• • • an aural noise • • •
word salad: This music calls you to dance in shamanic rituals and immerse in mystical and psychedelic vibrations. Welcome to the Channeling session!
Channeling is a process of receiving information from lighter beings from higher realms. When you cannot express a message with words, here comes the music…
• • • some of the things I read in antisocial isolation • • •
London’s Retired Tube Trains Live on an Island
Vintage rail cars hide in plain sight on the Isle of Wight.
Inside the London Underground’s Class 483 carriage, introduced to the Tube in 1938. Embiggenable. Explore at home.
THOUGH IT LIES JUST A FEW MILES OFF England’s southern coast, the curious, diamond-shaped Isle of Wight seems to exist in another era entirely. Once a beloved vacation destination for Victorian visitors, the island – still reachable only by boat from the mainland—remains a British family holiday favorite that capitalizes on the kitschy seaside charm of yesteryear.
But the end of an era on the Isle of Wight is approaching. The island’s train line, whose rolling stock has consisted exclusively of former London Underground carriages from the 1930s, is undergoing its biggest transformation in a generation.
A 1939 poster promoting rail trips on the Isle of Wight. Embiggenable.
Taken out of service in London in 1988, these Tube cars were moved to the Isle of Wight’s Island Line to see out their final days, which made them Britain’s oldest passenger trains in regular operation. But after 82 years of service, the time for retirement has come. In true Isle of Wight style, the decade dial is stuck somewhere in the past. From April 2021, the Island Line’s vintage 1930s fleet will be replaced with “new” trains—former Tube carriages from the 1980s.
“The Island Line is not a museum and yet was operated by trains that are several decades older than can be found anywhere else on the network, and older even than much of the stock on many heritage railways,” says Richard Long, author of Ryde Rail: A History of Tube Trains on the Isle of Wight. …
Meet the architect who converts decommissioned electrical substations into spacious, somewhat utilitarian-looking barns.
— Fake Atlas Obscura (@notatlasobscura) February 1, 2021
RELATED: Shanghai, China: Confucian Temple of Shanghai
A prestigious learning institute of old Shanghai.
Modern Shanghai looms over the temple. Embiggenable. Explore at home.
THE CONFUCIAN TEMPLE WAS FOUNDED during the Yuan Dynasty when Shanghai transformed from a fishing village to a county seat. Today, it’s considered one of the four “Treasure Houses of Stone Carving Art” in China.
A Confucian temple was typically a combination of temple and school, this one became one of the most prestigious institutes of learning in the region soon after it was completed in 1296. The temple has been rebuilt several times over its history.
The temple is similar to the original temple of Confucius in his hometown of Qufu, complete with three courtyards. There are also gardens and a reflecting pool that provide the perfect spot to sit and contemplate. The pool is also home to many terrapins and the complex as a whole maintains a serene vibe. …
The strange story of Grobbits, the mostly unknown Midwestern cereal that cannot be distributed by more than three supermarkets at any one time.
— Fake Atlas Obscura (@notatlasobscura) February 1, 2021
Trump pollster’s campaign autopsy paints damning picture of defeat
The 27-page report pins Trump’s loss on voter perception that he was untrustworthy and disapproval of his pandemic performance.
President Donald Trump arrives on stage to speak at a campaign rally in Tulsa, Okla., on June 20, 2020.
Former President Donald Trump has blamed the election results on unfounded claims of fraud and malfeasance. But at the top levels of his campaign, a detailed autopsy report that circulated among his political aides paints a far different — and more critical — portrait of what led to his defeat.
The post-mortem, a copy of which was obtained by POLITICO, says the former president suffered from voter perception that he wasn’t honest or trustworthy and that he was crushed by disapproval of his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. And while Trump spread baseless accusations of ballot-stuffing in heavily Black cities, the report notes that he was done in by hemorrhaging support from white voters.
The 27-page report, which was written by Trump chief pollster Tony Fabrizio, shows how Trump advisers were privately reckoning with his loss even as the former president and many of his supporters engaged in a conspiracy theory-fueled effort to overturn the election. The autopsy was completed in December 2020 and distributed to Trump’s top political advisers just before President Joe Biden’s Jan. 20 inauguration.
It is unclear if Trump has seen the report. …
Ed. Is the cartoon edition out yet?
A Pennsylvania Mother’s Path To Insurrection
How claims from Rudy Giuliani and Alex Jones spurred a parent of eight to become one of the Capitol riot’s biggest mysteries and a fugitive from the F.B.I.
Videos show Rachel Powell, seen here wearing a pink hat and sunglasses, using a battering ram to smash a window and a bullhorn to issue orders at the Capitol riot. Rachel Powell: Facebook-Radicalized Domestic Terrorist.
Before the pandemic, Rachel Powell, a forty-year-old mother of eight from western Pennsylvania, sold cheese and yogurt at local farmers’ markets and used Facebook mostly to discuss yoga, organic food, and her children’s baseball games. But, last year, Powell began to post more frequently, embracing more extreme political views. Her interests grew to include conspiracy theories about covid-19 and the results of the Presidential election, filtered through such figures as Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and the Infowars founder Alex Jones. On May 3, 2020, Powell wrote on Facebook, “One good thing about this whole CV crisis is that I suddenly feel very patriotic.” Expressing outrage at the restrictions that accompanied the pandemic, she wrote, “It isn’t to late to wake up, say no, and restore freedoms.” Several days later, she posted a distraught seven-minute video, shot outside a local gym that had been closed. “Police need to see there’s people that are citizens that are not afraid of you guys showing up in your masks. We’re going to be here banded together, and we’re not afraid of you,” she said. “Maybe they should be a little bit afraid.”
On January 6th, during the storming of the United States Capitol, Powell made good on that threat. Videos show her, wearing a pink hat and sunglasses, using a battering ram to smash a window and a bullhorn to issue orders. “People should probably coördinate together if you’re going to take this building,” she called out, leaning through a shattered window and addressing a group of rioters already inside. “We got another window to break to make in-and-out easy.”
In recent weeks, as journalists and law-enforcement officials tried to identify participants in the assault, she came to be known as “Bullhorn Lady” and “Pink Hat Lady.” She appeared on an F.B.I. “Wanted” poster, was featured in cable-television news segments, and became an obsessive focus of crowdsourced investigative efforts by laypeople and experts. Forrest Rogers, a German-American business consultant who is part of a Twitter group called the Deep State Dogs, recently identified Powell and reported her name to the F.B.I. She is now being sought by law enforcement.
In her first public comments since the riot, Powell acknowledged her role in the events at the Capitol. During a two-hour telephone interview, she claimed that her conduct had been spontaneous, contrary to widespread speculation that she had acted in coördination with an organized group. “I was not part of a plot—organized, whatever,” Powell, who was speaking from an undisclosed location, told me. “I have no military background. . . . I’m a mom with eight kids. That’s it. I work. And I garden. And raise chickens. And sell cheese at a farmers’ market.” During the interview, she reviewed photographs and videos of the Bullhorn Lady, acknowledging that many of the images showed her, and offered detailed descriptions of the skirmishes they depicted. She declined to comment on some of her conduct—including smashing windows and shouting orders to fellow-rioters—that could carry criminal charges. “Listen, if somebody doesn’t help and direct people, then do more people die?” she said. “That’s all I’m going to say about that. I can’t say anymore. I need to talk to an attorney.” …
RELATED: THE WHITE RIGHT: FACEBOOK HAS BECOME THE PLATFORM OF CHOICE FOR DOMESTIC TERRORISTS
In a year of escalating political violence in the United States, Facebook has served as a key organizing tool for violent extremists.
An alleged plot to kidnap the Michigan governor, Gretchen Whitmer, was planned in part on Facebook, with one leader of the scheme broadcasting a video of his frustrations with Whitmer to a private Facebook group, and participants later sharing footage of their paramilitary exercises and bomb-making training, according to an FBI affidavit.
A related Michigan militia group facing terrorism charges also used Facebook to recruit new members, according to the Michigan state police.
Before Michigan, there was the militia group in Kenosha that used a Facebook event to encourage armed citizens to take to the streets, and the anti-government “boogaloo” cop-killer in California this May allegedly met his accomplice on Facebook. The deadly Neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, was originally organized as a Facebook event.
Facebook has defended itself as working hard to keep users safe and to adapt to emerging threats on its platform, as well as coordinating closely with law enforcement. But evidence has mounted for years that Mark Zuckerberg’s goal of using Facebook to “bring the world closer together” and to “give people the power to build community” has also built powerful tools for radicalization and coordinated violence. …
PROTIP: how do I report someone?? possible terrorist?? | Facebook…
RELATED: Capitol Rioters May Be Ready to Start Snitching on Each Other
At least three Capitol rioters have agreed to be charged by an information instead of a grand jury indictment, suggesting they plan to take plea deals.
As thousands of MAGA supporters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, some insurrectionists urged their fellow rioters to “hold the line” against law enforcement defending the beacon of democracy.
“Listen, guys, they only got so much mace. And we got all these patriots. We’re not running out. They’re going to run out,” Mathew Capsel, who was captured on video assaulting several National Guard members during the insurrection, said in a TikTok video. “Hold the line. Don’t run.”
Marine veteran Hector Vargas Santos posted a similar message on Facebook: “WE THE PEOPLE TOOK OVER THE U.S. CAPITOL. #HOLDTHELINE.”
Now, it appears several rioters are abandoning the group’s original rallying cry to never give up—potentially opting for plea agreements with prosecutors to save their own skin.
More than 150 individuals across 39 states have been federally charged for participating in the Capitol siege. While a majority of these Trump supporters only face misdemeanor charges, recent court documents suggest that some are planning to plead guilty or take plea deals in exchange for their cooperation in ongoing investigations.
According to federal court records, at least three rioters have agreed to be charged by information—a process generally used by those planning to plead guilty—instead of waiting for a grand jury indictment. Like an indictment, an information is still a charging document outlining an individual’s alleged crimes. …
RELATED: Capitol rioter seeks OK to travel to Mexico’s spring break haven
Jenny Cudd getting interviewed while leaving the federal courthouse in Midland, Texas on January 13, 2021.
A former mayoral candidate from Texas who is charged in the Capitol riot is seeking a judge’s permission to travel to a sun-soaked region of Mexico for a “bonding retreat” with employees of her flower shop.
In a court motion filed Monday, Jenny Cudd’s lawyers said she had prepaid a weekend retreat for herself and her employees in Riviera Maya, Mexico, from Feb. 18-21.
“This is a work-related bonding retreat for employees and their spouses,” the motion states.
Pre-trial services and the federal prosecutor assigned to the case deferred to the judge to decide if Cudd should be allowed to soak in the sun for a weekend while awaiting trial on two misdemeanors connected to the riot.
The Riviera Maya region is home to popular spring break destinations such as Tulum and Playa del Carmen, and many of the hotels are offering free COVID-19 testing to woo American tourists, Fox News recently reported. …
Insurrectionist Truther Doesn’t Believe He Was At Capitol https://t.co/XGhNmM3mJr pic.twitter.com/Ckq0VTWb17
— The Onion (@TheOnion) February 1, 2021
‘Stifler’s Mom’ Once Pretended To Be Her Own Twin To Date Two Men At The Same Time
On today’s episode of Jennifer Coolidge continuing to exist as a national treasure, it seems the legendary actress has absolutely zero qualms about living her best life, whether enjoying a fruitful acting career defined by starring roles in iconic 2000’s films — or pretending to be her own twin while dating two men at once on a tropical vacation. Last week, the actress better known as Stifler’s mom in American Pie appeared on Kelly Clarkson’s new daytime talk show to discuss her latest movie, Promising Young Woman. Amid discussions of the already critically-acclaimed film, Coolidge revealed she was in Hawaii working on another project, leading her to mention her various vacations and her “crazy experiences” there.
“Quite a few years back, I did come to Hawaii, and when you come and you’re on vacation alone, you can kind of create anything you want,” the Legally Blonde star told Clarkson. During her time in paradise, the actress came across two potential suitors, both of which, it seems, made her want a hot dog real bad.
“I ended up meeting these two guys that were best friends, and I liked them both, and so I told them that I had an identical twin,” Jennifer recalled. Although her ruse seemed more like the plot of a bad sitcom than a plausible measure to date two dudes at once, her plan was surprisingly effective. “I dated both guys, for two weeks,” she told a visibly-shocked singer. Disney directors, take note — if you ever want to reboot The Parent Trap, continuing the long-running tradition of one actress playing both Hallie and Annie, Jennifer Coolidge is the seasoned twin acting coach you need to take your production to the next level.
Despite the scheme’s success, Coolidge says she retired the bold bit. “I don’t know if I would have the guts to do that now, but at the time it really was sort of a great decision,” she said. “You know, when you’re younger, you just get away with anything.” …
Increasingly Bold Israel Begins Building Settlements In Downtown Albuquerque https://t.co/sesG2u8CVM pic.twitter.com/G3xYxj57ur
— The Onion (@TheOnion) February 2, 2021
RELATED: BREAKING: People Are Apparently Eating Absurd Amounts of ‘Grape-Nuts’ Cereal
Well folks, it’s official — amid the pandemic, “old fashioned” foods are the nation’s latest culinary trend, according to Forbes. While to many Americans, this blast from the snacking past has most notably manifested in the form of homemade sourdough, and canned goods, it seems some are kicking it late 1800’s style, consuming ungodly amounts of suspiciously crunchy, cardboard-tasting cereal?
Yep. Amid our almost 11 months in lockdown, it seems we’ve all somehow turned into our fiber-obsessed grandparents, consuming so many boxes of Grape-Nuts, they seemingly can’t stay stocked on the shelves of our local supermarket, sparking rumors the cereal had been discontinued. While this increased consumption may be welcome news for our poor digestive systems, craving something fresher than mostly non-perishable fare, this sudden influx has seemingly overwhelmed Post Holdings, the company behind the um, very hearty cereal, which ironically contains neither grapes nor nuts.
“People may continue to see shortages and temporary out-of-stocks on Grape-Nuts as we continue to work through supply constraints and higher cereal demand amid the pandemic,” the cereal’s brand manager Kristin DeRock told CBS MoneyWatch. “First and foremost, we want to make sure that Grape-Nuts fans know that we have absolutely no plans to discontinue Grape-Nuts cereal.” Part of the reasons behind these delays are that despite being, well, little hardened balls of sawdust, it seems Grape-Nuts are weirdly difficult to make, especially during a pandemic, according to DeRock. “Grape-Nuts is made using a proprietary technology and a production process that isn’t easily replicated, which has made it more difficult to shift production to meet demand during this time,” she explained.
Aside from learning their strangely-complex cereal of choice is here to stay, it seems the aforementioned and apparently not-mythical “Grape-Nuts fans,” have seemingly grown empowered to speak out about their love for the fibrous cereal, knowing that despite constant ridicule from their tastebud-having peers, they’re not alone in their love for, erm suspiciously robust breakfasts. …
Confused About The GameStop Stock Situation? Here’s An Explainer We Plagiarized Wholesale From Polygon Because We Don’t Get It Either https://t.co/ZL58O7m13n pic.twitter.com/ZUysH4WkzO
— The Onion (@TheOnion) February 1, 2021
RELATED: Reddit Stonks: Netizens Troll Securities Industry With Brutal Billboards, Airplane Banners
As we enter the second week of the GameStonks controversy, in which a group of financially-savvy Redditors banded together to boost several struggling stocks, namely GameStop and meme-y cryptocurrency, Dogecoin, it seems these novice investors have ascended beyond singlehandedly controlling the market. Their latest tactic in wreaking sweet, sweet havoc upon America’s financial institutions? Using their riches to spectacularly dunk on Wall Street bros and investing firms.
On Friday, Kaspar Povilanskas, a self-identified “viral trend starter”– whatever the hell that means — and the founder of Nowadays Media, according to his LinkedIn page, took to Twitter to share his diabolical plan to publicly shame the disgraced investing company. “It’s happening,” Povilanskas wrote last week. “At 3-4:30pm PST a plane will be flying a banner over San Francisco that says ‘SUCK MY NUTS ROBINHOOD’ and I slid the pilot some extra $$ to circle right above RobinHood’s HQ for a while. Go take some photos, I don’t even live there.” Posted alongside a drawing of the plane’s flight path, the post quickly went viral, garnering more than 56,000 likes, a testament to both the plan’s glorious absurdity and the sheer magnitude of the internet’s collective Robinhood hatred. Once again, you know you royally beefed it when AOC, Zodiac Killer Ted Cruz, and Davey Daytrader can all see eye-to-eye on just how much you suck after halting trading on several stocks.
It's happening. At 3-4:30pm PST a plane will be flying a banner over San Francisco that says
"SUCK MY NUTS ROBINHOOD"
and I slid the pilot some extra $$ to circle right above RobinHood's HQ for a while. Go take some photos, I don't even live there
Here’s the flight path: pic.twitter.com/iti3ik4or9
— Kaspar (@KasparCMS) January 29, 2021
As promised, the plane flew across northern California, bearing its snarky message. After all, nothing says “SUCK MY NUTS ROBINHOOD!” quite like a flying banner over San Francisco, including the trading company’s Menlo Park HQ, that reads SUCK MY NUTS ROBINHOOD!” …
Paleontologists Determine Dinosaurs Were Killed By Someone They Trusted https://t.co/TbjZsElbCa pic.twitter.com/DKedDAXhal
— The Onion (@TheOnion) February 2, 2021
Bonus episode: Inside the craziest meeting of the Trump presidency
Off the Rails.
Last month, Axios published “Off the rails,” a series taking you inside the end of Donald Trump’s presidency, from his election loss to the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection that triggered his second impeachment — and a Senate trial set to begin next week.
In this bonus edition, we take you back into those final weeks — to one long, unhinged night a week before Christmas, when an epic, profanity-soaked standoff played out with profound implications for the nation.
Four conspiracy theorists marched into the Oval Office. It was early evening on Friday, Dec. 18 — more than a month after the election had been declared for Joe Biden, and four days after the Electoral College met in every state to make it official.
“How the hell did Sidney get in the building?” White House senior adviser Eric Herschmann grumbled from the outer Oval Office as Sidney Powell and her entourage strutted by to visit the president.
President Trump’s private schedule hadn’t included appointments for Powell or the others: former national security adviser Michael Flynn, former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne, and a little-known former Trump administration official, Emily Newman. But they’d come to convince Trump that he had the power to take extreme measures to keep fighting.
As Powell and the others entered the Oval Office that evening, Herschmann — a wealthy business executive and former partner at Kasowitz Benson & Torres who’d been pulled out of quasi-retirement to advise Trump — quietly slipped in behind them.
The hours to come would pit the insurgent conspiracists against a handful of White House lawyers and advisers determined to keep the president from giving in to temptation to invoke emergency national security powers, seize voting machines and disable the primary levers of American democracy. …
The Vaccine Line Is Illogical
Medicines should be distributed equitably, but the neediest are seldom at the front of the line.
In mid-January, I got an email telling me that I should schedule a visit to get my COVID-19 vaccination. I was a little surprised, as I am only 57 years old and didn’t think I qualified for the shot. I am also HIV-positive, but that shouldn’t move me ahead in line; my virus is well controlled on antiretroviral therapy, and my life expectancy is near normal. I am a professor at a public-health school, but that does not make me an essential worker. Meanwhile, my 86-year-old mother, who lives in New York, just one state over from where I live in Connecticut, is dutifully waiting for a call from her doctor’s medical network to tell her to come in for her first vaccine dose. I told her not to hang by the phone, as I doubted anyone would be calling soon.
Vaccinations and medicines should be distributed equitably, but the neediest are seldom at the front of the line. Every state and every health-care provider has protocols that supposedly direct the first coronavirus vaccines to the people who need them most. Communities are moving down their list at different speeds and in different orders, but the definition of who goes next is being interpreted broadly.
In the earliest phase of the vaccine rollout, hospitals and medical schools were giving out vaccines to administrators, health-care workers who are far from the front lines of COVID-19 care, and even medical students, who are not on the wards. But now I’m seeing 30-somethings on my Facebook feed talking about their vaccinations, and others in their 40s and 50s taking their shots as well.
It’s nearing the end of the month, and I still haven’t followed through to get my shot. I posed my dilemma to many colleagues—am I queue-jumping if I take the chance to get vaccinated now, when people at far greater risk of acquiring SARS-CoV-2 and getting seriously ill potentially haven’t been vaccinated yet? I also took the question to Twitter, where physicians and other health-care workers, ethicists, and members of the lay public urged me to take the opportunity to get vaccinated now. The reasons were compelling. In the chaos of the moment, with supplies low, just getting jabs into people’s arms is what is important. Vaccines shouldn’t go to waste. I would be contributing to herd immunity. My HIV status still presents some risk beyond that of others in my age cohort. Most of this, particularly the need to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible, is true.
But I still don’t feel like the advantage given to me is fair. …
Ed. Likewise I don’t feel like the advantage given to me was fair. I really wasn’t that ill, I’m still not. Yet our government paid the entire cost of infusing monoclodal antibodies into my vein. The drug costs $2,400 a dose. I have no idea the rent on an Emergency Room Sick-o Isolation Pod for nearly six hours. I’m sure it’s a lot. The drug is in short supply and I was clearly clearing the virus on my own. Tylenol kept the fever at bay and Mucinex helped me cough up the crap in my lungs before it could fester into pneumonia. I was told my co-morbid conditions made labels me as greater risk than others in my age group.
Ed., etc. I have dangerously high blood pressure because my kidneys are failing to clear the saline added to my blood during this infusion. I probably won’t die from Covid today, but I may have a stroke.
Video Goodnesses
and not-so-goodnesses
and not-so-goodnesses
Panspermia is a theory that life can spread naturally between planets. Amir Siraj studies how life on Earth might have first arrived from another world. He is the youngest person included in this year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 list of scientists, and is a student at Harvard University and the New England Conservatory of Music.
THANKS to SHOWTIME and VICE News for making this program available on YouTube.
Get to know Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene: how she got to Congress, her ties to QAnon, her racist theories and her recent comments regarding…a Jewish space laser.
THANKS to Comedy Central and The Daily Social Distancing SHow with Trevor Noah for making this program available on YouTube.
In the wake of the GameStop saga, Reddit users are now buying up silver. Plus, Desi Lydic has the perfect investment opportunity Wall Street doesn’t want you to know about.
Seth takes a closer look at President Biden agreeing to meet with GOP senators after Republicans whined about the supposed lack of bipartisanship in his response to the COVID-19 crisis.
THANKS to NBC and Late Night with Seth Meyers for making this program available on YouTube.
CAUTION: Some language may not be appropriate for work or children.
Here’s me critical analysis of Influencers. One of the most sought after jobs in the world at the moment ay.
今日は節分！ まるさんたちと節分の行事を楽しみました。It is Setsubun today! I enjoyed the Setsubun event with Maru&Hana&Miri.
FINALLY . . .
Americans Don’t Know What Urban Collapse Really Looks Like
Neglect and inertia pose bigger threats to cities than the pandemic does.
If you’ve ever seen a picture of a lost city—maybe in the pages of National Geographic or in the first Tomb Raider movie—you were probably looking at the crumbling temples and immense, empty canals of Angkor, the former capital of the Khmer empire in present-day Cambodia. Thick tree roots have wrapped themselves around massive blocks of stone in its legendary palaces. Flowers grow from cracks in hundreds of ornate towers carved with the Buddha’s serene face. A thousand years ago, Angkor was among the world’s largest cities, with nearly 1 million residents. Today its iconic ruins are as famous as the city itself once was, attracting millions of tourists to Cambodia every year.
Though Angkor has always been widely known in Asia, Europeans became obsessed with it after the French explorer Henri Mouhot claimed he discovered the place in 1860. Mouhot described Angkor as a lost city, its past a fairy tale with no connection to present-day Cambodia. His vision of Angkor captured the Western imagination and popularized a myth about urban life cycles, in which cities follow a linear progression from humble origins to spectacular heights—and then collapse into obscurity. This myth continues to shape public understanding of urbanism a century and a half later. It haunts news stories about “pandemic flight” from Manhattan and San Francisco, and it is the unspoken subtext of anxious questions about whether Detroit and New Orleans, cities battered by economic or ecological catastrophes, are at risk of dying.
Having witnessed a decline in U.S. cities’ fortunes over the past year, many American commentators are predicting the dissolution of entire communities too eagerly. Having spent the past several years researching a book about ancient abandoned cities, I’ve come to realize that urban collapse is a modern-day version of an apocalypse prophecy: It’s always lurking just around the corner, seductive and terrifying, but it never quite happens. Lost-city anxieties, like the ones aroused by the pandemic, result from a misunderstanding of what causes cities to decline. Pandemics, invasions, and other major calamities are not the usual culprits in urban abandonment. Instead, what kills cities is a long period in which their leaders fail to reckon honestly with ongoing, everyday problems—how workers are treated, whether infrastructure is repaired. Unsustainable, unresponsive governance in the face of long-term challenges may not look like a world-historical problem, but it’s the real threat that cities face.
In recent decades, archaeologists and geologists have reanalyzed the evidence about what happened at Angkor. What they found is the truth behind the lost-city myth: Great cities are rarely snuffed out in an instant, nor do they “collapse.” Instead, they transform. …
Ed. More tomorrow? Possibly. Probably. Maybe. Likely, if I find nothing more barely uninteresting at all to do.
ONE MORE THING:
"If climate change is real, why is it snowing?," he asked.
"If human intelligence is real, why are you talking?," she replied.
— God (@TheTweetOfGod) February 1, 2021
ONE MORE ONE MORE THING:
Must remember to wish Nancy a Happy Birthday, especially since I’ve not been allowed to leave my home to buy and post a card.
Happy Birthday, Nancy!