Month: April 2021

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NBN Book of the Day - Ritchie Robertson, “The Enlightenment: The Pursuit of Happiness, 1680-1790” (Harper, 2021)

The Enlightenment: The Pursuit of Happiness, 1680-1790 (Harper, 2021) is a magisterial history that recasts the Enlightenment as a period not solely consumed with rationale and reason, but rather as a pursuit of practical means to achieve greater human happiness. 

One of the formative periods of European and world history, the Enlightenment is the fountainhead of modern secular Western values: religious tolerance, freedom of thought, speech and the press, of rationality and evidence-based argument. 

Yet why, over three hundred years after it began, is the Enlightenment so profoundly misunderstood as controversial, the expression of soulless calculation? The answer may be that, to an extraordinary extent, we have accepted the account of the Enlightenment given by its conservative enemies: that enlightenment necessarily implied hostility to religion or support for an unfettered free market, or that this was “the best of all possible worlds”. 

Ritchie Robertson goes back into the “long eighteenth century,” from approximately 1680 to 1790, to reveal what this much-debated period was really about. Robertson returns to the era’s original texts to show that above all, the Enlightenment was really about increasing human happiness – in this world rather than the next – by promoting scientific inquiry and reasoned argument.

Zach McCulley (@zamccull) is a historian of religion and literary cultures in early modern England and PhD candidate in History at Queen's University Belfast.

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New Books in Native American Studies - K. Bunn-Marcuse and A. Jonaitis, “Unsettling Native Art Histories on the Northwest Coast” (U Washington Press, 2020)

Inseparable from its communities, Northwest Coast art functions aesthetically and performatively beyond the scope of non-Indigenous scholarship, from demonstrating kinship connections to manifesting spiritual power. Contributors to Unsettling Native Art Histories on the Northwest Coast (University of Washington Press, 2020), edited by Kathryn Bunn-Marcuse and Aldona Jonaitis, foreground Indigenous understandings in recognition of this rich context and its historical erasure within the discipline of art history.

By centering voices that uphold Indigenous priorities, integrating the expertise of Indigenous knowledge holders about their artistic heritage, and questioning current institutional practices, these new essays "unsettle" Northwest Coast art studies. Key themes include discussions of cultural heritage protections and Native sovereignty; re-centering women and their critical role in transmitting cultural knowledge; reflecting on decolonization work in museums; and examining how artworks function as living documents. The volume exemplifies respectful and relational engagement with Indigenous art and advocates for more accountable scholarship and practices.

Kirstin L. Ellsworth holds a Ph.D. in the History of Art from Indiana University and is Associate Professor of Art History at California State University Dominguez Hills.

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New Books in Native American Studies - Dave Auckly, et al., “Inspiring Mathematics: Lessons from the Navajo Nation Math Circles” (AMS, 2019)

Math circles defy simple narratives. The model was introduced a century ago, and is taking off in the present day thanks in part to its congruence with cutting-edge research in mathematics education. It is a modern approach to teaching—or facilitation—that resonates and finds mutual reinforcement with traditional practices and cultural preservation efforts. A wide range of math circle resources have become available for interested instructors, including the MSRI Math Circles Library, now in its 14th year of publication by the AMS.

I was excited to talk with three editors and contributors to a recent volume in the series, Inspiring Mathematics: Lessons from the Navajo Nation Math Circles (American Mathematical, 2019). Drs. Dave Auckly, Amanda Serenevy, and Henry Fowler have been instrumental to the Navajo Nation Math Circles Project, along with co-editors Tatiana Shubin and Bob Klein and a broader contact and support network. Their book showcases scripts developed and facilitated in Navajo Nation, including an introduction to modular arithmetic through bean bag tossing, prefix sorting in the guise of pancake flipping, and a tactile use of limiting behavior to folding a necktie. We discussed the origin and expansion of math circles, their potential to indigenous mathematics educators and students, and the content of and stories behind a selection of the scripts.

Dr. Fowler's foreword and the editors' introduction situate the math circles movement and the Navajo Nation Math Circles Project in history, geography, and culture. Each script begins with a (minimal!) list of the necessary materials and a student handout that invites explorations with them. A short survey of connections to deeper mathematics precedes each handout, and each is followed by an extensive teacher's guide with (illustrative) solutions and presentation suggestions. The scripts vary in complexity and are suitable for student- and teacher-focused math circles. I hope the text becomes widely adopted for science-based and culturally conscious mathematics education and helps introduce others like myself to the greater math circles project.

Suggested companion works:

-James Tanton

-The Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival

-Gordon Hamilton and Lora Saarnio, MathPickle

-Robert Kaplan and Ellen Kaplan, Out of the Labyrinth: Setting Mathematics Free

-Rachel and Rodi Steinig, Math Renaissance

Dave Auckly is a research mathematician at Kansas State University and Co-founder and Director of the Navajo Nation Math Circles Project. Amanda Serenevy is Co-founder and Director of the Riverbend Community Math Center. Henry Fowler is Associate Professor of Mathematics at Navajo Technical University and Co-director of the Navajo Nation Math Circles Project.

Cory Brunson is a Research Assistant Professor at the Laboratory for Systems Medicine at the University of Florida.

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What A Day - Make It Make Census

The results of the 2020 Census were released yesterday, and they showed that over the past decade, the U.S. population grew by the slowest pace since the 1930s. The results will change how the 435 seats in Congress are allocated, with a handful of states set to gain or lose a seat. We discuss.

The Supreme Court will be taking up a case that deals with the rights that people have to carry guns outside their homes for self-defense. They'll also take on a case affecting free speech that began when a teen wrote "F School" in a Snapchat message.

And in headlines: the DOJ will investigate the Louisville police department, the Biden administration will give AstraZeneca shots to other countries, and California Governor Gavin Newsom to face a recall election.


Show Notes:

The Brennan Center: "The Redistricting Landscape, 2021–22" – https://bit.ly/3aHoqcP

Show some love and vote for us as Best News and Politics podcast in the 25th Annual People’s Voice Awards! – https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2021/podcasts/general-series/news-politics


For a transcript of this show, please visit crooked.com/whataday.

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In God We Lust - Two Guys Named Jesus | 3

Giancarlo presents a new real estate opportunity to the Falwells, while they present him to a famous real estate mogul. Giancarlo and the Falwells grow closer through their new Miami venture, but being in business together leads to pressures they don’t anticipate.

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The Daily Signal - ‘It Hurts Voters of Arizona,’ Lawmaker Says of Election Bill Failing

Election integrity legislation sponsored by Arizona state Sen. Michelle Ugenti-Rita, who represents eastern Maricopa County, failed Thursday after state Sen. Kelly Townsend, who represents portions of Maricopa and Pinal counties, a fellow Republican, changed her vote to no during the final reading.


Ugenti-Rita joins "The Daily Signal Podcast" to discuss the bill, how its defeat hurts Arizonans, and whether another vote will be held on the legislation.


We also cover these stories:

  • The Supreme Court will argue a Second Amendment case in the coming months.  
  • Conservative justices on the Supreme Court are signaling their support towards two non-profits in their challenge against California legislation requiring them to disclose the identities of large donors, Reuters reported. 
  • The Supreme Court announced Monday that they have declined to hear arguments in a case between the states of Texas and California. 



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Ologies with Alie Ward - Maritime Archaeology (SHIPWRECKS) with Chanelle Zaphiropoulos

Shipwrecks. Treasure. Sunken planes. Scuttled submarines. New life forming around old machinery. There’s an -ology for that -- just ask Maritime Archaeologist and wreck nerd Chanelle Zaphiropoulos. This absolutely charming and passionate scuba diver, history buff and antiquities scholar dishes about pirates, warships, admirals worth admiring, and ships ranging in size from water taxis to the Costa Concordia and Titanic. Also world record diving stats, war graves, how owning a fountain pen can be egregious and why a Midwestern coal barge from the 1970’s is worthy of weeping over. Ahoy!

Follow Chanelle at Twitter.com/sharksandwrecks and Instagram.com/sharksandwrecks

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The Stack Overflow Podcast - From music to trading cards, software is transforming curation and collecting

You can follow David on Twitter here and read his blog here.

Check out more about Dapper Labs and it's work with the NBA and NFTs here.

David has written some influential pieces on the world of digital music and the role of software platforms. Check out a few of his pieces here.

Read about David's adventure's setting up a Minecraft server for his kids and using software for griefer detection. 

Thanks to our lifeboat badge winner of the week, Keith Thompson, for answering the question: Go lang differentiate “\n” and line break

As Keith eloquently explains, "There is no distinction between a 'real' and an 'unreal' line break."