Monthly Archives: June 2023

In the global struggle with populism, elections are a salve – Frederick News Post

Posted: June 30, 2023 at 4:57 pm

As Donald Trumps star rises again even with multiple criminal indictments looming, many observers fear that anti-establishment populism in America is no longer just a flirtation, but a feature of our democratic system.

More generally, it has become common to think that democracies anywhere with their open public spheres, majoritarian institutions and propensity for a frustrating incrementalism have fueled the rise of populist leaders and demagogues. Examples of the success of strongmen leaders abound in Brazil, Hungary, India, Italy, Turkey, El Salvador and the United States.

But it is equally possible that the very attributes of democracy that have invigorated populism are also those that will ultimately moderate its spread. Democracies transparent public spheres expose populists corruption, and the separations of power in a democracy tend to hold populists responsible for failures of governance.

New evidence suggests that elections the hallmark of democracy itself may be an equally powerful check.

According to a new Ipsos poll of about 26,000 people across 28 countries worldwide, recent democratic elections are associated with a decline in the sentiment that the system is broken. Independently of who is elected, democratic processes themselves may provide a cathartic release of frustration and reassure people of their enduring power.

Between April 2021 and November 2022, there was a global decline of broken-system sentiment, roughly returning to levels last seen in 2016. The six countries with the steepest drop each conducted a national election resulting in major political change; none of the four countries showing an uptick in this sentiment had a national election during the same period.

Since 2021, there has been a 7% global drop in the perception that the economy is rigged, a 5% and 6% drop in the perception that politicians dont care and experts dont understand average people, respectively, and a 5% drop in the belief that the country needs a strong leader to take control back from the rich and powerful.

The global share of people who want a strong leader who is willing to break the rules remains effectively unchanged.

In Brazil, where the leftist former President Luis Ignacio Lula da Silva narrowly defeated the populist incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, 15% fewer people want a strong leader willing to break the rules. In Italy, which recently ushered a far-right government into power, the share of people who distrust experts and seek a strong leader both dropped by 19%.

Indeed, in all six countries showing the greatest drops in anti-establishment feelings Chile, Colombia, South Korea, Italy, Brazil and Peru the election brought in a new head of government from a different party than the incumbent.

The greatest gains in broken-system sentiment across the board are in the United Kingdom, where the Conservative Party has two more years before it must call a national election despite experiencing historically low public approval numbers.

On average, countries that conducted national elections dating back to 2016 saw a 1.4 percentage point global drop in the feeling that traditional parties and politicians dont care about people like them, while those without elections experienced a 0.8 percentage point global increase.

Still, while elections appear to be a salve, they are not a full remedy. In the short term, elections that replace those in government have a cathartic effect; they act as a pressure relief valve for public frustration. But fresh leaders do not necessarily mean a better or more responsive government.

Indeed, the populist wave is far from ebbing. The prevailing view among most people polled by Ipsos remains that their political and economic system is indeed broken.

On average, 64% feel their countrys economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful and 63% say that traditional parties and politicians dont care about people like them. This is fertile ground for populist leaders and parties in the future.

But we should also not expect broken-system sentiment to disappear. So long as populist parties and leaders are operating, they will persuade a share of voters that the system is rigged against them, even when there is ample evidence to the contrary a sort of feedback loop.

More profoundly, the polling reveals the intrinsic virtue of free and fair elections. Independent of who wins, elections mitigate the authoritarian tendencies and attitudes that lead ordinary citizens to turn against the political system.

The takeaway from this poll is clear. Policies that strengthen election institutions both here and abroad should be democracy advocates central focus. As for sitting governments? Deliver on your promises, or be replaced.

Clifford A. Young is the president of Ipsos Public Affairs, United States. Justin Gest is a professor at George Mason Universitys Schar School of Policy and Governance. This column was produced for Progressive Perspectives, a project of The Progressive magazine, and distributed by Tribune News Service.

Opinion: The Perils Of Populism – Hingham Anchor

Posted: at 4:57 pm

June 26, 2023 By Michael Weymouth

Recently a charter school principal in Tallahassee, Florida was forced toresign after several parents complained that a sixth-grade Renaissance arthistory lesson was pornographic. The issue, it seems, was a photo ofMichelangelos sculpture of David, which showed his genitals, a notuncommon feature in Renaissance art, which unashamedly glorified thehuman body. The larger-than-life statue of the young Bible character holdsa slingshot over his shoulder which he used to slay the giant Goliath. Mostsignificantly, the David was created at the beginning of the Renaissance, aperiod of enlightenment that set western civilization on a new course. Thesculpture symbolized the aspirations and hopes of that dawning era, nodoubt one of the lessons the art teacher wanted to impress on the sixth-graders. Unfortunately the presence of Davids penis was of greaterconcern to the offended parents.

This incident may seem a bit silly for most of us, but it is also an example ofthe perils of populism.

Historically populism was referred to as direct democracy, where thepeople had an unfiltered voice in running the government, versus affectingchange through elected representatives. For a government that purportedto be of, by and for the people, direct democracy would seem to makesense. But a great deal of thought was given to this subject at the foundingof our country. In an article in National Affairs, Madison and the Perils ofPopulism, George Thomas, the Wohlford Professor of American PoliticalInstitutions at Claremont McKenna College, wrote in 2016 about the rise inpopulism that led to the election of Donald Trump.https://nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/madison-and-the-perils-of-populism Thomas provides an extensive explanation as to why theFounders were opposed to populism, believing that elected political officialswere not merely to act as a mouthpiece of the citizenry, but to see furtherthan ordinary citizens: to refine and enlarge the public views, to have thewisdom to discern the true interest of their country, and to do so even if itmeant acting against popular views. Representative democracy waspreferable to direct democracy precisely because it was designed to placethose of superior political understanding and judgment in office.

Because the passions of the people could be openly played upon, Madisonconcluded that it was often the case that a single orator would be seen torule with as complete a sway as if a scepter had been placed in his singlehand. No better example of this exists than Donald Trumps statementearly in his campaign, I alone can fix it, indicating that Donald Trump hadlittle understanding of how the democratic process worked, or perhaps justas significantly, how his supporters believed democracy worked.

Thomas wrote that Madison believed that we should guard against this typeof would-be demagogue who uses populisms lure to flatter the prejudicesof the people in order to gain power. Unfortunately, Donald Trump hasperfected this skill to a black art, and Florida governor Ron DeSantis is notfar behind, as he is presently carrying the populism banner from Florida tothe country at large.

DeSantis set the aforementioned Florida incident in motion by appealing topopulist concerns about wokeness, which among other thingsencouraged the banning of books school children had access to. If evenone parent complained about a books content, especially having to do withLGBTQ issues or critical race theory (CRT,) or other woke issues, that bookwould be banned. DeSantis claimed that parents should have a say in whattheir kids learned in school, even if their actions contradicted advice fromeducation professionals.

My conservative friends say, no big deal, this was just an isolated incidentin an attempt to downplay it. In fact, like the crack in the foundation of anew building that would one day lead to its downfall, the incident is anexample of what the country would be subjected to if populists are allowedto control our democracy. The polarization we are presently experiencing inour nation is a direct result of politicians giving voice to populist sentimentsand to the flood of misinformation that underpins those sentiments.

It is noteworthy that the block of marble the David was hewn from wasrejected by all the sculptors of the day because of its odd configuration.Only Michelangelo saw the sculpture within. What we need today arepoliticians who have that same vision of the possibilities within ourdemocracy. And it should not be lost on us that the Italians did not refer tothat period of history as the Renaissance, they used the term Svegliato,which translated means woke.

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Iterations of Immortality – Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence

Posted: at 4:57 pm

by David Berlinski

Editors note: We are delighted to welcome Science After Babel, the latest book from mathematician and philosopher David Berlinski. This article is adapted from Chapter 7.

The calculus and the rich body of mathematical analysis to which it gave rise made modern science possible, but it was the algorithm that made possible the modern world. They are utterly different, these ideas. The calculus serves the imperial vision of mathematical physics. It is a vision in which the real elements of the world are revealed to be its elementary constituents: particles, forces, fields, or even a strange fused combination of space and time. Written in the language of mathematics, a single set of fearfully compressed laws describes their secret nature. The universe that emerges from this description is alien, indifferent to human desires.

The great era of mathematical physics is now over. The three-hundred-year effort to represent the material world in mathematical terms has exhausted itself. The understanding that it was to provide is infinitely closer than it was when Isaac Newton wrote in the late 17th century, but it is still infinitely far away.

One man ages as another is born, and if time drives one idea from the field, it does so by welcoming another. The algorithm has come to occupy a central place in our imagination. It is the second great scientific idea of the West. There is no third.

An algorithm is an effective procedure a recipe, a computer program a way of getting something done in a finite number of discrete steps. Classical mathematics contains algorithms for virtually every elementary operation. Over the course of centuries, the complex (and counterintuitive) operations of addition, multiplication, subtraction, and division have been subordinated to fixed routines. Arithmetic algorithms now exist in mechanical form; what was once an intellectual artifice has become an instrumental artifact.

The world the algorithm makes possible is retrograde in its nature to the world of mathematical physics. Its fundamental theoretical objects are symbols, and not muons, gluons, quarks, or space and time fused into a pliant knot. Algorithms are human artifacts. They belong to the world of memory and meaning, desire and design. The idea of an algorithm is as old as the dry humped hills, but it is also cunning, disguising itself in a thousand protean forms. It was only in this century that the concept of an algorithm was coaxed completely into consciousness. The work was undertaken more than sixty years ago by a quartet of brilliant mathematical logicians: Kurt Gdel, Alonzo Church, Emil Post, and A. M. Turing, whose lost eyes seem to roam anxiously over the second half of the 20th century.

If it is beauty that governs the mathematicians soul, it is truth and certainty that remind him of his duty. At the end of the 19th century, mathematicians anxious about the foundations of their subject asked themselves why mathematics was true and whether it was certain, and to their alarm discovered that they could not say and did not know. Caught between mathematical crises and their various correctives, logicians were forced to organize a new world to rival the abstract, cunning, and continuous world of the physical sciences, their work transforming the familiar and intuitive but hopelessly unclear concept of the algorithm into one both formal and precise.

Unlike Andrew Wiles, who spent years searching for a proof of Fermats last theorem, the logicians did not set out to find the concept that they found. They were simply sensitive enough to see what they spotted. We still do not know why mathematics is true and whether it is certain. But we know what we do not know in an immeasurably richer way than we did. And learning this has been a remarkable achievement, among the greatest and least known of the modern era.

Dawn kisses the continents one after the other, and as it does a series of coded communications hustles itself along the surface of the earth, relayed from point to point by fiber-optic cables, or bouncing in a triangle from the earth to synchronous satellites, serene in the cloudless sky, and back to earth again, the great global network of computers moving chunks of data at the speed of light: stock-market indices, currency prices, gold and silver futures, news of cotton crops, rumors of war, strange tales of sexual scandal, images of men in starched white shirts stabbing at keyboards with stubby fingers or looking upward at luminescent monitors, beads of perspiration on their tensed lips. E-mail flashes from server to server, the circle of affection or adultery closing in an electronic braid; there is good news in Lisbon and bad news in Saigon. There is data everywhere and information on every conceivable topic: the way raisins are made in the Sudan, the history of the late Sung dynasty, telephone numbers of dominatrices in Los Angeles, and pictures too. A man may be whipped, scourged, and scoured without ever leaving cyberspace; he may satisfy his curiosity or his appetites, read widely in French literature, decline verbs in Sanskrit, or scan an interlinear translation of the Iliad, discovering the Greek for greave or grieve; he may search out remedies for obscure diseases, make contact with covens in South Carolina, or exchange messages with people in chat groups who believe that Princess Diana was murdered on instructions tendered by the House of Windsor, the dark demented devious old Queen herself sending the order that sealed her fate.

All of this is very interesting and very new indeed, interesting because new but however much we may feel that our senses are brimming with the debris of data, the causal nexus that has made the modern world extends in a simple line from the idea of an algorithm, as logicians conceived it in the 1930s, directly to the ever-present always-moving now; and not since the framers of the American Constitution took seriously the idea that all men are created equal has an idea so transformed the material conditions of life, the expectations of the race.

It is the algorithm that rules the world itself, insinuating itself into every device and every discussion or diagnosis, offering advice and making decisions, maintaining its presence in every transaction, carrying out dizzying computations, arming and then aiming cruise missiles, bringing the dinosaurs back to life on film, and, like blind Tiresias, foretelling the extinction of the universe either in a cosmic crunch or in one of those flaccid affairs in which after a long time things just peter out.

The algorithm has made the fantastic and artificial world that many of us now inhabit. It also seems to have made much of the natural world, at least that part of it that is alive. The fundamental act of biological creation, the most meaningful of moist mysteries among the great manifold of moist mysteries, is the construction of an organism from a single cell. Look at it backward so that things appear in reverse (I am giving you my own perspective): Viagra discarded, hair returned, skin tightened, that unfortunate marriage zipping backward, teeth uncapped, memories of a radiant young woman running through a field of lilacs, a bicycle with fat tires, skinned knees, Kool-Aid, and New Hampshire afternoons. But where memory fades in a glimpse of the noonday sun seen from a crib in winter, the biological drama only begins, for the rosy fat and cooing creature loitering at the beginning of the journey, whose existence Im now inferring, the one improbably responding to kitchy kitchy coo, has come into the world as the result of a spectacular nine-month adventure, one beginning with a spot no larger than a pinhead and passing by means of repeated but controlled cellular divisions into an organism of rarified and intricately coordinated structures, these held together in systems, the systems in turn animated and controlled by a rich biochemical apparatus, the process of biological creation like no other seen anywhere in the universe, strange but disarmingly familiar, for when the details are stripped away, the revealed miracle seems cognate to miracles of a more familiar kind, as when something is read and understood.

Much of the schedule by which this spectacular nine-month construction is orchestrated lies resident in DNA and schedule is the appropriate word, for while the outcome of the drama is a surprise, the offspring proving to resemble his maternal uncle and his great-aunt (red hair, prominent ears), the process itself proceeds inexorably from one state to the next, and processes of this sort, which are combinatorial (cells divide), finite (it comes to an end in the noble and lovely creature answering to my name), and discrete (cells are cells), would seem to be essentially algorithmic in nature, the algorithm now making and marking its advent within the very bowels of life itself.

DNA is a double helix this everyone now knows, the image as familiar as Marilyn Monroe two separate strands linked to one another by a succession of steps so that the molecule itself looks like an ordinary ladder seen under water, the strands themselves curved and waving. Information is stored on each strand by means of four bases A, T, G, and C; these are by nature chemicals, but they function as symbols, the instruments by which a genetic message is conveyed.

A library is in place, one that stores information, and far away, where the organism itself carries on, one sees the purposes to which the information is put, an inaccessible algorithm ostensibly orchestrating the entire affair. Meaning is inscribed in molecules, and so there is something that reads and something that is read; but they are, those strings, richer by far than the richest of novels, for while Tolstoys Anna Karenina can only suggest the woman, her black hair swept into a chignon, the same message carrying the same meaning, when read by the right biochemical agencies, can bring the woman to vibrant and complaining life, reading now restored to its rightful place as a supreme act of creation.

The mechanism is simple, lucid, compelling, extraordinary. In transcription, the molecule faces outward to control the proteins. In replication, it is the internal structure of DNA that conveys secrets, not from one molecule to another but from the past into the future. At some point in the life of a cell, double-stranded DNA is cleaved, so that instead of a single ladder, two separate strands may be found waving gently, like seaweed, the bond between base pairs broken. As in the ancient stories in which human beings originally were hermaphroditic, each strand finds itself longingly incomplete, its bases unsatisfied because unbound. In time, bases attract chemical complements from the ambient broth in which they are floating, so that if a single strand of DNA contains first A and then C, chemical activity prompts a vagrant T to migrate to A, and ditto for G, which moves to C, so that ultimately the single strand acquires its full complementary base pairs. Where there was only one strand of DNA, there are now two. Naked but alive, the molecule carries on the work of humping and slithering its way into the future.

A general biological property, intelligence is exhibited in varying degrees by everything that lives, and it is intelligence that immerses living creatures in time, allowing the cat and the cockroach alike to peep into the future and remember the past. The lowly paramecium is intelligent, learning gradually to respond to electrical shocks, this quite without a brain let alone a nervous system. But like so many other psychological properties, intelligence remains elusive without an objective correlative, some public set of circumstances to which one can point with the intention of saying, There, that is what intelligence is or what intelligence is like.

The stony soil between mental and mathematical concepts is not usually thought efflorescent, but in the idea of an algorithm modern mathematics does offer an obliging witness to the very idea of intelligence. Like almost everything in mathematics, algorithms arise from an old wrinkled class of human artifacts, things so familiar in collective memory as to pass unnoticed. By now, the ideas elaborated by Gdel, Church, Turing, and Post have passed entirely into the body of mathematics, where themes and dreams and definitions are all immured, but the essential idea of an algorithm blazes forth from any digital computer, the unfolding of genius having passed inexorably from Gdels incompleteness theorem to Space Invaders VII rattling on an arcade Atari, a progression suggesting something both melancholy and exuberant about our culture.

The computer is a machine, and so belongs to the class of things in nature that do something; but the computer is also a device dividing itself into aspects, symbols set into software to the left, the hardware needed to read, store, and manipulate the software to the right. This division of labor is unique among man-made artifacts: it suggests the mind immersed within the brain, the soul within the body, the presence anywhere of spirit in matter. An algorithm is thus an ambidextrous artifact, residing at the heart of both artificial and human intelligence. Computer science and the computational theory of mind appeal to precisely the same garden of branching forks to explain what computers do or what men can do or what in the tide of time they have done.

Molecular biology has revealed that whatever else it may be, a living creature is also a combinatorial system, its organization controlled by a strange, hidden, and obscure text, one written in a biochemical code. It is an algorithm that lies at the humming heart of life, ferrying information from one set of symbols (the nucleic acids) to another (the proteins).

The complexity of human artifacts, the things that human beings make, finds its explanation in human intelligence. The intelligence responsible for the construction of complex artifacts watches, computers, military campaigns, federal budgets, this very essay finds its explanation in biology. Yet however invigorating it is to see the algorithmic pattern appear and reappear, especially on the molecular biological level, it is important to remember, if only because it is so often forgotten, that in very large measure we have no idea how the pattern is amplified. Yet the explanation of complexity that biology affords is largely ceremonial. At the very heart of molecular biology, a great mystery is vividly in evidence, as those symbolic forms bring an organism into existence, control its morphology and development, and slip a copy of themselves into the future.

The transaction hides a process never seen among purely physical objects, one that is characteristic of the world where computers hum and human beings attend to one another. In that world intelligence is always relative to intelligence itself, systems of symbols gaining their point from having their point gained. This is not a paradox. It is simply the way things are. Two hundred years ago the French biologist Charles Bonnet asked for an account of the mechanics which will preside over the formation of a brain, a heart, a lung, and so many other organs. No account in terms of mechanics is yet available. Information passes from the genome to the organism. Something is given and something read; something ordered and something done. But just who is doing the reading and who is executing the orders, this remains unclear.

Cross-posted at Evolution News

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Column: The push me-pull you of political populism – Omaha World-Herald

Posted: at 4:56 pm

A Chinese proverb says, May you live in interesting times. Whether thats a curse or a blessing is up for grabs. Like it or not, Mr. Trump has certainly made things interesting. After his recent arrest, amid all the speculations and innuendos, here are several points I havent heard yet.

If you want it, here it is, come and get it, but youd better hurry cause its goin fast, Come & Get It, Badfinger by Paul McCartney

First, there is no comparison between Trumps Mar-a-Lago gaff and the actions of Pence, Biden, or even Clinton. Instead of cowboyn up, Trump went Watergate by lying and cover-up. Missing a play this obvious should concern inquiring minds as to Trumps abilities to make decisions under real pressure. Simply, he failed a test even a diminished Biden easily passed.

Second, Chris Christie pointed out that election results in 2018, 2020 and 2022 signaled Trump fatigue among voters. Election fraud is a debunked canard and voters widely rejected those claiming otherwise. If things remain as they are, a Trump vs. Biden rematch appears likely, and if, whats past is prologue, a Biden victory is imminent.

What? Not excited? While Biden was and remains, the best option since 2020, I have yet to meet anyone outside of MAGA-circles excited about either candidate. Another Trump vs. Biden race is, sadly, the best bad idea weve had by far.

Did I hear you say that there must be a catch? Will you walk away from a fool and his money?

Third, former Reagan speechwriter and Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan suggests a Trump Primary victory is the end of the Republican Party. Since 2016, independents and moderates have begun voting left of center. Noonan opines a third Trump campaign will solidify the divorce. America is best served by a healthy two-party system. If you think we have problems now, a multi-party system will be a real, here, hold my drink debacle.

Fourth, Trumps arrest is a golden parachute for Republicans. Instead of defending something so easily avoidable, Republican leadership should let the courts do the dirty work for them. By backing the judicial system, the GOP could elevate trust in our institutions of self-governance, side-step an obvious dumpster fire, and re-up their claim of being the law and justice party.

Regardless of party affiliation, if someone breaks the law, they should face the justice system. By allowing the courts to deal with Trump, Bidens viability as the guy who did and can beat Trump becomes challengeable, and, voil, both candidates are eased out of the race solving problems for both parties.

If you want it, here it is, come and get it, but youd better hurry cause its goin fast.

Finally, about every 100 years, Americans get to play whack-a-mole with populism. Our sixth president, Andrew Jackson served from 1829 to 1837, Nebraskas William Jennings Bryan, The Great Commoner was a national figure from 1896 to 1908, and Teddy Roosevelts Bull Moose Party (1912) and Ross Perot (1992 to 1996) lead us up to Trump (2016). By the mid-1990s, the Republican Party moved from Reagans conservative platform toward populism. Like the Democrats, along the way toward ideological purity, the GOP ejected moderates. Consequently, extremists in both parties have become more strident, intolerant and offering legislation less-representative of the majority of Americans.

As both parties demanded ideological loyalty, the bedrock of self-governance, civil debate, fell to the wayside and compromise became a dirty word. Healthy public discussions and political debates restrain extremism through the moderating effects of competing ideas, constructive dissent and respectful civil engagement. Paul Ryan, Jeff Flake, Liz Cheney, Scott Walker, Ben Sasse and Adam Kinzinger represented the future of the GOP. Alas, theyve left or were pushed out and, today, the GOPs presidential bench is discernably weak and the party is subject to the whims of, to quote Republican Sen. Mitt Romney, morons.

If theres been a silver lining, its been watching Congressman Don Bacons political evolution. Subjected to MAGA slings and arrows, Bacon was recently recognized for his cross-aisle overtures and participation in bipartisan groups such as Problems Solvers.

Former NYC mayoral candidate Ed Koch once said, If you agree with me on nine out of 12 issues, vote for me. If you agree with me on 12 out of 12 issues, see a psychiatrist. Many dont agree with Bacon on everything, but hes matured into an elected official who, even under stress or disagreement, demonstrates character and integrity.

And in these moments, there is hope.

Rick Galusha writes, "Like most things, stemming the Brain Drain asks individual Nebraskans to consider how their actions, words and values affect others and thereby the economy."

Rick Galusha writes, "Patriotism has always been complex.The global rise of right-wing political extremism coupled with the growth of religious conservativism suggests that many are, understandably, looking for stability in a world of constant change."

The Omaha Free Speech Society brings people together to discuss important political and social issues, we got to know our neighbors, practice verbalizing complex ideas, rebuild trust and share coffee and donuts.

Community Columnist Rick Galusha writes, "When the nations founders met to write the U.S. Constitution, they cloaked the windows and forbade transcripts of the process so that participants could act and speak freely."

Community Columnist Rick Galusha writes, "We love our symbols and signs by sharing them on our cars, in our yards, and on social media. Why?"

Columnist Rick Galusha writes, "The voters have spoken: there are no victory laps this time."

Community columnist Rick Galusha writes, "As Nebraskas Second District knows, sometimes choosing the best candidates means crossing party lines ... Technically, this is called strategic voting but its just a practical approach."

Community Columnist Rick Galusha writes, "If the law is broken, regardless of party affiliation, officials need to be held accountable. But elected officials should be held to a higher standard of behavior."

Polling indicates voters are fed up with bickering and acrimony.

Occasionally, a reader suggests I am overly critical of Republicans. Its a reasonable criticism. Historically, political parties were monolit

"You gotta give the people what they want."

Columnist Rick Galusha writes: "At the heart of our model of self-governance are free speech and civic debate. I remind students their grandparents founded modern-day rights movements. It is through discussions that the language and norms develop for society to operate."

Columnist Rick Galusha writes, "While winning elections is the sole motivation of political parties, 'moving the goal posts' (or changing the rules) is monstrously unethical. Those who love this country and wish to see it continue shining freedoms beacon to the world can no longer sit by silently and allow this damaging subterfuge to continue."

Community columnist Rick Galusha writes: "Its time to weigh our own behavior while not turning a blind eye toward irresponsible actors."

Community Columnist Rick Galusha writes: "Are we defined by fear and anxiety, a $28 trillion monument to mismanagement, and manipulated societal division?"

"Take a bow for the new revolution."

We know empirically that when one strictly congregates with like-minded ideologues, they will increasingly spin further away from median voters views by becoming increasingly ideologically extreme in ideas and rhetoric.

Those who promote a known falsehood or stand by with a wink and a nod are actively dividing our nation and undermining our trust in the institutions that guide American democracy.

Federal spending and taxation demands hard, unpleasant, civil, public debate to determine national priorities. All of the above is no longer an option.

Our columnist believesNebraskas prairie populism is moderate, centrist and fed up with the growing hyperpartisanship of the last 30 years.

We need to remember those who died as well as those who served and those who suffered physical and mental injuries; these losses are personal, writes community columnist Rick Galusha.

Understandably, as groups stake their claim in the American dream, they want their journey, hardships and celebrations to be fully acknowledged.

All it took was a dry-land hurricane and just like that were helping neighbors and strangers. Helping others was the silver lining of Omahas recent windstorm, writes community columnist Rick Galusha.

'Those who imbibe in the toxic elixir of deceit are now finding each other and infecting society with a poison more subtle and dangerous than any virus or partisan activist.'

Its normal to be uncomfortable with change. Youre not alone. We all want a friendly smile, a kind word, affirmation and hope.

Unlike prior historical moments, this pandemics end will quietly creep into our lives as friends and coworkers sporadically get vaccinated.

The challenge of civics education is that one person's definition of "good" could be different than someone else's, which speaks to the importance of tolerance in our pluralistic nation.

History shows that democracies fail when political extremism abandons cooperation and compromise. During stressful times, democracies turn toward strongman leaders and right-wing authoritarianism.

Known as the principal agent problem, should elected officials be guided by their conscience or should they vote their districts preference?

This nation is facing a dark winter. We can choose to remain on a course of division and hyperpartisanship. Or we can look not to Washington, on stages or sports fields, but in the mirror.

From time to time, our nation and our community rely on moral leadership and common sense from its older members.

"To know Clare Duda is to know a laugh that explodes outward, filling the room, a smile that never fades, and the humble warmth of a man comfortable in his skin."

"If youve walked into a voting booth and thought, I dont like either of these candidates, you may be moderate. Dont worry, most voters are."

Rick Galusha, Ph.D., teaches political science at Bellevue University. Hes hosted a blues radio show for 30 years and was the president of Homers Music Stores. Galusha was active in the creation of the Old Market Business Association and served as the groups first president.

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Column: The push me-pull you of political populism - Omaha World-Herald

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Digital immortality, #DeathTok and the future of death – WGSN

Posted: at 4:56 pm

Is talking about death still taboo today? WGSN opens a conversation to explore the shifting mindsets about death and dying.

As the world grapples with the pandemic and ageing populations, the topic of death has come to the fore. People are feeling more comfortable discussing death; some even embrace it, as seen from those making funeral arrangements to the rise of #DeathTok.

In this episode, WGSNs CEO Carla Buzasi speaks to Allyson Rees, Senior Strategist on WGSN Insight, to explore the key issues impacting consumer attitudes and how theyre responding, from a death curriculum in China to a US festival that helps people plan for their death and beyond.

Allyson also co-authored our report on The Future of Death, which examines the key issues that will shape the ideas, rituals and economy of death in 2023 and beyond. Request a demo with WGSN to discover how your brand can support the conversation on death via new grief rituals, achieving digital immortality and more.

In Japan seizens is the act of staging your own death while you are alive. This practice helps older people take ownership of their death celebration and remove that burden from the family. Everything gets planned then, including the financial aspect of things. This is allowing people to plan for the death and the funeral that they want.

Theres been a movement towards alternatives to cremation. We talk about terramation, which is also known as human composting. This uses a fraction of the energy that is required for cremation. It takes about eight to 12 weeks and it turns a corpse into rich soil, which is something that we need.

There is a growing awareness about what happens to our digital life after we die. The Oxford Internet Institute estimates that theres going to be more Facebook accounts belonging to the deceased than living people by the year 2100. And theyre estimating about 3.6 billion profiles. Allyson Rees, Senior Strategist, WGSN Insight

Head to Apple or Spotify to hear the full discussion on our Lives of Tomorrow podcast episode, The Future of Death.

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Digital immortality, #DeathTok and the future of death - WGSN

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Hell’s Paradise: Who Are the Tensen & Why Are They so Powerful? – CBR – Comic Book Resources

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The following contains spoilers for Hell's Paradise, now streaming on Crunchyroll.

Hell's Paradise's initial pitch is pitting a bunch of criminals on a mysterious island in search of the mythical Elixir of Life. It is supposed to be a battle royale with the successful criminal's liberty hanging as the prize. Granted, the criminals did go against each other at first. They effectively dwindled their original number to just around half, allowing the narrative to focus more on the remaining characters. But as the story progresses, both the characters and the viewers learn the sinister truth the true enemy isn't the other criminals but the mysterious creatures of the island. And these creatures wield a terrifying amount of power.

The island where the ten death row inmates were thrown is called the Shinsenkyo, and it's not the first time a group of people has been sent there. However, the previous expeditions only result in casualties. Almost nobody returns alive, and when they do, they can barely be called living. They've been infested by mystical plants, turning them into a plant-human hybrid. This time, however, the criminals finally manage to unravel one mystery after another. They discover that what truly makes Shinsenkyo terrifying is the creatures that reside on it. There are a number of deadly bugs, gigantic monsters, and fiendish humanoids. And standing on the top of its food chain is the Tensen.

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The Tensen, which are often referred to as Lord Tensen by their subordinates, isn't just one individual. In fact, the Tensen are seven mighty beings who have attained mastery over the five Immortality Training Methods. They are the ones who lead the entire Shinsenkyo, and all the island's denizens recognize them as their supreme ruler. That being said, they take turns patrolling the vicinity and taking out any unwanted visitors. In exchange, they hold absolute authority over the entire island, as well as the monopoly on the innermost part of Shinsenkyo the Horai. They are basically the revered deities of Shinsenkyo, which even the denizens of Shinsenkyo literally worship. Even though they technically have equal standing, they still follow one leader: the Tensen Rien.

Calling the Tensen deities isn't a mere exaggeration. While they possess human forms, only their appearances are human. They are terrifying creatures who possess supernatural abilities, including the capacity to change sexes at will. All of them have male and female forms, which they liberally use to commit carnal activities in the name of circulating their Tao. Their true form, however, is far from what a human being looks like. Their true forms almost have no semblance to their human forms, and it is in this form they can actually unleash the full extent of their powers. As the rulers of the mysterious Shinshenkyo, they can't be easy targets for foreign invaders.

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What makes the Tensen supreme beings is the fact that they've already mastered the use of Tao. This does not only allow them to become immortals, but it also grants them superior fighting abilities. The fact that no invader has successfully seen Horai and survived is hard proof of that. And they achieve this through their masterful use of Tao.

Tao in the world of Hell's Paradise refers to the energy that flows in every living being. Though it is referred to as such in Shinsenkyo, it is also known in various forms across the verse. For instance, the shinobi refer to it as Qi, which allows them to execute their techniques. Similarly, Yamada Asaemon Shion refers to it as waves. Since their understanding of Tao differs from that of the Tensen, the others' use and mastery of it aren't at par with the Tensen.

The Tensen incorporate the use of Tao in their fighting style. They manipulate their Tao and use it as a projectile, allowing them to launch attacks invisible to the human eye. They can also visualize other people's Tao, allowing them to sense their opponent's next move. The Tensen also utilize Tao to enhance their physical abilities and, in Mei's case, manifest a barrier. However, the complexity of Tao is yet to be fully discussed in the show. The only explanation the viewers receive is Mei's ambiguous description of it: Strong, weak. Weak, strong.

RELATED:Hell's Paradise Sagiri Stares Into the Depths of Fans' Souls in Intense Cosplay

Through their mastery of Tao, the Tensen are also granted hyper-regeneration. They can almost instantly recover from what would be considered mortal wounds. Even decapitation and burning couldn't kill them, while injuries recover just as fast as they were inflicted. The only possible way of killing the Tensen is by attacking their navel, where their Tao is concentrated.

While the usage of Tao grants the Tensen an incredible amount of power, it is not without a setback. They have to use their fighting ability in moderation, or they will have to face the consequences. And the consequence seems to be rapid aging, especially when the Tensen manifests their true forms. Viewers have already witnessed this during Gabimaru's fight against Zhu Jin. When the rogue ninja pushed the Tensen to their limit, Zhu Jin was forced to show Gabimaru their true form. They shed their human husk and transformed into a plant-like monster. This transformation boosted their fighting abilities, and Zhu Jin almost managed to eliminate Gabimaru. But after that, Zhu Jin's youth vanished, and they became old and decrepit.

However, old age isn't a death sentence to the Tensen. They naturally have the means to counter it Tan. Tan is the Elixir of Life that the criminals have arduously been searching for. The Tensen consume Tan in order to maintain their youth and immortality. In order to create Tan, they require humans as ingredients. The stronger the human, the better. It's through the combination of these forces that Hell's Paradise main antagonists become frighteningly powerful.

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Hilarious Giannis Antetokounmpo Jumps $174 Billion Brand to … – The Sportsrush

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Giannis Antetokounmpo is known as the Greek Freak because of his dominance on the court. But off the hardwood floor, Giannis is a hilarious human being. Known for his goofy antics on social media, the 2021 NBA Champion recently leaked some classified information on Instagram. Sharing a video of a practice session, Giannis jumped Nike a $174 billion brand, and revealed his new sneakers. All while commenting on how great they are as he awkwardly sniffed them.

Instagram has long been Giannis favored social media platform. And, when he does post, the content is always one of two things. Either its him working hard in training or a video of him that leaves his fans in stitches. Well, it just so happens that his most recent post encompassed both, but at Nikes expense.

Sneakerheads usually wait months in anticipation of sneaker drops. This is especially true when these shoes belong to some of the best players in the world. So, more often than not companies like to keep things under lock and key, and hopefully capitalize on the hype surrounding them.

However, there are times when things dont go as planned. Like when details of a shoe get leaked or, in some cases, when the player himself gives fans a sneak peek. This is exactly what happened with Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The Greek Freak recently shared a video on Instagram that got a lot of chuckles. After just finishing up a training session, Giannis was seen sniffing his shoes on the bench. As he explained to his 15.2 million followers, you can tell if a shoe is good based on its smell. It was only mid-sniff that he realized he had his new Immortality 3s in hand.

This is my favorite shoe. It even smells good. You know how a shoe becomes your favorite shoe? Obviously I dont know if we can showcase this right now butwe dont care! Instead of other people leaking our shoeyou know how a shoe is good? When you smell that s*itwhen you sniff it and it smells the right way. Thats how you know! Immortality 3. Its coming. On the way!

Loading embed instagram https://www.instagram.com/reel/CuFKlxHNpvv/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading

The execs at Nike probably arent going to be happy about it, but what can they do? After all, this is one of their bonafide superstars leaking a shoe that he loves to smell and just so happens to be very affordable.

Well, the secret is out, Giannis Antetokounmpos new shoes, the Nike Immortality 3s not only smell good but they look good as well. Whats more, the shoe is also extremely affordable. Retailing at just $85, the Immortality 3s are one of Nikes most affordable shoes and its all thanks to the Greek Freak.

Giannis didnt exactly have it easy growing up. He was poor and had to work hard to get to where he is today. So, he decided to make a shoe that everyone who follows and supports him could buy.

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He truly is a man of the people. And while he does do some hilarious things that could get him in trouble with Nike, his fans will be forever grateful for it.

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What Foods Contain Aspartame? What You Need to Know – Green Matters

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The artificial sweetener aspartame is the subject of a cancer research study by the World Health Organization. What foods contain aspartame?

For most food products, especially soda products, every brand has a "zero sugar" or artificial sweetener option. However, those who thought Diet Coke was a healthier alternative to the full-sugar Coca-Cola might want to rethink their stance.

On June 29, 2023, Reuters reported that the World Health Organization (WHO)'s cancer research agency may declare aspartame, an artificial sweetener typically found in Diet Coke, a possible carcinogen in July 2023.