In early April, at the wonderful French Quarter Festival in New Orleans, we wandered over to the DJ stage to see what was happening. Not a lot as it turned out. It was not overly crowded, and people mostly meandered around. But then a distinctive beat and sound launched from the speakers and so did everyone around us. Up from their seats or from their standing stupors. And they all started dancing. Together. A line dance. And the International Need to Know spouse and I had no idea what was going on. But it was delightful. Just about everyone there seemed to be locals, New Orleaneans (we prefer those who somehow pronounce it with 12 or 13 syllables), tuned into something we knew nothing about. We kept seeing this same phenomenon throughout the week. At other stages, throughout the festival, indeed throughout the city. We’d hear the beat and the lyrics “Oh whoa oh oh, I’ve got my boots on the ground.” Yep, the song of the summer, whether you know it or not, at least down south, is Boots on the Ground by 803Fresh. We started reading up on this on our phone while folks line danced around us. This was southern soul. 803Fresh is Dougie Furtick and 803 is the area code of his home state South Carolina. He wrote the song inspired by Trail Rides. What is that, you may ask, which certainly we did too. Well,
“In Black Southern culture, a trail ride is a major social event that brings together horse riders, wagoners, music lovers, and foodies alike. At its core, a trail ride is about riding horses along a set trail, often winding through fields, small towns, or backroads, but it’s also a moving party. Riders show off their horsemanship, parade their horses decked out in custom tack, and connect with friends old and new. Once the ride is over, the party really gets started. “DJs blast everything from zydeco to Southern rap. Barbecue smoke fills the air. Families set up tents. Vendors sell everything from cowboy boots to handmade jewelry,”
When we returned to Seattle, for months we neither heard nor saw a Boot on any ground—until this weekend when just before a Mariners game started, the DJ in the stadium played it. And then a podcaster related his recent experience in Los Angeles learning the Boots on the Ground line dance. It took three months but Boots on the Ground has swept west all across the country. And we couldn’t be more delighted. So, we saddle up our horse, deck ourselves out in boots and line dance to the fight against fungi, stomp on the rise of the far right in Europe and lasso China’s incompetent aggression in the South China Sea. It’s this week’s International Need to Know, giddying up for international information, kickin’ off the dust of global data.
Without further ado, here’s what you need to know.
Fight The Fungi
It’s the little things that will get you. You should sweat the details. Things that you can’t see can kill you. Like fungi, for instance. The World Health Organization—you remember them?—has a new report out tracking treatments and therapeutics for fungal diseases. It notes that “Fungal diseases are an increasing public health concern, with common infections – such as candida, which causes oral and vaginal thrush – growing increasingly resistant to treatment.” Certain fungal infections have an 88 percent mortality rate. That’s higher than most NBA players’ free throw percentages. Unfortunately, the world is behind in coming up with cures for them, as the report notes, “…in the past decade, only four new antifungal drugs have been approved by regulatory authorities in the United States of America, the European Union or China.” Given cuts to the National Institutes of Health and other U.S. federal research and development policies, the fight against fungi likely will now rely on China and Europe. Let’s hope they’re successful.
The Re-Rise of the Far Right
It has been a perpetual worry over the last decade that the far right is about to take control in a host of European countries. So far, the worry has been mostly overstated, and such parties have not gained national electoral control. However, we live in a new 19th Century world so let’s not become complacent. Patrick Collison, CEO of Stripe, notes that the far right is leading polling in European countries from the UK to Germany to France (see his list below). What is the reason for these parties’ popularity? The standard answer is a revolt against immigration. Despite our assertion that eventually there will be a Great Competition for Immigrants, anti-immigration feelings could certainly be part of the explanation. However, the French newspaper, Le Monde, postulates it’s not immigration but emigration that correlates with the rise of the far right. The article uses Portugal as an example and states that as more young, educated Portugues leave the country for better opportunities–nearly a third of Portuguese aged 15-39 live abroad—the far right does better. The remaining voters are older and less educated. Of course, it may not be only immigration or emigration that drives the increase in popularity. Alexander Kaufmann notes that Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader in France, is introducing a plan to help more French access air conditioning. This initiative has been scoffed at by those on the Left in France. And yet, many people suffer and die due to increased heat waves as a result of climate change. Maybe mainstream parties need to help mitigate climate change as well as fight against it.
China Corner: Hard Out Here For A Hegemon
It’s been a while since we’ve reported on what Chinese call the South China Sea and other countries call by different names. We must comment, however, on yet another confrontation between China and the Philippines around the Scarborough Shoal where China again took coercive action against a Filipino Coast Guard ship. China has become increasingly violent in these confrontations but this time a Chinese naval ship accidentally rammed into a Chinese Coast Guard ship, as you can see in the footage below. Oops! CNN quotes Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (just once we would like someone to address us as Commodore) as saying, “Philippine vessels and fishermen encountered hazardous maneuvers and blocking actions from other vessels in the vicinity.” Tarriela also asserted one of the Philippine boats was targeted with a water cannon but avoided getting hit. China, of course, says they were protecting their territory but as you can see in the map below, China’s definition of territory is expansive, in fact, they are claiming territory in the Philippines exclusive economic zones and nearly 1,000 miles from China’s coast. In today’s 19th Century world, it’s every country for itself, so we expect China to be increasingly aggressive in this sea, no matter what it is called. Let’s hope in doing so they are as competent as they were earlier this week.
