Israel: unpopular judicial reform involves repeal of law set up under British colonial rule in Palestine - here's what that tells us

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Israel: unpopular judicial reform involves repeal of law set up under British colonial rule in Palestine - here's what that tells us     Israel’s parliament has voted to significantly shrink the power of the country’s supreme court as part of a long-telegraphed plan that has bitterly divided the country. In a highly controversial vote boycotted by the opposition, the Knesset – or parliament – struck down the “rule of reasonableness” that had previously enabled the supreme court to overrule government decisions. The measure paves the way for Israel’s far-right government to enact more extreme measures and has been met with some of the biggest protests in Israel’s history. While the resulting unrest is being described as a “battle for Israel’s soul”, the law that was struck down actually predates the state of Israel and is rooted in its antecedent: the British Mandate of Palestine (1922-48). Continued here

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Reason and Emotion: Scottish Philosopher John Macmurray on the Key to Wholeness and the Fundaments of a Fulfilling Life     Each month, I spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars keeping The Marginalian going. For seventeen years, it has remained free and ad-free and alive thanks to patronage from readers. I have no staff, no interns, not even an assistant — a thoroughly one-woman labor of love that is also my life and my livelihood. If this labor has made your own life more livable in the past year (or the past decade), please consider aiding its sustenance with a one-time or loyal donation. Your support makes all the difference.We feel our way through life, then rationalize our actions, as if emotion were a shameful scar on the countenance of reason. And yet the more we learn about how the mind constructs the world, the more we see that our experience of reality is a function of our emotionally directed attention and “has something of the structure of love.” Philosopher Martha Nussbaum recognized this in her superb inquiry into the intelligence of emotion, observing that “emotions are not just the fuel that powers the psychological mechanism of a reasoning creature, they are parts, highly complex and messy parts, of this creature’s reasoning itself.”A century before Nussbaum, the far-seeing Scottish philosopher John Macmurray (February 16, 1891–June 21, 1976) took up these questions in a series of BBC broadcasts and other lectures, gathered in his 1935 collection Reason and Emotion (public library). Continued here

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Adoreum: the newly discovered flatbread fresco of Pompeii     On 27 June, the Archaeological Park of Pompeii announced that a new fresco depicting a focaccia (an Italian flatbread) had been discovered. In recent years, the site has begun excavating previously unexplored areas of the once bustling town that was buried during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE.In the announcement, director Gabriel Zuchtriegel described a beautifully preserved still-life fresco depicting a cup of wine next to a focaccia on a silver tray holding various fruits and what looks like moretum, a Roman herb-and-cheese spread. Continued here

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Eight Row: A US restaurant that celebrates sobriety     When the crab butter with ancho chilli and sea salt was placed on the table, it conjured images of a burnt orange sunset over Puget Sound, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean located along the north-western coast of the US state of Washington. The butter, with its briny sweetness, was slathered on pillowy sourdough bolillo (a Mexican bread similar to a baguette) made from the 100-year-old starter of chef and owner David Nichols' grandfather.Even after I put the roll down, the butter's perfume lingered in the air, as if the slow simmering pot of crab stock from which it was made was right beside me. The moment was enhanced by a glass of Joyus non-alcoholic (NA) sparkling white wine – pleasantly dry, with notes of tart apple on the finish. Continued here

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Don't Eliminate Your Middle Managers     Organizations have long seen middle management as ripe for cutting whenever times get tight, and the current moment is no exception. The authors believe that this is a costly mistake. Human capital, they say, is at least as important as financial capital, and middle managers, who recruit and develop an organization’s employees, are the most important asset of all—essential to navigating rapid, complex change. They can make work more meaningful, interesting, and productive, and they’re crucial for true organizational transformation. But if managers are to fulfill this promise, leaders must reimagine their roles, push to more fully understand their value, and train, coach, and inspire them to realize their potential as organizational linchpins. Continued here

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Eskom and South Africa's energy crisis: De Ruyter book strikes a chord but falls flat on economic fixes     The former chief executive of South Africa’s power utility, Eskom, has written a scathing critique of the ruling party’s practices that have seriously damaged the country’s economy. Andre de Ruyter’s book Truth to Power is not the first exposé of the country’s political and economic woes under the African National Congress. But it strikes a sensitive chord because of the impact of recurring power cuts on the economy and daily life, a crisis De Ruyter was hired to deal with. Continued here

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Sen. Tuberville's blockade of US military promotions takes a historic tradition to a radical new level - and could go beyond Congress' August break     As Congress prepares to head into its August 2023 break, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a Republican from Alabama, shows no signs of ending his five-month-long hold on military promotions for several hundred senior officers, namely generals and admirals. Tuberville is blocking the Senate from considering their nominations because he opposes a Defense Department policy to reimburse travel expenses for military personnel who have to leave their states to get abortions or other reproductive care. Continued here

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Dismantle Career Roadblocks for More Equitable Outcomes     Our summer special report helps leaders gain a comprehensive view of risks, learn how to overcome market disrupters, and manage the analytical tools that provide predictive insight for decision-making.Our summer special report helps leaders gain a comprehensive view of risks, learn how to overcome market disrupters, and manage the analytical tools that provide predictive insight for decision-making.A presenter at MIT SMR’s symposium on the future of work answers attendees’ questions about biases against employees, particularly those who are older, and how to reduce the influence of demographics. Continued here

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How the 'lazy girl job' took over work TikTok     In late May, 26-year-old Gabrielle Judge sat in front of a camera in oversized glasses and pigtails to film a TikTok about what she called the “lazy girl job” – a low stress, fully remote job with little oversight and a good salary.“A lazy girl job is basically something you can just quiet quit,” she says in the two-and-a-half minute video. “There’s lots of jobs out there where you could make, like, 60 to 80 K and not do that much work and be remote.” As an example, she zeroes in on non-technical roles, where she feels the hours fall within a 9-to-5 schedule, and believes the pay is enough to allow for some financial freedom. Continued here

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The ultimate heroes of children's books     What is it that makes a great hero or heroine in children's literature? The books in our poll feature characters with super strength and magical powers, as well as ordinary children facing extra-ordinary challenges. Is it courage, resilience or a refusal to bow to conventional norms that explains their popularity with voters? And do classic literary heroes and heroines resonate with today's children in the way that they did with their parents' generation – those who voted in our May 2023 poll on the greatest children's books?- The 100 greatest children's books of all time- Why adults should read children’s books - Why is the US banning children's books? Continued here

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Are You Failing to Prepare the Next Generation of C-Suite Leaders? - SPONSOR CONTENT FROM DAGGERWING     For many people leaders, that’s been the mantra for the past three years. “Let’s just get through this moment in time, focus on the short-term solutions for our immediate needs, and when things go back to normal, we’ll deal with all the issues we’ve been putting on the backburner.” Continued here

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Banning cellphones in classrooms is not a quick fix for student well-being     The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has released a report highlighting the many challenges of the growing presence of technology in education. This report is groundbreaking in its call for corporate responsibility for education technology and in its recognition for the need for enhanced literacy curriculum. Continued here

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The 'Mao suit': how a military-style uniform changed the face of China - and clothed Australian prisoners during the Korean War     In the collection of the Australian War Memorial there is a photograph of four men in a North Korean prisoner of war camp, taken in the winter of 1952-3. Australian airman Ron Guthrie is in the group. He had been in captivity since August 1951.More than 17,000 Australians took part in the Korean War, which began in June 1950 as a civil war between North and South Korea and quickly erupted into an international conflict involving China on the north side and the United States on the south. In Chinese, this war is known as the “resist America, support Korea” war. Continued here

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Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts uses conflicting views of race to resolve America's history of racial discrimination     In two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2023 summer recess, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote majority opinions that involved the use of race.In the court’s 5-4 Allen v. Milligan decision, Roberts wrote that states must consider race in some circumstances when drawing congressional districts. Continued here

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The progress of women in the workplace is at a standstill. How can we break through the glass ceiling?     Women are promoted less than men because they are deemed to have less leadership potential than men. According to Prof. Shue, performance assessment is generally very factual and based on very concrete evaluation criteria. Assessing leadership potential, on the other hand, is more subjective and can give free rein to the biases that shape the perception of leadership as conceived by those who carry out these assessments. Continued here

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Essop Pahad: a diligent communist driven by an optimistic vision of a non-racial South Africa     The death of South African freedom struggle stalwart Essop Pahad (84) on 6 July 2023 prompted tributes from his former comrades. There were also less respectful obituaries referring to him as Thabo Mbeki’s “consiglieri”, because of his role as the former president’s “right-hand man”.Any examination of Pahad’s full political record will take you back to the heroic phases of South Africa’s liberation history, when prospects for a democratic South African government seemed very remote. As a teenager in the 1950s he was busy in the Transvaal Indian Youth Congress. This was the equivalent of the youth league of the liberation movement, the African National Congress (ANC), for Indian South Africans. In those days, reflecting apartheid’s distinctions, even radical resistance to it was racially differentiated. Continued here

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Women's World Cup: five issues holding back the female game     The 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup is probably the most highly-anticipated women’s football tournament ever. Part of this hype and enthusiasm might suggest that women’s football has finally “made it” and that catching up with the men’s game is just a matter of time. But there are ongoing issues that continue to jeopardise the women’s game.Football is a huge part of society in many countries around the world – from the top levels of the professional leagues down to kids playing in the park – but the game is still primarily seen as a male endeavour. This influences how women’s football is organised, represented and equipped in ways that continue to restrict its success, safety and sustainability. Continued here

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Britain's next election could be a climate change culture war     A byelection in a London suburb has placed environmental policy at the centre of political debate in the UK, and could make it a key battleground in the next general election.The Conservative party narrowly held former prime minister Boris Johnson’s seat in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, vacated after his resignation from parliament. The win has been cast as a victory driven by popular anger against climate policy, particularly London’s ultra-low emissions zone (Ulez) – an area where drivers of the highest-polluting vehicles must pay a fee. Continued here

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Paris Olympics: with 365 days to go, will this mega-event clinch a sustainability gold medal?     Mega-events such as the Coachella Music Festival, the pilgrimages to Mecca and the World Cup have become increasingly prominent in contemporary times, yet we often neglect to consider the environmental impact of bringing tens of thousands and sometimes millions of people together. This is perhaps because when we think about environmental sustainability, we tend to weigh up how individuals, households, or even industries might be polluting the planet. However, mega-events are striking examples of the complex phenomenon of sustainability, mostly due to the impact of collective behaviour on the environment. The proof is that when a large gathering ends and everyone goes back to their ordinary lives, they almost invariably leave behind an alarming trail of accumulated waste. Even more troubling is the fact that such events have other negative environmental impacts that aren’t even visible to the eye. Continued here

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Long COVID: brain function still affected for some up to two years after infection - new research     Difficulties with cognitive functions or skills, such as the ability to recall memories, concentrate on tasks, or find the right words in conversation, are commonly reported following a COVID infection. These symptoms are often referred to as “brain fog”, and are especially common among people who have long-term or persistent symptoms called long COVID. At the latest count in March 2023, there were 1 million people in the UK with long COVID who reported difficulty concentrating, and three-quarters of a million who reported memory loss or confusion. Continued here