Economics & Finance: “Economics For People” With Cambridge Author & Professor Ha-Joon Chang (New INET Video Series)

Economics For People With Ha-Joon Chang Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET) Cambridge UniversityIn the new series “Economics For People” from the Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET), University of Cambridge economist and bestselling author Ha-Joon Chang explains key concepts in economics, empowering anyone to hold their government, society, and economy accountable.

 

Lecture 1.1: The Nature of Economics

Lecture 1.2: Five Reasons Why Economics Is Political

Lecture 2: What Is Wrong With Globalization?

To view more videos: https://www.ineteconomics.org/perspectives/videos/economics-for-people

Top New Science Podcasts: Social Priming, Killer Whale Grandmothers And Accoustics (Nature)

Nature PodcastsListen to the latest from the world of science, brought to you by Benjamin Thompson and Nick Howe. This week, the embattled field of social priming, and the latest sounds from a big acoustic meeting.

In this episode:

00:45 What’s next for social priming?

How might a branch of psychological research move forward in the face of replication failures? News Feature: What’s next for psychology’s embattled field of social priming

08:55 Research Highlights

Killer-whale grandmothers help their grandchildren survive, and the failed voyage of a reproduced ancient raft. Research Highlight: Why female orcas make killer grandmasResearch Highlight: On a model ancient raft, seafarers are up the current without a paddle

11:12 The sounds of science

We hear the latest updates from the Acoustical Society of America’s recent conference.

18:44 News Chat

Reassessing when civilisations moved to modernity, and understanding exoplanets. News: When did societies become modern? ‘Big history’ dashes popular idea of Axial AgeNews: European space telescope to launch new era of exoplanet science

Entertainment: 72-Year Old Larry David Returns For 10th Season In “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (Trailer)

HBOLarry David stars as… Larry David, living the good life out in Los Angeles and stumbling through one faux-pas after another. Curb Your Enthusiasm returns for its tenth season Sunday, January 19 at 10:30PM.

Books On Aging: “Old Man Country – My Search For Meaning Among The Elders” (Thomas R. Cole)

From a NextAvenue.org online review:

Old Man Country Thomas R. Cole 2019Am I Still a Man?

Masculinity is not a natural collection of individual traits but, rather, a cultural story, a plot or a script by which men are judged and judge themselves. One problem is that this script for masculinity stops at midlife. For most old men in American society, there are no landmarks of achievement or value; no lighthouse guiding one’s moral compass; no employment office with the sign “old men wanted.” There is only the province of retirement — a barren place often marked by an absence of wealth, prestige and personal meaning.

Do I Still Matter?

At least since the institutionalization of retirement in the mid-20th century, old men have often felt marginalized, useless or invisible. Retirement is a primary source of depression for those whose identities and self-esteem have depended on being productive, earning a living and being engaged with others in the workplace. Employment and volunteer work are often less possible for men who have reached their 80s.

What Is the Meaning of My Life?

Because our society provides old people with no widely shared meanings or norms by which to live, the task of finding significance in later life falls to individuals in their relationships with family and community.

Meaning is partly a matter of love and of relevance. If I love and am loved, my life has significance. Meaning is also a moral question: Have I lived a good life by my own lights? Did I, and do I, measure up to my own expectations and to the standards of my family, religion, community and nation?

Am I Still Loved?

Love, of course, means many things. There is love of God. There is love that comes from God or a Divine Being or Beings — love that carries existential meaning. It is the kind of love Ram Dass received from his guru Neem Karoli Baba, who inspired him to live a life of loving service on the path toward merging with Brahman, the ultimate reality in Hinduism.

To read more: https://www.nextavenue.org/questions-older-men-ask-themselves/?hide_newsletter=true&utm_source=Next+Avenue+Email+Newsletter&utm_campaign=1eb08d4dfa-12.10.2019_Tuesday_Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_056a405b5a-1eb08d4dfa-166479103&mc_cid=1eb08d4dfa&mc_eid=6cab05fae0

Innovations: “ExoLung” Tankless Underwater Diving System (Video)

ExoLung logoExolung is a new and unique approach to shallow water diving for recreational and utility purposes. It is also enjoyable to use in the pool for training, or as a form of underwater gymnastics and yoga. The idea was to create a simple extension to the usual ABC kit (fins, mask, snorkel), being simple, robust and affordable whilst not requiring a lot of maintenance or care, and absolutely no recharge or refill required. ​ 

ExoLung Diving System features

It is lightweight (3,5kg) and compact (40x30x20cm pack size) making it super portable, flexible and functional. There is a high degree of safety, due to the inflatable dive buoy, which the diver is attached to at all times. There is no need for diving certification, though a basic knowledge of compressed air diving is required before use. This can be learned by attending a beginner diving course at your local centre.

Website: https://www.exolung.com/

Art Competitions: “2019 Historic Photographer Of The Year” Winners

Historic Photographer of the Year logoThe Historic Photographer of the Year awards showcase the world’s very best historic places and cultural sites from across the globe, capturing everything from the most famous national treasures to the obscure and forgotten hidden gems.

Historic Photographer of the Year Pictures 2019

The 2019 Awards attracted a swathe of astonishing entries from amateurs and professionals who have climbed, hiked and trekked their way to snap stunning historic places from every corner of the globe.

Historic Photographer of the Year Pictures 2019

The Overall Winner was an outstanding image of the ruins of the Arromanches Mulberry Harbour in Normandy and was shot by Stéphane Hurel.

The Historic England category was won by JP Appleton with his haunting shot of the Victorian era Roker Pier, while HISTORY’s Short Filmmaker of the Year was awarded to Dibs McCallum for a fascinating short documentary exploring the remains of the RAF Barnham nuclear weapons storage facility.

 

To read more: https://www.historicphotographeroftheyear.com/2019-winners/

Entertainment: “Top Ten TV Shows Of 2019” (AdWeek)

From an AdWeek online article:

Adweek LogoBut while there is more great TV than ever before, the number of top-tier programs actually declined in 2018, making the task of assembling a Top 10 TV shows list easier than usual since so few shows stood out from the pack. That changed for the better in 2019, resulting in a Top 10 lineup that features only one returning series from 2018’s list. (Also, some of last year’s best shows, like Better Call Saul and Atlanta, didn’t air new episodes in 2019.)

1. Fleabag (Amazon)

Fleabag Seaon 2

2. Succession (HBO)

Succession Season 2 poster

3. Watchmen (HBO)

Watchmen poster

4. Russian Doll (Netflix)

5. Chernobyl (HBO)

6. When They See Us (Netflix)

7. Better Things (FX)

8. Unbelievable (Netflix)

9. Barry (HBO)

10. The Good Fight (CBS All Access)

To read more: https://www.adweek.com/tv-video/the-10-best-tv-shows-of-2019/?utm_content=summary_component&utm_source=postup&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=FirstThingsFirst_Newsletter_191211054551&lyt_id=1124968

1960’s Music: Kenneth Womack Discusses “The Beatles” Early “Proto-Feminism” (Harvard)

From a Harvard News online article:

The Beatles Encyclopedia Kenneth WomackRock ’n’ roll, or even popular music, [was] often highly gendered and sexist. It certainly was paternalistic in the ’60s and prior, in terms of songs being directed at women as objects, women as needing to be “counseled” about love, [or] it was about coming on to them, even if it was just something innocent and romantic, “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” And the Beatles very consciously in 1965 began to change their tone. They created a very specific type of female character who would think for herself and did not need a man.

The Harvard GazetteLooking back at your favorite classic rock songs through the lens of today’s attitudes about women’s empowerment, male privilege, and even sexual violence can be cringeworthy at best. But just as they were trailblazers in music, film, fashion, and popular culture, the Beatles were ahead of their time in embracing feminism, argues Kenneth Womack, a well-known authority on the band and dean at Monmouth University, evolving from early patronizing “hey, girl” entreaties to songs filled with independent women who don’t need a man, not even a Beatle. Ideological Diversity, a Harvard Kennedy School student organization, hosts a free talk with Womack on Thursday about how the group explored issues of feminism, gender, and inclusion in ways few rock bands dared in the 1960s.

To read more: https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2019/12/kenneth-womack-explains-why-the-beatles-were-proto-feminists/?utm_source=SilverpopMailing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily%2520Gazette%252020191211%2520%281%29

Culture: “Anger” In Society Explored By Artists And Writers (MoMA Video)

 

Anger. A word that often does the rounds in the 21st century. On a global scale, citizens are increasingly dissatisfied with their governments — from discord within the current American administration to rising hostility within France, Germany, Greece, Iraq, and Lebanon. Anger due to the persistence of racial violence, threats against the rights of women and workers, discrimination against the LGBTQ community, repression, as well as fear and instability surrounding health care systems, income inequality, the environmental crisis, and the effects of mass migration.

MoMA Research & Development

Join a nuanced conversation in this MoMA R&D Salon hosted by Paola Antonelli, Senior Curator of Architecture & Design and Director of Research & Development at MoMA, with speakers (in alphabetical order):

Shaun Leonardo: a multidisciplinary artist whose work discusses societal expectations of manhood––namely definitions surrounding black and brown masculinities––along with its notions of achievement, collective identity, and experience of failure.

Lydia Lunch: a writer, singer, poet, actress, and speaker whose career was spawned by the New York City “No Wave” scene. Widely considered one of the most influential performers originating from New York City, Lydia has worked with a range of bands and artists.

Andrew Marantz: a staff writer at The New Yorker, where he has worked since 2011. His work has also appeared in Harper’s, New York, and Mother Jones. He recently published his first book, Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation.

Marilyn Minter: a contemporary artist whose works are in the collections of MoMA, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, among others.

Pamela Sneed: a poet, writer, visual artist, and performer. She is the author of the books Imagine Being More Afraid of Freedom than Slavery (1998) and Kong and Other Works (2009), as well as the chapbooks Lincoln (2014), Gift (2015), and Sweet Dreams (2018).

Classic Car Nostalgia: “1961 Ford Starliner” (Ford Authority)

From a Ford Authority online article:

Of all the muscle cars we’ve talked about, this 1961 Ford Starliner is most certainly one of the cleanest rides that we’ve seen, both figuratively and literally. It has no extra chrome, no hood scoops, no tubs for fat wheels. It looks almost stock save for the beautiful maroon paint and custom wheels.

1961-ford-starliner-005-1024x683-1.jpg

Inside the 1961 Ford Starliner has a fully custom interior that is as clean and subtle as the outside of the car. It’s done up in lots of beige leather and looks fantastic along with the maroon exterior of the car. It also has air conditioning. The Starliner rolls on a Roadster Shop performance chassis that has power rack-and-pinion steering, along with front and rear antiroll bars, panhard bars, and coilovers. The shocks are Afco double-adjustable drag racing units.

To read more: http://fordauthority.com/2019/12/1961-ford-starliner-wraps-815-ponies-in-a-very-clean-wrapper/