Urban Life
Henrik Thor Larsen Ovalia Egg Chair, Sweden, 1968 at 1stDibs
Iconic Egg Chair by Henrik Thor Larsen. Made in mid-1960s in Sweden
10 Keys to Everyday Anti-Racism
The founders of a new organization, the AntiRacist Table, suggest tools you can use to work against prejudice and inequality.
The Science of Racism | Creators for Change
Kunstler
One of my formally favorite writers, James Howard Kunstler has just gotten weirder and weirder in recent years since the end of the Trump presidency and COVID-19. I used to enjoy his tough analysis of things like suburban sprawl, our tacky inorganic, motoring is everything communities.
He made some good points about peak oil, although once the fracking boom left the world flush with oil he had to search for excuses to explain why oil became so cheap at least temporarily. But since the rise of Donald Trump, he’s gotten all weird, embracing a series of right wing cranks on his blog and podcast show. I can’t imagine a peace or sustainability group inviting him to talk today, compared to even a decade ago when he was a hot commodity.
People change over time, the grow and learn new things. Kunstler ain’t the guy I knew 25 years ago but neither am I. He made his decision on what to focus on but it seems like most of the claims of election fraud or COVID conspiracy is just the world of cranks not a serious or legitimate criticism of problems we all face today.
How bad is the rise in US homicides? Factchecking the ‘crime wave’ narrative police are pushing | US crime | The Guardian
But what’s happening with homicides is not part of some broader “crime wave.” In fact, many crimes, from larcenies to robberies to rape, dropped during the pandemic, and continued to fall during the first few months of 2021. “Crime” is not surging. Even the broader category of “violent crime” only increased about 3% last year, according to the preliminary FBI data from a large subset of cities. It’s homicide in particular that has increased, even as other crimes fell.
Early data also suggests the homicide increase isn’t happening at random, but that much of the additional violence is clustered in disadvantaged neighborhoods of color that were already struggling with higher rates of gun violence before the pandemic, according to Richard Rosenfeld, a criminologist who has authored multiple national reports on crime and violence trends.
How to be an Anti-Racist
Book Review: How to be an Anti-Racist
Last week I got out Ibraham X. Kendi’s relatively new book, How to be an Anti-Racist out of the Bethlehem Public Library as it caught my eye when I was browsing for books. It was the first book I read in my summer reading program.
I found it nearly impossible to put down once I got into reading it up at camp. It is a thoughtful discussion of the topic of racism, a reminder that we must all speak out against the unfair treatment of African Americans. For what laws are fair and just for blacks are just for all of us, because if laws treat blacks fairly when they are pulled over on the road then all of us will be treated more fairly.