21st Century Common Sense, Part One

by Ted Glick / February 18th, 2026

A quarter of the way through this century, there is no doubt that the USA and the world are in deep trouble. This is true for everyone, even the families of those most responsible for this state of affairs, the “Epstein class” and those supporting them. Given the fact that the burning of fossils fuels and nukes, the continued reliance on destructive war as a way of determining who runs individual countries, and the growing disparity between the billionaire/multi-multi-millionaire (MMM) class and those who must work for a living, often barely making it—these and related injustices are what must be transcended, must be overcome, asap. The future of the world literally depends upon whether we can transcend them over the coming years.

For us in the United States of America, the immediate issue is the Trumpfascist efforts to impose dictatorial rule to the benefit of the billionaire class and those MMM’s hoping to become billionaires. As of the time of this writing a key next step in the resistance to these efforts is the November, 2026 federal elections, which should result in the Democrats, aligned with progressive Independents like Bernie Sanders, winning control of at least the House of Representatives, as things now appear is very likely.

But even if they take the House and Senate, and even if the percentage of House and Senate members who are strong and consistent progressives grows significantly, this alone will not yield the kind of changes the world desperately needs. For one thing, would-be dictator Trump will still be President, able to use his White House power in destructive ways, like unnecessary and brutal wars, rising economic, racial, gender and other inequality and hateful discrimination, and major attacks on wind, solar and electric vehicles.

A huge problem, up there at the top of the list, is that the history of efforts over the last many centuries to create truly just and democratic societies, run by organized people, not oligarchs, has at best yielded mixed results since the Russian Revolution of 1917.

In a book I wrote and self-published in 2021, five years ago, here is what I put forward as the key aspect of a “winning strategy, the one that is the key link to the social transformation process so urgently needed: the building and deepening of a way of working together and developing organizations that is collaborative, respectful, democratic its core and which, as a result, is truly transformative, built to last.”¹

This has to be our starting point as we try to determine how we change the world. Also necessary is an understanding of the urgency of the climate crisis. More than any other issue, this is one which must always be seen as a top priority. The amount of damage already done and sure to be done in the future, particularly to low-income people, the vast majority of the world’s population, primarily people of color, cannot be underestimated. We are literally running out of time to transition away from fossil fuels and to be about much more community-building and collaborative approaches to solving problems as they escalate as ecosystems, food and water supplies become increasingly less dependable.

Indeed, this existential reality for the entire planet is a reason that change is not just necessary, not just possible, but very much on the agenda of humankind.

As stated by the late Father Paul Mayer, “What history is calling for is nothing less than the creation of a new human being. We must literally reinvent ourselves through the alchemy of the Spirit”—or however one describes that unseen, powerful force in the universe which, down through history, has inspired people to do things which seem impossible—“or perish. We are being divinely summoned to climb another rung on the evolutionary ladder, to another level of human consciousness.”²

To be frank, it is not enough to be against Donald Trump and MAGA, or against the control of both major parties in the USA, the Democrats and the Republicans, or even to be committed to hard work for the next eight and a half months here in the USA to defeat the billionaire-supporting, fascist President Donald Trump. Our problems are too deep to accept this essential next step as the ultimate goal. Short-term, essential goal yes, but looking at things historically, it can only be the first major step in a fundamental, revolutionary process that over time not just saves the planet and its people but, at long last, matches our desires as a species with the way that we organize ourselves, economically, politically, culturally and socially.

ENDNOTES:

• 1
  21st Century Revolution: Through Higher Love, Racial Justice and Democratic Cooperation, p. 22
• 2
  Paul Mayer, Wrestling with Angels” back cover

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Ted Glick has been a progressive activist and organizer since 1968. He is the author of the recently published books, Burglar for Peace and 21st Century Revolution, both available at https://pmpress.org. Read other articles by Ted, or visit Ted's website.

 

How tech-dependency and pandemic isolation have created ‘anxious generation’

Taylor & Francis Group

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Unchecked use of technology and pandemic isolation have ‘reshaped’ how teenagers develop – but it’s not too late to intervene.

This is the stark warning of educator Amber Chandler, who suggests teens are struggling with unprecedented levels of anxiety in this ‘scared new world’, which presents a major challenge for parents and schools. However, the teacher says children can learn to flourish and thrive if given the right support.

No phones at bedtime, ‘no-tech’ public spaces and letting children handle their own problems are among scientific evidence-based solutions offered in her book Reclaiming Connection – How Schools and Families Can Nurture Belonging in a Scared New World.

Chandler also suggests parents become more ‘present’ by not scrolling on their smartphones when with their children. They can then take the lead in teaching their offspring how to be in the ‘here and now’.

Schools also have a vital role to play, she suggests, by helping students to navigate technology responsibly and safely.

Chandler’s position is not isolated, in fact concerns are growing worldwide among parents, schools and policymakers over the impact of smart phones and other devices on young people. Australia, for example, has recently banned social media for under 16s and other countries are considering similar policies.

Besides the unprecedented challenges teens face in the hyper-connected digital world, this generation of adolescents experienced an equally unprecedented global pandemic which isolated them from peers and shut off many developmental opportunities, while making many young people dependent on screens.

“The addictive nature of students’ online experiences began during the pandemic but has progressed now to a point where we must make some hard decisions, courageous decisions,” she explains. “These decisions require the ‘adults in the room’ to look at the evidence that screens, used indiscriminately, are toxic.

“The Scared New World that I fear we are inhabiting is the result of a reckless alchemy concocted from the isolation of the pandemic amalgamated with digital distractions far more powerful than we had suspected.”

Chandler hopes to counter the detrimental impact of the pandemic on young people’s social and emotional development by helping families, communities and schools come together to help them succeed.

She presents solutions based on her experiences spanning more than 20 years as a English Language Arts teacher, including seemingly simple suggestions such as teaching children about their data and digital footprint, and embracing opportunities for young people to get involved in clubs, groups and face-to-face activities.

An initial hurdle for many parents and teachers to overcome, she suggests, is pandemic fatigue – where many adults are simply ‘sick of’ talking about the pandemic, making addressing any issues doubly challenging.

“As I’m learning more, it is becoming clear that it isn’t something we can wish away. I’m saddened because the trauma inflicted on all of us has left its physical mark on us which then is playing out in the classroom and society,” she says.

The author also shares anecdotes about her own shortcomings as a parent to demonstrate the challenges that families face. She reveals she’s a ‘snowplough’ parent who clears obstacles from her children’s path, but who wasn’t alert to the dangers of smartphones. Now aware of the neurological changes in young people caused by screen use, Chandler advises parents to delay introducing phones and screens as long as possible.

“I’ll be honest, as an adult in this situation, I felt pretty guilty about my own children’s social media use when I realized that it was 100% designed to addict them and then mine their identity,” she explains.

But it’s not just parents – schools are increasingly reaching to screens to educate and test their students, something Chandler has deep concerns about.

“I am not anti-technology, but I am very much worried about the implications of our obsession with data collection that simply leads to remediation upon remediation. Instead, the younger years should be about discovery and innovation, problem solving and collaboration,” she explains.

Her advice to families, schools and mentors is to be compassionate about the decisions made until now, but to insist on change for the future: “We have to recognize that we were duped. Most people simply did not know that cellphones were addictive.”

The author doesn’t shy away from holding herself accountable, and encourages others to too. Chandler says: “Unpopular opinion: Families need to hold themselves accountable. Small children cannot drive to the store, buy an expensive device,  and regulate screen time when they can’t even tie their shoes.  We bought the phones, iPads, and gaming consoles.”

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DOI

10.4324/9781003659969 

POSTMODERN ALCHEMY

Simulations and experiments meet: Machine learning predicts the structures of gold nanoclusters

University of Jyväskylä - Jyväskylän yliopisto

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image: 

Atomistic snapshots describing how two thiolate-protected gold nanoclusters of 144 gold atoms each coalesce producing a single larger cluster matching a size that previously has been synthesized. 

view more 

Credit: Maryam Sabooni Asre Hazer, University of Jyväskylä.

Researchers at University of Jyväskylä (Finland) advance understanding of gold nanocluster behavior at elevated temperatures using machine learning-based simulations. This information is crucial in the design of nanomaterials so that their properties can be modified for use in catalysis and other technological applications.

Thiolate protected gold nanoclusters are hybrid nanomaterials with promising applications in nanomedicine, bioimaging and catalysis. However, understanding how these nanoclusters behave under elevated temperatures, which is critical for their use, has remained largely unexplored due to the prohibitive computational cost of traditional simulation methods. 

Record-long simulations of gold nanoclusters

Researchers at the University of Jyväskylä have successfully employed machine learning-driven simulations to investigate the thermal dynamics of Au₁₄₄(SR)₆₀, one of the most well-studied gold nanoclusters. Using a recently developed atomic cluster expansion (ACE) potential trained on extensive density functional theory data, the researchers conducted molecular dynamics simulations extending up to 0.12 microseconds. This is approximately five orders of magnitude longer than what is feasible with conventional quantum chemical methods.

"This work opens new possibilities for understanding how ligand-protected metal nanoclusters behave under realistic operating conditions," says lead author Dr. Maryam Sabooni Asre Hazer. "Through this work, we can observe in atomistic detail how these clusters transform, fragment, and even merge at elevated temperatures over timescales that are relevant for experimental conditions."

Layer-by-layer thermal transformations revealed

The study revealed that thermal effects induce structural changes in a layer-by-layer fashion, starting from the outermost gold-thiolate protective shell. At temperatures between 300 and 550 K, the researchers observed the spontaneous formation of polymer-like chains and ring structures of gold-thiolate units, which can dynamically detach and reattach to the cluster surface. The remaining cluster compositions closely matched those observed in experimental studies, demonstrating the accuracy of the machine learning potential.

"What's particularly exciting is that we can now see how gold atoms migrate between different layers of the cluster and how the surface restructures under thermal stress," explains Dr. Sabooni Asre Hazer. "These processes are directly relevant to understanding why thermally treated gold nanoclusters become effective catalysts."

Gold clusters joined together in the simulation

In an even more remarkable finding, the researchers successfully simulated the complete coalescence of two Au₁₄₄(SR)₆₀ clusters at 550 K. The fusion process produced a larger cluster with composition Au₂₃₉(SR)₆₉, strikingly similar to a gold nanocluster previously synthesized experimentally. 

"The merged cluster exhibited a twinned face-centered cubic metal core structure, matching the symmetry determined from experimental X-ray diffraction data," says Dr. Sabooni Asre Hazer.

Opening new avenues for nanomaterials research

The methodology enables detailed atomistic studies of processes that were previously inaccessible to computational investigation, including cluster-cluster interactions, catalytic activation mechanisms, thermal stability, and inter-particle reactions.

"Our results provide fundamental insights into how ligand-protected nanoclusters behave as they transition toward larger nanoparticles," explains Professor Hannu Häkkinen, who supervised the research. "This knowledge is instrumental for the rational design of nanomaterials with tailored functionalities for catalysis and other applications.", he continues. 

The research was published in Nature Communications. The publication was recognized as an Editors' Highlight in the Inorganic and Physical Chemistry section of Nature Communications.

The work was supported by the Research Council of Finland and the European Research Council (ERC) through the Advanced Grant project DYNANOINT. Computational resources on supercomputers Puhti and Mahti were provided by the Finnish national supercomputing center CSC. 

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Journal

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-025-67700-w 

Method of Research

Imaging analysis

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Thermal dynamics and coalescence of Au144(SR)60 clusters from a machine-learned potential

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XXI CENTURY ALCHEMY

'Trojan horse' may deliver toxic dose of copper to bacterial colonies, including drug-resistant MRSA infections

University of Arizona

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A research team at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson is developing a drug that works in combination with copper to kill bacteria, including those that cause MRSA, a type of staph infection that is resistant to usual treatments. They published their results last month in mSphere.

MRSA is caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, which is classified as a serious threat by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a high-priority pathogen by the World Health Organization.

"It likes to live on our skin – about 30% of people are colonized with it. It becomes a problem when it gets in a wound, where it can wreak havoc," said Michael D. L. Johnson, an associate professor of immunobiology and senior author of the paper.

While MRSA can be treated with other antibiotics, bacteria's ability to evolve drug resistance means finding novel treatments is crucial.

"History has shown us that bacteria have an exquisite ability to adapt to their surroundings," Johnson said. "The more tools we have in our toolkit, the better prepared we will be to fight the next threat."

MRSA can be spread by skin-to-skin contact and appear as a painful boil. It can also occur in a hospital setting, where it might colonize a surgical wound or be introduced to the body through tubing, such as a catheter, or an implant, such as an artificial joint.

"People who are diabetic are very susceptible to staph infections, specifically in wounds they may develop," Johnson said. "It also binds to plastic really well. Can you guess where there's a lot of plastic? In a hospital. We've become quite reliant on plastic, which creates a niche for that microbe."

The team also looked at a cousin of MSRA, Staphylococcus epidermidis, which is usually harmless but can cause infections in hospitals due to its affinity for plastic. Both MSRA and S. epidermidis adhere to plastic by producing a "glue" called biofilm.

"That stuff you feel on your teeth when you wake up in the morning – that's biofilm," Johnson said. "Bacteria make biofilm to hold on to host cells or surfaces, and that biofilm is a protective shield from the bacteria's environment – such as antibiotics or antimicrobial peptides our bodies make."

Supported by funding from Tech Launch Arizona, the Johnson Lab designed the platform for a molecule called BMDC, short for N-benzyl-N-methyldithiocarbamate, to work with copper, based on a similar molecule they studied previously. TLA provided the funds through its Asset Development Program, which provides support to move potentially impactful innovations closer to readiness for commercialization and real-world impact.

"This one actually worked better than our original compound, DMDC, which killed different Streptococcusspecies – but not staph," Johnson said.

He says BMDC works by disguising itself as iron, a nutrient that hungry bacteria scavenge from their surroundings. But instead of iron, the compound contains a toxic dose of copper.

"Our compound mimics specialized molecules that carry iron. The staph bacteria are like, 'Oh, sweet, iron! This is my lucky day!' They unlock the compound, and, oops, it's copper," he explained. "Our compound is a Trojan horse, intoxicating bacteria with copper, killing them within the biofilm. The bacteria don't learn from their mistakes, and they do it over and over again."

Working with TLA, Johnson has filed a patent application on the technology, and they are searching for a company to license the product to develop it further. Their plan is to take it to clinical trials in humans, which they hope will lead to FDA approval to treat MRSA and other infections.

In the meantime, the Johnson Lab is preparing to launch a collaboration with the Department of Surgery's Division Chief of Pediatric Surgery Kenneth W. Liechty, to conduct additional laboratory experiments to see if their compound helps with wound infections and healing.

"How amazing would it be if someday, we could put some of our stuff on an open wound with a bad infection, and the infection got better?" said Johnson, who is also a member of the BIO5 Institute. "We're very interested in the translation of our discoveries to the clinic, and you don't do that unless you're partnered with amazing people here at U of A to do those experiments."

Johnson says the possibility that his work in the lab could someday benefit humanity is profoundly inspiring.

"Those are the things basic science and translational researchers dream about," he said. "It makes the science more exciting when you can see the application at the end of the road."

This research is supported in part by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, a division of the National Institutes of Health, under award No. 2R35128653.

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Journal

mSphere

DOI

10.1128/msphere.00691-25