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 […]

Categories: Pandaemonium

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 […]

Categories: Pandaemonium

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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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. . How the UK lost Brexit battle Tom McTague, Politico, 27 March 2019 Nowhere was the imbalance of power more important than on the Irish border. By February, 2017 — before Britain had even triggered Article 50 — Brussels had taken ownership of the problem and come up with the beginnings of a […]

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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. . Doing more, getting less Malcolm Harris, The Nation, 7 March 2019 In Gigged, we get a national tour of the new labor relations that provide the basis for Silicon Valley’s prosperity. Kessler began covering the gig economy in 2011, when she was herself a casualty of the post-financial-crisis labor market. Her first post, […]

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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. . CRISPR babies: a view from the centre of the storm Robin Lovell-Badge, Development, 6 February 2019 JK’s rationale was clearly to make children resistant to HIV. Apparently, there is a lot of stigma associated with being HIV-positive in China, or even having a family member who is, and children with HIV-positive parents […]

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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. . Martin Luther King Jr and the meaning of emancipation Asad Haider, n+1, 18 January 2019 The contemporary betrayal of King lives on in the suppression of this voice of intransigence, and the reduction, by liberals and conservatives alike, of King to an empty symbol. Reagan’s neutralization of his politics is repeated, year […]

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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. . Citizenship v the surveillance state Matthew Longo, Boston Review, 6 December 2018 As a society, we have accepted as self-evident that a secure border protects our national sovereignty (and, by extension, citizens). But in fact, the opposite is increasingly true. New forms of bordering rely extensively on data and information sharing at […]

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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. . Can the yellow vests speak? Édouard Louis, Jacobin, 8 December 2018 Right from the start of this movement we have seen ‘experts’ and ‘politicians’ in the media belittling, condemning, and mocking the gilets jaunes and the revolt that they embody. I saw the words ‘barbarians,’ ‘idiots,’ ‘yokels,’ ‘irresponsible’ spread across social networks. The media […]

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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. . Exiled: the disturbing story of a citizen made unBritish Kamila Shamsie, Guardian, 17 November 2018 Although the powers to strip citizenship were increased in 2003, they were still very rarely used. But in 2013, 18 people were deprived of citizenship, a huge increase from the six of the previous two years. In […]

Categories: Pandaemonium

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 people, no Thomas Frank, The Baffler, No 42, November 2018 In 1999, we thought right-wing populism was a historical mystery that needed to be unraveled and understood; in the minds of its legions of analysts today it’s no mystery at all. For them, the common people’s incomprehension of liberal values is […]

Categories: Pandaemonium