What I'm Reading
November 22 : Five reads that piqued my interest this week
Japanese researchers create ‘supermolecular’ biodegradable plastic
This is one of the more exciting stories I’ve read in a while.
Japanese researchers have created a plastic that’s low-cost, and as durable as regular plastic but breaks down in saltwater in hours.
What makes this discovery particularly exciting is that the new plastic doesn’t sacrifice strength for sustainability. The research team created materials that are actually stronger than many conventional plastics, with some versions being as hard as traditional epoxy resins.
They’re clear, durable, and can be reshaped with heat just like regular thermoplastics. One version even proved to be fireproof, adding an extra layer of practical value.
…
According to the journal Science, the secret behind this remarkable material lies in its unique chemistry. Unlike traditional plastics that are held together by strong chemical bonds that never naturally break apart, these new plastics are constructed using what scientists call ‘salt bridges’– reversible connections that can be broken apart by salt water.
Imagine a sophisticated set of LEGO blocks that stay firmly connected until exposed to a specific trigger that makes them cleanly separate.
India overtakes Chinese foreign students in the US
Indian students outnumber Chinese students studying at American universities displacing China from the number one spot for the first time in 15 years.
This trend began during the pandemic when the world closed its borders and has never recovered since.
But it is also being blamed in China on US rhetoric towards the Chinese Communist Party.
But attitudes began changing by 2016 as Trump was in his first run for office, Prytherch said. US-China relations tanked in the following years, as the two countries engaged in a trade war and finger-pointing during the pandemic.
The downward spiral was reflected in policy, too: Trump imposed an executive order canceling the US’ Fulbright exchange program with China, then introduced a ban that effectively prevents graduate science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students from several Chinese universities from gaining visas to the US, the world’s biggest research hub.
In 2020, the US revoked visas for more than 1,000 Chinese students and researchers deemed security risks. When President Joe Biden took office, many of those Trump-era policies were kept in place – making it difficult for Chinese grad students and researchers to secure a visa.
Trump exposes Germany’s weakness
Donald Trump’s return to the White House upends the war in Ukraine.
Europe has long made noises about defending itself and that could be put to the test depending on the terms and conditions Trump brokers once in power.
Just weeks after the inauguration, Germany will head to the polls with the ailing and uninspiring Chancellor Olaf Scholz seeking re-election.
For Kyiv, the best-case scenario is the CDU returns to power as they are stronger supporters of Ukraine.
But Germany’s weakness is Europe’s sickness and it leaves Kyiv terribly exposed to Trump’s whims.
Trump’s re-election has thrust Germany into an uncomfortable spotlight, forcing it to reassess its reliance on US leadership.
For Ukrainians, who have tirelessly campaigned for German military support, this moment feels both urgent and uncertain.
Activists continue to demand the delivery of advanced systems, like the Taurus missile, which could change the trajectory of the war. Yet Germany’s hesitancy remains, with many decisions still tied to Washington’s lead.
Trump is not king
It turns out there are limits to a resurrected Trump after all.
Just eight days after shocking the world with his pick for Attorney-General Matt Gaetz, his nominee stood down after failing to win the backing of enough Republican Senators for confirmation.
That’s the unmistakable lesson of the ill-fated nomination of Matt Gaetz for attorney general. Rather than showcasing Trump’s absolute power over his GOP allies, it revealed his limits. The doomed nomination lasted just eight days — and its failure is an unwelcome lesson for the president-elect, who has been projecting invincibility and claiming a historic mandate despite his reed-thin popular vote victory.
‘The short version is ‘checks and balances work,’ said Eugene Volokh, a UCLA professor of law.
Though Republicans will control both chambers of Congress, the resistance from Senate Republicans to Gaetz’s nomination proved that there are still some checks on Trump — no matter how limited — that can hold, despite fear on the left that he will squeeze Congress into submission, get carte blanche from the conservative-dominated Supreme Court and enact his agenda at will.
The tyrant in a toupee is actually funny and charismatic
You have to laugh at the shapeshifting at play here.
I’ve previously written about the difficulties headline-seeking left-wing figures like Kevin Rudd and David Lammy would have in the event of a replay of a Donald Trump presidency.
Lammy has called Trump a ‘tyrant in a toupee’ and worse over the years and wanted at one point to lead the campaign to have the US President barred from Britain.
Now he is Foreign Minister, he and his boss, Sir Keir Starmer will be overseeing the red carpet for whenever the President-elect next visits.
I’m always amused by the wriggling manoeuvres of these politicians who made a name for themselves by bagging the American leader to their domestic media audiences and Lammy’s is truly comedic, but you do have to pay the shamelessness and chutzpah from someone who has always fashioned himself as a moral arbiter in the political debate.
Now, according to Lammy, Trump Tower is the best thing since sliced bread and Trump, well, he’s just full of charm, as he told to
.‘He’s a very gracious host, very keen to put us all at ease and to ensure that we were comfortable, well fed, well watered,’ Lammy told me. One ally cited the Foreign Secretary’s ‘American-sized personality’ as an advantage – all backslapping bonhomie rather than stiff handshakes.
‘He was very proud to show us round his home,’ Lammy said. ‘Trump Tower has one of the most impressive views of Manhattan. We arrived and he insisted on turning the lights out so we could look at the beautiful view up on the 52nd floor. He was very funny, very engaging and very charismatic.’
‘He was also, as you would expect for a consummate politician, hugely engaged with what had happened in the UK – that we had won. He wanted to find out from the Prime Minister how he had won; I think he was taking notes in relation to his own campaign.’
And that’s my list for this week. On Monday I joined the Moncole Daily to discuss the day’s news.
Please do send me anything that’s caught your eye, I enjoy knowing what you’ve been reading.
Some of you have started to offer me copies of your books etc. Please email me at latika@latikambourke.com for a forwarding address for hard copies.