Kerim's Triptych ❧ Fiduciary, Pingpu, Retirement Plan

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1️⃣ Fiduciary

I really enjoyed François Furstenberg's rant about rampant fiduciary irresponsibility at universities. Here's a taste:

He pictures the trustees and donors at the building’s inauguration, whenever that happens. There will be soaring paeans to values of openness and transparency. It’s a glass building, after all. To him, the gargantuan structure doesn’t signal ancient Greek democracy as much as a Singapore convention hall or the atrium of a Dubai tower. It’s the placeless architecture of 21st-century global capital. He calls it “Airport Sublime.”

2️⃣ Pingpu

Margaret Yun-Pu Tu's article about a new law granting recognition for Taiwan's Pingpu Indigenous peoples came out last October, but the issues discussed in it are still very relevant.

For some, the amendment represents long-awaited acknowledgment of the Pingpu Indigenous peoples, whose ancestral lands and identities were systematically erased through centuries of colonization. For others, it is a new form of state classification: one that once again defines indigeneity through bureaucratic recognition rather than community self-determination.

3️⃣ Retirement Plan

I'm getting to the age where this Oscar-nominated short film by John Kelly felt like a personal attack, but it is a good reminder to focus on the present. (Note: you may need to use a VPN to watch the video if you live outside Europe or North America)

Endnote

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