Some good recent reads which didn’t make it into full blog posts:
Peter Levine offers a close reading of Wendell Berry’s poem, September 2: “If his leaves are his writings, I do not think they will soon dissolve.”
A beautiful Guardian article about slime moulds and the people who study them: “So confounding were they that Carl Linnaeus, who spent his life taxonomising life, lumped them into a genus called “chaos”.”
“We are fixing up the record” says Jungurrayi Simms Otto in this short and beautiful documentary. He is summarizes the work of a collaboration between the English artist Patrick Waterhouse and a slew of Warlpiri artists as they revise historical records of the British colonial occupation of the Warlpiri homelands .
Who doesn’t like some deeply evidence based takedowns of terrible research or policy? Here’s a couple from Dougald Lamont. One on a “racist and sexist” report from the MacDonald-Laurier Institute on the productivity cost of DEI policies in Canadian universities and another that dismantles the case for Alberta separatism because, well, its based on fever dreams. That one got a follow up.
Issues of Aboriginal rights and title are important in British Columbia, and actually have been since 1851. Political mischief has turned these issues of fundamental justice and law into a political football. As Canadian citizens we have to understand the LAW of the situation not just the politics. Aaron Pete, another voice I dont always agree with, has a good piece on this today.
Through my library I subscribe to The Paris Review, one of the world’s premier literary magazines. The first story in this issue is called Bubble by Angie Sijun Lou and I highly recommend it. A story of a Spokane high school student who is sent to her father’s home village to China. A beautifully crafter coming of age story for introverts. Lots of her writing is also available on her website.
I have a little folder of starred articles in my NetNewsWire feed reader that contain links to pieces that deserve a little more thoughtfulness and which I haven’t had time to dive into. Here are a bunch from the last month or so. Maybe you could read one or two of them and share your thoughts here. I’ll get to these eventually.
- Minding Positivity. Richard Rohr on the theology of neuroplasicitry.
- The Narrative Alchemist: How Story Shapes Reality. And another version of the above, this time seen through the lens of magic and narrative alchemy.
- The Lost Art of Organizing Civic Groups. Peter Levine on how democracy depends on participation, and why we need intentional containers for participation if we are to hold on to democracy.
- When matter came alive: the physics of life’s emergence.I will never tire of reading about how the lifeless atoms in my body became part of a living creature.
- Watching and waiting. Chris Lysy, who specializes in evaluation and visualization, is feeling the change in his professional life.
- How Alike Are We. A short story. Is it about AI? Read it.
- The Practice of Strategy. Cameron D. Norman begins a “Fall into Strategy” series with a refreshingly simple take on strategy. Don’t let his linearity fool you. He’s worth reading.
- What a Mamdani-Style Agenda Could Look Like in Metro Vancouver. Khelsilem reflects thoughtfully on how Mandani-ism might look in Vancouver where, God knows, we need it. Khelsilem is one of the few leaders who is able to think clearly and express himself on incredibly complex policy issues. His blog is worth a follow.
- “Good Heavens what insect can suck it?” A fascinating meditation on co-evolution springing from the story of how Darwin deduced the existence of an undiscovered moth simply from examining the unusual nectar spur of an orchid.
- Ecological Football- not just to know more (knowledge about) but to know better (knowledge of). The latest occasional from Mark O Sullivan which will delight anyone like me who loves complexity theory, pedagogy and football.
Links and reading, listening and viewing recommendations for February 2025
The light is returning to the northern hemisphere and we’ve had clear skies for the last 10 days. This is a photo of the twilight with Venus seen from my house looking southwest over Apodaca Ridge. Cloud has since rolled in and a little blast of coastal winter is coming.
Republished. The post I sent out last week had broken links.
My monthly round up of interesting links. These are posted nearly daily at my Mastodon feed.
Democracy & Politics
It has been a full month of politics here in Canada and in the US that has shaken a lot of things up.
- What Could Citizens’ Assemblies Do for American Politics? | The New Yorker
Participation and democratic deliberation require time, attention, and intention. It doesn’t solve all problems, but this kind of work is essential. - Job One for 2025: Protecting Canada from US Oligarchs | The Tyee
A benchmark of the current state of US cultural and economic involvement in Canada, against which we can measure the increasingly imperialist tone of leadership in both our countries. - Danielle Smith is Undermining Canada: Former Chief Trade Negotiator | Rabble
Another piece of evidence to support my long-running contention that populists are dangerous in a crisis because they simply don’t know how to govern. - A Decent Dive into the United States’ Geopolitical Interest in Greenland and the Arctic | Channel News Asia
Trump signaling an intent to expand the US’ territory could set off a massive contest for Arctic resources. For the first time in my life, I’m worried that our neighbor to the south will actually invade this country. - Please Advise! How Dire and Disgusting Was Trump’s Day One? | The Tyee
Just bookmarking this one because it kind of captures the spirit of the day.
Climate & Environment
- We Saved the Planet Once. Can We Do It Again? | The Tyee
Charlie Angus and I are about the same age and we lived in Toronto at the same time (I remember that hot summer of 1988!). This memoir charts my own recollections too. It’s been a ride. - What Are the 2024 Salmon Returns Telling Us? | Alexandra Morton
Well, they appear to be telling us that closing salmon farms has a positive effect on returns and salmon health. Read the numbers for yourself.
Economics & Social Systems
- Milton Friedman Blaming Governments for Inflation is One of the Most Pernicious Lies of the Last Half-Century | Dougald Lamont
Lamont’s writing is new to me and absolutely compelling. A former provincial Liberal leader in Manitoba, he has a strong grasp of economics and governance. - How Communism Is Outcompeting Capitalism
It’s nice to have something to compare the grift of North Atlantic capitalism to. An article not without flaws and blind spots, but a really energetic critique.
Arts & Culture
- The Secret History of Risotto | The New Yorker
I love risotto. I love making it and eating it and learning about it, and I love a love letter written to it. - Folk Music Legend Got Short Shrift in ‘A Complete Unknown,’ But His Songs Will Live On | PennLive
A great piece that tries to rescue Pete Seeger’s legacy. Something about his portrayal in the movie didn’t sit well with me. Dylan was an artist who wrote anthems for activists. Pete was an activist who sang. Different. And we need both. - Close Reading Bad Poetry | 3 Quarks Daily
I really enjoyed this article. Learning from the worst possible outcome is a time-honored tradition.
Technology & Innovation
- I Love a Bushfix. But What’s the Future of ‘Right to Repair’?
I don’t know much about farming, so this was an interesting article that also made me realize that some of the reasons why food is expensive might have to do with farmers being bilked by their equipment manufacturers. - How to Remember Everything You Read | Justin Sung
As a person with ADHD, these kinds of videos are interesting. I’m currently actively learning two languages (Italian and jazz guitar), continuing to develop my understanding of complexity, and learning how to best teach and share it.
Indigenous Leadership & Legacy
- Bill Wilson Has Died | He was an incredible voice of leadership from the Central Coast of BC. A history maker, a guy who always spoke his mind with absolute certainty and wasn’t afraid to trigger reactions in the service of blowing a conversation about justice wide open.
- Listen to My Friend Kameron Perez-Verdia Tell the Story of His First Whale.
Books and music
Links are to publisher or artist sites where you can buy this art directly.
- The Sentence by Louise Erdrich. A beautiful novel set in 2019-2020 about a haunted book store in Minneapolis during the first year of COVID and the events following George Floyd’s murder. The book is a deep story of identity, history, language and relationship.
- The Keeper by Kelly Ervick. A graphic memoir about women’s soccer told through the eyes of a woman who comes of age in the 1980s, just as American women’s soccer bursts on to the scene.
- Benjamin Britten’s Choral Works. Nearly all of Britten’s non-carol choral music collected and performed beautifully. The choir I sing in, Carmena Bowena, is currently adding Hymn to The Virgin to our repertoire.
- Cassandra Wilson – New Moon Daughter. Her 1995 release explores multiple genres with cover songs and originals and is backed by musicians who have a wide range of fluency across multiple styles. Her voice sounds so much like Joni Mitchell’s voice from the same time. Deep and smokey and full in timbre.
- Herbie Hancock – The Piano. An album of solo piano music from 1979 recorded direct-to-disc. Showcases Hancock’s improvisational chops and his curiosity about harmony.
- Peter Hertmens Trio – Akasha. Every month I like to look for a new-to-me jazz guitarist and explore their material. This month I stumbled on the work of Belgian Peter Hertmens. Akasha is a 2018 release with organ and bass that is just a lovely collection of Hertmens’ original compositions.
Interesting links that crossed my path this month. You can find these in real time at my Mastodon site, which is also mirrored on Bluesky.
- One of the most significant pieces of work I am currently doing is helping the Squamish Nation develop their Constitution by supporting large in-person and online community gatherings. It’s hard work and important work for the Nation, and I’m really happy to be a part of it. I get to work with the inimitable Amanda Fenton who supports the online work and Squamish Nation member Tyler Baker, who is my in person partner when we work at two different sites simultaneously.
- BC Child Poverty Rate Climbs as Income Inequality Grows: Policy Note. Child poverty is unacceptable, especially as we learned it can be nearly eliminated by a small universal basic income. The pandemic supports helped us to see something I will never be able to unsee: this challenge is possible to address, and quickly.
- The science and natural history of the fault zones of the west coast of North America. We live in a very active landscape.
- If you want to understand the complexities and nuances of life in British Columbia in 2024, this collection of books from The Tyee is a grand place to start.
- I met Lightning Bill Austin selling his art in the Pybus Market in Wenatchee, Washington this month. An absolute legend. Here’s his story.
- Contemporary Poets Respond (in Verse) to Taylor Swift: Perhaps the most inventive way to celebrate and honour Taylor Swift’s work and her impact on the world.
- This is the year-end summary of the highlights from EV Nautilus, a research vessel that explores and studies the geology and fauna of deep-water sea mounts. I love this channel because it is populated with scientists who show nothing but utter delight in seeing the creatures that they love. I’ve shared this link on my out of office responder this month.
- There’s No Place Like Home: Humanity and the Housing Crisis from CBC Ideas. Calling for housing to be a human right should not feel like the Quixotic quest that it appears to be. This is a fantastic lecture even if it leaves me deflated by the challenge.
- The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. The whole thing. Online and searchable.
- Dave Pollard writes a great piece on “What We Don’t Know.” The undermining of expertise by folks who think they can hold their weight with people who have devoted their lives to fields of study and practice is ridiculous and dangerous.
- The Cosmos Teems with Complex Organic Molecules.Reading Stuart Kauffman’s work (especially Reinventing the Sacred) will also make it clear how inevitable organic chemistry is and how easy it is for the processes of life to get started.
- Narrative jailbreaking for fun and profit! Matt Webb and a chatbot hallucinate together. (And I suspect the chatbot has discovered Matt’s blog!)
- Tangerine is my new favourite Christmas movie.
- There is a reason that we don’t do icebreakers in meetings. Check-ins, yes, but disconnected icebreakers? No. McSweeney’s gets it.
Happy New Year to all.