I Read Your Book
August 28, 2019
“A general “law of least effort” applies to cognitive as well as physical exertion. The law asserts that if there are several ways of achieving the same goal, people will eventually gravitate to the least demanding course of action. In the economy of action, effort is a cost, and the acquisition of skill is driven by the balance of benefits and costs. Laziness is built deep into our nature.” – Daniel Kahneman
Hang-10% Tariffs, Dude!
President Trump’s chaotic ‘trade negotiation tactic’ is wearing thin. He says it’s all part of his strategy to keep China guessing in the trade war. But the president’s often bizarre behavior has many people wondering if what the world is actually witnessing in real time is mental decline. When asked about a series of contradictory and confusing tweets he sent out during the G7 summit in France, Trump exclaimed to reporters: “Sorry! It’s the way I negotiate. It’s done very well for me over the years. It’s doing very well for the country.”
That declaration is difficult to support. While Trump routinely references America’s great economy as proof he’s doing a spectacular job as president, he undermines consumer confidence and sends the stock market plummeting with every off-the-wall tweet and counter-intuitive comment about raising tariffs or ordering private businesses out of China. If Trump believes his negotiation style is working, he might be surprised to learn rivals are onto his game plan.
[“In Patton, my favorite scene is when U.S. General George S. Patton has just spent weeks studying the writing of his German adversary Field Marshall Erwin Rommel and is crushing him in an epic tank battle in Tunisia. Patton, sensing victory as he peers onto the battle field from his command post, growls, “Rommel, you magnificent bastard. I read your book!”” Source of quote here]
The president of the Center for China and Globalization, and an adviser to China’s cabinet, puts it this way: “I think that there is a lot of fatigue with President Trump’s ‘art of the deal.’ The more they [Beijing, Buenos Aires, Osaka, Shanghai, etc.] deal with him, the more they figure him out.”
China’s game plan is simple. The managing director of a consultancy in Beijing describes it: “Although there are problems in China, they believe they have their economy under control, more so than Trump. They think he is more vulnerable to a slowdown and that they can afford to wait him out.”
Don’t Forget To Always Check Your Blind Spot For Cars Or Bombs
- A Reuters investigation has found that the United Arab Emirates is fighting wars, running covert operations and using its financial clout to reshape regional politics in ways that often run counter to US interests.
- CIA spies gather human intelligence on almost every other nation where the US has significant interests, including some key allies. Yet in a highly unusual practice, the CIA does not surveil the UAE’s government and it does not gather information from UAE informants, creating what some critics call a dangerous blind spot in US intelligence. (Reuters)
We Got Some Beef With Brazil…Wait Or Maybe We Don’t?
- The Amazon rainforest is burning at an alarming rate, but as the world watches in horror, it’s just business as usual for Brazilian beef farmers. The vast majority of the fires have been set by loggers and ranchers to clear land for cattle.
- The practice is encouraged by Jair Bolsonaro, the populist pro-business president, who is backed by the country’s so-called “beef caucus.” Brazil is the world’s largest exporter of beef, providing close to 20 percent of total global exports — a figure that is expected to rise in coming years.
- On Friday Finland’s finance minister called on the EU to “urgently review the possibility of banning Brazilian beef imports.” (CNN)
- Veggie burgers were living an idyllic little existence. Then they got caught in a war over the future of meat. (WaPo, $)
From Blowing Clouds To Flying In Clouds
- Lung illnesses related to vaping are on the rise and under investigation by state and federal authorities. At least 193 cases in 22 states have occurred.
- On Friday Illinois health officials announced the first known death from a vaping-related lung illness in an adult.
- E-cigarettes were introduced as a way to help smokers quit by satisfying their nicotine cravings without lighting up, but little research has been done on long term effects and their use is now at epidemic levels among teenagers and young adults. (WaPo)
- Vape Lung Has Claimed its First Victim, and the CDC is Investigating (Techcrunch)
Additional World News
- In Hong Kong, Protest Photo Evokes Memories of Tiananmen Era: A New York Times photographer captured an image of an unarmed protester peacefully confronting a Hong Kong police officer. For many, it has brought back memories of 1989. (NYT, $)
- The Rich Can’t Get Richer Forever, Can They?: Inequality comes in waves. The question is when this one will break. (The New Yorker, $)
- The Quick Therapy That Actually Works: Just a few hours of therapy-like interventions can reduce some people’s anxiety. (The Atlantic)
- Deformed Skulls Mark a Historic Migration Into Europe: Human remains found in Croatia with signs of artificial cranial deformation provide the earliest genetic evidence of the presence of people from East Asia in Europe. (NYT, $)
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Say Your Prayers, Patriot Prayer
- Patriot Prayer is a small coalition of Trump-supporting far-right activists based in Vancouver, Washington. It has planned most of the demonstrations put on since 2017 by alt-right groups flocking to notoriously liberal Portland, Oregon to march, yell, and engage in violent clashes with left-wing activists.
- Unknown to Patriot Prayer, they were joined by a 30-year old self-described “everyday anti-fascist” who documented their inner-workings. Video footage shot by this undercover left-of-center Democrat will soon be used in court against longtime members of Patriot Prayer — including its leader, Joey Gibson. (Portland Mercury)
- The Proud Boys’ Real Target: They are endangering both American citizens and American ideals at large. (The Atlantic)
Additional USA News
- The Message of Measles: As public-health officials confront the largest outbreak in the U.S. in decades, they’ve been fighting as much against dangerous ideas as they have against the disease. (The New Yorker, $)
- Desegregation Plan: Eliminate All Gifted Programs in New York: A group appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio proposed seismic changes to the nation’s largest school system. (NYT, $)
Practice, Practice, Prac-Maybe Take A Break
- Brian Resnick, a senior science reporter for Vox.com, says that in covering psychology the past several years he’s become accustomed to reading about how classic, viral experiments in the field are failing in rigorous retests. He’s particularly glad to see that one of those retested failures is the so called “10,000 hour rule” popularized in journalist Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers.
- An influential 1993 study was done on violin players at a music school. The original finding was simple, and compelling: The very best, expert players — those who were considered elite — were the ones who had practiced the most. The conclusions implied that deliberate practice was the most important ingredient needed to achieve elite status, more important than inborn characteristics like genetics, or personality.
- This week, the journal Royal Society Open Science published a replication of that test that included a larger sample size and tighter study controls. It found that practice does matter for performance, but only about half as much as the 1993 article claimed, and practice works differently for elite performers. In fact, the majority of the best violinists actually practiced less time alone than the average good violinist. (Vox)
Additional Reads
- Cop Diary (The Sun Magazine)
- Uber And Lyft Take A Lot More From Drivers Than They Say (Jalopnik)
- 21 Psychological Hacks That I’m Honestly Disappointed In Myself For Not Knowing: `The more you know. (Buzzfeed)
- My life became immeasurably better when I stopped keeping my phone by my bed: When I couldn’t sleep, I would turn to my mobile for a portal into another world. But there were definite downsides to scanning Instagram in the early hours (Guardian)
- The science of addiction: a personal struggle to kick cocaine gives a neuroscientist unique insights: Having survived a decade of drink and drugs as a young woman, Professor Judith Grisel focused all her determination on writing a book about addiction (Guardian)
- The Story of Us (Wait But Why)
- The Great Battle of Fire and Light (Wait But Why)
LAST MORSELS
“The easiest way to increase happiness is to control your use of time. Can you find more time to do the things you enjoy doing?” – Daniel Kahneman