Brigadoon ITK | Sep. 23
1. Bitcoin: 'A weapon for us to fight oppression: Senegalese app developer Fodé Diop sees bitcoin as a way to end "monetary colonialism" in the developing world. When France ratified the Bretton Woods Agreement in 1945, it gained control over the currencies of 14 African nations, including Senegal. Through bitcoin and ubiquitous smartphones, Diop thinks it's possible to build a new free-market monetary system that will finally liberate Senegal and other African countries from the last vestiges of colonialism.
2. The rise and fall of the pedestrian mall: Car-free shopping streets swept many US cities in the 1960s and '70s, but few examples survived. Predecessors inspired the trend in European cities, but unlike in Germany and Denmark, the American-style versions sought to revitalize downtowns. The idea was to leverage the popularity of the suburban shopping mall by mimicking its layout and design.
3. Geoengineering: Quick way to avert a climate catastrophe? Gernot Wagner is a climate economist at New York University. He points out that there are two ways to slow climate change. 1) Reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which is compelling but expensive and slow, or 2) solar geoengineering, which is fast, cheap, but imperfect. Even if the economics of solar geoengineering doesn't make it a certainty, the politics of decarbonization make it look likely. It is a case of "when not if," the questions Wagner raises are going to be asked ever more urgently.
4. James Beard Awards: Chefs need to show social-justice commitment: For the first time, winning James Beard Awards, long known as the top honors in the restaurant and food media world, won't just depend on someone's skull with a whisk or with words. The WP reports that the organization that doles out the prestigious annual awards has retooled its criteria. Now, it will also base decisions on whether candidates have shown a "demonstrated commitment to racial and gender equity, community, environmental sustainability, and a culture where all can thrive."
5. FIFA versus UEFA: A proposed FIFA plan to hold a biennial World Cup is part of a struggle over whether the big clubs or national teams will be pre-eminent. Reports suggest there is strong support in Africa and Asia for a World Cup every two years, where many countries want more chances to participate in the showpiece tournament. Europe and South America, where opposition is strongest. The 2018 World Cup final between France and Croatia had a global audience of 1.1 billion. The tournament held in Russia generated an estimated $6 billion in revenues from broadcasting, sponsorship, and ticketing.
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Curating the emerging issues and independent thinkers shaping commerce and culture.
Emerging Issues + Independent Thinkers | Brigadoon Weekend
Brigadoon Weekend
Your weekly dose of the emerging issues + independent thinkers shaping commerce + culture
September 18, 2021
Get to Know:
Alice Waters
Alice Waters is an American chef, restaurateur, and author.
She is the owner of Chez Panisse, a Berkeley, California, restaurant famous for creating the farm-to-table movement and for pioneering California cuisine, which she opened in 1971.
Often called the “Mother of American Food,” Waters has been a champion of local sustainable agriculture for over four decades, and is credited with popularizing the organic food movement.
In 2010, she was inducted into France’s Legion of Honor. On the 40th anniversary of Chez Panisse in 2011, Waters was honored with the inclusion of her likeness at the Smithsonian Institute’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington.
In 2015, she was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama, recognizing her achievement in raising Americans’ awareness of healthy, sustainable eating and sustainable agriculture as the keys to a healthier population, a more livable environment, and a happier society.
Three reasons why Alice Waters inspires and motivates the Brigadoon network:
+ Chef, author, food activist, and owner of Chez Panisse Restaurant in Berkeley, California
+ Champion of local sustainable agriculture for over four decades and in 1995 founded the Edible Schoolyard Project, which advocates for a free regenerative school lunch for all children and a sustainable food curriculum in every public school
+ Author of sixteen books including her critically acclaimed memoir, Coming to My Senses: The Making of a Counterculture Cook, and the New York Times bestsellers The Art of Simple Food I & II, and The Edible Schoolyard: A Universal Idea
Five Weekend Reads:
Australia is getting nuclear subs, with American and British help: The new AUKUS alliance reflects a shared fear of China.
Economist
‘Havana syndrome ’ and the mystery of the microwaves: Doctors, scientists, intelligence agents, and government officials have all been trying to find out what causes "Havana syndrome" - a mysterious illness that has struck American diplomats and spies. Some call it an act of war, others wonder if it is some new and secret form of surveillance - and some people believe it could even be all in the mind. So who or what is responsible?
BBC
Using wearable sensors to study workplace behavior: Tuck’s Pino Audia and Dartmouth’s Andrew Campbell embarked on a three-year study of how wearable sensors may be used to gain a deeper understanding of behavior in the workplace. What they discovered holds both promise and peril for the future of work.
Tuck
The screen in your car is beckoning: “Infotainment” systems are becoming flashy, feature-packed distractions—and carmakers are just getting started.
Slate
The disastrous voyage of Satoshi, the world’s first cryptocurrency cruise ship: Last year, three cryptocurrency enthusiasts bought a cruise ship. They named it the Satoshi and dreamed of starting a floating libertarian utopia. It didn’t work out.
Guardian
Quote of the Week:
"There's no such thing as talent. What they call talent is nothing but the capacity for doing continuous hard work in the right way" -- Winslow Homer
Brigadoon Events:
Do one thing well
David Hieatt | Co-Founder of Hiut Denim Co + The Do Lectures
2:00 pm ET | Wednesday, October 20
Why nature makes us happier, healthier, and more creative
Florence Williams | Author of The Nature Fix
2:00 pm ET | Wednesday, November 17
All calls are $45.00 | Brigadoon Members attend free
For more details and passes - click here.
Have a great weekend. See you next week.
-Marc
Marc A. Ross | Founder + Chief Curator @ Brigadoon
Brigadoon is Global Street Smarts.
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shaping commerce + culture
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