in February 2025 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Michael Latner, Professor of Political Science at California Polytechnic State University and Director of Research on Democratic Reform at the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard Law School.   

They discussed the recent history of voting rights and the state of democracy in America in 2025.  

This episode was produced by Chris Gilson and Luke Digweed.   

Further reading and resources 

Keena, A., Latner, M., McGann, A.J.M. and Smith, C.A. (2021). Gerrymandering the States. doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108995849  

The Guinier Project at the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute - https://charleshamiltonhouston.org/events/a-convening-race-reform-and-multiracial-democracy/  

LSE: The Ballpark | The state of American Democracy with Professor Michael Latner

Artificial intelligence is transforming the world around us, offering increased productivity and promising to help tackle difficult problems like global warming.  
But behind the scenes, its environmental costs are mounting. From massive energy use to vast quantities of water required to cool data centres, AI’s footprint is growing fast. So, in an age of water scarcity and climate crisis, can we justify this technological boom?
In this episode of LSE iQ, Anna Bevan asks: Is AI destroying the planet?
She travels to a data centre in Slough to find out exactly how data centres work, and speaks to Nick Couldry, Professor of Media, Communications and Social Theory at LSE; Eugenie Dugoua, Assistant Professor in Environmental Economics at LSE; and Ceara Carney, an actor and climate activist. 

This episode explores the AI sustainability paradox: can AI be both a climate solution and a climate problem? And discusses surprising ways AI is being used for good, such as catching poachers in the Serengeti. 

Research
Data Grab: The New Colonialism of Big Tech and How to Fight it, Nick Couldry and Ulises Mejias https://lnk.to/DataGrabBook

The Space of the World: can Human Solidarity Survive Social Media and What if it Can't? Nick Couldry https://linktr.ee/SpaceOfTheWorldBook

Induced innovation, inventors and the energy transition, Eugenie Dugoua and Todd D. Gerarden
https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/121309/1/dp1951.pdf

Directed technological change and general purpose technologies: can AI accelerate clean energy innovation? Pia Andres, Eugenie Dugoua and Marion Dumas
https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/publication/directed-technological-change-and-general-purpose-technologies-can-ai-accelerate-clean-energy-innovation/

Could artificial intelligence deliver a green transition? Marion Dumas
https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/news/could-artificial-intelligence-deliver-a-green-transition/

LSE iQ is a university podcast by the London School of Economics and Political Science. We’re keen to find out more about our audience so we can better tailor our content to suit your interests. With this in mind, we would be grateful if you could please take the time to fill out this short survey and share your feedback.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=_epnVXfnpUKRu5RA_UO4k9i3ygPzxbNDuStfrFFNRBNUMzYxS1BITDlHTkdYMVhaVE9LRDhNQkxaVC4u

Is AI destroying the planet?

On sale May 13th, 2025

He does not let anyone roll the dice.After High Elf Archer received an invitation to a wedding back in her home village, the party sets out for the forest of the elves—and joining them on their trip are Cow Girl and Guild Girl! Goblin Slayer and crew are long overdue for a vacation, and what better place is there to get some rest and relaxation than under the brilliant forest canopy?But things take an unexpected turn when they head upriver for the elf homeland only to see the shadows of goblins looming…And what’s more, there’s talk of an ancient beast slumbering within the forest. With all this danger close at hand, will there even be a wedding for our heroes to celebrate?

Goblin Slayer, Vol. 7 By Kumo Kagyu, Read By Hayden Daviau & Josh Bangle (Audiobook Excerpt)

On sale May 13th, 2025

After months of staying by Kiyoka’s side, Miyo is finally invited to the Kudou family villa to meet her future in-laws. Far from receiving a warm welcome, however, she quickly discovers that her fiancé’s mother, Fuyu, has no intention of accepting her as his bride. But Miyo will do anything to make her engagement work, even if that means putting up with abuse from Fuyu while attempting to bridge the gap between them. Meanwhile, Kiyoka heads to a nearby village to investigate reports of a fiend that stalks the night…

My Happy Marriage, Vol. 3 By Akumi Agitogi, Read By Miranda Parkin & Damien Haas (Audiobook Excerpt)

On sale May 13th, 2025

From the "Brené Brown of trauma" comes a groundbreaking, actionable guide to healing trauma through a reframing and adaptation of Positive Psychology.

Joy can feel complicated, especially to someone who is struggling. Against the very real darkness that life offers up, a chorus of “but do you have a gratitude journal?” or “have you tried yoga?” can feel isolating and dismissive. And yet, the research on resilience, joy, gratitude, hope, and post-traumatic growth proves unequivocally that these emotions are healing. When it comes to deploying that research and adapting it into actionable tools for people with a history of trauma, psychology falls desperately short. To bridge this gap, Dr. MaryCatherine McDonald has reframed these concepts and created new interventions for anyone who struggles to feel at home with joy. 

In The Joy Reset, Dr. McDonald helps readers identify barriers that prevent them from accessing joy—hypervigilance, emotional numbing, fear of loss, conditioning, guilt, and shame—and then redefines positive emotions as those tenacious, gritty, often tiny experiences that appear within the darkest moments and form the very foundation of psychological resilience. Rooted in the neurobiology that explains how and why trauma and suffering can impede our path to hope and joy, Dr. McDonald shares exercises that make joy and gratitude both bite-sized and accessible, inviting readers to welcome these emotions back in. 

By emphasizing the very real ways that joy and hope show up even in our toughest moments, The Joy Reset empowers readers to find the light in the dark—no matter what.  

Listen Here

The Joy Reset By Dr. MaryCatherine McDonald (Audiobook Excerpt)

On sale May 13th, 2025

The immortal Elmer C. Albatross is a Smile Junkie who'll do whatever it takes for his happy ending--despite not knowing the first thing about happiness. Three hundred years after the passengers of the Advena Avis parted ways, four of them have finally tracked Elmer to a village in Northern Europe where the inhabitants seem to be stuck in their old ways, fearing the visitors as "demons." During their stay, the immortals encounter a strange girl, and their past catches up with them...

Baccano!, Vol. 5 By Ryohgo Narita, Read By Michael Butler Murray (Audiobook Excerpt)

On sale May 13th, 2025

Summer vacation has arrived, so Masachika and Alya get to spend some time together away from the hubbub of school. However…studying at Masachika’s place is the only thing they’ve been doing! Alya takes it upon herself to teach Masachika how to treat a woman, but once those two get into it, neither is willing to back down. Summer break also means they’re going on the student council’s trip to the beach! Swimsuits baring skin, dips in the hot spring, and a game of King really heat things up! But what will happen when certain secrets slip?

Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian, Vol. 4 By Sunsunsun, Read By Taylor Meskimen (Audiobook Excerpt)

On sale May 13th, 2025

The legendary Stephen Fry retells the adventures of Odysseus for the fourth and final installment in his internationally bestselling Greek Myths series.

Odysseus’s journey from the battlefields of Troy to his home in Ithaca is one of the greatest stories ever told. From the lotus-eaters to the sirens, from Circe to the Cyclops, this is a tale of thrilling adventures, cunning escapes, and enduring devotion. Stephen Fry breathes new life into the ancient poem with humor and pathos. This gorgeous volume invites you to explore a captivating world with a brilliant storyteller as your guide.

BELOVED AUTHOR: Stephen Fry is an icon whose signature wit and mellifluous style make this retelling utterly unique. Fans will love hearing his interpretation, whether they are familiar with the original myths or not.

TIMELESS STORIES: For fans of Madeline Miller’s Circe or Song of Achilles, Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology, or Pat Barker’s The Silence of the Girls, this is the perfect next great read. These ancient tales never get old.

POPULAR SERIES: The previous books that comprise Stephen Fry's Greek Myths—Mythos, Heroes, and Troy—have been international bestsellers, praised for their engaging and nuanced retellings. Now fans can finally read Fry's take on The Odyssey.

Perfect for:
- Fans of Stephen Fry
- Ancient history buffs
- Readers of myth and lore
- Fans of Madeline Miller's and Pat Barker's retellings of Greek mythology
- Classics majors and classicists

Buy Here

Odyssey By Stephen Fry (Audiobook Excerpt)

On sale May 13th, 2025

The New York Times bestselling series returns! 

Zander and Natasha must reverse an evil spell threatening the Number Nine Plaza’s very existence in this puzzle-bending mystery—for fans of The Swifts. 
 
Summer is in full swing at The Number Nine Plaza, the world's largest and most fabulous department store, and best friends Zander and Natasha are looking forward to weeks of discovery after thwarting the vengeful Darkbloom's attempt to destroy The Nine. But has the danger truly passed? Store employees begin acting oddly, a long-lost clue to an ancient store mystery is uncovered, and Zander and Natasha themselves become targets for attack. When a devastating magic spell places The Nine under new peril, the two friends find themselves in a race against the clock to solve the store's ever-deepening riddles and preserve the world-famous Number Nine Plaza from destruction.
 
Featuring word puzzles, clues, and lavish illustrations, this enchanting, out-of-this-world mystery delivers an unforgettable read full of magic and adventure.

The Shadow of the World-Famous Nine By Ben Guterson, Read By Elise Arsenault (Audiobook Excerpt)

Join Oein DeBharduin, author, educator and inaugural recipient of Creative Places Tuam's thinking on Tuam Residency for “Walking Whid/ Walking Story” a journey through the physical space of Tuam Town. Oein will guide the listener through the town, narrating the stories, folklore, legends and history of Tuam, the Traveller Community and its relationship with Tuam.

This walking story was first shared on Culture Night 2020.
Creative Places Tuam is an Arts Council initiative, led by Create, the national development agency for collaborative arts.

https://creativeplacestuam.ie/

Walking Whid/ Walking Story

Create is the national development agency for collaborative arts.

Our mission is to support artists and arts organisations working collaboratively with communities in social and community contexts, be they communities of place or communities brought together by interest.

What We Do

Create supports artists in making exceptional art with communities in the broadest sense – it can be a neighbourhood organisation; pigeon fanciers; a chess club; working fishermen, farmers or asylum seekers. (All these groups have worked with artists through the Arts Council Artist in the Community Scheme managed by Create)

Create supports artists in an open-ended approach to the artistic process and art making – as co-creators with different partners and audiences

Create encourages ways of making art that take place primarily outside of the traditional gallery or theatre space

Collaborative arts is a dynamic and contemporary form of arts practice. Related and similar ways of working can come under the headings of participatory arts, socially engaged arts and in the theoretical realm are closely linked to the concept of relational aesthetics. Collaborative arts practice plays with and contests notions of authorship and the idea of the artist-genius. Work that is made collaboratively often exists outside of the gallery or takes place outside the traditional theatre space. It can also be interdisciplinary and for example involve a musician working with a visual artist or an architect with a dance artist. Create seeks to foster current and future potential for collaboration between artists and communities, encouraging art projects that reflect the exciting ways in which collaborative arts represent a complex range of ideas and approaches.

Artists and arts organisations working collaboratively with communities of place and /or interest is widely seen as one of the most vibrant and challenging areas of arts practice, requiring skills of negotiation and project management. The exploratory processes and practices of collaborative arts demand different approaches to traditional definitions of art, artists and arts development.

Create responds to these demands by offering a range of services for artists and arts organisations which include Professional Development and Advisory Sessions, Learning Development and Create engages in partnerships on initiatives that support and develop collaborative arts practice across all artforms.

Walking Whid/ Walking Story

Create-Ireland

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