In addition, there are many types of education, as can be seen earlier when Jefferson discusses the inevitability of people arguing over what types of education should be mandatory at UVA, saying they will encounter "much difference of opinion." Therefore, who is Jefferson to call them less educated just because they are educated in different ways than white people? Sometimes it is easy to be blinded from some of Jefferson's less likeable opinions, and it is important to recognize these qualities when learning about him and the University's past. Matt F. Discussion

I find this to be very ironic that a deciding factor of the university location was the area's fertility, and yet another factor is the "centrality to the white population." These two things seem to almost contradict one another when taking in the context of the time period. Fertility, to me, means how well an area can be farmed and used for planting things, etc. In that time, many slaves worked on plantations and areas that would be fertile so as to make good profit. So it seems that many areas of land that would be fertile would have a larger population of African-Americans than in non-fertile areas of Virginia. This, then, makes it seem rather ironic that they want it to be fertile AND in an area central to white people, considering anywhere that is fertile is not going to be only white. Perhaps this is a stretch, but this jumped out at me and showed the irony of wanting to be in a mainly white area, yet also wanting fertility. Matt F. Discussion

First tell us what makes it disturbing in the first place...

Algiers: The Underside Of Power [oo]

VÖ: 23.6.2017

AppleMusic / iTunes

Bogus Order: Zen Brakes Vol. 2 [oo]

VÖ: 30.6.2017

AppleMusic / iTunes

Response piece "No Surprise The Young Don't Support Lock-Out Laws" (31 Aug 2016) at Stony Roads mentions this statement.

There are some terrible personal opinions in this article that really push a tired and very under constructive rhetoric.

'Those crying the loudest to stop the lock-out laws fail to provide an adequate alternative'.

This quote alone shows a lack of research into Matt Barrie's 70 page submission, any consideration into the views of the people who went to the effort of writing 1 of the 1,856 submissions to State parliament, or simply the lack of effort to type in google, 'alternative solutions to lockout laws'.

The reference to "Matt Barrie's 70 page submission" can be supposed as that included in the article posted by Matt Barrie on LinkedIn, "The death of Sydney's nightlife and collapse of its night time economy" (03 April 2016), submission titled "A Detailed Submission to the Callinan Inquiry on Liquor Laws". That submission/article is mainly about the circumstances under which the lock-out laws were proposed and enacted, as well as the results of those laws so far (with considerable detail on political and statistical manipulations and misrepresentations), and not so much about providing alternatives, however it does suggest that the lock-out laws themselves are far from an adequate solution.

Note that Matt Barrie's submission was covered fairly well by the SMH in their own article, "Sydney lockout laws a dismal failure, Matt Barrie writes in 70-page submission" (04 April 2016). The article by Jennifer Duke this annotation is for is, by stark contrast, little more than anecdotal or purely "personal opinion".

The group named Keep Sydney Open is probably representative of "those crying the loudest", having organised public rallies attended by many thousands of people (estimates of 10,000 to 15,000). The Huffington Post interviewed spokesperson, Tyson Koh, for the article "Sydney Lockout Laws Have Had A 'Massive Effect' On Community, Jobs" (13 Feb 2016):

Koh pointed to a number of alternate strategies used in places like New York, Vancouver and Amsterdam to combat late-night violence.

Twenty four-hour public transport, more visible policing in nightlife precincts, staggered venue closing times and introducing later dining and retail hours all had merit, he said.

"There's a lot of things that are available to us that will improve safety and enable people to go out to all hours."

Pretty sentence, but I don't see her quite so cynically.