"...I realize that we could not build some of these [buildings] now; the crafts to create them are forgotten, along with...[all] these [handcrafted] trades and … everything. The entire human infrastructure.
And I think: None of this world could have been built by the people now living in it."
The world made by hand, By Brian Kaller, originally published by Restoring Mayberry June 1, 2024
"...All the crafts disappeared in a generation or two – the coopers, wrights, milliners, cord-wainers and thousands more. All the stories handed down through generations disappeared in a few generations, until we all know only the same few pop-culture stories. Almost all the apprenticeships, lodges, clubs, co-ops and guilds disappeared... We are the survivors wandering the ruins of a post-apocalyptic society, but it has been a cultural apocalypse, a mass forgetting, and it’s still going on...
...I realize that we could not build some of these [buildings] now; the crafts to create them are forgotten, along with...[all] these [handcrafted] trades and … everything. The entire human infrastructure.
And I think: None of this world could have been built by the people now living in it."
Two women in Mumbai are separated by only a few years in age and a 20-minute drive. Yet their starkly different lives spotlight India’s deepening wealth divide — and the inequality that has empowered some to reach new heights alongside the country’s fast-growing economy, while others are left behind. Take a look at this photo feature by CNN, which illustrates an India divided by prosperity and poverty amid a national election. https://flip.it/c8FMrd #Culture#India#Poverty#Wealth#Politics
Cinema has gifted us with a steady stream of post-apocalyptic movies that often make us ponder real life in a such a hellscape. Fortunately, one brave writer took up the task of watching 51 dystopian films to determine which ones he could survive. It nearly killed him. Read his story on The Ringer: https://flip.it/Eg00gs #Culture#Entertainment#Movies#Dystopia
As the row over Baillie Gifford's arts sponsorship gathers pace (Fossil Free Books are trying to end BG's sponsorships due to their involvement with fossil fuel firms), the bigger Q. is as more sponsorship is accused of using taineted money, how are arts & associated cultural events to be funded?
Accusations of greenwashing may be right but what is less developed is an alternative funding model for the arts.
Other than state funding (which seems unlikely) what else is there?
It’s #NewstodonFriday — such a shame it’s been a slow news week! Just to refresh your memories, this is a day to feature work from newsrooms with an active presence in the #Fediverse. If you like what you see in the (long!) thread below, follow the profiles and boost their stories. If you’re a journo or newsroom that we don’t know about or if there’s a newsroom you’d love to put on our radar, please let us know in the comments below.
Bruce Springsteen might be the biggest naysayer of all when it comes to giving permission for politicians to use music for campaigning. As “Born in the USA” turns 40, @TheConversationUS breaks down why this is one of Springsteen’s most misunderstood songs.
Margaret Cavendish wrote scathingly about the rising use of firearms, complaining that they let 'clouns' gun down in seconds those who had spent years learning to fight with swords.
Her fuddy duddy writings are much underrated comedy, while her more credible work remains very worthy of study.
"Her Blazing World - #MargaretCavendish’s boldness and bravery set 17th-century society alight, but is she a #Feminist poster-girl for our times?"
When did lithium became the woke element, and hydrogen the conservative element? ;-)
Question: I'm looking for a proper history on how electrification (more so than decarbonization) of our buildings and road transport became a power / money / culture war / ideological/ political issue. Did any journalist or writer tackle this topic?
Looking for either a long-form article or a book. Any pointers appreciated.
Camp Lost Boys, in the woods between Denver and Colorado Springs, is the world's only sleep-away camp and largest gathering space for adult trans men. Its goal is to encourage trans men to take up space and express love for their own masculinity. “Being a man is often seen as a terrible thing, particularly if you come from a queer space … and we internalize that,” says Rocco Kayiatos, founder of the Intentional Man Project, the nonprofit that makes camp happen. @19thnews talked to some of the men who attend Camp Lost Boys, who range from their teens to their 70s. “I have never seen that many trans guys in one space. To be honest, I haven’t seen this many trans adults, ever,” says 19-year-old Orion Pevehouse. “I have never seen an old trans person. And it just gives me a lot of hope that … I’m gonna live my entire life like this. And that’s just really exciting.”