Join Dr. Michael Hudson, New Testament Scholar Dr. Aliou Niang, and Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, Biblical Scholar and co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign for panel discussion on Michael Hudson’s book, And Forgive Them Their Debts, at The People’s Forum, 320 West 37th Street, New York, NY, from 6-9pm on April 15, 2019. From the announcement:

Debt plays a central role in upholding the economic and social order of the day. In the US, mounting debt and the crippling financialization of our lives is taken as fact. Our political leaders see no real problem and offer no serious solution. This was not always the case. Throughout antiquity, widespread debt-cancellation was understood as a moral and practical necessity. In a significant new book, And Forgive Them Their Debts, economist Michael Hudson traces the biblical demand against debt and the long history of economic jubilees. Counter to dominant history and theology, Hudson reveals how the Bible itself is concerned most with the moral failure of economic systems, rather than personal sin.

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Rapidly declining remarkability of temperature anomalies may obscure public perception of climate change PNAS. “The reference point for normal conditions appears to be based on weather experienced between 2 and 8 y ago.” Perhaps that’s why “global warming” was such an ineffective frame.

Corporate America is failing to invest Gillian Tett, FT

Uber’s IPO filing can’t decide whether it loves or hates Travis Kalanick, and it’s pretty awkward Business Insider

Uber IPO prospectus shows ride-hailing revenues stalled FT. Well, maybe, for the investors, destroying public transportation is enough.

Stay Away From Teslas Eschaton

French officials call Project Gutenberg archive, 15 million ebooks, Grateful Dead recordings and Prelinger Archive “terrorism,” demands removal from Internet Archive Boing Boing

HSBC Sexual Harassment Case Shows Banks’ Struggles in MeToo Era Bloomberg

Brexit

Swiss court orders historic referendum re-run BBC

Syraqistan

Venezuela

US Threatens Venezuela at UNSC as IMF Freezes Funds Venezuelanalysis

Anxiety Grows Among Brazil Businessmen Over Delayed Economic Rebound Bloomberg

North Korea

The Plan to Resurrect the North Korea Nuclear Talks Defense One

By land, air, sea or elephant: 1 billion people across India, Indonesia and Australia prepare to vote by any means South China Morning Post

India

China?

Malaysia’s East Coast Rail Link back on track after government signs $14.5b deal with China Straits Times

Cambodia electricity shortage cripples small businesses Deutsche Welle

New Cold War

Trump Transition

Assange Arrest

2020

The farm industry is pushing for tighter right-to-farm laws across the country New Food Economy.

Class Warfare

NASA Twins Study results show how a year in space affects an astronaut’s DNA LA Times (DK).

The space race is dominated by new contenders Economist. From 2018, but interesting charts.

Tolkien’s guide to contemporary politics Unherd

Video: Defying Gravity LRB. Adam Tooze on the exercise of American power. Starts off with lateral thinking on Geithner, a “truly Napoleonic figure,” but broadens out (!). Grab a cup of coffee:

For Davos Man, “the new clarity in Washington is profoundly corrosive and upsetting.”

Antidote du jour (via):

Sad:

See yesterday’s Links and Antidote du Jour here