The latest (somewhat random) collection of essays and stories from around the web that have caught my eye and are worth plucking out to be re-read. . Why the coronavirus has been so successful Ed Yong, Atlantic, 20 March 2020 The new virus certainly seems to be effective at infecting humans, despite its animal origins. The closest wild relative of SARS-CoV-2 is found in bats, which suggests it originated in a bat, then jumped to humans either directly or through […]

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The latest (somewhat random) collection of essays and stories from around the web that have caught my eye and are worth plucking out to be re-read. . The disappeared Aura Bogado, Reveal News, 18 February 2020 A massive Department of Justice seal towers over the bench, flanked by giant windows that allow a glimpse of the downtown skyline. At one table, an attorney representing Immigration and Customs Enforcement faces the judge. Every 10 minutes or so, a new young client […]

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The latest (somewhat random) collection of essays and stories from around the web that have caught my eye and are worth plucking out to be re-read. . We’re banning facial recognition. We’re missing the point. Bruce Schneier, New York Times, 20 January 2020 Facial recognition is a technology that can be used to identify people without their knowledge or consent. It relies on the prevalence of cameras, which are becoming both more powerful and smaller, and machine learning technologies that can […]

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Another year of Pandaemonium, and three lists to finish off the year: the most read posts in 2019, the most read posts published in 2019 (because most of most-read posts from this year are actually from previous years) and my favourite posts of the year. My thanks to all readers of, and contributors to, Pandaemonium. And most especially to all the Patrons. And best wishes to all for 2020. . Most read posts in 2019 . 1 What’s the problem […]

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The latest (somewhat random) collection of essays and stories from around the web that have caught my eye and are worth plucking out to be re-read. . India’s new citizenship act legalizes a Hindu nation Anil Varughese, The Conversation, 18 December 2019 India’s recently passed Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 is a frontal assault on the idea of India as a secular, pluralist democracy. For the first time, legal sanction has been given to the recasting of India as a Hindu majoritarian […]

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The latest (somewhat random) collection of essays and stories from around the web that have caught my eye and are worth plucking out to be re-read. . The West’s obsession with border security is breeding instability Ruben Anderson & David Keen, Foreign Policy, 16 November 2019 Or consider Sudan, where the country’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group formerly linked to the genocidal janjaweed in Darfur, have trumpeted their credentials in fighting migration. This is the same force that killed dozens of […]

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The  latest (somewhat random) collection of essays and stories from around the web that have caught my eye and are worth  plucking out to be re-read. The US is now betraying the Kurds for the eighth time Joe Schwartz, The Intercept, 7 October 2019 The U.S. has now betrayed the Kurds a minimum of eight times over the past 100 years. The reasons for this are straightforward. The Kurds are an ethnic group of about 40 million people centered at the intersection of Turkey, […]

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The  latest (somewhat random) collection of essays and stories from around the web that have caught my eye and are worth  plucking out to be re-read. . Modi’s war Praveen Donthi, The Caravan, 22 September 2019 The Indian government has devised certain indicators to find and prove normalcy in Kashmir: the number of primary schools reopened, the number of police stations that have relaxed restrictions in their neighbourhood, the number of active landlines in an age of mobile phones. Reducing […]

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The latest (somewhat random) collection of recent essays and stories from around the web that have caught my eye and are worth plucking out to be re-read. . The emptiness of an ending Amanda Hammer, Africa is a Country, 8 September 2019 A day dawned with an early call. Mugabe was dead. And then, nothing. Nothing at all in my heart and mind. Just a gaping, blank canvas, waiting for a clear script to form out of the morass of […]

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The latest (somewhat random) collection of recent essays and stories from around the web that have caught my eye and are worth plucking out to be re-read. . Britain’s infrastructure is breaking down. And here’s why no one’s fixing it Aditya Chakrabortty, Guardian, 14 August 2019 When I am out reporting it is not uncommon to go into a suburban postcode short of money yet still bustling with people – but the banks have nearly all cleared out, the church […]

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The latest (somewhat random) collection of recent essays and stories from around the web that have caught my eye and are worth plucking out to be re-read. . Europe’s treatment of migrants is shameful Mathieu von Rohr, Spiegel International Editorial, 4 July 2019 A father and his daughter lie dead on the bank of the Rio Grande, entwined in an embrace, after drowning in their attempt to reach the United States. The man is Óscar Alberto Martinez Ramírez; his 23-month-old […]

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The latest (somewhat random) collection of recent essays and stories from around the web that have caught my eye and are worth plucking out to be re-read. . European policies create new dangers on Mediterranean Steffen Lüdke, Maximilian Popp, Jan Puhl & Raniah Salloum, Spiegel International, 18 June 2019 For refugees, Europe is increasingly becoming a fortress without a gate. Even volunteer maritime rescuers are now being criminalized. Ports are closed to them. Ships are confiscated. Helpers are put on trial. Lifeline captain Claus-Peter Reisch […]

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The latest (somewhat random) collection of recent essays and stories from around the web that have caught my eye and are worth plucking out to be re-read. . He was arrested at 13. Now Saudi Arabia wants to execute him Muhammad Darwish, Tamara Qiblawi & Ghazi Balkiz, CNN, June 2019 Foot on pedal, 10-year-old Murtaja Qureiris is about to lead the group of around 30 children. In video footage obtained by CNN, he is wearing rolled up denim jeans and […]

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The latest (somewhat random) collection of recent essays and stories from around the web that have caught my eye and are worth plucking out to be re-read. . ‘If we don’t rehabilitate reason, we will not be able to fix our broken world’ Achille Mbembe & Andreas Eckert, Mail & Guardian, 10 May 2019 South Africa has been your home for many years. When you went there (in 2000), it was still a country full of hope. At the end of […]

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The latest (somewhat random) collection of recent essays and stories from around the web that have caught my eye and are worth plucking out to be re-read. . When Christians are under attack, Muslims and the left need to defend them Mehdi Hasan, The Intercept, 22 April 2019 From Christchurch, New Zealand, to Xinjiang, China, there is a war on Muslims. Many of us have spent years writing about it and condemning it. But let’s be clear: From the Middle East to parts of Asia […]

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