TLP Week in Review, 9/17-9/23
Your weekly summary of what we've been up to here at The Liberal Patriot.
What We’re Reading (and Watching and Listening To…)
“To Build Ships That Break Ice, U.S. Must Relearn to Cut Steel”: Wall Street Journal reporter William Maudlin looks into the U.S. Coast Guard’s $13.3 billion race to build new, heavy-duty icebreakers that can ply the Arctic Circle and replace the two, 1970s-vintage ships it currently operates. Making matters more difficult—and expensive and more time-consuming—shipbuilders have lost the knowledge and skills required to design and build these kinds of ships.
“In China’s shadow, U.S. rushes back to neglected Indian Ocean island”: A fascinating deep dive from Washington Post reporter Liz Sly into how the island nation of the Seychelles, off the coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean, has become a place of interest in the competition between the United States and China, similar to what Brian Katulis wrote for The Liberal Patriot in May about on his trip to the Maldives, another island country in the Indian Ocean: “An Island Paradise at a Critical Crossroads.”
“The Slow and Steady Demise of South Africa”: In an absolutely devastating article in Der Spiegel, reporters Bartholomaus Grill and Fritz Schaap show that however bad you think it is in South Africa today, it's worse. Not sure there's a lesson here other than: good governance is really, really important! Without it, essentially nothing is possible.
The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the 21st Century's Greatest Dilemma: Artificial intelligence researcher Mustafa Suleyman and co-author Michael Bhaskar attempt to offer a preview of coming attractions in how technological advances in artificial intelligence, robotics, and quantum computing might change our lives and world in the 21st century. It offers both the opportunities and risks that we might face and also suggests ways we might collectively respond to these dynamics.
Nick Cave at The Lincoln Theatre: TLP will be immersed this evening in a rare chance to see the Aussie legend at the piano, backed only by Radiohead’s Colin Greenwood on bass. We should get some classics like “The Sorrowful Wife,” “Girl In Amber,” and “O Children” plus deeper cuts. Check out the rest of his North American tour if you get the chance.
What We’ve Posted
“My Strange Meeting with the Iranian President: A report from the sidelines of the UN General Assembly,” by TLP contributor and American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Danielle Pletka.
“Workers Bark Back on ‘The Green Dream or Whatever’: That’s big trouble for the Democrats,” by TLP politics editor Ruy Teixeira.
“Media for the Common Good: How better commercial, non-profit, and public media operations can combat tribalism and help Americans solve problems—together,” by TLP editor-in-chief John Halpin.
“One Suburb’s Attempt to Build an Integrated Community: The successes and shortcomings of Shaker Heights, Ohio,” by TLP contributor and Progressive Policy Institute senior fellow Rick Kahlenberg.
“Look Homeward to Fight for Global Freedom: A review of Defending Democracy in an Age of Sharp Power by William J. Dobson, Tarek Masoud, and Christopher Walker,” by TLP editor-at-large Brian Katulis.
“The Israeli Struggle Continues: What Israel's liberals have learned from the past year's protests—and what they should do next,” by Israeli political opposition adviser Yair Zivan.
Ruy’s Science-Fiction Pulp Cover of the Week
Just one more thing…
Take a tour through the history of beer, from the first Stone Age brews of Africa, Israel, and China through the ales of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia and the first lagers and English ales of a few centuries ago to the microbrews of the present day.
