Some scenarios for the future of the collective West
Dec. 10th, 2025 08:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
fridi posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
talkpoliticsFor centuries the West has held outsized global power, even though Western societies were always a demographic minority. That dominance is now slipping, and although the world is still built on Western foundations (established institutions, science, law, finance) the West can no longer assume it sets the terms for everyone else. The real question is what kind of Western dominance is fading, and what might replace it.
After 1945 the USA forged a politically unified West, but then diluted that cohesion by framing itself as leader of the entire Free World, defined mostly by what it opposed. This logic survived the Cold War and eventually turned into a universalist liberal project that depended on having enemies to justify itself. When liberal democracy failed to spread globally (and when the US electorate doubled down on America First) the gap between Western ambitions and Western capabilities became impossible to ignore.
The West now faces three paths.
( Read more... )
After 1945 the USA forged a politically unified West, but then diluted that cohesion by framing itself as leader of the entire Free World, defined mostly by what it opposed. This logic survived the Cold War and eventually turned into a universalist liberal project that depended on having enemies to justify itself. When liberal democracy failed to spread globally (and when the US electorate doubled down on America First) the gap between Western ambitions and Western capabilities became impossible to ignore.
The West now faces three paths.
( Read more... )
Every day I'm shovelin' [^1]
Dec. 10th, 2025 09:49 ambrithistorianBy the time today ends I will have shoveled our driveway and ways at least four times over the course of two days. We're finally getting a new garage door and opener, having needed one for several years. We had to wait for a non-standard-sized door to be ordered[^2], then once it arrived, we scheduled the installation for yesterday. Then, the night of the day before yesterday, it started snowing.
Yesterday morning, I called the garage door company to see if they would need to reschedule because of the weather. The woman I spoke to sounded almost amused by the idea. Since then, I have shoveled:
- Yesterday morning, so I could get our vehicles out and the technician could get his truck to the garage.
- Yesterday evening, so the technician could get his truck out of the driveway and I could get our vehicles back in.
- Early this morning, so I could get our van out and go to the doctor. This included shoveling the huge piles that the snow plows had deposited at the end of the driveway.
- Later this morning, when I got back from the doctor, I had to shovel the rest of the driveway so we can play vehicle Tetris[^3] and the technician can finish the garage door.
It's currently snowing, but not as hard as yesterday, so I may or may not have to shovel again when the technician has to leave this evening. Plus, I'll have to shovel the end of the driveway again when the city plows the sidewalks, which may or may not happen today. So I guess this winter's definitely giving me my exercise!
[^1] If you recognized the musical reference in the title, I'd like to offer my sincere apologies. If you didn't, please don't go looking for it — I doubt you need an earworm, and I'd prefer that you not think ill of me.
[^2] Because of course our house required a non-standard-sized door.
[^3] Right now we're forbidden to park on the street, so that the plows can run. When the technician gets here, A. and I will have to back our vehicles out of the driveway, then he'll back his truck up the driveway to the garage, then we'll pull back into the driveway. Then we'll have to do the whole thing in reverse when he leaves.
[December 10, 1970] Art beat: Spiral Jetty by Robert Smithson
Dec. 10th, 2025 05:00 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
galacticjourney_feedby Maureen Hogan Before we begin, dear reader, I have a confession to make. When the Traveler proposed that I start a column on the arts, I was thrilled and quickly said “yes”. However, I had forgotten one crucial detail in my excitement: abstract art is in vogue right now, and I am not a … Continue reading [December 10, 1970] Art beat: Spiral Jetty by Robert Smithson
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Reading Wednesday
Dec. 10th, 2025 07:06 amsabotabby Just finished: You Better Be Lightning by Andrea Gibson. I never had the privilege of seeing Gibson perform, other than on YouTube, so this is as close as I'm ever going to get. They really were a brilliant poet. Some of the poems lose a bit in print—they tend towards the storytelling and autobiographical, and that reads much less powerfully on the page than in speech—but this is a fairly minor critique. Gibson writes powerfully about queerness, gender, disability, and the climate crisis, and their furious energy is made all the more poignant by their premature death earlier this year.
Currently reading: Censorship & Information Control: From Printing Press to Internet by Ada Palmer. This is an exhibit based on a course that Palmer taught and it just makes me wish I could take the course. I'm screenshotting bits to text to people. Her central argument is that the total state censorship we see depicted in 1984 is the exception rather than the norm; more often censorship is incomplete, self-enforced, or carried out by non-state entities like the church or marketplace. This is obviously important when we talk about issues like free speech, which tends to be very narrowly defined when most of the threats to it have traditionally not come directly from the government (I mean, present-day US excepted, but it took a lot of informal censorship to get to that point).
The bit about fig leafs, complete with illustrations, is particularly good, as is the bit on Pierre Bayle, who hid his radical ideas in the footnotes to his Historical and Critical Dictionary in lengthy footnotes that he knew no one would read.
You can get this for free if you want to read it btw.
Currently reading: Censorship & Information Control: From Printing Press to Internet by Ada Palmer. This is an exhibit based on a course that Palmer taught and it just makes me wish I could take the course. I'm screenshotting bits to text to people. Her central argument is that the total state censorship we see depicted in 1984 is the exception rather than the norm; more often censorship is incomplete, self-enforced, or carried out by non-state entities like the church or marketplace. This is obviously important when we talk about issues like free speech, which tends to be very narrowly defined when most of the threats to it have traditionally not come directly from the government (I mean, present-day US excepted, but it took a lot of informal censorship to get to that point).
The bit about fig leafs, complete with illustrations, is particularly good, as is the bit on Pierre Bayle, who hid his radical ideas in the footnotes to his Historical and Critical Dictionary in lengthy footnotes that he knew no one would read.
You can get this for free if you want to read it btw.
[December 8, 1970] Snow Princess (January 1971 Galaxy)
Dec. 8th, 2025 05:00 pmgalacticjourney_feedby Gideon Marcus Musical Chairs For all intents and purposes, there are three TV networks in the United States: CBS (the Columbia Broadcast Service), NBC (the National Broadcast Corporation, and ABC (the American Broadcast Corporation). The last is definitely the junior partner, struggling mightily to compete with its behemoth competitors. As a result, ABC is … Continue reading [December 8, 1970] Snow Princess (January 1971 Galaxy)
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Recent Reading: Brahma's Dream
Dec. 7th, 2025 04:32 pmrocky41_7 posting in booksBrahma's Dream by Shree Ghatage was a book I snatched out of a pile of stuff my sister was giving away last year, but she'd never gotten around to reading it herself, so she couldn't give me a preview. Brahma's Dream is set in India just before it gains self-rule, and concerns the family of Mohini, a child whose serious illness dominates her life.
This is one of those middle-of-the-road books that was neither amazingly good nor offensively bad, and therefore I struggle to come up with much to say about it. That makes it sound bad, but it isn't--I enjoyed my time with it. I thought Ghatage did a good job with exploring life on the precipice of great political change, although the history and politics of 1940s India is more backdrop to the family drama than central to the story. I liked Mohini and her family; because the nature of her illness necessitates a lot of rest and down time, Mohini is naturally a thoughtful child, as her thoughts are sometimes all she has to amuse herself. However, she never crosses the line into being precocious, which was a relief.
Neither did I feel like the book leaned too hard on Mohini's illness to elicit sentimentality from the reader. Obviously, an illness like hers is the biggest influence on her life, and on the lives of her immediate family, and there are many moments you sympathize with her because she can't just be a child the way she wants to be, but I didn't feel like Ghatage was plucking heartstrings just for the sake of it.
Reading the relationships between Mohini and her family was heartwarming, especially with her grandfather, who takes great joy in Mohini's intellect and is often there to discuss the import of various societal events with her.
Ghatage's descriptive writing really brings to life the India of the time, with the colors, smells, sounds, and sights that are a part of Mohini's every day.
It reminded me of another book I read about a significant event in Indian history (the separation of India and Pakistan) told through the perspective of a young ill girl, Cracking India.
On the whole, this was a sweet, heartfelt book. It's not heavy on plot, but if you enjoy watching the story of a family unfold and the little dramas that play out, it's enjoyable.
This is one of those middle-of-the-road books that was neither amazingly good nor offensively bad, and therefore I struggle to come up with much to say about it. That makes it sound bad, but it isn't--I enjoyed my time with it. I thought Ghatage did a good job with exploring life on the precipice of great political change, although the history and politics of 1940s India is more backdrop to the family drama than central to the story. I liked Mohini and her family; because the nature of her illness necessitates a lot of rest and down time, Mohini is naturally a thoughtful child, as her thoughts are sometimes all she has to amuse herself. However, she never crosses the line into being precocious, which was a relief.
Neither did I feel like the book leaned too hard on Mohini's illness to elicit sentimentality from the reader. Obviously, an illness like hers is the biggest influence on her life, and on the lives of her immediate family, and there are many moments you sympathize with her because she can't just be a child the way she wants to be, but I didn't feel like Ghatage was plucking heartstrings just for the sake of it.
Reading the relationships between Mohini and her family was heartwarming, especially with her grandfather, who takes great joy in Mohini's intellect and is often there to discuss the import of various societal events with her.
Ghatage's descriptive writing really brings to life the India of the time, with the colors, smells, sounds, and sights that are a part of Mohini's every day.
It reminded me of another book I read about a significant event in Indian history (the separation of India and Pakistan) told through the perspective of a young ill girl, Cracking India.
On the whole, this was a sweet, heartfelt book. It's not heavy on plot, but if you enjoy watching the story of a family unfold and the little dramas that play out, it's enjoyable.
The Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 14
Dec. 7th, 2025 11:32 ammarycatelli posting in booksThe Apothecary Diaries, Vol. 14 by Nekokurage
The tales continue. Spoilers for the earlier ones ahead.
( Read more... )
The tales continue. Spoilers for the earlier ones ahead.
( Read more... )
[December 6. 1970] The Humbug Variations (January 1971 Amazing)
Dec. 6th, 2025 05:00 pmgalacticjourney_feedby John Boston The January 1971 Amazing introduces itself rather vaguely. Its cover, by Jeff Jones, depicts what looks like a slightly flattened Saturn-like planet (i.e., it has rings) but the closer you get the more it looks like it was knitted from fuzzy wool, with several ambiguous objects in the foreground that might be … Continue reading [December 6. 1970] The Humbug Variations (January 1971 Amazing)
The post [December 6. 1970] The Humbug Variations (January 1971 <i>Amazing</i>) appeared first on Galactic Journey.
Book read, December 2025
Dec. 6th, 2025 09:32 ambrithistorian- 6 December
- Komi Can't Communicate, vol. 30 (Tomohito Oda)
- 9 December
- I'm in Love with the Villainess (manga), vol. 8 (Inori)
- 10 December
- Beggars in Spain (Nancy Kress)
Bandcamp Friday
Dec. 5th, 2025 07:25 pmsabotabby There are a few hours left in Bandcamp Friday. Instead of using Spotify, why not buy some music there? Coincidentally Grace Petrie has a new EP out.
Please give me excuses to talk about my hyperfixations (again)
Dec. 5th, 2025 08:07 pmrydra_wongLargely the same as before:
Except that THANK FUCK my friend is now out of the Very Bad Situation (and please let him remain so, please please please).
My brain is just trying to eat itself because it's prone to doing that and it's been a very very hard year (and I'm having yet another IC flare-up, joy).
Currently trying to support a friend in a Very Bad Situation and it's desperately anxiety-inducing and my brain is trying to eat itself, which also makes me less useful as support, which is bad.
So if anyone would like to ask or discuss anything about Prophet or Dark Souls or IWTV or climbing or, you know, any of the somewhat cheering topics I sometimes ramble about, PLEASE DO. "More of a comment than a question" questions also very welcome.
I cannot guarantee replies in a timely or consistent manner (because of the Situation and also the bad state of my brain) but it would be deeply appreciated nonetheless.
Except that THANK FUCK my friend is now out of the Very Bad Situation (and please let him remain so, please please please).
My brain is just trying to eat itself because it's prone to doing that and it's been a very very hard year (and I'm having yet another IC flare-up, joy).
The Friday Five on a Friday
Dec. 5th, 2025 07:49 pmnanila- If you had to participate in one Olympic event, what would it be and why?
Curling. It looks delightful. And there's no way I'm running long distances, contorting myself into weird shapes, flinging heavy things, or hurling myself off high platforms. - What is the one song you always sing along to?
Just one? There are loads. I have no shame. The ones I belt out loudest are Evanescence “Bring Me To Life”, Joan Jett's “I Love Rock n Roll”, and Guns n Roses “Paradise City”. - Do you wear a seatbelt in the car?
I'm sorry, what?! Apart from this being the law, I don't want to die or suffer horrific disfigurement from being in an accident, the chances of which wearing a seat belt has been exhaustively demonstrated to reduce.
So yes, I do wear a seat belt in the car. Always. - Car, SUV or truck and why?
I favour a car. Preferably something small and fast. I like being able to accelerate quickly, and the less time I have to spend getting from A to B, the better. Much as I enjoy going fast, I also find long drives really damn boring. - Are you a good/bad driver? Explain.
I think I'm okay. I had to pass the UK driving test, which is legendarily difficult, and it definitely made me a better driver. I'm careful about keeping my distance and I always make sure I'm well rested when I get behind the wheel.
2025 in writing (my stuff)
Dec. 5th, 2025 01:26 pmmrissaI'll be doing my usual recommendations for short stuff other people have read at the end of December, when I've had a chance to read the things that are still coming out in December, but I think I've seen the last of my new publications for the year, so here's what I've been up to!
...a year turns out to be a long time. One of the reasons I think it's good to do these year-in-review posts is that the sense of "oh wait, was that this same year???" is strong. I feel like my tendency to put things I've accomplished in the rearview and focus on the next thing is generally really useful to me, but it does tend to lead to a "what have you done lately" mindset. When it turns out that what I have done lately is a pile of stories. There were more SF than fantasy stories, which surprised me, it didn't feel that way...more on why I think that is in a minute. In any case, here's the 2025 story list:
The Year the Sheep God Shattered (Diabolical Plots)
Her Tune, In Truth (Sunday Morning Transport)
If the Weather Holds (Analog)
Disconnections (Nature Futures)
The Things You Know, The Things You Trust (If There's Anyone Left)
All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt (Lightspeed)
Things I Miss About Civilization (Nature Futures)
A Shaky Bridge (Clarkesworld)
What a Big Heart You Have (Kaleidotrope)
And Every Galatea Shaped Anew (Analog)
The Crow's Second Tale (Beneath Ceaseless Skies)
Advice for Wormhole Travelers (The Vertigo Project)
She Wavers But She Does Not Weaken (The Vertigo Project)
The Torn Map (The Vertigo Project)
So yeah! Stories galore! And with a very satisfying variety of publishers, with the exception that The Vertigo Project was a focus of a lot of my attention this year. Which makes sense! It's a pretty big deal. All the poetry I had published this year was with The Vertigo Project as well, although I have a couple of poems ready to come out in 2026 from other places. Here's the list of poems:
Club Planet Vertigo (The Vertigo Project)
Greetings From Innerspace (The Vertigo Project)
On the Way Down (The Vertigo Project)
Preparation (The Vertigo Project)
The Nature of Nemesis (The Vertigo Project)
I only had one piece of nonfiction out this year, The Stranger Next Door: The Domestic Fantastic in Classic Nordic Children's Literature (Uncanny). But it's a topic that's very close to my heart, and I'm glad I had the chance to wallow in it. Er, I mean, share it with you.
I suppose the other thing that could be considered nonfiction is that I wrote journaling prompts to help people with vertigo process their vertigo experience through creative writing. I also wrote a group workshop format for the same general ideas, and I ran the first of those workshops in November. It was lovely and seemed to be very meaningful to the people involved--and that's one of the things that's nice about the facilitator (that is, me) being someone with vertigo, it meant that I was talking about our experiences rather than their experiences. The Vertigo Project has been the gift that keeps on giving all year, and there will be more of it yet in 2026. What a great thing to get to be involved with. I'm so pleased to have done this work with these people.
I was also a finalist for the Washington Science Fiction Association's Small Press Award, for one of 2024's stories, A Pilgrimage to the God of High Places. I got to go to Capclave and hang out with a bunch of friends and enjoy being a finalist.
I think the main reason that I felt like I was doing equal parts fantasy and SF this year is that I wrote approximately half each of two novels, one fantasy and one SF. Both are still going strong. We'll see where they take me. I'm also working on some more short work in both categories. While I published a lot more short SF, my biggest news in recent months is that I sold a fantasy novella to Horned Lark Press. A Dubious Clamor features harpies, politics, operettas, pastries, and complicated friendships, and it's forthcoming in 2026. A lot done this year, a lot to look forward to!
The AI apocalypse we didn't ask for
Dec. 5th, 2025 08:51 pmmahnmutExamples of tasks given to AI gone awry abound, I'm sure you've realized by now. Well, for instance this article collects a series of AI-generated images where image-generation tools misinterpret prompts so wildly that the results are just... surreal.
Way to go, AI?
Way to go, AI?
Friday LOLs. On/offtopic: The AI apocalypse we didn't ask for
Dec. 5th, 2025 08:50 pmmahnmut posting in talkpoliticsMuch on the subject, eh? Examples of tasks given to AI gone awry abound, I'm sure you've realized by now. Well, for instance this article collects a series of AI-generated images where image-generation tools misinterpret prompts so wildly that the results are just... surreal.
Way to go, AI?
( SEE MOAR )
Way to go, AI?
( SEE MOAR )