December 5, 2016
DHS’s Advisory Board rejected a portion of an internal report that recommended maintaining and increasing ICE’s reliance on private prisons—which sounds great in headlines, but their rejection is merely advisory, and Trump’s DHS pick can just ignore whatever decision current DHS head Jeh Johnson makes anyway. / U.S. News & World Report
Facebook scammers in Vietnam and Kosovo are stealing artwork from Native American artists and profiting off of gullible would-be supporters of Standing Rock. / BuzzFeed
“Surge pricing reduces wait times for wealthier people returning home from restaurants and nightclubs by eliminating all service for lower income people working late night shifts that have no transit options. A pro-Uber paper by a major libertarian think tank simply dismissed these as ‘people who do not really need a ride.’” Op-ed: Uber is not truly innovative, cannot become profitable at its current rate, and will raise fares drastically. / Naked Capitalism
The Washington Post publishes a rare interview with Martha Argerich, the amazing, reclusive pianist who received a Kennedy Center honor this weekend. / The Washington Post
“Can you imagine waking up every morning on a different planet, each with its own gravity?” Your Monday poem: “Earth, You Have Returned to Me” by Elaine Equi. / Poetry
A few ways to read the weekend’s news that the US president-elect had a surprise phone call with Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen—believed to be the first conversation between leaders of the two countries since 1979.
1. The basic overview: “Trump’s ‘Unpredictable Starting Now’ Foreign Policy Already Here” / Bloomberg
2. The analysis: “How to read Donald Trump’s call with Taiwan’s president” / The Economist
3. Opinions of an old China hand: “Sounds Like Something Pretty Important Happened This Weekend” / baldingsworld.com
4. The dark humor approach: “Obama politely asks Trump to wait until inauguration before destroying the world” / The New Yorker
5. The meta of it all: “‘Saturday Night Live’ and Trump Spar Once Again” / The New York Times
“High-definition television has clearly been a two-edged sword for the NFL, hasn’t it? It makes the drama of the game come alive, because we can now see the action in so much more detail. But it also means that when Luke Kuechly is writhing in pain on the ground, we can see every emotion on his face. That’s not a trivial matter.” Malcolm Gladwell and Bill Simmons in conversation about football, with Gladwell talking about the balls of Goodell. / The Ringer
The calming juxtaposition of sheep, beaches, 19th- and 21st-century technology colors this very short documentary on the tradition of Harris tweed, a heritage wool protected by an Act of Parliament and only spun on these islands off Scotland. / harristweed.org
Stephen Hawking isn’t wrong to say that this is the most dangerous time in our planet’s history. / The Guardian
A November court case in Oregon gave legal standing to kids organized as Our Children’s Trust, and they have an outside chance to win a court-mandated, scientifically-rigorous climate plan for the United States. / ourchildrenstrust.org, Slate
Five years ago, pessimists (and people who wanted to see climate action delayed) peddled the notion that China’s carbon pollution would be so great over coming decades that there was no point in trying to stop them. Today, China is poised to take the mantle of climate leadership. / Reuters
One of the nation’s first climate evangelists argues solar will win the price wars and globalization will make us keen to avert the worst of warming. / YouTube
It happened quietly, but the passage in October in Kigali of an international treaty to limit hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)—which are potent greenhouse gases—should “abate global warming by up to 0.5° C.” That deal went through, perhaps surprisingly, with lots of support from refrigerant companies, which is encouraging news to the climate champions who argue that America’s next big steps on carbon reduction will be driven by business, not government. / e15initiative.org, businesswire.com, Bloomberg
“My hopelessness isn’t nihilism just like my blind spot has always seen clearly the limits of American progress. I knew this America could elect a President Trump. It is precisely because I always knew it, bone deep, that I worked so hard to stop it.” Sociologist Tressie McMillan reflects back on an election she never expected to turn out well. / Dr. Tressie McMillan Cotton