This episode refers to a work titled Power Cards by Avenir Institute that employs gamification of critique within the context of power.

The primary goal of this game is to make players question the essence of power. Taking this inquiry as a point of departure, Denis Maksimov formulates questions such as: How do authoritarian leaders gain and accumulate power? How come political and economic unions, nation-states, and corporations compete against one another and consolidate each other’s power at the same time? How is power manifested within domestic environments or workplaces? Mapping out entities that throttle our world, Denis Maksimov probes through various temporalities and horizons to reveal the infrastructure that generates and distributes the power that rules over life on earth.

Episode Notes:

1. In Latin and Ancient Greek, aura means wind, breeze, or breath. According to spiritual beliefs, aura or human energy field is a colored emanation that encloses a human body, animal, or object. In some esoteric teachings, the aura is described as a subtle body. Psychics, holistic medicine practitioners, and oracles often claim to have the ability to see the size, color, and type of vibration of an aura.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aura_(paranormal)

2. Capitol Hill houses the United States Capitol, the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the Supreme Court. In addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, it is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington District.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitol_Hill

3. Founded in 1993, The European Union is a political and economic union of 27 member states located primarily in Europe. As a sui generis political entity (without precedent or comparison), it consists of an internal singular market established through a standardized system of laws that apply in all member states in matters where members have agreed to act as one.

4. The E.U. policies aim to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital within the internal market; enact legislation on justice and home affairs; and maintain common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries, and regional development. Passport controls have been abolished for travel within the Schengen Area. A monetary union was established in 1999, coming into full force in 2002, and is composed of 19 member states which use the Euro currency.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union

5. The European Parliament is one of the three legislative branches of the European Union among its seven institutions. It represents the second-largest democratic electorate in the world (after the Parliament of India) and the largest trans-national democratic electorate in the world. Since 1979, the parliament has been directly elected every five years by the citizens.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Parliament

6. The European Commission is the executive branch of the European Union, responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding treaties, and managing day-to-day affairs. It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members that constitute the Commission.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Commission

7. Westminster Abbey is a large, mainly Gothic abbey church in London. It is one of the United Kingdom’s most notable religious buildings and the traditional place of coronation. It is also a burial site for English and British monarchs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_Abbey

8. The Westminster system or the Westminster model is a type of parliamentary system of government operating in England.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_system