The best books of 2023, as chosen by The Economist [The Economist]

The media are partly to blame for political polarisation in America [The Economist Podcasts]

Blue Quran: A rare 1,000-year-old masterpiece [BBC News]

Work Shift: What the Office Will Look Like in 2024 [Bloomberg]

US-China relations: Expect more turbulence in 2024 [Reuters]

We know who created Syria’s torture programme and how [AL-Jazeera News]

There Are No Safe Places In Gaza [The New Yorker]

NASA streamed a cat video from deep space. Behold the glory of Taters, who stars in an ultra-high definition video that was beamed to Earth from 19 million miles away. Oh, and the video was streamed via laser. Awesome. [The Verge]

Why are Christmas movies all about kissing? A theory. [Vox]

8 predictions for AI in 2024 [TechCrunch]

There was some good climate news in 2023. Really. [MIT Technology Review]

Business Insider has been banned from this blog for the time being

As #COP28 looks to ditch language on phasing down and phasing out fossil fuels, it’s time to take stock of what this means for the environment movement. It’s time for Western activists to wake up to why the call to phase out fossil fuels was doomed to fail due to a fundamental failure of the call itself.

Here at the COP28 summit in Dubai, I’ve been working with delegates from a range of developing nations – the Gambia, Ghana, Nigeria, Chad, Mali, and Malaysia to name just a few. Overwhelmingly, they tell me that the fundamental problem with the fossil fuel phase-out call is that, for them, it’s meaningless.

The focus, then, has to shift. Instead of focusing on dismantling the incumbent system, we need to focus on accelerating the deployment of the new system that will replace it (both in terms of technological transformations across key sectors, as well as related socio-economic transformations): because that’s the only way that demand for oil and gas can be eliminated.

Ultimately, the conversation needs to change to how we phase out fossil fuel demand. Because it’s demand that keeps producers in business.

#environment #energy #energyefficiency #energyindustry #energytransition #energytransformation #fossilfuels #phaseout #phasedown #fossilfuel #oilgas #oil #gas #climatechange #climateemergency #climatecrisis #climatejustice #climateaction #climatefinance #cop #cop28uae #un #unitednations #climatesummit [LinkedIn]

The Boy and the Heron review – Miyazaki’s mysterious, magical fantasy on grief and meaning [The Guardian]

House Dysfunction by the Numbers: 724 Votes, Only 27 Laws Enacted [New York Times]

An Earthquake In Northwestern China Kills At Least 131 People And Is The Deadliest In 9 Years [Huffington Post] imperative to send MSF and Red Cross asap

The best gift for kids? Fewer toys. [The Washington Post]

French serial killer's ex-wife sentenced to life in prison for participation in three murders [Le Monde]

5 tech trends we want to see in 2024 [Mashable]

Scientists Have Solved the Mystery of a Strange 'Signal' from Earth's Core, Study Reports [VICE News]

“THE SQUAD,” PART 2: FROM OBAMA TO BERNIE, A CRISIS AND A CROSSROADS [The Intercept_]

Cooking oil just fueled a transatlantic flight. But is it a solution or a distraction? [National Geographic]

A story of student loan forgiveness, 20 years in the making [NPR]

Music is medicine at some Sacramento County hospitals [CapRadioNews]

Pour en finir avec les faux débats sur les sondages [Le Monde diplomatique]

The Real Russian Nuclear Threat. The West Is Worried About the Wrong Escalation Risks [Foreign Affairs]

Emmanuel Macron picks internal intelligence chief to helm DGSE [Intelligence Online]

How the Global Refugee Forum Can Help End Afghanistan’s Refugee Crisis [The Diplomat]

The Year in Biology [Quanta Magazine]

La #PhotoDeLaSemaine présente la salle de contrôle chez @ATLASexperiment, quand le Père Noël lui a rendu visite il y a quelques années. ATLAS est l'un des deux détecteurs à usage général du Grand collisionneur de hadrons (#LHC). [CERN_FR]

Four-time Space Veteran Jeff Williams to Retire from NASA [NASA]

BLOGPOST UPDATE IN PROGRESS

What’s up, everybody! Here are JETLAG RADIO 1044 & BENKYO RADIO 1044. As always, the Obama Foundation does great work for the future of our nation, especially when it is under attack by the #MAGAcult invasion. Now more than ever, while Biden has trouble understanding the ramification of standing by Netanyahu, the Butcher, the Barbarian, the person who caused a Genocide in Palestine, Obama has to get in a room with Bush, Clinton, and Biden, and say, look, guys, are you going to let America get taken over by Trump and his fourth reich over here? Are you fucking serious? Wake the fuck up. We have to think about Presidential Elections 2024. VP Harris is the front-runner. Will Biden stay in the equation? The American public is not so sure, but thankfully we have Gavin Newsom and Alex Padilla who can help us make sure that Americans #VoteBlueToSaveAmerica2024.

Until Next Time!