Social Europe Jan Zielonka 20th January 2025 Can innovation save democracy from its outdated frameworks reminds us that extreme right populism has been a persistent feature of European politics since the rise of liberal democracy after World War II First elected to the French parliament in 1956 Le Pen never attained the level of influence that his daughter commands today during the golden years of European democracy this dynamic has shifted dramatically in recent years Nativist populists have emerged victorious at the ballot box not only in Central and Eastern Europe but also in Italy With the return of Donald Trump to the White House it appears that populists are poised to dominate the political landscape across the Western world for some time to come Many have their own lists of individuals or factors they hold responsible for the rise of populists to power There is also a roster of liberal centre-left and centre-right politicians blamed for the populist surge the fault lies with Margaret Thatcher; for others Some criticise Gerhard Schröder or Angela Merkel while others point to Nicolas Sarkozy or Emmanuel Macron Mudde argued that as liberal democracy erodes the demand for populist politicians rises: “populism is essentially an illiberal democratic response to undemocratic liberalism.” It is not that the new generation of populist leaders is inherently more skilled or charismatic than their predecessors Matteo Salvini is no more adept than Umberto Bossi; Geert Wilders lacks the charisma of Pim Fortuyn; Marine Le Pen is not a better orator than her father; and Herbert Kickl does not possess the local roots of Jörg Haider (incidentally Kickl began his career as Haider’s ghostwriter) The current success of populists stems from the distortion of liberal democracy The pressing question is: how can unhappy voters be won back One might expect liberals to acknowledge their mistakes and work to reduce the demand for populism by restoring democracy’s legitimacy Some argue that the best antidote to populism is a liberal version of populism Others advocate for technocracy as a bulwark against the populist post-truth era Both camps have mounted vigorous public campaigns against populist parties and leaders with meagre results at best—a situation that is not difficult to understand While individual populist politicians and parties can be discredited and removed from power this does not address the underlying demand for populism or Kaczyński will simply be replaced by other populists as long as democracy remains in disrepair The goal should be to reduce the demand for populism not merely to oust specific populist figures or parties The technocratic solutions favoured by the anti-populist camp may resolve practical issues such as financial instability technocracy has little in common with democracy and reduces transparency in decision-making While democracy must be both effective and representative delegating decisions to unelected experts or institutions only frustrates citizens What is the point of democratic elections if decisions are made by technocrats Combatting populism with populism is an even worse strategy The concept of “liberal populism” is fundamentally flawed as populism embodies everything the intellectual founders of liberalism opposed If a liberal adopts the rhetoric and tactics of a populist In 2021, researchers asked Europeans how they would feel about reducing the number of national parliamentarians and replacing them with Artificial Intelligence (AI) equipped with access to citizen data. Surprisingly, half of the respondents, particularly younger individuals, expressed enthusiasm It is unclear whether this reflects trust in AI or distrust in the political class it underscores the need for democratic reforms that extend beyond traditional agendas of elections Democracy must also address the new challenges posed by technological advances The national framework in which democracy operates is ill-suited to the global digital landscape of interconnected communications and transactions democracy’s current pace is too slow for a world operating at the speed of the internet Populists propose dismantling the rule of law and minority rights in their bid to “fix” democracy allows for swift decision-making without public consultation or parliamentary deliberation quick decisions are not always wise or legitimate which explains why autocracies frequently falter populists’ sovereigntist tendencies clash with the transnational connectivity fostered by the internet Liberals rightly criticise populists for dismantling the traditional pillars of the democratic order this critique often veers into nostalgia for a bygone era when political parties were deeply rooted in civil society parliaments were forums for genuine public debate and ministers trusted experienced civil servants power resides with informal networks that have capitalised on the digital revolution while national governments wield authority over vulnerable citizens or migrants but are powerless against multinational corporations controlling communication as the digital and AI revolutions will continue to advance Democracy must therefore adapt to a world where people think and interact differently than they did during its golden era decades ago While there is no blueprint for democratic transformation Can you name any significant democratic reforms introduced since the advent of the World Wide Web over three decades ago Businesses have adapted to the digital age as has organised crime; yet democracy remains stuck in a framework more suited to the era of Alexis de Tocqueville It is time to explore new forms of e-democracy that empower ordinary citizens compelling states to share resources and decision-making with local and transnational actors Informal networks should also be harnessed to deliver public goods but if we adhere to liberal values while innovating we might navigate our way out of the populist labyrinth Jan Zielonka is professor of politics and international relations at the University of Venice His latest book is The Lost Future and How to Reclaim It  (Yale University Press The Spring issue of The Progressive Post is out the US – hitherto the cornerstone of Western security – is destabilising the world order it helped to build The US security umbrella is apparently closing on Europe Ukraine finds itself less and less protected and the traditional defender of free trade is now shutting the door to foreign goods How will the European Union respond to this dramatic landscape change assess how the US president's recent announcements will impact international trade and explore the risks  and opportunities that algorithms pose for workers Our Mission Team Article Submission Advertisements Membership Themes Archive Politics Archive Economy Archive Society Archive Ecology Archive RSS Feed Legal Disclosure Privacy Policy Copyright Community Safety Department Director To Resign Amid Tension With Cambridge Police Department From Lab to Startup: Harvard’s Office of Technology Development Paves the Way for Research Commercialization People’s Forum on Graduation Readiness Held After Vote to Eliminate MCAS 8 Takeaways From Harvard’s Task Force Reports Harvard Hillel Executive Director Jason B. Rubenstein ’04 acknowledged in an open letter to Hillel affiliates on Thursday that he hastily suspended J Street U, a student group that used the center’s funding to print and distribute flyers critical of Israel’s war in Gaza printed flyers that included photos from the war with text from Jewish liturgy and distributed them on and around Harvard’s campus with a group of fellow students The flyers were sourced from Halachic Left — an external progressive Jewish organization Flyers were discovered by Hillel staff Tuesday morning on poles near Rosovsky Hall on Mt unaware that the flyers had been printed with Hillel funds and distributed by affiliated students reported the flyers to campus and city police as “intimidating.” wrote in a statement that she participated in the action to “protest Israel’s conduct in Gaza and underscore my genuine moral and religious concerns for Palestinian lives.” I regret the misunderstandings that overshadowed our message,” she added In a Tuesday night statement to The Crimson Rubenstein said he would review J Street U’s status as an officially recognized group at Hillel and temporarily suspended Zielonka’s privileges as a student leader at Hillel “We are reviewing the status of the organization led by this student as a recognized group within Harvard Hillel and have in the interim suspended this student’s and their group’s use of Hillel’s resources pending the outcome of the review,” Rubenstein wrote But in a 2,600-word message to Hillel affiliates on Thursday Rubenstein wrote that he wished he could have made the decision “with more time and opportunity for dialogue.” Rubenstein wrote in his letter to affiliates that the flyers were reported to police because staff members thought Hillel had been specifically targeted by the flyering campaign “When our staff discovered fliers outside the Hillel building Tuesday morning we had no idea that they were produced by a Jewish group and even less with Hillel’s resources,” Rubenstein wrote I learned from a Crimson reporter that Hillel’s funds had been used to print these posters and realized that JStreetU’s leadership had not operated in keeping with the affiliation agreement,” he added and I wish that we could have navigated it with more time and opportunity for dialogue.” Rubenstein wrote in his letter that since suspending J Street U he had the opportunity to sit down with Zielonka for a 90-minute conversation Zielonka acknowledged in her statement that she should have disclosed the content of the flyers to Hillel “I received permission to spend funds to print the posters as a Hillel affiliated group but I should have preemptively shown Hillel the content given their rules precluding the use of their funds for controversial matters,” Zielonka wrote “Out of respect for Hillel and their mission I have already donated the $41 back to the organization.” As part of the fallout from the postering incident J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami apologized to Rubenstein and the Harvard Hillel Board of Directors in a letter on Thursday “We understand that the action taken was a violation of Harvard Hillel’s trust and affiliation agreement,” Ben-Ami wrote we sincerely apologize for the damage that this has caused within the Harvard Hillel community as well as to the trust between J Street U and Harvard Hillel.” J Street U is the student organizing arm of J Street — a liberal Zionist advocacy group which was co-signed by J Street U Director Erin Beiner and J Street New England Regional Director Janette Hillis-Jaffe that Zielonka “was not a chapter chair recognized by J Street U and did not inform the J Street U team of their plans to conduct this action on campus.” “If these students had been J Street U leaders their actions certainly would not have been approved as they run counter to our organizational values,” Ben-Ami added Zielonka acknowledged in a statement that the postering campaign “was not sanctioned by J Street National.” “They have since informed me that postering is not a practice they encourage,” she added Rubenstein wrote in a Thursday evening statement to The Crimson that Hillel was not aware that its J Street U chapter was no longer recognized by the national organization “Neither Harvard Hillel nor the student leaders were aware of JStreetU's lapse in affiliation,” he wrote Though Rubenstein said in his Thursday email that he found the flyers to be “dangerous,” he also said that the controversy generated by the incident could “make a compelling case for a Hillel-hosted discussion juxtaposing the introspection of Yom Kippur with students’ ethical positions on Israel’s war with Hamas “I could even imagine a scenario in which these very posters could be the source-text for such an event provided that the session was designed with a goal of introspection and deliberation,” he added —Staff writer Sally E. Edwards can be reached at sally.edwards@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @sallyedwards04 or on Threads @sally_edwards06 Want to keep up with breaking news? Subscribe to our email newsletter. Natalia Zielonka received funding from The UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council Norwich Research Park Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (grant code BB/M011216/1) Simon Butler receives funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) University of East Anglia provides funding as a member of The Conversation UK View all partners Imagine you’re walking across rolling hills that stretch for miles with warm sunshine and the chirping of birds all around This peaceful and serene scene is an increasingly rare one in the modern world Our natural soundscapes are falling silent as bird populations decline. Humans are interacting less with nature, in what is sometimes referred to as an “extinction of experience” This has been linked to deteriorating public health and wellbeing Birds are often colourful and their song provides the soundtrack to our outdoor activities Listening to a dawn chorus should be like listening to a full orchestra brass and percussion impressing with their volume and complexity But if the only ones who turn up are the bass drum and a trumpeter Our study explores the link between birdsong and people, specifically on English vineyards, as viticulture is the UK’s fastest growing agricultural industry It is also strongly embedded in tourism through vineyard tours and wine-tasting events We surveyed bird communities on 21 vineyards and measured the characteristics of their soundscapes using acoustic indices which are metrics that capture complexity and volume of sound Our results showed that vineyards with more bird species had louder and more complex soundscapes This is not surprising: a vineyard with robins finches and tits is expected to sound more acoustically diverse and loud than a vineyard with just a few pigeons But does the silencing of our soundscapes matter to us? The short answer is yes. There is growing evidence about the health benefits of spending time in nature Yet while the general benefits of being outside in nature may seem intuitive the contributions of natural sounds to this are less understood So as part of our research we explored the experience of 186 wine-tour participants across three vineyards with varying soundscapes We also enhanced some vineyard soundscapes with hidden speakers which played the songs of five additional bird species This was designed to see how participants’ engagement with nature would be affected by increasing the diversity of birds and songs summarised: “What was surprising was the significant impact that birdsong has on people.” Visitors who experienced louder and more complex sounds – whether on vineyards with naturally richer soundscapes or on those we had enhanced – reported that they had enjoyed the sounds more They also felt more connected to nature and more satisfied with their tour they felt more mindful and positive during the tours They said they felt “engrossed by the sounds” and found them “appealing” We harness nature’s benefits subconsciously that it’s easy to take them for granted: “We all benefit from the soundscape of the vineyard daily and maybe when it is so frequent we don’t fully realise how that positively impacts wellbeing compared to other work settings.” Our study is a clear demonstration of the direct effect that birdsong has on our wellbeing It shows that bird conservation could simultaneously enhance our experience of spending time in nature and elicit positive emotions The world we experience today is unlike what our grandparents experienced. We are increasingly disconnected from nature, and nature’s benefits on our wellbeing are lessening as a result. What is most concerning is that these changes are accepted as the new norm, a concept termed “shifting baseline syndrome” We hope our findings lead to more people thinking like Harrison It goes to show how important nature is for humanity on so many levels and hopefully a study like this supports more investment and help in retaining as well as improving our natural soundscapes argument for protecting natural soundscapes We showed that even an hour’s exposure to diverse and loud birdsong can lead to feelings of optimism and relaxation we hope businesses and people will be inspired to invest in conservation and promote nature engagement in creative settings such as workplace courtyards or restaurants with outdoor seating Jersey Number 7Nick ZielonkaClass: SeniorHometown: Wallington Earned Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Week after netting a pair of goals against St Bonaventure (10/4) and assisting the game winning goal against Saint Joseph’s (10/7).. Scored a goal and assisted another in a 3-1 win over Davidson on Senior Day (10/21).. Netted the game-tying goal in the 75th minute to force overtime in the Atlantic 10 quarterfinals against Saint Louis (11/3) Jan Zielonka 21st October 2024 Europe’s democracies are failing their youth as short-sighted policies prioritise the needs of older generations leaving young people without a voice or a future In the famous 2007 neo-western crime thriller directed by the Coen brothers, the not-so-young sheriff, magnificently played by Tommy Lee Jones, is warned by his cousin: “This country’s hard on people. You can’t stop what’s coming. It ain’t all waiting on you.” The Cohens’ film is No Country for Old Men so why have I paraphrased this title to write about the situation of young people in Europe’s democracies contemporary Europe does not resemble the wild desert of West Texas some elderly people struggle to make their lives dignified in Europe but I will argue that young people are worse off than old ones The reason points to democracy’s major shortcoming or Democracy is hostage to the present-day voters, who are seldom young in today’s Europe. During the recent European elections, the shares of first-time voters (persons who have reached voting age since the last European elections in 2019) were well below 10 per cent No wonder they complain that their vote does not imply a voice in public affairs There are simply too few young voters to impress any government The generations younger than those allowed to vote and those who are not yet born are treated by democracy even worse Lowering the voting age will only benefit a tiny fraction of future generations politicians express plenty of concern about the future generations How many photos featuring our leaders with babies and children have you seen during successive electoral campaigns How many environmental pledges have been made to make the lives of future generations bearable on this earth How often have we heard about the importance of education in generating sustainable prosperity I am not even talking about promises to keep public finances under control so that future generations are not faced with the bill left by the older.  We tend to blame populists for this sorry state of affairs but we should also consider the impact of other factors The “flat” digitalised world is running at an ever-higher pace with enormous implications for democracy and young people Climate change has accelerated tremendously making the younger generation vulnerable in ways their parents have not experienced The speed of economic transactions has affected chiefly young people who virtually “sleep in their office” (next to a smartphone) and work around the clock 24/7 Or think about the gig economy in which pensions and workers’ rights are progressively diluted Democracy’s temporal myopia could be tolerated in the pre-digital era but now it is profoundly hitting the young and future generations in various shapes and forms.  including the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme and the Erasmus+ student mobility initiative It looks like pro- and anti-European politicians have something in common when it comes to the interests of younger generations Instead of fulfilling our youngsters’ basic expectations politicians create phantom institutions to mimic pro-youth policies Finland created a special body with a mandate to oversee the long-term applications of adopted policies and enhance sustainable thinking among policy-makers There will be a new EU Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness There is no need to dismiss the potential virtues of these initiatives but institutional engineering can hardly break the iron rules of democracy If governments propose raising taxes to reduce the public debt Politicians trying to ban diesel fuels fear lorry taxi or tractor drivers and not children who are not yet born Investments in long-term projects to improve public housing or education imply cuts in other sectors benefiting the present-day electorates Can you imagine that the new EU Commissioner for Intergenerational Fairness Culture and Sport can change the rules of this game I bet he will be more successful in promoting sports events than in enhancing the cause of intergenerational justice I expect conflicts between younger and older generations to intensify in the coming years and they will manifest themselves not in parliaments but on Europe’s streets This does not need to be bad news because real political change requires a high degree of public mobilisation The student protests of 1968 did not achieve their revolutionary objectives but they certainly gave a shock to the system It is difficult to imagine that many of the reforms introduced in the 1970s (from family law to education) would have been pushed forward had young people not taken to the streets if protests are destructive with little positive agenda for change the result may be chaos with many casualties the title of the Coen brothers’ famous film may indeed apply I urge my not-so-young generation to stop being selfish This is a joint publication by Social Europe and IPS-Journal Volume 9 - 2015 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2015.00042 This article is part of the Research TopicNeurodegeneration: from genetics to moleculesView all 23 articles For the past decade protein acetylation has been shown to be a crucial post-transcriptional modification involved in the regulation of protein functions Histone acetyltransferases (HATs) mediate acetylation of histones which results in the nucleosomal relaxation associated with gene expression is mediated by histone deacetylases (HDACs) leading to chromatin condensation followed by transcriptional repression HDACs are divided into distinct classes: I on the basis of size and sequence homology as well as formation of distinct repressor complexes have identified these molecules as unique and attractive therapeutic targets The emergence of HDAC4 among the members of class IIa family as a major player in synaptic plasticity raises important questions about its functions in the brain The characterization of HDAC4 specific substrates and molecular partners in the brain will not only provide a better understanding of HDAC4 biological functions but also might help to develop new therapeutic strategies to target numerous malignancies In this review we highlight and summarize recent achievements in understanding the biological role of HDAC4 in neurodegenerative processes They are often deregulated in diseases and inhibition of their enzymatic activities remains of therapeutic interest Alzheimer's disease (AD) and ischemic stroke (A) Summary of HDAC4 post translational modifications (B) Summary underlying HDAC4 cellular localization and identified functions spanning all tested systems HDAC4 undergoes nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling in response to different stimuli through multiple kinases (1) HDAC4 might be cleaved by proteases (2) to generate a small N-terminal fragment that translocates into the nuclei (3) to bind different transcription factors (TF) and repress their driven transcription Similarly the full length HDAC4 upon dephosphorylation by phosphatases (4) translocates into the nuclei to act as a repressor of TF HDAC4 is cleaved by unknown protease to produce a distinct nuclear N-terminal fragment (5) Treatment with HDACIs might lead to the RANBP2-mediated proteasome degradation of HDAC4 (6) HDAC4 as a non-active deacetylase can also bind HDAC3 (7) to enhance its deacetylase activity (8) HDAC4 as a scaffolding protein prompts to form many complexes and has showed a cytosolic pro-aggregation propensity in HD mouse models (9) there have been no data available suggesting a similar proteolytic pattern of HDAC4 in the healthy brain or in neurodegenerative disorders these studies provide a picture of a multifunctional protein and emphasize the presence of several mechanisms behind the tissue-specific regulation of HDAC4 expression and function One might conclude that HDAC4 is not a histone/protein deacetylase however it can play a crucial role in many processes through its interaction with HDAC3 or with a general role of scaffolding protein these studies provide evidence of an active role of HDAC4 in the neurogenic muscle's atrophy program which becomes exacerbated in some neurodegenerative disorders urging HDAC4 as a promising therapeutic target these other HDACIs could induce HDAC4 degradation through a proteasome-dependent mechanism This therapeutic effect highlights the importance of HDACIIa members relatively little is known regarding individual HDACs functions in the adult brain class I HDACs biological functions have been intensively studied in the brain it appears that suitable HDAC targets could arise from HDAC IIa subfamily but their function and role are still poorly understood Recent studies identified HDAC4 as a critical component of several neurological processes including neuronal survival and synaptic plasticity in healthy and diseased brains little is known about HDAC4 cellular process like: mechanisms governing HDAC4 cellular localization post-translational modification and a proteolytic cleavage HDAC4 transcriptional regulation has not been studied and therefore the description of the specific transcription factors and regulatory elements driving HDAC4 expression should be carefully undertaken The presence of an inactive deacetylase domain within the class IIa HDACs might also suggest that newly designed small molecules should be rather directed to the HDAC4 known functions HDAC3 interaction or proteolytic cleavage sites than toward deacetylase domain much more research is needed to fully describe biological function of HDAC4 in the healthy and diseased brains to be able to shape future therapeutic strategies for a various disorders A general mechanism of HDACIs (HDAC Inhibitors) action The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest Homocysteinylation of neuronal proteins contributes to folate deficiency-associated alterations of differentiation and plasticity in hippocampal neuronal cells Selective repression of MEF2 activity by PKA-dependent proteolysis of HDAC4 Intracellular trafficking of histone deacetylase 4 regulates neuronal cell death The neurodegenerative disease protein ataxin-1 antagonizes the neuronal survival function of myocyte enhancer factor-2 Skeletal muscle denervation causes skeletal muscle atrophy through a pathway that involves both Gadd45a and HDAC4 Structural and functional analysis of the human HDAC4 catalytic domain reveals a regulatory structural zinc-binding domain Histone deacetylase inhibition suppresses myogenin-dependent atrogene activation in spinal muscular atrophy mice Distribution of histone deacetylases 1-11 in the rat brain Muscle histone deacetylase 4 upregulation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: potential role in reinnervation ability and disease progression Neuronal activity-dependent nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of HDAC4 and HDAC5 HDAC4 regulates neuronal survival in normal and diseased retinas HDAC inhibition promotes cardiogenesis and the survival of embryonic stem cells through proteasome-dependent pathway A direct HDAC4-MAP kinase crosstalk activates muscle atrophy program HDAC4 promotes Pax7-dependent satellite cell activation and muscle regeneration Zn(II)-dependent histone deacetylase inhibitors: suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid and trichostatin A Regional and subcellular distribution of HDAC4 in mouse brain Homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 2-dependent repression of myogenic differentiation is relieved by its caspase-mediated cleavage Histone deacetylases (HDACs): characterization of the classical HDAC family Epigenetic modulation of neuronal apoptosis and cognitive functions in sepsis-associated encephalopathy Histone deacetylase inhibition by sodium butyrate chemotherapy ameliorates the neurodegenerative phenotype in Huntington's disease mice Targeting the correct HDAC(s) to treat cognitive disorders The histone deacetylase HDAC4 regulates long-term memory in Drosophila Essential role of coiled coils for aggregation and activity of Q/N-rich prions and PolyQ proteins Neuroprotective effects of phenylbutyrate in the N171-82Q transgenic mouse model of Huntington's disease Three proteins define a class of human histone deacetylases related to yeast Hda1p Regulation of histone deacetylase 4 and 5 and transcriptional activity by 14-3-3-dependent cellular localization MiR-365: a mechanosensitive microRNA stimulates chondrocyte differentiation through targeting histone deacetylase 4 Crystal structure of a conserved N-terminal domain of histone deacetylase 4 reveals functional insights into glutamine-rich domains HDAC4/5-HMGB1 signalling mediated by NADPH oxidase activity contributes to cerebral ischaemia/reperfusion injury ameliorates motor deficits in a mouse model of Huntington's disease Epigenetic influence of KAT6B and HDAC4 in the development of skeletal malocclusion Inhibitors of class 1 histone deacetylases reverse contextual memory deficits in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease An essential role for histone deacetylase 4 in synaptic plasticity and memory formation MicroRNA-29a ameliorates glucocorticoid-induced suppression of osteoblast differentiation by regulating beta-catenin acetylation Differential regulation of Bdnf expression in cortical neurons by class-selective histone deacetylase inhibitors Unraveling the hidden catalytic activity of vertebrate class IIa histone deacetylases Nuclear accumulation of HDAC4 in ATM deficiency promotes neurodegeneration in ataxia telangiectasia MicroRNA-29a promotion of nephrin acetylation ameliorates hyperglycemia-induced podocyte dysfunction microRNA-206 promotes skeletal muscle regeneration and delays progression of Duchenne muscular dystrophy in mice Opposing HDAC4 nuclear fluxes due to phosphorylation by beta-adrenergic activated protein kinase A or by activity or Epac activated CaMKII in skeletal muscle fibers HDAC4 inhibits cell-cycle progression and protects neurons from cell death Neuronal activity-dependent cell survival mediated by transcription factor MEF2 Dimethyl sulfoxide to vorinostat: development of this histone deacetylase inhibitor as an anticancer drug Histone deacetylase inhibitors: potential in cancer therapy Increased oxidative stress in the nucleus caused by Nox4 mediates oxidation of HDAC4 and cardiac hypertrophy SAHA decreases HDAC 2 and 4 levels in vivo and improves molecular phenotypes in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington's disease The Huntington's disease-related cardiomyopathy prevents a hypertrophic response in the R6/2 mouse model Dysfunction of the CNS-heart axis in mouse models of Huntington's disease HDAC4 reduction: a novel therapeutic strategy to target cytoplasmic huntingtin and ameliorate neurodegeneration HDAC4 does not act as a protein deacetylase in the postnatal murine brain in vivo Class IIa histone deacetylases are hormone-activated regulators of FOXO and mammalian glucose homeostasis Differential localization of HDAC4 orchestrates muscle differentiation DNA methylation analysis of the autistic brain reveals multiple dysregulated biological pathways Role of cyclic amp sensor epac1 in masseter muscle hypertrophy and myosin heavy chain transition induced by beta2-adrenoceptor stimulation HDAC6 is a specific deacetylase of peroxiredoxins and is involved in redox regulation Dephosphorylation and caspase processing generate distinct nuclear pools of histone deacetylase 4 Caspase-dependent regulation of histone deacetylase 4 nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling promotes apoptosis Regulatory signal transduction pathways for class IIa histone deacetylases The histone deacetylase 9 gene encodes multiple protein isoforms Conditional deletion of histone deacetylase-4 in the central nervous system has no major effect on brain architecture or neuronal viability A class of hybrid polar inducers of transformed cell differentiation inhibits histone deacetylases HATs and HDACs in neurodegeneration: a tale of disconcerted acetylation homeostasis Stress-induced epigenetic transcriptional memory of acetylcholinesterase by HDAC4 Activity-based probes for proteomic profiling of histone deacetylase complexes HDAC4 governs a transcriptional program essential for synaptic plasticity and memory Hippocampal HDAC4 contributes to postnatal fluoxetine-evoked depression-like behavior HDAC-class II specific inhibition involves HDAC proteasome-dependent degradation mediated by RANBP2 Takahashi-Fujigasaki SUMOylation substrates in neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease Takahashi-Fujigasaki Histone deacetylase (HDAC) 4 involvement in both Lewy and Marinesco bodies Monoaminergic and neuropeptidergic neurons have distinct expression profiles of histone deacetylases Histone deacetylase 4 controls chondrocyte hypertrophy during skeletogenesis Class II histone deacetylases: versatile regulators The tumor suppressor kinase LKB1 activates the downstream kinases SIK2 and SIK3 to stimulate nuclear export of class IIa histone deacetylases Dephosphorylation at a conserved SP motif governs cAMP sensitivity and nuclear localization of class IIa histone deacetylases Glycolysis-dependent histone deacetylase 4 degradation regulates inflammatory cytokine production Epigenetic mechanisms linking diabetes and synaptic impairments Histone deacetylases (HDACs) in frontotemporal lobar degeneration MicroRNA-206 delays ALS progression and promotes regeneration of neuromuscular synapses in mice miR-206 represses hypertrophy of myogenic cells but not muscle fibers via inhibition of HDAC4 Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma regulates angiotensin II-induced catalase downregulation in adventitial fibroblasts of rats Histone deacetylase class II and acetylated core histone immunohistochemistry in human brains with Huntington's disease HDAC4 protects cells from ER stress induced apoptosis through interaction with ATF4 Skeletal muscle pathology in Huntington's disease Cardiac dysfunction in Huntington's disease Google Scholar Marcinkowski JT and Guidez F (2015) HDAC4 as a potential therapeutic target in neurodegenerative diseases: a summary of recent achievements Received: 17 October 2014; Paper pending published: 19 November 2014; Accepted: 28 January 2015; Published online: 24 February 2015 Copyright © 2015 Mielcarek, Zielonka, Carnemolla, Marcinkowski and Guidez. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited in accordance with accepted academic practice distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms *Correspondence: Michal Mielcarek, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, King's College London, 8th Floor Tower Wing, Guy's Hospital Great Maze Pond, London, SE1 9RT, UK e-mail:bWllbGNhcmVrbWxAZ21haWwuY29t Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher 94% of researchers rate our articles as excellent or goodLearn more about the work of our research integrity team to safeguard the quality of each article we publish Jan Zielonka 1st July 2024 Marine Le Pen’s far-right party has won the electoral first round in France Welcome to a Europe Orwell would have recognised An image of George Orwell is circulating on ‘social media’. He is reading a book, entitled 2024, and he looks shocked if not terrified. Is the situation really so bad? Can Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four a clear majority to the centre-left and centre-right parties Some might even contend that populist politicians channel the hopes and fears of ‘ordinary people’ better than liberals One cannot however deny—and this is where Orwell looms large—that the narrative and practice of politics has dramatically shifted across Europe no matter who is in power in the various capitals Liberal norms and behaviours are in decline and illiberal and nativist alternatives are booming parties winning elections in Europe put a premium on liberal values: liberty Not just democracy but the rule of law and human rights were cherished services and people were considered an opportunity rather than a threat Historical and scientific facts were not widely contested and mainstream media refused to air outrageous views even at the expense of profit and entertainment Cultural tolerance and religious neutrality were taken as read Non-governmental organisations campaigning for social humanitarian or ecological causes were perceived as allies in sustaining the liberal order was considered a means of securing peace and prosperity European integration was the jewel of the liberal project was regarded as an effective instrument for handling globalisation a courageous experiment in transnational democracy a clever way of stabilising neighbours and a vehicle for strengthening Europe’s global position The new narrative is mainly about the ‘national interest’ protection of ‘our’ producers and religious roots multilateralism and European integration are under fire Out of vogue are human rights and the rights of members of minority communities trade unionism and even feminism are now seen as radical if not militant movements that ought to be ignored if not tamed by the mainstream ‘Law and order’ is now the priority—not the rule of law Discussions are focused on how to prepare for war rather than peace Politicians compete for the prize of best tub-thumper rather than best negotiator Enemies of the state include judges and civil-society activists once lionised by liberals The new narrative is followed up with action The iron fist of the state is ever more frequently applied—not just against people on the move but against NGOs trying to help them LGBT+ communities and environmentalists are monitored by security agencies and harassed in various ways Public broadcasters trying to maintain independence are being fired or sidelined liberals from the centre-left and centre-right parties running the post-1989 Europe preached one thing and did another Iraq was invaded in the name of ‘freedom’ and the zealous pursuit of its purported economic variant (especially in central and eastern Europe) disempowered many ordinary workers Today, moreover, not all illiberal politicians are prepared to shoot at potential asylum-seekers—Meloni is a good example despite the neo-fascist roots of her party One could also argue that there was always some hidden racism within Europe’s electorate and the main difference is that today the xenophobes find their voice through the ‘social media’ created by the internet Some might even attribute renascent nationalism and religious intolerance to liberals’ cultural amnesia ‘Open borders’ do not come without cost: are not imports from states disrespecting labour and safety standards ‘killing’ our own producers Does not cheap migrant labour erode domestic workers’ rights These are all legitimate arguments and explanations for the new rhetoric and politics The transformation itself cannot however be gainsaid What used to be outrageous and unacceptable some years ago is now a new ‘normal’ Which brings us back to Orwell and his demons Orwell’s future dystopia is not just about the misuse of power and the effects of torture about a mental journey from a coherent system of values towards another set entirely The anonymous repressive authority ‘Big Brother’ in 1984 does not only want people to behave as they are told; it wants them to think that war is peace We once believed that all human beings ought to enjoy a catalogue of basic human rights Today it is suggested that giving these rights to ‘migrants’ endangers welfare We once believed that people should be free to practise their ethnic multiculturalism is proclaimed dead and Islam is seen as a threat the green transition and sustainable development were signs of wisdom and modernity Today these are painted as ideological slogans bordering on madness We once believed that to achieve anything in an interdependent world we needed to co-operate Today the United Nations is ignored and member states of the EU want to take power back from ‘Brussels’ economic sanctions and political threats are the order of the day—all in the name of the same ‘peace’ individuals do not necessarily hold exclusively to one or other of these polar opposites Yet Orwell found a word to describe this too: ‘doublethink’ was the power to retain simultaneously two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind and accept both of them Doublethink often characterises liberals who give in to illiberal temptation under the pressure of events or the exigencies of power One might claim that an inconsequential liberal politician was still better than a convinced illiberal figure. I fear, however, that for illiberals the strategy is, as Orwell put it one of ‘tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing’ This is what the new normal means in European politics This is a joint publication by Social Europe and IPS-Journal – Kentucky men’s soccer has added four newcomers in Iker Carew Tweneboa Kodua and Nicolas Zielonka for the 2024 spring season The latest additions feature two transfers — Carew a forward from College of Charleston and Zielonka a forward from the University of Massachusetts Amherst — and two freshmen in Johnson and Kodua Coach Cedergren on Carew: “Iker is a transfer we are really excited to be adding to our team this spring His impressive performance at the College of Charleston throughout the past two seasons has shown a lot of potential for his future as a Wildcat.” Coach Cedergren on Johnson: “We are excited to have a young talented player like Lewis join our squad this spring He is an attacking player who has an eye for the goal but also takes pride in working off the ball on the defensive side.” Coach Cedergren on Kodua: “Tweneboa has had a successful youth career and is someone who we are thrilled to have join us this spring His ability to play through lines and drive with the ball will allow us to build and sustain attacks Previous School: University of Massachusetts Amherst Coach Cedergren on Zielonka: “Nick is a proven goal scorer at the highest level of collegiate soccer and is someone we are delighted to have at Kentucky His six goals last season at UMass were instrumental for their program and we are excited for him to bring his talents to the pitch as a Wildcat.” The 2024 spring newcomers will make their Kentucky men’s soccer debut in both home and away contests with the schedule to be announced ORANGE COUNTY – For Orange County firefighter Shannon Zielonka I just have to put my mind to it and I have to find the right technique,” she said Zielonka is one of only 11 female firefighters part of the department’s squad technical team which means those members respond to hazmat and technical calls such as rope and collapse rescues “When no one else can really figure out what’s going on on a call We have the resources so if it’s something that a typical engine We go to a lot of the big calls and difficult calls,” Zielonka said Zielonka was only 23 when she became a firefighter but said life wasn’t easy she said her mother abandoned her in a hotel room Zielonka was shortly put in foster care before she was reunited with her biological father helped my coping mechanisms - not with just my childhood trauma but a lot of the trauma we see here a lot of things we miss when we run these calls is how to cope with these calls,” Zielonka said He’s a 4-year-old male doodle part of OCFR K9 therapy program Zielonka is his handler and said the two of them work together to help and relief stress for other firefighters after a rough day “They actually say that five to 12 minutes of just petting a dog reduces your stress,” Zielonka said Zielonka is also a mother of two children and said despite her childhood cause those barriers only exist in our head be mentally focused and you can overcome anything,” she said You can listen to every episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate in the media player below: Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved TV Listings Email Newsletters RSS Feeds Contests and Rules Contact Us / Follow on Social Media Careers at WKMG Closed Captioning / Audio Description Public File Current EEO Report Terms of Use Privacy Policy Do Not Sell My Info FCC Applications EEO Report Disability Assistance Copyright © 2025 ClickOrlando.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group Jan Zielonka 17th April 2023 to ensure that ‘fast’ democracy is not ‘junk’ democracy We tend to say that time is our greatest treasure and we cannot afford to waste it Our politicians seem to concur: they never stand still Now we have a spine-chilling war on our borders which also requires fast and firm actions. We not only rush to supply arms to Ukraine, impose sanctions on Russia and accommodate refugees but also contemplate the ‘fast-track’ admission of Ukraine to the European Union A new banking crisis knocking on our doors also demands speedy solutions. The intervention of the Swiss Federal Department of Finance, the Swiss National Bank and the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority wrought merger of the country’s two largest banks practically over a weekend Welcome to high-speed democracy! In his book on ‘governing by emergency’ in the EU, Jonathan White contends: ‘The idea of extreme circumstances that need to be overcome and that give licence for unconventional measures of last resort has become central to how decisions are made.’ Successive crises are only one of many factors that make our democratic governments run so quickly. Our economic and social world has visibly accelerated. Edward Luttwak talks about unchecked ‘turbo-capitalism’ dominated by digital giants the speed of financial transactions in the era of the telegraph and that of the internet Hartmut Rosa argues that there is an acceleration not only in technology but also of social change and the pace of life If you go online you will find an endless supply of advice on how to act more quickly in the modern world the insidious undertone is ‘expect to be left behind’ so we pursue speed-reading or speed-learning courses We are also adjusting to instantaneous communication and work around the clock with our devices always to hand, to respond quickly to breaking news and recommendations from friends or orders from bosses Governments cannot but follow the same path trying to catch up with fast-moving people Acceleration is a mixed blessing for citizens but slowing down is not a viable option in most private and public circumstances. A sluggish response to a pandemic or to climate change would even amount to a crime Yet acceleration presents a challenge for democracy The nature of democracy is to slow down decision-making parliamentary oversight and judicial control Utilising all these democratic devices takes time in short supply in a high-speed economy and society As William Scheuerman rightly argues the liberal democracy of the past several decades was ‘reasoned deliberative and reflective and thus dependent on slow rather than fast passage of time’ Present-day acceleration and time compression by contrast pervert democratic procedures and lead to government by fiat by a small group of ruling-party politicians in charge of the executive branch Parliaments and courts are increasingly marginalised because they slow down the decision-making process and ‘obstruct’ governments from addressing challenges in an ‘efficient’ manner Effectiveness is however not just a function of timing but also of the solutions applied The wrong medicine dispensed in a hurry does not cure the patient Incessant time pressure leaves little room for research and evidence politics conforms to the ideological schemas of those in charge and dissent can be labelled betrayal of the ‘national interest’ This is how populism is born: ‘post-truth’ rhetoric is quickly disseminated via ‘social media’ while experts are labelled ‘enemies of the people’. As Ming-Sung Kuo puts it boldly ‘Populism is a child of “a pathology of instantaneous democracy”.’ Not surprisingly, therefore, we hear that democracy should stand its ground and resist the acceleration. The advocacy of slowing down economic and social processes is also gaining strength. ‘Slow down. Wise up’ is the message That is not necessarily because democracy has lost control over turbo-capitalism or because citizens want quicker rather than slower governmental action has become an indispensable part of our lives Today it is easier to imagine a world without democracy than one without the internet So democracy needs to adjust to high-speed or it will die we first need to differentiate between decisions that require slow and wise input and those that can be handled in an accelerated manner Right now we tend to rely on improvisation Sometimes constitutional changes are introduced by stealth under the pressure of successive emergencies challenges requiring immediate responses are bogged down in partisan parliamentary or judicial squabbles Secondly, we need to take e-democracy seriously Although the system of parliamentary representation is not working well states are reluctant to entertain democratic experiments This is because political parties prefer to rely on opinion polls that do not tie their hands to direct citizens’ participation with the help of the internet Thirdly, we need to involve networks willing and able to contribute to the delivery of public goods in democratic decision-making. I have in mind urban networks, trade unions and business associations as well as different kinds of non-governmental organisations. Studies have shown that networks operate in a high-speed society more effectively than centralised yet they are excluded from formal democratic arrangements although we will have to find ways of making networks more accessible we need to make instantaneous democracy work for the benefit of citizens—and there is no time to waste This is a joint publication by Social Europe and IPS-Journal Jan Zielonka 29th April 2024 That said, I cannot deny that the European Green Deal is being rolled back in front of our eyes with devasting implications The arms race has accelerated and confidence-building measures are being dismantled which increases the prospect of war by default or design The financial and migratory crises are contained but their roots are not addressed satisfactorily all these individual challenges are feeding into each other We can argue about the gravity of this or that threat and question the prophets proclaiming the apocalypse But it is hard to deny an accumulation of fundamental problems which will not go away without adequate responses Incompetent if not malicious politicians are usually blamed for the sorry state of our governance. The problem is that we are blaming different politicians, depending on our ideological stances. Those who vote for liberals from the centre-right-and-left parties blame populists for nationalism if not xenophobia ‘post-truth’ if not open lies and authoritarian tendencies dismantling democracy Those who vote for populists blame liberals for ignoring ordinary people and transferring ever more powers to markets and non-majoritarian institutions such as the European Commission They also accuse liberals of opening borders to ‘illegal’ migrants ‘subsidised’ Chinese products and ‘alien’ cultures This emotionally laden polarisation makes it difficult to design policies enjoying overwhelming popular support without which it is difficult to tackle the congeries of challenges in a firm problems persist even when populists and liberals join hands which suggests that polarisation is only one of the many factors explaining our weak grip over this jumbled environment I am not proposing that we should have sent European troops to Ukraine or well-intentioned policies were based on several misguided assumptions we believed that Ukraine could defend itself without attacking mainland Russia Providing Ukraine offensive rather than merely defensive weapons was rightly considered escalatory but this implied that the costs to Russia of waging war were bearable These costs proved also limited due to the modest effectiveness of our sanctions—economic sanctions represent a plausible alternative to direct military engagement but no predator can be contained by them alone It was also an illusion to believe that European societies could cope with the costs of war without significant public assistance. The influx of refugees or even grain from Ukraine affected many social groups states neglected Money invested in Ukraine also comes from others’ pockets and little has been done to divide these costs evenly Angry citizens have staged a rebellion which puts governments and their policies under pressure Our hope that the world would help Europe solve its problem on the eastern border was misguided too. In Africa, the middle east, Latin America and Asia there proved to be little sympathy for rich and selfish Europe Even in north America—despite the tardy backing from the United States Congress last week for aid—there is a widespread belief that Ukraine is essentially a European problem And it is difficult to impress Putin without a European army Yet while autocracies such as China or Russia can do a lot of damage, my experience of living on the ‘wrong side of the iron curtain’ suggests they are not so powerful as they may seem. The most important source of power is knowledge, which requires freedom to think and discuss. Besides, as Prince Talleyrand, Napoleon’s foreign minister, famously observed ‘You can do many things with bayonets except sit on them.’  History shows that people demand freedom sooner or later—and when they do Autocracies may well be strong when democracies are weak The flaws of democracy preoccupy me most because they erode our key advantage over autocracies What can we do to improve democratic governance we need to overcome the polarisation that prevents any meaningful compromises leading to new social contracts A government that is not underpinned by a social contract is weak and arbitrary Democratic governance cannot be just for the people: it must also be by the people Elections may well change governments but citizens do not sense that their vote counts This is why most Europe’s citizens are not satisfied with the way democracy works in their country If we believe that integrated Europe should help us regain some control over this unruly environment then we also need a genuine social contract at the European level The current renaissance of nationalism and sovereigntism does not though bode well we need to enlarge the spatial and temporal horizons of democracy Democratic governance is still confined to the borders of nation-states defending the short-term interests of present-day voters No wonder democracy stumbles in an increasingly connected world running at high speed Thirdly, we must intensify, not abandon, our efforts to promote democracy abroad. This is because in the ‘flat world’ of today we need genuine partners in enhancing peace social justice and sustainable development After disastrous versions of democracy promotion in Afghanistan and Iraq some advocate a return la géopolitique de grand-papa based on strategic alliances even with autocrats while others prefer to focus on the back yard Yet an inward-looking EU obsessed with its own problems will not recruit many supporters while courting autocrats is not just immoral but stupid: have we forgotten the tragic history of our ‘strategic alliances’ with Reza Pahlavi (Iran) Zine El Abidine Ben Ali (Tunisia) or Muammar Gaddafi (Libya) The best way to promote democracy is to act by example If we can show that our democracy is able to generate social contracts leading to peace and prosperity people in other parts of the world will be tempted to follow suit Europe will not regain its sex appeal by making patronising speeches while offering paternalistic funds (WKBW) — The Erie County District Attorney's Office announced that 35-year-old Nicholas M Rich of Darien pleaded guilty in State Supreme Court to one count of aggravated vehicular homicide The district attorney's office said on October 13 Rich was recklessly driving a vehicle at a high rate of speed when he caused a crash with another vehicle at the intersection of Broadway and Schwartz Road in Lancaster A 10-year-old boy in the other vehicle was injured in the crash and died from his injuries Police later identified him as 10-year-old Levi Zielonka READ MORE: 'We are grateful for the time we had with our amazing boy': remembering 10-year-old killed in Lancaster crash and Rich were also taken to ECMC with injuries He faces a maximum of 25 years in prison when he is sentenced on January 30 We want to hear what’s going on in your community Share your voice and hear from your neighbors This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page RICHMOND TOWNSHIP in connection with a fire at his ex-girlfriend’s house Background: Man accused of arson in Macomb County house fire, no injuries reported According to the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office 7 to a Richmond Township home on Pratt Road where they found an attached garage fully engulfed in flames The Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office alleges that Zachary Zielonka broke into the garage and set a vehicle on fire The homeowner reportedly was able to identify the suspect after seeing them flee the scene Zieloka was charged with second-degree arson and first-degree home invasion. Both charges are 20-year felonies. His bond was set at $500,000 cash/surety. He is expected to return to court Sept. 19. Copyright 2023 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved. Dane Kelly is an Oreo enthusiast and producer who has spent the last seven years covering Michigan news and stories. Click here to take a moment and familiarize yourself with our Community Guidelines TV Listings Email Newsletters RSS Feeds Contests and Rules Contact Us Careers at WDIV Closed Captioning / Audio Description Public File Current EEO Report Terms of Use Privacy Policy FCC Applications Copyright © 2025 ClickOnDetroit.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group Dubbed "The Pasta Man" by his hordes of fans and adherents, Mateo Zielonka has had a meteoric rise within the realms of food — and of course, pasta I'd never really cooked anything before and I only had one cookbook – "The Sopranos Family Cookbook," a birthday present I got when I was 17 – but I felt completely at home in the kitchen (Fun fact: I bought that same cookbook for my brother for Christmas a few years back; it's "compiled by Artie Bucco" and that alone should sell you on it.) toppings and sides to help round out your homemade pastas in the best ways Read ahead for more on making pasta at home, why you shouldn't be spooked about doing so and how to feel confident in your newly acquired pasta-making skills The following interview has been lightly edited for clarity and length I started making pasta at a busy London restaurant and fell in love with all the process and the range of ways it can be served What do you think would be a great starter recipe or dish for a beginner I always say simple is best, so if you have a pasta machine then making tagliarini, tagliatelle or pappardelle is the simplest pasta shape. If you don't have a pasta machine, start with malloreddus. Either way, try serving with pesto trapanesse Mateo Zielonka (Photo courtesy of Dave Brown) What's your favorite under-utilized pasta shape Are there any pasta cooking "myths" you'd like to debunk Don't put any oil in your pasta cooking water (you really don't need to) and never drain all of the water after cooking. You need this beautiful starchy water to add to the sauce and help it cling to the strands of pasta What are some top tips for pasta beginners Just start! It's fun, it doesn't have to be perfect, and look for videos to help you learn. There's plenty of shaping videos on my website Want more great food writing and recipes? Subscribe to Salon Food's newsletter Where did the name "the Pasta Man" come from I posted lots of pictures on Instagram when I was first making pasta at home improving my technique and sharing the images online That's when people started calling me the Pasta Man as I never posted pictures of anything else How are the QR codes incorporated into the book The QR codes link to shaping videos which help people to understand the step-by-step process of pasta making so they are the best way for me to share the information The caramelle on the book cover are stunning There are two caramelle recipes in the book. One is filled with sweet potato and goat cheese, the second is filled with duck and served with pickled rhubarb Tell me about your fascination with multi-colored pastas It's such an absorbing process and many people say they find it good to work with their hands to create something – whether that's food or anything else creative Adding color to the process adds an imaginative dimension What are some ingredients that you like to use in your pasta dishes that might seem unusual or unique I've mentioned pickled rhubarb above. I've used seaweed, miso, cod I'm looking for a twist on a more conventional recipe but I try to stick to my own advice that simple is best Pasta Masterclass by Mateo Zielonka (Photo courtesy of Dave Brown)You can purchase Mateo Zielonka's "Pasta Masterclass" here when I was talking to my friend Guiseppe in the kitchen he told me that his mum often served him spaghetti with ricotta sauce when he was a kid a fond childhood memory that made us both smile I've added chopped spinach and nutmeg to give the sauce some body and because I'm always looking for ways to add greens to a meal 400g/14oz tagliarini (page 78) [in the book] heat the olive oil and fry the garlic for 1 minute until fragrant then add the shallots and cook on a medium-low heat for 5 minutes Grate over the nutmeg and cook for a further 3 minutes to let the shallots absorb the aromatic flavor Add the spinach along with 1 tablespoon of water cover the pan with a lid and cook for a further 2 minutes until the spinach has wilted remove the excess liquid by squeezing it with your hands then add it to the bowl of ricotta and combine everything together with a wooden spoon Bring a large pan of water to the boil and season generously with table salt Take a ladleful of the boiling water and add it to the ricotta and spinach mixture Now transfer this to a large saucepan and set it on a really low heat keeping the sauce warm rather than cooking it Carefully drop the tagliarini into the boiling water and cook for 1 ½ minutes then use tongs to lift the pasta into the sauce simply loosen it with more pasta cooking water Squeeze over the juice of half a lemon and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper with a generous sprinkling of pangrattato on top and a large dish of garlicky sautéed broccoli on the side recipe editor and educator based in his beloved New Jersey After graduating from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City catering and supper clubs before pivoting to food journalism and recipe development He also holds a BA in psychology and literature from Pace University Reproduction of material from any Salon pages without written permission is strictly prohibited Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark of Salon.com Associated Press articles: Copyright © 2016 The Associated Press By subscribing, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy London-based pasta maker Mateo Zielonka gained popularity after launching his “The Pasta Man” Instagram account in 2016 His delicious recipes have reached international corners guiding amateur chefs toward kitchen success Zielonka is preparing to enter a new chapter releasing his debut cookbook educating fans on all things pasta Mateo Zielonka’s Pasta Masterclass book features over 40 tasty recipes from rolling out pasta dough to creating intricate shapes and mixing savory sauces The chef’s recognizable tinted dough recipes are given step-by-step guides through unique QR codes describing 30 pasta shapes in video format DPA picture alliance/ Klaudia RadeckaArtikel auf Deutsch lesenDemocrats prevailed over populists in Poland’s parliamentary elections last October But after five months of considerable legal and political disarray The reasons for this sorry state of affairs are not necessarily parochial. Poles may well have an inward-looking reputation as anarchical and unwilling to compromise. (To paraphrase Jean-Jacques Rousseau the Polish love of liberty does not go hand in hand with the virtue of citizenship.) Yet the current deadlock is the child of eight years of populist rule It seems the old communist saying still stands: you can make a fish soup out of a (democratic) aquarium The Poles have ample experience of constructing a democratic system on the ruins of authoritarian rule the liberal and illiberal political camps are hopelessly divided and do not share basic positions on capitalism be just about carving up lucrative posts: it should reflect the aspirations of most citizens While politicians are trying to deliver a mortal blow to the opposing party the Poles are pondering what the power struggle will mean for them making it difficult for the government to advance any social causes The illiberal party running Poland over the last eight years was called Law and Justice (its Polish acronym is PiS) but the laws adopted by it aimed chiefly to do justice to the ruling party and its nominees in various state bodies even courts are staffed with party-political judges The president is also a PiS nominee and he can veto emerging laws So there is no way to undo the populist legacy by purely legal means, which begs a thorny question: can the rule of law be re-established in an illegal way the new government has moved forward by issuing parliamentary declarations which cannot be vetoed by the president but which are not formally a source of law One can agree with Maximilien Robespierre that revolutions are not accomplished with a penal code to hand; Robespierre is not a liberal hero and no one wants to see guillotines in Poland liberals do not see eye-to-eye with populists This leads to another familiar dilemma: how to persuade illiberal voters to back a liberal project. Although PiS was unable to form a government following the last elections, it remained the party with the greatest popular support. In Poland, as in other parts of Europe, liberals do not see eye-to-eye with populists come from different social environments and blame each other for destroying democracy and Eradicating the illiberal ‘disease’ was promised in the Polish election campaign and there is mounting pressure to purge PiS appointees not only from ministries and courts but also public enterprises Democracy can only function if the losers accept electoral defeat The vanquished are unlikely to co-operate, though if pressed against the wall by the victors — and if they resist or rebel Populists thrive in an atmosphere of civil war, but this is deadly for democracy. Yet, giving shelter to autocratic politicians and allowing them to bounce back is not conducive to democracy either. Should those from the former regime who broke the law go unpunished subject to refined instruments of opinion testing but it proves particularly problematic in Poland The government claims that this is only the first stage of a long democratic transition but one wonders whether a meaningful public input in governmental affairs will ever take shape with citizens unable to transform their vote into a voice not just with the party elite but with democracy as such The European Court of Justice has sided with Poland’s liberal judges but its power is increasingly being questioned — not only in Poland Democracy cannot thrive on good intentions alone: it should be able to solve citizens’ problems and offer meaningful avenues of participation in public affairs Joe Biden’s US administration was cosy with the PiS government for strategic reasons. Poland is America’s key ally in the effort to stem the Russian invasion of Ukraine A possible return of Donald Trump to the White House would boost the populist cause in Poland and elsewhere Poland is in a better place than five months ago but the return of liberals to power does not automatically imply the end of illiberal politics The PiS may well disintegrate in the coming months but new aggressive leaders will always emerge to represent the frustrated part of the electorate because the way it malfunctioned in recent years elevated populists – claiming to speak for the ‘little man’ against the remote ‘elite’ – to power This is a tall order — not just for Poland but for the entire European continent If it is indeed impossible to transform the populist fish soup into a traditional democratic aquarium This is a joint publication by Social Europe and IPS-Journal Jan Zielonka is Professor of Politics and International Relations at the Universities of Venice and Oxford His latest book is The Lost Future and How to Reclaim It (Yale University Press Download the IPS-Journal as an app for Android and iOS Essential digital access to quality FT journalism on any device Complete digital access to quality FT journalism with expert analysis from industry leaders Complete digital access to quality analysis and expert insights complemented with our award-winning Weekend Print edition Terms & Conditions apply Discover all the plans currently available in your country See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times Metrics details Populist politicians—a diverse bunch that include business tycoons academics and even comedians—are winning elections in Europe and beyond Jan Zielonka discusses the reasons underlying the rise of populism and how liberals must appeal to the younger generation and regain voters’ trust Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout The author declares no competing interests Reprints and permissions Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-019-0635-1 Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnXUjRsy1pw Every few decades, new innovation comes along that is so revolutionary and changes the world for good. Blockchain technology is doing that today and it’s setting the foundation for the future believes Santander Bank Polska SA’s Piotr Zielonka Zielonka spoke to CoinGeek Backstage host Becky Liggero in Warsaw at Blockchain 4 Gaming Zielonka is the senior equity research analyst at Santander Bank Polska the third-largest bank in the Central European country “We’re every excited for the trends that are emerging within the sector because a new emerging trend can define the future of a sector for the next several years,” he pointed out when an emerging trend or technology is revolutionary and it sometimes leads to the collapse of existing behemoths that fail to adapt quickly enough Zielonka remembers a few decades ago when some of the biggest companies in certain sectors were tiny startups with big ambitions. In gaming he recalls when CD Projekt Red was starting out the Polish company is a giant in the gaming world with some of the biggest games “[Today] we have new trends like metaverse These are new trends that are emerging and starting to transform not just the gaming sector but the technology sector in general,” he said Zielonka warned any company that stays stagnant under the misguided belief that its influence will last forever This kind of mentality will “probably be the end of this company as there’s always something new on the horizon.” Poland has become one of the biggest gaming markets both for the consumers as well as the developers The country has over 400 game development studios that churn out some of the best-performing games it boils down to the hardworking nature of the Poles “We are a country that is still trying to define who we are and what we want to achieve,” he noted Watch: The BSV Global Blockchain Convention presentation Scaling Games on Layer One: Why It Matters https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYPBbWXCpQk As the first media outlet to report on blockchain-powered applications and visionary leaders with access to emerging technological landscapes CoinGeek presents a unique perspective on blockchain emphasizing the BSV blockchain's robust enterprise utility and unbounded scalability as described by Satoshi Nakamoto in his 2008 Bitcoin white paper Jan Zielonka argues that integration will continue apace because of European states’ profound economic interdependence historic ties and the need for political pragmatism Zielonka offers a unique perspective on the European integration dilemma and challenges us to step outside of the normal frames of reference and analyse whether the system in place is really the best solution Find this book:  He highlights several key infrastructural flaws of the EU questioning whether the current institutional framework is the ideal model for future European development He proposes an alternative for European integration more or less completely outside the current EU framework Zielonka divides his discussion into five sections: crisis The infrastructure flaws Zielonka focuses on are not unique and have been raised by many EU integration scholars The EU’s inability to withstand exogenous shock its affluent economic centres at odds with the poorer periphery and conflicting visions for its own future are all problems echoed before on many a platform He challenges the assumption that the EU sui generis model is the ideal model for European integration He continues by challenging the perception that it has become a permanent fixture in Europe Zielonka examines what EU disintegration might look like Zielonka postulates three potential disintegration scenarios: 1) European leaders lose control over political and economic events; 2) they attempt to address the current problems but make them worse; 3) they employ a benign neglect policy which becomes not-so benign (p.23) The first scenario would involve future exogenous shocks that prove more difficult to manage than the Eurozone crisis The second outcome occurs when leaders create policies to rectify the infrastructural problems that lead ultimately to further weakening of the EU Zielonka points to the various opt-outs including the potential British repatriation of powers from Brussels that would require fundamentally altering several existing treaties and serve as vehicles for disintegration (p.28) points to an organic gradual repatriation of powers to the national level where frameworks are bypassed for efficiency (p.30) Zielonka suggests disintegration is not necessarily a deliberate process but rather one dictated by responses to exogenous shocks (p.31) the EU suffers from being a body creating a common policy without common politics (p.45) Despite its complex institutional trappings the political power still ultimately lies at the member state level as well as the decrease of political space within member states and no corresponding increase at the EU level has problematized the integration project itself (p.40) As a solution to the growing list of problems with the existing framework Zielonka addresses some of the downsides to the dissolution of the EU He cites massive dips in GDP across many key member states and disadvantage in international competition After discounting various popular solutions ranging from a federal “United States of Europe” to a two-tiered Europe as unpractical and undesirable He argues for a flexible decentralized Europe with a hybrid governance model he calls “neo-medievalism” (p.80) embraces an overlapping multiplicity of identities authorities and sovereignties with a focus on transnational networks and non-state entities (p.81) He draws on theories of globalization positing civil society and non-governmental organizations as key stakeholders in driving governance with more fluid definitions of “the state” integration occurs predominantly along functional rather than territorial lines and the rise subnational and supranational entities such as cities and regional authorities in policymaking as further evidence of this phenomenon Zielonka describes his vision for European integration as “polyphony” a musical composition which employs simultaneous or a single unaccompanied melodic line (p.97) To argue that the current paradigm is a monophony is an oversimplification does involve a delicate interplay of actors and institutions at the member state Zielonka notes the question we face is whether the EU has become an institution “too big to fail.” Unfortunately real discourse about substantial institutional reform in Europe is often stunted by this way of thinking compartmentalized regulatory EU in his vision for European integration He recognizes that reform on the scale he envisions is unlikely to occur but suggests the institutional frameworks will remain while their use will slowly erode (p.105) He foresees an EU that will eventually lack the teeth to implement policy and its position as a super-governor of Europe will wane making way for the polyphonic integration outlined Zielonka offers a unique perspective on the EU integration—or rather European integration—dilemma He challenges us to step outside of the normal frames of reference and analyse whether the system in place is really the best solution While his assessment is an interesting one what is most challenging is that he presents his proposal at length but then acknowledges in the final portion of the book that it is largely un-implementable and unlikely to ever come to fruition Because of this (albeit realistic) concession the overarching legitimacy of the argument is compromised what Zielonka proposes is useful primarily as a thought experiment the book does provide useful interrogation of the ways in which we approach our thinking on the European project Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email “Before we talk about that…” Creative and explosive and every other adjective don’t begin to describe his budding soccer superstar Nick Zielonka is still the bright student in his honors U.S history class who sometimes doubles as the water boy Zielonka is among the most complete players in the game you would think he’s the worst kid on the team,” Barchi said “He’s the first one to grab the water cooler He’s the first one to put away the balls and do all the work If you just watched him without seeing him play he’s like one of those benchwarmers trying to earn their keep That attitude has served the Panthers’ sophomore well dangerous in space and effective even without much room Zielonka has established himself as an elite offensive player with 17 goals and 12 assists going into Monday No one else in Bergen County ranks in the top ten in both categories His focus now is on bringing another state title back to the tiny borough with a huge passion for the World's Game “We’re expecting to win it all,” Zielonka said His bond with the Panthers grew by watching championship games of years past and by being the team ball boy in middle school An injury kept him out of the first seven games yet he finished third on the team in goals An incredible rookie campaign turned bittersweet It ended in double overtime of the sectional final with a loss at home to No “It’s all we think about,” Zielonka said I wish I would have given that extra bit.” “Being that close and then watching them celebrate helps when you’re tired and have to run that extra mile,” Barchi said when you don’t want to go that extra lap He became an even better playmaker with the touch of a finisher, a calm leader in times of trouble Wallington has gotten at least a point from Zielonka in all but three games this fall A balanced attack that also has Damian Zurawski Derek Orjuela and Krystian Dziob makes life even easier “He has very good control of the ball,” Zurawski said He has great vision so he knows where everyone is on the field.” The NJIC Meadowlands race swung heavily in Wallington’s favor on a goal by Zielonka He kept his team alone in first place with a well-struck free kick against Becton last week Barchi and the Panthers are excited to know that their humble scorer is just getting better “To be this good as a sophomore is remarkable,” Barchi said “It’s the way he carries himself and his demeanor and the way he’s mature The fact that he is such a great person helps him put it together Someone who doesn’t have the great upbringing or great parents can’t handle being that good and being a leader as a sophomore 2023 at 2:02 pm ET.css-79elbk{position:relative;}Zachary Zielonka of Riley Township​ was charged with second-degree arson​ and first-degree home invasion​ He was placed in jail with a $500,000 cash bond (Macomb County Prosecutor's Office)RICHMOND TOWNSHIP Clair County man is facing charges after he set his ex-girlfriend's Macomb County home on fire Thursday according to the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office of Riley Township was charged with second-degree arson and first-degree home invasion Officials said Zielonka broke into the attached garage of his ex’s home in Richmond Township and set a vehicle on fire Police said two adults and three children were able to safely escape the home The homeowner then saw Zielonka running away from the home Officials did not release a motive for the house fire "I stand firm in our commitment to ensure that the flames of criminal behavior are extinguished and that the victim's rights are upheld in the pursuit of truth and justice," Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido said Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Jan Zielonka 25th June 2019 Jan Zielonka offers a vision of a normative driven by the values of democracy and equality Governments are fond of long-term strategies which are seldom implemented in practice This is because political reality is usually about coping with unexpected shocks which turn neat strategies and careful planning on their heads It is also because we are confronted with many challenges and have limited resources to address them Choosing priorities is therefore the most important and contentious exercise While priorities should emerge from our vision of a good society, they must also be guided by practical considerations. Not everything can be achieved overnight and there are various routes to our destination. In the next few years, I would like the European Union to make progress in two crucial domains: democracy and equality My vision of the good society envisages a government by the people and for the people there are as many notions of democracy and equality as there are different ways of achieving them And what I consider priorities may clash with other objectives Security may demand some curbing of democracy while prosperity and equality are not necessarily mutually reinforcing We would therefore need to perform a difficult balancing or ‘rebalancing’ act In recent years, the EU has however put more emphasis on prosperity and security than on equality and democracy. The acquis is very thin in social policy and democracy has been perceived mainly in terms of representation rather than participation representation at the European level is still opaque while representation on the national level has been discredited We therefore need to be innovative and engage in experimentation Without enhancing democracy it is hard to implement any other task in Europe The era of elite-led ‘permissive consensus’ on European politics has ended The Eurosceptics may not be in the driving seat but this does not mean that we can take pro-European citizens for granted They want to see more transparency within European institutions and they want to have a greater say on European matters They also want the EU to work for them and not just for a privileged few Transparency should not just concern the process of political decision-making The EU is primarily an economic giant and citizens ought to be granted more insight into financial and contractual matters The existence of tax havens in Europe is particularly deplorable and the fact that we learned about them from WikiLeaks speaks volumes about the selective transparency of European institutions the European Commission has for months refused to disclose the results of emissions tests it did on a Porsche diesel vehicle—at the request of Porsche.) Democracy can also be enhanced by curbing central powers in Brussels and bringing them closer to the local level When decentralisation within the EU is discussed which is about giving more power to states rather than citizens I am more interested in empowering citizens as individuals or as members of various sub-and trans-national public and private bodies And dividing power helps to enhance transparency is usually difficult to understand or engage with The first step towards dispersing centralised power within the EU could be to set up a second chamber of the European Parliament regions and non-governmental organisations The latter category would include business associations and trade unions I would prefer entrepreneurs to argue their case in the European Parliament rather than in private dining rooms in Brussels This second chamber would likely have not only a different membership but also a different logic from the first chamber which is dominated by professional national politicians regions and NGOs handle migration and poverty differently from states They are from a different political universe in terms of their priorities Another step to curb centralised power would be to strengthen the numerous European regulatory agencies These are located across the entirety of Europe from food safety and maritime traffic to human rights and migration watch them closely and take part in their work More power and resources could also be given to the European ombudsman who has proved effective in enhancing transparency and ethics within the EU Numerous documents have been made public upon the ombudsman’s insistence and the College of Commissioners has bowed to demands to tighten the rules on the declaration of interests Enhancing equality within the EU is probably more difficult than enhancing democracy. This is because creditor states do not want debtor states to ‘grab’ what they deem ‘their’ money This is also because economic distribution is chiefly in the hands of ‘the markets’ with their peculiar ascribed views on inequality redistribution is difficult to enhance in a period of economic stagnation It is also true, however, that inequalities have grown in an ideological climate which has given priority to the private sector over the public Neoliberal ideology was chiefly about individual liberty Challenging this ideology is therefore the first step in combating inequality This should be followed by a few specific and largely experimental measures We should aim to make the EU a genuine transnational institution with a meaningful redistributive capacity It should chase firms failing to pay taxes as heartily as it is chasing indebted states It should also be given a budget which would allow it to pursue meaningful redistributive policies—the current EU budget is tiny and each member state wants to get ‘its’ money back from Brussels under various pretexts EU laws and regulations should also start defending those in the most dire social and economic positions The concrete measures to pursue these goals include a tax on financial transactions a Europe-wide minimum wage and regulations benefitting workers from the poorest parts of the continent mainly living in suburbs of large cities or agricultural plantations where modern slavery and social deprivation are notorious Policies should be legitimate as well as effective The EU has been concerned principally with the latter Enhancing democracy and equality can put Europe back on the right track Western elites forgot how precious and precarious liberal democracy really is A massive amount of ink has already been spilled trying to figure out what has gone wrong but two narratives can be plucked from the confusion Over the past few decades growth has slowed This has made life more insecure for the working and middle classes by privileging highly educated and urban dwellers over less-educated and rural ones and social divisions throughout Western societies The second narrative focuses on social change traditional norms and attitudes about religion and more have been challenged by the emergence of feminist massive immigration and (especially in the United States) the mobilization of hitherto oppressed minority groups like African Americans has disrupted existing status and political hierarchies making many white citizens in particular uncomfortable at viewing economic or social change or some combination of the two as leading inevitably to dissatisfaction with liberal democracy and a readiness to embrace populist and technological change alone are not the problem—they only become so if politicians and governments don’t help citizens adjust to them to understand liberal democracy’s current problems but also how elites and governments have responded to them A good place to start is with The Captured Economy explain why we ended up with a version of capitalism inimical to healthy democracy The standard explanation focuses on how the growth of information technology and globalization have “given rise to winner-take-all markets with huge windfalls for economic superstars.” While Lindsey and Teles do not entirely reject this narrative they argue that government has played a large and underappreciated role in creating or exacerbating these problems They describe how the misregulation of the financial sector enriched the financial elite and introduced unnecessary risks and distortions into the economy; how the expansion of copyright and patent protection has created “monopolies,” limited innovation and showered “riches on a favored few”; how occupational licensing protects incumbent firms and favored professions and obstructs competition and consumer interests; and how land-use regulations and zoning distort markets hamper Americans’ ability to move where opportunity is and instead redistribute wealth to “higher-income homeowners and the bankers who provide mortgage finance” to them Why has government acted in socially counterproductive and economically inefficient ways Because it has been “captured” by plutocrats who use economic resources to influence government policy in ways that rig the game even further Lindsey and Teles stress that our “captured” economy has had not only deleterious economic but also political consequences: the inability of leaders and institutions to deliver prosperity to most people has undermined the latter’s confidence in democracy and contributed to growing intolerance: “When people feel economically insecure,” Lindsey and Teles note and more suspicious of ‘the Other.’ When life seems like a zero-sum struggle gains by other groups are interpreted as losses by one’s own group.” The left will disagree with parts of this analysis—in particular how Lindsey and Teles prioritize economic efficiency over justice or equality when evaluating policies and their skepticism that government intervention can be a force for good But The Captured Economy is nonetheless invaluable in highlighting the myriad ways government has been “captured” by the powerful Sasha Polakow-Suransky’s Go Back to Where You Came From examines how immigration has roiled Western democracies where a backlash against immigration has led to a widespread embrace of xenophobic policies and fed the rise of nationalism and populism anti-immigrant parties are in power in Italy and Austria and threaten existing governments and political stability in Germany The situation is even worse in Eastern Europe where xenophobes rule in Hungary and Poland He argues that debate in many European countries has become dominated by fear—of an Islamic “tsunami,” terrorism Such fears over the years have led to a willingness to consider policies that not long ago would have been rejected as too anti-liberal or reactionary including restricting the right to asylum and restraining the free movement of people across Europe’s borders perhaps the most disturbing section of Go Back to Where You Came From focuses not on Europe but Australia where even without the presence of an openly far-right populist party immigration policy came to involve dragooning refugees and asylum seekers on an island in Papua New Guinea where conditions are dismal and human rights abuses rife This policy is nonetheless broadly supported by Australian politicians since it keeps immigrants far from the country’s shores and beyond the reach of the rule of law It has become a model for Europe’s far right for precisely these reasons—and a version of it was recently considered by the EU with so-called “reception” centers to be set up in Libya and other parts of North Africa for the purpose of detaining potential migrants But Go Back to Where You Came From makes clear that it is not merely the existence of social change or immigration that has caused problems but the liberal establishment’s response—or lack thereof—to it (Polakow-Suransky also considers the backlash against immigration in South Africa where there have been riots and even violence against African immigrants—not merely by white but also black South Africans with whom these immigrants live and economically compete.) Over the past few decades the number of foreign-born citizens has risen to historically unprecedented levels in Europe yet mainstream politicians and parties seem to have given little consideration to ensuring that the policies and institutional capacities (for example the huge expansion in education services and retraining programs for adults) necessary to manage such change were in place Could asylum and immigration applications be quickly and fairly processed How would labor-market and other forms of integration be accomplished How could the social cohesion necessary for healthy democracy be maintained in Europe the situation was made even worse since layered on to national-level deficiencies was a lack of planning and institutional capacity at the EU level Recent clashes over immigration between Angela Merkel and Horst Seehofer and between Germany and the Southern European countries (which are typically first points of entry) illustrate these conflicts over responsibility for immigrants and asylum seekers Polakow-Suransky argues that liberals’ “failure to confront the real tensions and failures of integration by pretending violent extremism and attacks on free speech were not problems infuriated many voters and left them feeling abandoned by mainstream parties.” He is also particularly critical of the left for refusing to acknowledge problems within immigrant communities such as crime and radicalization and for believing that national sentiment should be “purged” and replaced by cosmopolitanism These missteps helped create a political opening for the populist right positions that used to be the provenance of the left while also reaching out to workers and other alienated voters who in a previous era would have voted for social democratic or communist parties An even more damning and direct indictment of the liberal establishment’s culpability for democracy’s contemporary problems is provided by Jan Zielonka’s Counter-Revolution: Liberal Europe in Retreat Counter-Revolution is written as a letter to Zielonka’s mentor and predecessor at Oxford wrote a short book called Reflections on the Revolution in Europe (also ostensibly written as a letter) pondering where Europe was headed after 1989 believed that after communism’s collapse in 1989 liberal democracy’s triumph and European unity was assured grew up under tyranny (communist Poland and Nazi Germany respectively) and is particularly aware of how fragile both democracy and peace can be Zielonka believes that we are currently in the midst of nothing less than a “concerted effort to dismantle” liberal democracy the European Union—all the elements upon which Western success was built after 1945 at liberal democratic elites and intellectuals for not protecting against this onslaught suffuses every page of Counter-Revolution “proved better at finger-pointing than at self-reflection They spend more time explaining the rise of populism than the fall of liberalism They refuse to look in the mirror and recognize their own shortcomings which led to the populist surge across the continent.” For Zielonka these shortcomings involve facilitating the trends currently menacing liberal democracy including rising inequality Zielonka takes liberals to task for their denigration of communal links and identities “feel ‘at home’ with like-minded and like-looking people they trust those whom they know.” Wishing these realities away is unhelpful they need to figure out how to “create harmony which are needed for any serious collective endeavors.” These arguments are not populist demagoguery—progressive communitarian critiques of liberal ideas have been made by thinkers like Michael Walzer Liberals ignored the challenges posed by cultural and demographic changes and failed to envision how to make them compatible with social stability This provided an opening for populists and other anti-liberal and anti-democratic figures to insist that homogeneity was the only way to protect national harmony and traditions Zielonka is equally scathing about liberal elites’ acceptance of (or at least acquiescence in) unregulated markets and the disproportionate accumulation of wealth by the rich he notes that liberals should have recognized the danger of a version of capitalism that “holds that the common good is best served by the uninhibited pursuit of self-interest Unless tempered by the recognition of a common interest that ought to take presence over particular interests our present system is liable to break down.” Zielonka argues neoliberal capitalism has created deep economic and geographical divisions although growth rates have been high over the past decades their rewards have been very unequally spread and precarious jobs lacking social benefits have become commonplace.) Neoliberal capitalism raises the question of whether democratic elites are able to control markets and protect societies is it any surprise voters have grown dissatisfied and disillusioned with them This brings Zielonka to the European Union which was supposed to be the “transnational public authority capable of regulating transnational markets.” But the EU turned out to be unable or unwilling to play this role Zielonka argues that the EU’s support for economic liberalization and austerity and its inability to mitigate their painful effects or provide mechanisms for Europeans to voice their opposition to them has eroded its legitimacy The undermining of national power by the EU insulated democratic politicians and institutions from the “voice of the people” by turning decision-making over to regulatory bodies Zielonka again charges liberals with the rise of technocracy: as “public pressure [came to be] considered irresponsible if not dangerous,” “professional politicians bankers and jet-set experts” told “majorities what is best for them,” and the electorate was increasingly “deprived of a say on politics.” If the defenders of liberal democracy can’t convince citizens that their voices count then they should not be surprised when populism wins Western elites forgot how precious and precarious liberal democracy actually is And perhaps because the collapse of communism further blinded many to the tensions and vulnerabilities inherent in capitalist liberal democracy elites seem to have forgotten that stability must be grounded in an equitable economy that supports diverse communities Our task today is figuring out how to recreate such conditions Sheri Berman is a professor of political science at Barnard College Democracy and Dictatorship in Europe: From the Ancien Régime to the Present Day is forthcoming (Oxford University Press The 1960s effort to end discriminatory quotas sowed the seeds of the political conflicts over immigration that are still with us today If two recent analyses of populism agree on one thing it’s that democracy and capitalism have fallen out of balance Less clear is how—or whether—the truce between them should be restored Jan-Werner Müller’s understanding of populism is built on a theory of anti-totalitarianism designed for an enemy that no longer exists Please consider donating to Dissent. Your contribution will ensure that we continue to publish articles like this one. Donate $10, $50, or $500; we are grateful for gifts of all sizes Piotr Zielonka believes that every few decades something new and revolutionary comes along that changes the world forever Click here to read the full article. As the first media outlet to report on blockchain-powered applications, we provide early adopters, developers, and visionary leaders with access to emerging technological landscapes, including wallets and games. CoinGeek presents a unique perspective on blockchain, AI, and Web3, emphasizing the BSV blockchain's robust enterprise utility and unbounded scalability, as described by Satoshi Nakamoto in his 2008 Bitcoin white paper. Volume 5 - 2014 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2014.00380 Huntington's disease (HD) is a hereditary neurodegenerative disorder caused by the expansion of a polyglutamine stretch within the huntingtin protein (HTT) are caused by neurodegeneration that is particularly widespread in the basal ganglia and cereberal cortex HTT is ubiquitously expressed and in recent years it has become apparent that HD patients experience a wide array of peripheral organ dysfunction including severe metabolic phenotype HD-related cardiomyopathy and skeletal muscle wasting Although skeletal muscles pathology became a hallmark of HD the mechanisms underlying muscular atrophy in this disorder are unknown Skeletal muscles account for approximately 40% of body mass and are highly adaptive to physiological and pathological conditions that may result in muscle hypertrophy (due to increased mechanical load) or atrophy (inactivity The atrophy is caused by degeneration of myofibers and their replacement by fibrotic tissue is the major pathological feature in many genetic muscle disorders Under normal physiological conditions the muscle function is orchestrated by a network of intrinsic hypertrophic and atrophic signals linked to the functional properties of the motor units that are likely to be imbalanced in HD we highlight the emerging field of research with particular focus on the recent studies of the skeletal muscle pathology and the identification of new disease-modifying treatments Therefore it is likely that the peripheral pathology of HD such as weight loss and severe skeletal muscle atrophy might have a significant input to the disease progression Summary of defects observed in muscle in the pre-clinical and clinical HD settings many aspects of HD neuromuscular transmission and muscle physiology remain unanswered and need to be studied more extensively The proof of concept studies clearly showed that by improving muscle function in HD mouse models the progression of disease onset could be delayed and the lifespan extended Therefore this makes skeletal muscles an attractive target for future therapies Insulin like growth Factor IGF and GDF-8/myostatin have emerged in recent years to be potent regulators of skeletal muscle size several studies emphasized a role of hyperacetylation in muscle wasting Therefore there is a need for more pre-clinical and clinical studies that will unravel the mechanism of HD skeletal muscles pathology Further work is necessary in order to fully appreciate the complexity of the pathways that are affected during HD progression emerging evidence has clearly indicated that peripheral tissues are as much affected by the expression of the mutant huntingtin as the Central Nervous System the possibility to test the effect of new drugs directly on human peripheral tissues is a new and exciting research area Summary of pathological events identified in the skeletal muscles in HD Conflict of Interest Statement: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest Use of hand-held dynamometry in the evaluation of lower limb muscle strength in people with Huntington's disease Characterization of progressive motor deficits in mice transgenic for the human Huntington's disease mutation Impaired PGC-1alpha function in muscle in Huntington's disease Huntingtin inclusions and altered differentiation in muscle cell cultures from Huntington's disease subjects Low anaerobic threshold and increased skeletal muscle lactate production in subjects with Huntington's disease Huntington's disease: can mice lead the way to treatment p53 increases caspase-6 expression and activation in muscle tissue expressing mutant huntingtin Active HSF1 significantly suppresses polyglutamine aggregate formation in cellular and mouse models Low stability of Huntington muscle mitochondria against Ca2+ in R6/2 mice Molecular genetics of Huntington's disease A novel gene containing a trinucleotide repeat that is expanded and unstable on Huntington's disease chromosomes The Huntington's Disease Collaborative Research Group Characterization and localization of the Huntington disease gene product Pharmacologic activation of mitochondrial biogenesis exerts widespread beneficial effects in a transgenic mouse model of Huntington's disease Myopathy as a first symptom of Huntington's disease in a Marathon runner Huntington's disease: underlying molecular mechanisms and emerging concepts Genetic manipulations of mutant huntingtin in mice: new insights into Huntington's disease pathogenesis Huntingtin-protein interactions and the pathogenesis of Huntington's disease Metabolic control through the PGC-1 family of transcription coactivators Selective discrimination learning impairments in mice expressing the human Huntington's disease mutation Abnormal in vivo skeletal muscle energy metabolism in Huntington's disease and dentatorubropallidoluysian atrophy doi: 10.1002/1531-8249(200007)48:1<72::AID-ANA11>3.0.CO;2-I Dysregulation of gene expression in the R6/2 model of polyglutamine disease: parallel changes in muscle and brain Dysfunction of the CNS-Heart Axis in Mouse Models of Huntington's Disease Formation of polyglutamine inclusions in a wide range of non-CNS tissues in the HdhQ150 knock-in mouse model of Huntington's disease Abnormal synaptic plasticity and impaired spatial cognition in mice transgenic for exon 1 of the human Huntington's disease mutation Inclusion formation in Huntington's disease R6/2 mouse muscle cultures Role of mitochondrial dysfunction in the pathogenesis of Huntington's disease Correlations of behavioral deficits with brain pathology assessed through longitudinal MRI and histopathology in the R6/2 mouse model of HD Increased mitochondrial fission and neuronal dysfunction in Huntington's disease: implications for molecular inhibitors of excessive mitochondrial fission Progressive abnormalities in skeletal muscle and neuromuscular junctions of transgenic mice expressing the Huntington's disease mutation Increased neurotransmitter release at the neuromuscular junction in a mouse model of polyglutamine disease Mitochondrial impairment in patients and asymptomatic mutation carriers of Huntington's disease Huntington's disease: the current state of research with peripheral tissues Formation of polyglutamine inclusions in non-CNS tissue Aberrant splicing of HTT generates the pathogenic exon 1 protein in Huntington disease Molecular characterization of skeletal muscle atrophy in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington's disease Gene expression in Huntington's disease skeletal muscle: a potential biomarker Widespread expression of the human and rat Huntington's disease gene in brain and nonneural tissues Cellular localization of the Huntington's disease protein and discrimination of the normal and mutated form Beyond the brain: widespread pathology in Huntington's disease Atrophy and degeneration in sciatic nerve of presymptomatic mice carrying the Huntington's disease mutation Huntington disease skeletal muscle is hyperexcitable owing to chloride and potassium channel dysfunction Increased apoptosis and early embryonic lethality in mice nullizygous for the Huntington's disease gene homologue Zielonka, D., Piotrowska, I., and Mielcarek, M. (2014). Cardiac Dysfunction in Huntington's Disease. Exp. Clin. Cardiol. 20, 2547–2554. Available online at: http://cardiologyacademicpress.com/soap/pdf/delme_1788_53e3f6e3313354.90986595.pdf Marcinkowski JT and Mielcarek M (2014) Skeletal muscle pathology in Huntington's disease Received: 31 July 2014; Accepted: 13 September 2014; Published online: 06 October 2014 Copyright © 2014 Zielonka, Piotrowska, Marcinkowski and Mielcarek. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) *Correspondence: Daniel Zielonka, Department of Social Medicine, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Rokietnicka Str., No. 5 “C,” 60-806 Poznan, Poland e-mail:ZGFuaWVsLnppZWxvbmthQGdtYWlsLmNvbQ==; Michal Mielcarek, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, School of Medicine, King's College London, 8th Floor Tower Wing, Guy's Hospital Great Maze Pond, London, SE1 9RT, UK e-mail:bWljaGFsLm1pZWxjYXJla0BrY2wuYWMudWs= Posted in: Farming Simulator, Games, GIANTS Software, Video Games | Tagged: Farming Simulator 22 Farming Simulator 22 will be getting a new update soon with a map expansion as they take the farming out into Central Europe GIANTS Software revealed a new major update is on the way to Farming Simulator 22 as the game will be getting a new expansion map The latest addition will allow you to cultivate an agricultural empire in Zielonka the land is ripe with opportunities for you to grow some prime crops in areas people mainly go to escape the city but it's ripe for farmlands to grow vegetables We're sure there's going to be more to this pack than just a map but we won't know for certain for another six weeks as the content will be released on November 14 enjoy the trailer and info below exploring the new map Zielonka expresses the flair of Germany's neighbors drawing inspiration from countries like Poland and the Czech Republic Not only does Zielonka offer a picturesque landscape around a remote and quaint village it also has fertile ground to cultivate new vegetable crops the Premium Expansion brings the total count of arable crops in Farming Simulator 22 to twenty New machines and tools like specialized harvesters to handle the additions become available with the expansion a renowned piano manufacturer is resident alongside other traditional businesses in Zielonka Farmers may profit heavily from supporting the construction of classical keyboard instruments with this new production chain: By supplying wooden planks every piano built becomes a source of revenue for the committed farmer the potato production plant produces crispy potato chips while the beloved soup factory called "Zup All of them reward engaged farmers with increased income for delivering produce players may also look for new collectibles in and around Zielonka Nestled just off the coast of South Korea sits the region’s most popular holiday site – Jeju Island Well-known for its tumbling waterfalls, velvet-sand beaches, and Hallasan – the dormant shield volcano that stirs constant fascination – the enclave is rife with biodiversity and stunning natural wonder At the beating heart of the island’s education scene, Branksome Hall Asia an IB World girls’ school guides and inspires students from Junior Kindergarten Prep to Grade 12 with its commitment to female empowerment and shaping a better world “Dedicated to [providing] exemplary educational programs our students grow as globally minded learners and leaders prepared for the challenges and opportunities they will meet in a rapidly changing independent world,” says Dr But this school does so much more than just develop high academic achievers believing also in developing well-rounded individuals who are able to take on leadership roles in the future and who become responsible global citizens “Our educational journey promises to support each student to discover within themselves a strong voice, to take risks and step outside their comfort zones, and the power to lead lives of curiosity, empowerment, service to others, and personal fulfilment,” continues Dr Intent on creating graduates who are confident and inquisitive, Branksome Hall Asia’s Design Program has evolved into an investigative course that teaches students to identify and solve complex design issues. As a fundamental component of the Middle Years Program (MYP) the design program challenges Branksome Hall Asia girls emerging technologies to solve real-world problems at both the local and global level Every design unit across the school’s MYP grades is a project-based inquiry girls collect and analyse data which can then be used to identify a design challenge students develop ideas and explore concepts The next step is to transform these ideas into a testable prototype students make the most of Branksome Hall Asia’s fabrication studio harnessing the power of 3D modelling software to produce designs that can be recreated using the school’s 3D printers and laser cutters then repeat the process to ascertain how well their prototype meets design criteria students build a firm understanding of design as a process and thus learn that they possess the skills and insight to positively influence the world One exciting project Branksome Hall Asia girls pursue includes an inquiry into flatpack design students uncover the principles of flatpack design exploring ways it can used to maximise use of materials and reduce the environmental costs associated with manufacturing and distribution Students identify a market need that can be served though this technology. One student, for example, focused on the school’s Early Years Program (EYP) speaking to and observing students and teachers in this space After identifying a demand for play furniture suited to the needs of these young children she further refined her design through various sketches and prototypes focusing on a rocking horse that was flat-packable and could be manufactured with the school’s laser cutting tools the student created a digital model of the product using the school’s high-end facilities to bring her design to life After assembly, she took her prototype to the school for further testing and user feedback. Now in Grade 11 she is further developing her research and inquiry hoping to create a product line of infant active furniture that can grow and change with the child This project highlights the value of granting girls frequent access to new and emerging technologies it’s rewarding and empowering to create large-scale solutions through such ground-breaking facilities Their inquiries serve the needs of the community the school has taken steps to make the design department open and accessible to all urging students to pursue the skill of inquiry in every subject discipline our students share their learning and living in a state-of-the-art world-class facility that embodies and encourages our value for intellectual inquiry and strength of character,” Principal von Zielonka concludes “Branksome Hall Asia vibrates with students’ energy and warmth.” Follow Branksome Hall Asia on Facebook, Instagram Branksome Hall Asia: Where dreams become reality Branksome Hall Asia: Empowering girls through education John Keane receives funding from the Australian Research Council (ARC) Cristóbal Rovira Kaltwasser receives funding from the Chilean Millennium Science Initiative (project NS130008) own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment University of Oxford and Stockholm University provide funding as members of The Conversation UK University of Sydney provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU Why are the peddlers of populism proving so popular Are there deep forces driving the spread of their style of politics Is the new populism therefore to be welcomed harnessed and “mainstreamed” in support of more democracy Or is populism on balance politically dangerous a cultish recipe for damaging democracy by bringing to life what George Orwell termed the “smelly little orthodoxies” that feed demagogy As US voters consider whether to vote for Donald Trump and Filipino citizens live with the fall-out of Rodrigo Duterte’s populist rhetoric scholars from China to Brazil to Australia analyse the phenomena behind populism’s ascent in 2016 Ancient Greeks knew democracy could be snuffed out by rich and powerful aristoi backed by demagogues ruling the people in their own name. They even had a verb (now obsolete) for describing how people are ruled while seeming to rule. They called it dēmokrateo It’s the word we need for making sense of the contradiction that cuts through contemporary populism Populism is a democratic phenomenon. Mobilised through available democratic freedoms, it’s a public protest by millions of people (the demos) who feel annoyed Populism attracts people because it raises their expectations of betterment In exchange for promises of popular sovereignty populism easily mass produces figures like Napoleon Bonaparte And in contrast to the 19th-century populist politics of enfranchisement The dēmokrateo of it all isn’t stoppable by anodyne calls for “dialogue” or false hopes populism will somehow burn itself out What’s needed is something more radically democratic: a new politics of equitable redistribution of power wealth and life chances that shows populism to be a form of counterfeit democracy such political redistribution was called “democracy” If there’s one thing we need to do in response to populism’s triumphant return to the global political landscape it is this: stop shaking our heads and feigning shock pollsters and experts of various stripes are continually dazed by populists’ success – think Donald Trump Rodrigo Duterte - but these are not weird one-offs: these events are happening across the globe the paralysis brought on by continually asking ourselves “how can this be?” It’s now time to acknowledge that populism is a central part of contemporary politics populists around the world are posing legitimate questions about the state of democracy Many citizens feel betrayed by mainstream political forces this can be explained by the growing influence of unelected bodies Although elected leaders can take important decisions their room for manoeuvre is increasingly limited by unelected institutions which in theory are autonomous and contribute to the provision of public goods nothing precludes that unelected bodies run amok or side with powerful minorities Consider the way the US Supreme Court has intensified the role of money in politics or the failure of the European Union to force the financial sector to pay its fair share of the costs of the recession Populists are real experts in politicising these and other issues ignored by the political establishment This is why policy makers and scholars need to avoid falling into the populist trap: portraying themselves as the good and smart fighters against bad and stupid populists The best way of dealing with populists is to engage them in honest dialogue and to propose solutions to the problems they seek to politicise Ruling elites in the Western world have recently identified a convenient scapegoat explaining all their failures: they call it populism would be bright if not for a bunch of populists destroying all the good work done by (neo-)liberals These distasteful populists propose simple solutions to complicated problems make unrealistic promises and launch unfair personal attacks on their opponents They demonise the elite and idealise ordinary people Populists manipulate the confused and uninformed electorate They make it difficult for the elite to govern in a rational and effective manner The story is too devious to be true. There’s nothing wrong with simple solutions if they are just, efficient, and based on democratic procedures. Moralistic rhetoric is used by the ruling elite itself on a daily basis: remember the “axis of evil” on the eve of the 2003 Iraq invasion Smearing opponents and making empty promises are the daily bread and butter of mainstream politicians And what is wrong with implementing the will of the people Aren’t elections a means of defining citizens’ preferred policies and not just a beauty contest of politicians centre-left and centre-right today presume that government is a kind of enlightened administration on behalf of an ignorant public Yet their political practices betray their proclaimed liberal ideals: they tolerate rampant inequality The borders between democracy and autocracy civility and barbarity have become blurred No wonder voters are searching for alternatives Ruling elites should look at themselves in the mirror before blaming others John Maynard Keynes’ Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren (1930) speculated that in one hundred years productivity would so increase by leaps and bounds that most of humanity would no longer need to work The economic problem of how to produce and allocate goods and services Although, as Keynes predicted, productivity has risen, economic policy has obviously not reduced the need for work, or consumption. Understandably, American political economists came to argue that recent employment growth and per capita income increases would explain more or less which US presidential election candidate would win What we witness today is not the end of economic policy but the beginning of populism People the world over are now allured by the folksy slogans of populism which raises the question: why didn’t Keynes imagine the thriving of populism after the death of economics Social Science Research Centre Berlin (WZB) The concept of populism is highly contestable but clarifying the difference between its left-wing and right-wing variants is both the best and the worst starting point for making sense of its contours Yet populism of the left and populism of the right produce different sets of ideas Populism can be so politically empty that it joins forces with ideologies as different as socialism and nationalism Populist discourses can thus favour exclusion The experiences of Latin America and Europe illustrate this difference well. In Latin America, populism has tried to include workers and middle class citizens socially dislocated by capitalism. In contemporary Europe populism is attempting to exclude people dislocated by wars and by capitalism in different parts of the world the appeal to popular sovereignty exposes the deep tension between democracy and capitalism We should therefore care less about definitions and ask the real question: is representative democracy now so overshadowed by capitalism that it is no longer able to make room for the popular sovereignty upon which it was founded Two hundred words on populism are barely sufficient to point out that a century ago, before populism became a swear word mostly directed at right-wing parties such as the Alternative for Germany, Hungary’s Fides and the Front National in France populism was the pride of social democracy The “classes populaires” were important for left-wing leaders such as Jean Jaurès, Léon Blum and Jules Ferry especially exploited workers; they wanted to improve their lives The European losers in today’s globalisation they’re told they are living in free societies where everybody has the potential to succeed Hatred for democracy stems from the fact that opportunity remains a fiction for many people. Hence Étienne Balibar’s warning: since there’s no such thing as freedom without equality the right to rebel and change a political order is a human right especially when “equaliberty” and dignity are quashed things are clear: cosmopolitans who uphold equality ethno-religious tolerance and human rights cannot accept right-wing populism ethno-religious intolerance are incommensurable with the values of an open and tolerant society Things are less clear when we try to explain the rise of right-wing populist parties middle and upper classes often argue that right-wing populism is the result of a demagoguery that is especially attractive to uneducated people from the lower classes This explanation is not just inadequate; it bespeaks arrogant ignorance Right-wing populism is thus a rebellion of the disenfranchised The establishment parties have arguably committed serious political errors It’s high time that they leave their fortress of normative arrogance and grant a democratic voice to the non-represented right-wing populists will transform our democracies: they will become more parochial Both the Chinese government and Chinese intellectuals are acutely aware of the phenomenon of populism, which last flourished here during the Cultural Revolution. In 1996, I urged Chinese policy makers to prevent populism which always tends towards extreme forms of plebeianism Plebeian standards are seen as the ultimate source of legitimacy of all social and political dynamics the vital role played by political elites in processes of social and political change and historical development Populism instead advocates radical reforms and deems ordinary people the only decisive force capable of promoting these reforms needs and emotions of the people are the origin and destiny of its concerns By affirming their spirit and capacity for innovation populism has a positive implication: it teaches us to pay attention to the historical role played by people Not only does it ignore the role played by elites in making historical progress by emphasising the need for mobilising the general population it also calls for absolute obedience to the passions and will of the people That is why populism often manages to manipulate and control people in highly centralised ways Populism can thus easily lead to autocracy