Querying Magic as a Critical Pedagogical Activity: Theodor Adorno and the Problem of Authoritarian Irrationalism in the Culture Industry

This essay investigates the resurgence of what the Western Culture Industry refers to as magic – a broad matrix of entertaining activities that range from card tricks, sleight of hand, and theatrical deception. Specifically, this research queries the possibility of these practices as they are aimed as critical educational tools: That is to say, the possibilities of these activities to engage us in activities which allow us to illuminate broader structures of power implicated in our lives. By reading these activities through Theodor Adorno’s concerns about the occult and irrationalism, specifically in his treatise “The Stars Down to Earth,” I argue that it is the reliance on the ongoing tradition of authoritarian irrationalism in magic that poses significant obstacles for critical pedagogues. These obstacles revolve around the tradition of allowing someone (the magician), or something (the culture industry), to define problems to be solved

Learning in a Credit Crisis, or a Crisis of Credit? Microcredit Lending, the Grameen Bank, and Informal Learning

Popular economic discourses have developed a lexicon which will often refer to economic downturns as a credit crisis. Kojin Karatani’s recent reworking of Marx’s analysis of the credit system however forces us to consider that credit itself may be the problem – a problem referred to here as the crisis of credit. This essay is a critical theoretical analysis of the way in which microcredit lending programs constrain informal learning so that people learn in a crisis of credit. After tracing the roots of microcredit to neoliberal gender reforms, I identify and critique three underlying justifications of the crisis of credit. Finally, I argue that understanding the credit/indebtedness process reveals how our proposed solution to a credit crisis contains new constraints for informal learning. Les discours économiques populaires font généralement référence aux récessions économiques alors qu’ il s’agit de crises de crédit. La nouvelle perspective du système de crédit de Marx entrepris par Kojin Karatani nous force cependant à considérer que le problème se pose sur le crédit lui-même – un problème en l’occurrence de crise de crédit. Cet article est une analyse théorique qui critique la façon dont les programmes de microcrédits entravent l’apprentissage informel des citoyens dans une crise de crédit. Après avoir retracé l’origine des microcrédits jusqu’aux réformes néolibérales de genre, trois justifications de taille ont été identifiées et critiquées. Pour conclure, j’argumenterai que le fait que comprendre le processus de crédit et d’endettement dévoile comment la solution proposée à la crise de crédit contient de nouvelles contraintes pour l’apprentissage informel

Alien Registration- Mcgray, Philip L. (Norway, Oxford County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/21068/thumbnail.jp

Abstractions for Simplifying Planning in Self-Reconfigurable Robotic Systems

In [KVRM], we described a three-dimensional self-reconfiguring robot module called the Molecule Robot. In this paper, we provide a system of abstractions for modules in self-reconfigurable robotic systems, and show how this system can be used to simplify the motion planning of the Molecule Robot system

Scaling Success: Lessons from Adaptation Pilots in the Rainfed Regions of India

"Scaling Success" examines how agricultural communities are adapting to the challenges posed by climate change through the lens of India's rainfed agriculture regions. Rainfed agriculture currently occupies 58 percent of India's cultivated land and accounts for up to 40 percent of its total food production. However, these regions face potential production losses of more than $200 billion USD in rice, wheat, and maize by 2050 due to the effects of climate change. Unless action is taken soon at a large scale, farmers will see sharp decreases in revenue and yields.Rainfed regions across the globe have been an important focus for the first generation of adaptation projects, but to date, few have achieved a scale that can be truly transformational. Drawing on lessons learnt from 21 case studies of rainfed agriculture interventions, the report provides guidance on how to design, fund and support adaptation projects that can achieve scale

Staying on Track from Paris: Advancing the Key Elements of the Paris Agreement

The Paris Agreement adopted in December 2015 provides essential building blocks for universal action to address climate change. Now, much work is needed to breathe life into the provisions and commitments of the Agreement in order to realize the globally agreed vision to limit temperature rise, build the ability to adapt to climate impacts, and align financial flows toward zerocarbon and climate-resilient development. The Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) must continue to cooperate effectively to unpack and clarify the key tasks and activities outlined in the Agreement in order to provide a well-defined pathway to implementation. This paper takes an in-depth look at the Paris Agreement, highlighting important outcomes and the tasks and activities that now need to be undertaken to elaborate and develop the critical rules and processes under the Agreement. Ensuring that these rules and processes are strong and effective will be essential to promoting ambitious climate action and accelerating it in the coming years