Humanitarian Unknown 046.
1. Stefanik’s Senate Confirmation Hearings Bring Mix of Worry and Opportunity at UN
"There is little doubt that Trump and Stefanik will roil the world organization with provocative actions on issues ranging from climate change to the war in Gaza in the early weeks of the new administration. But many nations also hope that, after the initial diplomatic firestorm, Stefanik will emerge as someone with whom they can do business."
Insightful as ever from @Richard Gowan.
2. Digital Divinity
Epic illustrated storybook that documents the myriad of ways that religious believers are using new technologies in their daily practices, from Hindu temples made by 3D printers to priests that dance on Tik-Tok (when it's working).
From the team at Rest of the World .
3. Enshittification Isn't Caused by Venture Capital
"Two new systems built on open standards have emerged as a credible threat to the zuckermuskian model: Mastodon (built on Activitypub) and Bluesky (built on Atproto). The former is far more mature, with a huge network of federated servers run by all different kinds of institutions, from hobbyists to corporations, and it's overseen by a nonprofit. The latter has far more users, and is a VC-backed corporate entity, and while it is hypothetically federatable, there are no Bluesky services apart from the main one that you can leave for if Bluesky starts to enshittify."
By Cory Doctorow .
4. Why Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Adam Smith Were Divided on the Virtues of Vanity
"Both Jean-Jacques Rousseau and his friend Adam Smith agreed that modern humans were vain creatures, ceaselessly adjusting and masking themselves to gain the favor of others. However, the two 18th-century intellectual heavyweights arrived at very different conclusions regarding whether this state of human affairs was a great social ill or a social benefit. Why Rousseau believed vanity left us incapable of genuine self-assessment, while Smith thought it was indispensable if modern societies were to flourish?"
Nat Rutherford explains.
5. Should a Government Help People Die?
UK lawmakers claim an assisted suicide bill offers a compassionate death. But is it just a way to save money?
Madeleine Kearns reports.
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6. The Frustrating Reason We’re Not Saving More Kids From Malaria
We have two vaccines now. What’s the hold up?
Celia Ford reports.
7. "Alert Fatigue": The Phrase that Defined Our Climate in 2024
From "carbon cowboys" to "snow loss cliff," these 10 terms captured the spirit of the hottest year yet.
From Kate Yoder .
8. The Death And Rebirth Of Europe
"As China and the U.S. race ahead on energy infrastructure and advanced technologies, Europe risks tumbling into irrelevancy."
From Jacob Dreyer.
9. An An Africanist Perspective: 2024 in Review
"African countries weathered ongoing fiscal squeeze better than expected, with emerging shoots of economic recovery. Electoral jamboree delivered mixed results, while weak state capacity endures."
From Ken Opalo .
10. Chimes at Midnight
"It’s been an idea for over three decades. How did the clock that will run for 10,000 years become a reality?"
You'll hear about this clock a lot.
From Alec Nevala-Lee .