Global Events Unfold: From Iranian Protests to Cosmic Discoveries and Economic Debates
Several significant events unfolded across the globe, capturing attention in politics, science, and economics. These events ranged from ongoing protests in Iran to new discoveries about the universe and debates surrounding wealth taxes in California.
In Iran, protests continued despite a brutal crackdown, with the death toll surpassing 6,000, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (NPR Politics). Despite internet and communication blackouts, videos of violence and death leaked from the country, as more Iranians spoke out about their experiences (NPR Politics).
Meanwhile, in the field of cosmology, astronomers released the most ambitious cosmic map assembled to date (Nature News). The Dark Energy Survey observed around 150 million galaxies visible in Earth’s southern sky (Nature News). The survey confirmed that matter in the Universe is less clumpy than standard cosmological theory would predict (Nature News).
In California, a debate arose over a proposed wealth tax. Brian Galle, a tax law expert and key architect behind California's controversial wealth tax proposal, described himself as an enthusiastic capitalist (Fortune). Speaking to Fortune about his forthcoming new book, "How to Tax the Ultrarich," Galle said one of its central arguments is that domination by a small number of people is not working well. "I think capitalism is a great system that probably has, you know, enriched the lives of billions of people, but I'm not sure that our system is a functioning capitalist system right now," Galle told Fortune (Fortune). He argues that a 1% annual tax won't doom anyone's business (Fortune).
Additionally, research from Rutgers University indicated that firearm purchasing patterns can shift in response to specific events, including presidential elections (Phys.org). A study by researchers with the New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center examined the extent to which specific groups changed their intentions and behaviors related to firearms directly in response to the 2024 presidential election (Phys.org).
Finally, Massimo Mazzotti's book "Reactionary Mathematics: A Genealogy of Purity," explores the entanglement of mathematics and politics, using an episode in French-occupied Naples as an example (Hacker News).
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