Month: March 2023

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NBN Book of the Day - Mary Flanagan and Mikael Jakobsson, “Playing Oppression: The Legacy of Conquest and Empire in Colonialist Board Games” (MIT Press, 2023)

Playing Oppression: The Legacy of Conquest and Empire in Colonialist Board Games (MIT Press, 2023) by Dr. Mary Flanagan & Dr. Mikael Jakobsson is a striking analysis of popular board games' roots in imperialist reasoning—and why the future of play depends on reckoning with it.

Board games conjure up images of innocuously enriching entertainment: family game nights, childhood pastimes, cooperative board games centered around resource management and strategic play. Yet in Playing Oppression, Dr. Flanagan and Dr. Jakobsson apply the incisive frameworks of postcolonial theory to a broad historical survey of board games to show how these seemingly benign entertainments reinforce the logic of imperialism.

Through this lens, the commercialized version of Snakes and Ladders takes shape as the British Empire's distortion of Gyan Chaupar (an Indian game of spiritual knowledge), and early twentieth-century “trading games” that fêted French colonialism are exposed for how they conveniently sanitized its brutality while also relying on crudely racist imagery. These games' most explicitly abhorrent features may no longer be visible, but their legacy still lingers in the contemporary Eurogame tendency to exalt (and incentivize) cycles of exploration, expansion, exploitation, and extermination.

An essential addition to any player's bookshelf, Playing Oppression deftly analyzes this insidious violence and proposes a path forward with board games that challenge colonialist thinking and embrace a much broader cultural imagination.

This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose doctoral work focused on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars.

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The NewsWorthy - Bank Crisis Spreads, Passport Delays & Top Dog Breed- Thursday, March 16, 2023

The news to know for Thursday, March 16, 2023!

We'll tell you about the latest bank struggling to survive as financial fears spread across the globe and the impact of it all on the stock market.

Also, why the FBI raided the home of a prominent Chinese billionaire and what happened to his penthouse in the hours after he was arrested.

Plus, artificial intelligence is getting more integrated into our work lives, a delay could change your summer travel plans, and the pros and cons of owning what's been named the most popular dog breed in the U.S.

Those stories and more news to know in around 10 minutes!

Head to https://www.thenewsworthy.com/shownotes for sources and to read more about any of the stories mentioned today.

Sign-up for our weekly email newsletter with extra news stories, random recommendations, listener features and more: https://www.thenewsworthy.com/email 

Thanks to The NewsWorthy INSIDERS for your support! Get ad-free episodes here: http://www.thenewsworthy.com/insider

This episode is brought to you by Indeed.com/newsworthy and oldpodcast.com

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What A Day - Stormy In The Northeast

A federal judge in Texas held a hearing on Wednesday in a case that could block access to the widely-used abortion medication mifepristone — and suggested he may side with the anti-abortion advocates who want the drug taken off the market.

Adult film actress Stormy Daniels met with New York prosecutors, who are investigating the hush money payments she received on behalf of former president Donald Trump in 2016. She agreed to be a witness and provide additional information about her affair with Trump.

And in headlines: South Carolina Republicans are pushing a bill that would charge anyone getting an abortion with homicide, a major Nor’easter pummeled the East Coast, and a pro-Trump super PAC accused Florida Governor Ron DeSantis of violating state and federal election laws.

Show Notes:

Crooked Coffee is officially here. Our first blend, What A Morning, is available in medium and dark roasts. Wake up with your own bag at crooked.com/coffee

Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/

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

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The Daily Signal - INTERVIEW | Ranked Choice Voting Is ‘Spreading Like Poison,’ Alaskans for Honest Elections Founder Says

The founder of Alaskans for Honest Elections is speaking out against ranked choice voting, which he says is "spreading like poison."

"Ranked choice voting is a whole way that certain people want to redefine how we vote. It's no longer one person, one vote. It's a very complicated system where everybody's thrown into a jungle primary," Art Mathias, president and founder of Wellsprings Ministry in Anchorage, Alaska, tells The Daily Signal. 

"Our House race to replace [Rep.] Don Young was 48 people trying to make it through that to become the top four. Then the top four go through a campaign to a runoff. So, if you're not extremely well-known, if you don't have a lot of money, you're not going to go any place in the race," Mathias says.

Young, a Republican who held Alaska's sole at-large House seat from 1973 until 2022, was the longest-serving Republican in congressional history. He died a year ago this week on March 18, 2022. The ranked choice election for the seat was won by a Democrat, Mary Peltola.

Mathias adds: 

So, you end up with somebody that had only 10% in the primary actually winning at the other end. It's very complicated. People don't like it. Very expensive. It discourages voter turnout. It's not a good deal, and it's spreading like poison.

Mathias joins today's episode of "The Daily Signal Podcast" to discuss the importance of election integrity, how big the movement around ranked choice voting is, and what's at stake if Alaska continues to use ranked choice voting. 


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What Next - What Next | Daily News and Analysis – Is the SAT Done For?

Colleges are dropping the SAT as a requirement in their admissions process, citing studies that what the test measures best is simply how well you’ve prepared for the test. But the question at the heart of the matter remains: how do you create a fair and equitable college admissions process? And can a test-optional system help foster a more equal playing field when there’s still so much inequality built into our school systems?

Guest: Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, senior reporter at Higher Ed Dive.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Tech Won't Save Us - Robots Aren’t the Solution to Elder Care w/ James Wright

Paris Marx is joined by James Wright to discuss Japan’s efforts to develop robots to care for its growing elderly population, what the government hoped to achieve with that plan, and why it hasn’t worked out as planned.

James Wright is a research associate with Turning Institute and a visiting lecturer at Queen Mary University of London. He’s also the author of Robots Won’t Save Japan. You can follow James on Twitter at @jms_wright.

Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.

The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.

Also mentioned in this episode:

  • Paris is visiting New Zealand and doing a number of events through the latter half of March. Find all the dates and details here.
  • James wrote about Japan’s efforts to automate elder care for MIT Tech Review.
  • Jennifer Robertson spoke about the gendering of robots to cement conservative gender norms.

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How To Citizen with Baratunde - A New Shape for the Economy (Kate Raworth)

It’s no secret that our economy only works for a select few. But what would our economy look like if we prioritized people and the planet, instead of profit? Economist Kate Raworth says it might look like a doughnut and to build it requires changing how we talk about, teach, and imagine economics. Baratunde talks with Kate about her theory of doughnut economics and how we can build an economy that works for all life on Earth—exploring how our small acts of consumerism can enhance or degrade a culture of democracy. 

 

SHOW ACTIONS

Internally Reflect - What We Call Ourselves Matters

It's clear that we show up with different values, norms and expectations when called as a citizen rather than as a consumer. Take a moment to reflect on how you might interact differently with e-commerce and purchasing decisions if you were called a “Steward to the Commons.”

Become More Informed - Digest the Doughnut 

Check out Kate's 2018 TED talk (where Baratunde first met her!). Also, read Kate’s book Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist. 

Publicly Participate - Find or Start Some Doughnuts Near You

Join the community at Doughnut Economics Action Lab! You can check out the members map to find others near you and read stories of how community groups are getting started putting the ideas into practice. You can also create your own event on DEAL's platform inviting others in your locality (be it town, city, or state) to join you. And check out the tools Kate mentioned: Doughnut Unrolled and Doughnut Design for Business. 

 

SHOW NOTES 

Check out the Doughnut Unrolled tool Kate developed for cities and places interested in trying out the doughnut. 

Find How To Citizen on Instagram or visit howtocitizen.com to join our mailing list and find ways to citizen besides listening to this podcast! 

Please show your support for the show by reviewing and rating. It makes a huge difference with the algorithmic overlords and helps others like you find the show!

How To Citizen is hosted by Baratunde Thurston. He’s also host and executive producer of the PBS series, America Outdoors as well as a founding partner and writer at Puck. You can find him all over the internet. 

 

CREDITS

How To Citizen with Baratunde is a production of iHeartRadio Podcasts and Rowhome Productions. Our Executive Producers are Baratunde Thurston and Elizabeth Stewart. Allie Graham is our Lead Producer and Danya AbdelHameid is our Associate Producer. Alex Lewis is our Managing Producer. John Myers is our Executive Editor. Original Music by Andrew Eapen and Blue Dot Sessions. Our Audience Engagement Fellows are Jasmine Lewis and Gabby Rodriguez. Special thanks to Joelle Smith from iHeartRadio and Layla Bina.

Additional thanks to our citizen voices Wesley F. and Sara H. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - Is the SAT Done For?

Colleges are dropping the SAT as a requirement in their admissions process, citing studies that what the test measures best is simply how well you’ve prepared for the test. But the question at the heart of the matter remains: how do you create a fair and equitable college admissions process? And can a test-optional system help foster a more equal playing field when there’s still so much inequality built into our school systems?

Guest: Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, senior reporter at Higher Ed Dive.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Curious City - Why Aren’t There Any Federal Indian Reservations In Illinois?

Unlike many states in the Midwest, including Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa, Illinois doesn’t have any federally recognized Indian reservations. Yet all around the state, in the names of cities, rivers, streets and sports teams, there are reminders that we are living on land where Native Americans once farmed, traded and made their home. So why doesn’t Illinois have any reservations? The answer requires a look back at the region’s history beginning in the 1700s.
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Curious City - Why Aren’t There Any Federal Indian Reservations In Illinois?

Unlike many states in the Midwest, including Michigan, Wisconsin and Iowa, Illinois doesn’t have any federally recognized Indian reservations. Yet all around the state, in the names of cities, rivers, streets and sports teams, there are reminders that we are living on land where Native Americans once farmed, traded and made their home. So why doesn’t Illinois have any reservations? The answer requires a look back at the region’s history beginning in the 1700s.