natural poverty, the disappearing Italians, and influence!
RWL #402
Greetings from the LHH! TLW and I had a great time in Bar Harbor - some needed rest and relaxation I think neither of us realized we were due for until we took it. The highlight was perhaps the fireworks show. I have to say the main show was impressive. It went on for much longer than I expected, and with much more drama. We had drinks at Atlantic Brewing Midtown while we waited for the show, and made it down to the waterfront just before the show started. Having not waited the entire afternoon, we were a few rows back from the edge of the pier, but we still had a great view. When the show ended, neither of use was in an especial rush to get out of there given the crowd, and low and behold, as most people were pushing their way back to their cars or hotels, they started firing off a whole new round of fireworks. While everyone else seemed to continue pushing their way out of downtown, TLW and I ambled up to the edge of the pier and watched the bonus fireworks show, which was almost as good as what you might have seen in a small town like Durham. Snap above is from one of these bonus fireworks. All we could think was they had some sort of malfunction and had to fire them off to get rid of them. We felt like we were getting a private show! Bar Harbor is a lovely little town. We also did some great hiking in Acadia. We are thinking we may make Bar Harbor our yearly 4th of July celebration, but we’ll see - there are so many more places we still want to see!
I recorded my Aquinas podcast today - I’ll be releasing it at the end of the month. I look forward to sharing it with you. I hope you have been enjoying the podcasts. Don’t forget to give them 5-star reviews!
On to the links! As usual, willing good for all of you!
Read
What: Noah Smith, The elemental foe
Why: I liked this essay by Noah Smith. From the essay:
To ask why some societies in the world are still poor is the wrong question. Poverty is the default condition, not just of humanity but of the entire Universe. If humanity simply doesn’t build anything — farms, granaries, houses, water treatment systems, electric power stations — we will exist at the level of wild animals. This is simply physics.
**
Watch
What: Peter Zeihan, Why Genoa Is Graying: Italy's Demographic Decline (4 min)
Why: He writes off Italy in a few minutes. The anecdotal video of the dark windows is clever. This makes me sad because I identify as an Italian American, and I still have family in Italy. But this is a reality for most of the developed world - Italy just happens to be at the leading edge of the dysfunction. With the population in the developed world getting ready to shrink or already shrinking, we have to think about how this will impact the future. An obvious consequence is going to be some change in entitlements (government provided pensions and healthcare). But also what happens to civil society? On the plus side, this should help fix global warming. So 1 cheer for that.
**
Listen
What: War on the Rocks, A Position of Influence: Adm. Rob Bauer, Chair of NATO's Military Committee (33 min)
Why: War on the Rocks is a great podcast if you are interested in global security. I recommend this interview more as a lesson in leadership than security. Admiral Beauer is the Chair of NATO’s military committee, which he explains means he has lots of responsibility and no authority - that is, no one reports to him. He has learned, through his career, that influence without authority is essential. Some great discussion. (He is Dutch, by the way.)