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CA2924535A1 - Nanoparticle-mediated gene delivery, genomic editing and ligand-targeted modification in various cell populations - Google Patents
Nanoparticle-mediated gene delivery, genomic editing and ligand-targeted modification in various cell populations Download PDF
CA2924535A1 CA2924535A CA2924535A CA2924535A1 CA 2924535 A1 CA2924535 A1 CA 2924535A1 CA 2924535 A CA2924535 A CA 2924535A CA 2924535 A CA2924535 A CA 2924535A CA 2924535 A1 CA2924535 A1 CA 2924535A1
cationic
polyplex
Shiva Prasad KOTHA
Andre Ronald WATSON
Vaibhav A. PANDIT
2013-09-23 Priority to US201361881072P priority Critical
2014-09-23 Application filed by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute filed Critical Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
2019-07-18 Application status is Pending legal-status Critical
C12N15/63—Introduction of foreign genetic material using vectors; Vectors; Use of hosts therefor; Regulation of expression
C12N15/79—Vectors or expression systems specially adapted for eukaryotic hosts
C12N15/85—Vectors or expression systems specially adapted for eukaryotic hosts for animal cells
A61K47/00—Medicinal preparations characterised by the non-active ingredients used, e.g. carriers or inert additives; Targeting or modifying agents chemically bound to the active ingredient
A61K47/50—Medicinal preparations characterised by the non-active ingredients used, e.g. carriers or inert additives; Targeting or modifying agents chemically bound to the active ingredient the non-active ingredient being chemically bound to the active ingredient, e.g. polymer-drug conjugates
A61K47/51—Medicinal preparations characterised by the non-active ingredients used, e.g. carriers or inert additives; Targeting or modifying agents chemically bound to the active ingredient the non-active ingredient being chemically bound to the active ingredient, e.g. polymer-drug conjugates the non-active ingredient being a modifying agent
A61K47/62—Medicinal preparations characterised by the non-active ingredients used, e.g. carriers or inert additives; Targeting or modifying agents chemically bound to the active ingredient the non-active ingredient being chemically bound to the active ingredient, e.g. polymer-drug conjugates the non-active ingredient being a modifying agent the modifying agent being a protein, peptide or polyamino acid
A61K47/64—Drug-peptide, drug-protein or drug-polyamino acid conjugates, i.e. the modifying agent being a peptide, protein or polyamino acid which is covalently bonded or complexed to a therapeutically active agent
A61K47/645—Polycationic or polyanionic oligopeptides, polypeptides or polyamino acids, e.g. polylysine, polyarginine, polyglutamic acid or peptide TAT
A61K47/6455—Polycationic oligopeptides, polypeptides or polyamino acids, e.g. for complexing nucleic acids
A61K47/69—Medicinal preparations characterised by the non-active ingredients used, e.g. carriers or inert additives; Targeting or modifying agents chemically bound to the active ingredient the non-active ingredient being chemically bound to the active ingredient, e.g. polymer-drug conjugates the conjugate being characterised by physical or galenical forms, e.g. emulsion, particle, inclusion complex, stent or kit
A61K47/6921—Medicinal preparations characterised by the non-active ingredients used, e.g. carriers or inert additives; Targeting or modifying agents chemically bound to the active ingredient the non-active ingredient being chemically bound to the active ingredient, e.g. polymer-drug conjugates the conjugate being characterised by physical or galenical forms, e.g. emulsion, particle, inclusion complex, stent or kit the form being a particulate, a powder, an adsorbate, a bead or a sphere
A61K47/6923—Medicinal preparations characterised by the non-active ingredients used, e.g. carriers or inert additives; Targeting or modifying agents chemically bound to the active ingredient the non-active ingredient being chemically bound to the active ingredient, e.g. polymer-drug conjugates the conjugate being characterised by physical or galenical forms, e.g. emulsion, particle, inclusion complex, stent or kit the form being a particulate, a powder, an adsorbate, a bead or a sphere the form being an inorganic particle, e.g. ceramic particles, silica particles, ferrite or synsorb
A61K47/6927—Medicinal preparations characterised by the non-active ingredients used, e.g. carriers or inert additives; Targeting or modifying agents chemically bound to the active ingredient the non-active ingredient being chemically bound to the active ingredient, e.g. polymer-drug conjugates the conjugate being characterised by physical or galenical forms, e.g. emulsion, particle, inclusion complex, stent or kit the form being a particulate, a powder, an adsorbate, a bead or a sphere the form being a solid microparticle having no hollow or gas-filled cores
A61K47/6929—Medicinal preparations characterised by the non-active ingredients used, e.g. carriers or inert additives; Targeting or modifying agents chemically bound to the active ingredient the non-active ingredient being chemically bound to the active ingredient, e.g. polymer-drug conjugates the conjugate being characterised by physical or galenical forms, e.g. emulsion, particle, inclusion complex, stent or kit the form being a particulate, a powder, an adsorbate, a bead or a sphere the form being a solid microparticle having no hollow or gas-filled cores the form being a nanoparticle, e.g. an immuno-nanoparticle
C12N15/87—Introduction of foreign genetic material using processes not otherwise provided for, e.g. co-transformation
C12N15/88—Introduction of foreign genetic material using processes not otherwise provided for, e.g. co-transformation using microencapsulation, e.g. using amphiphile liposome vesicle
A61K48/00—Medicinal preparations containing genetic material which is inserted into cells of the living body to treat genetic diseases; Gene therapy
A61K48/0008—Medicinal preparations containing genetic material which is inserted into cells of the living body to treat genetic diseases; Gene therapy characterised by an aspect of the 'non-active' part of the composition delivered, e.g. wherein such 'non-active' part is not delivered simultaneously with the 'active' part of the composition
A61K48/0025—Medicinal preparations containing genetic material which is inserted into cells of the living body to treat genetic diseases; Gene therapy characterised by an aspect of the 'non-active' part of the composition delivered, e.g. wherein such 'non-active' part is not delivered simultaneously with the 'active' part of the composition wherein the non-active part clearly interacts with the delivered nucleic acid
A61K48/0041—Medicinal preparations containing genetic material which is inserted into cells of the living body to treat genetic diseases; Gene therapy characterised by an aspect of the 'non-active' part of the composition delivered, e.g. wherein such 'non-active' part is not delivered simultaneously with the 'active' part of the composition wherein the non-active part clearly interacts with the delivered nucleic acid the non-active part being polymeric
C12N2800/00—Nucleic acids vectors
C12N2800/95—Protection of vectors from inactivation by agents such as antibodies or enzymes, e.g. using polymers
C12N9/00—Enzymes; Proenzymes; Compositions thereof; Processes for preparing, activating, inhibiting, separating or purifying enzymes
C12N9/14—Hydrolases (3)
C12N9/16—Hydrolases (3) acting on ester bonds (3.1)
C12N9/22—Ribonucleases RNAses, DNAses
An improved nanoparticle for transfecting cells is provided. The nanoparticle includes a core polyplex and a silica coating on the core polyplex and, optionally, a polymer attached to an outer surface of the silica coating, where the polyplex includes an anionic polymer, a cationic polymer, a cationic polypeptide, and a polynucleotide. Also provided is an improved method of modifying intracellular polynucleotides. The method includes contacting a cell with a nanoparticle that includes a core polyplex and a silica coating on the core polyplex and, optionally, a polymer attached to an outer surface of the silica coating, where the polyplex includes an anionic polymer, a cationic polymer, a cationic polypeptide, and a polynucleotide.
NANOPARTICLE-MEDIATED GENE DELIVERY, GENOMIC
EDITING AND LIGAND-TARGETED MODIFICATION IN
VARIOUS CELL POPULATIONS
Cross-Reference to Related Applications [0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 to U.S.
Provisional Application No. 61/881,072, filed September 23, 2013, which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Government Rights Statement
[0002] This invention was made with U.S. Government support under RO1 AG030637 awarded by the National Institutes of Health. The U.S. Government has certain rights in the invention.
[0003] The present invention generally relates to use of nanoparticles to transfect cells. More particularly, the present invention relates to coated nanoparticles with a polyplex core for intracellular delivery of ploynucleotides to modify gene expression.
[0004] Introducing polynucleotides into cells to alter gene expression requires appropriate packaging of the polynucleotides to protect them from degradation before cell entry, to permit entry into cells, and to direct delivery to the appropriate subcellular compartment. Effectiveness in altering expression may also depend on time-frames of release of polynucleotides from packaging after cellular entry.
Available nanoparticle-based technologies for modifying gene expression suffer from low levels of cellular transfection and limited effectiveness upon transfection, at least in part because of their limitations in satisfying the foregoing requirements.
It is therefore desirable to obtain a nanoparticle-based transfection agent and method of use thereof that addresses all of these requirements to enhance effectiveness.
5 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The shortcomings of the prior art are overcome, and additional advantages are provided, through the provision, in one aspect, of a nanoparticle. The nanoparticle includes a core polyplex and a silica coating on the core polyplex, and the polyplex includes an anionic polymer, a cationic polymer, a cationic polypeptide, and a polynucleotide. In another aspect, the nanoparticle may also include a polymer attached to an outer surface of the silica coating.
[0006] A method of modifying intracellular polynucleotides is also provided.
The method includes contacting a cell with a nanoparticle that includes a core polyplex and a silica coating on the core polyplex, and the polyplex includes an anionic polymer, a cationic polymer, a cationic polypeptide, and a polynucleotide. In another aspect, the nanoparticle may also include a polymer attached to an outer surface of the silica coating.
[0007] Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present invention. These, and other objects, features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the various aspects of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
[0008] One or more aspects of the present invention are particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed as examples in the claims at the conclusion of the specification.
The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention are apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
[0009] FIGs. 1A-1B are diagrammatic representations of some embodiments of a nanoparticle and components thereof in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;
[0010] FIGs. 2A is a diagrammatic representation of how a nanoparticle may be manufactured in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 2B is a diagrammatic representation of means by which a cell may uptake and intracellularly process a nanoparticle in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating the effects on polyplex complexation of including different ratios of various charged polymers and polynucleotides in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating the effects on polyplex complexation of including different ratios of various charged polymers and polynucleotides, with or without including an anionic polymer in the polyplex, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating the destabilizing effect on a polyplex of including increasing amounts of an anionic polymer in the presence or absence of cationic polypeptides in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating sizes of nanoparticles possessing various layers in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 7 is photomicrographs of cells transfected with various nanoparticles demonstrating cellular uptake and subcellular localization of nanoparticles following transfection in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 8 is photomicrographs of cells transfected with nanoparticles showing duration of residence of nanoparticles in cells following transfection in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;
[0018] FIGs. 9A-B is photomicrographs showing cellular uptake of nanoparticles possessing a layer of polymers attached to the outside of a silica coating of a polyplex in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic representation of TALEN peptides encoded for by a nucleic acid included in a nanoparticle that cause knockdown of expression of sclerostin in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;
[0020] FIGs. 11A-11C are graphs illustrating the effects transfecting cells with different amounts of nanoparticles that target sclerostin expression on sclerostin and I3-catenin expression in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;
[0021] FIGs. 12A-12F are graphs illustrating the effects of transfecting cells with different amounts of nanoparticles that target sclerostin expression on expression levels of various cellular signaling peptides in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 13 is photomicrographs demonstrating effects of transfecting cells with nanoparticles that target sclerostin expression on expression of a co-transfected reporter gene that is responsive to transcription factors whose activity is inhibited by sclerostin-mediated signalling in accordance with an aspect of the present invention;
[0023] FIGs. 14A-14C are photomicrographs demonstrating effects of transfecting cells with nanoparticles that target sclerostin expression on mineralization in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.
[0024] Aspects of the present invention and certain features, advantages, and details thereof, are explained more fully below with reference to the non-limiting embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Descriptions of well-known materials, fabrication tools, processing techniques, etc., are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the invention in detail. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and the specific examples, while indicating embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, and are not by way of limitation.
Various substitutions, modifications, additions and/or arrangements within the spirit and/or scope of the underlying inventive concepts will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.
[0025] The present disclosure provides, in part, a multilayered nanoparticle for transfecting cells with agents to modify gene expression. Nanoparticles designed for improved serum stability, targetted delivery to specific cell types, greater nuclear specificity and compartment-specific unpackaging, improved ability to retain significant payload levels during initial stages of internalization, and ability to maintain release of payload for a various durations following internalization, and methods of use thereof, are provided.
[0026] In one aspect, complexes of polynucleotides with polymers, or polyplexes, created by condensation of cationic polymers and polynucleotides in the presence of anionic polymers may mediate increased transfection efficiency over polynucleotide-cationic polymer conjugates. Though this process may produce more particles and increase the net surface area of nanoparticles exposed for cellular uptake, an improved electrostatic repulsory element may also be at play in releasing nucleic acids through this technique. Surprisingly, in contrast to a more rapid disaggregation of nucleotides from nanoparticle polyplexes that include anionic polymers as would have been predicted on the basis of existing literature, in one aspect of the present invention, including an anionic polymer in a nanoparticle polyplex core may prolong the duration of intracellular residence of the nanoparticle and release of agents that affect gene expression or otherwise regulate cellular function, or payloads.
[0027] In another aspect, the presence of a cationic polypeptide in a nanoparticle may mediate stability, subcellular compartmentalization, and payload release.
As one example, fragments of the N-terminus of histone peptides, referred to generally as histone tail peptides, within various polyplexes are not only capable of being deprotonated by various histone modifications, such as in the case of histone acetyltransferase-mediated acetylation, but may also mediate effective nuclear-specific unpackaging as components of polyplexes. Their trafficking may be reliant on alternative endocytotic pathways utilizing retrograde transport through the Golgi and endoplasmic reticulum, and the nature of histones existing inside of the nuclear envelope suggests an innate nuclear localization sequence on histone tail peptides. In one aspect of the present invention, including a histone tail peptide may promote nuclear localization of nanoparticles and result in enzyme-mediated release of polynucleotide payload therefrom.
[0028] In another aspect, silica coatings of polyplexes may seal their payloads before and during initial cellular uptake. Commonly used polyplexes consisting of poly(ethylenimine) and DNA have a tendency to shed the majority (¨ 90%) of their payloads during cellular internalization, with the remaining payload often remaining bound to its cationic nanocarrier's polymeric remains. With transiently stabilizing interlayers of silica, greater intracellular delivery efficiency may be observed despite decreased probability of cellular uptake. In another aspect of the present invention, coating a nanoparticle polyplex with a silica coating may seal the polyplex, stablizing it until its release upon processing in the intended subcellular compartment.
[0029] In another aspect of the present invention, transfection efficiency may be further increased by adding another layer of cationic polymer, making the delivery efficiency as much as two orders of magnitude greater than a bare or silica-coated polyplex, presumably due to the anionic nature of an oligomeric silica coating being cell repulsive. In a further aspect, silica-coated polyplexes and their further-layered derivatives are stable in serum and are suitable for in vivo experiments unlike cationic polymer/nucleic acid conjugates on their own.
[0030] FIGs. 1A-1B show examples of components of a nanoparticle in accordance with the present invention. In accordance with the present invention, a nanoparticle polyplex core may include a polynucleotide, an anionic polymer, a cationic polymer, and a cationic polypeptide. A silica coating may then be applied to the polyplex core, and polymers may then be attached to an outer surface of the silica coating.
The polynucleotide may be a DNA vector for driving intracellular expression of a nucleic acid sequence it contains. However, a nanoparticle may also comprise other types of polynucleotides, such as linear DNA or various types of RNA, including dsDNA, ssDNA, mRNA, siRNA, or CRISPR RNA sequences, or others, or any combination of the foregoing. A nanoparticle may also include, in addition to or in place of any of the foregoing examples of polynucleotides, a peptide nucleic acid, other charged or polar small molecules between 50 and 1000 Da, or alternatively between 200 and kDa, in size, such as cyclic nucleotides such as cAMP, DNA origami templates, aptamers, charged polypeptides, proteins or protein fragments between 2 and kDa, peptoids, phosphorylated or sulfated constituents, anionically modified constituents, and multimeric or oligomeric combinations of the foregoing. A
person of ordinary skill would understand any of the foregoing, or any combination thereof, as being included within the present invention.
[0031] Continuing with FIG 1A, in one aspect of the invention, a cationic polymer within the polyplex may be a polypeptide containing cationic amino acids and may be, for example, poly(arginine), poly(lysine), poly(histidine), poly(ornithine), poly(citrulline), or a polypeptide that comprises any combination of more than one of the foregoing. A nanoparticle may also include, in addition to or in place of any of the foregoing examples of cationic polymers, poly(ethylenimine), poly(aspartamide), polypeptoids, a charge-functionalized polyester, a cationic polysaccharide, an acetylated amino sugar, chitosan, or a variant or variants that comprise any combination of more than one of the foregoing, in linear or branched forms.
[0032] In one example, a cationic polymer may comprise a poly(arginine), such as poly(L-arginine). A cationic polymer within the polyplex may have a molecular weight of between 1 kDa and 200 kDa. A cationic polymer within the polyplex may also have a molecular weight of between 10 kDa and 100 kDa. A cationic polymer within the polyplex may also have a molecular weight of between 15 kDa and 50 kDa.
In one example, a cationic polymer comprises poly(L-arginine) with a molecular weight of approximately 29 kDa, as represented by SEQ ID NO: 1 (PLR). In another example, a cationic polymer may comprise linear poly(ethylenimine) with a molecular weight of 25 kDa (PEI). In another example, a cationic polymer may comprise branched poly(ethylenimine) with molecular weight of 10 kDa. In another example, a cationic polymer may comprise branched poly(ethylenimine) with a molecular weight of 70 kDa. In another example, a cationic polymer may comprise a D-isomer of poly(arginine) or of any of the foregoing polymers such as polypeptides, which may be particularly advantageous because polymers such as polypeptides containing a D-isomer may be less susceptible to degradation within a cell and therefore have a prolonged effect on influencing payload release and the rate thereof over time.
[0033] Continuing with FIG 1A, in a further aspect of the invention, an anionic polymer within the polyplex may be a polypeptide containing anionic amino acids, and may be, for example, poly-glutamic acid or poly-aspartic acid, or a polypeptide that comprises any combination of the foregoing. A nanoparticle may also include, in addition to or in place of any of the foregoing examples of anionic polymers, a glycosaminoglycan, a glycoprotein, a polysaccharide, poly(mannuronic acid), poly(guluronic acid), heparin, heparin sulfate, chondroitin, chondroitin sulfate, keratan, keratan sulfate, aggrecan, poly(glucosamine), or an anionic polymer that comprises any combination of the foregoing. In one example, an anionic polymer may comprise poly-glutamic acid. An anionic polymer within the polyplex may have a molecular weight of between 1 kDa and 200 kDa. An anionic polymer within the polyplex may also have a molecular weight of between 10 kDa and 100 kDa. An anionic polymer within the polyplex may also have a molecular weight of between 15 kDa and 50 kDa. In one example, an anionic polymer is poly(glutamic acid) with a molecular weight of approximately 15 kDa. Polymers consisting of or including a D-isomer of glutamic acid may be particularly advantageous because they may be less susceptible to degradation within a cell and therefore have a prolonged effect on influencing payload release and the rate thereof over time. For example, the anionic polymer within the polyplex may have the sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 2 (PDGA). In another example, an anionic polymer may comprise a D-isomer of any of the foregoing polymers or polypeptides, which may be particularly advantageous because polymers such as polypeptides containing a D-isomer may be less susceptible to degradation within a cell and therefore have a prolonged effect on influencing payload release and the rate thereof over time.
Continuing with FIG. 1A, in another aspect of the invention, a cationic peptide in a nanoparticle's polyplex core may be a fragment of a histone peptide, such as of the H1, H2, H3, or H4 proteins. The fragment may include amino acids whose sequence corresponds to the N-terminus of a histone protein. For example, the fragment may comprise up to the first 5 (SEQ ID NO: 9), 10 (SEQ ID NO: 10), 15 (SEQ ID NO:
11), 20 (SEQ ID NO 12), 25 (SEQ ID NO: 13) or more N-terminal amino acids of a histone protein. The fragment may also be amidated on its C-terminus. The fragment may also have been modified such that one or more lysine residue is methylated, one or more histidine, lysine, arginine, or other complementary residues are acetylated or susceptible to acetylation as a histone acetyltransferase or acetyl CoA
substrate, or any combination of the foregoing. For example, a cationic peptide in a nanoparticle polyplex core may have the sequence as represented by SEQ ID NO: 3, which comprises the first 25 amino acids of the human histone 3 protein, amidated on its C-terminus, and tri-methylated on the lysine 4 in accordance with the present invention (HTP).
[0034] In another embodiment, a nanoparticle may include or contain, in addition to or in place of any of the foregoing cationic polypeptides, a nuclear localization sequence. A cationic polypeptide may comprise a nuclear localization sequence on its N- or C-terminus. A nuclear localization sequence may comprise an importin or karyopherin substrate, or may have or contain a sequence corresponding to SEQ
NO: 8. In another embodiment, a nanoparticle may include, in addition to or in place of any of the foregoing cationic polypeptides, a mitochondrial localization signal or a peptide fragment of mtHSP70.
[0035] Continuing with FIG. 1B, in another aspect of the invention, the nanoparticle may comprise a reversible coating that provides stability to the polyplex core prior to cellular or compartmental internalization, preventing premature degradation or destabilization. For example, a silica coating may be applied to the polyplex core. In another example, calcium phosphate or hydroxyapatite may be applied to a polyplex core. In another example, a branched cationic polymer, polypeptide, or peptoid may be applied to a a polyplex core, with an anionic charge excess. A coating, such as a silica coating, may protect the polyplex from degradation before exposure to the endosomal microenvironment.
[0036] In another aspect, a nanoparticle may comprise a layer of polymers attached to or electrostatically bound with the external surface of coated polyplex, such as to or with the external surface of a silica coating. Such external polymers may serve to prevent cellular repulsion of the coated polyplex so as to promote contact with and uptake by a cell. An external polymer layer may also serve to promote internalization by specific cell types, such as if the externally attached polymer is or mimics a ligand to a receptor expressed by a cell type of which transfection is desired.
A polymer in a polymer layer attached to the outer surface of coating on a polyplex may be from between 0.1 to 20 kDa in size, or may be up to 40 or 50 kDa in size.
[0037] Examples of polymer comprising a polymer layer attached to the external surface of the coated core polyplex include those represented by SEQ ID NO: 4, which is an approximately 10 kDa poly(arginine) polymer, and SEQ ID NO: 5, which is human vasoactive endothelial growth factor protein, in accordance with the present invention. In another example, a polymer comprising a layer attached to the external surface of the coated core polyplex may comprise an anchor substrate of from between 1 to 25 repeating anionic or cationic moieties at the N-terminus, C-terminus, 5', or 3 end of a polymer, polypeptide, or polynucleotide to provide electrostatic conjugation of a targeting motif contained in the polymer, polypeptide, or polynucleotide to the coated polyplex core. In another example, a polymer comprising a layer attached to the external surface of the coated core polyplex may comprise a polymer, polypeptide, or polynucleotide sequence that exhibits base pair complementarity or binding affinity for an amino acid sequence binding motif to bind additional layers that may be added thereupon.
[0038] In another aspect of the present invention, illustrated in FIG. 2A, a cationic polyplex is created, then coated with a silica coating. Polyplex cores of nanoparticles may be created via electrostatic interactions leading to condensation. Two equal-volume solutions may be created, one with pH-unadjusted 40 mM HEPES (pH ¨5.5) combined with 0.1% w/v a cationic polymer and a cationic polypeptide in water and the other with 30 mM Tris-HC1 (pH ¨7.4) combined with 0.1% w/v anionic polymers and a polynucleotide in water. In one embodiment, the cationic polymer comprises SEQ ID NO: 1, the anionic polymer comprises SEQ ID NO: 2, and the cationic polypeptide comprises SEQ ID NO: 3. These solutions may be combined via dropwise addition of the cationic solution to the anionic one with no stirring. After 30 minutes of incubation at room temperature, a 200 uL solution containing 10 ug of nucleic acids within polyplexes may be added dropwise to a 45 mM sodium silicate (Sigma) solution in Tris-HC1 (pH = 7.4) and allowed to incubate for between 8 and 24 hours at room temperature. Silica-coated polyplexes may be isolated via centrifugation with a 300 kDa Nanosep0 filter (Pall, Port Washington, NY) at 3000g in order to isolate complexes from unbound silica species and polymers.
Nanoparticles may further be resuspended in a solution containing a polymer to be attached to the external surface of the silica coating. For example, they may be resuspended in a solution comprising a polymer represented by SEQ ID NO: 4 or SEQ ID NO: 5 at 0.1% w/v for one hour. Nanoparticles may then be centrifuged again before resuspension in transfection medium. This method is but one example of manufacturing nanoparticles in accordance with the present invention.
[0039] FIG. 2B is a diagrammatic representation of contacting a cell with a nanoparticle in accordance with the present invention leading to cellular internalization of the nanoparticle, such as by caveolae-mediated endocytosis or macropinocytosis. Nanoparticles may further be retrogradely transported through the Golgi and endoplasmic reticulum or processed through lysosomal pathways, resulting in loss of the coating, such as a silica coating, and exposure of the polyplex core. The polyplex core may further be translocated into the cell nucleus, where enzymatic processing my degrade the cationic polymer, such as through activity of arginases, or otherwise promote unpackaging of the polyplex core, such as through acetylation of a histone tail peptide within the polyplex, leading to release of polynucleotides such as plasmid DNA from the polyplex core, in accordance with the present invention.
Other intracellular processing steps modifying the constituents of a nanoparticle and its polyplex core or coating thereof or polymer layer attached to the coating may also occur in accordance with the present invention.
[0040] In a further aspect, the present invention includes optimized ratios of anionic and cationic polymers, cationic polypeptides, and polynucleotides for complexation of a polyplex core as part of a nanoparticle. In one example, plasmid DNA was fluorescently tagged with ethidium bromide (40 ng EtBr / ug DNA) before addition of various polymeric constituents in molar [1(positive)]:[1(negative)] ratios of [amine (n)]:[phosphate (p) + carboxylate (c)], or of c:p in the instance of poly(D-glutamic acid) (PDGA; SEQ ID NO: 2) addition. Addition of linear poly(ethylenimine) (PEI, 25 kDa) was compared to addition of poly(L-arginine) (PLR, 29 kDa; SEQ ID NO:
1) independently, as well as in conjunction with a H3K4(Me3) histone tail peptide (HTP;
SEQ ID NO: 3), in order to quantify similar complexation behaviors between the two polymers as part of a binary complex (i.e., PEI + DNA or PEI + DNA) or ternary complexes (HTP + PEI + DNA or HTP + PLR + DNA). Where a cationic polymer and cationic polypeptide were both present, the relative molar ratio of each component was 60%:40%, respectively. A Zeiss filter and spectrophotometer were used to excite EtBr-tagged DNA at 510 nm for an emission at 595 nm, and results were compared amongst various formulations with unbound EtBr as a negative control.
[0041] FIG. 3 is a graph showing the effects of varying the ratio of anionic or cationic polymers or polypeptides to polynucleotides. The X axis shows charged polymer-to-phosphate ratio and the Y axis shows relative fluorescence following combination of indicated constituents. A decrease in relative fluorescence indicates displacement of EtBr from DNA and polyplex formation. Ratios of cationic polymer, or of cationic polymer and cationic polypeptide, to DNA of approximately 5:1 and higher exhibited an approximately 40% decrease in fluorescence indicating complexation of DNA and polymers into polyplexes. Addition of PDGA in the absence of cationic polymers or cationic polypeptides did not affect complexation.
[0042] After complexing PLR-HTP-DNA, PEI-HTP-DNA, PLR-DNA and PEI-DNA polyplexes and determining that PDGA possesses no ability to cause complexation of polynucleotides, PDGA's influence on formation kinetics was established by comparison of [5.5(positive)]:[1(negative)] and [10(positive)]:[ 1 (negative)] molar ratios of [amine (n)]:[phosphate (p)] and [amine (n)]:[phosphate (p) + carboxylate (c)] on complexation efficiencies in order to determine effects of excess cationic and equalized charge ratios on nanoparticle complexation. Inclusion of carboxylate groups from PDGA was expected to have effects on overall formation kinetics comparable to inclusion of phosphate groups from DNA. Relative fluorescence was compared to DNA without addition of polymers or polypeptides or EtBr in the absence of DNA as controls.
[0043] FIG. 4 indicates the effects of adding PDGA to cationic polymers and cationic polypeptides on polyplex complexation kinetics. DNA was complexed with HTP, PLR or PEI, with or without addition of PDGA. Shown are experiments using cationic polymer (PLR or PEI)-to-polynucleotide molar ratios of 5.5:1 (as shown in the bars labeled nip = 5.5) and cationic polymer (PLR or PEI)-to-polynucleotide plus anionic polymer molar ratios of 5.5:1 and 10:1 (as shown in the bars labeled n/(p+2c) = 5.5 or 10), with or without addition of HTP. Addition of PDGA did not impair complexation kinetics at any of the molar ratios tested.
[0044] Effects of including a cationic polymer and cationic polypeptide on polyplex destabilization were also determined, as shown in FIG. 5. Polyplex nanoparticles of DNA and cationic polypeptides (PLR with or without HTP, or PEI with HTP) with [(PDGA) carboxylate(c):(DNA) phosphate(p)] molar ratios varying from 0 to 100 were complexed as described, compared to DNA or EtBr alone as controls, and the effects of destabilization (as indicated by increased fluorescence) was determined. In the absence of HTP, addition of PDGA did not lead to polyplex destabilization.
However, in the presence of HTP, adding molar ratios of PDGA to DNA of 20 and above led to polyplex destabilization. These results indicate a surprising synergistic effect of cationic polypeptide and anionic polymer on complex destabilization.
Cationic polypeptide incorporation, and/or inclusion of cationic constituents of disparate molecular weights or sizes, into a nanoparticle polyplex core may beneficially enhance the ability of a cationic polymer to promote dissociation and release of the polynucleotide payload from the polyplex and its other constituents.
[0045] Dynamic light scattering (BRAND) was used to determine the hydrodynamic radii of nanoparticles at various stages of formation.
Nanoparticles containing core polyplexes with plasmid DNA, PLR, PDGA, and HTP, at a molar ratio of [amide]:[(phosphate)] of 5.5:1 were complexed as described. Some polyplex cores were further coated with silica as described. And some silica-coated polyplexes were further layered with cationic polymer (SEQ ID NO: 4) as described. 30 ¨
minutes of measurements were obtained following initial core formation of ternary complexes, silica coating of cores, and cationic polymer-coating of silica-coated cores. FIG. 6 is a graph showing diameters of nanoparticles. Uncoated polyplex cores and polyplex cores coated with silica were approximately 70-150 nm in diameter on average. In other embodiments, polyplex cores and silica-coated polyplex cores may be within a range of 100-170 nm in average diameter. Adding a cationic polymer coating to the silica coating yielded a nanoparticle with an average diameter of approximately 170 nm. In other embodiments, silica-coated polyplex cores with an additional layer of cationic polymer attached to the outer layer of silica may be within a range of approximately 80-200 nm in average diameter.
[0046] Cellular uptake of nanoparticles was also determined. Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) was covalently conjugated to amines of PEI (25 kDa linear) and PLR (29 kDa) such that the molar ratio of amines to FITC was 100:1. The reaction was performed in darkness at room temperature for four hours in equal volumes of water and DMSO. In order to establish conjugation, a 0.05% w/v 500 uL
solution of each fluorescently modified polymer was centrifuged in a 10 kDa Nanosep0 filter and the eluate's fluorescence intensity (485 ex./520 em.) was compared to the unfiltered polymer solution as well as water. mCherry plasmid (Addgene) was included in nanoparticles to permit fluorescent detection of plasmid-driven expression.
[0047] MC3T3 murine osteoblasts were cultured on polystyrene T-75 tissue culture plastic flasks (Corning, CA, USA). Dulbecco's modified eagle medium supplemented with 10% Fetal Bovine Serum (Thermo Fisher Scientific, VA, USA) was used for osteoblasts along with 1% penicillin/streptomycin (Invitrogen, NY, USA). Xylenol orange was added to the cell culture media from day 15 to day 25 after initiation of cell culture. At day 25 cells were fixed and assayed for mineralization. For mCherry plasmid delivery using FITC -modified nanoparticles, osteoblasts were plated at 1000 cells/well in 96-well plates and allowed to adhere for 12 - 16 hours in antibiotic-free DMEM containing 10% FBS. Immediately before transfection, medium was replaced with equal volumes of OptiMEM-suspended nanoparticles and DMEM containing 10% FBS.
[0048] All complexes were FITC-labeled and subjected to qualitative observation of fluorescence intensity (488/520 ex./em.) before transfection. 96-well-plated osteoblasts (1000 cells/well) were transfected with 200 ng of plasmids in triplicates for each binary (plasmid and cationic polymer), ternary (plasmid and cationic polymer, plus anionic polymer or cationic polypeptide), and quaternary (plasmid, cationic polymer, anionic polymer, and cationic polypeptide) complex as well as its silica-coated counterpart, with 1 control and 8 experimental sets (n = 3) in total. 5%
serum was used in order to study effects of serum on extracellular properties of aggregation.
[0049] At 30-hours post-transfection, bimodal fluorescent imaging allowed for simultaneous observation of FITC-labeled nanoparticles (488 ex./520 em.) and the mCherry gene expression that they were responsible for (633 ex./680 em.). A
minimum of 20 cells were observed at different locations in each well and representative images were obtained. ImageJ was used to process the overlaid images and combine phase-contrast, 488/520 and 633/680 channels.
[0050] Photomicrographs demonstrating cellular uptake are shown in FIG. 7.
Circles in FIG. 7 indicate where high levels of nuclear localization is apparent. Silica-coated binary nanoparticles show burst release properties (i.e., nuclear localization is not apparent in the DNA-PLR + silica samples). Inclusion of PDGA in polyplex cores causes prolonged release of plasmid within cell nuclei. This effect of PDGA to cause prolonged release was surprising in light of literature suggesting the opposite:
that including cationic polymers in nanoparticle polyplexes would hasten, and shorten the duration of, dissociation of polynucleotide payload from other polyplex constituents. Addition of HTP also causes extensive nuclear localization.
[0051] Further coating of silica-coated nanoparticles (DNA-HTP-PDGA-PLR + Si) with poly(arginine) (SEQ ID NO: 4) causes nanoparticles to be stable in serum and causes extended residence of nanoparticle payload within cells. FIG. 8. is photomicrographs showing cellular uptake and retention of silica-coated FITC-conjugated polyplex cores, to which an additional layer of poly(L-arginine) (SEQ ID
NO: 4) has been added, by MC3T3 murine osteoblasts, in accordance with the present invention. Unlike for silica-coated nanoparticles shown in FIG. 7, no aggregation of nanoparticles containing an additional layer of cationic polymers on the outside of the silica coating is observable in FIG. 8, indicating that such nanoparticles remain stable in serum. Furthermore, these nanoparticles are observed to display extended residence within the cell nucleus such that fluorescence qualitatively peaks within approximately 1.5 days and detectable fluorescence was sustained through 14 days.
[0052] Layering silica-coated polyplex cores with polymers specifically directed to bind to particular cell types can further enhance uptake. Associating ligands for cellular receptors with the surface of a nanoparticle can enhance affinity of the nanoparticle for cells that express such receptors and increase transfection of such cells. As one example in accordance with the present invention, silica-coated polyplexes were coated with VEGF (SEQ ID NO: 5), a high-affinity ligand for VEGF
receptors, which are expressed at high levels by human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). HUVECs were incubated with silica-coated FITC-conjugated polyplexes with poly(L-arginine) (SEQ ID NO: 4) or human VEGF (SEQ ID NO: 5) attached to the outer surface of the silica coating for 40 min before being washed twice with PBS then resuspended in DMEM (10% FBS). Cells were imaged 4 hrs later. After this short incubation period, only low levels of transfection with nanoparticles containing a poly(L-arginine) layer attached to the external silica surface (FIG. 9A) was observed, whereas coating with VEGF instead of poly(L-arginine) resulted in significantly greater cellular internalization at this four-hour time point. A skilled artisan would recognize that virtually any other cell type may also be transfected by nanoparticles in accordance with the present invention, and that a layer of polymers may be attached to the outer layer of silica-coated polyplex cores to promote or otherwise influence this effect. Such a person would also comprehend that other means of contacting cells with nanoparticles to effect such outcomes, such as i.p., i.v., i.m. or s.c. or other injection or transdermal administration or via suppository to, or ingestion or oral or nasal inhalation by, a human or animal, or contact with explanted tissue or cells or stem cells, would also be included within the present invention.
[0053] In another aspect of the invention, a polynucleotide encoding a nuclease may be incorporated into the nanoparticle polyplex core. As one nonlimiting example, a polynucleotide that encodes and drives expression of a TALEN (Transcription Factor-Like Effector Nucleases) may be included in the nanoparticle. Like Zinc Finger Nucleases, TALENs utilize a modular DNA binding motif (TALE) that can be modified to introduce new DNA binding specificities and even nucleases (TALEN).
TALEs consist of multiple repeat variable diresidues (RVDs) which each specify binding to a single nucleotide. TALE arrays are made by stringing together RVDs in a specific order to provide specificity and binding affinity to desired DNA
sequences.
Commonly, these genome-splicing tools are engineered by fusing non-specific cleavage domains, such as FokI nucleases, to TALEs. TALEN assembly protocols are available that allow assembly of these repetitive sequences, including an open source assembly method known as Golden Gate.
[0054] In another aspect of the present invention, nanoparticles may be designed and used in a manner to regulate expression of signaling molecules to alter cellular function. For example, sequences of chromosomal DNA may be deleted or altered to generate cellular or animal models of disease states or treatments therefor, or to treat disease states or otherwise enhance human health. One nonlimiting example of a protein whose expression may be modified in accordance with the present invention is sclerostin (SOST). SOST binding to the LRP5/6 receptor inhibits Wnt signaling, perhaps via feedback systems between Wnt3A, Wnt7B, Wntl OA, sclerostin, 13-catenin, LEF1, and TCF1. Desuppressing these cascades via removal of sclerostin may result in significantly increased mineralization activity.
[0055] Osteoprogenitor (OPG) and RANKL are also expected to play a responsive role to SOST deletion, where RANKL expresses itself as a receptor for promoting osteoclastogenesis via osteoclast-linked RANK or ODF (osteoclast differentiation factor) binding, and OPG binds antagonistically to RANKL. Thus, the ratio between OPG and RANKL is a determinant of the relationship between bone formation and resorption. However, single cultures of osteoblasts will communicate through other forms of paracrine signaling and this ratio should be more reflective of behavior of altered cells in co-culture with osteoclasts or in vivo.
[0056] In another aspect of the present invention, a nanoparticle may be designed so as to allow transfection with a TALEN that may disrupt expression of SOST and consequently generate a high bone-mass phenotype. As one example, TALENS may be engineered to specifically bind to loci in the SOST gene and create double-stranded breaks in the genome to disrupt transcription or translation and reduce SOST
expression. As a further example, a nanoparticle may contain plasmids that encode two TALENs that create double-stranded breaks on either side of the chromosomal locus of the start codon for SOST. Repair of endogenous genomic DNA following excision of the sequence encoding the start codon may result in transcription of sclerostin mRNA lacking the start codon that cannot be properly translated into SOST
protein, thereby driving down SOST expression and activity. A diagrammatic representation of this model is shown in FIG. 10, where a "left" TALEN and "right"
TALEN bind to and cleave sites on opposite sides of the SOST start codon locus. As one example, a left TALEN may have the sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 6, and a right TALEN may have the sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 7. A
nanoparticle may comprise an expression plasmid, such as pUC19 (Genbank Accession Number L09137 X02514), into which a nucleotide sequence that encodes a right or left TALEN, such as those represented by SEQ ID NO: 6 and SEQ ID NO:
7, has been subcloned so as to drive cellular expression of the encoded TALEN. A
nanoparticle may also include combinations of expression plasmids that comprise sequences that encode left and right TALENs.
[0057] A nanoparticle may also comprise other TALEN sequences, targeting SOST
or any other gene of interest, and also may comprise other expression vectors, in accordance with the present invention. A nanoparticle may comprise other types of polynucleotides or analogs thereof, such as species of RNA or DNA including mRNA, siRNA, miRNA, aptamers, shRNA, AAV-derived nucleic acids, morpholeno RNA, peptoid and peptide nucleic acids, cDNA, DNA origami, DNA and RNA with synthetic nucleotides, DNA and RNA with predefined secondary structures, CRISPR
sequences, and multimers and oligomers, and any combination of the foregoing, in accordance with the present invention. In another example, a nanoparticle may comprise polynucleotides whose sequence may encode other products such as any protein or polypeptide whose expression is desired. A skilled artisan would recognize that the foregoing examples are in accordance with the present invention and may be encompassed by claims thereto.
[0058] Following transfection of MC3T3 murine osteoblasts with nanoparticles designed to knock down SOST expression in accordance with the present invention, ELISA and quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) assays were performed on cell lysate and supernatant fractions. FIGs. 11A-11C are graphs demonstrating the effectiveness of different amounts (800 ng, 1600 ng, or 2500 ng) of nanoparticles (NP) containing expression plasmids comprising nucleotide sequences that encode left (SEQ ID
6) and right (SEQ ID NO: 7) SOST TALENs, in accordance with the present invention, in modulating SOST expression and I3-catenin expression over a period of up to over 20 days following transfection. For comparison, other cells were transfected with mRNA encoding the same TALENS using Lipofectamine, a known agent for cellular transfection. As shown in FIGs. 11A-11C, intracellular and extracellular SOST levels were suppressed for at least several weeks following transfection with nanoparticles in accordance with the present invention, whereas 13-catenin expression was concomitantly up-regulated, signifying effectiveness of the nanoparticles in downregulating SOST expression and activity.
[0059] qPCR was also performed to determine whether down-regulation of SOST
expression with nanoparticles in accordance with the present invention may have downstream effects on other components of the relevant signaling cascade.
Cells were transfected as described above. Results on expression of numerous components of the signaling pathway (SOST, I3-catenin, TCF1, LEF1, Wnt3A, Wnt7B, Wntl0b, OPG, and RANKL), at 5, 14, and 21 days after transfection with different amounts of nanoparticles as indicated, are shown in FIGs. 12A-12F. For comparison, other cells were transfected with mRNA encoding the same TALENS using Lipofectamine. The real time PCR results showed a greater up regulation of Wnt responsive genes in the cell lines transfected with nanoparticles delivering SOST TALENS as compared to the SOST TALENS delivered by Lipofectamine by up to 2 to 6 times as a response to knockdown of the Wnt signaling inhibitor sclerostin.
[0060] TCF/LEF-1-mediated transcription may also be upregulated following knockdown of SOST expression in accordance with the present invention. MC3T3-El cells were transfected with TOPflash and control FOPflash luciferase reporter plasmid constructs (Addgene# 12456 and 12457) that contain TCF/LEF-1 binding sites. The cells were plated at the density of 5000 cells/well of the 8-well labtek chamber slides and transfected with 1 ug of TOPflash and FOPflash plasmid separately. To control for the efficiency of transfection a control plasmid Renilla (Promega) was used. FIG 13 is photomicrographs showing upregulation of TCF/LEF-1-mediated transcription for 21 days following tranfection with nanoparticles containing plasmids encoding SOST-directed TALENS, in accordance with the present invention, consistent with an upregulation of TCF/LEF-1 expression and activity following transfection with the invented nanoparticles.
[0061] Knockdown of SOST expression in accordance with the present invention may also increase mineralization in stromal bone marrow cells and osteoblasts.
Mineralization was quantified by two separate methods, first based on image thresholding of xylenol-orange-labeled vital cultures using MATLAB (Mathworks, Natick, MA), and second by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). For the xylenol orange threshold, images of both phase and fluorescence (with Texas Red Filter Set) were taken in five adjacent regions of wells, and then stitched into a larger 8-bit image (4x, Nikon Ti-100). The phase channel was subtracted from the fluorescence, and a threshold was set to half the level between the background and signal (-6dB).
The number of pixels above the threshold were counted and used to express the percentage of mineralized area in each well. The combination of phase and fluorescence allowed for unbound xylenol orange to be distinguished, whereas the use of decibel levels allowed for correction of the varied background levels in each image.
[0062] Mineralization was also quantified by atomic absorption with an atomic absorption spectrometer (AA-Perkin Elmer, MA). Each well was prepared by adding 0.5 mL of 10% nitric acid, and the resultant calcium content was measured relative to a standard curve and compared between groups. Care was taken to minimize interference due to ionized calcium precipitating with phosphate phases, so a large excess of potassium and lanthanum ions was added to each well.
[0063] FIGs 14A-14C show the effects of transfection with nanoparticles in accordance with the present invention on mineralization following SOST
knockdown.
FIG. 14A is photomicrographs of staining of the mineralized matrix formed 25 days after SOST knockdown. Stromal cells are shown in panels A-C, wherein panel A
show control cells, panel B shows cells transfected via Lipofectamine, and panel C
shows cells transfected with nanoparticles containing plasmids encoding SOST-directed TALENs as described and in accordance with the present invention.
MC3T3-E1 osteoblast cells are shown in panels D-G, wherein panel D show control cells, and panels E-G show cells transfected with nanoparticles containing plasmids encoding SOST-directed TALENs as described at doses of 800 ng, 1600 ng, and ng, respectively, in accordance with the present invention. FIGs. 14B and 14C
are graphs showing quantification of mineralization. FIGs 14A-C demonstrate increased calcium concentration in stromal bone marrow cells and osteoblasts following transfection with SOST-targetting TALENS via nanoparticles in accordance with the present invention, further confirming the effectiveness of this technique of modifying the cellular expression and activity of genes and downstream signaling pathways.
[0064] While several aspects of the present invention have been described and depicted herein, alternative aspects may be effected by those skilled in the art to accomplish the same objectives. Accordingly, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such alternative aspects as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
1. A nanoparticle comprising:
a core polyplex and a silica coating thereon;
wherein said core polyplex comprises an anionic polymer, a cationic polymer, a cationic polypeptide, and a polynucleotide.
2. The nanoparticle of claim 1 wherein the anionic polymer is poly(D-glutamic acid).
3. The nanoparticle of claim 1 wherein the cationic polymer is selected from the group consisting of poly(ethylenimine) and poly(L-arginine).
4. The nanoparticle of claim 1 wherein the cationic polypeptide is a histone tail peptide.
5. The nanoparticle of claim 4 wherein the histone tail peptide is human H3 histone tail peptide.
6. The nanoparticle of claim 1 wherein the anionic polymer is poly(D-glutamic acid), the cationic polymer is selected from the group consisting of poly(ethylenimine) and poly(L-arginine), and the cationic polypeptide is a histone tail peptide.
7. The nanoparticle of claim 6 wherein the polynucleotide comprises a nucleotide sequence that encodes a nuclease.
8. The nanoparticle of claim 7 wherein the nuclease is a TALEN.
9. The nanoparticle of claim 8 wherein the TALEN is capable of inducing a break at a site-specific locus of DNA, wherein the break results in a change of expression of a protein encoded by a gene.
10. The nanoparticle of claim 9 wherein the change is a decrease and the gene encodes a sclerostin protein.
11. A nanoparticle of claim 6, further comprising a polymer attached to an outer surface of said silica coating.
12. A nanoparticle of claim 11, wherein said polymer attached to an outer surface of said silica coating comprises poly(L-arginine) or a vasoactive endothelial growth factor peptide.
13. A method of modifying intracellular polynucleotides comprising;
contacting a cell with a nanoparticle, wherein said nanoparticle comprises a core polyplex and a silica coating thereon;
14. The method of claim 13 wherein the anionic polymer is poly(D-glutamic acid).
15. The method of claim 13 wherein the cationic polymer is selected from the group consisting of poly(ethylenimine) and poly(L-arginine).
16. The method of claim 13 wherein the cationic polypeptide is a histone tail peptide.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein the histone tail peptide is human H3 histone tail peptide.
18. The method of claim 13 wherein the anionic polymer is poly(D-glutamic acid), the cationic polymer is selected from the group consisting of poly(ethylenimine) and poly(L-arginine), and the cationic polypeptide is a histone tail peptide.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein the polynucleotide comprises a nucleotide sequence that encodes a nuclease.
20. The method of claim 19 wherein the nuclease is a TALEN.
21. The method of claim 20 wherein the TALEN is capable of inducing a break at a site-specific locus of DNA, wherein the break results in a change of expression of a protein encoded by a gene.
22. The nanoparticle of claim 21 wherein the change is a decrease and the gene encodes a sclerostin protein.
23. A nanoparticle of claim 18, further comprising a polymer attached to an outer surface of said silica coating.
CA2924535A 2013-09-23 2014-09-23 Nanoparticle-mediated gene delivery, genomic editing and ligand-targeted modification in various cell populations Pending CA2924535A1 (en)
US201361881072P true 2013-09-23 2013-09-23
PCT/US2014/057000 WO2015042585A1 (en) 2013-09-23 2014-09-23 Nanoparticle-mediated gene delivery, genomic editing and ligand-targeted modification in various cell populations
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Tag Archives: genius
Scholars: John Calvin was America’s ‘Founding Father’
More than a thousand attendees are expected to gather for a four-day conference to celebrate John Calvin’s 500th birthday, reports Michael Ireland, chief correspondent, ASSIST News Service.
As America prepares to celebrate Independence Day this July 4, Vision Forum Ministries will be hosting the national celebration to honor the 500th birthday of John Calvin, a man who many scholars recognize as America’s “Founding Father.”
The event — The Reformation 500 Celebration — will take place July 1-4 at the Park Plaza Hotel in downtown Boston, according to a media release about the event.
“Long before America declared its independence, John Calvin declared and defended principles that birthed liberty in the modern world,” noted Doug Phillips, president of Vision Forum Ministries.
“Scholars both critical and sympathetic of the life and theology of Calvin agree on one thing: that this reformer from Geneva was the father of modern liberty as well as the intellectual founding father of America,” he said.
Phillips pointed out: “Jean Jacques Rousseau, a fellow Genevan who was no friend to Christianity, observed: ‘Those who consider Calvin only as a theologian fail to recognize the breadth of his genius. The editing of our wise laws, in which he had a large share, does him as much credit as his Institutes. . . . [S]o long as the love of country and liberty is not extinct amongst us, the memory of this great man will be held in reverence.'”
He continued: “German historian Leopold von Ranke observed that ‘Calvin was virtually the founder of America.’ Harvard historian George Bancroft was no less direct with this remark: ‘He who will not honor the memory and respect the influence of Calvin knows but little of the origin of American liberty.’
“John Adams, America’s second president, agreed with this sentiment and issued this pointed charge: ‘Let not Geneva be forgotten or despised. Religious liberty owes it much respect.’
“As we celebrate America’s Independence this July 4, we would do well to heed John Adams’ admonition and show due respect to the memory of John Calvin whose 500th birthday fall six days later,” Phillips stated.
Calvin, a convert to Reformation Christianity born in Noyon, France, on July 10, 1509, is best known for his influence on the city of Geneva, the media release explains.
“It was there that he modeled many of the principles of liberty later embraced by America’s Founders, including anti-statism, the belief in transcendent principles of law as the foundation of an ethical legal system, free market economics, decentralized authority, an educated citizenry as a safeguard against tyranny, and republican representative government which was accountable to the people and a higher law,” the release states.
The Reformation 500 Celebration will honor Calvin’s legacy, along with other key Protestant reformers, and will feature more than thirty history messages on the impact of the Reformation, Faith & Freedom mini-tours of historic Boston, and a Children’s Parade.
The festivities will climax on America’s Independence Day as attendees join thousands of others for the world-renowned music and fireworks celebration on the Esplanade with the Boston Pops Orchestra.
Posted in John Calvin, reformation, USA | Tagged 500, 500th, accountable, admonition, agree, America, American, anti-statism, attendees, authority, belief, birthday, birthed, born, Boston, Boston Pops Orchestra, breadth, celebrate, celebration, charge, Christianity, citizenry, city, climax, conference, consider, convert, country, credit, critical, decentralized, declared, defended, despised, direct, Doug Phillips, downtown, economics, editing, educated, embraced, Esplanade, ethical, event, expected, explains, extinct, fail, faith, Father, feature, fellow, festivities, fireworks, forgotten, foundation, founder, founding, France, free market, freedom, friend, Geneva, Genevan, genius, George Bancroft, German, government, great, Harvard, higher, historian, historic, honor, hosting, impact, Independence, Independence Day, influence, Institutes, intellectual, issued, Jean Jacques Rousseau, John Adams, John Calvin, key, large, law, laws, legacy, legal, Leopold von Ranke, less, liberty, life, little, love, man, media, memory, messages, mini-tours, modeled, modern, music, national, Noyon, observed, origin, parade, Park Plaza Hotel, people, pointed, President, principles, Protestant, recognize, reformation, reformer, release, religious, remark, representative, Republican, respect, reverence, safeguard, scholars, second, sentiment, share, sympathetic, system, The Reformation 500 Celebration, theologian, Theology, transcendent, tyranny, USA, virtually, Vision Forum Ministries, wise, world | Leave a comment
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Tag Archives: persuasive
TURKEY: ‘INSULTING TURKISHNESS’ CASE PROCEEDS UNDER REVISED LAW
Ministry of Justice decision suggests spreading Christianity may be unlawful in Turkey.
ISTANBUL, March 20 (Compass Direct News) – Turkey’s decision last month to try two Christians under a revised version of a controversial law for “insulting Turkishness” because they spoke about their faith came as a blow to the country’s record of freedom of speech and religion.
A Silivri court on Feb. 24 received the go-ahead from the Ministry of Justice to try Christians Turan Topal and Hakan Tastan under the revised Article 301 – a law that has sparked outrage among proponents of free speech as journalists, writers, activists and lawyers have been tried under it. The court had sent the case to the Ministry of Justice after the government on May 8, 2008 put into effect a series of changes – which critics have called “cosmetic” – to the law.
The justice ministry decision came as a surprise to Topal and Tastan and their lawyer, as missionary activities are not illegal in Turkey. Defense lawyer Haydar Polat said no concrete evidence of insulting Turkey or Islam has emerged since the case first opened two years ago.
“The trial will continue from where it left off – to be honest, we thought they wouldn’t give permission [for the case to continue],” said Polat, “because there was no persuasive evidence of ‘degrading Turkishness and Islam’ in the case file.”
A Ministry of Justice statement claimed that approval to try the case came in response to the original statement by three young men – Fatih Kose, Alper Eksi and Oguz Yilmaz – that Topal and Tastan were conducting missionary activities in an effort to show that Islam was a primitive and fictitious religion that results in terrorism, and to portray Turks as a “cursed people.”
Prosecutors have yet to produce any evidence indicating the defendants described Islam in these terms, and Polat said Turkey’s constitution grants all citizens freedom to choose, be educated in and communicate their religion, making missionary activities legal.
“This is the point that really needs to be understood,” said Polat. “In Turkey, constitutionally speaking it is not a crime to be a Christian or to disseminate the Christian faith. However, in reality there have been problems.”
The lawyer contended that prosecuting lawyers have given political dimensions to the case by rendering baseless accusations in a nationalistic light.
“From their point of view, missionary activity carried out by missionaries of imperialistic countries is harmful for Turkish culture and the country overall,” Polat said.
Tastan said that although he has always been confident that he and Topal will be acquitted, the decision of the Ministry of Justice to try them under Article 301 left him deeply disappointed in his own country.
“After this last hearing, I realized that I didn’t feel as comfortable as I had been in the past,” Tastan told Compass. “I believed that surely the Ministry of Justice would never make the decision they did.”
Tastan said he was uneasy that his country would deem his Christian faith as insulting to the very Turkishness in which he takes pride.
“This is the source of my uneasiness: I love this country so much, this country’s people, that as a loving Turk who is a Christian to be tried for insulting Turkey has really cut me up,” said Tastan. “Because I love this nation, I’ve never said anything against it. That I’m a Christian, yes, I say that and I will continue to do so. But I think they are trying to paint the image that we insult, dislike and hate Turks. This really makes me sad and heartsick.”
If nothing else, Tastan said, the trial has provided an opportunity for Turkish Christians to show God’s love and also make themselves known to their compatriots. He called the ministerial decision duplicitous.
“A government that talks the European Union talk, claims to respect freedom, democracy, and accept everyone, yet rejects me even though I’m a Turkish citizen who is officially a Christian on his ID card, has made me sad,” he said. “That’s why I’m disappointed.”
No-Shows
At the time of their arrests, Topal and Tastan were volunteers with The Bible Research Center, which last week acquired official association status and is now called “The Society for Propagating Knowledge of the Bible.” In the last court hearing, prosecutors demanded that further inquiries be conducted into the nature of the association since the defendants used their contact lists to reach people interested in Christianity.
“Because they think like this, they believe that the Bible center is an important unit to the missionary activities,” said Polat. “And they allege that those working at this center are also guilty.”
The court has yet to decide whether police can investigate the Christian association.
Polat and the defendants said they believe that as no evidence has been presented, the case should come to a conclusion at the next hearing on May 28.
“From a legal standpoint, we hope that they will acquit us, that it will be obvious that there is no proof,” said Tastan. “There have only been allegations … none of the witnesses have accused us in court. I’m not a legal expert, but I believe that if there is no proof and no evidence of ‘insulting,’ then we should be set free.”
The initial charges prepared by the Silivri state prosecutor against Tastan and Topal were based on “a warning telephone call to the gendarme” claiming that Christian missionaries were trying to form illegal groups in local schools and insulting Turkishness, the military and Islam.
Despite a court summons sent to the Silivri and Istanbul gendarme headquarters requesting six gendarme soldiers to testify as prosecution witnesses, none have stepped forward to do so. At a June 24, 2008 hearing, two witnesses for the prosecution declared they did not know the defendants and had never seen them before facing them in the courtroom. Several witnesses – including one of the original complainants, Kose – have failed to show up on various trial dates.
“We believe the case has arrived to a concluding stage, because all evidence has been collected and the witnesses have been heard,” Polat said. “We believe the accused will be dismissed. The inverse would surprise us.”
Polat underlined that while the case shows that human rights violations in Turkey are still a “serious problem,” it is also true that Turkey’s desire to join the European Union has brought sincere efforts to improve democratic processes. He attested, however, that establishing a true democracy can be a long process that requires sacrifices.
“It is my conviction that there is no other way for people to believe in and establish democracy than through struggle,” he said.
Tastan added that he sees hope that the notion that being “Turkish” means being Muslim is breaking. Due to exposure to media coverage of the murder trial of the April 18, 2007 slaughter of three Christians in Malatya, he said, Turks are becoming aware that there are fellow citizens who are Christians and are even dying for their Lord.
“This makes me happy, because it means freedom for the Turkish Christians that come after us,” said Tastan. “At least they won’t experience these injustices. I believe we will accomplish this.”
For the time being, though, the Ministry of Justice’s decision that Tastan and Topal can be tried under the revised Article 301 law appears to contribute to the belief that to promulgate a non-Islamic faith in Turkey is tantamount to treason. As Turkish online human rights magazine Bianet headlined its coverage of the decision, “Ministerial Edict: You Can Be a Christian But Do Not Tell Anyone!”
Posted in Christianity, European Union, Islam, Turkey | Tagged accept, accomplish, accusations, acquired, acquitted, activists, activities, allegations, allege, Alper Eksi, appears, approval, arrests, association, attested, aware, based, baseless, belief, believe, Bianet, blow, breaking, called, case, case file, changes, charges, choose, Christian, Christianity, Christians, citizens, claimed, claims, collected, comfortable, communicate, compatriots, complainants, concluding, conclusion, concrete, conducting, confident, constitution, constitutionally, contact lists, contended, continue, contribute, controversial, conviction, cosmetic, countries, country, court, court summons, courtroom, coverage, crime, critics, culture, cursed, dates, decision, declared, defendants, defense, degrading, demanded, democracy, Democratic, described, dimensions, disappointed, dislike, dismissed, disseminate, duplicitous, dying, educated, effect, efforts, emerged, establishing, European Union, evidence, experience, expert, exposure, faith, Fatih Kose, feel, fictitious, free, free speech, freedom, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, gendarme, go-ahead, God, government, grants, groups, guilty, Hakan Tastan, happy, harmful, hate, Haydar Polat, headlined, headquarters, heard, hearing, heartsick, honest, hope, human rights, ID card, illegal, image, imperialistic, important, improve, indicating, initial, injustices, inquiries, insult, insulting, interested, inverse, investigate, Islam, Istanbul, join, journalists, law, lawyers, legal, light, local, Lord, love, loving, magazine, Malatya, means, media, men, military, ministerial, Ministry of Justice, missionaries, missionary, murder, Muslim, muslims, nation, nationalistic, nature, non-Islamic, notion, obvious, official, Oguz Yilmaz, online, opportunity, original, outrage, paint, past, people, permission, Persecution, persuasive, point, police, political, portray, prepared, pride, primitive, problem, problems, proceeds, processes, produce, promulgate, proof, proponents, prosecution, prosecutors, provided, reality, received, record, rejects, religion, rendering, respect, response, results, revised, sacrifices, sad, schools, series, serious, Silivri, sincere, slaughter, soldiers, source, sparked, speaking, spoke, spreading, stage, standpoint, State Prosecutor, statement, stepped, struggle, ststus, suggests, surprise, talk, talks, tantamount, telephone, terrorism, testify, The Bible Research Center, The Society for Propagating Knowledge of the Bible, treason, trial, tried, true, try, Turan Topal, Turkey, Turkish, Turkishness, Turks, underlined, understood, uneasiness, uneasy, unit, unlawful, various, version, view, violations, volunteers, warning, witnesses, working, writers, young | Leave a comment
TURKEY: CHRISTIANS’ TRIAL FOR ‘INSULTING TURKISHNESS’ STALLS AGAIN
Case against two converts drags on; media already passed sentenced on Christianity.
ISTANBUL, November 12 (Compass Direct News) – Two years into a trial for “insulting Turkishness” that has been light on evidence and heavy on mud-slinging at Turkey’s Protestant community, a court proceeding last week brought no progress.
Another witness for the prosecution failed to appear in the trial of Turkish Christians Turan Topal and Hakan Tastan, charged with “insulting Turkishness” and spreading Christianity through illegal methods. Moreover, a Justice Ministry answer to the court about the viability of charges under Turkey’s controversial Article 301 had yet to arrive at the court last week.
In the last hearing in June, Silivri Criminal Court Judge Mehmet Ali Ozcan ordered a review of the two Christian converts’ alleged violations of the controversial article of the Turkish penal code on “insulting Turkishness.” But the court is still waiting for the Justice Ministry to decide whether they can be tried under Article 301 of the penal code.
The judge set the next hearing for Feb. 24, 2009 while the court awaits a response on whether the Christians can be charged under the controversial article.
Topal and Tastan are still charged with reviling Islam (Article 216) and compiling information files on private citizens (Article 135).
In what critics called “cosmetic” revisions of Article 301, the Turkish government amended it in May to require Justice Ministry permission to file such cases. Put into effect on May 8, the changes also redefined the vague offense of “insulting Turkishness” to read “insulting the Turkish nation.”
While the court awaited a decision on Article 301, in the hearing on Nov. 4 it did free the defendants from forced attendance at future hearings. This, according to defense lawyer Haydar Polat, was the only progress made by the court; he added that a witness or evidence would have been better. For lack of these, he said, the prosecution has needlessly dragged out the case.
“In both cases [against them], the only acceptable progress is the testimony of a witness,” said Polat. “Then again, the fact that the defendants are free from having to attend every trial is in a sense progress too.”
Lame Witnesses
The initial charges prepared by the Silivri state prosecutor against Tastan and Topal were based on “a warning telephone call to the gendarme,” claiming that some Christian missionaries were trying to form illegal groups in local schools and making insults against Turkishness, the military and Islam.
Despite a court summons sent to the Silivri and Istanbul gendarme headquarters requesting six named gendarme soldiers to testify as prosecution witnesses in the case, none have stepped forward to testify.
“They will be called in the next hearing as well,” Polat told Compass.
At the June 24 hearing, two teenage witnesses for the prosecution declared they did not know the defendants and had never seen them before facing them in the courtroom. Several witnesses have failed to show up on various trial dates, and last week another witness called by prosecution, Fatih Kose, did not appear.
“There is no lack of witnesses, but as far as we are concerned, these characters’ accounts are irrelevant to the truth and full of contradictions,” said Polat. “I mean there is no believable and persuasive argument, nor a coherent witness.”
Last week a police officer from the precinct where Topal and Tastan were allegedly seen doing missionary activities was summoned to court to testify. He told the court that he indeed worked in the precinct but knew nothing about the activities of the two Christians.
Eleven months ago, the appointed prosecutor himself had demanded that the court acquit the two Christians, declaring there was “not a single concrete, credible piece of evidence” to support the accusations against them. This prosecutor was removed from the case, and two months later the judge hearing the case withdrew over prosecution complaints that he was not impartial.
Two key figures pressing the Article 301 charges and promoting sensational media coverage of the Silivri trial proceedings are now jailed themselves, unable to attend the hearings.
Both ultranationalist lawyer Kemal Kerincsiz and spokesperson Sevgi Erenerol of the Turkish Orthodox Church – a Turkish nationalist denomination with no significant following – are accused of playing leading roles in Ergenekon, an ultranationalist cabal of retired generals, politicians, journalists and mafia members under investigation for conspiracy.
Since mid-January, 47 people have been jailed and face trial for involvement in the alleged crime network, said to have orchestrated numerous killings and violence as part of a nationalist plot to overthrow the Turkish government by 2009.
Asked about the chances of closing the case that has made no progress for two years due to lack of evidence against the defendants, Polat said he was hopeful his clients would find justice in the Turkish legal labyrinth.
“As lawyers, we believe that both of our clients will be acquitted,” he said. “Come February we expect that the Justice Ministry will not approve the opening of a public case on the basis of ‘insulting Turkishness.’”
Slandering Christians
The trial of Topal and Tastan has included its share of mud-slinging at Turkish Protestants, estimated at 3,000 to 3,500 people in a country of 70 million, deepening the nation’s prejudices against them.
This legal battle has been less about guilt or innocence and more about tainting the community’s image, according to a member of the legal committee of the Alliance of Protestant Churches in Turkey.
The Christian Turk from the legal committee told Compass that in 2006, when the charges against Topal and Tastan first came to light, there were news reports for days claiming that Christians tricked children in elementary schools, paid people to come to church and gave women away for sex, among other absurd assertions.
“The goal was to create disinformation, and they succeeded at portraying Christians in a negative light,” he said.
The source said that this was the primary goal of ultranationalist lawyer Kerincsiz’s team, which he believes is behind the cases brought against Topal and Tastan as well as the delay in the outcome.
“On the first day of the hearings, when the case opened, I told those around me that nothing would come of this case,” he said.
The legal committee member said media created a psychological war against Turkish Christians. Other members of the Protestant community believe another goal was to deter any evangelism or outreach by Turkish Christians.
“It was to discourage the whole Christian community and quash them and discourage evangelism,” said another source.
The member of the legal committee said he believes that eventually Topal and Tastan will be acquitted. But even if they win the court case, the damage from the publicity war on the church will not be as easy to repair.
“I think everything will stay the same, because the case won’t be reported in the news,” he said. “The issue was not about whether these two were guilty or not. When this first broke out it was in the news for days. When it is over it will barely make it to a newspaper corner, and we won’t be able to give a message for the public because we don’t wield media power. We comfortably carry our quiet voice, and we will until then.”
Posted in Christianity, Islam, Turkey | Tagged 2009, absurd, acceptable, accounts, accusations, accused, acquit, activities, alleged, allegedly, Alliance of Protestant Churches in Turkey, amended, answer, appear, appointed, argument, arrive, Article 135, Article 216, article 301, assertions, attendance, based, basis, battle, behind, believable, believe, cabal, call, called, case, chances, changes, characters, charged, charges, children, Christian, Christianity, Christians, church, citizens, claiming, clients, coherent, comfortably, committee, community, compiling, complaints, concerned, concrete, conspiracy, contradictions, controversial, converts, corner, cosmetic, country, court, coverage, create, crime, criminal, critics, damage, decide, decision, deepening, defendants, defense, delay, demanded, denomination, discourage, disinformation, drags on, effect, elementary, Ergenekon, evangelism, evidence, failed, Fatih Kose, figures, file, files, following, forced, free, future, gendarme, generals, goal, government, groups, guilt, Hakan Tastan, Haydar Polat, headquarters, hearing, heavy, hopeful, illegal, image, impartial, information, innocence, insulting, investigation, irrelevant, Islam, issue, Istanbul, jailed, journalists, judge, justice, Justice Ministry, Kemal Kerincsiz, key, killings, labyrinth, lame, lawyer, leading, legal, light, local, mafia, media, Mehmet Ali Ozcan, members, message, methods, military, missionaries, missionary, mud-slinging, Muslim, muslims, named, nation, nationalist, negative, network, news, newspaper, numerous, offense, officer, opening, orchestrated, ordered, outcome, outreach, overthrow, paid, passed, penal code, people, permission, Persecution, persuasive, playing, plot, police, politicians, portraying, power, precinct, prejudices, primary, private, proceeding, progress, promoting, prosecution, prosecutor, Protestant, psychological, publicity, quash, quiet, redefined, repair, reported, response, retired, review, reviling, revisions, roles, schools, sensational, sentenced, Sevgi Erenerol, sex, significant, Silivri, single, slandering, soldiers, spokesperson, spreading, stalls, succeeded, summons, support, tainting, team, teenage, telephone, testify, testimony, trial, tricked, tried, truth, Turan Topal, Turk, Turkey, Turkish, Turkish Orthodox Church, Turkishness, ultranationalist, vague, viability, violations, violence, voice, waiting, War, warning, win, witness, witnesses, women, worked | Leave a comment
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Tag Archives: Kafanchang
Kaduna Women Expose Their Breasts Protesting Against Gov. El-Rufai Over the Killing of their Children (Photos)
Many women have come out to protest against the killing of their children, disrupting a security meeting by the Governor in Kaduna state.
The women protesting half-naked in Kaduna state (Photo credit: Sophia Ogezi)
Some irate women went on rampage in Kafachan Jama Local Government Area of Kaduna state protesting half-n*ked against the Government over the killing of their children by alleged Fulani herdsmen.
It would be recalled that some weeks ago, the Governor of the state Nasir El-Rufai had said he had to pay some Fulani herdsmen to stop them from slaughtering villagers in the Southern Kaduna.
It was gathered that the women were forced to strip after alleging that soldiers had killed some youths who took to the streets to protest against the killing of innocent lives in Southern Kaduna by Fulani herdsmen.
The women stormed the Jema’a Local Government secretariat unclad disrupting an ongoing security meeting being chaired by El-rufai.
The women told the Governor that soldiers had followed some of the youths who were embarking on a protest, shooting sporadically, killing one and injuring many around Garaje, Kafanchan.
Gov. El-Rufai who was at the Emir of Jema’a’s palace today, vowed to bring to book perpetrators of the protest that led to the destruction of property in Kafanchan metropolis.
Governor El-Rufa’i, after inspecting the extent of destruction, said the dastardly act must not be allowed to continue.
Tags: Buhari, Herdsmen, Kaduna, Kafanchang, killing, Silence
Categories Corruption, Murder, Word Affairs
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Phafner –Overdrive (Single version)
Phafner –Overdrive/Plea From The Soul –Dragon Records 45-1001 (1971 US)
A bit of a change of focus this time… I am pleased to have made the acquaintance of “The Digger”, a long standing legend in the record collecting world. The last few months have been filled by a mass of back and forth emails with tips, recommendations (records and film) and the odd transatlantic swap-shop session. I am now in serious debt and full of gratitude to him for sending me his copy of this highly rare and heavy single which got the ball rolling and led to the “discovery” and original reissue of their sole album. The copy is rough, and although the crackles add authenticity, I am very open to someone finding me a pristine copy one day!
Overdrive is a Killer Hard Rock/Heavy Psych performance and initially reminded me of a long lost 4th Seompi single
You can find the story of Phafner elsewhere, so what follows, in his own words, is a tale of tracking an act down in a time before the Internet and social media. I am pleased to say that the Digger is still active digging stuff up , often relying on his pre-Internet sleuthing skills for his searches to reach their goal. Over to you Digger…
For private hard rock LP fanatics/collectors, Phafner's original 1971 miniscule pressing of their self-released 'Overdrive' album has been the definition of 'holy grail' since Rockadelic's reissue back in 1989. Although it was 17 years after the fact, the story of how the band was even located has never been revealed - until now, that is:
I am a hard core/long time midwest 45 vinyl digger, and I was flipping thru piles of 7" discs at a flea market in Tulsa, Oklahoma, circa 1987-1988. Amongst the thousands of dusty records I handled that day, one that caught my attention was a pounded copy of, what was, to me, a total unknown: Overdrive b/w Plea From The Soul, on the Dragon label, by a band named Phafner. Though I had a no idea what a Phafner was, I decided it was worth spending 50 cents to find out what this mystery single sounded like. I was particularly intrigued by the caption underneath the "Overdrive" song title - (taken from the 'Overdrive' LP).
After returning home &slapping the 45 on my turntable, I realized the sound wasn't really my bag (being an anal, narrow minded 1960s garage rock purist). But I did know it was right up the alley of his pals in Texas, Rich & Mark, of the Rockadelic label. A phone call to Rich revealed that this band/record was unknown to them. At the time, these 2, along with Paul Major on the east coast, were the undisputed kings of private indie U.S. rock & psych albums from 1968 onward. So for them to not be familiar with this, it meant this had probably not circulated at all in record circles, so knowledgeable & connected these guys were. Rich suggested I try to search out the band members.
With little information to be found on the record's labels (no address, city or state), I wasn't sure where to begin. Since the record turned up in Tulsa, my immediate speculation was that they were of Oklahoma origin. The publishing info on the label: had Buckskin Music (BMI). Now from experience, I knew that the majority of the time that music publishing companies listed on private labels were either: a.) long defunct, having existed only for a short period of time while the artist was active, or: b.) never even existed at all, they were simply printed on the labels to give the impression the artist/label was 'professional.'
Lo & behold; a call to BMI revealed that Buckskin Music was still an active affiliate &, even more amazing, the contact information (name/address/phone #) was up-to-date. For whatever reason, the Shultz brothers had kept current w/ BMI & as it turned out, they resided nowhere near Oklahoma - as Marshalltown, Iowa was the former group's stomping grounds.
After a couple of phone conversations with ex-members, I purchased an original copy of the LP from one of them, which turned out to be the first copy in the vinyl collecting world. Passing it on to the Rockadelic pair, who were immediate fans upon hearing it, they set about putting out a legal reissue (minus 1 track from the original & adding 2 others, including the non-LP 45 flip, "Plea From The Soul") which hit the streets in 1989. This limited, tiny pressing of 300 sold out immediately.
At some point in time I purchased a 2nd copy of the album, from another ex-member - and this copy was STILL SEALED. That's right, folks, there was indeed one flawless, never been played copy that traded hands in the record collecting world, approx 25 years back. Where is that copy today & is it still in sealed condition? That's the 21st century Phafner mystery, so modern day sleuths, get to work & try to find it.
Incidentally, it's unknown how many copies of the 45 were pressed & how many are in the possession of collectors. I am only aware of 2 being known in collections; odds are it too was pressed in very tiny quantities, 25-50 would probably be a reasonable estimation. (One now proudly resides here in the UK!)
Hear a full version of this “Crackly” copy of Overdrive (Note –you can easily find Plea From The Soul elsewhere on Youtube)
An update to the Phafner story - in late 2015, the band was nominated to be considered for the Iowa Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame (IRRMA - Iowa Rock& ;Roll Music Association), which has been in existence since 1997, and includes hundreds of small name/no name home state nominees that never even recorded, probably never wrote original material & were barely popular only within a 100 mile radius of their hometowns. Needless to say, Phafner did NOT make the cut & are not in the 2016 inductees class. Pretty incredible for a band that wrote & recorded originals, are now known & revered by collectors worldwide, whose album has been reissued several times & the original is now one of the most valuable vinyl artefacts of that era. What does that tell you about the IRRMA??
Pelican Peace Band –Take it off
Pelican Peace Band –Take it off/ Glory Road -Heads Up Production – WS-101 (1973 US)
Power trio featuring Steve Dykmann, Danny Silvester and Kent Huss. Take it off is a hot hot example of killer US Proto Punk supremely loud and heavy, oozing attitude and featuring some ripping blistering lead breaks. From Des Moines (Iowa) the band later evolved into Sky Dancer over time following different line up changes. The Chicken House credit may provide a direct link to those other Iowa legends Westminst'r. Brutal, Rockin’ and Totally Essential!
Note: Purepop may be changing. Blogs have to move with the times with many people now accessing the site through phones and tablets, so posting the sound clips on Youtube may be the way to go. So I have started my channel, let’s see how it works, feedback most welcome here or on Youtube itself
Hear a full version of Take it Off
Summit –The Darkness
Summit –The Darkness/Thank You Mister Jones –North Room Records (US 1969)
Monster proto Doom from Summit. Now it has been mentioned that it owes some to Factory’s Path Through The Forest and it certainly shares a similar monotone drone effect with machine-like drumming,if you ask me, you can also throw in a bit of Pere Ubu for good measure, but this one goes full downer without reprieve. It’s heavy dark pounding number with an amazing lead fuzz guitar break from the guitarist (who was only 15 or 16 at the time!). The lyrics allude to Amazon warriors, but remain pretty cryptic. The B side is tribute to Brian Jones and was sung and performed by the bass player. It’s a stripped down basic affair and a nice counterpoint to the A side.
Summit was never an actual band, just a bunch of kids who got together to jam, but still managed to record these 2 songs in September 1969 at Damon Studios in Kansas City. 3 members were from Clinton, while the guitarist had to commute from Sikeston, which was quite a trek and perhaps explains why they only played ever played one gig.
A self-release, North Room refers to their practice space, which was the north room of the basement in the bassist’s house… A bit thank you to Mark P for the thorough detective work!
Hear a full version of The Darkness
Hear a full version of Thank You Mister Jones
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BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast
Real Estate Business Industries Real Estate Education Education Business Education Trading 353014 Estate Finance Financialfreedom Firemovement Flipping Invest Investing Property Realestate Rental Rentalproperty Wealth
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#334: Using Other People’s Money to Take Down Flips, Multifamily and Self-Storage Deals with Ben Lapidus
By Brandon Turner, David Greene, and Josh Dorkin: Bigger Pockets dot com. Discovered by Player FM and our community — copyright is owned by the publisher, not Player FM, and audio streamed directly from their servers.
Self-storage with OPM!
Today’s guest Ben Lapidus sits down and spills the beans on his strategies for buying self-storage units and running an investment fund with other people’s money. Ben has some really great advice for those who want to get started in self-storage, including how he got started getting 25% of other people’s deals, why he jumped from single family into commercial opportunities, and how he mitigates risk in the self storage space. You also won’t want to miss what he shares regarding how he picks a market, his criteria for buying a deal, and where he recommends brand new self storage investors get their start (hint-it’s all about size).
If you want to have your mind blown, you CAN’T miss his technique for seller financing negotiating where he improves his terms by saving the seller’s money on their taxes-brilliant! This episode is completely full of high energy, content packed, practical advice for getting into commercial opportunities with other people’s money and we guarantee you will learn a TON.
Download today and buckle your seat belt!
In This Episode We Cover:
How Ben found real estate after finding success in other business ventures
Starting off investing with partners and getting 25% of the deal with none of the risk or capital
Why he jumped from SFR to apartments
What he learned buying an awful property on his first deal
How he put together his first syndication
Why he invests in self storage
How he found opportunities while looking for something else
How he focuses on his strengths and finds partners to handle his weaknesses
How he finds deals in today’s market
His criteria for what he needs to see in a market
How he mitigates risk when buying self storage
Why he looks for “expansion potential”
How he finances his deals, the strategy he recommends for newer self storage buyers to look into
His BRILLIANT tax saving strategy he uses to save thousands of dollars on seller financing opportunities
The one thing he think should be taught in school that isn’t
How he recommends people improve their people skills and forming connections
Links from the Show
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Commercial real estate like you’ve never heard it before! On today’s episode, Brandon and David sit down with Ken Wimberly, the owner of a Keller Williams commercial brokerage and a commercial investor himself. Ken shares some incredible tips on how to get into owning commercial property, including how to find quality tenants, how to structure ...…
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#330: How to Ditch Distractions and Get WAY More Done With Cal Newport1:47:59
Incredible show alert! You don’t want to miss this one: Brandon and David sit down with bestselling author Cal Newport (who wrote So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love, Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World, and so on) to discuss just what makes high performers different than ...…
#329: Financial Freedom Before 30 Through Just 10 Deals With Felipe Mejia1:31:52
Financially independent before 30 years old! Today’s guest Felipe Mejia sits down with Brandon and David and shares the incredible story of how he scaled from a $3,000 mobile home to 10 units and financial independence! Felipe has created a unique system that involves multi-unit properties, short-term rentals, and leveraging others to help run ...…
#328: How to Laser-Focus on the Wildly Important With Author Chris McChesney1:57:35
If you’ve ever had an interest in turning your desire to invest in real estate into a well-oiled business machine, today’s episode is for you! Chris McChesney, bestselling author of The 4 Disciplines of Execution, shares some mind-blowing strategies recognized worldwide for their ability to help followers achieve more success! Chris shares the ...…
Special Announcement!5:59
Today, we’re introducing the BiggerPockets Business Podcast, co-hosted by J and Carol Scott. Subscribe now using the links below; Episode 1 is up now! SUBSCRIBE ON APPLE PODCASTS (IPHONE): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/biggerpockets-business-podcast/id1460051721 SUBSCRIBE ON GOOGLE PODCASTS (ANDROID): https://www.google.com/podcasts?fee ...…
Sneak Peek: Excerpt from “Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat: The BRRRR Rental Property Investment Strategy Made Simple”27:21
In this special half-episode, David reads from Chapter 2 of the brand-new book he’s written on the BRRRR strategy. This particular passage goes to the heart of what makes BRRRR work: buying great deals. So how do you pull that off? In this chapter, David reveals: what he looks for when targeting properties, how to practice analyzing deals so yo ...…
#327: The “Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, Repeat” Method Made Simple With David Greene1:29:17
It’s here—THE book on BRRRR! And who better to write it than the leading authority on this strategy: our co-host David Greene. In this episode, he breaks down exactly how to “Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, and Repeat” your way to wealth. David reveals how BRRRR allows him to force equity, leverage the talents of others, and recycle his capital so ...…
#326: Health, (Big) Wealth, and Total Accountability With David Osborn, Pat Hiban, Tim Rhode (and Josh!)59:06
What does true wealth mean to you? Maybe it’s having control over your time or having the means to donate part of your income to charity. Maybe it means feeling healthy enough to jump out of bed and attack the day. In today’s episode, Brandon, David, and Josh (remember him?) speak with three financially independent investors about what motivate ...…
#325: From Major Business Failure to Buying 20 Houses a Month With Aaron Amuchastegui1:35:41
Awesome show alert! Today’s guest is so full of information you will be blown away. Aaron Amuchastegui sits down with Brandon and David and explains how he buys 20 deals a month while practicing principles of the four-hour workweek. It's an incredible story about how he built a big business with foreclosures, how he keeps his pipeline full (inc ...…
#324: Financially Free in Less Than 5 Years Through Apartment Investing With Michael Blank1:36:43
Do you want to invest in multifamily apartments but feel intimidated by the process? If so, today’s episode is for you! Brandon and David interview Michael Blank, an experienced multifamily investor/educator, who breaks down the seemingly daunting process into super simple steps. Don’t miss Michael’s advice on how to get started in the space, h ...…
#323: How to Attract Deals and Earn More Through the Magic of Networking With Travis Chappell1:33:03
Would getting more deals through your network help your real estate business? Today’s guest specializes in just that! Brandon and David sit down with Travis Chappell, host of the “Build Your Network” podcast, and dive into how to create success through other people. Travis shares strategies for using his network to find deals, mastering the art ...…
#322: 3 Things Every Leader MUST Do to Scale with Ben Kinney1:19:06
Today’s guest grew up poor, living in a cabin without power or running water. But now he controls millions of dollars in real estate, owns several companies, and leads one of the country’s top-producing sales teams. How did Ben Kinney pull that off? The story involves, of course, hard work and tenacity. It involves a book that shifted his minds ...…
#321.5: BONUS: Excerpt from “The Book on Negotiating Real Estate”25:21
In this bonus episode, co-authors Carol and J Scott read from Chapter 5: Seller Motivation and Leverage. This passage reveals the exact questions the authors ask sellers, and how to “aggressively listen” for valuable information — even when making casual conversation. Plus, Carol and J do some investor/seller role-playing. Order “The Book on Ne ...…
#321: How to Negotiate Real Estate—Expert Deal-Making Tactics with J and Carol Scott and Mark Ferguson1:18:20
Would your real estate investing business benefit from better negotiating tactics? Of course it would! On today’s show, Brandon and David sit down with J and Carol Scott, as well as Mark Ferguson, co-authors of the new BiggerPockets book The Book on Negotiating Real Estate. The authors discuss several powerful negotiating strategies, plus commo ...…
#320: Hands-On BRRRR Investing and DIY Secrets with Instagram Star Brittany Arnason1:08:04
Imagine building a business around work you’d do for free. Sound pretty great? Today’s guest has done just that, and her story may change the way you think about investing. Brittany Arnason is a 26-year-old who’s converted her talent for hands-on work into a cash-flowing, 10-unit rental portfolio. In this episode, Brittany shares how she learne ...…
319: Avoid These Common Newbie Mistakes! Hard-Earned Lessons from Nathan Brooks1:10:08
How does finding and closing 15 deals a month sound? Today’s guest shares exactly how his team does just that! Returning guest Nathan Brooks goes into detail about how he built a turnkey business that consistently finds and closes deals on a large scale. He also shares great info regarding how he uses the DISC profile to understand himself and ...…
#318: 100 Units in the First 2 Years (Using Bank Financing!) with Collin Schwartz1:03:27
Interested in buying over 100 units in two years' time? Today’s guest did just that! Collin Schwartz shares the amazing story of how he built an impressive portfolio on the foundation of direct mail and networking through meetups. You’ll learn how Collin utilized a clever twist on the BRRRR method to avoiding paying cash for properties (but sti ...…
#317: Building a $300MM Real Estate Empire from Scratch with Multifamily Investor Chad Doty1:23:50
Ever dreamed of being a successful multifamily investor who owns millions of dollars in real estate while others manage your assets? Well, today’s guest is doing just that! Brandon and David sit down with Chad Doty, a one-time businessman who ditched corporate life and moved on to real estate, now owning 3,000 units! Chad shares TONS of meaty i ...…
#316: How to Become a Millionaire Through Real Estate by 26 with Graham Stephan1:22:16
Interested in becoming a millionaire through real estate investing? Of course you are! Today’s guest did just that—by age 26! Brandon and David sit down with top-producing real estate agent and investor Graham Stephan as he spills the strategy he used to build massive wealth at such a young age. You won’t want to miss his “fortune formula," inc ...…
#315: How to Read Human Nature to Succeed in Life with Bestselling Author Robert Greene1:17:31
Interested in learning techniques that will virtually guarantee you success, regardless of your field of interest? Of course you are! On that front, today’s show will not disappoint! Brandon and David interview bestselling author Robert Greene, whose latest book is titled The Laws of Human Nature. Robert discusses brilliant concepts regarding e ...…
#314: A 3-Step Blueprint for Managing Contractors Like a Boss with Andresa Guidelli1:07:08
Would your real estate business benefit from better rehab/construction knowledge or tactics? Well, that’s the focus of today’s show, where Andresa shares her story of moving from Brazil to America and crushing it in the real estate space! Andresa excels in an area many of us find extremely challenging: managing rehabs. In this episode, she pull ...…
#313: How to Be Happy AND Grow a Massive Business with Entrepreneur Jesse Itzler (and Josh!)1:09:47
You want to crush it in real estate investing. But you also want fun, adventure, and time for yourself and your loved ones. Can you have both? Our guest today says, “YES!” Jesse Itzler is a serial entrepreneur who’s worn a lot of hats: rapper, founder of a private jet company (sold to Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway), partner in a coconut w ...…
#312: Conquering Nightmare Rehabs While Working Full-Time with BRRRR Investor James Masotti1:11:58
Excited about real estate investing and looking for a blueprint to follow? Well, you’re in luck! Today’s guest James Masotti is a well-rounded investor who’s piling up properties while working a full-time job. James shares how he consistently finds deals in a competitive market (it’s not through the MLS), how he funds these deals (it’s not with ...…
#311: 6 Rules for Investing in Real Estate in the Coming Economic Shift with J Scott1:16:55
Are you a real estate investor concerned with the potential of a shifting economy? These concerns are understandable, and today’s guest has some great techniques for both protecting your money and taking advantage of deals in any market! J Scott, author of The Book on Flipping Houses and How to Estimate Rehab Costs shares his valuable insight w ...…
#310: A Straightforward, Repeatable Path to Early Retirement with Jennifer Bayless57:43
Looking to find financial independence through real estate but don’t want to be responsible for a portfolio of 100 homes? Well, that’s exactly what today’s guest is doing! Jenny Bayless is a real estate investor in Colorado who is using long-distance investing principles to systematically build a portfolio of cash flowing properties using the B ...…
#309: Closing 75 Deals Your First Year by Simply Modeling Others with Steven Pesavento1:03:50
Have you ever considered flipping houses for cash but aren’t sure where to start? If so, today’s episode is perfect for you! Brandon and David interview Steven Pesavento, a long distance flipper who’s doing 75 deals a year. Steven shares several of his tips for success, including just what he does to keep his pipeline full of deals, how he foll ...…
#308: From 0 to 400 Units in 3.5 Years with Sterling White1:12:46
Would your life be positively impacted by owning over 400 rental units? What if you could get there in under four years? On today’s show, we interview BiggerPockets contributor Sterling White, who has managed to do just that! Sterling shares how he started his entrepreneurial journey selling Pokemon cards and eventually worked his way up to own ...…
#307: The Science Behind Setting and Achieving Big Goals1:18:43
Raise your hand if this describes you: You start working toward a new goal with excitement… only to watch it eventually fizzle out to nothing? If you’re human, it’s likely you’ve experienced this phenomenon. Why is it some goals are just so hard to accomplish, where others we seem to accomplish with ease? On today’s episode of The BiggerPockets ...…
#306: How to Go From a Few Units to Over 1,000 with Monick Halm1:26:08
Are you looking to take your investing from casual to serious someday? Have you ever thought about what it would take to own thousands of units without having real estate run your life? Well, you’re in luck! On today’s show, we interview Monick Halm. Monick’s story will blow you away as she shares how she went from house hacking a duplex in L.A ...…
#305: Financial Independence in Your 30s Through Just 5 Investment Properties with Brad Dantonio1:09:53
Are you interested in retiring early with real estate but don’t want to manage hundreds of properties to do so? Today’s guest has managed to travel to 54 countries in the last three years after retiring in his 30s by owning just FIVE properties. Brad Dantonio shares exactly how he reached financial independence at such a young age by focusing o ...…
#304: Using Incredible Strength of Mindset to Succeed Despite Overwhelming Obstacles With Nick Santonastasso1:07:00
If you’re looking to have your mind completely blown and walk away feeling like you can and WILL do anything, this show is for you! Today’s guest is inspirational figure, fitness model, and Vine sensation Nick Santonastasso. Nick shares his personal story and holds nothing back, describing how he’s overcome the difficulties of being born with H ...…
#303: Ouch! Brandon & David's 10 Biggest Investing Mistakes (& How to Avoid Them)1:25:11
Are you a little tired of hearing about all the “successes” of real estate investors and wondering how realistic this is in the real world? Well, on today’s show, Brandon and David share the 10 biggest mistakes they’ve made in their investing careers—warts and all! Let’s be honest—real estate isn’t all sunshines and rainbows. Mistakes happen! I ...…
#302: Making $100k/Deal Using Other People's Money, Time & Experience with Cory Nemoto1:28:21
Ever had an interest in house flipping but felt you needed help getting started? Today’s show covers that exact topic! Cory Nemoto is an extremely humble but successful house flipper in Hawaii who is CRUSHING the game. On today’s show, Cory shares his personal strategies for keeping his pipeline full of great deals, what strategies he uses to m ...…
#301: The Incredible Power of Long-Distance BRRRR Investing with Alex Felice1:12:55
Looking to get started investing but don’t have millions of dollars and notice there’s not a lot of opportunity in your market? Well, this is the episode for you! Today’s guest is a long-distance investor who uses the BRRRR strategy to buy fixer-upper properties in other states, then refinances to use the money to buy more deals! Alex Felice sh ...…
#300: How to Invest in Real Estate—The Ultimate Show for Getting Started with Josh Dorkin, Brandon Turner, and 11 Rockstar Investors2:22:16
What is the best way to get started investing in real estate? The problem with this question is that there are SO many different pieces of advice. That’s why we’re excited to bring you one of the most unique episodes of the BiggerPockets Podcast we’ve ever had. In this episode, Josh Dorkin is back—and he and Brandon deliver a series of intervie ...…
#299.5: No Money Investing – Four Techniques with Brandon Turner and David Greene1:32:33
Would you like to invest in real estate but lack the capital? In this powerful episode of The BiggerPockets Podcast, Brandon and David dive deep into the topic to cover four unique strategies for building a real estate empire using other people’s money. In addition, you’ll learn why creative finance is SO important (even for experienced investo ...…
#299: HGTV Star Ken Corsini on Flipping, Rehabbing, & Building Homes Like a Pro!1:15:36
Ever wonder about the REAL story behind the house flipping tv shows? On today’s show, we interview Ken Corsini, star of HGTV’s Flip or Flop Atlanta! Ken pulls back the curtain and shares fantastic insight and knowledge into several areas of real estate investing, from house flipping to new construction to owning a real estate brokerage! In this ...…
#298: Thriving in Multifamily Investing (Even in a Hot Market) with Michael Becker1:26:20
Interested in building giant wealth through multifamily real estate investing? Well, on today’s show, we interview someone who already has. Michael Becker is an experienced multifamily investor who’s mastered the genre and simplified the process for being successful! Michael shares what every new investor needs to know about avoiding the bigges ...…
#297: Mastering the Decision-Making Process with Business (and World Series of Poker) Champion Annie Duke1:47:38
In today’s epic show, we interview World Series of Poker bracelet champion Annie Duke. Annie is a nationally sought-after speaker who combines her mastery of poker with a study of the cognitive sciences in a truly unique and brilliant way. In this show, you’ll have your mind blown by Annie’s insights regarding following conventional wisdom (eve ...…
#296: From Farm Boy Beginnings to $15M in Real Estate Holdings with Rock Thomas1:21:44
What does it take to truly find financial independence? Money? Deals? Mentors? Or could it be something else entirely… something intangible? In this episode of the BiggerPockets Podcast, we sit down with Rock Thomas, a real estate investor and agent who shows others the simple mindset shifts needed to achieve financial freedom. In other words, ...…
#295: Using the Web to Land 8-12 Deals a Month with Melissa Johnson1:12:39
Are you interested in learning how to flip 8-12 houses a month at $30k a pop? Well, this episode may be just what you’ve been looking for! On today’s show, we interview Melissa Johnson—house flipper extraordinaire and owner of the company Lead Propeller, a service that provides websites to help motivated sellers find real estate investors. Meli ...…
#294: Meet Property Management Extraordinaire, RE Investor & Hotel Owner Jesse McCue1:23:45
Are you happy with the current state of your real estate business? If you’re like most people, the answer is no. On today’s show, we interview property management superstar Jesse McCue and dig deep into how he’s became Maine’s top property manager as well as a successful RE investor along the way. Jesse shares how he formed a partnership with a ...…
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Catholic Answers Live
Catholic Society Religion Christianity 920528
Catholic Answers Live « »
#9084 Spiritual Perfectionism - Colleen Carroll Campbell
By Catholic Answers. Discovered by Player FM and our community — copyright is owned by the publisher, not Player FM, and audio streamed directly from their servers.
Have you ever felt anxiety on your journey to perfection and eternal life with God? Join Colleen Campbell as she helps listeners to navigate and avoid anxiety, fear, and scrupulosity while striving for perfection. “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” -Matthew 5:48 Questions Covered: 29:02 – What part does purgatory play in our perfection? 33:43 – How can we discern between God’s will and anxiety? How can we better understand timing and God’s will? 47:15 – Can we have a sense of urgency and take extreme measures that are motivated by love o…
2123 episodes available. A new episode about every 0 hours .
#9153 Open Forum - Jimmy Akin
Callers choose the topics during Open Forum, peppering our guests with questions on every aspect of Catholic life and faith, the moral life, and even philosophical topics that touch on general religious belief. Questions Covered:04:20 – My friend told me that the Catholic Church became rich because celibate and single men who became priests wer ...…
Callers choose the topics during Open Forum, peppering our guests with questions on every aspect of Catholic life and faith, the moral life, and even philosophical topics that touch on general religious belief. Questions Covered:05:37 – Where do we get the tradition of the Stations of the Cross? How do we know he fell 3 times? 12:29 – I am a la ...…
#9151 Truth and Tolerance - Karlo Broussard
Karlo explains truth and tolerance. “Love is not generating pleasing feelings, but willing the good for another.”Questions Covered:20:48 – If we celebrate everything that is intolerable, what will happen to the truth of God? Where does all this tolerance stop? If we allow things to happen that are mortal sins, are we partaking in that sin? 28:5 ...…
#9150 Bioethics - Fr. Tad Pacholczyk
Fr. Tad discusses the problems of cloning, IVF, and more.Questions Covered:17:35 – When does life begin for an identical twin? 21:37 – What is the best way to explain the Catholic view on cloning? 29:18 – What would be the ethical position on developing a machine that would imitate a womb and keep a baby alive? 35:55 – Is it true that when a wo ...…
#9149 Open Forum - Jim Blackburn
Callers choose the topics during Open Forum, peppering our guests with questions on every aspect of Catholic life and faith, the moral life, and even philosophical topics that touch on general religious belief. Questions Covered:02:56 – My wife and I have been invited to a memorial service for her brother-in-law. It is in a Presbyterian Church ...…
Callers choose the topics during Open Forum, peppering our guests with questions on every aspect of Catholic life and faith, the moral life, and even philosophical topics that touch on general religious belief. Questions Covered:04:45 – I hear that there are some sins that can’t be forgiven by parish priests and that they have to be forgiven th ...…
#9147 Why Do You Reject Catholic Morality? - Trent Horn
Catholic Answers’ apologist and author, Trent Horn, discusses with callers their reasons for rejecting Catholic morality.Questions Covered:03:44 – I have a problem with the fact that the Catholic Church teaches that we either go to heaven or hell.13:30 – I got myself sterilized for the sake of my wife and I disagree with what the Church says ab ...…
Catholic Answers’ apologist and author, Trent Horn, discusses with callers their reasons for rejecting Catholic morality.Questions Covered:06:59 – It seems like Catholics push for open borders and I disagree with that.17:34 – I was raised Catholic and am no longer Catholic. I don’t think the 10 Commandments still apply to you if you accept Jesu ...…
#9145 Kids’ Show - null
Children between the ages of 3 and 16 are welcome to call with their questions about the faith. Tune in for an hour of thoughtful and intelligent questions from the youngest members of the Church. Questions Covered:04:18 – Why is God three separate persons?07:04 – Where was the garden of Eden?09:49 – Why does God let bad things happen?16:55 – D ...…
#9144 Race and Reparations - Gloria Purvis
Pro-life leader and EWTN Morning Glory co-host Gloria Purvis joins us for a conversation around the current push for a reparations commission. As hard as it may be to talk with maturity and composure about race, Catholics are called to contribute in a charitable way to the conversation. There is, of course, no official Catholic position on repa ...…
#9143 Open Forum - Mark Brumley
Questions Covered:03:25 – The Church needs my baptismal records in order to bless my marriage, but I don’t have it. What can I do? 13:40 – Is there a contradiction between Acts 15 and Corinthians 8? 21:12 – Why don’t Catholics accept the Septuagint? 31:46 – How can we square John 3:16 with other contradictory verses? 41:45 – How do I respond to ...…
Questions Covered:03:50 – Why was Jesus baptized? 08:12 – Do the changes in Church theology fundamentally change the faith? 17:26 – If we have a homosexual friend who tells us they recently got married, how are we meant to respond? 21:09 – What does the Catholic Church think about idealism? 29:26 – What is a good book for Catholics to read abou ...…
#9141 Which Catholic Doctrine Troubles You? - Karlo Broussard
Which Catholic doctrine troubles you?Questions Covered:07:06 – Can you explain the doctrine of original sin? 14:03 – Can you explain to me the infallibility of the pope? My family and I are considered converting to the Catholic faith. 22:40 – Can you explain to me the Catholic teaching on sin and confession? 29:19 – Why do Catholics believe tha ...…
#9140 In Vitro Fertilization - Stephanie Gray
Stephanie Gray explains why the Catholic Church teaches that IVF is morally wrong.Questions Covered:22:21 – I disagree with you. My wife and I did IVF and we love our children as much as any other parents love their children. You’re implying that there is no love in the IVF family. 31:00 – Is there a date that frozen embryos have to be used or ...…
#9139 Open Forum - Tim Staples
Tim Staples discusses topics from the moral issues of fertility clinics to the truth about happiness in this episode of open forum.Questions Covered:02:06 – Is there more than one Jacob in Old Testament who is known as some kind of protector?15:35 – What is the Catholic Church’s view on fertility clinics and the services they provide?19:21 – If ...…
#9138 Open Forum - Colin Donovan
Colin Donovan explains whether or not Jesus had to leave before the Holy Spirit could come to earth and much more on this episode of Catholic Answers Live.Questions Covered:06:46 – How can I prove that the Church that Christ established was a physical Church and not just invisible and ideological?16:06 – Were all of the first apostles equal?21: ...…
#9137 Pop Music and Christianity - Dawn Eden Goldstein
Dawn Eden Goldstein, author of “Sunday Will Never Be the Same: A Rock and Roll Journalist Opens Her Ears to God,” discusses the intersection of pop music and Christianity.Questions Covered:19:40 – Was Dawn influenced at all by Bob Dylan’s conversion in the 70s?49:00 – Tom Nash calls in with a comment on “Wouldn’t it Be Nice” by the Beach BoysRe ...…
#9136 When the World Hates You - Trent Horn
Trent Horn teaches listeners how they can cope and respond when they’re living Christian lives and experience negativity or opposition from others.“Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, on account of the Son of man!” Luke 6:22Questions Covered:20:27 – How do I, as a practici ...…
Do human beings really have free will? Do modern people really have gifts from the Holy Spirit? Listen in on Jimmy Akin’s response to these questions and more.Questions Covered:01:26 – How can I explain to a Protestant that priests, like the Apostles, have the authority to forgive sins?04:49 – How can I respond to the Protestant claim that Jesu ...…
In this episode of open forum, Jimmy Akin explains why the roots of Christianity are not pagan and much more.Questions Covered:03:03 – I have a predestination question. The Council of Trent says that humans cooperate with grace, but the Catechism says that man’s cooperation with grace is itself a work of grace. Where does man’s own action enter ...…
During open forum, listeners can call with any question about the Catholic faith. In today’s episode, Jimmy Akin addresses time in purgatory, God’s intentions for us, and much more.Questions Covered:01:20 – Would the canonized saints be in agreement about doctrine or dogma? Would the Doctors of the Church?04:10 – How does mental illness affect ...…
#9132 Love of Country - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem.
As we celebrate Independence Day, we welcome Father Hugh Barbour for a conversation about what the Church teaches about proper love of country. How should we deal with our nation’s faults? Do Catholics have a distinctive role in the life of the country? And what would Thomas Aquinas have to say about all this?……
#9131 The Bible Blueprint for Confession - Karlo Broussard
Why do Catholics confess sins to a priest? Who is forgiving sins? Why is confession a sacrament? Listen in to learn from Karlo Broussard on why the Church teaches that confession is one of the most important Sacraments and an integral part of daily life.Questions Covered:14:58 – Why do we have to confess our sins to a priest? When I confess my ...…
#9130 Following Your Conscience - Tim Staples
Questions Covered:24:20 – Can conscience ever die completely?34:04 – How do you discern it’s your conscience speaking and not your other emotions or thoughts? And how do you prioritize your conscience?42:10 – Something from my past is bothering my conscience. Many priests are telling me to confess it, but sometimes I feel like my conscience is ...…
Callers choose the topics during Open Forum, peppering our guests with questions on every aspect of Catholic life and faith, the moral life, and even philosophical topics that touch on general religious belief.00:53 – What is the Catholic view of sexuality? And how does that apply to how same-sex attracted people should live it out?14:31 – My c ...…
Callers choose the topics during Open Forum, peppering our guests with questions on every aspect of Catholic life and faith, the moral life, and even philosophical topics that touch on general religious belief.04:03 – Why do Catholics pray to Mary?21:43 – Who exactly did Jacob wrestle with in the passage that mentions him wrestling an angel? I’ ...…
#9127 The Chaplain Is In - Fr. Hugh Barbour, O. Praem.
Catholics Answers’ chaplain, Norbertine Fr. Hugh Barbour, joins Cy to take any question of a pastoral nature. He discusses the Latin mass, swearing oaths, calling men “father,” Communion, and more.Questions Covered:03:38 – What are the pros and cons of going to the Latin mass instead of the vernacular?17:40 – How can I, as a corrections officer ...…
#9126 Same-Sex Attraction - Fr. Philip Bochanski
Fr. Philip Bochanski discusses how Catholics deal with the issue of same-sex attraction.Questions Covered:8:17 – My husband’s nephew is going to marry his male partner. I know we shouldn’t go to the wedding but he is family. What should we do?14:06 – What can we, as laity, do in response to bishops and priests who come out in public support of ...…
#9125 The Catholic Answers Quiz Show - Karlo Broussard
Catholic Answers LIVE is a daily, call-in radio program of Catholic apologetics and evangelization airing live from 6-8 pm ET.
#9124 Screen Time: Catholics & Film - Steven D. Greydanus
Film Critic Steven Greydanus joins Cy to discuss faith and film.Topics Covered:Franco Zeffirelli’s Complicated, Catholic LifeSpider-Man: Far From HomeToy Story 4One Child NationDark PhoenixThe Secular Apocalypse: Irreligion, Pop Culture and the End of the World …
Questions Covered:00:41 – To whom does Jesus pay the price in regard to our redemption?09:45 – If Mary was born sinless, would that affect her free will in agreeing to become the mother of the Son of God?12:05 – How does the Catholic Church interpret Ephesians 4:11-12?20:52 – Is the word nunnery a real word? What is the difference between a nun ...…
Questions Covered:04:05 – What is the purpose of God giving land and drawing the borders of Israel if he now has a covenant with everyone?06:45 – Why do we still have priests? I thought the Levitical priesthood went away with Judaism.14:52 – Is cremation acceptable in the Catholic Church?17:01 – What is your opinion of the SSPX? Is their Mass v ...…
#9121 Why Are You Pro-Choice? - Trent Horn
Trent Horn discusses the issue of abortion and invites pro-choice listeners to explain why they are pro-choice.Questions Covered:02:25 – I believe that abortion is a kind of murder, but it’s a murder of a person with no association with other human beings and and no developed mind, and therefore the quality of life for the mother supersedes the ...…
Pro-choice callers join Trent Horn and Cy to explain their reasons for belief in abortion or euthanasia. Trent states Church teaching on the dignity of human life and has conversations with callers to try to find the truth in each situation presented. The purpose of this program is to defend and explain the dignity of life, from conception to n ...…
Callers choose the topics during Open Forum, peppering our guests with questions on every aspect of Catholic life and faith, the moral life, and even philosophical topics that touch on general religious belief.Questions Covered:01:45 – At a Mass, I saw a light above the priest during the consecration. Should I tell him? What should I do next?11 ...…
Callers choose the topics during Open Forum, peppering our guests with questions on every aspect of Catholic life and faith, the moral life, and even philosophical topics that touch on general religious belief.Questions Covered:03:39 – My Protestant friend says the Eucharist is just a symbol because it doesn’t do anything to the person.10:40 – ...…
Questions Covered: 02:03 – What is the Catholic Church’s views on vaccines? 04:55 – How does the vigil Mass satisfy the Sunday Mass obligation? If you receive the Eucharist on Saturday evening at the vigil, can you receive it the next day, on Sunday, as well? 13:03 – How can I explain the Catholic Catechism to a non-Catholic? 19:42 – Why does J ...…
#9116 What Is Love? - Bishop Frank Caggiano
How is Christian love different than other loves that exist in society today? Is love an action? Is love a sacrifice or a feeling? Listen in and find out.Questions Covered: 16:30 – Can you expound on Trinitarian love? How does Trinitarian love work in us and our lives? 20:07 – I think true love is your willingness to be put out for the other pe ...…
#9115 Panel Show - Christopher Check
Catholic Answers President Christ Check and Catholic Answers Magazine Editor Tim Ryland join cy for a wide-ranging conversation of the news from a Catholic perspective. Topics covered include pornography, overpopulation, former Cardinal McCarrick, and religious freedom.…
Catholic Answers President Chris Check and Catholic Answers Magazine Editor Tim Ryland join Cy for a wide-ranging conversation of the news from a Catholic perspective. Topics covered include pornography, overpopulation, former Cardinal McCarrick, and religious freedom.…
#9113 Open Forum - Tom Nash
Do you have a question about the Catholic Church? All questions about the Catholic faith and life are welcome during open forum.Questions Covered:04:57 – Does Romans 9 prove faith alone? 12:12 – Should there be a separation of Church and state? Does the Church believe they should be together? 23:58 – During the Last Supper, was the bread and wi ...…
Do you have a question about the Catholic Church? All questions about the Catholic faith and life are welcome during open forum.Questions Covered:10:55 – Does the Church put any stock into the prophecies of St. Malachi? 18:56 – Is there one judgement or two? 28:40 – Do I need to go to confession for venial sins? How often am I supposed to go to ...…
#9111 Jesus: Emmanuel or Mere Prophet? - Karlo Broussard
Was Jesus divine or just a holy man? Join us to find out.Questions Covered:17:40 – Jesus is God, but I don’t know how to address God in prayer. If I pray to Jesus, am I leaving out two other people?21:52 – How do we know that Jesus was the Messiah? How do we know he was divine?34:53 – Jesus spoke about himself as not being God the Father. How i ...…
#9111 Women’s Reproductive Health - Anna Halpine
President of FEMM Health, Anna Halpine, answers listeners regarding contraception, hormones, and much more.Questions Covered:17:10 – I have a 14-year-old daughter who I share custody with my ex-wife. How can I get good information that I can share with my daughter about her sexual health?20:22 – My wife and I experienced infertility for 10 year ...…
Callers choose the topics during Open Forum, peppering our guests with questions on every aspect of Catholic life and faith, the moral life, and even philosophical topics that touch on general religious belief.Book Tim to speak at your parish or next event.Questions Covered:02:17 – My friend said that the Church is anyone and everyone who belie ...…
Callers choose the topics during Open Forum, peppering our guests with questions on every aspect of Catholic life and faith, the moral life, and even philosophical topics that touch on general religious belief.Book Tim to speak at your parish or next event.Questions Covered:06:30 – How can we respond to Muslims who say that Mohammed had truth r ...…
#9107 Open Forum for Non-Catholics - Jimmy Akin
From those who oppose the Catholic Church to those who are thinking about entering, in this show, we take a break from talking with Catholics to answer questions about the Faith from non-Catholics.Questions Covered:04:30 – Many years ago, I promised a dear Catholic friend of mine before he died that I would go to Mass. How can attend a Catholic ...…
#9106 Open Forum for Non-Catholics - Steve Ray
From those who oppose the Catholic Church to those who are thinking about entering, in this show, we take a break from talking with Catholics to answer questions about the Faith from non-Catholics.Questions Covered:13:03 – Why don’t Catholics keep the Sabbath on Sunday?16:40 – Must I give up my King James Bible if I become Catholic?21:07 – I di ...…
#9105 Kids Show - Jimmy Akin
Children between the ages of 3 and 16 are welcome to call with their questions about the faith. Tune in for an hour of thoughtful and intelligent questions from the youngest members of the Church.Questions Covered: 11:57 – How will we know that Jesus is back on earth again?15:30 – Why did all the priest scandals happen? Is it scary to be an alt ...…
#9104 Passing the Faith to Your Kids - Marlon De La Torre
How can we make sure to pass the faith on to our kids?Questions Covered: 20:04 – How can I help my godson who has gotten involved in a game that will expose him to the occult? He’s not my child, but I know I have a responsibility.23:50 – I have a 9 and 7-year-old. How can I explain the Trinity to my young children?42:15 – How can I get my daugh ...…
Start listening to Catholic Answers Live on your phone right now with Player FM's free mobile app, the best podcasting experience on both iPhone and Android. Your subcriptions will sync with your account on this website too. Podcast smart and easy with the app that refuses to compromise.
Discerning Hearts - Catholic Podcasts
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Catholic spirituality podcasts for the Christian community
Catholic Stuff You Should Know
A lighthearted exploration of various prominent and obscure Catholic topics.
Willow Creek Community Church Weekend Podcast
The Mission of Willow Creek Community Church is to turn irreligious people into fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. The Vision of Willow Creek Community Church is to be a biblically functional community of believers so Christ’s redemptive purposes can be accomplished in the world.
Series exploring the place and nature of faith in today's world
Catholic Answers Focus
Catholic Answers Focus highlights in-depth conversations with Catholic leaders, newsmakers, and unsung heroes of faith. With a wide array of topics and guests, and compelling commentary on current events, Catholic Answers Focus has something for everyone.
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Think Out Loud
Think Out Loud « »
Mobile Location Data Project Raises Privacy Concerns
By Oregon Public Broadcasting. Discovered by Player FM and our community — copyright is owned by the publisher, not Player FM, and audio streamed directly from their servers.
Portland will soon be using location data collected from smartphones to study the ways people move around the city. The pilot launching later this summer will use a software called Replica to create a synthetic model of Portland’s population to track traffic patterns and other information that could influence future policy decisions. Reporter Kate Kaye focuses on tech ethics and wrote about Portland’s use of Replica software for GeekWire. She joins us to dig into the details.
I-5 Series: A Vision For Albina11:54
As Portland's population grows, bringing more cars, more traffic, and more greenhouse gas emissions, what’s the future of the biggest interstate that cuts through the heart of the city? This summer, we're having a series of conversations about Interstate 5. We'll hear from policy-makers, activists, and community members. On this installment, we ...…
Cannon Beach Distillery To Close9:19
Mike Selberg’s Cannon Beach Distillery has flourished since opening in 2012, garnering dozens of awards for his craft liquors. Despite this, he is preparing to sell or close the distillery this year. He says Oregon’s liquor laws put local businesses at a disadvantage.By Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Big Changes For Portland Neighborhood Associations28:44
Portland is considering a change to city code that would remove most references to neighborhood associations. Those groups fear this would diminish their voices. But the Office of Community and Civic Life says the change would simply give voice to all Portlanders. We hear from Suk Rhee, director of the Office of Community and Civic Life and Kat ...…
Teen Jeopardy Winner18:04
Portland teen Avi Gupta started his own nonprofit before graduating high school.He's also the winner of the 2019 Jeopardy Teen Tournament. We'll talk with Gupta about his accomplishments and his hopes for the future.By Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Oregon Manufacturers and Commerce Drops Gross Receipts Tax Referral18:00
After Oregon lawmakers passed a gross receipts tax this spring, the industry group Oregon Manufacturers and Commerce said it would try to refer the issue to voters. Now, the group says that lawmakers’ actions at the end of the legislative session hamstrung its referral effort. OPB’s political reporter Dirk VanderHart fills us in, and we hear fr ...…
Church Buys Medical Debt14:21
A church in Medford bought $2 million of Oregonians’ medical debt. We speak to Dana Franchetti, a pastor from the church, and Jerry Ashton, the co-founder of an organization that buys and pays off people’s medical debt.By Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Deaths From Meth Use In Oregon Are Up10:48
Methamphetamine now kills more people in Oregon every year than do prescription opioids. But there are no FDA approved medications and most of the funding for treatment goes to opioids. Lynne Terry, editor of The Lund Report tells us more.By Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Filtering Wildfire Smoke6:13
Seattle is retrofitting some downtown buildings’ HVAC systems to filter wildfire smoke. We talk to senior policy advisor Julia Reed about the city’s plans to protect its citizens from the effects of wildfire smoke.By Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Talking Business8:38
Portland Business Journal editor Suzanne Stevens joins us to discuss some of the latest regional business news.By Oregon Public Broadcasting.
What’s Next For Cap & Trade Legislation?24:32
After the Republican walkout, and plenty of hard feelings on both sides, is there a legislative way forward for a cap and trade bill in Oregon? We talk with two lawmakers who’ve been a part of negotiations from the beginning: State Senators Michael Dembrow, D-Portland and Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario.By Oregon Public Broadcasting.
A Preview Of Bundyville Podcast Season 217:09
A new season of the "Bundyville" podcast from OPB and Longreads explores anti-government extremism beyond the Bundy family. Seven episodes will be available July 15. We'll hear from the journalists behind it — Leah Sottile and Ryan Haas.By Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Aloha Rodeo Explores Hawaiian Cowboy History34:18
In 1908, three Hawaiian cowboys arrived in Wyoming and shocked the rodeo world with their riding and roping skills. The book "Aloha Rodeo" tells the cowboys’ story, and explores Hawaii’s long history of cowboy culture and ranching. We hear from author David Wolman about that history, and talk to Michelle Galimba, a current day rancher from Hawaii.…
Portlander Attempts Thirty-Eight Mile Swim Around Sauvie Island15:39
Cindy Werhane tried to become the first person to swim all the way around Sauvie Island this week. She swam for 20 straight hours — and almost completed the loop — before she had to call it quits.By Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Combating The ‘Summer Slide’8:52
Kids look forward to summertime, but a long break from school can lead to what’s called “summer slide,” or a decline in academic skills. The problem is particularly acute for children from low-income families, who lack the resources to keep them engaged with challenging camps and activities over the summer. One Eastern Oregon school district ha ...…
News Roundtable July 12 201925:16
We hear opinions and analysis on this week’s news from Amanda Manjarrez, Eve Epstein and Jim Pasero.By Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Pieces Of Sacred Meteorite Return To Grand Ronde Tribal Museum9:28
A piece of a meteorite sacred to Native Americans in the Willamette Valley has been returned to the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. The fragment comes from the Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in McMinnville, but the meteorite itself resides at the Museum of Natural History in New York City. The meteorite Tomanowos, also referred to as the ...…
I-5 Series: An Introduction13:41
As Portland's population grows, bringing more cars, more traffic, and more greenhouse gas emissions, what’s the future of the biggest interstate that cuts through the heart of the city? We're kicking off a series of conversations about Interstate 5. We start with Tammy Baney, who chairs the Oregon Transportation Commission.…
Harbor of Hope Mobile Showers27:01
Earlier this summer, Oregon Harbor of Hope began using two box trucks containing mobile showers and laundry facilities for people who are homeless. We talk with Harbor of Hope deputy director & operations manager Lisa Marandas and hear from people who are using the facilities.By Oregon Public Broadcasting.
What’s Ahead For The Bend Bulletin?11:30
The Bend Bulletin is being sold to Rhode Island Suburban Newspapers. But before that happens, all of its employees will be laid off. OPB Bend reporter Emily Cureton tells us what the sale of Central Oregon’s only daily paper means for the state.By Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Eugene Camping Ordinance16:24
Eugene city councilors recently passed an ordinance allowing police to remove campers from city-owned curbsides. Eugene Police Department Captain Eric Klinko and homeless advocate Kris McAlister tell us how the policy impacts homeless people, property owners and law enforcement.By Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Piano History22:27
We listen back to a conversation with author Elizabeth Rusch about the history of the piano as set out in her latest children’s book, “The Music of Life,” along with her pianist collaborator, Portland pianist, David Saffert.By Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Gorge Congestion13:47
The Columbia River Gorge has seen over a 50% increase in congestion over the past decade, causing dramatic increases in traffic and visitor frustration as parking lots struggle to hold all the vehicles those visitors bring with them. We speak to Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area coordinator Terra Lingley from the Oregon Department of Tr ...…
Liability Protection For Rural Volunteer Firefighters10:04
In some parts of rural, agricultural Oregon, volunteer farmer firefighters are on the front lines during fire season. We talk with state senator Bill Hansell, R-Athena, who grew up on a farm and experienced this first hand. He successfully sponsored a bill to provide liability protection to those volunteers.…
How Can Oregon Reach Its Climate Goals?17:46
We talk with Angus Duncan, chair of the Oregon Global Warming Commission, about the state’s climate goals and ask what the failure of the cap and trade bill means for Oregon’s ability to meet those goals.By Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Lexington Shut Down9:25
The small Morrow County town of Lexington is shut down until further notice. The town council didn’t have a quorum to pass a budget at the end of June. So, the city can’t officially operate. We talk with David Sykes, publisher and reporter for the Heppner Gazette-Times about how Lexington is trying to move forward now.…
How Is Talking To Computers Changing Us?40:21
Tech journalist and University of Oregon graduate James Vlahos joins us to discuss his new book "Talk To Me: How Voice Computing Will Transform The Way We Live, Work, And Think." It's all about the quest to teach computers how to talk and listen — and what that means for the humans that interact with them.…
EO Media Buys Two Newspapers10:03
The Eastern Oregon Media Group is set to buy two Eastern Oregon newspapers — the La Grande Observer and the Baker City Herald. The company already owns 11 other newspapers, including the East Oregonian and the Daily Astorian. We speak to EO Media Group owner Kathryn Brown about the acquisitions and the future of rural journalism in Oregon.…
"Cop Out" Monologue Series33:46
We listen back to a conversation about August Wilson Red Door Project’s series of monologues based on the experiences of police officers. The “Cop Out” monologues are based on playwrights’ interviews with police officers. The project is a companion piece to an earlier series of monologues called “Hands Up” based on black Americans’ experience w ...…
News Roundtable17:47
We hear opinions and analysis on this week’s news from Camilla Mortensen, Erious Johnson and Julie Parrish.By Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Two Men Fought For The Release Of The Man Convicted Of Killing Their Brother24:37
Thirty years ago, Oregon Department of Corrections director Michael Francke was murdered. Frank Gable — the man convicted of Francke's murder — was just released from prison. Michael Francke's surviving brothers have been some of the strongest advocates for Gable's release, saying he was wrongly convicted. We'll talk with Kevin and Patrick Fran ...…
Oregon Has High Percentage of Aging Inmates12:51
Oregon prisons had one of the highest percentages of inmates older than 55 in 2016. Now, state officials are preparing to care for inmates as they age. We talk with UC San Francisco professor of medicine Brie Williams about the unique needs of older inmates, and what care prisons need to provide.By Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Talking Business13:15
We discuss the latest regional business news with Suzanne Stevens, editor of the Portland Business Journal.By Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Youth Drag Queen in Portland19:30
Sparkle Lynn More is the stage name of an 11-year-old drag queen from Portland. More has been performing in drag shows for the past two years. We talk to More's mother Michelle Porter, the performer's brother, Charlie and Sparkle Lynn More. They all say they’ve found a second family in Portland’s drag community.…
Governor Brown Looks Back At The 2019 Legislative Session31:29
We sit down with Oregon Governor Kate Brown to break down a tumultuous legislative session that included both big failures and major successes for the Democratic supermajority.By Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Priced Out18:20
Seventeen years ago, Cornelius Swart released a documentary depicting the early stages of gentrification in the Albina community. Long-time residents of the community Bri Williams and her mother Nikki Williams were subjects in the film. Swart’s documentary “Priced Out” revisits Bri Williams and the community to see how gentrification has grown ...…
GenderMag Provides Tool To Remove Gender Bias In Software15:12
Computer scientists at Oregon State University say they have a solution for something most people don’t even know is a problem: gender bias in software. They say most software is more tailored for men. They are trying to change that with “GenderMag.” We talk to one of the developers, a distinguished professor in the department of computer scien ...…
A Dramatic End To The Legislative Session In Oregon16:36
Republican state senators returned to the Oregon Capitol to wrap up the legislative session over the weekend. Lawmakers worked at breakneck speed to pass dozens of bills, including many priorities for Democrats. The cap-and-trade bill that spurred Republican senators to walk out never made it to the floor, but lawmakers approved paid family med ...…
I Am A Stranger Here Myself26:05
Oregon writer Debra Gwartney’s new book, “I Am a Stranger Here Myself” is one part memoir, one part pioneer history. She tells her own story interspersed with the story of the first white woman to cross the Rocky Mountains and give birth on the frontier. Her book explores the ideas of womanhood, place and belonging — in the context of white set ...…
We hear opinions and analysis on some of the big news stories this week from Christopher McKnight Nichols, Doug Badger and Sarah Mirk.By Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Senate President Peter Courtney: A Profile4:33
19d ago 4:33
The state’s longest serving Senate president has had a rough legislative session. He faced scrutiny because of the way he addressed allegations of sexual harassment at the state Capitol. His dear friend and longtime colleague Sen. Jackie Winters, R-Salem, died. And two walkouts by Republican legislators have impeded the goals of a Democratic su ...…
Moda Before SCOTUS14:29
Moda hHealth, an Oregon-based health insurance company, says the federal government owes it a quarter of a billion dollars. An appeals court disagreed. But this week, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it would take up the case. John McConnell is the director of the Center for Health Systems Effectiveness at Oregon Health and Science Univers ...…
InventOR Competition19:28
The InventOR Collegiate Challenge allows groups of Oregon college students to showcase inventive solutions to important social and economic challenges across the state, both in urban and rural regions. Competitors are vying for $25,000 in prizes. We speak to three finalists about their inventions.By Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Public Pianos In Portland16:11
"Piano. Push. Play.” puts pianos in public places all over Portland in the summertime. Each piano is decorated by a different artist and maintained by a team of volunteers throughout the months of July and August. We hear from Megan McGeorge, the passionate founder of Piano. Push. Play, and artist Gary Hirsch, who decorated one of the pianos th ...…
Youth Concussion Management Team16:39
We hear about new developments in treating certain kinds of concussions. The University of Oregon has teamed up with local practitioners to create a Youth Concussion Management Team. UO professor McKay Sohlberg and patient Benjamin Smeltzer join us to explain how the system works and how it’s different from past approaches.…
Tsunami Bill8:23
We talk with Oregon State University’s tsunami expert Patrick Corcoran about a bill Governor Kate Brown just signed into law. It lifts a 25-year-old ban on new construction of certain types of buildings (like schools and police stations) in coastal areas that are prone to damage from tsunamis.By Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Oregon Bach Festival Direction9:34
Last year’s departure of the Oregon Bach Festival’s artistic director Matthew Halls left fractures in the classical music community in Eugene and big questions about how the festival should move forward. Just days before this year’s three-week-long festival, the University of Oregon’s dean of the music and dance department, which runs OBF, anno ...…
Nossa Coffee “To-Go” Cup Upcharge15:26
Nossa Familia Coffee started charging an extra 25 cents to customers that used a to-go cup for their drinks this year. We talk to marketing and sustainability director Karen Lickteig on the reasoning behind the charge and how customers have responded to it.By Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Inmates Act As Tutors At Larch Corrections Center18:05
Teachers at Clark College provide GED training at Larch Corrections Center, with help from inmate peer tutors. Those tutors recently received international recognition for their work. Instructor Lauren Zavrel join us with two recently released inmates.By Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Oregon Senate Standoff Continues for Sixth Day23:04
Republican senators are absent from the Oregon state Capitol for a sixth day, denying Democratic lawmakers the quorum they need to pass a cap-and-trade bill or any other legislation. We talk with Republican Sen. Cliff Bentz and hear from Rep. Karin Power, who championed the cap-and-trade bill in the House.…
Trump Administration Reverses Plan to Close Job Corp Centers8:50
The Trump administration reversed a decision last week to close down nine Job Corps centers, including two in Oregon and Washington. The plan was met with backlash from both Democratic and Republican lawmakers. Politico reporter Ian Kullgren joins us to explain the controversy.By Oregon Public Broadcasting.
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Join Larry Mantle weekdays for lively and in-depth discussions of Los Angeles and Southern California news, politics, science, entertainment, the arts and more. More AirTalk at www.kpcc.org.
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„DW-Reporter“ ist ein Video-Podcasting-Angebot der Deutschen Welle. Hier finden jede Woche Reportagen aus allen gesellschaftlichen Bereichen. DW-Reporter berichten aus Deutschland und aller Welt.
Chris Riback's Conversations
Engaging smart thinkers on issues of the day. Subscribe for newsletter & show notes at chrisriback.com (podcast formerly "Political Wire Conversations")
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We want to change the world with information while having fun. Things are clean when they’re washed - Sabki Dhulai.MissionTo change the world with information while having fun. Things are clean when they’re washed - Sabki Dhulai.DescriptionNews and News on the news. New ways to present the news. Slants, compromises, biases, praise, brickbats and anything else. Here nothing is off limits. We say it like it is and appreciate others who do. News isn’t fair unless its transparent and no informat ...
The Irish Times World View Podcast
The Irish Times' unrivalled foreign affairs coverage, now brought to you in weekly podcast form. Hosted by Chris Dooley with regular contributors Patrick Smyth, Denis Staunton, Lara Marlowe, Suzanne Lynch, Derek Scally, Tom Hennigan, Clifford Coonan and Ruadhan Mac Cormaic.
The Dori Monson Show
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Erin Burnett OutFront
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The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer
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CBC News: World at Six
The World at Six is your destination for coverage, context and analysis of the day's top stories. It's a showcase for the best in CBC journalism prepared by reporters in Canada and around the world.
Amanpour is CNN International's flagship global affairs interview program hosted by Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour.
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Fungo bats aren’t typical bats like the ones Mike Trout takes with him to a game situation. Rather, they’re more of practice bats. The bats are specially made for coaches to utilize when testing the fielding of their players. For example, a coach would break out his or her fungo bat when he or she is looking to hit his or her shortstop a couple of ground balls or when he/she hits pop flies to the centerfielder.
If your high school or travel team has at least two coaches, you can use what Bates calls a two-fungo drill. One coach can hit to third and second, while the other hits to short and first. If catchers are finished working with the pitchers, they can feed balls to the fungo hitters. The idea is for the third baseman to practice turning a 5-4-3, with the first baseman moving up toward second base about 60 feet instead of 90, with a net behind him to catch overthrows. The shortstop works on throwing across on 6-3s.
First base fungo hits fly balls to center field (helps here if both fungo hitters move up and apart, hitting from about the front of the mound extended towards the bases). Center throws to second, second baseman is cutoff (for us it was, anyways - change to suit your style). Third base fungo hits balls to left field, who throw to third, with a second shortstop as cutoff (but you really don't need one, if you're shorthanded).
Even in those formative years, authorities on the game warned the practice of hitting fungoes should be limited to coaches. Henry Chadwick, one of baseball’s earliest proponents, claimed “The weakest batting is shown when the batsmen indulges in fungo hitting,” according to the Art of Batting. Others agreed that the practice was bad for training a batter’s reflexes: “While watching some of our freshmen practicing ‘fungo’ batting the other afternoon it occurred to me that it was about the worst kind of practice a batsman could imagine in training his eye in batting,” a writer claimed in the March 3, 1886 edition of The Sporting Life. “It trains the eye to meet the ball in batting it in a manner which never occurs in actual play. It ought to be prohibited on every well regulated ball field.”
Fungo bats are usually 36 or 37 inches long. Due their thinner, lighter design, they are a very versatile tool for any coach. It is so much easier to hit hundreds of grounders and fly balls with a fungo than with a regular bat. As well, with the prices of today’s top end bats, a $35 fungo makes more sense. Don’t dent the $350 war clubs in your bat bag.
A baseball bat is divided into several regions. The "barrel" is the thick part of the bat, where it is meant to hit the ball. The part of the barrel best for hitting the ball, according to construction and swinging style, is often called the "sweet spot". The end of the barrel is called the "top", "end" or "cap" of the bat. Opposite the cap, the barrel narrows until it meets the "handle". The handle is comparatively thin, so that batters can comfortably grip the bat in their hands. Sometimes, especially on metal bats, the handle is wrapped with a rubber or tape "grip". Finally, below the handle is the "knob" of the bat, a wider piece that keeps the bat from slipping from a batter's hands.
Chris Coste, a former catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies who coaches at Division III Concordia, in Moorhead, Minn., agreed. “When baseball is every single day, you’ve got to do things differently,” he said. “In the big leagues, they get so many ground balls during batting practice that infield is more for the fans and more for the scouts and things like that. At this level, we need it, and we love doing it.”
At bat Baltimore chop Bat flip Chinese home run Batting count Bunt sacrifice bunt slap bunt squeeze play Checked swing Cleanup hitter Designated hitter Double Double switch Foul ball Foul tip Golden sombrero Grand slam Ground rule double Hat trick Hit Hit and run Hit by pitch Hitting for the cycle Home run Infield hit Inside-the-park home run Leadoff hitter Lefty-righty switch Line drive Moonshot Plate appearance Platoon system Pull hitter Sacrifice fly Single Strikeout Strike zone Sweet spot Switch hitter Triple Walk Walk-off home run
Even without a 100-mile per hour fastball barreling toward you, safety is paramount. Our helmet selection offers a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and colors to choose from. We also offer catcher’s gear, knee pads for home plate umpires, and other products to alleviate fatigue or the risk of injury. Our baseball equipment selection includes excellent training aids, such as batting tees, batting cages, pop-up hitting systems, professional pitching rubbers, mounds, contact training balls, pocket radars, and more.
Many players "bone" their bats, meaning that before games, they rub their bats repeatedly with a hard object, believing this closes the pores on the wood and hardens the bat. Animal bones are a popular boning material, but rolling pins, soda bottles and the edge of a porcelain sink have also been used. Pete Rose had his own way of hardening his bats: he soaked them in a tub of motor oil in his basement then hung them up to dry.[25]
Also called a baseball cup, box, athletic cup - made of hard impact-resistant plastic or light metal, often with flexible sides for comfort and protection, designed to protect the testicles and groin from impact of a baseball, baseball bat, cleats, or any other moving object. Absolutely required for catchers, pitchers, and often all infielders. Many leagues require all male players to wear jockstrap and cup for practices and games.
No, we're not talking about The Masters. We're talking about fungo golf, baseball's wonderful adaptation of frisbee golf. For those of you unfamiliar with the rules, the general goal is to hit predetermined objects or other landmarks located somewhere on a baseball field with a ball. Instead of a golf club, you use a fungo bat. All normal scoring rules of golf still apply.
In 1990, Bruce Leinert came up with the idea of putting an axe handle on a baseball bat. He filed a patent application for the 'Axe Bat' in 2007 and the bat started being used in the college and pro ranks over the following years. In 2012, the Marietta College Pioneers baseball team won the NCAA Division III World Series using axe handled bats.[2] Several Major League Baseball players have adopted the bat handle including Mookie Betts, Dustin Pedroia, George Springer, Kurt Suzuki and Dansby Swanson.[3][4]
Within league standards there is ample latitude for individual variation, many batters settling on their own bat profile, or one used by a successful batter. Formerly, bats were hand-turned from a template with precise calibration points; today they are machine-turned to a fixed metal template. Historically significant templates may be kept in a bat manufacturers' vault; for example, Babe Ruth's template, which became popular among major-league players, is R43 in the Louisville Slugger archives.[citation needed]
“They’re not moving, their feet are apart, their gloves are on the ground, backs are flat, and they’re working down to up, out to in, basically a steady roll back and forth probably 15 to 20 each,” Bates said. “Then they’ll turn their body, work glove side for another 15 to 20, and backhand 15 to 20. No movement, really, just making sure we’re watching the ball roll into our glove, fielding it, and doing all the things fundamentally correct.”
The right baseball equipment can help players pitch, hit, field, and run to the best of their abilities. Whether you’re a coach or a proud parent of an aspiring baseball player, you have come to the right place. Anthem Sports is the most reliable source for coaches, athletic directors, and physical educators that want to set their students and players up for success by investing in the best equipment.
Break your team up into 2 or 3 teams. If you do 2 teams you’ll need 8 or 9 on a team with a player for each defensive position. If you only have 8 on a team you can eliminate either the pitcher, catcher, or one outfielder based on what is a priority for your team that day. If you only have 12-15 players on your team break it up into 3 teams of 4-5. Then place two of the teams on defense and one team hitting fungoes. No matter what, have the teams and batting orders pre-made before practice. This will eliminate unnecessary downtime during practice.
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Best Pre-SALT Female Action Heroes
My parents are in town so I probably won’t get a chance to see Salt this weekend, but I’ve been reading about how amazing Angelina Jolie is in the movie. I’m a big fan of her in action mode, but some articles make it sound as if a woman has never convincingly played an action hero. So, I thought I’d pop out this quick reminder list of some of the most bad-ass female performances in the last 25 years.
Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. When I saw her in that movie, every ounce in my 98-lb. body wanted to be as strong as she. I kept thinking, How do I get arms like that?? Arnold may have had bigger muscles but to me, Hamilton was the most powerful presence on screen. (UPDATE: Chuck producers announced today that Hamilton will be Chuck’s mom this coming season! That’s nine kinds of awesome because she was our first choice when my husband and I were armchair-casting the role.)
Sigourney Weaver as Ripley in Aliens. She was so fierce protecting Newt, the alien had nothing on her.
Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity in The Matrix. She wasn’t all shades and black vinyl; she had the butt-kicking skill to back up her ‘tude.
Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy in Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series. Besides her formidable slayer-ness, she was armed with a valuable weapon—her quick wit.
Noomi Rapace as Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. She looks like a waif but bad guys learned the painful way not to mess with her. In The Girl Who Played with Fire, Lisbeth experiences things which would destroy the average person, but her fierce resilience proves she’s the Girl Who Won’t Stay Down.
Anne Parillaud as Nikita in La Femme Nikita. There have been two other Nikitas (Bridget Fonda and Peta Wilson) and Maggie Q is about to debut as the third incarnation on CW but Parillaud remains the best and most convincing as the reluctant assassin.
Geena Davis as Samantha/Charly in The Long Kiss Goodnight. At first, her character can’t remember her past, believing she’s a housewife. But from the moment she throws that kitchen knife across the room with deadly accuracy, you know her dangerous side is taking over and she doesn’t disappoint.
Michelle Yeoh in Supercop or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Tomorrow Never Dies. I can’t pick just one when Yeoh is one of the most incredible stunt actresses out there. It was almost insulting when she was cast as a Bond girl because it was clear she would save his ass in a fight, not the other way around.
Zhang Ziyi as Xiao Mei in House of Flying Daggers. The movie has gorgeously choreographed and photographed fight scenes—the ones in the bamboo forest and in the field stand out—all elevated by Zhang’s agility and grace.
Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow in Alias. She kicked butt with such ferocity and conviction, she made us believe that sweet dimpled college girl was a lethal spy.
Who would be on your list?
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Conversation with Cast and Director of DEFIANCE
Mel Gibson Goes to EDGE OF DARKNESS
One damn fine list, Elyse! All of the women here truly kick ass! I’m so glad you included Geena Davis from The Long Kiss Goodnight (from a Shane Black script). It’s one of my all-time favorite action/Xmas movies. I personally think her ex (Renny Harlin) ain’t that great as a director, but even he couldn’t mess up what Shane had written. Plus, Geena was so great in it. Who else could have delivered that one line from movie (you know the one) ;-). Thanks, Eiyse, and I hope you have a great family weekend.
You’re not kidding about Harlin. Cutthroat Island was a mess so I was surprised I liked Long Kiss so much. I’m not sure which line you’re referring to; could you please remind me? Last time I saw it was a quite a while ago.
Okay, you asked. As delivered so eloquently by Geena Davis’s character:
Charlie: Suck my dick, every one of you bastards.
O.k., I’ll definitely start thinking about this one. I can’t say one way or another about any of these because (gasp) I haven’t seen any of them. But I know I love me a good female action hero…and Angelina is one of my more favs. I’ll be back when I come up with my gals!
LolosLetters
Jen! None?! I thought I was bad only having seen 7 and really only remembering the performance of four. Will definitely try and think of others, this is a great topic, E! Eliza Dushku comes to mind as Echo in Dollhouse, and because I just saw Book of Eli and like Mila Kunis she comes to mind, but nowhere near top 10. Will keep thinking, beats working!
I like Kunis but have never seen her in action mode since I haven’t seen Eli. You’ve got me intrigued. I liked Dushku as Faith on Buffy but didn’t like her on Dollhouse, probably because I didn’t like the show.
Yes, Angelina crushed ass in Wanted. And I’m still waiting for your list.
Angelina was also pretty kickass in Wanted. However, I have a sense that Angelina is pretty kickass in real life.
Wow. I can’t believe I’ve only seen two of these – The Matrix and The Long Kiss Goodnight. I was younger when LKG came out and watched it over and over again.
For being such a big darn feminist, I’m ashamed to admit that I’m usually not interested in movies with a female action hero (gasp). I know, I can’t believe I just said that.
I really did enjoy Mr. and Mrs. Smith, though – of course, that’s Angelina.
That’s interesting. Why aren’t you interested in movies with female action leads?
I really liked Mr. & Mrs. Smith, too. She was Pitt’s equal in every way.
I guess they often come off as cheesy. No, that’s a cop out. I don’t know. I love James Bond. I grew up on John Wayne. I like my action movies to have a strong male lead. (I’d like the women to not be wimps, either). I’ve just not seen many movies with strong female action leads. But more than that, they usually don’t have the types of story lines I’m interested in. Tomb Raider, Aliens, eh. Not so much for me.
Naomi Johnson
Michelle Yeoh, she is the real deal. She can do it all. I did like Noomi Rapace, too, but more for her acting skills than her on-screen kick-ass capability.
I think all these actresses are equally strong in acting and action.
Good list, Elyse! I can’t wait to see Salt b/c I want to the scenes filmed in DC. Also looking forward to seeing Maggie Q as the new Nikita!
I want to see the D.C. scenes, too!
I’m skeptical about another Nikita but will at least see the first episode to see how Maggie Q does.
Great list, PCN ~ I haven’t seen all of these, but those I have seen left me wanting to kickbox a bad guy. I’m glad to see Geena Davis on the list. I love that movie and she was ferocious in it! And I wish Alias was still running. {Ok, that may be just the teensiest bit due to Michael Vartan…}
I’m pleasantly surprised Geena is getting so much love here. When I put her on my list, I thought either no one has seen the movie or would remember it.
I’d say Vartan was a BIG reason why I loved Alias.
<The Long Kiss Goodnight didn’t do much box office when it first came out (and was considered a bomb). However, it really has blossomed over the years since once it came out on tape/disc. I know more than a few people (both genders) who claim it as a favorite. I love it for Geena’s performance and Shane Black’s script (Samuel L. Jackson, too). Thanks, Elyse.
This ended up being harder for me than I thought because I actually don’t like A LOT of action movies, so I don’t see as many. Then add on top of that the fact that I think they write a lot of female hero roles very poorly. Anyway, some of my list will be thriller movie-based (I like a ton in that category), but I figure if they can play a good thriller hero, then they can do a good action hero, right???
Jodie Foster would definitely be on my list. I think most of her roles are technically thriller, though. And while the movies haven’t always been great, her performances are stellar.
Demi Moore’s GI JANE, definitely. She’s got a number of thriller roles where she’s been a kick-ass hero, too. Even as animated Esmerelda, she was great.
Rene Russo in IN THE LINE OF FIRE. Again, I don’t think they classify this one as action, but she was great. I also liked her in LETHAL WEAPON. Mel may be gone off the deep end, but those movies are still good movies!
Meg Ryan’s gone a little odd these days, but I thought her role in COURAGE UNDER FIRE was top-rate.
Catherine Zeta Jones – o.k., groan if you want to, but I actually like her and even though ENTRAPMENT wasn’t a great film, she was a good hero in that one. If nothing else, give her credit for all the gymnastics!
Kathleen Turner was the other one I came up with. ROMANCING THE STONE and JEWEL OF THE NILE are probably action films but I was thinking more along the lines of V.I. WARSHAWSKI. When I looked it up, VIW isn’t action, but I don’t understand how that’s not action and MISS CONGENIALITY is. Whatever!
Two from TV I wanted to mention are Gabrielle Anwar, who has done film but what I’ve seen her in hasn’t been action hero. However, she’s a kick ass action hero in BURN NOTICE. She can shoot it, blow it up, or knock it out.
And finally Cote de Pablo who plays Zeva on NCIS. She’s fabulous. I don’t know of any film work that she’s done, but someone should be trying to snag her for an action film!
These are some great choices, Jen. How could I forget Moore as G.I. Jane? She was TOUGH. Didn’t she do one-arm pushups? I thought “Damn!” when I saw that.
Re: Zeta-Jones, my husband was mesmerized by her, ah, flexibility.
Fi is a great character and Anwar looks like she has a blast playing her!
Thanks for taking time to come up with your list.
I saw SALT yesterday with my son and one of my daughter’s schoolmate’s dad. While I enjoyed KNIGHT & DAY last month, Jolie made Tom Cruise look like a total wimp with her role in SALT. Also, as opposed to K&D, the audience clapped when the Phillip Noyce’s director credit hit the screen (a good many of them being women). We all thought it one one fun flick. Thanks, Elyse.
I liked Jolie a lot and agree she is totally badass, especially that thing she did with the chain near the end. But I felt the movie was lackluster and would have to give it more thought to explain exactly why. I went with 4 other people and 3 out of 5 (me included) fell asleep in the middle. That was the last thing I expected to do while watching this!
BTQY
Whether you like the movie or not. HITGIRL from Kick Ass has to be considered. After taking out rooms of goons out- come on.
I’ll take your word for it because I have to sheepishly say I haven’t seen it. Thanks for your comment!
1) linda hamilton – T2
2) sigourney weaver – aliens
3) michelle rodriguez – girl fight & 2 fast 2 furious & resident evil
4) michelle yeoh – crouching tiger, wing chun, etc.
5) milla jovovich – resident evil
6) demi moore – g.i. jane
7) angelina jolie – tomb raider & mr./mrs. smith
8) bridget neilsen – red sonia
9) ?
10) ?
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Winners of Aimee Bender's THE PARTICULAR SADNESS OF LEMON CAKE
Movie Review: DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS
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Belgium Top 100 Songs - Daily
Belgium Top 40 Songs
Belgium Artists Top 40 Songs
Higher by Laura Tesoro
Overview. Total views, likes or dislikes have been reached by "Higher" as summary. Interactive graphics based on weekly views and history of all chart achieves for this music video.
Origin Name
Laura Tesoro - Higher (Official Video)
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"Higher" has reached 1.9M total views, 23.4K likes, and 698 dislikes. It has been submitted at 25/05/2017 and spent 65 weeks on the charts. For all times when appearing in charts, the song achieved 17.2K average weekly views.
Video Views by week
Weekly Chart Achieves (Top 40 Songs)
The highest charting position of the entry is #3 . The video has reached most views on week #126 , acquiring 129.3K views on YouTube. The song appeared 5 total times in the Top 10 ; 4 total times in the Top 20 ; 10 total times in the Top 40 ; The worst ranking place of the video is #150. "Higher" has been charted in 1 trends (countries):
Belgium Top 40 Chart
Belgium Top 40 / week #236
Monthly Chart Achieves (Top 40 Songs)
The best charting position of the entry is #3 . The video has gained most views in June 2017, acquiring 409.7K views on YouTube. The song appeared 1 total times in the Top 10 ; 1 total times in the Top 20 ; 2 total times in the Top 40 ; The worst ranking place of the video is #179. "Higher" has been charted in 1 trends (countries):
Belgium Top 40 / June 2019
Belgium Top 40 / May 2019
Belgium Top 40 / April 2019
Belgium Top 40 / March 2019
Belgium Top 40 / February 2019
Belgium Top 40 / January 2019
Belgium Top 40 / December 2018
Belgium Top 40 / November 2018
Belgium Top 40 / October 2018
Belgium Top 40 / September 2017
Belgium Top 40 / August 2017
Belgium Top 40 / July 2017
Daily Chart Achieves (Top 100 Songs)
The highest ranking position of the entry is #3 . The video has achieved most views on 02/12/2018, acquiring 2.6K views on YouTube. The song appeared 12 total times in the Top 100 ; The worst charting place of the entry is #100. Find all daily charts - Top 100 Belgium
18/05/2019 1.6K
07/04/2019 1K
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Home News The keys that will define the future of Isco in Real Madrid
The keys that will define the future of Isco in Real Madrid
“Complicated situation”, as defined Sergio Ramos what's Isco Y Solari this Thursday. And the captain is not wrong. In these moments it has become a total unknown what awaits the future of the player from Malaga. Once the option to leave in January has been ruled out, the rumors place their departure next summer. Never before has its continuity been questioned, but everything can happen.
Isco is determined to endure
Little has been heard from Isco about his situation in recent months. Only once and went to the step of the rumors that placed him outside the Madrid this winter. “I want to continue in Madrid and win more titles,” he said. A gesture that reassured the fans and sent him a statement of intent.
He promises to fight. He has lost what has been his place for several seasons. Know in your own skin what it is to fight for a position at Real Madrid and go for it again. Madrid is his home and he is reluctant to give up.
Isco goes to the field to replace Lucas Vázquez
Opportunities until summer
Isco barely counts for Solari. This is a reality that, in case anyone had doubts, it was seen in the eleven that the Argentine put in Cup, loaded of the youngest and without Isco. But casualties are accumulating around the attack. Against him Betis this weekend will not be Luke Vázquez Y Solari he runs out of alternatives.
In the short term you can present several opportunities as against Betis, in Copa del Rey … Now, you have to take advantage of them. In his last performances he has been crestfallen and emotionally touched. He has to take a step forward and impose himself on this situation that he is going through.
The future of the bench of Madrid
The differences between Solari and Isco are for many insurmountable. Do what Isco does and regardless of the needs of the team. This, therefore, would sting his future in white, but at this point of the season there is nothing assured for anyone, neither for Isco, nor for Solari.
The Argentine coach has the confidence of the club to continue until the end of the season, except hecatomb. He signed his contract until 2021, but in June he will take stock. Isco knows that the door is open to the arrival of a new trained and then he would sit down to talk to him to know his intentions.
Santiago Solari, on the bench of the Santiago Bernabéu
Europe's greats love Isco
The situation of Isco has alerted everyone. Manchester City, Juventus, Chelsea, PSG… There are many clubs that are behind him and that plan to launch their networks in the summer to get their signing. There is even talk of figures, but all of them are around 80 million euros, a price that would fall short in the current market moment. Madrid will not 'give it away'.
The position of Madrid
From the club have been seen gestures that denote that is still relying on Isco. That approach of Florentine in the Christmas meal, the celebration of Ramos in the Club World Cup… He is a player who has been known for five seasons and knows what he can offer.
But, if nothing changes, would Real Madrid seek an exit? No doubt it would have to be for an attractive offer (100 million euros) and always under the condition that a replacement of guarantees, that is to say, a star, should come, see Hazard, Eriksen or even a surprise in the form of exchange like Dybala.
[Más información: En Italia sitúan a Zaniolo, la joya de la Roma, en el punto de mira del Madrid]
Isco Alarcón
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Reasi CITY GUIDE
Reasi Directory
reasi.
Top Cities of Jammu & Kashmir
About Reasi
Bhimgarh Fort in Reasi
Kalika Temple in Reasi
Reasi Tourism
The town of Reasi is a tehsil and notified area committee in J&K, India. This quaint town is positioned at the bank of Chenab River. It is also the headquarters of district Reasi. The town used to be a part of Bhimgarh State in 18th century, which was set up by King Bhim Dev. Earlier this town was known as “Rasyal” which was renamed as “Reasi” later.
History of Reasi
Raja Bhim Dev was the first ruler of the Bhimgarh State during the 18th century when Reasi was considered to be a part of this state. The consecutive rulers who ruled the state were- Raja Hari Dev who was the emperor of Jammu in 1652 and Diwan Singh in 1810. Jammu was under total mayhem during the reign of Diwan Singh. The revolts and conspiracies inside the palace disturbed the administration.
In order to control the situation Raja Gulab Singh was sent here by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Raja Gulab Singh punished the mutineers and started the rule of law. After conquering the mutineers in Reasi, he gave away the administration to General Zorawar Singh, who was a trustworthy commander of Gulab Singh. This was in the year 1822, when Zorawar Singh was declared as the king of Jammu. The 1st municipal election in Reasi took place in 2005 and Mr. Kuldeep Singh was nominated as the 1st chairman of the municipal corp. of Reasi.
In the year 2014, in the month of September, Reasi witnessed a disastrous flood and the Saddal Village in the district of Reasi was totally erased due to a devastating landslide. Not a single human being could survive this flood.
Geography of Reasi
The Reasi town is located almost 72 kilometers from Jammu. The average elevation of the town of Reasi is 1529 ft or 466 m. The town is positioned at 33.08 degrees in the north and 74.83 degrees in the east. Agriculture is the main source of livelihood in Reasi. Government jobs and small scale businesses are the other sources of income besides agriculture. Majority of population in Reasi is constituted by the Hindus. Wheat, maize, bajra and paddy are the main crops that are cultivated in Reasi. Some vegetables are also cultivated here. Reasi is affluent with the existence of iron and bauxite ores. Several precious stones are also found here.
Majority of areas in the Reasi town, fall under sub tropical zone, while the remaining areas come under temperate zone. Generally, the summer months are hot and winters are chilly. During the summer months the day time temperature remains between 24 degree Celsius and 44 degree Celsius. In winters the maximum temperature remains between 15-16 degree Celsius and minimum temperature is almost 2-3 degrees. Snowfall can also be witnessed on the higher points.
Demographics of Reasi
According to the census of 2011, the population of the Reasi town was 36,355. The official language of Reasi is Urdu. Kashmiri, Dogri and Gojri are the other major languages that are spoken here. 46 percent of the total population is constituted by females and the rest 54 percent belongs to the male population. The avg. literacy rate of the Reasi town is 75 percent with 70 percent female literacy and 78 percent male literacy. The population that belongs to kids below 6 years is 13 percent. There are total 177 villages in Reasi which occupy 74932 sq. kilometer of area and are housed by total 71501 persons.
Places of Attractions in Reasi
The scenic town of Reasi boasts of several places of tourist interest among which the Bhimgarh Fort and Kalika Temple are worth mentioning.
There are a few other spots located near Reasi which can be explored during the stay at Reasi town, these are:
Vaishno Devi Katra
Shiv khori
Dera Baba Banda
Salal Power Project
Baba Aghar Jitto
Sulla Park
Siar Baba
Nau Pindian
Baba Dhansar
Bhoomika Temple
Culture in Reasi
The culture of Reasi town is predominantly the “Dogra Culture”. The Dogra culture is reflected in their fables and myths in the form of folklores. The Dogra folklores also depict the religious stories connected with the temples in Jammu and Kashmir. Ras dances are also a part of Dogra culture and thereby contribute to the culture of Reasi.
Lohri, Diwali, Navratra, Holi and Baisakhi are the main festivals that are celebrated in the Reasi town. The cultural life of the residents of Reasi depends entirely upon agriculture. Since agriculture depends on the geographical conditions of the area, the locals rely on oxen and rain for the growth of crops.
Folk dances and folk songs have always been a part of festivals, fairs, harvest time or at the time of worshipping a deity. Various kinds of folk dances are performed during these occasions with great ecstasy.
Food in Reasi
Reasi has bountiful restaurants and road side dhabas which offer mouth-watering cuisines from various states of India. Some of the prominent ones are - Prem Vaishno Dhaba, Punjabi Haveli, Pooja Vaishno Dhaba and Kens Food Planet.
Shopping in Reasi
Shopping can be a wonderful experience if you are well acquainted with the town of Reasi. Here are some fantastic shops for buying miscellaneous items in Reasi:
Shivanghis Paradise (Cosmetics Store)
Address: Nr Chowk Zorawar Chabootra,
Reasi, J&K, Pin code- 182311
Chowk Zorawar Chabutra(Market Place)
Address: Reasi, J&K, Pin code- 182311
Services in Reasi
Along with the overall development of the Reasi town, there has also been a boost in the services offered to the inhabitants of the town. To fulfill the financial needs of the locals, the town offers some major banks which are listed below:
Punjab National Bank (PNB)
Address: Main Bazaar, Reasi,
J&K, Pin code- 182311
Phone number: 01991-244154
IFSC Code: PUNB0338900
MICR Code: 182024251
Address: Reasi, J&K,
Pin code- 182320
Phone numbers: 01991- 245281 & 82
IFSC Code: SBIN0006918
To fulfill the postal requirements of the residents of Reasi, a post office has been set up in the Reasi town, the details of which are given below:
Name of the Post Office: Reasi
Address: Postmaster, P O Reasi (Sub office),
Transportation in Reasi
Situated 72 kms away from Jammu the Reasi town can be easily accessed via rail, road or air.
The Katra Railway Station is the nearest rail head to the Reasi town which is located 28 kms away from Reasi. The Shri Shakti express plying between New Delhi and Katra started since July 2014. This train stops at Udhampur, Jammu, Ambala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Pathankot. From Katra the tourists can hire car or taxi to reach Reasi town which takes around 35-40 minutes.
The Jammu Tawi railway station is 77 kms away from Reasi. After getting down at the Jammu Tawi rail head, the tourists can get to Reasi by taking a bus or a cab.
The nearest airport to Reasi is the Jammu Airport which is located at a distance of 75 kms from Reasi. From Jammu there are various flights which connect the city with the rest of India.
Present Status of the Reasi Town
After the establishment of the Salal Power Project in the 1980s, the economic progress of Reasi has improved a lot which was a bit slow earlier due to the hilly terrain. Moreover, after the initiation of Army in this region, people are more secured now than before. The Jammu-Srinagar Railway line which is expected to come into operation in a very short time will also go through the town of Reasi which will probably boost the prosperity and development of this region.
Fact File of Reasi
Best Time to visit: March to October
Languages Spoken: Kashmiri, Urdu, Gojri, Dogri
Currency: Rupees
State Animal: Kashmir Stag
State Bird: Black Necked Crane
State Tree: Chinar
Tourism Website: http://reasi.gov.in/tourism.html
Comments / Discussion Board - About Reasi
Important Links Jkonline.in
Reasi.jk
Read More About reasi.Jkonline.in
Jammu & Kashmir Online Network
Information About Education In: Reasi
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r/RLFashionAdvice
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Odell Beckham Jr. Nick Bosa Devin Bush Jamel Dean Quinnen Williams Sam Darnold Terrence Metcalf Tre Lamar Manti Te'o Amari Cooper Garrett Bradbury Dexter Lawrence Montez Sweat Rashan Gary Kendall Sheffield Julio Jones Andre Dillard Andraez Williams Sports Doping College football Football College sports NFL Scouting Combine Athlete injuries Athlete health NFL football Professional football
New York Giants New York Jets New Orleans Saints Dallas Cowboys Atlanta Falcons
Sweat, Metcalf among big winners at NFL scouting combine
By MICHAEL MAROT - Apr. 11, 2019 08:52 AM EDT
Florida defensive lineman Jachai Polite talks to the media at the NFL Scouting Combine on Saturday, March 2 2019 in Indianapolis. (Detroit Lions via AP)
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Receiver D.K. Metcalf showed off his muscle-man physique — and his speed — in Indianapolis.
Defensive end Montez Sweat proved big men can run fast, too.
The two pro prospects from rival colleges in Mississippi left the NFL's annual scouting combine as the two biggest winners of the weeklong event. They were impressive.
Following Metcalf's performance in the 40-yard dash, the New York Jets' official Twitter account posted: "4.33? At that size?"
The comment could tip off the Jets' plans for the No. 3 pick in April's NFL draft, considering quarterback Sam Darnold will be entering his second season in the league this fall.
And who could blame them for taking Metcalf, who possesses rare athleticism for a receiver that measures in at 6-foot-3 3/8, 238 pounds and has 1.6 percent body fat.
His performance was even better. After wowing scouts by doing 27 reps on the bench press at 225 pounds, he posted a vertical jump of 40 1/2 inches, a broad jump of 11 feet, 2 inches, and the 40-yard dash time — all top-five performances among the receivers.
What made it even more impressive for the son of former NFL offensive lineman Terrence Metcalf was that he did all of it after having season-ending neck surgery last fall.
"I'm not supposed to be here right now," the former Ole Miss star told NFL Network following his workout.
Meanwhile, Sweat, the former Mississippi State defensive lineman, made his workout look like it was, well, no sweat.
The 6-foot-6, 260-pound Sweat was clocked at 4.41 seconds in the 40, the top speed by a defensive lineman since at least 2003 and faster times than those posted at the combine by Amari Cooper, Julio Jones or Odell Beckham Jr. Sweat also finished fourth among edge players in the broad jump (11 feet, 2inches) and three-cone drill (7 seconds flat) and was sixth in the vertical jump (36 inches).
The only question might be his strength. He did 21 reps on the bench press, 12th at his position.
But the NFL's official Twitter account was impressed with what it saw.
"Something special out of Starkville," Sunday's post read.
Now team officials will spend the next six-plus weeks picking apart game film and combine performances, attending pro day, doing additional background and medical checks while bringing in players for formal interviews before making draft-weekend decisions.
The offensive and defensive linemen are supposed to be the strength of this draft. The combine proved it.
Defensive end Nick Bosa and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams of Alabama put themselves in the conversation to be the top overall pick with strong showings. Bosa completed the 40 in 4.79 seconds and did 29 reps on the bench press. Williams, at 303 pounds, ran the 40 in 4.83 seconds.
Michigan's dynamic duo of defensive end Rashan Gary and linebacker Devin Bush also helped themselves with strong showings Sunday. Gary ran a 4.58 in the 40 — No. 1 among defensive linemen — while Bush posted a 4.43.
Center Garrett Bradbury of North Carolina State and offensive tackle Andre Dillard of Washington State had the best performances Friday, the first full day of workouts in Indy. Both helped themselves with good performances in the 40 and demonstrated their agility with solid times in the three-cone drill and 20-yard shuttle. Bradbury also had 34 reps on the bench press, second among offensive linemen.
Safety Zedrick Woods of Mississippi posted a 4.29-second 40 on Monday, fastest time all week. Cornerback Jamel Dean of Auburn ran a 4.30-second 40 on Monday, the second-fastest time of the week.
THE LOSERS
At least four players couldn't finish their workouts because of injuries, including potential first-round pick Jachai Polite from Florida.
The outside linebacker came to Indy with high expectations but ran the 40-yard dash in 4.84 seconds, slower than inside linebacker Manti Te'o in 2013, whose 4.82-second run helped him slide into the second round. Polite stopped after hurting his hamstring and will have to try and rebuild his stock before the draft.
Highly rated defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence of Clemson didn't finish because of a minor thigh injury in his left leg, and his college teammate, linebacker Tre Lamar, hurt his right shoulder on the bench press.
Top cornerback Greedy Williams of LSU did not compete after suffering cramps Monday.
But the most serious injury may have come Sunday when Ohio State cornerback Kendall Sheffield suffered a torn pectoral muscle, NFL Network reported. Sheffield did not work out Monday.
And scouts may be hard-pressed to find breakaway runners in this draft class. Though Josh Jacobs of Alabama did not run Friday, the fastest back in the group was Justice Hill of Oklahoma at 4.40. Ryquell Armstead of Temple was second at 4.45.
CAUTIOUS TIGER
Questions about Lawrence's suspension for using a banned substance, which kept him out of the College Football Playoff, continued in Indianapolis. And Lawrence acknowledges the surprise results of his previous test have made him wary.
"Every time I take a drug test it's going to be skeptical because that was just something that I know I didn't do and something to pop up like that just really unfortunate," he said. "Every time I pee in a cup now I'm just thinking, 'OK, let me pray because it's just something stupid like that can happen.' "
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theJetsBlog
Joe Vitt doesn't want to discuss past with Gregg Williams
Jets' Gase will monitor Bell's usage
Quinnen Williams' Rookie of the Year odds
Jets Training Camp Battles: Cornerbacks
WATCH: Jets' Avery Williamson becomes a sushi chef for the day
5 bold predictions for the Jets 2019 season
Here's where the Jets sit in the latest Madden NFL 20 rankings
How Jets can overcome the loss of Chris Herndon to start the 2019 season
Jets' Adams excited for healthy Maye
10 under-the-radar Jets who could crack 53-man roster
Jets TE Chris Herndon suspended four games
WATCH: Jets' Avery Williamson tries his hand at broadcasting
Former Jets coach Walt Michaels dies
AFC East Power Rankings: Where the Jets stand
Jets with best odds for MVP
'They will make the playoffs': A way-too-early prediction for the Jets 2019 season
Why Gregg Williams could be key for Jets' Darnold
The Jets' options in the NFL supplemental draft
10 most important players for the Jets in 2019
Jets would be wise to bring in competition for C Jonotthan Harrison
Quinnen Williams is Madden 20's best rookie
WATCH tonight on SNY: Three titles, one year, one city
Mosley explains why NFL is 'sleeping on the Jets'
Jets have Patriots WR Julian Edelman's attention
Joe Namath explains why Tom Brady is the GOAT
McCown on Darnold: 'He'll be just fine'
Audio from Bell's 911 call released
Jun 21 | 10:07AM
Ty Montgomery knew Jets were right fit, hoping to stay in New York 'for a long time'
Jets GM Joe Douglas reportedly adds three experienced personnel staffers
WATCH: Joe Vitt doesn't want to discuss past with Jets DC Gregg Williams
Senior defensive assistant and Williams worked together in New Orleans during "Bountygate"
Williams and Vitt dynamic 00:00:16
New York Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and linebackers coach Joe Vitt were quick to get past talking about their relationship
Don't ask Joe Vitt about his relationship with Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.
The Jets' senior defensive assistant had little to say Thursday when asked about working under Williams again, like the pair did in New Orleans, where they were both involved in "Bountygate."
"This is a National Enquirer question, or what?" Vitt tersely retorted. "I like Gregg. Me and him are friends. Next question."
Both coaches served suspensions for their respective roles in the violation and supposedly parted on bad terms, making it unlikely the two would ever work together again. However, it came out in February that the two reportedly squashed whatever beef existed years ago.
Vitt is head coach Adam Gase's father-in-law, but he also had little interest in discussing what it's like to be on the same staff as him.
"He's on the offensive side. I don't work with him much," Vitt said. "I see him maybe once a week."
Jets' Adam Gase will monitor Le'Veon Bell's usage
Jets RB will be eased into offense
New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold, left, hands off to running back Le'Veon Bell while running a drill at the team's NFL football training facility in Florham Park, N.J., Tuesday, June 4, 2019. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez) (Julio Cortez/AP)
Jets running back Le'Veon Bell was a workhorse for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but that won't be the case for the Jets. Not right away, at least, says New York head coach Adam Gase.
Bell, 27, signed a big four-year, $52.2 million deal with the Jets with $35 million guaranteed this offseason. Money like that, the second-most to any running back in the NFL per Spotrac, indicates the Jets should have big plans for Bell, but he's not going to be tossed right into the fire.
According to Gase, the Jets will ease Bell into his touches after the rusher didn't play in 2018 because of his contract dispute with the Steelers.
Tags: Le'Veon Bell
Jets' Quinnen Williams given strong Rookie of the Year odds
Jets top-two picks land odds for DROY Award
(Seth Wenig)
The Jets made Quinnen Williams the third-overall pick at the 2019 NFL draft and his odds at earning the league's Defensive Rookie of the Year Award are nearly the same.
According to BetOnline.ag, Williams has 17/2 odds at landing the honor, which are the fourth-best odds among defensive rookies.
Of those with better odds than Williams, two were selected after him. Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White, the fifth-overall pick, and Jacksonville Jaguars pass rusher Josh Allen, the seventh-overall pick, landed 8/1 and 7/1 odds, respectively. San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, who was the lone defender picked ahead Williams at pick No. 2, has the best odds for the award at 5/1.
Tags: Jachai Polite, Quinnen Williams
Jets Training Camp Battles: Will cornerbacks exceed expectations in 2019?
Can Trumaine Johnson finally live up to his contract? Who will start next to him?
By Bent | 11:00AM
Dec 9, 2018; Orchard Park, NY, USA; New York Jets cornerback Trumaine Johnson (22) reacts to his interception against the Buffalo Bills during the fourth quarter at New Era Field. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports (Rich Barnes)
Bent, theJetsBlog.com Follow on Twitter
There is widespread concern that the cornerback position could be a weakness for the Jets in the upcoming season. With roles available, could someone unexpected step up and become a key contributor?
Projected Starters: Trumaine Johnson, Darryl Roberts, Brian Poole (slot/nickel)
Projected Backups: Derrick Jones, Parry Nickerson, Blessuan Austin
On the Bubble: Arthur Maulet, Tevaughn Campbell, Mark Myers, Kyron Brown
Departures: Morris Claiborne, Buster Skrine, Rashard Robinson
Tags: Buster Skrine, Morris Claiborne, Trumaine Johnson
SNY's Jeane Coakley watched as Williamson made his own sushi rolls
Williamson tries to make sushi 00:02:59
Jeane Coakley joined Avery Williamson as he tried to learn the art of sushi making. He then got to enjoy a boatload of sushi, literally.
If the whole football thing doesn't work out for Jets LB Avery Williamson, I think he might have found an alternative.
SNY's Jeane Coakley was on hand with Williamson at a sushi restaurant in the city to see how well he would do as a sushi chef.
After making his own rolls, Williamson was very pleased with the result. And, of course, he's liking how the offseason has gone thus far with the Jets...
Tags: Avery Williamson
5 bold predictions for the Jets 2019 season, including Sam Darnold's first Pro Bowl bid
The Jets are also going to do more than just make the playoffs
In the last six months, the Jets have finished off their third straight season of double-digit losses, their eighth straight season of missing the playoffs, and they've fired their head coach and general manager. No wonder so many believe that things couldn't possibly get any worse.
Of course, that's not the defeatist attitude around One Jets Drive these days. Inside their building, they believe things are about to get much, much better. They have added many talented reinforcements, a high-energy coach, and a GM who seems ready to pull them in the right direction.
Will it all work out for this star-crossed franchise? It's not too early to guess. So here are five bold predictions for what to expect from the Jets this year:
Tags: Jamal Adams, Leonard Williams, Le'Veon Bell, Quincy Enunwa, Sam Darnold, Ralph Vacchiano
Madden isn't too high on Gang green despite Jets' big changes
New York Jets safety Jamal Adams reacts during the second quarter against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium. (Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports)
Each year, football fans anxiously await the new Madden NFL game to hit the shelves. But their player ratings generate even more buzz.
Well, EA Sports has released their initial rankings for each team, and Jets fans may not like where their team has ended up.
At the moment, the Jets are a 78 overall with an 73 offense and 80 defense, which is good for the sixth-worst team in the game. The Dolphins, an AFC East rival, are the game's worst team at 72 overall, while the Bills are third-worst at 78 overall. The Super Bowl defending-champion Patriots are an overall 87.
Tags: Jamal Adams, Leonard Williams, Le'Veon Bell, Sam Darnold, Trumaine Johnson
Does Gang Green add another tight end like they did in 2017?
By Bent | Jul 15 | 11:24AM
Chris Herndon (89) Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports (Brad Penner)
Last week, the Jets announced that tight end Chris Herndon would be suspended for the first four games of the 2019 regular season. This will obviously be a blow for the team, as they look to establish their new-look offense under Adam Gase. Herndon caught 39 passes last year to lead all rookie tight ends, including 32 over the last 10 games.
However, if the Jets intend to make a move to improve their tight end depth and give themselves further cover at the position, the options are somewhat unappealing.
Last month, even before the Herndon suspension was announced, Bucky Brooks wrote on NFL.com that the Jets should consider trading for veteran Jimmy Graham. However, adding a veteran who is past his prime and still on a high salary would be an overreaction at this point, especially if they had to give up anything of value to acquire him from the Packers.
Tags: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, Chris Herndon, Eric Tomlinson
Jets' Jamal Adams excited for healthy Marcus Maye: He's 'one of the best free safeties' in the NFL
Safety duo weren't able to build on rookie momentum last season
Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye built a strong chemistry when the two were rookies in 2017. Last season injuries prevented the duo from building on that start to their careers.
Due to a slew of injuries, including shoulder and thumb issues, Maye was held to only six games played in 2018. Adams wasn't shaken by injuries. His season went in the opposite direction as he landed his first Pro Bowl nod.
However, Adams recognizes the success of the Jets' secondary takes more than just him and he recently told the team's website that he's excited to have Maye back healthy and ready to go for this year's training camp.
Tags: Jamal Adams, Marcus Maye
There are players whose training camp showing could propel them
Nov 12, 2018; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New York Giants receiver Quadree Henderson (15) during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports (Kirby Lee)
The Jets' 2019 roster is already starting to take shape but finding unexpected contributions and building depth from unlikely sources is something that could really help them progress to the next level.
Let's highlight 10 players that haven't received much attention during the offseason, each of whom has a chance to end up on the final roster.
WR Quadree Henderson
Tags: Brandon Copeland, Brent Qvale, Charone Peake, Darron Lee
Jets TE Chris Herndon suspended for first four games of season
The 23-year-old pleaded guilty to a DUI earlier this year
Oct 14, 2018; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets tight end Chris Herndon (89) catches a pass over Indianapolis Colts cornerback Chris Milton (28) during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports (Vincent Carchietta)
Jets tight end Chris Herndon has been suspended without pay for the first four games of the 2019 season for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, the team announced on Friday.
Herndon, 23, pleaded guilty to a DUI that occurred in June 2018 back in January.
He received a 90-day driver's license suspension and was fined $639 in municipal court while the NFL continued to investigate. A first-time offender is typically given a two-game suspension, per the league's alcohol policy, but the commissioner can impose additional discipline for aggravating circumstances.
Tags: Chris Herndon
The Jets linebacker recently stopped by the SNY Studios
Avery Williamson stops by SNY 00:03:39
Avery Williamson joins Jeane Coakley for a day at SNY. Williamson tries his hand at broadcasting and gets a behind-the-scenes look at SNY.
Avery Williamson's tenure with the Jets got off to a solid start in 2018, but could a career in sports broadcasting be in his future?
The Jets linebacker recently stopped by the SNY Studios and learned all the ins and outs of the business. Watch as he goes over his shot sheets, stops by the makeup room, and makes his way to the SNY desk.
Former Jets head coach Walt Michaels dies at 89
Michaels also part of Super Bowl III winning staff
A general view of a New York Jets helmet and an NFL football during the game between the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets at Ralph Wilson Stadium. (Kevin Hoffman)
Walt Michaels, former head coach of the New York Jets, died on Wednesday, his daughter told the Wilkes Barre Times-Leader. He was 89.
Michaels spent six seasons with the Jets as the bench boss, racking up a 39-47-1 overall.
His playing cabegan in 1951 as a seventh-round pick by the Cleveland Browns, but was traded to the Green Bay Packers before his rookie season where he played one season. From 1952-1961, he returned to the Browns where he played linebacker. Michaels was a five-time Pro Bowler.
AFC East Power Rankings: Where the Jets stand before training camp
Will Gang Green's big changes see a much improved team?
By Bent | Jul 11 | 12:06PM
Dec 30, 2018; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) and New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold (14) congratulate each other after New England's win at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports (Winslow Townson)
With training camp just a couple of weeks away, it's a good time to take stock of the rest of the AFC East. Let's review some of the big storylines for each of the Jets' rivals, and assess where they should stand in the Power Rankings...
1. New England Patriots - 2018 record: 11-5
Ordinarily, you'd expect any team to struggle to overcome the loss of key contributors like Trey Flowers, Rob Gronkowski and Trent Brown, among others. However, the Patriots have traditionally had no problems integrating replacements for their departing stars.
Tags: Le'Veon Bell, Robby Anderson, Sam Darnold
Which Jets players have best odds for 2019 MVP
Two Jets' players land MVP odds
Dec 23, 2018; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold (14) throws a pass while Green Bay Packers defensive back Eddie Pleasant (35) defends during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports (Ed Mulholland)
Odds Shark released Bovada's latest odds for the NFL's 2019 MVP Award and both Jets running back Le'Veon Bell and Giants running back Saquon Barkley were listed by the odds makers. Both landed with +5000 odds to take home the top-individual silverware next season.
Tags: Le'Veon Bell, Sam Darnold
Could Gang Green make the playoffs for the first time since 2010?
By Ralph Vacchiano | Jul 10 | 10:56AM
Dec 15, 2018; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold (14) reacts after a touchdown by New York Jets running back Elijah McGuire (not pictured) during the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports (Brad Penner)
There's a new general manager (Joe Douglas), a new head coach (Adam Gase), a new star (Le'Veon Bell), and a new attitude (Gregg Williams and many others). All of that has the Jets thinking this is going to be a great season.
But the "old" quarterback -- 22-year-old Sam Darnold -- is still the biggest reason for hope of all.
The Jets may not be ready to say it publicly, but internally they are thinking playoffs. In fact, they're expecting their first playoff berth since 2010. They may not be ready to win the AFC East, but they feel there's no reason why they can't emerge as an AFC contender.
Why Jets DC Gregg Williams could be biggest key for Sam Darnold
Darnold should benefit most from Jets' defensive coordinator
By John Healy | Jul 9 | 4:32PM
New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold is pressured by Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt during the first half at MetLife Stadium. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)
Of all the new coaches that could help Sam Darnold in his second NFL season, it's Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams who could have the biggest impact on the quarterback.
Williams has a reputation for being intense and bringing that competitive energy into practices, which is one of the reasons why head coach Adam Gase hired him.
That intensity, coupled with the different schemes and looks he will deploy in the defense in practice, is something should benefit Darnold, according to offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains.
Tags: Sam Darnold
Weighing the Jets' options in the NFL Supplemental Draft
Are any available players worth a pick?
By Bent | Jul 8 | 10:00AM
Dec 28, 2018; San Antonio, TX, United States; Washington State Cougars safety Jalen Thompson (34) celebrates with teammates after an interception against the Iowa State Cyclones during the first half in the 2018 Alamo Bowl at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports (Soobum Im)
The NFL's supplemental draft takes place on July 10th, with the potential for multiple selections for the second year in a row. Could any of the available players interest the Jets, though?
New general manager Joe Douglas has already stated his intent to investigate any and all options to upgrade the roster he inherited from his predecessor, Mike Maccagnan. With the option to forego a 2020 draft pick to add a draftable prospect at this late stage of the offseason, he might be tempted to pull the trigger.
When Douglas and new director of player personnel Chad Alexander were both on the Ravens staff, they opted to use a fifth-round pick on tackle Jared Gaither in 2007. This proved to be a nice pick-up as he started 28 games in his first three years. New assistant general manager Rex Hogan was also on a Bears team that used a seventh-round pick on fullback Harvey Unga in the 2010 supplemental draft. This pick was less successful, though.
10 most important players to Jets' success in 2019
Gang Green will rely heavily on these guys
(Robert Deutsch)
For the second straight offseason, the Jets went on a huge spending spree, and this time it looks like they spent their money more wisely. They brought in stars and players who can truly make a difference.
At least that's what they believe.
Tags: Jamal Adams, Leonard Williams, Le'Veon Bell, Quincy Enunwa, Sam Darnold, Trumaine Johnson, Ralph Vacchiano
Darnold seemed to like Harrison last season, but there are concerns about his game
By Bent | Jul 4 | 1:29PM
The Jets franchise has been blessed with consistency at the center position throughout most of its history. From the Super Bowl-winning John Schmitt to two-time Pro Bowler Joe Fields, the reliable Jim Sweeney, Hall of Fame nominee Kevin Mawae and all-pro Nick Mangold, the Jets have rarely had an extended period without a solid long-term solution at the position.
However, since Mangold's retirement, the Jets have been unable to adequately fill the position. While there seems to be plenty of optimism that Jonotthan Harrison could fill that role, fans and media remain skeptical.
Jets' Quinnen Williams named top-rated rookie in Madden 20
How the Jets' rookie class is rated in game
By Nick Wojton | Jul 3 | 3:32PM
Apr 25, 2019; Nashville, TN, USA; Quinnen Williams (Alabama) is selected as the number three overall pick to the New York Jets in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft in Downtown Nashville. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports (Christopher Hanewinckel)
The New York Jets selected defensive tackle Quinnen Williams with the third-overall pick at the 2019 NFL draft and despite that, some believed he was the top prospect.
The latest addition to that group is EA Sports, as the producers of the upcoming video game, Madden 20, gave the Alabama product the best ranking of any rookie in the game.
Williams' overall rating in Madden 20 is an 80. He edges out the Bills' first-round pick, another defensive tackle in Ed Oliver, and the second-overall pick, pass rusher Nick Bosa. Those two were rated 79 and 78 overall, respectively.
Tags: Quinnen Williams
Three titles, one year, one city 00:01:01
SNY's documentary on the magical year of 1969 in New York for the Mets, Jets, and Knicks premieres tonight after Mets Post Game!
C.J. Mosley explains why NFL is 'sleeping on the Jets'
New LB wants to lead Jets to next level on defense
Dec 30, 2018; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens inside linebacker C.J. Mosley (57) reacts after sacking Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (not pictured) during the second half at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports (Tommy Gilligan)
The New York Jets' new defensive star, C.J. Mosley, knows a thing or two about what makes a winning pedigree. The former Baltimore Raven made the playoffs twice with his old team and learned how to lead a defense from Ray Lewis and Terrell Suggs. He has already assumed a role as a vocal leader and a "culture changer" for the Jets' defense.
There's no doubt that Mosley's teammates will listen when he speaks up. That said, Mosley's latest bulletin-board statement is sure to get Gang Green's collective blood pumping.
"We know the whole NFL is sleeping on the Jets, so we're ready to prove them wrong," Mosley told NewYorkJets.com. "They always have been [doubting the team], even I was when I wasn't here."
Tags: CJ Mosley
New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold unsnaps his helmet as he heads to the bench during the second half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. (Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports)
Why the Jets have Patriots WR Julian Edelman's attention
The Super Bowl MVP expects a 'tough matchup' from Gang Green this year
New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman scores a touchdown against New York Jets cornerback Morris Claiborne during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium. (Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports)
The Jets have not beaten the New England Patriots since Week 16 of the 2015 season, but this year could be different.
Just ask Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman.
The Super Bowl LIII MVP has noticed what the Jets have done this offseason and expects Gang Green to be a challenge for the defending Super Bowl champions this upcoming season.
Tags: Jamal Adams, Le'Veon Bell, New England Patriots, Sam Darnold
Jets Hall of Famer Joe Namath explains why Tom Brady is greatest QB of all time
Namath's reasoning goes beyond the rings
Oct 14, 2018; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets former quarterback Joe Namath Before the National Football League game between the New York Jets and the Indianapolis Colts at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports (Vincent Carchietta)
Joe Namath says there is no doubt about it, Tom Brady is the best quarterback to play the game.
The Jets legend and Hall of Fame quarterback was asked about the greatest of all time at the position while on The Howard Stern Show on Monday, and while Namath has idolized many quarterbacks, none compare to the six-time Super Bowl champion who has tortured the Jets the last two decades.
"Tom is the best," Namath said. "I've been asked that question for many years -- Johnny [Unitas] was my hero, Otto Graham was great, Slingin' Sammy Baugh, I go back, these guys are great. But meantime, Tom has been challened more in recent history, certainly with huge games than anybody I can recollect -- and he stepped up every time."
Newly-retired Josh McCown on Jets' Sam Darnold: 'He'll be just fine'
'If he needs me, I'm only a phone call away'
New York Jets quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Josh McCown watch second half of play against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. (Noah K. Murray/USA TODAY Sports)
Josh McCown was a mentor to Sam Darnold in the Jets quarterback's rookie year.
And even though he won't be around Darnold in his second year with New York after announcing his retirement and transition to ESPN NFL analyst, he is confident Darnold will show vast improvement in 2019.
"I tried to empty the clip with him and give him everything I could," McCown told ESPN's Rich Cimini. "He'll be just fine."
Tags: Josh McCown, Sam Darnold
LISTEN: Audio from Jets RB Le'Veon Bell's 911 call released
Bell's girlfriends disappear with $500,000 of his jewelry
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell during AFC practice for the 2018 Pro Bowl at ESPN Wide World of Sports. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)
TMZ Sports released audio from Le'Veon Bell's 911 call when he told the operator that two women left his house with more than $500,000 worth of jewelry.
Bell reported to police on May 25 that he returned home from the gym to find jewelry missing and his closets had been rummaged through.
On the phone call, Bell told the Hollywood (Florida) Police Department that when he returned home from his workout, the two girls "took my money, they took my watch, my jewelry, a couple more of my things of value out of my house."
Montgomery will be backing up Le'Veon Bell this season
Jan 6, 2019; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens running back Ty Montgomery (88) during an AFC Wild Card playoff football game against the Los Angeles Chargers at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports (Kirby Lee)
Versatile running back Ty Montgomery had a few destinations he could have pursued in free agency this offseason. But he eventually decided the Jets was the place for him, even though he wouldn't be the main man in the backfield.
That title, of course, goes to Le'Veon Bell this season after he signed a long-term deal with New York. Still, Montgomery believed the Jets was the right fit, mainly because of the offense Adam Gase brings with him.
"You have to be smart," Montgomery told newyorkjets.com's Ethan Greenberg about Gase's offense. "You have to be able to catch the ball and you have to be able to run the ball. You can't have an imbalance and be at running back in this offense. It's actually pretty cool, it's challenging. I think it suits my abilities and I'm loving it."
Tags: Le'Veon Bell, Scott Thompson
After adding former GM Phil Savage earlier on Tuesday, Douglas made two other personnel staff additions
GM Joe Douglas made key additions to the Jets' front office on Tuesday.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Jets added Browns GM Phil Savage and Ravens Director of Pro Personnel Chad Alexander. Later in the afternoon, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Colts VP of Player Personnel Rex Hogan has been hired by Gang Green to be Douglas' assistant GM.
The 54-year-old Savage's role is unclear, but he returns to an NFL front office for the first time since he was with the Eagles from 2010-12. Meanwhile, Alexander will serve as director of player personnel for the Jets.
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5 Reasons Why Han Solo Is The Greatest Star Wars Character
By Dan Jolin on September 04th 2018 September 04th 2018 Comments (5) EMLA, EMLA 2018, Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction, Han Solo, Prop Store, Prop Store Live Auction, Solo A Star Wars Story, Star Wars, Star Wars The Empire Strikes Back, The Empire Strikes Back
Welcome to the newest of our Preview Blogs from the Prop Store 2018 Entertainment Live Auction. During August and September, we will give you a weekly advance preview of some of the amazing and iconic lots that we have in store for you in this years auction… this week we’re looking at 5 Reasons Why Han Solo Is The Greatest Star Wars Character!
WE LOVE HIM. HE KNOWS. FIVE REASONS WHY HAN SOLO IS THE GREATEST STAR WARS CHARACTER
It’s fair to say that few Prop Store Auction items have generated quite the same level of excitement as one of this year’s headline lots – namely Han Solo’s jacket from The Empire Strikes Back. Of course, it’s an amazing example of sci-fi costume design (by the brilliant John Mollo), but that’s not the only reason we get tingles when we look at it. That reaction is primarily fuelled by the man who wears it. The scoundrel who became a general, the criminal who became a hero, the handsome rogue with a walking carpet for a best buddy. Han Solo is — without doubt — the most popular Star Wars character of all. Yes, even more popular than Boba Fett, Admiral Ackbar or that little scaredy mouse droid on the Death Star. If you don’t believe us, then check out the recent readers’ poll in Empire magazine, which firmly put him in the number one slot of a ‘Greatest Characters’ list. And if you still don’t believe us, then consider these five claims to greatness (one for each movie he appears in)…
1. HE SHOOTS FIRST
Whether or not you reject the revisionism of the CG-modified 1997 Star Wars Special Edition (in which director George Lucas infamously added a laser blast from bounty hunter Greedo, just a second before Han gut-blasts him beneath a Cantina table), it’s clear the Corellian smuggler is not your usual, straight-arrow hero. When we first meet him in 1977’s Star Wars, he’s merely concerned with paying off his debts, caring little for Luke and Ben Kenobi’s rescue mission. Which is what makes him such a compelling character over the course of the next three films (including Episode VII, The Force Awakens). This is a guy who goes from self-serving mercenary to leading light of The Rebellion; from a cynical loner to the lover of a princess; from a Force and Jedi nay-sayer to a man who confirms “it’s all true”.
And if you’re still in doubt that he was ever a true anti-hero, consider the proof provided by Ron Howard’s recent prequel, Solo: come the conclusion (spoiler alert!) Han doesn’t hesitate to put a blaster hole in the chest of his one-time mentor, Beckett (Woody Harrelson).
2. HE’S HARRISON FORD*
In the rough draft of George Lucas’ “The Star Wars”, Han Solo was a green-skinned alien acolyte of “the Jedi-Bendu”. In a later version he was a flamboyant but flabby pirate. By Lucas’ third draft, he’d been refined closer to the guy we now know: “A cowboy in a starship — simple, sentimental and cocksure of himself.” But it wasn’t he finally agreed to cast his American Graffiti actor Harrison Ford in the role (after auditioning the likes of Kurt Russell and Christopher Walken — with standby Ford feeding them lines) that Han truly arrived. Bringing his real-life, take-no-crap attitude to the character, Ford does invaluable work in grounding the Star Wars movies, giving the saga a bit of “hokey religion”-poking, human weight. And, importantly, a wry sense of humour. Just look at how many laughs he earns in the first film: charging foolhardily at a squad of stormtroopers (and then charging away from them just as fast), or trying pull a trick over a Death Star intercom, messing it up, and blasting the panel with the words, “boring conversation anyway”.
*Except in Solo, of course, where he’s played by Alden Ehrenreich, who’s no Harrison Ford (who is?), but was still really smart casting for the younger incarnation — less a physical match than a match in terms of pulling off that tricky balance of cool, charm, foolishness and sentiment.
3. HE’S GOT STYLE
When Princess Leia called him “a stuck-up, half-witted, scruffy-looking nerf-herder,” Han was right to take issue with the “scruffy-looking” part. As dressed by John Mollo, he offers a sharp contrast to the flowing robes and sweeping gowns of the other human characters. He’s all business and practicality with his collarless shirts and jackets full of handy pockets, a trusty blaster holstered at his side. Where the likes of Luke, Ben and Leia received their sartorial cues from the distant Middle Ages or the samurai films so beloved by Lucas, Han swaggered in like he’d just arrived from The Old West —the kind of guy who you’d expect to set saloon doors swinging, with a look Mollo said was largely inspired US cavalry officers. As a result, Han felt that bit closer to us: the most modern figure in Lucas’ galaxy of “a long, long time ago”. As much as he was the coolest-looking, he was also, for many of us, the most instantly relatable.
4. HE’S GOT HEART
If Han really were as cynical as he makes out, you wouldn’t be reading about him here. What becomes apparent over the course of the original Star Wars saga is that he truly cares for his friends, from his life-long bond with Chewbacca (less his sidekick than his shaggy conscience), to his fraternal connection with Luke (Mark Hamill), to — most significant of all — his romance with Leia (Carrie Fisher). This peaks during the finale of The Empire Strikes Back, when Han is handed to Darth Vader to test out Cloud City’s carbon-freezing tech. Following some fantastic on-the-run banter and intensifying sexual tension (the result of both Fisher and Ford’s chemistry, and some cracking script work by Lawrence Kasdan and veteran writer Leigh Brackett), we witness the big moment of truth for their relationship, as Han is about to go into possibly fatal stasis. “I love you,” Leia calls out, devastated. “I know,” comes Han’s reply. Ford himself came up with the response, after numerous different variations and takes during the shooting of the scene with director Irvin Kershner. And it’s perfect: arrogant, irreverent but also utterly honest and deeply from the heart.
5. HE’S OFTEN IMITATED BUT NEVER BETTERED
There are dozens of Solo imitators, scattered across numerous different cinematic universes: those rogues we love for their rugged imperfections, whose independent, ‘why-should-I?’ spirit will always ultimately be quelled for the greater good. In the Marvel movies, you can find the space-smuggler’s anti-heroic DNA in characters like Guardians Of The Galaxy’s Star Lord and Iron Man’s Tony Stark. Elsewhere in sci-fi you can hear his echoes in Captain Mal Reynolds of Joss Whedon’s Firefly series and Chris Pine’s take on Captain Kirk in J.J. Abrams’Star Trek reboot. In Star Wars itself Han has stylistic cousins inRogue One’s Cassian Andor (whose wardrobe seems lifted wholesale from Solo’s own) and the new trilogy’s hot-headed Poe Dameron. But there is only one Han (even if he has now been played by two people), who stands apart, alone, above all his imitators. The clue, of course, is in his surname.
So what do you think? Is Han Solo the greatest Star Wars character ever? Let us know in the comments, or check out a little more about the upcoming Han Solo lots that are coming up in the Prop Store Live Auction below, or get a little more in-depth with this year’s star piece from a galaxy far far away – Han Solo’s jacket!
Han Solo’s (Harrison Ford) Jacket
AFA Graded Han Solo
Palitoy Action Figure
Han Solo’s (Harrison Ford)
Gold-Plated Han Solo Millennium
Falcon Lucky Dice Crew Gift & T-Shirt
Don’t forget to keep watching these weekly ‘sneak peek’ blogs, showcasing some fantastic props from this year’s Entertainment Live Auction 2018. Follow us on Twitter & Facebook to be the first to know about all current & upcoming Prop Store Auctions and more!
The REAL World of Warcraft
The Magic Of Mondo
BLIND JUSTICE – The History of Marvel’s Daredevil
PACKING THE PUNCH – The History of Marvel’s Iron Fist
The Peculiar Legal Case Of Carry On Cleo
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Top 10 Greatest Comic Book Artists | Highlights from EMLA 2018
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Missouri Public Service Commission Open Records Policy
Sunshine Requests
It is the policy of the Missouri Public Service Commission (Commission) to comply with the Missouri Open Records or “Sunshine Law" as set forth in Chapter 610 RSMo 2000, as supplemented. The Commission recognizes that the public policy of the State of Missouri established in section 610.011 provides that all meetings, records, votes, actions, and deliberations of public governmental bodies shall be open to the public and that the Sunshine Law shall be liberally construed to promote this public policy.
This policy is adopted by the Commission pursuant to section 610.028.2 RSMo. 2000, as supplemented. The Secretary of the Commission is the custodian of records as required by section 610.023. The Commission hereby adopts and implements this Open Records Policy to respond to requests for access to public records. This policy and procedure repeals and replaces all earlier policies and procedures.
Read the complete policy: Missouri Public Service Commission Open Records Policy
Listing of Public Documents
Records Request Form
Missouri Sunshine Law: Chapter 610, RSMo
Missouri Attorney General's Office -- Information on The Sunshine Law
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Database/Directory 1
Clinical Guideline
United States Federal Government
Search results for "Clinical Guideline"
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guideline for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection, 2017.
Berríos-Torres SI, Umscheid CA, Bratzler DW, et al. JAMA Surg. 2017;152:784-791.
Surgical site infections are a common hospital-acquired condition. This clinical guideline reviews the literature and gathers expert opinion to identify generalizable evidence-based strategies to reduce surgical site infections. The authors highlight antimicrobial, preoperative hygiene, glycemic control, and skin preparation procedures to prevent infection.
Guidelines for the prevention of intravascular catheter-related infections.
O'Grady NP, Alexander M, Burns LA, et al; Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee. Am J Infect Control. 2011;52:e162-e193.
This article discusses strategies to prevent catheter-related infections.
Primary care–relevant interventions to prevent falling in older adults: a systematic evidence review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
Michael YL, Whitlock EP, Lin JS, Fu R, O'Connor EA, Gold R; US Preventive Services Task Force. Ann Intern Med. 2010;153:815-825.
Falls are a major source of preventable morbidity and mortality for elderly patients in both the ambulatory care and hospital setting. However, efforts to prevent falls have been limited by a lack of high quality evidence supporting specific prevention strategies. This AHRQ-funded systematic review identified several focused interventions, including physical therapy, exercise, and vitamin D supplementation, that appeared to reduce the risk of falls in outpatients. The evidence base in this area has also been strengthened by recent studies showing that patient education and individualized interventions can prevent falls in hospitalized patients.
ECRI Guidelines Trust.
ECRI Institute.
This website is a practical resource to review existing clinical practice guidelines in a centralized location. Key components of the site include links to full-text guidelines and an assessment function that explores the rigor and trustworthiness of each document. This website was built by the team that developed and maintained the AHRQ National Guideline Clearinghouse, which is no longer available.
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Technologic Approaches
Clinical Information Systems
Diagnostic Errors 20
Missed or Critical Lab Results 12
Identification Errors 10
Interventional Radiology 1
Overtreatment 1
Primary Care 17
Plastic Surgery 1
Palliative Care 1
Active Errors
Cognitive Errors ("Mistakes") 18
Discharge Fumbles
Alan Forster, MD, MSc; December 2004
A patient arrives at the ED in acute kidney failure; another patient arrives at the ED profoundly hypoglycemic. Both mishaps were determined to stem from medication errors at the time of discharge.
Deciphering the Code
Mary K. Goldstein, MD, MS ; February 2006
Failure to enter documentation of a DNR order causes a severely ill elderly man to be resuscitated against his wishes. Shortly thereafter, the patient's wife confirms his wishes, and within minutes, the patient dies.
One ACE Too Many
David N. Juurlink, BPhm, MD, PhD; July 2006
A patient presenting to the ED with chest pain was ruled out for MI, and discharged on an ACE inhibitor. Two weeks later, he returns with a critically elevated potassium level, has a cardiac arrest, and dies.
DNR in the OR and Afterwards
Bernard Lo, MD; September 2006
An elderly woman who had a DNR in place took a fall that required her to have surgery. Discussion with the patient's health care proxy led to the DNR order being suspended during surgery, with the understanding that it would be reinstated postoperatively. Several days later, a nurse noticed that patient remained 'full code' because the DNR had not been restored.
Beeline to Spine
Gerald W. Smetana, MD; June 2007
Based on preoperative discussions, a patient undergoing knee replacement expected to receive spinal anesthesia; however, general anesthesia was administered, and the records did not note or explain this change. The patient suffered an unusual complication.
William Hersh, MD; July-August 2007
A hospitalized elderly woman had clinical indications to receive medication to prevent venous thromboembolism. The intern noted this in the electronic record, and although this information was copied and pasted in the record on 4 consecutive days, the patient never received the intended prophylaxis and suffered a pulmonary embolism after discharge.
Recurrent Hypoglycemia: A Care Transition Failure?
Ted Eytan, MD, MS, MPH; October 2008
An elderly, non–English-speaking man with diabetes was admitted to the hospital twice in 8 days due to hypoglycemia. At discharge, the patient was instructed not to take any antidiabetic medications. In between hospitalizations, he saw his primary care physician, who restarted an antidiabetic medication.
EMR Entry Error: Not So Benign
Ross Koppel, PhD; April 2009
A patient hospitalized with Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia and advanced AIDS is given another patient's malignant biopsy results, leading his primary physician to mistakenly recommend hospice care.
Medication Reconciliation Victory After an Avoidable Error
Timothy W. Cutler, PharmD; February-March 2009
A 91-year-old woman is found lethargic and incontinent, with slurred speech. Review of her medications reveals numerous duplicates, including some considered potentially inappropriate for use in elderly patients.
Hospital Admission Due to High-Dose Methotrexate Drug Interaction
Lydia C. Siegel, MD; Tejal K. Gandhi, MD, MPH; January 2009
Four months after surgery, a woman with osteosarcoma receiving outpatient chemotherapy was admitted for possible cellulitis. Discharged home on methotrexate and antibiotics, the patient developed methotrexate toxicity, partly due to a drug interaction.
Sloppy and Paste
Robert Hirschtick, MD; July 2012
An elderly man presented to an emergency department (ED) with new onset chest pain. In reviewing the patient's electronic medical record (EMR), the ED physician noted a history of "PE," but the patient denied ever having a pulmonary embolus. Further investigation in the EMR revealed that, many years earlier, the abbreviation was intended to stand for "physical examination." Someone had mistakenly copied and pasted PE under past medical history, and the error was carried forward for years.
After-Visit Confusion
William Ventres, MD, MA; March 2014
A teenager presented to an urgent care clinic with new bumps and white spots near her tongue. Although she was diagnosed with herpetic gingivostomatitis, the after-visit summary incorrectly populated the diagnosis of "thrush" from the triage information, which was not updated with the correct diagnosis. The mistake on the printout caused confusion for the patient's mother and necessitated several follow-up communications to clear up.
Critical Opportunity Lost
Jonathan R. Genzen, MD, PhD, and Heather N. Signorelli, DO; March 2015
After presenting to the emergency department, a woman with chest pain was given nitroglycerine and a so-called GI cocktail. Her electrocardiogram was unremarkable, and she was scheduled for a stress test the next morning. A few minutes into the stress test, the patient collapsed and went into cardiac arrest.
Dual Therapy Debacle
Steven R. Kayser, PharmD; September 2015
Following a myocardial infarction, an elderly man underwent percutaneous coronary intervention and had two drug-eluting stents placed. He was given triple anticoagulation therapy for 6 months, with a plan to continue dual anticoagulation therapy for another 6 months. Although the primary care provider saw the patient periodically over the next few years, the medications were not reconciled and the patient remained on the dual therapy for 3 years.
New Patient Mistakenly Checked in as Another
Robert A. Green, MD, MPH, and Jason Adelman, MD, MS; January 2016
Presenting to his new primary physician's office for his first visit, a man was checked in under the record of an existing patient with the exact same name and age. The mistake wasn't noticed until the established patient received the new patient's test results by email.
Dropping to New Lows
Patricia Juang, MD, and Kristen Kulasa, MD; April 2016
While hospitalized, a man with diabetes had difficult-to-control blood sugars, with multiple episodes of both critical hypoglycemia and serious hyperglycemia. Because "holds" of the patient's insulin were not clearly documented in the electronic health record and blood sugar readings were not uploaded in real time, providers were unaware of how much insulin had actually been given.
The Case of Mistaken Intubation
Maria J. Silveira, MD, MA, MPH; June 2016
An older man with multiple medical conditions was found hypoxic, hypotensive, and tachycardic. He was taken to the hospital. Providers there were unable to determine the patient's wishes for life-sustaining care, and, unaware that he had previously completed a DNR/DNI order, they placed him on a mechanical ventilator.
Lapse in Antibiotics Leads to Sepsis
Mitchell Levy, MD; October 2016
Administered antibiotics in the emergency department and rushed to the operating room for emergent cesarean delivery, a pregnant woman was found to have an infection of the amniotic sac. After delivery, she was transferred to the hospital floor without a continuation order for antibiotics. Within 24 hours, the inpatient team realized she had developed septic shock.
Falling Between the Cracks in the Software
Julia Adler-Milstein, PhD; July/August 2016
Because the hospital and the ambulatory clinic used separate electronic health records on different technology platforms, information on a new outpatient oxycodone prescription for a patient scheduled for total knee replacement was not available to the surgical team. The anesthesiologist placed an epidural catheter to administer morphine, and postoperatively the patient required naloxone and intubation.
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laterite ridge • small farm free range eggs
place // two hours east of perth, west australia
colour // olive green
sound // the hum of chickens buuuarrrk-ing
word // inquisitive
Local and state governments have agreed that "free range" means 10,000 chickens per hectare. The CSIRO wouldn't agree that one bird per square meter is really ranging free, and suggests that 1,500 chickens per hectare is "free range".
Keeping that in mind, I visited Mat, 149km east of Perth, outside a small town called York. It's a beautiful time of year to head out east, with yellow canola fields blooming and spring flowers popping up beside the red dusty roads. I studied the map hard the night before, and pin pointed exactly where I thought I'd find this modest farm, then woke up at the crack of dawn to make it in time to feed the chickens.
Mat's farm, which started as nothing more than a bush block, is now home to pigs, cows, chickens, and a beautiful spray-free veggie patch. There's a simple homestead which houses up to ten volunteers at a time - these volunteers and travellers form the backbone of Mat's operations out at Laterite Ridge. The farm often resembles a "youth hostel", according to Mat, who seems to enjoy the company and cultures that circle through his remote part of the country.
Mat raises truly free range birds. He tells you that there's less than 500 chickens per hectare, because really that's about as far as they roam, but if you want to get technical it's actually more like less than 100. They're split between a few shelters, mainly to tell the difference in ages and monitor laying numbers, though I did witness a few birds cross the great divide between the houses, following us as we did the rounds.
As a (mostly) vegetarian for (mostly) ethical reasons, I had a slew of questions for Mat, worrying that I wouldn't like all the answers. There are harsh realities in farming - chickens naturally would lay 15 eggs a year, yet they've been bred to now lay 340 (Mat's don't quite lay that may). Laying hens slow down after a few years, and are no longer sustainable for a farmer to keep - this is hard to hear, because it means that 250, 500, or 1000 birds need to leave the farm just because they're old, but Mat has successfully re-housed all of his older chickens to loving homes. So I asked Mat the hard questions, and mostly I was surprised by the answers - he really cares about these birds. Spoiler alert - I still eat his chicken's eggs.
Fun facts about chickens:
1. Chickens have a great sense of direction (why did the chicken cross the road?). If Mat moves the shelter, they'll jump over fences, run 400m across the paddock, and continue roosting in the previous location of the shelter for up to 8 weeks.
2. Chickens are super fussy eaters. Actually, they're just fussy in general. Change their food or clean out their nesting boxes and Mat will see egg production drop from 700/day to 500/day and take 4 - 6 weeks to climb back up.
3. Chickens are meat eaters (or omnivores, technically). If there's no meat in their food, they'll chase mice and eat lizards or bugs.
4. Free range (meat) chickens are expensive for a good reason. Mat originally set out to farm free range chickens for human consumption, until he did the math and realised that he was subsidising a $15 meat chicken "to the tune of about $5 a bird". Thank a free range organic farmer next time you see one, because chances are they're working ridiculously hard to put ethical meat on your plate.
5. Chickens are really funny. I was constantly laughing at how the chickens would react to us. They would gather around and peck your legs, for no other reason other than checking you out and...well, fun? We'd pull up in a car or open four wheeler and within seconds the birds would flock onto the bonnet and balance on the windscreen wipers. They'd jump onto the seats and sit on the steering wheels. They are so inquisitive - anything new they want to see, touch, peck and poop on.
I could have spent so much longer at Laterite Ridge farm. The chickens have such quirky personalities and there was still so much to learn and explore. (I only briefly got to meet the sheep who thinks he's a pig, and didn't have time to say hello to the cows!) There's a good reason, though, why Mat's free range eggs are in such high demand, and I appreciate that he is so thoughtful about his expansion plans, ensuring that the chickens and their health and wellbeing are always the priority.
There is so much more I can say, but instead of listening to me, take a listen to Mat and learn about Laterite Ridge Free Range farm.
Visit the Subi Farmers Market on a Saturday (bright and early!) to buy some of Mat's free range eggs.
ON THE FARMRae Fallon 25 October 2016 Laterite RidgeFree Range, Chicken, Eggs, Farmers, Subi Farmers MarketComment
sue lewis • chocolate extraordinaire
IN THE KITCHENRae Fallon 22 November 2016 Sue Lewis ChocolatierChocolate, Chocolatier, Perth, Sue Lewis
subi farmers market • the farm comes to town
Rae Fallon 13 October 2016
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RealAstrologers
The astrology of world affairs, human evolution, the future, and the state of the universe.
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Weekly Forecast February 23: The Curious Case of Comet Lulin
As the stars came out for the Oscars last night, another “star” was making a rare debut.
Reports are trickling in of naked-eye sightings of Comet Lulin, which until last week was visible only with binoculars or a telescope. Now that we can see it, more people are paying attention, and I’ve been asked several times whether Lulin has any astrological significance.
The answer is, “I don’t know.” Throughout history, astrologers have interpreted comets as omens — and not usually good ones. That’s about all we know, but predicting disaster has fallen out of favor these days. We’re in the New Age, where being spiritual means thinking positive and collectively envisioning the new paradigm.
I say that tongue-in-cheek, of course. Those of you who regularly read my columns know that I have a unique take on being “spiritual,” which I define as being able to see the energy patterns underlying material manifestation. And by “seeing,” I don’t mean with the eye but with a different kind of vision. This concept may be one of the messages that this strange visitor is relaying to us.
What else is it saying? We might find some clues in the uncanny coincidences surrounding Lulin’s appearance this week as it makes its closest approach to Earth.
For starters, Lulin is coming out of hiding at the New Moon, and not in just any sign, but in Pisces, the sign most associated with seeing beyond material existence into other realms. (For more on this subtle but extremely powerful New Moon, read Neith’s report on RealAstrologers.com.) As if that’s not enough, on Tuesday Lulin conjoins Saturn, lord of time and the material universe, which currently is locked in opposition with Uranus, planet of electrical energy, technological innovation, and radical change.
Although Lulin was just discovered in July 2007, it has been inside our inner solar system since the mid-1990s. Throughout that time, it remained in the sign of Pisces, and from an astrological perspective, we might say that Lulin came from Pisces. On September 11, 2001, it was very close to the degree of Pisces that Uranus is now occupying in its opposition to Saturn. Lulin moved into Aquarius in August 2007 and remained there for about a year before gathering speed in its trajectory around the Sun.
The most curious thing about Lulin is that it is moving backwards, unlike any comet observed in human history. It also is displaying two tails. Past and future, meeting in the present?
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, nominated for 13 Oscars, is about a man who lives his life in reverse. A defining moment in the story is the “conjunction” of the hero and his love interest as their ages converge, he moving backwards and she moving forward. The trailer includes the tagline, “Life can only be understood backward; it must be lived forward.” Coincidence?
It is not too far-fetched to believe that Comet Lulin will force conventional science to reexamine its limited view of material reality. Indeed, there is a new theory that comets aren’t balls of rock and ice, but bodies of pure energy with powerful electromagnetic fields. Lulin’s appearance also may herald a change in how we view time. We’re told that time isn’t linear, and while we understand that concept intellectually, most of us haven’t assimilated the greater truth of time.
And so, dear ones, that is what I see as the biggest news in the sky this week, although its meaning is beyond the scope of astrology and takes us into new territory that may take years to fully explore and comprehend.
Looking at this week’s planetary movements, Mercury is out of his post-retrograde shadow period and also is entering unfamiliar territory, a land of innovative ideas and new possibilities. On Monday, the Messenger conjoins Jupiter, perhaps aiding in the dissemination of Lulin’s gift of knowledge. He sextiles Venus on Wednesday, facilitating the communication of love and friendship. Get it while you can, because the conjunction of Mercury and Mars on Sunday threatens to unleash quite different sentiments. Make a commitment beforehand to speak from the heart. If the truth hurts, so be it, but don’t say anything deliberately hurtful.
The only other aspects worth noting this week are Tuesday’s New Moon, followed by the Moon’s opposition to Saturn and conjunction with Uranus on Wednesday. Do pay attention to what comes up on this day, as it will provide you with hints of what to expect at the Full Moon on March 10. Neith and I will have more about that soon.
Wishing you all much love and courage …
Image: Comet Lulin on Feb. 21, 2009. Photo by Conrad Pope of Kelly, NC.
This entry was posted in About astrology, Forecasts and tagged comet lulin, new moon in pisces, Saturn-Uranus opposition on February 23, 2009 by Pat.
← Saturday Archives: Reversed Nodes in Family Synastry Weekly Poll: What Do You Think Of Comet Lulin? →
5 thoughts on “Weekly Forecast February 23: The Curious Case of Comet Lulin”
Tseka February 24, 2009 at 1:11 am
Pat!
Great, great article. Love the speculation about Lulin and the additional history you provide for it’s recent transits. It is an interesting phenomena to contemplate. I’ve hauled myself out of bed for 3 mornings to view this new comet but we have had a thin veil of clouds in that part of the sky so no luck. Being close to Saturn should make it easy to find. Also we could throw in the proximity to Spica for those of us who really want to stretch our imaginations or just navigate the night sky.
NEOBuckeye February 24, 2009 at 4:54 am
I’ll second what Tseka said. Very interesting article, Pat!
Tseka February 24, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Hej NEO my friend, good to see you.
I saw it last night, Lulin, a greenish blur. I do not have decent binoculars so it was not too impressive, the story was better, heh. It was a clear dark sky here in the desert, and after waiting for my eyes to adjust, I was able to pick out Lulin with naked eye.
Matt February 24, 2009 at 3:50 pm
I had a dream similar to that of march 2008 related to the comet and the new moon.
I was in a bunker strangely positioned above the ocean, I was there together with my family and family of an italian friend who recently moved to Montana Usa for studies.
There was also a young friend of mine together with her class of 6th grade in the bunker.
The bunker had a sorta of terrace and a big window. I saw three military helicopters above the ocean, they were carring a giant piece of land, it was representing a big city completely burned and crashed down; another helicopter was carring a piece of sky, the sky was red and grey and black with burning clouds.
The mother of my friend in Montana told us that a giant storm or anyway a big disaster is coming and those, piece of land and piece of sky, will be replacing a beautiful landscape and sky area.
A boy of 6th grade classroom was joking about that and my friend was trying to make him shut up, then I was angry with the boy and I told him to be respectful to his classmates and that the disaster is a serious thing.
I’m again a little concerned…In the dream of march 2008 I saw a meteor or a comet and a new moon…Snow storms in Europe in March and ( hurricanes or giant tsunamis ) hitting Brasil.
Pat Post author February 25, 2009 at 4:58 pm
A SIGHTING! That makes it official, and by none other their our own Tseka. Thanks for the report. Skies have been far too overcast here, and I’m surrounded by tall trees. But it looks like we have until March 1, according to this news video:
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=12195827&ch=4226724&src=news
Yes, it finally made the news. This link probably won’t last long, so watch it while you can!
Matt, thank you for sharing your dreams here. I hope you are keeping a journal, but if not, this space serves that purpose. Unfortunately, there is no way to know whether these dreams are going to come true, or whether it will be literal or symbolically. We can only watch and wait. I did note, however, that you predicted some high winds on the East Coast of the United States, and that happened on Feb. 12 (winds up to 60 mph!). So, we shall see.
I’m still recovering from a serious injury and can’t respond to all of your comments, but I do read them all, and you are all always in my thoughts.
Big hugs all around…
RA BLog
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Trend of Recycling Gold by Retail Users on the Rise
>Trend of Recycling Gold>
By retailj March 4, 2019 09:48
GJC National Jewelry Awards jury lauds IGI’s Billion-Year-Old Campaign 0 18.Feb
Global Gold Demand up 7% in Q1; Gold Jewellery Demand in India at 4-yr High 0 03.May
India’s Ultra-Rich Prefer Investing in Equities, Bonds Over Real Estate, Gold: Report 0 08.Mar
The quantum of recycled gold in the system is on the rise in India on account of an increase in gold prices and some players ensuring transparency in evaluation and pricing, said jewellers and gold loan companies.
This trend is also helping curb imports, thus saving foreign exchange. India is the second-largest consumer of gold and the largest importer of the yellow metal, importing about 700-800 tonnes annually.
This has a bearing on India’s current account deficit (CAD). In 2017-18, India’s gold imports increased by 22.3% to $33.65 billion and the CAD jumped to $48.7 billion, or 1.9% of the GDP.
While gold imports have not shown a declining trend, jewellers said that had it not been for gold being recycled, recent imports would have shown a higherspike.
According to estimates, temples and households in India have more than 24,000 tonnes of gold, large parts of which are stored in vaults and used on a need basis.
Generally, people hesitate to sell gold. Goldsmiths and jewellers tend to use opaque and unreliable methods such as rubbing ornaments on a black stone, immersing them in some solution and conducting the entire process of gold evaluation out of sight of the seller, often resulting in inaccurate assessment of quality and quantity. This creates a deficit of trust among retail sellers. Now, some players offer transparent and scientific processes to evaluate gold thereby ensuring best value to sellers.
Take, for example, south-based Muthoot Pappachan Group, whose Muthoot Gold Point service claims to use transparent and scientific methodology from gold assessment to final payment, including executing the entire process in front of the customer. It also sends the collected gold to a refinery that converts it into 995 gold bars and supplies them to the domestic market thereby helping reduce gold imports.
Suvankar Sen, ED, Senco Gold and Diamonds, said, “We are seeing a 15% increase in old gold exchange transactions due to the increase in the gold price. Customers are keen to use their unused gold to meet urgent requirements of jewellery, say, for family occasions.
“Even new designs are being bought in exchange for old designs and jewellery. It will be good for the economy [if] recycled gold is used, which will enable the government to use [foreign exchange] for other purposes.”
Colin Shah, vice chairman, Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council, said, “Recycling of family gold is a great idea and can unlock tonnes of gold, subject to proper involvement and support of key stakeholders. Reduction in outflow of forex is great for the country and we hope the government reduces import duty from 10% to 4% as a consequence.” Reducing import duties, it is learnt, will help importers who use the gold, in turn, in jewellery meant for exports.
Anantha Padmanaban, chairman, Gem and Jewellery Council, said, “The launch of a comprehensive gold policy can help bring a lot family gold into the open market. [We] recently met key Finance Ministry officials and submitted a detailed roadmap for a revamped gold monetisation scheme. Its success is greatly dependent on the support of the banking and financial systems network.”
Courtesy: Hindu
TAGS: Anantha PadmanabanColin Shahgold pricesrecycled goldRetail
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Board index ‹ Super League ‹ Leeds Rhinos - southstander.com ‹ New Head Coach - who's it going to be?
Moderators: Frosties., Ex-Swarcliffe Rhino, ADMIN
Post subject: Re: New Head Coach - who's it going to be?
The Ghost of '99
Location: Desperation Island
KaeruJim wrote:(which we offloaded Garbutt over, who is now of course injured again). .
He's not, he's playing on Sunday and did not suffer from "chronic injury" problems whilst at Leeds.
"Brian McDermott, with a wry smile, nods when asked if he remembers a specific incident which made him realise he was a prick. 'I do', he murmurs."
When you look at the last couple of years we have had McD who took us from the treble to the qualifiers to the GF and back to the qualifiers when he was sacked. Sinny and Lowe's limped us through the qualifiers. Furner had us in the bottom 3 and now Agar has seen us dumped from the cup by lower league opposition.
What is darn clear is that a coach can only do so much with what he has. You can put lipstick on a pig but it's still a pig.
We need to get the coach appointment right of course but the bigger issue is the playing squad and that is where the continued focus needs to be.
Location: Meltham
To be fair what's any coach going to achieve in less than a week if you're looking at agar to get a performance at Bradford. I'd say the coach appointment is the priority, sign all the players you like but if the ethos, culture and direction isnt right you'll not get the desired effort which in this game you can't hide from. The right coach also needs to drive recruitment, bringing in the players that fit his vision for the team going forward. That's it, I'm applying!
Seth wrote:To be fair what's any coach going to achieve in less than a week if you're looking at agar to get a performance at Bradford. I'd say the coach appointment is the priority, sign all the players you like but if the ethos, culture and direction isnt right you'll not get the desired effort which in this game you can't hide from. The right coach also needs to drive recruitment, bringing in the players that fit his vision for the team going forward. That's it, I'm applying!
I would have expected Agar, touted as an experienced SL coach with international experience to have been able to get the players up for a cup game that was very winnable. I think any coach brought in would have expected to win that game and the profuse apologies by the club show what a shambles that game was.
That loss was not down to agar though, it was down to the players. I agree we need to get the right coach in as I said, but the right coach (whatever and whoever that may be) can only get so much from what looks a very average squad. So for me, player recruitment, of which any coach will only have so much of a say in is crucial.
Superted
Without rattling on too much, a few points for me that show it's a much bigger issue than just the wrong coaching appointment;
Any team that loses a world class player and leader usually sees a negative impact as usually you cant just replace like for like via recruitment. Any team that lost the equivalent of a Peacock, Sinfield, Burrow or McGuire would struggle - we've lost all 4 in a short space, that leaves a HUGE hole both in terms of playing ability, but also influence on and off the pitch. Most teams don't have 1 player in the same category as those 4, we've been incredibly blessed to have all four at once.
Those players made everyone else around them look much better - this is no disrespect to players like JJB, Ablett, Delaney, Bailey, Kylie (and many more) who are decent/good.players, but had any of those players been at another club without the influence of our big 4, they'd have had nothing like the same careers. Take those 4 out, and replace with players of a lesser standard, without the same leadership and commitment to the club and you're left with a very average squad, with little heart or fighting spirit.
Now the club have royally cocked up replacing those 4, but to be fair, it was an impossible task. The impact those 4 have on standards on the pitch, at training and off the field cannot be understated.
You can potentially replace them individually on a talent front via recruitment, but losing all 4 in a couple of seasons was always going to create a huge leadership/culture vacuum.
We've tried to get through this transition period hoping that their legacy will just continue into the new crop, but that was never going to work. Whoever the new head coach is needs to create their own spirit and legacy within the club.
What I'm about to say somewhat contradicts my points above, but I'd also say that the amount of ex-players being kept in the club is unhealthy. I totally get you want to reward loyalty, and GH obviously thought having the big 4 still involved in the club (there's only McGuire who isn't, and we've been trying to get him back too) would help keep the culture going, but we need to be more ruthless on that front. For all the big 4 have done for the club, ultimately the club is bigger than any player, the players are simply gatekeepers. Look at Man Utd under Fergie, once a player was past their sell by date, they're moved on for a younger, better option, not just moved upstairs - I believe not having the bottle to do this shows a soft underbelly, the sort of soft underbelly that starts to filter down and results in players believing it's acceptable to eat in the kebab shops of Headingley every night.
Superted wrote:Without rattling on too much, a few points for me that show it's a much bigger issue than just the wrong coaching appointment;
Very fair comments.
Posted: Sat May 25, 2019 1:47 pm
LeedsTiger
Location: Arse end of nowhere
Very fair comments. Although I would not have put Leuluai in the same bracket as he was far better than "decent/good"
Don't get me wrong, Kylie was fantastic for Leeds and I loved him as a player - super consistent, reliable and exactly the type of prop we needed alongside JP, and rightly goes down as one or our greatest ever imports.
However, he was a fringe player in the NRL, and I'd suggest if he'd landed at a lesser club in the UK, he'd have been nowhere near as good as he turned out for us. He'd have been a good 'up n down' prop elsewhere, but with the structure and players around him at Leeds, he became a star. I think he's a perfect example of someone profiting from the golden generation.
Location: 742 Evergreen Terrace, Springfield.
With no new coach in its not looking good to shake up this team. It's the same old players week after week. We surely have other options
It's Official - "Homer Simpson is a Leeds Fan"
Pill rhino
Watson anyone?
Board index » Super League » Leeds Rhinos - southstander.com
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Samuel Beckett and Modernism
Posted By Rhys Tranter Published 29 April 2015 3 December 2017
27 – 30 April 2016, University of Antwerp
Beckett and Modernism
The Second Annual Conference of the Samuel Beckett Society
Samuel Beckett. Photograph: John Haynes
The year 2016 will mark the 40th anniversary of the Journal of Beckett Studies (JOBS), founded in 1976 by James Knowlson and John Pilling. To celebrate this occasion, we are proud to announce both of them as keynote speakers at the second conference of the Samuel Beckett Society, dedicated to Beckett and Modernism. Sometimes referred to as ‘The Last Modernist’, Beckett has also been situated within the postmodern canon. After a long critical debate, the term ‘modernism’ has recently been reframed by a vibrant field of what is sometimes called the ‘new modernist studies’, and the term ‘Late Modernism’ seems to be gaining currency in Beckett studies.
At the same time, several critics have called into question not only the criteria underlying these labels but also the act of categorization itself, the danger being in ‘the neatness of identifications’, as Beckett warned his readers from the start. Therefore, with this second conference of the Samuel Beckett Society, we would like to move beyond the point of labelling and examine the different ways in which Beckett interacted with the broad intellectual and artistic climate commonly referred to as ‘modernism’, taking Susan Stanford Friedman’s ‘definitional excursions’ into account: ‘Modernism requires tradition to “make it new”. Tradition comes into being only as it is rebelled against. Definitional excursions into the meanings of modern, modernity, and modernism begin and end in reading the specificities of these contradictions.’
James Knowlson
John Pilling
Beckett’s formative years coincided with the first publications of several modernist masterpieces. While the importance of Joyce and Proust for Beckett’s work has been widely recognized, his dislike of T. S. Eliot has perhaps been taken too much at face value. One aspect of Eliot’s poetics that Beckett would have agreed with is the importance of the literary tradition for modern writing. As his lectures on ‘The Modern Novel’ at TCD, his early essays and the hundreds of books in his personal library confirm, authors from the previous centuries were central to his twentieth-century poetics. One question to ask is how Beckett used that literary tradition to ‘make it new’, not only in his novels, but also in his plays and poems. Even though Virginia Woolf is entirely absent from his work, he did share her interest in the mind. How different is Beckett’s approach from Woolf’s attempt to ‘look within’, and how does his own exploration of the mind relate to the ‘inward turn’ generally associated with Modernism, and to the recent revision of this concept by David Herman (2011)?
That Beckett was fascinated by the material traces of cognitive processes is shown by his careful preservation of drafts, notebooks or marginalia, and we are still learning how these reading and writing traces in turn continued to shape his own thinking. Beckett was not only interested in the mind and the self, as his psychology notes confirm, but also in the nature of representation. While his familiarity with Mauthner’s Beiträge has received much attention, the influence of Sartre, Bergson, Husserl, Heidegger, Frege, Russell and Wittgenstein on Beckett’s notion of linguistic skepticism and phenomenology still deserves more attention. His work is also informed by his familiarity with numerous other cultural aspects: for instance, his knowledge of the visual arts, both modern and classical, acquired especially during his German trip in the late 1930s and through his friendship with Duthuit and his work on transition; the importance of early cinema, attested by Beckett’s reading of Rudolf Arnheim’s Film in 1936, cannot be ignored; the non-visual medium of radio is another modern artform that he explored, around the same time when he listened to dodecaphonic music with Avigdor Arikha.
Like many of the Modernists, Beckett asked himself what it meant to write in a modern sense, as a young TCD lecturer in 1930. He pondered the question for the next sixty years in his writing, and this conference aims to distill answers from the rich body of work he left behind.
The CFP for the second conference of the Samuel Beckett Society invites abstracts that could focus on, but do not need to be limited to, topics such as:
Modernist Minds
o Phenomenology and representation (Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, …);
o Analytic philosophy and language (Frege, Russell, Wittgenstein, …);
o Psychology and the self (psychoanalysis, Gestalt psychology, …).
Modernist Poetics
o Beckett’s Manuscripts
o Linguistic scepticism
o Beckett and the ‘Modernists’ (Joyce, Proust, Woolf, Eliot, Flann
O’Brien, …)
o The modern novel
Modernism and Literary Tradition
o Intertextuality
o Beckett’s reading traces (library, notebooks, etc.)
o ‘Make It New’
o Early cinema, radio broadcasting, technological revolution
o Painting and sculpture
o Experimental music
o Theatrical innovation
Modern Times, Modern Spaces
o Beckett and politics
o Cosmopolitan/metropolitan Beckett
Abstracts (max. 300 words) should be sent to olga.beloborodova@uantwerpen.be
Deadline: 15 September 2015. Notification of decisions by 30 October 2015.
For more information about the conference contact dirk.vanhulle@uantwerpen.be
Archival Research
Avigdor Arikha
Flann O'Brien
Fritz Mauthner
Georges Duthuit
Gestalt Psychology
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T. S. Eliot
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Home NEWS & FEATURES Cooking on the Line
Cooking on the Line
by Kate Andrews
Chef Mustafa Ozkaya and Aung in Anatolia Grill's kitchen Jessica Dodds photo
Twenty-five days into his job at a new Turkish restaurant, Aung is already entrusted with chopping vegetables and cooking French fries.
"After three or four months," says his boss, chef Mustafa Ozkaya, "he's going to be a chef. I'm going to make him a chef."
Much like southern-Turkey native Ozkaya climbed from dishwasher to line worker to chef and restaurant owner in Brooklyn, N.Y.'s dining scene, Aung is working his way up the ranks at Anatolia Grill. He had looked unsuccessfully for a job the past several months before his foster mother's hairdresser, Ozkaya's wife, gave him the heads-up.
"I am helper," says Aung, before enthusiastically naming the Mediterranean staples prepared and kept chilled in the Chester restaurant's kitchen: baba ghanoush, hummus, stuffed grape leaves, moussaka and more. He keeps bins filled with bite-sized pieces of lettuce, as well as chopped tomatoes, onions and marinated red cabbage. When an order comes in for French fries, Aung quickly plunges potatoes into a deep fryer.
He wears black-and-white checkered chef's pants, a black chef's coat and a maroon apron on a Sunday afternoon, as his boss and the sous chef, also named Mustafa, prepare kebabs and other orders, both to go and to eat in.
Aung started as a food runner, but Ozkaya switched him to kitchen work after a week or two because of his occasionally shaky English. The kitchen itself is a stew of languages, from the dishwasher's Spanish to the chefs' and waitresses' Turkish. Aung jokes that sometimes the only way to communicate is through "sign language."
"When I got in here, I didn't know anything," he says, but now he's tried many of the dishes and has learned how to efficiently slice vegetables, a skill that eludes many a home cook. Besides working on weekends, Aung's at the restaurant from 5 p.m. to closing on some school nights, arriving home by 10 or 11 p.m., and then he's up the next morning at 5:30 a.m.
Aung admits he gets sleepy at school, and he misses playing soccer, which he quit to take the job. He and Ahu also don't get to spend as much time together, because Ahu's often at soccer practice in the afternoon, and then he's asleep when Aung gets home from work.
Janey Neff, the boys' foster mother, says the decision to take the job was Aung's and that she hopes it's not too much for him to balance work with school, although he does his homework in the afternoon. She adds that driving him to work gets a little complicated, but this problem should be solved pretty soon, once Aung gets his driver's license. He took the job so he can send money to his grandmother in Myanmar.
Aung says he likes working at the grill, and Ozkaya has promised him more hours this summer. "Am I right, brother?" the chef asks Aung, receiving a quick nod in response.
The Complete Series: Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 , Part 4 , Part 5, Part 6 , Part 7 , Part8, Part9
Find info and get ideas on where to eat around Richmond.
Feature All
Where All
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Year in review 2016 - MACC makes record haul in 49 years from top officers of Sabah Water dept
https://youtu.be/BL7sTmRnARk
Azam Baki (L4) and other MACC officials with the cash and jewelry seized, at a press conference on Oct 5, 2016. — BBX
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) landed its biggest haul since it was set up 49 years ago when it seized RM114.5 million from two senior officers from the Sabah Water Department (SWD) in October.
In a year when MACC bared its fangs, the commission detained the director and deputy director of SWD, which is a government department.
The top officials were alleged to have misused their power in handling infrastructure projects valued at RM3.3 billion. MACC also seized some RM53.7 million in cash.
A total of 19 engineers from the department were also arrested for allegedly receiving kickbacks of between 27% and 30% of the value of SWD projects and emergency response work awarded to contractors.
Meanwhile at MACC, Datuk Dzulkifli Ahmad was appointed the new chief commissioner and took his oath of office on Aug 23.
Dzulkifli, the former national revenue recovery enforcement team director from the Attorney-General’s Chambers, succeeded Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed who stepped down as MACC chief commissioner on Aug 1 after being appointed to the Austrian-based International Anti-Corruption Academy as a board member and visiting expert.
MACC director of investigations Datuk Azam Baki was also promoted as deputy chief commissioner (operations), while its community education division director Datuk Shamshun Baharin Mohd Jamil was appointed deputy chief commissioner (prevention).
Meanwhile, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was investigated by MACC following complaints that he had corruptly purchased a bungalow for a “below market price” of RM2.8 million.
The actual value of the bungalow that Lim bought from a businesswoman Phang Li Koon, was said to be RM4.27 million. He was arrested on June 29 and charged with corruption at the Penang High Court on June 30 but claimed trial.
Statistics revealed that the number of people arrested for corruption from January to September, this year, was 727. This is an increase from 688 in the same period last year.
Other notable corruption cases this year include:
* Jan 18: MACC arrested 14 people, including three Road Transport Department officers, to facilitate investigations into the “sale” of driving licences for between RM2,500 and RM2,800 each in Sarawak. The suspects, aged between 19 and 50, were picked up in an operation in Limbang, Miri, Bintulu and Sibu since Jan 11. They were found to be trying to obtain the licences by submitting false documents to change Brunei driving licences into Malaysian ones.
* Aug 30: The chairman of a bank with the title of “Tan Sri” was remanded for seven days until Sept 5 to assist in the investigation into misappropriation of funds in a RM15 million book publishing contract. Four others, namely the managing director of the same bank with the title of “Datuk”, the bank’s former director of procurement and two publishing company owners were released by MACC on completion of investigations. A total of seven individuals had been arrested by the MACC to assist in investigations in the case. The chairman was charged in the sessions court with criminal breach of trust.
* Sept 20: MACC detained a 55-year-old doctor and 30-year-old general clerk from a district health department for allegedly being involved in fraudulent claims amounting to RM900,000. Johor MACC director Datuk Simi Abd Ghani had stated the suspects were allegedly involved in making 59 payment vouchers for some materials, amounting to RM900,000, between 2015 and 2016. However, the materials never reached the department and the vouchers involved six services’ companies.
*Oct 10: A Datuk Seri and his accomplice were arrested by the MACC for allegedly duping a 58-year-old woman into paying RM125,000 to make changes to erroneous entries in her husband’s death certificate.
The duo had supposedly offered to assist the woman and demanded the huge sum of money from the victim. They had supposedly claimed that the funds were to pay off an officer at the National Registration Department at Putrajaya.
This year, there were a number of charges involving high ranking officers by the MACC.
They included the cases of Kuala Lumpur City Hall project management executive director Datuk Seri Syed Affendy Ali charged with 18 counts of corruption and money laundering involving RM4 million; Kota Baru Tenaga Nasional Berhad manager Arman Che Othman charged with 13 counts corruption and money laundering amounting to RM125,200; and Malacca Public Works Department director Datuk Khalid Omar charged with two counts of corruption and money laundering amounting to RM4 million.
Source: Charles Ramendran newsdesk@thesundaily.com
RM52m cash seized
Sabah Water Department investigation in final stages: MACC
MACC detains 19 district engineers, seizes RM4.2m (Updated)
Detained water dept officials own 38 firms
Director and deputy director of Sabah Water Department suspended from duty (Updated)
Trio slapped with 34 money laundering charges involving more than RM61mil
KOTA KINABALU: A former Sabah Water Department director, his wife and his former deputy were slapped with 34 money laundering charges involving RM61.4mil in what the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission is calling the nation’s biggest graft probe so far.
The former director Ag Mohd Tahir Ag Mohd Talib, 54, was hit with 12 charges for a sum totalling RM56.9mil while his wife Fauziah Piut, 51, faced 19 similar charges involving cash and properties totalling RM2.2mil.
Ag Mohd Tahir’s former deputy Lim Lam Beng, 64, faced four charges involving property and cash totalling RM2.3mil.
All three claimed trial to the charges in the Special Corruption Court after being produced before Sessions Court judge Ummu Kalthom Abdul Samad.
Ag Mohd Tahir was the first to be charged when the hearing began at 10.15am.
Ag Mohd Tahir Ag Mohd Talib, 54 (former Sabah Water Department director) 12 charges involving RM56.9mil.
He faced eight charges of being in possession of RM56.9mil cash and in four bank accounts, two charges of owning six luxury vehicles and a charge of owning 86 types of branded watches.
He also faced another charge of being directly involved in handing over RM14,000 to an individual, Cristine Fiona M. Ponsoi.
The charges were framed under Section 4(1) (b) and Section 4(1) (a) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLA).
Fauziah faced 18 charges for being in possession of more than RM2.2mil in 18 bank accounts. She was also accused of using proceeds from illegal activities to own 93 branded hand bags.
Ag Mohd Tahir and Fauziah were also jointly charged with owning 575 pieces of gold jewellery and another charge of being in possession of 376 other types of jewellery acquired through illegal means.
They were represented by counsel Hairul Vairon Othman and Ariel C. Dasan who were acting for P. J. Pareira.
Fauziah Piut, 51 (Ag Mohd Tahir’s wife) 18 charges involving RM2.2mil.
Lim, who has been suspended as state Finance Ministry advisor, who was represented by counsel Chin Teck Ming, was accused of being in possession of more than RM2.38mil that was allegedly from the proceeds of illegal activities.
Ummu Kalthom subsequently allowed Ag Mohd Tahir to be released on a RM10mil bail – one of the country’s biggest bail amounts set in the country.
She also allowed Fauziah to be released on a RM2mil bail while Lim’s bail was set at RM1mil with the case management to be heard on Feb 28.
Ummu Kalthom also ordered their travel documents to be surrendered to the court.
Lim Lam Beng, 64 (Technical and Engineering advisor, Ag Mohd Tahir’s former deputy) 4 charges involving RM2.38mil
In arguing for the RM10mil bail for Ag Mohd Tahir, Deputy Public Prosecutor of the MACC Husmamuddin Hussin said the property seizures in the case were the largest so far made by the MACC and any other enforcement agency.
The offence is related to the corrupt act by a civil servant entrusted to manage an important resource – water, Husmamuddin said.
Hairul in arguing for Ag Mohd Tahir’s bail to be fixed at RM10,000 for each charge, said bail should not be excessive to the point of penalising his clients.
By Muguntan Vanar, ruben sario, and Stephanie Lee The Star
Director and wife to appeal against record RM12mil bail
More to be charged in connection with the scandal
Three accused steer clear of media spotlight
Hopelessness among public after rampant fraud & corruption cases, says Auditor-General
RM2bil recovered from audits The Government seldom receives dividends and whenever loans are given to these GLCs, they keep piling up&...
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"First of all, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) can only compel someone to declare his assets. Once the assets are d...
Structural defects to blame, stop history repeating itself !
https://youtu.be/7FRTMX53TLc Sniffing out signs of life: The K-9 unit of the City Fire and Rescue operations looking for possible vict...
Let us do more against graft, bring corrupt culprits to court fast !
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabah_State_Water_Department_corruption_probe BY now, it’s clear that many ordinary Malaysians have th...
More senior govt officials held over corruption involving millions of ringgit
PETALING JAYA: Two senior government officials have been remanded in Malacca and Johor over separate cases of graft involving millions of...
Bring corrupt culprits to court fast
MINISTER in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Paul Low recently told the Dewan Rakyat that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission..
Water theft: 60% of RM3.3bil project allocation stolen by senior officers
Oct 8, 2016 ... Water theft: 60% of RM3.3bil project allocation stolen by senior officers ... the two senior Sabah Water Department officers, said there seemed to ...
No water but officials flush with funds: abuse of power ...
Oct 7, 2016 ... No water but officials flush with funds: abuse of power, nepotism, cronyism, bribery and money laundering. Logo Jabatan Air Negeri Sabah ...
Malaysia slides in global Corruption perception index
Mar 10, 2016 ... KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's ranking dropped four places in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) last year. The index, released by ...
The Corruption case in the Youth & Sports Ministry Malaysia is a reflection of broken systems in country
Mar 23, 2016 ... The Corruption case in the Youth & Sports Ministry Malaysia is a reflection of broken systems in country. The brazen embezzlement of ...
Posted by righways at 3:09:00 PM
Labels: Ambrin Buang, audit, auditor general report, Corruptions, frauds, graft, high-ranking officials, MACC, Malaysia, Politics, religion, Sabah watergate scandals
Penang Island City Council, MBPP councilor Dr Lim fed up change not happening in Penang
Stepping down: Dr Lim giving a speech at the council meeting at City Hall, Penang.
Dr. Lim tells why he walked
GEORGE TOWN: The only city councillor here who dared to go against the state government does not want to continue after his term ends on New Year’s Eve because he is disappointed with the Penang Island City Council (MBPP).
Dr Lim Mah Hui (pic) said he no longer wanted to serve because “the change in Penang that we want doesn’t seem to be happening”.
“I will remain active as a Penang Forum committee member. I will still speak up on public issues.
“I believe people in public offices should serve for limited terms. Perhaps it will take a fresher mind with new ideas and approaches to make things happen for the better,” he said.
Dr Lim, who has served as a councillor since 2011, also believed that the council should allow the public to observe council committee meetings.
“The committee meetings are where decisions are made. If people are watching the deliberations, then public scrutiny can help temper political interests,” he added.
The press and the public are allowed to witness full council meetings, but Dr Lim said these were formal meetings to confirm matters that had been decided upon.
Dr Lim is the sole city councillor out of 24 with no political ties. A former professor and international banker, he was nominated to MBPP by Penang Forum, a loose coalition of numerous NGOs in the state.
His appointment stemmed from the current government’s 2008 move to swear in councillors representing NGOs. Four such councillors were initially appointed but since 2012, although the official NGO councillors still stand at four, only Dr Lim is known to come strictly from civil society.
He made his maverick nature clear less than a year after being a councillor when he joined a group of 30 people to publicly protest against his own council outside City Hall months after being appointed.
In March this year, he was involved in a heated exchange with Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng during an NGO dialogue session over parking woes, road-widening projects and the council enforcement’s car-towing figures.
In July, Dr Lim criticised the state’s Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) and suggested an alternative better, cheaper, faster transport master plan.
A month before that, he sent a letter to Unesco expressing fears that the PTMP would jeopardise George Town’s World Heritage Site status.
Throughout his tenure in MBPP, Dr Lim has been called a liar, back-stabber and betrayer of the state government by local politicians. NGO members, however, hold him in high regard.
“Nobody can live up to Mah Hui’s standard as an example of integrity and representing public interest without fear or favour.
“He had been talking about stepping down for some time.
“Maybe he needs to take a break and we hope he will accept the post again,” said fellow Penang Forum member Khoo Salma Nasution, whom the group has nominated to take Dr Lim’s place.
Former DAP member Roger Teoh, who was initially at loggerheads with Dr Lim over the PTMP, said it was a shame that local politicians had painted him in a negative light.
“Something was not right about how the state was reacting to Dr Lim’s Unesco letter. I felt he was unfairly labelled as treasonous. If his concerns were heard internally, would he have needed to write to Unesco?” he asked.
Teoh had initially supported the PTMP and openly criticised Dr Lim.
He changed his stand after doing a Masters thesis research on car use in 100 cities around the world, which led him to resign from DAP recently.
Sources: Arnold Loh The Star/Asian News Network
Dr Lim Mah Hui to make way for new blood
GEORGE TOWN: Outspoken Penang Forum member Dr Lim Mah Hui (pic) will not seek another term as a Penang Island City councillor.
“I have declined to be nominated for the reappointment as a councillor next year. I have served six years.
“I think I have served long enough and we need new blood and new people to take up the cause,” he said at the council’s monthly meeting yesterday.
He later told a press conference that Penang Forum suggested Khoo Salma Nasution, the forum’s steering committee member and Penang Heritage Trust vice-president, as his replacement.
“We have nominated Khoo as the representative for Penang Forum and NGOs. We will have to wait for the state executive council to decide on the nominations.
“Nobody told me to step down. It was my own decision. Penang Forum wanted me to continue but I told them I had done more than my share.
“I will remain in the Penang Transport Council,” he said.
Dr Lim, however, said he would continue to be vocal and speak out.
He urged the Penang Island City Council to open its meetings to the public to promote greater transparency and participation.
“Section 23 of the Local Govern-ment Act 1976 gives the local council the power to do so.
“Members of the public can also be invited to sit in, possibly as observers, at the council’s committee and sub-committee meetings where decisions are made.
“This is the challenge I put forward. If they are truly taking about change and a new type of government, then they should do that,” said Dr Lim.
Dr Lim has raised various concerns during his stint as a councillor and forum member on issues related to hill clearing, land reclamation, heritage conservation and the proposed Penang Transport Master Plan. - The Star
Developers unafraid of Penang authorities, says activist group
CHANT cited the demolition of the 19th century Khaw Sim Bee Mansion and illegal hilltop clearing of Bukit Relau as examples of the developers’ fearlessness. — File picture by Bernama - See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/developers-unafraid-of-penang-authorities-says-activist-group#sthash.muMUgaNa.dpuf
GEORGE TOWN, March 16 — Developers in Penang no longer fear flouting the law as the authorities seem to be “toothless” in taking punitive actions, an activist group claimed.
Referring to the latest hill-clearing incident on Bukit Gambir and similar past incidents, Penang Citizens Awareness Chant Group (CHANT) coordinator Yan Lee said the developers knew they could easily get away with illegal earthworks or structural demolitions.
This was because the state government and the municipal council were not prepared to take stern punitive action against them, he said in a text message yesterday.
The council has come under fire in the past few days after a developer defied a stop-work order to carry out earthworks on the hill slope of Bukit Gambir in Gelugor.
CHANT cited the demolition of the 19th century Khaw Sim Bee Mansion and illegal hilltop clearing of Bukit Relau, commonly referred to as “Botak Hill”, as examples of the developers’ fearlessness.
Yan Lee claimed that the developers were fearless because they knew a contribution to the state heritage fund (SHF) “can do magic”.
A check by Malay Mail yesterday showed the developer had stopped work for two days on the hill slope, located behind the Gambier Heights apartments.
The council had issued the stop-work order on Thursday.
The hill was cleared to build a temporary 500m-long access road and fencing for a housing project site on the hill slope.
Trees were chopped down to make way for the road, while a lorry and an excavator were parked at the construction site.
According to some residents, the earthworks began early this month.
The residents also complained of pollution caused by dust, and noise caused by the frequent movement of vehicles.
Traffic management and flood mitigation committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow called on the council to take stern action against the developer for “jumping the gun”.
He said the developer should have waited for the council to issue a commencement of work certificate.
Sahabat Alam Malaysia urged the state authorities to stop the developer from clearing the hill, and to implement firm policies to protect the hills and greenery in the state.
It warned against a repeat of the “Botak Hill” incident.
An MPPP councillor also said the developers had no respect for the authorities.
“Even if the council were to haul them up for violating the law, they know they will get away with a token fine,” the councillor, who asked not to be named, said.
He cited a previous case where a developer completed a housing project despite the case for carrying out illegal earthworks pending in court.
Sources: Athi Shanka, MalayMail online
To elect or not elect mayors of City Councils of local government?
City Council of Penang Island Official Portal of Penang Island City Council (MBPP) THERE are three levels of government in mos...
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Save Penang Hill from the greedy
https://en.wikipedia.org
Labels: Corruption, Dr Lim Mah Hui, Floods, frauds, graft, NGO, Penang Forum, Penang government, Penang Island City Council (MBPP), Politics, Sinkholes, Slope and Hill management
Trump and China’s bumpy ride begins
Trump's diplomacy
Hot button: Trump’s unpredictability is making him a big topic in China.— AFP
THE rest of the world will have to fasten its seat belts while the current worrying clash of superpowers China and the United States plays itself out. Although the saga of the underwater drone ended peaceably earlier this week, the drama signalled that the competition between the two has entered a new era. With help from the ubiquitous social media, their diplomatic engagement is taking place in real time swiftly, unpredictably and amid considerable tension.
The inauguration of President Donald Trump on Jan 20 is expected to see US-China ties transformed into a guarded quasi-friendship requiring day-to-day reassessment. The stability that prevailed during the eight years of the Obama administration is unlikely to survive. Trump is given to knee-jerk reactions and ill-considered grandstanding for the sake of quick gain and publicity, as well as for his brash pursuit of the art of the deal, none of which bodes well for US’ relations with Beijing.
Still a month from taking office, Trump has already endangered his country’s long-standing recognition of the One China Policy by accepting a phone call from Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wan, a breach of protocol adopted after Washington formally recognised communist China in the early 1970s.
President Barack Obama immediately warned that any shift from this policy would have a serious impact on American dealings with Beijing, an important trading partner and backer of the US economy. Aiming to renegotiate extant overseas deals, Trump does not appear to care, and seems ready to test Chinese mettle on every issue.
China’s regional neighbours are aware that the nature of its relationship with the US increasingly depends on Beijing’s dealings with other countries, including the 10 nations of South-East Asia.
The attitude in the Philippines has radically changed. Whereas Manila traditionally regarded the US as the region’s military guardian, current President Rodrigo Duterte- taking umbrage at perceived American slights-has welcomed Chinese overtures. Thanks to Washington’s tendency to overreach in its authority, perceptions elsewhere are not so different.
Thus, its chief justification for wielding influence here to serve as a stopgap against China assertiveness is on the wane.
The Philippines’ abrupt refusal to be a pawn in either of the major powers games is admirable, even if it comes with risks. With sovereign territory in the South China Sea at stake, Duterte is taking a gamble in realigning with Beijing, but if those two countries can settle their differences amicably and equitably, it will have been worthwhile. The other South-East Asian claimants to maritime territories in dispute are sure to follow suit.
During the Trump presidency, more than at any time before, China has a golden opportunity to show the region and the world that it is rational and responsible in its overseas dealings. With goodwill and a commitment to peace and stability, it can take advantage of America’s loss of credibility over the election of a man who is ignorant of foreign affairs and absent in the spirit of international diplomacy. Patriotism and profit alone guide Trump, and nearly half the American electorate stands by him.
Also to be expected is a cautious realignment among the more developed Asian powers particularly Japan, India and South Korea which might pursue greater mutual cooperation as a safeguard against potential American error and affront under Trump.
No one will be surprised, meanwhile, if President Trump cosies up to Russia. While he and Vladimir Putin deny there is any special bond between them, evidence to the contrary has mounted. But using Russia as a foil against China would be detrimental to American financial and geopolitical interests. And, for Asia, while Russian investment is welcome and valued, Moscow has only a modicum of Beijing’s economic clout.
Sources: The Nation/Asia News Network
Trump’s advisers may ignite trade war
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Labels: ASIAN VOICE, Business and Economy, Donald Trump, Geopolitics, Malaysia, Malaysian ringgit, Trump and China, Trump policies, USA
Childcare centre fees set to go up
Child care centre fees will likely increase by 10 per cent next year. — Picture by Zuraneeza Zulkifli
Operators expect 10% hike next year
SUNGAI BULOH: The fees for childcare centres across the country are expected to increase by at least 10% next year, says the Association of Childcare Centres Selangor.
This was due to the revised minimum wage, said association president Mahanom Basri.
“The increase depends on the management of the centre. If the rent, salaries and other expenditures have gone up, it will increase by between 5% and 10%.
“It won’t be a lot, but there will definitely be an increase,” she said here yesterday.
For example, Mahanom said a 10% increase from the RM300 fee per child would result in a new fee of RM330.
Besides the minimum wage, she said childcare centre operators also had to install CCTVs for extra security.
“Quality facilities require money so I hope parents are ready to pay for them,” she added.
The Government introduced the minimum wage policy in 2013.
On July 1, the monthly minimum wage was increased from RM900 to RM1,000 for peninsular Malaysia and from RM800 to RM920 for Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan.
Mahanom, together with more than 300 childcare centre operators, attended a dialogue session with Deputy Women, Family and Community Minister Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun yesterday.
One of the issues raised during the two-hour closed-door dialogue was the licensing fees charged by local councils.
“We have proposed to the local councils that they could treat childcare centres as community service instead of commercial business.
“By doing so, they can reduce the licensing fees,” Chew said.
She said the ministry was also looking into easing some regulations.
“We will be looking at the ratio; such as how many children should be cared by one minder without compromising on safety.
“Childcare service is important and the demand is big. Many families have both parents working so we need to have a strong childcare service,” she added.
By Nurbaiti Hamdan The Star/Asia News Network
Parents opt for daycare centres with no live-in maids now
May 24, 2016 ... “After all, parents are looking for a safe and good daycare centre ... That is a chunk of money that could be used for education or even holidays.
Malaysian Minimum Wage Order forcing establishments to close due to unsustainable fees
Sep 11, 2016 ... A childcare centre in a single storey terrace corner lot is allowed to house a ... themselves to ensure our children get quality care and education.
Childcare services: daycare and private nursery
My home, my school
Labels: Business and Economy, chew mei fun, childcare, Daycare, Daycare Centres, Education, Family Community, fees, mahanom basri, Malaysia, Malaysian Minimum Wage Order, Minimum wage, operators, parents
RM2bil recovered from audits
The Government seldom receives dividends and whenever loans are given to these GLCs, they keep piling up', says Tan Sri Ambrin Buang
KUANTAN: Government agencies have recovered an estimated RM2bil in follow-up actions after the recent audits, said Auditor-General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang.
Ambrin said this was just based on a small sample size of agencies audited, so cases of misappropriated funds could have been a lot larger.
“If there had not been audits, the RM2bil would have been lost. People always ask me the extent of leakages in this country but I do not know because we only carry out audits on a limited sample size.
“For example, we did an audit on security in schools. The sample size is only 46 schools out of some 10,000 schools nationwide.
“Within that sample, there are already all kinds of weaknesses and leakages so imagine how widespread it is,” Ambrin said at an integrity talk programme here yesterday.
He said there was a feeling of hopelessness among the public when they kept reading about cases of fraud and corruption in the Auditor-General’s reports.
“There was a case where a 300m to 400m road construction contract was given to four contractors.
“Then there’s that incident at the Youth and Sports Ministry and that one at the Sabah Water Department.
“People are questioning how these things can happen and what kind of country we are living in where corruption like this can take place.
“Almost every day there are reports of government officials getting caught for corruption.
“I can’t deny there are officials with integrity but a few rotten apples destroy everything,” he said.
He also spoke about government-linked companies (GLCs) that were draining the Government’s resources without giving anything back in return.
“GLCs get all sorts of aid like projects, grants and financial assistance but what does the Government get out of it?
“The Government seldom receives dividends and whenever loans are given to these GLCs, they keep piling up.
“These GLCs burden the Government, so we must examine the cause. Those with experience should run a company but look at who are on the board of directors.
“I am sorry to say government officials cannot succeed in business because they have a different mindset,” he said.
Ambrin added that management could not be left as the dominant force without the supervision of the board of directors, but this would not be effective if the directors themselves did not contribute anything.
In his conclusion, Ambrin proposed that excellent work be made a culture in government service to repair the damaged public perception.
To achieve it, he said four aspects had to be looked into, which were attitude, skills, knowledge and integrity.
“Continuous improvement is humanly possible to achieve. The question is whether we want to improve or not,” he said.
By Ong Han Sean The Star/Asian News Network
Posted by righways at 12:24:00 PM
Goodbye 2016, a strange and difficult year
The year will be remembered for the West ending its romance with globalisation, and its impact on the rest of the world.
JUST a few days before Christmas, it is time again to look back on the year that is about to pass.
What a strange year it has been, and not one we can celebrate!
The top event was Donald Trump’s unexpected victory. It became the biggest sign that the basic framework and values underpinning Western societies since the second world war have undergone a seismic change.
The established order represented by Hillary Clinton was defeated by the tumultuous wave Trump generated with his promise to stop the United States from pandering to other countries so that it could become “great again”.
Early in the year came the Brexit vote shock, taking Britain out of the European Union. It was the initial signal that the liberal order created by the West is now being quite effectively challenged by their own masses.
Openness to immigrants and foreigners is now opposed by citizens in Europe and the US who see them as threats to jobs, national culture and security rather than beneficial additions to the economy and society.
The long-held thesis that openness to trade and foreign investments is best for the economy and underpins political stability is crumbling under the weight of a sceptical public that blames job losses and the shift of industries abroad on ultra-liberal trade and investment agreements and policies.
Thus, 2016 which started with mega trade agreements completed (Trans-Pacific Partnership) or in the pipeline (the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the US and Europe) ended with both being dumped by the President Elect, a stunning reversal of the decades-old US position advocating the benefits of the open economy.
2016 will be remembered as the year when the romance in the West with “globalisation” was killed by a public disillusioned and outraged by the inequalities of an economic system tilted in favour of a rich minority, while a sizeable majority feel marginalised and discarded.
In Asia, the dismantling of the globalisation ideal in the Western world was greeted with a mixture of regret, alarm and a sense of opportunity.
Many in this region believe that trade and investment have served several of their countries well. There is fear that the anti-globalisation rebellion in the West will lead to a rapid rise of protectionism that will hit the exports and industries of Asia.
As Trump announced he would pull the US out of the TPP, China stepped into the vacuum vacated by the US and pledged to be among the torchbearers of trade liberalisation in the Asia-Pacific region and possibly the world.
The change of direction in the US and to some extent Europe poses an imminent threat to Asian exports, investors and economic growth. But it is also an opportunity for Asian countries to review their development strategies, rely more on themselves and the region, and take on a more active leadership role.
China made use of 2016 to prepare for this, with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank taking off and the immense Belt and Road Initiative gathering steam.
Many companies and governments are now latching on to the latter as the most promising source of future growth.
The closing months of 2016 also saw a surprising and remarkable shift in position by the Philippines, whose new President took big steps to reconcile with China over conflicting claims in the South China Sea, thus defusing the situation – at least for now.
Unfortunately, the year also saw heart-rending reports on the plight of the Rohingya in Myanmar, and the deaths of thousands of Syrians including those who perished or were injured in the end-game in Aleppo.
On the environmental front, it is likely 2016 will be the hottest year on record, overtaking 2015. This makes the coming into force in October of the Paris Agreement on climate change all the more meaningful.
But there are two big problems. First, the pledges in the agreement are grossly insufficient to meet the level of emissions cuts needed to keep the world safe from global warming, and there is also insufficient financing to support the developing countries’ climate actions, whether on mitigation or adaptation.
And secondly, there is a big question mark on the future of the Paris agreement as Trump had vowed to take the US out of it.
The biggest effect of 2016 could be that a climate skeptic was elected US President.
In the area of health, the dangers of antibiotic resistance went up on the global agenda with a declaration and day-long event involving political leaders at the United Nations in September.
There was growing evidence and stark warnings in 2016 that we are entering a post-antibiotic era where medicines will no longer work and millions will die from infection and ailments that could once be easily treated by antibiotics.
The world will also be closing in a mood of great economic uncertainty. In 2016 the world economy overall didn’t do well but also not too badly, with growth rates projected at 2.4 to 3%.
But for developing economies like Malaysia, the year ended with worries that the high capital inflows of recent years are reversing as money flows back to the US.
The first in an expected series of interest rate increases came last week.
All in all, there was not much to rejoice about in 2016, and worse still it built the foundation for more difficulties to come in 2017.
So we should enjoy the Christmas/New Year season while we can. Merry Christmas to all readers!
Global Trends By Martin Khor
Martin Khor (director@southcentre.org) is executive director of the South Centre. The views expressed here are entirely his own.
Global Reset 2016 2017
Labels: Brexit., Business and Economy, China, Donald, Global trends, Globalization. Trade Protectionism, Goodbye 2016, Martin Khor, Politics, Trump, US President-elect
Be wary of these four types of financial predators
REGRETTABLY Malaysia seems to be fertile ground for all sorts of scammers. Just yesterday I received a text message from Bank Negara Malaysia, warning me not to open emails that claim they are from BNM and ask for payment verification.
The newspapers report every month on hundreds of Malaysians losing millions of Ringgit to all sorts of financial predators.
These are the four types of financial predators you should be aware of.
Financial predators that are selling you something amazing (for them). Some financial predators are trying to sell you something and only later you find out that the item is not the best use of your money at all.
Watch out for these financial predators:
* The pyramid scheme operator who is selling you products which sound expensive and technologically sophisticated, but are worthless.
* The shop owner, who recommends expensive or high margin products, which turn out to be unpopular or old products to increase his profit or clear his inventory.
* The property agent, who pushes you to purchase a house despite knowing that there is a price correction coming. He just cares about getting his commission.
* Financial predators that want to make you rich (but make you poor instead).
Other financial predators are not selling you a product, but a dream: to be rich one day. You would be amazed to find out how much people are willing to spend in their pursuit of this dream. You can get rich in many ways, but not nearly as many, as ways in which you can get scammed.
For instance, consider:
*The investor or trader that is selling you currency, gold, stock or property with the promise of extremely high returns. Sometimes they don’t sell the assets, but a "secret" formula or (software) tool to always make a winning trade. Don’t fall for it!
* The prince, minister, lottery winner, retired general and other personalities which will reward you with a slice of their wealth. If first you pay some legal / custom fees.
* The fake lottery / contest predator, that tricks you into thinking you won a sizeable sum of money. You just need to pay up some administration fees before you can redeem your prize.
* The scratch & win agent and casino operator. “The house always wins.” You will bring more to the casino operator than he will give back.
* The (soccer) bookie, who extends upfront credit for you to place more bets and win back your losses. But if you keep losing, his friendly helpfulness will quickly vanish.
Financial predators that "just" want to help you (into bigger problems)
Some financial predators pretend they just want to help you – some may even say they have nothing to gain from it. Be aware of these sophists!
* The financial planner that gets more commission the more financial products you buy. Never mind whether you really need all that insurance and other financial products.
* The loan shark that will give you better rates or quicker disbursement than the bank, but asks much higher interest rates in return.
* The salesman that is selling you expensive insurance on top of your car / phone etc that already have guarantee from the manufacturer.
* The car dealerships and stores who encourage you to take their own (more expensive) financing plans instead of your bank's instalment plans.
* The financial predator that is in love with you (or is it your money)?
* And then finally, the financial predator that lures you with dreams of romance. This one is the saddest of all, because doesn’t everyone deserve more genuine love in their life?
And isn’t it heart-breaking to see how scammers toy with people’s strongest desires, just for monetary gains?
Be aware for online girlfriends and boyfriends that contact you out of nowhere. Don’t be surprised when you find scammers that try to deceive you with romantic talk in the darkest of alleyways on the Internet (or just around the corner on Facebook and other social media apps).
Especially be wary if you have never seen your new love in real life or (s)he is a foreigner and needs your money in order to pay for visa or flights or to pay off local debts before (s)he is allowed to leave.
As you can tell, Malaysia and the world are full of financial predators. Don’t fall prey to them and become their lunch.
By Mark Reijman The Star/ANN
Mark Reijman is co-founder and managing director of https://www.comparehero.my/dedicated to increasing financial literacy and to help you save time and money by comparing all credit cards, loans and broadband plans in Malaysia. Keen on joining the team as a writer, then email mark@comparehero.my
Labels: casino operator, Financial predators, financing plans, insurance, Investing, Malaysia, property agents, scammers
Settle Batang Kali massacre case, Britain told by the European Court of Human rights
Seeking justice: (Front row, from left) Adviser Tan Kai Hee, Lim Kok, a descendant of one of the victims, Dr Hou, Quek and MCA central committee member Datuk Toh Chin Yaw along with other descendants of the victims at the press conference.
International court orders amicable resolution over 1948 Batang Kali killings
KUALA LUMPUR: The British government has been ordered by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to seek an amicable settlement over the Batang Kali massacre, in which its soldiers killed 24 innocent villagers on Dec 11 and 12, 1948.
https://batangkalimassacre.wordpress.com/2015/04/20/batang-kali-killings-britain-in-the-dock-over-1948-massacre-in-malaysia/
Civilians lie dead in Batang Kali, in 1948
It was also told to submit a written explanation on the merits of the massacre and state its position for a friendly settlement by Feb 7, said MCA vice-president Datuk Dr Hou Kok Chung.
The ECHR made the order recently after conducting a preliminary examination of the complaint filed by the victims’ families that London had violated Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects the right to life, by endorsing the massacre.
Britain has been a signatory to the European Convention since 1953, when Malaya was still its colony and its residents were considered subjects under British rule.
“The descendants of the victims have for years asked the British government for an apology, compensation and construction of a memorial, but all these have been ignored.
“So, they turned to the European Court. We hope the British government and the families can reach an out-of-court settlement,” said Hou yesterday at a press conference attended by the victims’ families and their lawyer Quek Ngee Meng.
Hou said the massacre, in which British courts had held their government responsible for the killings and ruled that the victims were not linked to communist insurgents, was “an issue too big to be ignored”.
“Though many years have passed, justice must be done and the inhumane killings must be recorded. There is a need for governments to learn from history. Let history educate people.
“During the Emergency in 1948, a lot of Chinese suffered and lived in fear,” said Hou.
The British declared emergency rule on June 18, 1948, after three estate managers were murdered in Perak by the Malayan Communist Party (MCP), an outgrowth of the anti-Japanese guerrilla movement which later turned anti-colonial.
During the 1948-60 emergency rule, Chinese were rounded up into “new villages” as they were suspected of being sympathetic to MCP. On Dec 11, 1948, British troops entered the plantation village of Batang Kali, Selangor, and questioned the rubber tappers about the MCP but to no avail.
The next day, they loaded the women and children on a military truck and shot dead 23 men, after killing one the day before.
This massacre was claimed by the British as the “biggest success” since the emergency began, and its official parliamentary record in 1949 described the killings as “justified”.
But in 1970, the episode was given a twist when several soldiers involved in the operation told British media of their guilt over shooting innocent civilians.
In July 1993, survivors of the massacre petitioned for justice after the British Broadcasting Corporation did an independent documentary on the saga.
The survivors took their battle to the British government and later to the British courts with the help of international human rights groups.
Now their descendants are continuing the struggle for justice, this time with the help of MCA.
By Ho Wah Foon The Star/ANN
British Massacre - Batang Kali Victims win UK court scrutiny
Agony of British Massacre Victims' Descendants in Batang Kali, Malaysia
Batang Kali massacre by the British: justice for the dead!
Batang Kali massacre: British soldiers admitted unlawful killings
Batang Kali British Massacre Victims have a legal respite
British Massacre - Batang Kali Survivors and kin seek inquiry and damages
Related articles/Posts:
Revealed: how Britain tried to legitimise Batang Kali massacre (guardian.co.uk)
Revealed: How Britain tried to legitimize Batang Kali massacre (rawstory.com)
Batang Kali massacre hearing due to start at high court (guardian.co.uk)
British Massacre - Batang Kali Victims win UK court ...
British Massacre - Batang Kali Survivors and kin seek ...
Batang Kali: Britain's My Lai? | History Today
Labels: Batang Kali massacre, Britain, British Colonial masters, British colonialism, Chinese, European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Government, History, Malaya, Malaysia, Military, Politics
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SCID Stuff
SCID Initiative
Glaxo Turns its Eye to ‘Bubble Boy Disease’ in Rare Disease Push.
By Jeanne Whalen
GlaxoSmithKline strengthened its focus on rare diseases today by targeting one of the rarest: ADA severe combined immune deficiency, one form of so-called “bubble boy disease.”
ADA-SCID, which affects only about 350 children worldwide, is caused by a genetic defect that leaves kids without a functioning immune system, making them extremely vulnerable to infection and early death.
The standard treatment today is a bone marrow transplant, which gives the patient new stem cells that, with luck, will start producing the blood cells needed to make the immune system function. But closely matched donors are hard to find, and the patient’s body often rejects the transplanted cells.
Glaxo has licensed an experimental gene therapy from two Italian institutions that aims to fix the stem cells in the patient’s own bone marrow. Stem cells are removed and a healthy gene is inserted before the cells are returned to the body. Glaxo and its partners believe that using the patient’s own cells will reduce the risk of rejection.
The therapy has demonstrated “potential” in phase 1 and 2 studies, Glaxo says. The drug giant and the two institutions — Fondazione Telethon and Fondazione San Raffaele — plan to see if the same technique might be used in treatments for a range of other rare diseases, from metachromatic leukodystropy to Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome. (Trials for those two diseases are now recruiting patients.)
The partnership is part of Glaxo’s growing push into the rare disease market, Marc Dunoyer, global head of rare diseases, told journalists on a conference call today. About 70% of the 6,000-8,000 rare diseases that have been identified have genetic origins, and many have clear molecular targets. As Dow Jones Newswires reports, Dunoyer said his rare disease unit will focus on four areas: metabolism, immuno-inflammation, central nervous system and hematology. DJN notes that “he declined to say how much money the division would spend or whether acquisitions were part of its drug development strategy.”
linkback url: http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2010/10/18/glaxo-turns-its-eye-to-bubble-boy-disease-in-rare-disease-push/
This entry was posted on Monday, October 18th, 2010 at 11:40 am and is filed under Gene Therapy, Research. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
A place for everything SCID related. SCID is Severe Combined Immunodeficiency. It's often referred to as the Bubble Boy Syndrome.
SCID Awareness Items
Visit Iridescent Bubble on Etsy for SCID Awareness Items
B&B General Immunology Gene Therapy IVIG Links Newborn Screening Patient Support PEG-ADA Personal stories in the news Related Topics Research Rotavirus SCID Initiative
What is SCID?
Severe combined immunodeficiency disease is the most serious primary immunodeficiency disorder. The defining characteristic of SCID is the absence of T cells and, as a result, lack of B cell function as well. Unless these defects are corrected the child will die of opportunistic infections before their first or second birthday. SCID can be caused by several different genetic defects, most of which are hereditary. In the past, children with this disorder were kept in strict isolation, sometimes in a plastic isolator or "bubble". Bubbles are no longer used as a standard of care, but the name remains a part of the history of SCID.
Loss of a speaker and writer
Happiness is an Attitude
Singing in a life boat
Treatment for Growth Failure in Patients With X-Linked Severe Combined Immunodeficiency: Phase 2 Study of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1
LISA MAYORGA: Thankful for early warning
‘It was a miracle’: Toddler saved by cord blood transplant in S.A. .
Gene therapy works for ‘Bubble Boy’ disease
‘Bubble Boy’ Kids Living Normally After Gene Therapy: Study
Help by signing the petition
CS Mother Pushing for SCID Screening in Texas
Choose a Catagory
Choose a Catagory Select Category B&B (4) Gene Therapy (73) General Immunology (20) IVIG (26) Links (1) Newborn Screening (54) Patient Support (24) PEG-ADA (7) Personal stories in the news (172) Related Topics (47) Research (67) Rotavirus (6) SCID Initiative (12)
Parker’s Blog
Sebastian’s Space
Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders and Genetic Diseases in Newborns and Children
Donate now to the SCID Initiative
Genetics Home Reference – Newborn Screening
IDF SCID Newborn Screening Blog – State Information
IDF SCID Newborn Screening Campaign
Immune Deficiency Foundation
Learning About Severe Combined Immunodeficiency
Master Mechanic Diagnostics and Repair
Newborn Screening Policies by State
SCID Angels for Life Foundation
SCID Conference 2008
scid.net
Thanks for Stopping By:
Disclaimer: News articles come and go on the internet. When you find an interesting article and link to it, the link is dead in six months and the article is gone. I've copied many news articles here. I've included the information on the writer and linked back to the original publication. My intent is never to take anyone else's work as my own. My intent is to keep a repository of all the articles I find to be interesting. Many of these articles bring hope and encouragement to a family with a SCID child. Families with this disease are so rare, and they need to see that they are not alone in this struggle to keep their child alive. I hope this page is helpful to anyone with a family member or friend with any form of SCID.
RSS Feed for SCIDstuff
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Can We Regrow Dying Coral Reefs?
By zooillogix on May 1, 2007.
Coral growing at the Mote Marine Laboratory in Florida or the inside of my refrigerator in college?
25% of the world's coral reefs has died in the past 25 years, and 25% more is expected to die in the next two decades. With a lot of luck and a lot of hard work, however, a Floridian named Ken Nedimyer might be able to grow it back.
Nedimyer has teamed up with the Nature Conservancy, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to study the feasibility of regrowing staghorn and elkhorn coral in the Florida Keys. Still, no one said it would be easy.
Growing coral is not like growing corn. Of course, they both require the right amount of food and light, but corn doesn't die when the outside temperature rises 4 degrees. Or when you touch it. And corn isn't highly susceptible to subtle PH changes in its surroundings. And corn lives in an ecosystem but not a mind-bendingly complex web of super-sensitive critters and organisms--herbivorous fish, lobsters, sea urchins, groupers, snappers, barracudas and to prevent the proliferation of coral-eating snails and/or worms just to name a few.
Nedimyer got his start as an aquarium supply salesman, who happened to take an interest in the growth of coral in between some rocks he was harvesting underwater. ,AeuI didn,Aeot know what it was at first,,Aeu he said. ,AeuI saw five of these little things. I kept watching them and pretty soon they started to grow out into staghorn coral.,Aeu Nedimyer recalled his childhood at the Keys when large forests of coral thrived beneath the surface and now had all but disappeared. He decided that he might be able to do something about it.
Coral nursery--coral grows on the disks which are numbered for tracking.
After years of tweaking, experimenting, gaining funding and momentum, Nedimyer now has several nurseries with different kinds of coral at different depths. He uses a kind of glue used in taxidermy to stick fragments of coral to special blocks on the ocean floor. ,AeuThey were a few inches, now they are two or three times the size. That,Aeos a lot of growth in six months,,Aeu he says.
But Dr. Nancy Knowlton, director of the Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and a leader in the World Bank effort to save coral is slightly more cautious. ,AeuThey can slip from growing really fast to dying really fast,,Aeu she says.
One in three species of reef-building corals face extinction
If you've never had the pleasure of swimming among a coral reef, you might want to get your chance sooner rather than later. Yesterday, the journal Science published the first comprehensive global assessment of the status of the world's reef-building corals, and it's results don't make for…
New and Exciting in PLoS ONE
There are 10 new articles in PLoS ONE today. As always, you should rate the articles, post notes and comments and send trackbacks when you blog about the papers. You can now also easily place articles on various social services (CiteULike, Connotea, Stumbleupon, Facebook and Digg) with just one…
New England's deep canyons win protection
Score one for Oceana and the New England Fisheries Management Council. Actually, score them fifteen. The two groups recently announced they have laid the foundations for designating 15 deep-sea canyons off the coast of New England as Habitat Areas of Particular Concern in an effort to build a more…
Is it all over for corals?
Photo by Dr. William Precht. A recent study published in Science Express by Dr. Kent Carpenter of Old Dominion University and a consortium of nearly thirty coral reef ecologists has determined that one-third of coral face increased extinction threat due to climate change and local anthropogenic…
It's always wonderful to see steps taken to offset the coral loss we are currently seeing.
By John (not verified) on 10 Feb 2010 #permalink
will the lower keys be and trouble this hurricane seasons sense the coral reef has dye out
By tonia (not verified) on 02 Jun 2010 #permalink
Julia + Hawaii + Your Friends = Good Times + Great Oldies
In just a few days, my good friend and fellow Zooillogix blogger, Julia, will leave the safety of Chicago for the violent, pineapple-strewn streets of Honolulu for a new job. Here are some things you should know about Julia: #1 - She is the best kickball player in the Midwest. #2 - She has a margay…
Turtles Are Not Pure Evil
New YouTube research definitively proves that turtle society is highly altruistic and that Disney's heretofore refusal to make a movie about them is racism, pure and simple.
Hot Molting Action
In this nightmarish time lapse video, a gentle spider crab is internally consumed by a terrifying angry red spider crab who then dispenses of the empty husk of its former host. ... or maybe its just molting Thanks to our Asian friend Kangatron for sharing.
Spectacular Deep Sea Squid Footage
Stunning footage of deep-sea squids from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), where researchers use remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to observe and record deep-sea animal behaviors.
Meth Snails Feel the Need... the Need Not to Extend Their Breathing Tubes Lest They Get Poked
Turns out casual experimention with a little meth here and there is a good thing, if you're a snail. A paper recently published in the Journal of Experimental Biology explains how snails were able to remember negative stimuli longer when under the influence of a bit of speed. When great pond…
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Here's An Idea For Thor 4 After Avengers 4
by Tom Chapman
in SR Originals
The Thor trilogy may be over, but we have a really cool idea for Thor 4. It's little wonder that fans are applauding Thor: Ragnarok as one of the best MCU movies to date. Taika Waititi's reinvention of the God of Thunder adds bright neon and humor to a franchise once known for its po-faced approach.
Unsurprisingly, talk has inevitably turned to Waititi's possible return for a "Ragnarok 2" and another trip around the Nine Realms with Chris Hemsworth in tow. However, with the likes of Captain America and Iron Man stopping at three solo movies thanks to contracts and timing, will Kevin Feige really give us a quadrilogy based on the muscular man from Asgard?
Related: Does Thor: Ragnarok’s Ending Leave The Universe In Danger?
After all, the ending of Ragnarok left the people of Asgard in a precarious position - and facing the intergalactic threat of Thanos. Where do we go next? Well, the film actually leaves some interesting threads dangling that, along with the comic source, opens up one very cool possibility.
Where Ragnarok Leaves Thor
Ragnarok may have seen the destruction of the Warriors Three, the Elite Guard, Odin himself, and Asgard the place, but it's no resolute apocalypse. In fact, the film neatly sets up a Thor 4 storyline.
We end the film with Chris Hemsworth stepping into the role of a one-eyed leader of the Asgardian people. Thor's parting speech suggested he was taking the Asgard lifeboat to Midgard (Earth) and find sanctuary among some more "normal" inhabitants of the galaxy. However, the arrival of Thanos and the Black Order in the Ragnarok post-credits may scupper those plans just a bit.
We already knew that Thor's trip in the cosmos will lead to him crossing paths with the Guardians of the Galaxy, and it's safe to assume that will follow the Black Order launching an attack on the Asgard escape vessel at the start of Infinity War. What happens afterwards we don't know, but with Hemsworth, Hiddleston, Ruffalo and Thompson all back for both Avengers 3 & 4, expect the Revengers to regroup at some point.
Read More: Every Character Confirmed For Avengers 4
Assuming they all survive, then, after the cataclysmic events of the Infinity Saga, it would make sense for Thor gather his people (if any are left alive) and continue his original mission to Earth - remember, Asgard is not a place, it's a people. This means that Thor 4 could adapt J. Michael Straczynski's Thor run from 2007. Here, Asgard was likewise left in ruins, and Thor decided to rebuild his sanctuary in Oklahoma.
Just like Ragnarok was loosely based on the various "Ragnarok" story arcs (and some elements of Planet Hulk), we wouldn't expect a perfect lift, but Straczynski's ideas could be used as a neat template. We need a New Asgard and while it could technically be remade anywhere in the galaxy, Earth is the most likely candidate - and Oklahoma is just out there enough for a Waititi movie. Once we've found a new Asgard, though, what happens next?
What's In Thor's Future?
With a new Asgard, does that also mean a new Thor? After Hemsworth's major story arc across Infinity War/Avengers 4, it might make sense for the MCU to put him in more of a backseat capacity moving forward and focus on someone else. Hemsworth is hot Hollywood property at the moment, so may want to move onto more varied projects, or at the very least change up his MCU commitment. And considering how big a shake up the end of Phase 3 promises, a replacement would make sense. But who?
The popular candidate has been the comics' female Thor, although considering Jane Foster is out of the MCU that seems unlikely. Besides, we have a better alternative. Tessa Thompson's turn as former Asgardian warrior Valkyrie was one of Ragnarok's highlights, so Marvel would be best to just bite the bullet and promote her to lead. Elsewhere, Loki had a redemptive arc that gives the character a new lease of life (although a glance at the Tesseract suggests his not fully lost his villainous ways) and one of the few named surviving Asgardians, Idris Elba's Heimdall, would feel suitable for a further boosted role.
Read More: Valkyrie Should Lead The Thor Franchise in Marvel Phase 4
All this said, nobody knows how the MCU will evolve beyond in next two Avengers movies - who knows if there's an even an Earth for Thor to make a new home of on - and that's true as much of structure as it is story; it's expected Kevin Feige will do away with the classic Phase makeup of solo adventures followed by an Avengers team-up, which means any Thor 4 would be a very different beast even from Ragnarok.
Thor: Ragnarok felt like a standalone, yet also created a promising future for the comic book legend; it certainly isn't quite the end of days it promised to be. In Phase 4 or beyond, someone in the MCU will surely be spinning a hammer once more.
Next: Thor Ragnarok: Every Easter Egg & Secret You Missed
Black Panther (2018) release date: Feb 16, 2018
Avengers: Infinity War / The Avengers 3 (2018) release date: Apr 27, 2018
Ant-Man & The Wasp (2018) release date: Jul 06, 2018
Captain Marvel (2019) release date: Mar 08, 2019
The Avengers 4 / Avengers: Endgame (2019) release date: Apr 26, 2019
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) release date: Jul 02, 2019
Tags: thor 3
Everything We Know About The Sith’s Role In Star Wars 9
More in SR Originals
Disney Is Releasing Fox Bombs (But They Shouldn’t Be Worried)
Kayleigh Donaldson
Does The Lion King 2019 Have An End-Credits Scene?
Why DC Films Is Skipping San Diego Comic-Con 2019
Kara Hedash
Every Cameo In The Jay & Silent Bob Reboot Trailer
Anthony McGlynn
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Multiple capture trap data
Bruce Warburton & Andrew Gormley
Model published 2014 via Landcare Research NZ Ltd
Data and spatial model for assessing effectiveness of using multiple and single capture traps.
https://doi.org/10.7931/j28g8hmc Cite
AtTRB1-3 interacts with AtPOT1b in order to recruit telomerase towards telomere
Amit Jaiswal
https://doi.org/10.5452/ma-aesq7 Cite
Hyperbolic Tangent Model for 200kN Large-Scale Magneto-Rheological Fluid (MR) Damper
Zhaoshuo Jiang & Richard Christenson
Model published 2011 via Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES)
The Magneto-Rheological (MR) fluid damper is a promising type of semi-active device for civil structures due to its mechanical simplicity, inherent stability, high dynamic range, large temperature operating range, robust performance, and low power requirements. The MR damper is intrinsically nonlinear and rate-dependent, both as a function of the displacement across the MR damper and the command current being supplied to the MR damper. As such, to develop control algorithms that take maximum advantage of...
https://doi.org/10.4231/d3vm42z1g Cite
Hyperbolic Tangent Model (Version 2) for 200 kN Large-Scale Magneto-Rheological Fluid (MR) Damper
https://doi.org/10.4231/d3qv3c474 Cite
National Bedrock Fence Diagram of Great Britain - GB3D_v2014
Model published 2014 via British Geological Survey
In 2011 the British Geological Survey (BGS) decided to begin the assembly of a National Geological Model (NGM) from its existing and on-going geological framework models , comprising integrated national crustal, bedrock and Quaternary models. The bedrock component is the most advanced of these themes and comprises both the calculated models and a complementary network of cross-sections that provide a fence diagram for the bedrock geology of Great Britain. This fence diagram, the GB3D_v2014 dataset...
https://doi.org/10.5285/4d866cd2-c907-4ce2-b070-084ca9779dc2 Cite
Coastal Storm Modeling System: CoSMoS. Southern California 1.0, projected flooding hazards
Patrick L. Barnard
https://doi.org/10.5066/f74b2zb4 Cite
San Francisco Bay Basic Tide Model
Edwin Elias, Jeff Hansen & Li H. Erikson
https://doi.org/10.5066/f7dn4330 Cite
2D Unit Cell Model
Rachelle Howell, Xiaoyue Wang & Ellen M. Rathje
This OpenSees model is a 2D plane strain model of the area of influence around a single drain (or, in the case of the untreated model, a free-field untreated area equal to the area of influence around a single drain). It was developed to simulate lateral spreading in the SSK01 and RNK01 centrifuge tests performed at UC Davis as part of the project NEES-GC: Seismic Risk Mitigation for Port Systems. The model consists of two...
https://doi.org/10.4231/d3p26q386 Cite
California Basin Characterization Model: A Dataset of Historical and Future Hydrologic Response to Climate Change
Flint, Lorraine E.; Flint, Alan L.
The Basin Characterization Model (BCM), can translate fine-scale maps of climate trends and projections into the hydrologic consequences, to permit evaluation of the impacts to water availability at regional, watershed, and landscape scales, as caused by changes in temperature and precipitation.
https://doi.org/10.5066/f76t0jpb Cite
Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd
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New regulations implemented at MCMH – Ministry
To facilitate construction work at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, the Ministry of Health has put in place new regulations for members of the public.{{more}}
According to a notice published by the Ministry, effective August 11, no visitors will be allowed on the female medical and female surgical wards outside visiting hours, except in special circumstances determined by the clinical team.
The notice also states that only two persons are allowed to visit a patient at any one time; visitors will only be allowed to visit these areas with a visitorâs pass and there will be strict adherence to visiting hours, which are 11 a.m. to 12 midday and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Further, a visitorâs pass must be collected from the security booth at the hospitalâs entrance and visitors will have restricted access to certain parts of the facility.
In an interview on Wednesday, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health Luis de Shong told SEARCHLIGHT that the construction work is being carried out under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) project, which is designed to develop and modernize the national health sector.
According to de Shong, the EDF includes components such as: human resource development, legislation, procurement of equipment and vehicles and building capacity.
de Shong noted that the infrastructural development of the 10th EDF includes the refurbishment of certain parts of the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital, the complete refurbishment of the Mental Health Centre and the construction of two polyclinics at Mesopotamia and Buccament.
âWe still have to occupy Milton Cato Memorial to do the refurbishment, because we have to continue to deliver the usual services, but we are making the adjustments,â de Shong said.
The permanent secretary noted that the female medical and surgical wards have been merged.
âWe did some upgrade on the medical ward to accommodate the move from surgical into medicine,â he said.
de Shong said on Monday this week, the hospital was handed over to Hutchinson Construction company, which also won the tender to refurbish the Mental Health Centre at Glen.
He appealed to the public to lend the support that is required and to understand and appreciate what they are doing is to improve what they have currently so that they (public) could be better satisfied.
de Shong disclosed that work will be done on the kitchen, the female medical ward, maternity A, the operating theatre and other areas of the hospital.
The project should be completed in one year.
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The Road to Solo… Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
By Greg Mucci 9 May 2018 7 May 2018
1 Comment on The Road to Solo… Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
Attack of the Clones starts out like any other entry in the billion dollar Star Wars franchise; its yellow synopsis scrolls away from us as we become immersed in the triumphant nostalgia of John Williams’ ‘Star Wars Theme’.
It’s the first of the new century, and the second in George Lucas’ recent trilogy that details the birth of Anakin Skywalker (Darth Vader and Luke’s father), as well as the rise of the Galactic Empire. It’s a film that upon its release in 2002 – three years after The Phantom Menace sent fans into a Jar-Jar induced coma –garnered less than favorable reviews, igniting a Metascore of 54 yet taking in almost $650 million at the box office worldwide.
It put plastic Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor’s in millions of homes, helping Hasbro reach over $5.5 billion revenue in toys from 2002 to 2011. It’s also a sequel that sent fans further into a tailspin that had already picked up wind after Menace, sparking frustration over Lucas’ excessive use of CGI, exhaustive performances and comically flat dialogue.
But is it really so bad?
Attack of the Clones takes us immediately into a world lavished with excessive CGI, where ships, cities, aliens and even couches are awash with a digital aesthetic. There’s so much CGI that it’s surprising Anakin’s rat-tail isn’t digitally inserted. The original trilogy’s on-set locations of Tatooine (filmed in California’s Death Valley as well as parts of Tunisia) and Hoth (Finse, Norway) are replaced with flattened computer generated worlds such as Corsucant, an abject idea of a metropolis, and the water-logged planet of Kamino, where its waves roll without any trace of texture. And unfortunately, it’s the only kind of world we know.
In his extensively researched book How Star Wars Conquered the Universe, author Chris Taylor explains George Lucas’ conception of an entirely computer generated world, stating that “….for Lucas, CGI was a natural solution to all the challenges of filmmaking. He’d been an animator, after all-that was the first class he took at USC (University of Southern California), and it was the first career path he took outside of USC. By 1996, he was convinced there was nothing digital animation couldn’t or shouldn’t do.” Except give actors much to work off of, as our living breathing cast traverse blue screens and interact with stand-ins covered in ping-pong balls; a dismissive approach to the prop and practical effects laden trilogy we’ve come to love. With every frame a stifled growth can be felt, as relatively dynamic and competent actors contend with a world that offers almost zero breathing room.
Ewan McGregor, who looks more Robinson Crusoe than Jedi, admirably gives it his all as Obi-Wan Kenobi; a performance that exudes a genuine magnetism. It’s clear he cares immensely about this character, despite his co-star being as insufferably tedious as the CGI landscape. Growing up from the Jake Lloyd Ani to Anakin – now a moody Padawan to Obi-Wan – is 19-year old Hayden Christensen, who shows you that you’re never too young to retire.
Delivering lines as course and scathing as the sand his character hates so passionately, Christensen subverts stoicism into a one-man show of unflinching hilarity. In the flick of a lightsaber, we move from empowering emo songbook line delivery (“The thought of not being with you- I can’t breathe. I’m haunted by the kiss that you should never have given me”), to brazen proclamations of murder (“I… I killed them. I killed them all. They’re dead… every single one of them. And not just the men. But the women… and the children, too. They’re like animals, and I slaughtered them like animals! I HATE THEM!”). If one hormonal truth is upheld in Attack of the Clones, it’s Anakin’s severely ballooning outbursts.
However, Christensen spends most of the films nearly 150 minute run-time pouting off Natalie Portman’s portrayal of Queen Amidala, who appears to have gotten lost somewhere between her agent’s office and the Skywalker Ranch. She parades around in grand and sumptuous gowns with a stunned, anesthetized look of sheer boredom until even her costume flees the scene, revealing attire that’s Lucas’ 21st century amendment to Princess Leia’s slave outfit. In between there’s a budding love that feels as sedative as the performances, with a fireplace romance burning as hot as dry ice. We’re told to believe in this young love, though it becomes more abstract as the film pushes forward, dragging any sense of believability down into its artificial world.
Now, it would be easy to chalk these performances up as ones from young actors nervously thrust into a universally adored mega-blockbuster, though it would be unsound on our part. After all, these are actors who have gone on to prove their clout, if they hadn’t already; Christensen’s commanding lead in Shattered Glass one year later and Portman’s youth turned hitman in Leon: The Professional eight years earlier. These are actors who have regrettably become victim to Lucas’ insupportable direction, whose discourse is as fake as his playground. “The dialogue was, well, I didn’t know how I could make it convincing. Finally, I just said to myself, I am George’s voice. This is his vision, and I’m here to fulfill it, and that’s how we worked,” Christensen recalls in 2005, which governs the entire narrative structure of Attack of the Clones.
Here we have a film wrought with turmoil and emotion, and its actors are left completely in the dark; cast away from this world that only exists in the recess of Lucas’ mind. Not even a single typed draft was turned in, leaving the actors to work last minute at discovering not who these characters were, but why they were. This gives rhyme and reason to the wooden and often stale line delivery that permeates every scene, even with veteran actors in front of the camera, though it far from excuses it.
Despite this, Roger Ebert expressed glowing sentiments over Attack of the Clones, stating that “Dialogue isn’t the point. These movies are about new things to look at,” which is preposterous given the fact that this is as much a talkie as it is an action opera. After all, there’s an insurmountable amount of establishing lines, setting up the third and vastly superior final film, Revenge of the Sith; an entry that thins the discourse with action that takes a much more operatic approach to its Greek tragedy.
Still, that isn’t to say Attack is without its dramatic set pieces and stirring action. When Obi-Wan confronts the bounty hunter Jango Fett (father to Boba, as well as thousands of Clone Troopers), there’s an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia for Return of the Jedi, recalling the action atop a barge that feels underwhelming and disappointing. It’s a battle that found a different Fett jettisoned into the mouth of a Sarlacc, due essentially to an oopsie-daisy by Han Solo. Here, we’re treated to a redo, a wondrous display of aerobatics, as Jango jet-packs around the rain, firing off wrist-rockets and blaster shots in an attempt at defeating our lone Jedi. Obi-Wan even high kicks Jango out of the air! It’s a wild-west showdown – Jango sounding an awful lot like Django – where Ennio Morricone’s cracked whip is replaced with John Williams’ pop and boom of horns.
There’s even an operatic showdown between our Jedi’s and Count Dooku, that has the legendary Christopher Lee donning a cape and wielding a lightsaber; its display a wild red, green and blue. It’s a climatic duel that feels intimate and rousing, and very much needed after a garishly cluttered arena battle that feels half-hearted despite showcasing almost a dozen Jedi’s against an army of CGI bugs.
The fight choreography by sword master Nick Gillard is breathlessly masterful and well, real, acting as a Band-Aid for the incessant wounds carved by Lucas’ digital pen, one he uses to sign the checks for the 650 visual effects crew members. Watching Lee move in sync to the whirring sound of a lightsaber is watching the films greatest technical achievement unfold, proving just how monumental his 6’5” physical stage presence has been throughout his career. Sure, much of Lee’s footwork is done with the aid of a stunt double, given that he was 79 years old during production, but not all of it; and as Darth Vader would say, that’s “most impressive.”
Unfortunately, a now computer generated Yoda, replacing the puppet voiced by director and puppeteer Frank Oz, crashes the party in what amounts to the visual equivalent of Lou Reed’s Metal Machine Music. Yoda twirls and leaps around in flashes of green that feels disorienting and bombastic rather than triumphantly empowering. Mayhem seems to trump any sense of coordination, as a showdown between an 800 year old Jedi and Count Dracula becomes an orgy of color and motion; one where the only thing getting off is our interest.
After much of the bile induced chaos clears, we’re left with a maimed Anakin and a disoriented Obi-Wan, two tragic figures that seem to represent our emotional well being after witnessing the disaster that is Attack of the Clones; a film that really is, so bad.
Do you agree? Is Attack of the Clones so bad it’s bad? Let us know what you think!
Tags: Greg Mucci Star Wars Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
whirlwindteam says:
Ya, it’s bad. I remember just shaking my head through most of the film. It had a shot at redeeming itself at the end. I would have overlooked everything prior, if the arena battle kicked ass! Seeing tons of Jedi swoop in like that is something we’ve never seen before. I was like “yes! now this is awesome!” Then, they screw it up by putting 3PO’s head on a droid body & have him marching in. I’m like, “nooo! this is the time for some cool light saber ass kicking. This 3PO moment is destroying everything!”
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Welcome to The CEO Magazine
The CEO Magazine EMEA - June 2018
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Sheryl Sandberg is on a mission and it’s to change the way the world looks at feminism. In the June issue, the COO of Facebook reveals her three top tips on how to ‘lean in’ and why we all need to lay the groundwork for future generations. We look at the ways to manage different personality types, and the reasons why taking funny seriously at work is no laughing matter. All this and we take luxury to the next level with the world’s best business hotels, faster-than-the-speed-of-light sports cars, and the private island to beat all others.
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Rugby needs to learn the right lessons from Football
May 17, 2017 rugbygroundtravels Uncategorized
Colin Boag is a regular columnist in The Rugby Paper, and I usually find him worth reading. However, he is one of those rugby writers who like to blame all rugby’s ills on football. He was at it again in a recent column. He was writing about players’ attempts to get others booked, and predictably enough, he saw it as “just another example of rugby starting to ape football.”
Ben Kay is a rugby analyst I would rank alongside Gary Neville on the round-ball game. But a recent column in The Times, was headed “It’s crucial rugby wins the battle that football has lost.” The battle he was referring to was simulation, and came shortly after Alexis Sanchez was hit on the shoulder by a ball and then made a delayed, exaggerated dive in a bid to con the referee.
Kay claims to love football as much as rugby , and his column was intended, not to knock football, a la Boag, but to point at rugby’s need to stamp out a situation whereby it becomes an accepted tactic for players to try and gain an advantage in getting opponents punished by feigning injury.
“We have had some incidents of simulation in rugby and we cannot allow a situation to develop, as has already happened in football, whereby it becomes an accepted tactic for players to try to gain an advantage or see opponents punished by feigning injury.”
“There have been a few examples over the past few years and we cannot accept that attitude as part of the game. This is not rugby being pious. I wish football had been strict in dealing with this because it is an ugly scar on the so-called beautiful game. Diving and theatrics are the biggest problem in football and the sport should long ago have brought in citing commissioners, who would have the power to study footage and bring charges after the game. That is what rugby did when it had a problem with excessive violence.”
Kay then wanders off further into rugby’s moral maze. “Rugby is not a puritanical sport. Players spend all game trying to push the boundaries of the law. If a player deliberately and cynically breaks one of the laws, he does so knowing that he is taking a risk and could be sanctioned. That is very different from a player trying to get an opponent sent to the sin-bin or dismissed altogether when he has not broken any laws at all. Rugby has to clamp down on it.”
There are certainly other issues exercising the minds of rugby officials at the moment, including players appealing for penalties, arguing for opponents to receive yellow cards and back chat. Kay is less concerned about most of these issues. For him it is perfectly natural for players to appeal for things when they see them in the heat of battle.
However, when players feign injury they are showing a lack of respect for their opponent and for their game. “We do not want players gesturing for yellow cards but there is nothing wrong with a captain asking for clarification on a decision that he feels is too lenient. There is a fine line between back chat and the importance of keeping open lines of communication between referees and players. That needs to be monitored because respect is critical. When players feign injury they are showing a lack of respect for their opponent and for their game.”
Then just like London buses, Stephen Jones, “Rugby’s most outspoken and influential journalist”, wrote an article in the June issue of Rugby World headlined “Is rugby now becoming football?” I feared the worse. But lo and behold, Jones admitted that rugby has long looked down its nose at football but it has to stop being sniffy, and he even admitted he prefers many aspects of the round-ball game. He even appears to be a Spurs fan!
He cites a number of areas where rugby is aligning itself with football. A hire and fire scenario with coaches. The attitude towards referees, specifically the constant appealing by players against decisions against them. Oh, and yes, brandishing an imaginary card to get a player booked. He reckons that in the last calendar year he has heard at least 20 players asking the referee to consider carding an opponent.
He does claim that in rugby there isn’t diving…….
In the 2014 European Cup final, Bryan Habana was reprimanded by Alain Rolland, the referee, for exaggerating a small off-the-ball collision with Owen Farrell.
At the 2015 World Cup, Stuart Hogg was rebuked by Nigel Owens for diving in Scotland’s game against South Africa at St James’ Park. “If you want to dive like that again, come back here in two weeks and play [when Newcastle United are at home],” the referee said at the time. And how we all laughed…..
World Rugby, a body which only calls the fire brigade when the house is already burnt down , issued a law amendment in 2015 that gives referees the power to issue a yellow card if they witness a player diving.
Surely this is the demolition of the last justification for rugby’s moral superiority. As Jones admits, the sport is now on the way to being just another sport.
I just wish other rugby scribes would admit it…
Premiership Rugby ambition must be challenged by RFU.
May 8, 2017 rugbygroundtravels Uncategorized
The Champions Cup final this weekend will lack a team from the Pro 12 for the fifth consecutive season following the Munster and Leinster semi-final defeats.
The tournament has become an Anglo-French production, although in those five years only four clubs have made it to the final: Toulon, Saracens, Clermont Auvergne and, last year, Racing 92, whose fall this season was emphasised by their recent 50-point defeat at Montpellier.
Gaps are all around. Saracens, pursued by Exeter, are well ahead of the rest in England where Wasps lead the table but will not emulate their achievements of the previous decade until they become harder to break down: they recorded bonus-point victories against the bottom two clubs in the league, Worcester and Bristol, in recent weeks but conceded seven.
Leinster and Munster are, following Ulster’s fickle season, the major forces in the Pro 12 and, while La Rochelle lead the Top 14 by a considerable distance, their failure to defeat Gloucester at home in their Challenge Cup semi-final suggested they will have it all to do win the play-offs where the more pragmatic Clermont, Montpellier and Toulon will be lurking.
There is a danger that some teams will outgrow the leagues they play in, which is one reason why Premiership Rugby, seeking to justify its intention to increase the length of the domestic season to 10 months from 2019-20, is looking to establish a tournament with the leading franchises in the southern hemisphere, which currently would mean four New Zealand sides.
With South Africa about to ditch two teams from Super Rugby next year, most likely the Cheetahs and the Kings, the prospect of their joining the Pro 12 has been raised. The organisers of the tournament are looking at ways to expand commercially to raise income for its sides, trying to keep up with the Premiership and the Pro 12, and even the United States has been explored.
As more money comes into the game, more is sought with most of the increase being absorbed in wages. Finance is the overriding reason why the Premiership wants to expand its season and, for all the assurances given to players about rest periods and a break at the midway point of a season, what about supporter fatigue and the extra costs fans face?
On the other hand Saracens can go no higher than they are in the current set-up. It is when the expansion of the club game cuts across Test rugby, the earner for the vast majority of tier one nations that the problems begin. That is not a concern for Premiership Rugby, which is why its ambitions should be challenged by the body that controls the game in England, the Rugby Football Union.
www.scrumdown.org.uk
mike.miles@scrumdown.org.uk
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Greatest Goal I (N)ever Saw: Lorimer's Rocket In The European Cup Final
With 25 minutes to go in the European cup final, Lorimer lashed the ball past the Bayern Munich keeper. Only for Beckenbauer and a bent referee to disallow it and deny me the greatest goal I've ever seen....
Robert Endeacott
The Greatest Goal I (N)ever Saw: Leeds United's Lorimer In The European Cup Final
Bitter, twisted... who me? Just because of a controversial football match and even more controversial goal, am I mad? Too bloody right I am, rancour like that is part of my DNA near enough.
The day was supposed to be our big day, our biggest day, when we were to be crowned, indisputably, undeniably, the champions of Europe. No, not the winners of the gross and inaccurately named ‘Champions’ League’, rammed into the face of today’s football fans like a particularly unappetising Supersized McMurdoch Crapburger but the European Cup, competed for by European nation league title holders only.
The Super Leeds team had won the Inter Cities Fairs Cup twice in relatively recent history, and they had shamefully been cheated out of the Cup Winners’ Cup too a couple of years before, in 1973. While Sunderland beat them fair and square in the FA Cup final that year, it was a sh*thead referee who won the European final for AC Milan shortly afterwards. I’ve never claimed Leeds United were the only British team to be ripped off in European competition, but they were the ripped off the heaviest. Not only did they get their unfair share of ‘sh*t refs’ in those days, they got the most criminal ones too. The whole shoddy affair had such an effect on me and dare I say it, plenty more Leeds fans at the time, that I wrote about it in Disrepute - Revie’s England (Tonto Books) - Wednesday 28th May 1975, Leeds United, champions of England, versus Bayern Munich, champions of West Germany : -
"Twenty-five minutes left and it’s still 0-0. Leeds are awarded another free-kick, midway in the Munich half. It’s yet another one of those games where ‘dirty’ Leeds are the sinned against rather than the actual sinners. Johnny Giles takes the free-kick with his left foot. He picks out Paul Madeley easily, who had peeled away from the throng to meet the pass with his head and send the ball across the crowded goal area. A Munich defender gets to it first but succeeds only in heading the ball upwards. There is one particular player who you, as an opponent, would not wish to see lining up a volley within sight of your goal... that player is Peter Lorimer, and that headed clearance is descending slowly and invitingly to that very player. Lorimer steadies himself, he watches the ball closely and then he strikes it with his famed right foot, as sweetly and powerfully as is humanly possible. It rockets past Maier’s flailing left hand in to the top corner of the net. Deafening cheers from the Leeds supporters, as their players run around to celebrate and congratulate each other while the Munich players barely react, almost as if they had expected to concede, deserved to concede. But then, as if their captain, Beckenbauer, has suddenly remembered something, he raises his arm to protest that something was wrong with the goal. What exactly, he does not know… To add to the confusion, as if Beckenbauer’s raised arm is an invitation, photographers, press men and stewards race on to the pitch to get closer to the turmoil.
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David Coleman, commentating for BBC TV (with guest pundit England manager Don Revie alongside him) remarks – ‘And the German players are protesting… And what’s he given? See what happened here: Madeley forward, knocked back – and while you’re watching (the action replay), there’s bedlam on the field. Lorimer puts it away… and Bremner may have been offside… and… what’s happened? The Leeds players protesting and pointing to the linesman who’s gone to the halfway line. The linesman had no doubt but what’s the referee given? The linesman is actually on the halfway line, having made up his mind it was perfectly alright…’ Franz Beckenbauer, captain of Munich as well as the current World Cup holders, speaks with French referee Michel Kitabdjian as if they’re old friends, supporting him, encouraging him, cajoling him, to decide in which ever way he thinks is best... even if, as is patently clear, he is unaware of any rule infringement and his linesman has adjudged the goal as fair. Coleman again - ‘… And the referee, who seems to have had his problems, has now given a goal… Total confusion! And, in fact… well, he hasn’t, he’s given offside!’ " The goal is disallowed and that bastard Beckenbauer has finally got some revenge for 1966.
Lorimer’s shot was customarily spectacular, he didn’t score many ordinary goals. We’ve had some superb strikers of the old pig bladder at Elland Road: Giles (with either foot), Currie, Sheridan, Sterland, McAllister, Yeboah etc, but Lorimer was the king. When he really hit a ball - like against the Germans - it knew about it, briefly taking the shape of a great kidney bean as his right boot pummelled the leather surface. He made his debut in the early 1960s so naturally there are many of his 238 goals for the club that I wasn’t lucky or old enough to witness. Regardless, I saw plenty of classic Lash strikes, and the one against Munich would have been high up the rankings, probably the top one in fact, it was that good, a Hollywood blockbuster of a shot. Of course, as I’m frequently reminded by the sickening twinge in my soul, it wasn’t allowed, which means therefore, it is the Greatest Goal I (N)ever Saw. Had it stood and had Leeds United been awarded a penalty for one of the most blatant fouls you could ever see - Beckenbauer on Clarke, even the STILL photos prove it’s a foul - then the result would have been a foregone conclusion and Leeds would rightfully have been crowned European Champions. (Beckenbauer handled the ball in the penalty area too, also in the first half of the match).
Such experiences of disgraceful, bent refereeing explain why I always used to back the British clubs in the European Cup in those days. That probably would not have stretched to Man United getting my support but seeing as they didn’t win the League for a lifetime, it’s irrelevant. And nowadays there are hardly any British players involved in the Competition Formerly Held For Champions Only, so frankly I don’t give a toss anymore about it, it’s all overhyped and overrated sh*te.
Had Leeds won the European in 1975, I doubt they would have remained at the zenith of football for much longer, there were too many changes to personnel needed in too short a space of time, and for all his qualities I don’t think Jimmy Armfield was the best manager for the job at the time. A gentleman and a splendid chap yes, a great football boss no. Just my opinion, it’s not important; it could have been worse of course, and we would find out once the Leeds board showed they’d been dining on too many stupid pills again, sacking Armfield and really setting the club on the slide thereafter. I do think though, that the consequent, deathly slow collapse of the club wouldn’t have happened, and of course there wouldn’t have been a European ban on the club after Leeds United fans rioted at the Paris final. (After cheating the club out of two European finals, UEFA then banned them from European competition). Damn it, they could have saved us all a lot of bother and heartache if they’d done it a few years earlier!
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Your Untold Stories of Dementia
Aired On: November 25, 2013
This episode of Safe Space Radio features multiple stories of dementia from you, our listeners. This collection of ten stories reflects the wide range of experiences and emotions that result from having a loved one with dementia—including frustration and poignant loss, but also warmth, connection, and surprising moments of sweetness. You can watch Scott Kirschenbaum’s …read more »
Life in the Early Stages with Bill Verrill
Bill Verrill, a former banker, now suffers from early Alzheimer’s disease. Bill describes his deep trust in his wife Shirley’s ability to take care of him—and his deepest fears about the toll his illness will take on her life. He remembers letting go of his driver’s license and learning to be more dependent while striving …read more »
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An interview with elder-caregiving expert Carol Bradley Bursack about sibling conflict in the care of a parent with Dementia. Carol reports that most adult children caregivers are still women, and that typically the responsibilities of caregiving fall mostly to one child within a family. This creates the conditions for old resentments, jealousies, and conflicts to …read more »
Frontotemporal Dementia: Complications and Genetics with Melynda
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This episode features Melynda, whose husband has frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Unlike Alzheimer’s, FTD is not first characterized by problems with memory, but by poor judgment and inappropriate behavior. Melynda’s husband, a doctor, began to make errors in judgment by over-prescribing pain medications to his patients, and was incarcerated for these mistakes. After his incarceration, the …read more »
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Connection and Dementia with Steven Sabat
In this episode of Safe Space Radio, neuropsychologist Steven Sabat discusses how he’s been able to find ways of communicating with people with advanced dementia by recognizing and honoring their enduring personhood. He talks about the failure of standard tests of mental ability to register the social awareness of people diagnosed with dementia, and the …read more »
Dementia and Family Secrets with Nancy Sowell
Aired On: October 7, 2013
Therapist Nancy Sowell remembers the family secrets that came out as she was caring for her grandmother with dementia, and how the curious distance and even hostility she had always felt from this side of the family began to make sense as her grandmother opened up for the first time. She discusses how dementia can …read more »
Difficult Parents and Dementia with Julia Jarvis
Aired On: September 16, 2013
Julia Jarvis remembers how her relationship with her difficult father has evolved both before and after he got dementia. Julia talks about her struggles to make peace with him, and about the challenges now faced by the caregivers in her father’s life.
Dementia in a Holocaust Survivor with Marushka Glissen
Aired On: September 9, 2013
Psychotherapist Marushka Glissen talks about her mother, a survivor of Auschwitz who now has dementia. Marushka describes how her mother’s experiences complicated her relationships with her own children and husband, and raises the possibility that for some who are haunted by painful memories, dementia may actually provide a bittersweet respite.
Dementia as Ambiguous Loss with Pauline Boss
Dr. Pauline Boss discusses the experience of ambiguous loss. Dementia often creates a situation in which a person’s body is present, but the mind is absent. For caregivers, this can generate feelings of ambivalence toward the person with dementia, including wishing for this person’s death as a way to resolve the ambiguity. Dr. Boss says that …read more »
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Board index ‹ Site Related Forums ‹ Headline News
Six Flags Announces a Full Season of Backwards
Announcements & News From The Homepage
by CoasterDave316 on May 25th, 2013, 12:59 am
The Following is a press release from Six Flags Great America:
GURNEE, Ill. - May 24, 2013 - Six Flags Great America announced today that guests will experience a full season of rollercoasters running backwards. The backwards campaign began with BATMAN: The Ride on May 4. Six Flags, the world's leading regional theme park company, has set in motion a series of rollercoasters that will run for a limited time backwards.
"Innovation is a part of our company's DNA and we strive to provide thrilling ride experiences for guests of all ages. BATMAN: The Ride appealed to our extreme thrill seekers and now, Viper and the American Eagle open up the backwards experience to all our guests. It's going to be an amazing season," said park president, Hank Salemi.
The official last day to catch BATMAN: The Ride backwards is July 7. The park will offer Viper backwards for the first time ever beginning July 8 through August 26. This thrilling wooden rollercoaster is modeled after the famous Coney Island Cyclone and has delivered over 21 million rides since opening in 1995.
In the fall, the world's longest racing wooden rollercoaster, the American Eagle, will once again hit the tracks in reverse. While this is not the first time that the American Eagle has assumed the backwards position, it's surely a fan favorite.
The Park is now open daily for the 2013 season. Experience Six Flags all season long with a 2013 season pass. Each pass is only $66.99 when buying four or more. The deadline on this great deal is June 9, 2013. Visit sixflags.com for a complete list of operating hours and more information about Six Flags Great America tickets, shows, rides, attractions and events.
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Chilean suspect in Japanese student disappearance faces prosecutors
Earlier this month, French prosecutors went to Chile to question Nicolas Zepeda, seen here leaving a Santiago court on April 17
Chilean authorities on Wednesday questioned a man suspected of involvement in the 2016 disappearance of his Japanese ex-girlfriend in France.
Nicolas Zepeda was interviewed by the public prosecutor in Santiago on Wednesday morning before leaving the Justice Center just after midday without speaking to reporters, AFP journalists said.
He is the only suspect in the disappearance of student Narumi Kurosaki, then 21, in eastern France.
Chilean prosecutors met with French investigators on Tuesday ahead of Zepeda's questioning. Attorney General Tania Sanchez said only that proceedings had been carried out at the request of French authorities.
France is hoping to provide sufficient evidence to see Zepeda arrested and extradited to face a murder charge.
A Chilean judge had previously denied a request to arrest and extradite Zepeda, citing insufficient evidence.
Kurosaki had been living in the university city of Besancon in eastern France when she disappeared on the night of December 4, 2016, and despite extensive searches her body has not been found.
Investigators in France believe 28-year-old Zepeda, who had broken up with Kurosaki several months earlier, suffocated her in a jealous rage.
He returned to Chile before French police issued an arrest warrant.
Kurosaki was last seen hours before her disappearance having dinner with Zepeda in a restaurant in Ornans, near Besancon.
Fellow students in her dormitory reported hearing terrified cries and banging noises later that same night, Besancon public prosecutor Etienne Manteuax said in November.
No trace of blood was ever found in Kurosaki's room and Zepeda denies any involvement in her disappearance.
Three charged over Maltese anti-corruption journalist's murder
US student who killed Chinese scholar sentenced to life in prison
Fears of worsening floods as monsoon rains pound South Asia
Woman jailed for fracturing husband's face, nose and eye socket with golf clubs and vegetable peeler
UN reaches agreement with Yemen rebels to resume food deliveries
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Opal Library
What level is the Opal Library?
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Question + Request Box
What questions do you have or topics do you want to see? - it's anonymous!
How can I stop being nervous when I speak? (3:33)
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Will English Speakers Laugh at your Accent? [Jun 3]
Personality > Language [Jul 8]
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Remembering Vocabulary [Jun 10]
Using Vocabulary Properly [Jun 17]
Summary of Verb Tenses (13:36)
Grammar to tell stories about the past [JUL PREVIEW]
Present Simple vs. Present Progressive (7:28)
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Past Progressive Part 1
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Question Form
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Branding + Design: A quick look at the branding process for Digital technology company Acquisio.
It was well back in 2004, when Shark first developed the branding for an innovative new startup based in Montreal, Canada. Under the leadership of Marc Poirier, Acquisio grew into a global search and digital technology services powerhouse, and a decade later, Shark was requested to revisit the company's branding and marketing. What follows is a quick recap and some insight into a branding agency's strategic process which might serve as a template to approach and manage your company's branding and marketing challenges.
BRANDING GOALS - When clients initiate new branding, normally by detailing their business goals and vision, we like to simplify the discussion with some ground rules and goals for successful branding.
Perceiving a difference - Good branding begins with a focus on developing a distinct image in a marketplace. Separating oneself (or company) from the competition - both visually and conceptually - is how consumers can distinguish and hold onto a brand image.
Perceiving Value - While good branding means people can clearly differentiate a name, product or service, great branding is about infusing a sense of perceived value into a brand. With great branding, people perceive a difference and they perceive value which can create brand loyalty, shift products from commodities to premiums and so forth. But before any of the rebranding process could begin for Acquisio, some pressing "11th hour" cleanup of the company's looming Summit provided a preview of things to come and underscores marketing that imparts a sense of value.
Before: After:
BRAND STRATEGY - Good branding agencies generally try to install a singular and objective core strategy to drive the branding process. With Acquisio, it was clear that the company’s marketing typically listed numerous advantages and benefits but was rarely tied to any consistent idea about Acqusio itself. In that list, however, we did uncover one attribute that seems to have more immediate value: Acquisio offered "The Fastest Optimization Algorithm on the Market.” The idea of speed in search and digital obviously had potential as a positioning strategy. We then circulated an article to Acquisio management from Fast Company which noted, "Speed Will Triumph ... The best soccer teams in the world emphasize pace of play over perfection. They recognize that keeping the ball moving quickly is better than waiting and trying to make the ideal pass."
Logo - With speed in mind, the logo was first up for review. Originally designed in 2004 by Peter Jacobs, Shark's Creative Director, the Acquisio logo was composed of three simple bars stacked one over each other. It was an elegant and simple signature that actually pre-dated the same universal “hamburger” logo utilized by responsive websites worldwide. With a design strategy based on “evolution” rather than “revolution,” we preserved much of the Acquisio logo’s original form but modified it into a new, and "faster" look.
DESIGN SYSTEM - A design system is kind of like a brand manager’s tool set. In it you will find a logo, a limited number of fonts, a color palette, specs for layout, the use of images, and pretty much everything that goes in to ensuring a consistent and well integrated brand image. The new Acquisio design system driven by the "speed" strategy was developed simultaneously in brand ads, websites, digital ads and more.
BRAND ARCHITECTURE -To further the strength and consistency of the brand across current and future products and services, Shark developed the brand architecture for naming and branding various sub-brands and service categories. By isolating ACQ in the Acquisio name, we designed an elegant method for connecting Acquisio’s five primary Service Marks: ACQOptimze, ACQReporting, ACQSearch, ACQLocal, ACQPromote.
BRAND STANDARDS - By defining the parameters for typography, color palette, layout, image use, and more, a brand manual provides companies with an organized set of operating instructions for managing the brand in a variety of applications. We created Aquisio's Brand Guidelines to convey the new, integrated vision for the brand, and formatted it in an easy-to-use booklet detailing approved use of typography, color palette, layout, image use, etc. - Acquisio's Design System.
In the end, we sometimes say "it's all about the T." T-shirts are a wonderful test of all things branding - logos, attitude, color, typography, and more. When people willingly wear the symbols or statements of a company they are in effect, validating the merits of the brand. For Acquisio’s first T-shirt, we integrated multiple branding elements into a cool and contemporary expression of the Acquisio’s brand, personality, and positioning.
Sitemap Privacy Policy Copyright 2019 Shark Communications
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"I Confess With Faith" Saint Nerses Shnorhali – the Gracious "ՀԱՎԱՏՈՎ ԽՈՍՏՈՎԱՆԻՄ" Ս. ՆԵՐՍԵՍԻ ՇՆՈՐՀԱԼԻՈՅ
A prayer for every hour of the day
St. Nerses
Poetic work
Canon tables
Greek Modern
Old Greek
Greek (XIX century)
This site is a tribute to our most revered father, great poet and theologian Saint Nerses the Gracious “Shnorhali”. Through these pages we present and honour the significance and the impact of St. Nerses’ theological work οn the Christian world.
“I Confess With Faith” prayer, or “Havadov Khosdovanim”, is one of his most prominent works, a collection of 24 prayers, one for each hour of the day. It is one of his most touching and inspiring prayers. It has been translated so far in more than 36 languages.
This site comprises a vast collection of translations derived from several different sources. Pages of this site were created on material taken directly from freely provided sources and publications. As long as no translation into Modern Greek has been recorded so far, it has been a great opportunity and honour for me to translate and publish through this site the “Havadov Khosdovanim” prayer translated into Modern contemporary Greek.
Levon Ounanian, 2017
© 2017 Levon Ounanian
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Landscape Design & Installation
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Paul Andrew (557 Articles)
Paul is the founder and editor of Speckyboy Design Magazine. He has many years experience within the web design industry and a passion for the latest web technologies and design trends. He lives in the small town of Inverness in the north of Scotland. Follow him on Twitter.
The Essential Elements of Creative Resume Design
By Paul Andrew on March 30th, 2019Inspiration
One of your most powerful personal marketing tools is your resume. If you follow the essential rules for creating an outstanding resume, you can create a compelling story about yourself…
30 Beautiful Examples of Bokeh Photography
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A photograph can communicate the visual detail of a scene in a way difficult to capture in words. After all, they don’t say for anything that a picture is worth…
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We are social beings, but often find ourselves isolated. While it’s in our nature to gather together, getting close to anyone takes effort and skill. Nowhere is this truer than…
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When it comes to selling your products, presentation of said product can make a world of difference when it comes to sales. This is even more important when it comes…
Scrolling in Web Design: How Much Is Too Much?
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Scrolling may seem like a very basic feature of a website, and essentially, it is. However, despite its basic functionality, the scrolling on your website can either work to users’…
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We have accumulated a super-useful collection of our favorite little web-based apps and tools for when you’re working with CSS. All of the tools have been created with the intention…
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When you think about design assets for your work, scribble and doodle brushes are probably not the first things that comes to mind. Yet, despite that, they have their own…
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Custom icons are a great asset to have in your design library. While you can find tons of great-looking icons all over the Internet, nothing beats custom icon design. If…
14 Beautiful Examples of Magazine Layouts in Web Design
By Paul Andrew on March 21st, 2019Inspiration
The next time you browse through popular print/paper newspapers or magazines, take note of how varied the page layouts tend to be from one to another. Some page layouts are…
25 Login & Registration Forms with Creative Designs
On many sites, the one page that people see over and over again is the login page. That makes it important to not only make it something worth looking at…
15 Form Validation jQuery Plugins and Libraries
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Form validation. Two words that send shivers down any developers back. Building a form? No problem. What about validating it? No comment. What we have for you today is a…
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According to Wikipedia, a UI style guide is a ‘set of standards for the writing and design of documents’ and that it ‘ensures consistency and enforces best practice in usage.’…
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Court dismisses libel suit, rules college is not liable for content in student newspaper
A Minnesota court dismissed a libel lawsuit brought against St. Cloud State University and the Minnesota State Colleges and University system for an article in a student newspaper.
The court ruled June 9 that even though an article in the SCSU University Chronicle, which claimed that a professor at the school was anti-Semitic, was defamatory, the university and university system could not be held responsible for it because university officials did not have editorial control over the newspaper.
“[The] defendants’ role with respect to [the University Chronicle] cannot be a basis for liability because their role is only to advise, to encourage, and to persuade,” Ramsey County District Court Judge M. Michael Monahan stated in a memo attached to his order for summary judgment.
The professor has appealed the ruling.
SPLC View: While the case is apparently not yet over, the decision – whose outcome follows rulings in similar cases – should serve as yet another reminder to school officials that exercising editorial control over their student media may not only be unconstitutional – it could also open the school’s “deep pockets” to a potential libel plaintiff.
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The Stormy South
Photojournal: PIA06482
Southern Storms and Streaks
Full-Res: PIA06482
Saturn's southern polar region is haunted by a number of dark storms in this image, including one storm at right of center with a slight brightening around its boundary.
The image was taken with the narrow angle camera on Aug. 10, 2004, at a distance of 8.6 million kilometers (5.3 million miles) from Saturn through a filter sensitive to infrared light. The image scale is 51 kilometers (32 miles) per pixel.
The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging team is based at the Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colo.
For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission, visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and the Cassini imaging team home page, http://ciclops.org .
NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Saturn's moon Dione hangs in front of Saturn's rings in this view taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft during the inbound leg of its last close flyby of the icy moon.
Dione: Craters and Rings
Saturn's northern hemisphere reached its summer solstice in mid-2017, bringing continuous sunshine to the planet's far north.
Good Old Summer Time
The pockmarked crescent of Tethys displays slightly darker terrain in a band at its equator. The rim of the great crater Odysseus lurks on the terminator. Lit terrain seen here is on the leading h...
Tethys Crescent
The transition region from Saturn's moon Iapetus' dark leading hemisphere to its bright trailing hemisphere is a complicated patchwork of craters and highlands, with low elevations filled in by dar...
A Complex Transition
This spectacular view is a mosaic of four high resolution images taken by the Cassini spacecraft narrow angle camera on Feb. 16, 2005, during its close flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus. The view i...
Enceladus Mosaic
This image, taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft, shows dwarf planet Ceres from an altitude of 2,700 miles (4,400 kilometers). The image, with a resolution of 1,400 feet (410 meters) per pixel, was take...
Dawn Survey Orbit Image 5
This image obtained by the framing camera on NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows the south pole of the giant asteroid Vesta.
Viewing the South Pole of Vesta
A Crisp View October 25, 2004 Full-Res: PIA06505 This detailed view of Saturn's southern hemisphere shows clouds, storms and waves in...
A Crisp View
View unannotated version. This sequence of three images, obtained by NASA's Cassini spacecraft over the course of about 10 minutes, shows the path of a newly found moonlet in a bright arc of Satur...
Tiny Moonlet Within G Ring Arc -- Annotated
Saturn's two ring-embedded moons are pictured here, along with clearly visible signs of their perturbing effects on the ring edges that border the gaps they inhabit. These ripples along the ring e...
Daphnis and Pan
This image of Ceres approximates how the dwarf planet's colors would appear to the eye.
Ceres in Color
Saturn's small, irregularly shaped moon Helene is strikingly illuminated in this close view captured by Cassini during the spacecraft's June 18, 2011, flyby. Although it is not visible at this exp...
Dramatic Helene
This image of asteroid Vesta from NASA's Dawn spacecraft shows many curved ridges that are typical of Vesta's southern hemisphere. This image is located in Vesta's Sextilia quadrangle, in Vesta's s...
Curved Surface Features
A crescent Enceladus, imaged from the night side, shows off its spectacular water ice plumes emanating from the south polar region of this moon of Saturn. This image was captured at a phase, or Su...
Plumes and a Crescent
This Cassini image shows the cratered surface of Saturn's moon Rhea, with impact craters near the terminator thrown into sharp relief. Rhea is Saturn's second-largest moon, at 1,528 kilometers (9...
Rhea's Relief
+ View Labeled Version Details of Saturn's icy rings are visible in this sweeping view from Cassini of the planet's glorious ring system. This natural color mosaic, taken from 10 degrees below th...
A Full Sweep of Saturn's Rings (Unlabeled)
Titan's First Close-Up October 26, 2004 This image is one of the closest ever taken of Saturn's hazy moon Titan. It was captured by Cassini's imaging scien...
Titan's First Close-Up
Saturn's icy moon Tethys displays a very old impact basin here, just southeast of its giant canyon system, Ithaca Chasma. The large crater has been degraded, or softened, by time and a more recent ...
Icy Scars
These raw, unprocessed images of Saturn's moon Dione were taken on Dec. 12, 2011, by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. Although Cassini obtained more detailed images on previous flybys of Dione, this was ...
Dione Rev 158 Raw Preview -- Image 6
The constellation Orion is framed by two Perseid meteors on Aug. 12, 2018 in Cedar Breaks National Monument, Utah.
Perseids and Orion
Piercing the ubiquitous layer of smog enshrouding Titan, these images from the Cassini visual and infrared mapping spectrometer reveals an exotic surface covered with a variety of materials in the ...
Titan's surface revealed
In this rare image taken on July 19, 2013, the wide-angle camera on NASA's Cassini spacecraft has captured Saturn's rings and our planet Earth and its moon in the same frame.
The Day the Earth Smiled: Sneak Preview (annotated)
This view from NASA's captured by NASA's Dawn spacecraft on Dec. 21,2015, shows the central complex of mountain peaks within Dantu Crater on Ceres. A patch of bright material is visible near lower ...
Dawn LAMO Image 13
The Cassini spacecraft looks through Titan's thick atmosphere to reveal bright and dark terrains on the Saturn-facing side of the planet's largest moon. North is up. The image was taken with the ...
Saturn's View of Titan
Titan's Whispers October 28, 2004 Full-Res: PIA06986 This image shows Titan data from the passive radiometer mode of Cassini's radar inst...
Titan's Whispers
NASA is offering new opportunities for America to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 mission and look to the future of exploration on the Moon and Mars.
The launch period for NASA's next rover, Mars 2020, opens exactly one year from today, July 17, 2020, and extends through Aug. 5, 2020.
Mars 2020 Rover: T-Minus One Year and Counting
An estimated one million people gathered on the beaches of central Florida to witness first-hand the launch of Apollo 11.
The many challenges NASA overcame forced the agency and its partners to devise new inventions and techniques that spread into public life, many of which are taken for granted today.
Going to the Moon Was Hard — But the Benefits Were Huge, for All of Us
NASA will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon mission with a live, two-hour television broadcast Friday, July 19.
NASA Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Historic Moon Landing with Live TV Broadcast, Events
This is JoAnn Morgan, the instrumentation controller for Apollo 11.
Rocket Fuel in Her Blood: The Story of JoAnn Morgan
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Home › Uncategorized › Around the Horn: Al-Shabaab showcase looted weapons from Jubaland raid and more
Around the Horn: Al-Shabaab showcase looted weapons from Jubaland raid and more
By Tres Thomas on September 10, 2017 • ( 0 )
Somalia: On 9 September, al-Shabaab released photos of supplies it looted during its 3 September attack on Buulo Gaduud, just outside Kismayo. It claimed to have killed over two dozen Somali troops in the raid. The group appeared to capture vehicles, RPG rounds and launchers, AK-47s, ammunition and other goods. The group has used captured materials in the past for deadly mass raids against AMISOM and Somali forces.
Other articles of note:
The Somali government was accused of betraying its national sovereignty in order to appease Ethiopia after it transferred an official from a Somali-Ethiopian opposition group — the ONLF — to the Ethiopian government. Observers noted the Somali government rarely has spoken out against violence by Ethiopian paramilitary forces in Somalia, even as it adopted the narratives of the Ethiopian government in labeling the ONLF official a “terrorist” who was “connected” to al-Shabaab.
U.S. AFRICOM carried out two more strikes against al-Shabaab, stating it killed two militants in Bay region and one militant near Barawe. AFRICOM did not name any of the targets. Notably, al-Shabaab and local civilians have provided photographic evidence that U.S. airstrikes and joint ground operations with Somali forces have killed 17 civilians since last month — raising the importance for AFRICOM to name those it has targeted, admit fatal errors, and compensate victims. Inadvertent fighting between a Habar Gidir clan militia and a U.S.-Somali joint force during a raid against an al-Shabaab target in August resulted in the deaths of children and other civilians, and risked inflaming clan tensions in Lower Shabelle, similar to how an errant U.S. airstrike in September 2016 exacerbated clan conflict in central Somalia.
Kenya: Both the government and opposition have lost some faith in the credibility of the election commission following the Supreme Court’s nullification of the presidential vote due to irregularities. Opposition leader Raila Odinga has threatened to boycott the re-scheduled polls on 17 October unless several officials who organized the last run are let go. President Kenyatta has called for a cessation of infighting among election commission officials, who have bickered over how it should handle the repeat election. This all raises doubts about whether the upcoming poll can be conducted more transparently and credibly than the first.
Tanzania: The Delegation of the European Union (EU) in Tanzania on Friday, September 8, called for swift action following the shooting that wounded opposition chief whip Tundu Lissu. Between 28 and 32 bullets were sprayed at his car and five bullets hit him, according to Speaker of the National Assembly, Job Ndugai.
‹ PHOTOS: Al-Shabaab and AFRICOM dispute outcome of drone strikes
Around the Horn: Dadaab’s Decline, Kenyan Political Violence, and More ›
Somali Regional Leaders Must Present Specific Policy Ideas to Resolve Crises
Can Somalia Seal the Galmudug-ASWJ Peace Deal?
PHOTOS: Al-Shabaab and AFRICOM dispute outcome of drone strikes
Around the Horn: Kenyan Elections, Somalia Airstrike, AMISOM Withdrawal
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Interviews - Interview: In The Studio With Wesley Berryman
Interview: In The Studio With Wesley Berryman
Interviews - 23 Apr 2019 - Share
Championed by Beyoncé, Gaga, and FKA Twigs, among other eminent artists, designer Wesley Berryman presented his first runway show, entitled Electric Fashion Opera, at New York Fashion Week last season to a thrilled audience. With an uncompromising DIY approach, Berryman has successfully garnered an impressive online audience, encompassing a diverse set of fans. Hailing from Nashville and based and NYC, the designer has quickly established his label Weslah’s signature black denim and shoelace stitched constructions as a cult staple. To learn more about Berryman and the future of Weslah, Something Curated met with the young designer at his Bushwick studio.
Something Curated: How would you describe the ethos of your label, Weslah?
Wesley Berryman: Weslah is a concept brand I created that’s main purpose is to inspire bravery and acceptance through self expression while also being a pulse in the ether of the universe, a conduit for positive change.
SC: How did your career in fashion begin?
WB: I moved to New York after almost being expelled from college – I have trouble listening to authority. I began working and interning for other designers who I admired, and I learned as much about the business of fashion as I could since I didn’t learn much about that in school. While sometimes working multiple jobs a day, I would always go home at night and work on Weslah.
SC: Can you tell us a bit about the latest collection?
WB: My newest collection, Obsession, is about the guts it takes to wake up everyday and follow your dreams. You have to be fully committed – or obsessed – with whatever it is you want. You have to be obsessed with your own fantasy so much that it actually becomes reality. There is also a dark side of obsession, and the collection depicts what could happen if the obsession begins to consume you.
SC: You recently had your debut runway show – can you talk about this experience?
WB: The runway show, my Electric Fashion Opera, was a giant performance art piece that told the story of Life, Death and Acceptance. My main goal was to create an emotional experience for the audience, to take them on a journey of pure emotion. Something that most people face every single day – waking up, putting your armour on to face your demons, and fighting them until the death. But the show was also a celebration of individuality. It celebrated the fact that, against all odds, we are still here and thriving in the face of adversity.
SC: Your shows and visuals champion a distinct take on diversity – what is your approach to casting?
WB: I casted my runway as if it were a play, carefully selecting performers who I knew could shine through under all the crazy hair and makeup. I wanted the models personalities to be present in their own version of the fantasy I was trying to create. That’s really my only approach to casting. Can you serve? Can you embody my vision? And are you confident in who you are?
SC: Are there any particular figures, from the fashion industry or elsewhere, who have had a seminal influence on your career?
WB: Lady Gaga and Shayne Oliver. Period.
SC: You’ve made custom pieces for a number of eminent artists including Beyoncé and Gaga – is there a collaboration that you have particularly enjoyed working on or are most proud of?
WB: I am very fond of the pieces I created for Beyoncé. I got the call at a particularly low part of my life last summer. I had almost given up doing fashion; I had even left New York thinking I wasn’t going back. But this look was the kick in the ass I needed to get back and do what I love to do. And the garments I created were so beautiful and intricate, I really put a lot of myself into it and it’s so signature Weslah that the entire world knows who did it without even really knowing.
SC: What has been the greatest challenge you’ve faced as a young designer setting up your own brand?
WB: Doing it all on my own with integrity and professionalism. I don’t play by anyone else’s rules, so I have definitely had to forge my own path. But I do that by just believing in my work and pushing myself to create something really impactful. I have been very blessed because my work really speaks for itself and all the opportunities I have come from me believing in my work – I’m grateful for my creativity.
SC: Are you able to share with us what you are currently working on?
WB: I am working on my next show – I haven’t been able to rest since the last one. The electric feeling I received is unlike anything else in this world. I truly felt a divine connection to myself and everyone in that venue and beyond. Even days, weeks, after the show I could still feel the energy pulsing through the universe.
SC: What motivated you to be in New York, and what do you think the city offers young designers?
WB: I came to New York because that’s just what you do as a designer, no? Being from Tennessee, I wanted to be in the centre of fashion culture. I think New York is a genesis of fashion in many ways. So many ideas and styles come out of New York because there are so many creative people here. Fashion would be nothing without the street, the youth – everyone is looking at us. I would say young designers offer the city more than the city offers us. I’ve never been offered much; you just have to take what you want.
SC: What do you see for the future of Wesley Berryman?
WB: Wesley Berryman will continue to evolve into the international luxury brand, Weslah, which will create art and fashion for the people. Wesley himself will also go on to creative direct a heritage brand in Europe, amplifying the message of love and acceptance across the globe and the further reaches of space.
SC: Preferred work attire?
WB: Something comfy but also overly sexy.
SC: Favourite restaurant in New York?
WB: Peacefood Cafe, an amazing vegan place in the city.
SC: What are you currently reading?
WB: I’m perpetually reading Stephen King’s The Shining.
Interview Keshav Anand | Photography Thomas McCarty | Hair, Makeup & Model Jake & Joseph Dupont
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DOWNLOAD: Olivier Daysoul – ‘Mr Saint Louis’ (Prod. by Oddisee)
tags: Download, Mr Saint Louis, Oddisee, Olivier Daysoul
As promised Olivier Daysoul has released his new EP, Mr Saint Louis, via Oddisee’s bandcamp page. The EP (including instrumentals and acappellas) is available for free.99 but be quick … free downloads are limited to 1000 and I’m pretty sure these will be snapped up quick.
Thanks to Amelia @ Put Me On It
LONDON EVENT: Official Rlease Party For The Foreign Exchange’s ‘Authenticity’ (15th Oct)
tags: Authenticity, Listening Party, London Event, The Foreign Exchange
Please Note: The Foreign Exchange will NOT be present or performing at this event, this is a listening party.
Details after the break…
VIDEO: The Foreign Exchange Want To ‘Thank You For Listening’ – A Short Film
tags: Nicolay, Phonte, Short Film, Thank You For Listening, The Foreign Exchange
The title of the post pretty much says it all. The film is in 3 parts, one for each of the classic albums they have released since 2004’s Connected.
Sit back, relax and listen to The Foreign Exchange story.
(Part 2 & 3 after the break)
VIDEO: PinBoardBlog.com Presents: Rehearsal Rooms with Szjerdene (‘Lead The Way’)
tags: PINBOARDblog, Quadron, Remedy Rehearsal Rooms, Robin Hannibal, Szjerdene
Anyone who stops by here regularly knows that Szjerdene has a special place in my musical heart (see here). Her voice just does something to me that very few others manage.
I’d heard that the folks over at PINBOARDblog had lined up Szjerdene for the latest episode of their ‘Rehearsal Rooms’ series so I couldn’t wait to press play on this when it arrived in my inbox. I’d actually been invited down to attend the event that evening but unfortunately I couldn’t make it so this would be the next best thing.
Performing a new track called ‘Lead The Way’, which she co-wrote with Quadron’s Robin Hannibal, she sounds as amazing as ever. I’m informed she is currently hard at work on her debut album which cannot come soon enough.
VIDEO: Olivier Daysoul Mini-Doc
tags: Labour, Mr Saint Louis, Oddisee, Olivier Daysoul, Video
When I posted up Olivier Daysoul’s new track ‘Labour’ earlier in the week I mentioned that it was a bit of a ‘direction change’ from his debut Kilawatt album. Most of the tracks I’ve heard from him in the past have had an electro-soul feel, but his new track as well as his new EP, have a more ‘classic’ soul sound.
In this mini-doc, shot by the EP’s producer Oddisee, Olivier explains that his previous ‘futuristic’ sound was more of a character than his true self. He also talks about his musical inspirations and his direction for the future.
Olivier’s new EP, Mr Saint Louis, is released this Friday (15th October).
Thanks to Amelia.
REVIEW: The Foreign Exchange – ‘Authenticity’
tags: Authenticity, Connected, Leave It All Behind, Nicolay, Phonte, Review, The Foreign Exchange
October 12th should have been a date marked on every soul music lovers diary, for that was the day that saw the release of Authenticity, the third album for the Grammy nominated duo, The Foreign Exchange. With two albums under their belt, both of which are hailed as modern classics, the group were always going to have a steep hill to climb if they were going to live up to the extreme hype off the back of 2004’s Connected and 2008’s Leave It All Behind. Well folks it looks like we can all breath a sigh of relief as Nicolay and Phonte have released another certified classic that will surely be regarded as one of, if not the, best release of 2010.
When Leave It All Behind was released, there was much head-scratching going on in hip-hop and soul music circles. Here we had a a well known hip-hop producer, and one of this generations premier MCs releasing what is generally considered a ‘soul/RnB’ album. It seemed that Phonte had switched spitting for singing, and Nicolay had given his hard-hitting hip-hop beats a more mellow, soulful makeover. It wasn’t to everyone’s taste, but the general consensus was that the duo had taken a giant step forward in their musical story. I don’t think Authenticity will generate quite so much controversy, as the group have stuck firmly in the soul/RnB lane, however this is certainly not Leave It All Behind Part 2.
Whereas LIAB carried some of the hip-hop vibe over from Connected, Authenticity is almost devoid of it. Instead Nicolay has pared down his productions, giving a sparser, yet equally beautiful soundscape, over which Phonte lays some of the most honest, blunt and sometimes brutal ruminations on love one will heasr this year. Whereas LIAB was a relatively ‘bright’ album, celebrating the many facets of love, Authenticity takes a much darker turn, dealing with the loss of love, the death of relationships, and, in the case of ‘The Last Fall’ the loss of hope. Nicolay’s production is, in a word, masterful. Recalling some of the best 80s elctronica and soul (think Prince), many would have been happy enough if this had simply been an album of instrumentals. I find with all of Nicolay’s productions, but particularly those under the guise of The Foreign Exchange, he is able to convey a level of emotion and storytelling that is all too often absent.
One of the biggest leaps forward on this album comes in the form of Phonte’s singing and in particular songwriting. As previously mentioned, until the release of LIAB many regarded Phonte as a rapper/MC (even though he had taken the odd foray in to singing as part of Little Brother and the duo Zo! & Tigallo), so to hear him sing was a shock to some. He managed to hold his own amongst a host of talented collaborators on LIAB, but Authenticity sees him taking more of a solo role in the proceedings, tackling 7 of the 11 tracks alone. Of course this wouldn’t be a Foreign Exchange album without appearances by extended family memebers YahZarah and Darien Brockington (as well as Median, Chantae Cann and Jesse Boykins III), but it is Phonte who stands out with tracks such as the haunting opener ‘The Last Fall’ and the Zo!-assisted ‘Fight For Love’. The songwriting is definitely some of the best this year of the last couple of years, with Phonte peeling back the emotional layers unabashedly, revealing an inner turmoil at the course a relationship his taken. I don’t know whether these songs are based on real experience(s) or not, but it’s hard to imagine someone so expertly conveying emotions they have never themselves dealt with on some level.
Usually at this point I would begin to single out favourite tracks but it is an almost impossible feat. Authenticity is an album that needs to be listened to as a whole rather than sampling tracks here and there. It is a concept album in it’s simplest, most straightforward form, a story. I can’t see anyone who liked LIAB not liking this album, although there will certainly be comparisons made, and people will have their favourite. Personally, I find it difficult to choose as the two albums are very different, and depending on what I wanted from the music at a given time would determine which I chose.
If you are looking for the perfect musical accompaniment as we segue into Autumn then look no further. Authenticity, in all it’s emotionally strained, heavy-hearted glory will carry you right through to those first days of spring.
NEW TRACK: Jack & Juke (TM Juke) ft Sharlene Hector – “Ain’t Nobody” [Chaka Cover]
tags: Aint Nobody, Alice Russell, Andreya Triana, Chaka Khan, cover version, Jack & Juke, Jack Baker, Sharlene Hector, TM Juke, TM Juke & The Jack Baker Trio
Saw this on twitter and thought I’d check it out … TM Juke + Sharlene Hector = Guaranteed Banger! I love the Chaka original, but these guys definitely do the track justice and to have Sharlene on vocals is just the icing on a very soulful cake.
Jack & Juke ft Sharlene Hector – ‘Ain’t Nobody’
In case there is any confusion over the matter Jack & Juke were previously known as TM Juke & The Jack Baker Trio. TM Juke is a producer famous for his work with Alice Russell as well as his own solo work. Jack Baker is Alice Russell’s drummer as well as the drummer in Bonobo’s live band. The duo have been covering this Chaka Khan mega-hit at live shows, notably with the lovely Andreya Triana on vocals. Got it? Good.
The duo’s debut album is one of my favourites, with its latin/island flavoured percussive sounds, however word is that their follow up, due early 2011 will be aimed squarely at the dancefloor. This will apparently be the 1st single and is available digitally or on 7″ via the duo’s bandcamp page.
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Gen Ys Trying to Get in on Property Ladder
April 24th, 2015 8,262 Total Views
Gen Ys are jumping on the investment property ladder early and some of them already have multiple properties.
The average age that a gen Y becomes an investment property owner is 25, a Domain Consumer Insights Study shows.
That’s 10 years earlier than generation X and two decades earlier than baby boomers.
Domain Review editor Jennifer Duke says it may be that parents are teaching their children to get into property earlier.
“I also think the idea of buying an investment property and renting at the same time is now much more commonly accepted, whereas probably 10, 20 years ago you bought your house to have your family in.”
The study also shows the number of generation Y Australians who own multiple properties – 16 per cent – is on par with the baby boomers and gen Xers.
Ms Duke says with historically low interest rates prevailing, property investment has become an increasingly attractive avenue for building wealth.
“I would imagine the bank of mum and dad is probably coming into play a little bit,” she added.
Ms Duke says some gen Ys may be investing with their parents, who can access the increased equity in their homes due to the boom in the property market.
She says the difference in the lifestyles of gen Ys compared to their parents, including in terms of them not getting married and having children as early, may mean they’re in a better position to invest.
GENERATIONS IN THE INVESTMENT PROPERTY GAME:
Average age of investment ownership – 34
For gen Y it’s 25, gen X 35, baby boomers 45
16 pct of gen Ys own two or more properties
17 pct for gen X and baby boomers
By Megan Neil
Tobin in Sydney
FIRB and the RBA are doing their best to thwart this kind of economic foresight on the part of young Australians.
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Home / Fall 2001 Issue / Home & Design / Close to the Sky
Home & Design October 21, 2010
Close to the Sky
Text: Elise Lufkin Photography Chris Gardner
On a windy mountaintop above Ketchum–surrounded by sagebrush–roses, delphiniums, and lilacs bloom. Within tall stone walls, tender plants blossom extravagantly, rewarding the gardener with copious fruit and masses of flowers. And outside the walls, hardy perennials create pools of color in a climate more hospitable to elk than to roses. In this wild land, Gina Macdonald has carved out a place for her gardens.
The first thing that strikes you when you arrive at this aerie is the expanse of sky. At 6,500 feet above sea level, you are above everything that might stand between you and it. As your eyes settle back to earth, they come to rest first on a pond that echoes the sky and then on the perennial borders surrounding the house. Ten feet deep, they are full of tulips, daffodils, pansies, and trollius. Lilacs bloom at the back of the borders, and everywhere are the signs of blooms to come.
The first gray-green tendrils of clematis wind up the trellises that line the log walls of the house, a promise of summertime walls of color. Delphiniums, sweet williams, irises, hollyhocks, bachelor’s buttons, daylilies, foxgloves, peonies, and campanulas fill every inch of ground, and it is hard to imagine how there will be room for all these plants in another month.
Large pots of roses crowd the steps of the house, sharing space with pots of herbs and lively annuals. Enormous hanging baskets sway above them, carrying color up towards the blue, blue sky.
As you round the corner of the house, a massive, buff-colored stone wall blocks your path. Although the wall rises above your head, fortresslike, a glimpse through the green metal slats of the gate reveals not cannons but rows of vegetables and flowers, apple trees, and still more lilacs and roses.
When Gina and her husband, Alex, built this house nine years ago, their original plan included no landscaping at all. Alex wanted natural vegetation–sagebrush and native grasses–right up to the house. Gina wanted gardens similar to the ones she had left behind in Bellevue. “Luckily, the fire marshal intervened on my side, and wouldn’t give us our occupancy permit without a lawn for fire protection,” Gina beams. “I got the perennial borders then, too.”
Some years later, Gina put in two raised beds in order to grow the vegetables and herbs she loves to use in her cooking. The cold climate and short growing season were obstacles she could work around, but the deer and elk became increasingly troublesome, often rooting out entire sections of the garden overnight.
She tried sonic devices, bags of smelly chemicals, human hair clippings from the barber shop, scarecrows, netting, blood meal–every folk remedy and newfangled device she heard about or came across–but without success.
“One night a bull elk pulled the sonic devices off the side of the house and dragged them into the sagebrush. He tore the fence apart and trampled the scarecrow, and then came in and ate everything,” she says. “But I still wanted a garden. It took two years and a trip to France to convince Alex that a walled garden was what we needed. We fell in love with the rock walls in Provence.”
The stone walls of Provence protect tender plants from the cold gusts of the mistral, so it was easy to imagine that they would work much the same way on an Idaho mountaintop. In addition, the stones retain the heat of the day’s sun and releases it throughout the night, creating a microclimate several degrees warmer than the surrounding area. In this land of short, cool summers, a few degrees can mean the difference between success and failure.
Though the Provençal influence is clear, there is also a South American flavor to the walls, perhaps drawn from the heritage of the masons who built them. Measuring 4 feet wide at the base, 2 feet wide at the top, and 7 feet tall, they resemble small Mayan temples. “They will probably be here long after Ketchum has disappeared,” laughs Gina. Engineered and built by Webb Landscaping out of “Utah Bluff” stone from Starheat Masonry Supply, the walls shimmer with tones of ochre, rust, and cream. “We took lots of photos of the walls in Provence to show Webb what we wanted, and I am very happy with the job they did. I love it,” Gina says.
The green metal gates, also fashioned after examples Gina and Alex saw in Provence, were built by local metal artist Chuck Cristopher. Gina liked the fact that the design of the French gates offered both privacy–which, here on the mountaintop, would translate to protection from wind rather than passersby–and a glimpse through to the garden inside.
Within the walls the ground slopes downward, following the natural contours of the hillside. The walls are engineered to step down with the slope of the ground, fitting naturally into their setting. Similarly, the stone paths that trace through the gardens follow the natural curve of the land. Most of the ground within the walls is covered with plants. “I didn’t want some sort of magazine showpiece, with water features and wide, straight paths,” Gina explains, “I wanted as much square footage for growing things as I could get.”
Roughly 40 feet by 60 feet, the size of the walled garden was determined by balancing this desire to have as much room for plants as possible with the need to keep it small enough so that the heat-retaining capabilities of the stone walls were not lost. The log house, which forms the east wall of the garden, shelters the taller shrubs and plants, while the stone walls that create the other three sides protect both garden and gardener from the winds that blow down off the surrounding mountains.
The plant beds are divided by a central path that runs north to south, with vegetables on the side near the west wall and flowers and perennials on the side close to the house. This segregation is illustrated by the peas: sweetpeas on one side, eating peas on the other, in perfectly balanced rows running perpendicular to the center path.
On the flower side of the garden, lilacs form a backdrop against the house, giving way to roses, delphiniums, and other tall perennials as you move forward towards the path. Campanulas, dianthus, and shorter perennials and annuals crowd the area closest to the path.
On the vegetable side of the garden, rows of broccoli, chard, onions, carrots, radishes, and every type of lettuce imaginable are laid out in colorful stripes. Heritage raspberries line the path, pruned for easy grazing as gardener or visitor passes by. Semi-dwarf apples (Jonagold and Spartan), recently planted, promise bountiful harvests. A double row of asparagus backs up against the greenhouse, which sits in the northwest corner of the walled garden.
The strict segregation of vegetables and flowers breaks down in a few places, most notably along the walls. They are lined with grapes (Edelweiss and Himrod are two varieties that have withstood the Idaho winters), wisteria, and many varieties of clematis. Gina’s attitude towards clematis is the same as her attitude towards roses: if it is hardy here and blooms all summer long, she grows it.
Roses that won’t grow for gardeners in the more temperate climate of the valley floor thrive for Gina because of the special care that she gives them. Every winter they are protected, by either special quilted rose blankets or cones of rabbit wire that she fills with small bark chips. She has tried many ways to protect roses and has found that although hay and peat moss will mold, bark will not. The very tender tea roses Gina removes from their pots and buries flat in the vegetable garden, covering them–branches, roots and all–with soil. When she digs them up in the spring, they already have green shoots on them.
The greenhouse, made by Northern Light Greenhouses, is constructed of plastic walls around an aluminum frame. It sits directly on the ground, and the plants within it grow in the ground.
“It is a tomato paradise,” boasts Gina, and many grateful recipients of her midsummer bounty would attest to that. Today, the tomato vines in the greenhouse are interwoven with the purple and yellow flowers of Johnny-jump-ups. Rows of beans, early salad greens, and even a rosemary plant that survived the winter fill the spaces between the tomatoes. An artichoke plant near the door has two artichokes forming on it, a small miracle at well over a mile above sea level.
Gina comments on the success of her walled garden, “We can sit outside at night comfortably, eating tomatoes and laughing at the elk just beyond the wall. And I don’t have to worry that the bear is going to come after the salmon I am grilling.” In this mountaintop setting, that is a real accomplishment.
It is not surprising that a woman of Gina’s talents could bring off such a feat. Trained as a painter, her approach to planting is very painterly. “I layer color in my garden, just as I do in my paintings. I create as I go, and if some part doesn’t look right, I’ll change the color or the shape of the plants to balance it or make it right. The difference between a garden and a painting is that nature ensures that a garden is never finished.”
With gardens both inside and outside the wall, Gina is accomplished at adapting to nature’s whims. Elk, deer, and weather keep her palette in flux and her designs changing. “Every year some things die and some come back. I never know which it will be. It’s different every year, so I keep playing around, experimenting. That’s the fun part, really.”
Because color is so important to Gina, she will tolerate only a few plants that bloom just once a season, no matter how spectacular a show they put on. “I can’t stand looking at my yard without color,” she says.
At the same time, she takes a utilitarian approach. She insists that her garden be productive, supplying her family and her friends with food for their tables and flowers for their houses. At her previous home in Bellevue, she dug up a strip of sod along the driveway in order to plant raspberries for her husband to pick and eat as he came in and out from irrigating. Though they already had a large raspberry patch, it was at the back of the house–not a convenient place for him to stop and munch.
Gina is a hands-on gardener. She has a person to help her a few days a week this year, a concession to an arm injury this past spring, but she still doesn’t want someone else to do it all. “It is important to me to touch the plants and put them in the ground just so. I like to have a connection with the plant from the very beginning. The story about the green thumb really is true,” she laughs.
It is difficult to balance such a deep love of gardening with family, art, and other responsibilities, but each summer she manages. “I get up earlier, and work harder, so that I don’t have to give up all the other things that are important to me. Sometimes I get mad at myself because I haven’t been for a hike all summer, and I tell myself to get out of the garden, but this is really what I love to do.”
A delight in experimentation and an innate sense of curiosity is at the heart of Gina’s approach to gardening. In her first garden, an organic vegetable garden in Carmel Valley thirty years ago, she “dug up a field and planted vegetables to see what would happen.” Today she is interested in “playing with the wall, seeing what I can achieve with it.” She is always surprised by the changes nature wreaks, and excited by the ideas those changes suggest to her. If the elk eat all the snapdragons, she will take advantage of the opportunity to plant asters.
This is in contrast to many gardeners, who simply want to get their gardens designed, planted and finished, so they can go on to other things. “If I could garden every day I would. It is good for me mentally, very therapeutic. I love the anticipation of things to come, and the satisfaction of seeing how my ideas work out.”
Gina’s love of the process of gardening, coupled with her painter’s fascination with color, keep her going when the elk pull every flower out of every pot for the third time in one summer, or when a 20-degree night in mid-June wipes out all the annuals. With a painter’s eye, a gardener’s heart, and a strong dose of determination, she continues to create a fairy-tale landscape on top of a windy mountain.
This article appears in the Fall 2001 Issue of Sun Valley Magazine.
Making Room for the Workers By Andy Kerstetter
Where East Meets West By Kelly Hennessy
Homemade Home BY Karen Bossick
Valley Style Makers
What Dreams Become Text: Jennifer Liebrum Photography: Dev Khalsa
Treasure Hunting Text: Freddie Harris
Recycling Text: Susan Bailey Photography: Craig Wolfrom
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The Consort – Chapter One
Posted on November 23, 2017 by senzavoi
After hearing the seer’s message, Iirin finds himself struggling to come to terms with the fact that he’ll soon be leaving the only place that he’s ever called home. Despite how he’s been mistreated in the temple-orphanage because he isn’t a typical demon, the idea of leaving still stings.
Despite owning only a few worn items of clothes and several toys and books from his youth, Iirin was determined to make packing for his new future drag on as long as possible. He lingered over every single step of the process, drifting around his tiny room in the temple-orphanage’s rickety attic and packing at a snail’s paces.
As one of the left behind children in Akkadia’s capitol city, Iirin had precious few possessions to start with and as an older former-foundling, he has had to hide most of them in various places around his room lest Matron take the opportunity to requisition even more of his things.
After opening his wardrobe to pull a faded green tunic out of its dark depths, he let his fingers brush over a tiny ceremonial robe with purple and silver stitching creating wondrous patterns across the soft white fabric. It was the only thing that Iirin had left to remind him of his parents.
Not that there was very much to remember.
“Why I kept that silly thing, I don’t know,” Iirin mused aloud, gaze lingering on the robe he had been dressed in when his parents had left him in a basket at the temple steps twenty years before. He had only been a few hours old, but his parents had at least done that much for him.
From what Iirin had gleaned over the years, they never seemed to regret their choice. They never registered him at the midwife halls or even left an offering under the name they gave him at Dorna’s temple to make penance.
“Maybe I should get rid of it.” Iirin muttered, eyeing the tiny robe with a frown on his face. “It isn’t like I need another reminder of how little I’m wanted.”
Iirin frowned even harder a moment later when he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the dented silver shard mirror propped up next to his wardrobe.
Most of the time, Iirin didn’t mind looking at himself.
He liked looking at the way that his white hair brought out the shimmering silver-green sheen of his eyes and made his skin appear to be an even darker shade of brown. He liked his gangly tallness, the way that he always stood out in a crowd. He even, occasionally, didn’t even mind the fact that much of his body was covered in intricate markings that mystified all of the many healers that Matron had taken him to as a child.
Unfortunately, few people that Iirin had met over the years felt the same.
Iirin was hornless, fangless. A veritable sheep amongst the predators that trickled in and out of the god quarter. Sometimes, he wondered if that was why his parents had chosen to give him up instead of raising him themselves.
Iirin shook his head to clear it of the thought, feeling a mix of loneliness and sadness tighten his chest.
At least being sad is better than worrying about this bonding, Iirin thought to himself as he stared down at the receiving robe with a frown on his face. Maybe being upset about what could have been could keep him grounded, could keep him from becoming attached to the two gods that would inevitably tire of being bonded with a creature like him.
Perhaps though…
Maybe Iirin shouldn’t keep the receiving robe anymore. It wasn’t as though its presence ever made him feel good about himself.
“No,” Iirin said aloud, frowning as he scratched at the back of his neck. “I need to remember –” How easily a person could be thrown away. How easily he was thrown away.
Before Iirin can give into another set of unwanted emotions, he cut himself off mid-thought, trying so hard to push the thought of his birth parents as far away as he can. He smacked the wardrobe door shut with his free hand a second later when the thoughts ceased to be anything close to comfortable and turned in the direction of his bed.
Stretching out across the bed that he had outgrown years before when he was a mere foundling at the temple, Iirin allowed himself the time to lay back and think. After the whirlwind chaos of the past few days since hearing the seer’s message, getting to relax was a luxury that Iirin wasn’t sure he’d have for much longer. He stared up at the ceiling without registering the twisting chimes hung overhead.
Despite how much Iirin had loved the pieces of glass and shell enough to make several chimes out of them, there was nothing on earth that could remind him of that at that moment.
After years of being unwanted and unnoticed, to have two gods want him to be their link to the mortal world was so much of a shock that days later, he couldn’t wrap his mind around it. He didn’t even know who they were or what they saw in him. All that he knew was that the seer to the gods chose him, him of all the citizens in Anatea, to be their bonded third and consort due to some signs in the sky or some other nonsense.
Iirin didn’t even have a choice or a chance to say that he wasn’t interested.
One minute, he was in the kitchen preparing breakfast in the kitchen and the next, one of the seer’s messengers had told him of his fate. And, thanks to Matron’s intrusion into Iirin’s life and her demand that Iirin return to the kitchen, it wasn’t even as though he’d had a chance to find out more about his future bonded.
After the seer’s messenger had left, Matron had wasted no time yelling her head off about how Iirin had to make a good impression on the two gods that he was supposed to be perfect for.
Yeah, and Iirin had a wonderful childhood.
Iirin scoffed, lifting one arm over his head and stretching his fingers out as if he could touch the ceiling from where he lay.
This would end the way things always did, the way that all of his meetings with prospective parents did back when he was a child and the way that his first fumbling attempts at finding a mate went every time. The two gods would take one look at Iirin’s hideous, hornless self and forget everything that the seer told them.
No one, not even a god, could want someone like him in their family after all.
A knock on his bedroom door startled Iirin out of his bitter thoughts.
He rolled over onto his left side, facing the door. “Yes?”
“It’s me,” Matah called, her voice full of warmth. “May I come in?”
Matah didn’t wait for Iirin to answer. She never had when he was a child in her care, and he knew she wouldn’t start now. The doors hinges creaked when she pushed it open, the sound almost louder than the tinkling of the bells woven into the thick mass of the blue braid hanging nearly all the way down to her knees.
Iirin squeezed his eyes shut so that he didn’t have to look at the older demon’s face or see what he knew would be a softly sympathetic look on her face.
The closest thing that Iirin had to a mother, Matah was everything to Iirin. That he had to leave her so that two poorly adjusted gods could feel balanced made Iirin want to yell or throw things or scream.
“The carriage will be around for you in a few hours and you haven’t packed, haven’t gone downstairs to bathe,” Matah said from her vantage point just inside the bedroom. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that you were stalling.”
Without needing to look up, Iirin could hear gentle amusement in Matah’s rich voice and he scowled even harder.
“I don’t want this, Matah,” Iirin confessed in a fast rush of whispered words. “I don’t want to get my hopes up again only for them to turn me down because of this.”
Without rolling over or sitting up, Iirin stretched out one arm so that Matah could see the pale markings on his dark brown skin. “If the people that live in Anatea find me disgusting normally, how long will it take two gods to feel the same way?”
Matah crossed the floor, sitting down on one end of Iirin’s narrow bed and sliding the palm of one soft hand over his side. She was one of the few people that touched Iirin on a regular basis, and just that gentle brush of skin against skin made Iirin relax into his worn mattress.
“They’re gods, Iirin,” Matah murmured. “They aren’t like us. They’ll see you for what you really are.”
Bitterly, Iirin shook his head. “A freak that shouldn’t be allowed to breed?”
“Who said that to you?” Matah barked out, the words harsh.
Iirin shook his head again.
“No one under this roof, I swear,” he breathed. “But that’s what they all think isn’t it? If I were human or a shifter, this would be fine, but Matah, my own mother didn’t want me because I wasn’t a good enough demon. Why would anyone else?”
Matah frowned, her thin purple lips tightening with her sadness. The hand on Iirin’s side moved up to his shoulder, gripping tightly before Matah pulled Iirin up to a seated position beside her.
“If I thought for a moment that those two gods would hurt you, Iirin, I wouldn’t let you leave the temple.” Matah’s voice was like steel wrapped in satin, the undercurrent of her anger thrumming throughout. “I hate that that no one thought to give you a choice about your own fate, but I swear to you, Iirin, I think this could be good for you.”
“But I haven’t met them yet,” Iirin said, his voice perilously close to being a wail. “If I haven’t met them, how could you –”
Matah’s answering smile was sharp and smug, white teeth flashing against scale-speckled blue skin.
“I’ve lived in this quarter for two hundred years, dear. When I overheard Matron talking about the two Tals, I went right to their temple and gave them a good talking to,” she said. “I know that Matron doesn’t have your best interests at heart, but I do.”
Iirin frowned. “She hates me.”
Instead of lying to Iirin, Mata reached out and covered his right knee with one hand, squeezing gently until Iirin sighed and slumped slightly against her side.
“What matters most is that I love you enough to let those two gods know what they could expect if they so much as blinked at you funny. You’re important to me and I just know, don’t ask me how, that you will be important to those two.”
“You threatened a god for me?” Iirin said, blinking rapidly at Matah.
She smiled. “Two gods at that,” she says, looking proud of her self.
“And you weren’t killed?”
Matah gave Iirin a narrow eyed look that made him blush and duck his head.
“Obviously not,” she said in a droll tone. “I think that they were happy to know that you had someone out there that cares for you.”
Iirin blew out a shaky breath of air. “I don’t want to leave you,” he said.
“I know you don’t,” she said, tucking Iirin against her left side. “But this is better than Matron coming up with some way to kick you out without my knowledge. This way, we’re still in the god quarter and I can come visit you.” She paused to tuck a lock of Iirin’s silver hair behind one ear. “And you will always be welcome in the temple-orphanage.”
“Not if Matron has anything to say about it,” Iirin said bitterly.
Matah’s lips peeled back from her teeth in a frustrated snarl.
“Matron had best remember her oath before the gods themselves come down and make her pay for her cruelty. She pledged to be Matron for all that needed her, not just the ones that would fetch a high bride price. That’s not the point of what we do or why we run the temple-orphanage.”
“Why weren’t you ever Matron?” Iirin asked.
“I felt as if I could do better as myself than as someone who had to follow rules or make up her own,” Matah said in return. “Matron is too busy to care about the children we take in. I can’t remember the last time she took one of our foundlings into her arms to comfort them.”
Iirin shuddered. “Thankfully, she was too busy trying to put me out of the temple to try touching me.”
Matah growled through her clenched teeth. “I will never forgive her for the way she treated you.”
“It’s alright,” Iirin insisted. “I’ll be free of her after today. That’s what’s important.” He pushed up from the bed, getting up with as graceful a motion as he can and then held out a hand for Matah to take. “Come on, Matah. Help me pack and I’ll go to the baths without complaining once.”
Matah’s answering smile was soft. “If only you could keep such a promise, little one.”
The baths always emptied out when Iirin came downstairs to use them.
Even the now-grown foundlings that Iirin used to bathe when they were babies tended to shy away from him in the baths, leaping out of the water and rushing for their towels as though they were afraid of being in the same room as him. The younger children were better about it, greeting him with smiles and damp hugs before the older foundlings could catch and scold them, but in general, the baths often cleared out quickly when Iirin came down to use them.
Iirin’s last day at the temple-orphanage was no exception. Within moments, every one of the bathers took up their things and slipped off, leaving Iirin alone in the massive baths that were all but underground aside from a few windows that allowed in weak rays of sunlight during the day.
“It’s not like I’m contagious,” Iirin muttered angrily, speaking to the back of one of the older girls — a yellow skinned succubus with a single spiral horn at her forehead — as she urged two of the little ones ahead of her. The way that the children looked at him, all because he had those damned patterns on his skin, made Iirin feel like raging.
Or crying.
But he pushed the anger down as he walked to the pool on the far side of the baths that he always used. This wasn’t the time or the place for that kind of temper and if Matron ever heard that he was anything but proper in the baths, she would have his head, soon to be god-bonded or otherwise.
The water from the baths was scalding hot, but Iirin barely did more than hiss at the temperature as he sank all the way up to his neck. This was to be the first part of the purification process, making sure that he was as clean as one could get in the public baths underneath the temple-orphanage.
Everything else would happen once he was at the temple compound that his future bonded had on the outskirts of the god quarter. If they didn’t find him wanting and send him back to Matron’s less than loving arms, that is.
Iirin ducked underneath the water and then came up with water streaming through his loose hair and down his face in lieu of the tears that Iirin wasn’t sure that he would ever release.
It wasn’t that he didn’t believe Matah about her feelings, but that in all his life, he had never found anyone willing to overlook the mildest of his perceived defects. If prospective parents and mates couldn’t look past him being a hornless concubus, then how could two gods ever be comfortable with the whole of him?
For all that Matah swore up and down that he would be fine, that the gods were different from mortals, Iirin couldn’t believe it.
He wouldn’t.
Just in case Matah was wrong about them and about his future.
Despite the fact that few people aside from Matah cared for Iirin in the temple-orphanage, the courtyard was still full of foundlings when he came down from the room that was once his to greet the carriage that came for him. After all, every single one of the children loved a good show.
Dressed in his best tunic and a pair of leggings that were considered threadbare at best, Iirin forced himself to hold his head up high as he passed through the crowd of gawkers. Hugging a few of the wee ones that rushed towards him, Iirin managed to hold back his tears. Aside from those children and a handful of the older foundlings that waved at him, Iirin was alone in the crowd.
Matron was at the forefront of the crowd with the other caretakers, but Iirin had no eyes for her or them. Instead, he looked at Matah standing in front of the carriage and as he came closer to her and his impending future, pressure of tears grew stronger.
The hug that Matah enfolded Iirin in left him breathless as tears streamed down his face.
In that moment, Iirin didn’t know how he was going to force himself to live a life apart from the closest thing to a mother he had ever known. He clutched Matah to him, shuddery sobs pushing out from his throat as he clung to her like a child even though he was nearly a foot taller than her in height.
She pulled back first, cupping his face in smooth hands as she offered him a smile that seemed fragile.
“Take care, son of my heart,” she said. “You will always be welcome here.” She pulled him down until he had to bend his knees and then pressed a quick kiss against his forehead. “Now go, we wouldn’t want to keep your future mates waiting.”
Matah passed Iirin off to the djinn driver of the carriage. Still crying, Iirin could hardly see where he was going or what he was doing, but it didn’t matter. He was leaving everything he knew behind. He was allowed a little sobbing for that.
“Take care of him,” Matah said in a sharp tone as the dark-skinned demon helped Iirin into the carriage. “And let your masters know that if they hurt him, I will have plenty to say.” Matah swept off after that, shoulders stiff in a way that let Iirin know that he wasn’t the only one moved by the fact that they would be separate for the first time in his entire life.
Once inside the sumptuous carriage, Iirin dared to glance out the window. The sight of all of his foundlings standing and watching him leave the home that they all shared made his chest pulse with heat. He covered his mouth with his left hand in order to stifle another sob but he managed to wave at the crowd of people clustered around the courtyard.
When over half the crowd waved back at him, it took everything in Iirin to keep from bursting in to even more tears.
“Sit back,” the driver of the carriage called from overhead. “The masters would be most displeased if anything happened to you on the way to their temple.”
The driver clicked his tongue once, loud enough that Iirin could hear the sound clearly, and the massive goats at the head of the carriage took off at a pace that left Iirin reeling, fingers clutching at the sides of the carriage as scenery sped by them at a great blur.
Iirin scowled, feeling his stomach bubble both in response to his nerves and the breakneck pace of the carriage as it careened through the street. At least, if Iirin vomited in the carriage, he could pass it off as mere motion sickness from the speed of their travel rather than admitting to the nausea brought about by his fear.
This entry was posted in Stitch Writes Stories and tagged queer fiction, the consort. Bookmark the permalink.
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Pakistani Transnational Terrorism
Pakistani Transnational Terrorist Organizations
The list below does not include other organizations such as al Qai'da which have Pakistanis as members. Neither does it include other terrorist groups who find safe harbor within Pakistani borders. These are home-grown Pakistani terrorist groups who export crime and terror from their homeland. Sometimes it's difficult to tell the players without a program. (Source US Government)(Source SATP.org)(Source Wikipedia)
Internally in Pakistan, From the summer of 2007 to late 2009, more than 5,500 people were killed in suicide and other attacks on civilians. (LINK)
A perspective from Australia. (LINK)
Hizb-ul-Mujahideen (HM)
Harkat-ul-Ansar (HuA, presently known asHarkat-ul Mujahideen)
Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT)
Jaish-e-Mohammad Mujahideen E-Tanzeem (JeM)
Harkat-ul Mujahideen (HuM, previously known as Harkat-ul-Ansar)
Al Badr
Jamait-ul-Mujahideen (JuM)
Lashkar-e-Jabbar (LeJ)
Harkat-ul-Jehad-al-Islami (HUJI)
Muttahida Jehad Council (MJC)
Al Barq
Tehrik-ul-Mujahideen
Al Jehad
Jammu & Kashir National Liberation Army
People’s League
Muslim Janbaz Force
Kashmir Jehad Force
Al Jehad Force (combines Muslim Janbaz Force and Kashmir Jehad Force)
Al Umar Mujahideen
Mahaz-e-Azadi
Islami Jamaat-e-Tulba
Jammu & Kashmir Students Liberation Front
Ikhwan-ul-Mujahideen
Islamic Students League
Tehrik-e-Hurriat-e-Kashmir
Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Fiqar Jafaria
Al Mustafa Liberation Fighters
Tehrik-e-Jehad-e-Islami
Muslim Mujahideen
Al Mujahid Force
Tehrik-e-Jehad
Islami Inquilabi Mahaz
I don't warrant that this is a COMPREHENSIVE LIST, it's simply a place to start and something to think about.
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A non-fiction account.
It's impossible to communicate the nature of physical exhaustion to those who have not experienced it. There were three of us, but the other two are dead today. We sat a river no more than two inches deep in the middle of a fetid swamp, eating small water snakes which were squirming in the mud by the hundreds and washing them down with water from our canteens.
We had not eaten or slept for four days. We were in a state of starvation-enhanced exhaustion that caused us to have vivid dreams that we experienced while wide-awake. T. E. Lawrence said, “all men dream but not equally” however in that place, at that time, we all dreamed of home.
Sawbones
Part of the non-sequential series of fictional shorts: Medical care during the War of the Rebellion/Civil War/War of Northern Aggression (pick your term - same war) was spotty at best.
The upper Mississippi lay behind him and with it, the cloud of mosquitos that rose above it every evening like the locusts of mighty Egypt. Though summer temperatures rose above ninety degrees, it was necessary for him to sleep with full clothing and a muslin hood draped around his face to fend off the blood-sucking insects. Though he didn’t know what lay ahead of him to the west, emerging from the ‘Zone of the Mosquito’ made life far more tolerable.
The vast plains stretched for days behind and days ahead and he reasoned that the great barrier that kept people from making the trek was not hostile Indians or natural obstacles but one of grinding loneliness. He hadn’t seen another soul since he had been three days west of Independence. Not a wagon rut, not a buffalo track, nothing but endless land and clear skies. There had been a snake that made his saddle horse and pack mules shy three days before. As strange as it may sound, he’d hoped to cross the path of another rattler just to break up the monotony.
He heard them and their horses long before he saw them emerge from a copse of cottonwoods near a meandering stream. The Army moved south, men coughed and talked, pots and sabers clanking and horses whinnied. An element of men wearing faded blue blouses and straw hats rode straight for him as he sat on a hill astride his bay Morgan.
“Good day sir,” The man wore sergeant stripes. “May I ask you your business?”
“My name is James Abner Wilson and I’m a doctor, on the road west.”
“There is no road here and this is the Indian Nation.”
“I have heard that there is peace on the prarie.”
“If there is peace at the moment, it is because we brought it.” The sergeant scrutinized Wilson’s tack. “You were in the Army?”
“I started out with the Eleventh Pennsylvania. I joined the regiment under Colonel Coulter as his personal surgeon and when it became part of the First Corps, I transferred to divisional surgery.”
Major General C. C. Augur
“The General is in need of a doctor since his died in Wichita one week past.”
“Which general?”
“General C. C. Augur. That’s him, coming out of yon woodland.”
Wilson saw a man of average size clothed in a new, fancy, brass button uniform, wearing a hound dog gaze on his face, mutton chop whiskers and a thin cigar clenched between his teeth. As the general drew nearer, James could see intelligence and cunning in his eyes.
“What have we here, Sergeant Dall?”
“I found this here former Army surgeon on his way west and offered him our company if he wished to travel south with us.”
General Augur spoke with his cigar still clenched in his teeth. “That would be fine.” The general moved on, gilded staff in tow.
“What is happening, Sergeant?”
“Indian treaty council at Medicine Lodge. Big treaty. The government is changing its strategy. Now they plan to keep the red men on a plot of land and have them raise crops like proper white men.”
“Does the government think its strategy is sound?”
Sergeant Dall pursed his lips, then smiled. “I’m only a sergeant.”
Dr. Wilson fell into line with the mounted soldiers, next to Sergeant Dall.
“You could join us for lunch. We have Cincinnati Chicken and hard tack on the bill of fare.”
Bacon, dipped in brine referred to as 'Cincinnati Chicken', usually eaten raw on Army biscuits, didn’t appeal to Wilson, but it wouldn’t do to offend his hosts. He smiled and nodded. “The food hasn’t changed.” He’d ended the war as a major and saw the transformation from wartime military to peacetime military. The change shocked him. The officers remaining were a blend of competent men with a substantial wartime and deadbeats who remained due to political patronage. Gone were the conscripted soldiers and then men who fought for a cause. Shiftless men, escaped convicts and a substantial number of them were immigrants who spoke no English replaced the old Grand Army of the Potomac, which became something different.
A disastrous love scandal, a less than successful return to civilian life after a three-year military career as a human butcher, and a desire to travel and see what so many wrote about in dime novels resulted in his decision to go west. Doctor Wilson bought a mule and a pack frame, saddled his horse, slid two Colt Model 1862 revolvers into gun pocket holsters on his belt, and his Prussian Jaeger Dreyse needle-gun into the scabbard on the horse. His shotgun for birds, varmints and such stayed on the packhorse. He bought a second mule on the banks of the Missouri River at the urging of a buffalo hunter that he befriended.
“You could turn to drink.” Clem Harper, the buffalo hunter offered, tossing a jug of corn liquor his way. “Most doctors I know are servants of pop-skull. I fear that if you cross the prairie alone that you will be shot full of arrows and scalped.”
James declined politely. “I’d have to work at being s drunk for I do not favor the taste of strong drink.”
“It do take the pain away,” Clem advised. The doctors tell me that I have a tumor, which causes me great anguish. Oh be Joyful is the only thing that cures the pain.”
“What did the doctors prescribe for you?”
“Quinine and Epsom salts.”
James dug into his bag and handed Clem one of several bottles of opium pills that he’d packed. “Take these when the liquor no longer works to dull the ache.”
The recollections of the recent past stopped when General Augur’s party stopped at a commissary wagon and the general himself invited him to dine with his staff. Sergeant Dall tipped his hat and rode off to small gathering of dismounted cavalry, some of who had already begun to eat.
“Good doctor, if you would attend me?”
“It would be my pleasure, General Augur.”
“The cook will prepare Chicken Marengo, which has been canned. It was the meal favored by Napoleon and if it was good enough for him, it is good enough for this army. It is made from chicken, crayfish poached in white wine, white pickled onions, mushrooms, garlic, spices and tomato sauce.”
Wilson dismounted and sat across from General Augur in one of a number of canvas camp chairs, which were being assembled in the officer’s mess. The General had an orderly remove his left boot and showed a mangled ankle to the doctor. “What do you make of this.”
“The bone has been improperly set. Did a horse roll under you?”
“It is as you say. The very thing. My personal physician set it while he was in his cups. Poor bastard was also feverish with malaria and we’d run out of quinine.”
“An ankle is a touchy matter. At the very least it will need to be re-broken and reset. I am not an orthopedist.”
“Something for the pain then? We have this matter of the treaty signing at Medicine Lodge and I have no time to recuperate.”
Brigadier General J. S. Wadsworth
General Augur’s eyes brightened, not quite the hound dog sadness anymore as Wilson unpacked the mule that he called Jehoshaphat and handed the general three bottles of a medicine that he’d made himself. Augur untied the glass stopper and sniffed the first bottle. “No alcohol?”
“No. It is a prescription of my own making, but it will ease your suffering.” He’d blended fresh rosemary, sugar, laudanum, cloves, pulverized lemon peel and cinnamon. The sugar offset the natural bitterness of the opium.
“How much should I take?”
“This is enough for two weeks. Drink it along with coffee. You can even mix it with Army coffee and it will improve the flavor. I call the mixture the General’s Friend. I made it for General Wadsworth when I served as his surgeon during the Gettysburg campaign and onward until his death in The Wilderness. I was recommended to General Wadsworth by his wife’s family in Philadelphia.”
General Augur whistled. “I always wondered how a man as old as James Wadsworth could command from the saddle day after day, campaign after campaign. It makes sense that he had a talented surgeon.”
Posted by LL at 3:30 AM 11 comments: Links to this post
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Home Cryptocurrency Telegram ran a test TON
Telegram ran a test TON
Fernando Curvecis
Telegram company — the developer of the eponymous messaging app — has launched a closed beta of a private blockchain platform TON. About this “Vedomosti” citing sources.
Access a test version of the TON received a limited number of professional teams from around the world, including Russia, working with bloccano. According to the leaders of the two teams, the participants were given the opportunity to install the node blockchain network TON, however, until certain test results not.
One of interlocutors of the edition noted that the tests revealed “an extremely high transaction rate”. Because the code of the blockchain, including smart contracts are still in the testing mode, it is difficult to name a specific performance, he added.
TON — payment on blockchain platform of Pavel Durov, which is designed to become a competitor not only a leading cryptocurrency projects like bitcoin and ethereum, but the giants of the financial space in the face of Visa and Mastercard. Use the cryptocurrency Gram.
The timing of the launch of blockchain-TON platform was repeatedly postponed. Initially a test version of the network was supposed to appear in the fall of 2018. Then the Telegram developers promised to launch the platform in January of this year, but again missed the appointed time. In February 2019, the command Telegram reported that the blockchain platform TON ready for 90%. The network launch was scheduled for the end of the first quarter, however, the timing again was thwarted.
Earlier it was reported that developers are already preparing the infrastructure for TON. In the network appeared the video showing the interface of a wallet for cryptocurrency Gram.
Also recently approved the official request of Pavel Durov on the elimination of registered UK company Telegram Messenger LLP, whereby the messenger has changed the legal person.
The message Telegram has launched a test TON appeared first on crypto.by.
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← We’re in a magazine! High Desert Dog
A little macro today →
These paws are made for walking
Tales from the Backroad Posted on March 26, 2014 by Mary Hone May 12, 2014
And that’s just what I’ll do!!
Have a great Wednesday, It’s all about the fun!!
Posted in Daily ramblings, Photography permalink
These paws are made for walking — 26 Comments
Tootsie on March 26, 2014 at 3:05 am said:
Those paws are indeed made for walking! Love it! xox Toots and Renee
emma on March 26, 2014 at 4:52 am said:
You got that right! Happy WW!
Molly The Wally on March 26, 2014 at 5:10 am said:
We love that. Have a wonderful Wednesday.
savedbydogs on March 26, 2014 at 5:38 am said:
And they look good doing it :-)
Caren Gittleman on March 26, 2014 at 5:51 am said:
Amber DaWeenie on March 26, 2014 at 7:26 am said:
But it’s more fun to be carried….BWHahahahahah
Hap-Pee WindsDay!
Jenna,Mark “HuskyCrazed” Drady on March 26, 2014 at 7:47 am said:
haha! Yes they are!!!! Happy WW!!
Oz the Terrier on March 26, 2014 at 7:58 am said:
“…One of these days these paws are gonna walk all over you…”. Oooh, Ma says those are kissable paws if she ever saw ’em.
Happy WW,
Emily on March 26, 2014 at 8:06 am said:
Did you have a good walk with those cute little paws of yours?
TexWisGirl on March 26, 2014 at 8:31 am said:
slimdoggy on March 26, 2014 at 9:43 am said:
So cute – why are they different colors or is just the sand?
Erin on March 26, 2014 at 9:48 am said:
What fun place are you walking towards? :) Such cute toes!
Tenacious Little Terrier on March 26, 2014 at 10:08 am said:
Those paws look nice and rugged for desert walking!
Will and Eko on March 26, 2014 at 10:12 am said:
Well worn paws are the sign of a well traveled and happy pup!
Aimee on March 26, 2014 at 10:29 am said:
Those paws are irresistible!
Jan K on March 26, 2014 at 12:42 pm said:
Are those of us saying “one of these days these paws are going to walk all over you” aging ourselves? lol
Sweet photo….their paws are just so cute!
Nailah Bone on March 26, 2014 at 12:52 pm said:
Those paws are made for looking cute, too! :)
Jackie Bouchard on March 26, 2014 at 2:01 pm said:
Rita def’ly uses her paws to “walk all over me”! And, yes, I guess like Jan K says, I’m showing my age knowing those lyrics! :)
KB on March 26, 2014 at 4:40 pm said:
They sure are! It’s so cute that your pads are different colors. I’ve never seen that before!
Dolly the Doxie on March 26, 2014 at 6:40 pm said:
But please don’t walk all over me! Love Dolly
Christine & Riley on March 26, 2014 at 11:50 pm said:
and those are some pretty cute toes!!!
bichonpawz on March 27, 2014 at 3:27 am said:
And what cute little paws those are!!
Jen K on March 27, 2014 at 10:38 am said:
Well now that song is stuck in my head! The original, though, not the Jessica Simpson version.
judy ( on March 27, 2014 at 12:54 pm said:
those are adorable little furry footsies!
Laika on March 27, 2014 at 5:00 pm said:
Great photo :-)
Sharon S. on March 28, 2014 at 11:17 am said:
Just found you on Twitter. Roxy and Torrey are lucky dogs to have seen so many places, but you missed my state. Hope you’ll check out Nevada one time.
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Tansy Davies
That spirit realm is brilliantly suggested by Davies in a glassy musical texture uncannily flecked with rhythmic tics, suggesting that ‘spirit’ already knows the disaster is coming.
— Ivan Hewett
Tansy Davies writes music that is sleek, hot, earthy, physical. Her instruments glint and sigh and thrust. Her textures are lean and gleaming. Her rhythms are all punch and sinew. As a composer she is immensely herself: a woman of fearsome drive and rigour and self-knowledge, a woman who connects with body, spirituality and political convictions – and who conveys all that without without filter or apology. That’s what makes her music so immediately and intoxicatingly her own. To hear it is beguiling, bracing, provocative, a rush of blood to the head, a soft breath to the skin, a reboot to the system.
There is no fleshiness here. A Tansy Davies score never sags. The music is taught as a drum, alert as a raptor, quick-reflexed and tactile as a cat. It’s uncompromising and it’s proud, cutting razor-sharp forms through a concert hall. But it’s never austere because there’s deep sensuality, too, the kind of brazen sensuality that meets you with a clear gaze and quickens the breath and stirs parts of you that hardly ever stir where contemporary classical music is concerned.
Tansy Davies grew up playing in rock bands; she knows what it means to feel music in the body. And she always had an instinct to stretch and deepen and throw off-kilter. She absorbed the big beats of funk, the spangly pizzaz of disco, the jagged elbows of bebop, the outer wilds of alt-pop, the sculpted curves and sudden lushness of polyphony, the clean craft of post-war modernism. She played French horn and guitar, testing herself with long prog-rock solos and the limits of form, harmony and timbre without ever losing the groove. She discovered she could tread a line between sensual and cerebral better than anyone, so she kept treading that line.
Take a work like neon (2004): the music struts, poses, trips up, gets up. salt box (2005) is a wild ride and a sweet embrace. In the tiny song Greenhouses (2010), oily bass and nervy percussion twitch and swagger while a woman’s voice intones an implacable plainchant with low alto flute as confidante. In the mighty concerto for four horns, Forest (2016), the orchestral writing grows in tendrils and tall thickets to make dappled light and dark spaces. It’s music of glistening shadows and deep mysteries, music that speaks with an urgent voice about the solace and the vulnerability of nature.
There is a recurring shaman afoot – a conduit who flits between all aspects of Tansy’s musical philosophy. He’s there as mercurial solo saxophone in Iris (2004); he’s there in Tansy’s courageous first opera, Between Worlds (2014); he’s there in her urgent and haunting second opera, Cave (2018). Maybe this shaman is simply an embodiment of what Tansy has been doing all along. Exploring the elemental mechanisms of the natural world, exploring the psychological devastation of global events, exploring the most intimate aspects of body and heart and head. Tansy’s music lets us feel what it is to be multiform and nimble, intense and enlivened, confrontational and beautiful.
Kate Molleson, 2018
Bloomsbury House
74-77 Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3DA
promotion@fabermusic.com
Copyright © 2019 Tansy Davies — Website by Source Music Services
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Tesla Software Update Tips & Tricks
May 13, 2019 Blake Software 0
We are used to software updates on our phones, but cars that require software updates are still somewhat of a novelty. Until Tesla came along and shattered that paradigm, cars were more like appliances that, once they rolled off the production line, didn’t evolve much in functionality, safety, or technology.
Tesla changed all of that with the Model S when it added an expansive 17″ touchscreen display to the center of the dash. It became the hub for the car and the primary way for drivers to interact with and control the vehicle. All of that new functionality was packed into what is essentially an oversized infotainment tablet that let hand tendrils tap into specific vehicle functions, and that also allowed Tesla to update the more important functions of the car, like the battery management system and Autopilot.
With software updates being new to cars and many new Tesla owners joining the ranks everyday, we put together a handful of informational tips and tricks to make the software update experience better.
When Is It Coming?
Tesla fanatics are always itching for the next software update to come through, thanks to the loads of functionality Tesla tends to bring with each update. And I have to admit, being able to kick off a 45 minute software update from the comfort of your couch and then have your car suddenly be capable of new things — like opening your garage door when the car gets close or keeping itself in a lane with Autosteer — is pretty amazing. Many of us owners get a thrill out of that.
The latest update from Tesla added a new Software Update Preference in version 2019.16.1 (and newer versions) that lets owners choose when they want to receive updates. For the fanatics out there, go into your settings and select Software > Software Update > Advanced. You can select the option to receive updates immediately as they are available (and there are a few other options/settings).
Sentry Mode Bug
I’ve discovered that Sentry Mode — which utilizes the existing set of cameras used by the vehicle for Active Safety, Autopilot, and Full Self Driving to improve safety while the vehicle is parked — comes with a few quirks. One of those quirks can set you back if you’re not careful, and it relates to software updates. If Sentry Mode is enabled and a software update is started from the phone, the update will not be installed. The phone will go through the normal 2 minute countdown and then mysteriously make it look like the update has been rescheduled for another time.
To get around this issue, disable Sentry Mode from the phone before you start a software update. Because it’s all software, Tesla will likely fix this bug in a future update, but for now, it’s worth keeping an eye on.
Supercharging + Update = Nope
When CleanTechnica was up in Fremont, California, touring Tesla’s Fremont Factory, touring Tesla’s high-tech seat factory, and interviewing Jerome Guillen, President of Automotive, we were also expecting or hoping for a few software updates to enable some new functionality. I had purchased Autopilot a few days before the trip and was eagerly hoping for the new functionality to be pushed down to my car before or during the journey. Supercharging V3 had also been released that week, and as a member of the Early Access Program, I was hoping for a software update to open up the new V3 chargers for my Model 3.
After spending several days with Zach Shahan and Chanan Bos bouncing around the Bay Area and interviewing leaders in the cleantech space, a software update ironically showed up mere minutes after Chanan and I dropped Zach off at the San Jose Airport and headed back to Fremont for a top-up at the Supercharger. This was just before driving back down to Southern California. The plan was to install the update as we Supercharged for maximum efficiency.
Instead, we found that the software update actually would not fire off while we had it connected to the Supercharger. It’s unfortunate, but also understandable — updates can affect any part of the car and the last thing we need is to cause an issue with the car as it is gulping down power from a Supercharger at 125kW.
A whole lotta nope! Image credit: Kyle Field | CleanTechnica
Bypass The 2-Minute Timer
Tesla software updates normally fire off with a 2-minute timer. This gives owners time to cancel the update if they all of a sudden remember that they are actually in the drive-through lane and can’t leave the car in place for 45 minutes while it updates. Many owners want to cut right to the chase and get the updates rolling as soon as possible, but sometimes that’s just not smart and the 2-minute timer saves you. But other times it’s just a time-consuming annoyance.
A new trick around this was discovered thanks to a tip from a Tesla Mobile Tech. Yes, you can skip the 2-minute timer and get right to the update. I gave this a shot in the update from 2019.12.1 to 2019.12.2 and it works as advertised. Pretty neat little lifehack. Watch my 13-second how-to video here:
What Version Are You Running?
The addition of the Software field to the options menu also gives owners a home base for all of their software needs. The new window displays the version of the software that’s running on the car. Because it uses such a logical format, owners can quickly tell what version they are running and when it’s from. For example, in the current software my Tesla Model 3 is running, 2019.12.1.2, the first four digits of the software version are the year (2019), followed by the week the build was started (12).
Behind that, Tesla uses typical software versioning, starting with version 1 and iterating upwards as needed. Occasionally, a sub-version will show up. New builds of the software typically show up about a month after the week indicated in the software version, but this varies depending on the complexity of the update, testing required, and the like. I’m a fan of software testing, especially when that software is responsible for steering my car down the road at 65 miles per hour (105 kilometers per hour) a few inches from neighboring lanes.
This latest update added the version of the navigation maps being used in the vehicle. This is not something we have seen any relevant applications for or any need for, but it’s there for the curious.
Fire It Off From Your Phone
Back in the day, Tesla owners had to actually get into the car to get a software update started, but no longer! When a software update arrives, owners are alerted that an update is ready from the car and is also on their phones. Tesla recently added the capability to start the update from the phone, which is a nice touch since many updates seem to get pushed down in the late evening hours.
When a software update is ready to be installed, the car now pushes a notification through the Tesla app to let the owner know that an update is ready. They can also jump directly into the app and fire off the update. That’s a neat bit of functionality that makes loading new software updates even easier. Just remember, once it has started, you’re committed, so don’t fire off a 45 minute update while you’re waiting to get a coffee or just before you have to head out to pick up the kids. I’ve had a few near misses myself as my excitement about the new update trumps the logic, scheduling, and order-of-operations functions in my brain. [Editor’s note: ditto.]
Do you have your own tips and tricks that we didn’t mention? Let us know in the comments so we can add it here or include it in our next roundup!
If you want to take advantage of my Tesla referral link to get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging on a Tesla Model S, Model X, or Model 3, here’s the link: http://ts.la/kyle623 (if someone else helped you, please use their code instead of mine). You can also use my referral code to get a new Tesla Solar system for your home.
[“source=cleantechnica”]
Make Security A Mindset
5 Networking Hacks to Become a Better Networker
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Tag Archives: Stamford Bridge
The premier league is back and I, for one, am more excited than a badger at the start of mating season. Summer distractions are just that. Wimbledon, the Ashes, royal babies. Great, but where is Luis Suarez going? This is what the Great British public really wants to know. Some things matter.
I’m like a coiled spring at this time of year. All torque and potential energy; waiting for those sun-kissed opening games. Soon the clouds will roll in but, for now, glistening green pitches will play host to new names, new kits and fresh hopes. Bid your loved ones farewell until next May and settle in.
Football fans display an uncanny ability to overlook the obvious at this time of year in favour of a distinctly autumnal optimism. Too Good has had its dreams of a brighter future dashed too many times before to be drawn in by this false hope. Some things remain ever present and the sooner into the 2013-2014 season we recognise that Manchester United will win the bloody league again, the sooner we can make peace with our lot.
I’ve canvassed the opinion of several friends who are knowledgeable about football, as well as one or two Liverpool fans, on who they think will take home the spoils this year. Everyone seems to think it will be either Chelsea or Manchester City. The experts conclude similarly – not a single member of the Sky Sports panel plumped for the team from Old Trafford on their Season’s Preview show. Manchester United seem to carry something of a “Germany in major tournaments” feel to them. We turn up every single time doing our absolute best to rationalise why they won’t win the thing, which of course they then go on and do. Sometimes the collective footballing consciousness needs to be shaken by the lapels.
Why it won’t be City…
Appropriately for a team hoping for a Second Coming of the premiership title, Manchester City have signed a player called Jesus. Navas has almost as many tricks up his sleeve as his Nazareth counterpart. But, like Christ himself, Navas also has an Achilles’ Heel. Christ’s shortcoming was an inability to fend off betrayal within the ranks of his disciples. Navas’ is his inability to fend off a wobbly lip when he leaves his hometown of Los Palacios. One hopes that grizzled premiership defenders don’t decide the best way to test the homesick Sevillan’s resolve is a succession of “welcome to the Premiership” tackles.
Pellegrini did his business early in the summer. Once Navas was prised from his mother’s apron strings, Fernandinho, Stefan Jovetic and Alvaro Negredo quickly followed to the Etihad. A lot of talent has arrived along with the new manager. Winning teams typically grow organically, though, rather than be thrown together. And it’s uncertain what sort of formation will accommodate these players as well as the pre-existing high flyers. With the exception of Navas, each, it could be argued, has a comparative or better player already in situ at the club (Fernandinho < Toure, Jovetic < Tevez (who will be a massive loss for City on the pitch), Negredo < Aguerro). It’s not therefore especially clear how City have improved (other than in depth), despite having quality come through the door. In any case, City fans better hope it gels quickly. Title races can’t be won before Christmas, but they can certainly be lost.
Why it won’t be Chelsea…
Chelsea have strengthened primarily in the dugout. The Mourinho Effect is certainly not a chimera, but nor does it tend to work without a hefty war-chest being put to good use. As Jose himself once opined, in order to buy the best eggs, you need to shop in Waitrose. While Abramovic’s munificence has surely been guaranteed to Mourinho, so far the cash register has barely rung. £18m on Andre Schurrle may prove to be a good spend but it wasn’t the focal striker that Chelsea need. Schurrle operates mainly from the wing or behind another striker. What Chelsea require is a number 9 that will lead the attack. Any of Falcao, Cavani, Lewandowski or Higuaín (or even Roberto Soldado, had an astute Daniel Levy not been on hand to whisk him off to the Lane) would have fitted the bill. As it is, all of the above have signed elsewhere or re-committed to their current paymasters. If Mourinho honestly thinks Fernando Torres can do the job after three years now in the wilderness, then he’s exhibiting a blind faith that would make Eileen Drewery blush.
Of course, this position all changes if a certain box-shaped Scouser heads down to London. Wayne Rooney is no stranger to a transplant and, if he were to bed down quickly and effectively at Stamford Bridge, the complexion of Chelsea’s title challenge would change completely.
Which leaves us with…
Al Pacino’s character in Scarface was keen to point out the necessity of a villain of the piece (‘You need people like me so you can point your fingers and say, “That’s the bad guy”.’). The redemptive quality of the film arrives when seeing the cocaine-fuelled Montana shot to pieces by a team of assassins. Unfortunately, football isn’t a motion picture and the bad guys rarely get their comeuppance. The premier league’s Tony Montana, Manchester United, seem to go home with the spoils year after year. Yet, mysteriously, pundits and fans alike go into overdrive each pre-season trying to contrive reasons as to why it won’t be Manchester United’s year.
To recall, Manchester United won the league by eleven points last season. By the end of March, they didn’t even need their foot on the pedal. Putting this into perspective, no team has ever won the premier league by a wider margin and not retained it the following year[1]. In any case, United nab the title pretty much every year. The red devils have won the premiership on 13 out of 21 occasions, comfortably the highest win percentage (62%) in any of the big European leagues over the same period[2]. You would be hard-pressed to find a dispassionate statistician conclude anything other than a Manchester United success being the most likely outcome.
United have the best striker in the Premiership who is in the form of his life. They have a supply line to him that is never choked and, at the time of writing, they still have by far the best current English footballer.
Although United haven’t had a decent central midfield for over half a decade now, it doesn’t seem to bother them. There’s no reason to assume it will suddenly now start to. Their backline is looking a bit creaky, but then it did last year and United are unlikely to suffer as badly with injuries again. Vidic has returned and will likely manage more than 19 games this season. While Rio Ferdinand’s back is more and more resembling a game of Russian Roulette with intervertebral discs these days, there is the blossoming Phil Jones and the reliable Jonny Evans both very capable of picking up the slack. Rafael is also a fantastic (and wildly underrated) player.
People want to exclaim Alex Ferguson’s retirement as the death knell to United’s dominance. This may prove to be the case but I can’t see the players forgetting what he taught them overnight. There might be a certain atrophy over time but I don’t think Ferguson re-invented the wheel each time he went into the dressing room. He was responsible for putting together great teams at Old Trafford and he’s left one there now.
Things change, sure. But less so than is often realised. You’ll get taxed this year. Christmas will be a bit underwhelming. People will cry on reality television and it’s going to rain on the bank holiday. Manchester United, I’m afraid, will most likely win the league.
[1] Chelsea won the 2004-2005 title by 12 points and won again the following year with 8 points to spare. United won the league in 1999-2000 by a colossal 18 points and won the next year by a comparatively modest 10 points. In short, not only did both teams defend their league titles, they did so handsomely.
[2] Over the same period of time (21 seasons), Bayern Munich have won the Bundesliga 11 times, Barcelona have won La Liga 10 times, Juventus have won Serie A seven times and Lyon have won Ligue 1 seven times.
One more sleep, fellas.
Tags: Chelsea, Chelsea FC, Manchester City FC, Manchester United, Manchester United FC, Premier League, Stamford Bridge, Wayne Rooney
The Return of Mourinho
Parkinson. Take That. Liverpool in Istanbul. Peter Mandelson. Our proud nation has seen many great comebacks in its time. This week, Roman Abramovic will be sacrificing a fatted calf to celebrate the return of his prodigal son. Jose is back!
I’m flinging journalistic impartiality out of the window here and now. I think Jose Mourinho is fantastic. Ever since the young Porto manager went tearing down the touchline to celebrate a two-legged winner at Old Trafford, the Special One has had a special place in my heart. Mourinho appearing on screen is like watching Gollum in Lord of the Rings; he’s the only bit worth paying attention to. Housewives up and down the country won’t be the only ones going weak at the knees on his return. Players, fans, journalists, other managers – Mourinho pretty much groomed the nation last time he was here.
Too Good has expressed its admiration for Jose’s managerial record before. He’s the top dog. The man from Setúbal had every right to call himself “a special one” (he never actually said “the special one”, but indefinite articles don’t carry quite the same quotability…). Mourinho is a big game hunter and he has a glittering trophy cabinet. Chelsea are the clear winners in the managerial merry-go-round.
Not dissimilar to goats being able to predict an earthquake, bookmakers usually have a feel for the seismic impact of an arrival at a football club. Mourinho’s announcement has positioned Chelsea as near enough joint favourites for next year’s premiership (Chelsea are at 31%, United at 33% and City, remarkably, have their noses in front at 35%). You wouldn’t want to bet against Jose repeating his previous trick of winning the league in his first year. Don’t forget Chelsea are already a team that, aside from a horror show of 4 points in seven games in late autumn, were posting title-contending numbers for the majority of last season.
Are there any flies in the West London ointment? Most worriment focuses on Mourinho’s longevity. The accusation goes that Jose has all the matrimonial sticking power of Liz Taylor. I think Mourinho’s reputation as a jilter is a bit unkind. If anything, it would be fairer to characterise him as having a penchant for choosing to work with despotic lunatics. Roman Abramovic and Florentino Pérez are to sound minds what I am to high fashion. Neither of them have shown the ability to nurture a manager any longer than Lenny in Of Mice and Men was able to hold a mouse. Only at Porto and Inter, where Mourhino was clearly getting a promotion of sorts (to Chelsea and Real Madrid, respectively), could he be said to be leaving clubs entirely of his own volition
I suspect Mourinho’s tenure will surprise people in its length. Jose has made no secret of his desire to coach Portugal one day but this shouldn’t worry Chelsea fans. National teams are the preserve of managerial dinosaurs these days. A way of keeping your toe in once the demands of 38 games a season at the coal-face are no longer bearable. A mere pup aged 50, Mourinho is at least a decade away from being at the helm of the Seleção.
As for club teams likely to tempt him away, I’m not sure where else he would now go. Manchester United don’t seem to want him, despite his gushing post-match press interview at Old Trafford in March (behaviour that was every inch him making eyes across the dance floor). He hates Barcelona and he was practically chased out of Italy. He’s running out of options at the top-table.
Mourinho’s second reign will more likely depend on whether Abramovic can resist the urge to meddle. The temptation is completely understandable, if unwise. Roman has bought the chess set, so he wants to move the pieces. But Jose will not take kindly to being lumbered with another Shevchenko. If the restless Russian starts to rock the marital boat, Jose isn’t one to stick it out for the good of the children.
What should be of greater concern is whether Mourinho can recreate the same magic of his first visit. Sequels are rarely as good as the original. And, outside of a Champions League win, it’s hard to see how he can top his first visit. Now’s the time for the job, though. Between them, Villas Boas and Benitez have performed the gritty but necessary transition from the old guard. Gone is the reliance on Drogba, Essien, Terry and Lampard. Those that remain from Mourinho Mark One know they are no longer guaranteed starters. At Jose’s disposal is a young, talented crop of players crying out to be steered to greatness. In Mata, Oscar and Hazard, Chelsea have one of the finest attacking midfield trios in world football.
Mourinho likes a war chest and Abramovich will indulge him. He has presumably been assured he can buy at least one top-class striker, unless he’s bringing with him a defibrillator to use on Fernando Torres. In the long haul, Lukaku shows a lot of promise (and physical strikers are often late developers). You would think, though, that Roman will want to gift Jose with a welcome home present. A fatted calf is one thing but someone who will snaffle 20-25 goals could easily make the difference in a tilt for the title. Robin van Persie showed that. If Chelsea can come up with some bona fide penalty box ammunition over the summer, Honest Too Good’s Unofficial Gambling Consultancy will be advising a crisp fiver on the title ending up at Stamford Bridge next year.
“You know, Jose, I’ve always been a big fan of Raul…”
Tags: Chelsea, Chelsea F.C., Florentino Pérez, José Mourinho, Jose, Mourinho, Roman Abramovich, Stamford Bridge
Manchester City v Chelsea, F.A. Cup Semi-Final (14 April, 2013)
The first warm day of the year was also one of the windiest. A gale-force Manchester City whistled through Chelsea’s bones from the first blow of Chris Foy’s whistle. Fired up for their only potential trophy of the year, City came out the blocks with the eagerness of an Anti-Thatcher mob poised to dance on the former premier’s grave. With the Baroness due to be laid to rest later in the week, the other Chelsea pensioners, Lampard, Terry and Cole, were also rested in what history will remember as the Second Biggest Occasion of the Week.
Watching today’s game reminded me how much Andy Townsend sounds like the bald fella from Masterchef. He’s all heavy vowels and misplaced self-confidence. And although very little of human endeavour impresses the former Maidstone-borne Irish international, the directness of Ya Ya Toure’s burst towards the Chelsea goal had the colour commentator purring. Aided by a fortunate deflection, Nasri was able to convert past Cech with all the casual ease of a Justin Bieber entry in the Anne Frank guestbook.
City could have been 2 or 3 goals up by the half were it not for Jamie Milner’s lack of tactility in the final third. With the goal gaping for City strikers in the box, Milner managed to over hit two consecutive crosses. His heavy-handed implementation reminiscent of the Poll Tax. There was also an open goal that the hapless Milner cannoned into King Sergio’s thigh. A poor day for the Yorkshire water carrier.
The half-time segments of orange provided little respite for the men from West London. No sooner were they back on the pitch than Aguerro doubled City’s lead. The lady might not have been for turning, but the Branislav certainly was as Sergio peeled off his man and dispatched the ball into the far corner. Aguerro’s looping header all but sunk Chelsea’s hopes like a homing torpedo on a fleeing vessel. A week of double celebration for him and Zabaleta, one suspects.
The hackneyed pre-game narrative was of City’s supposed Achilles’ heel being reserve goalkeeper Costel Pantilimon (who, before today, had conceded precisely zero goals as the Cup keeper). Even at half-time, ITV persisted with the script that Costel was the weak link that could assist in Chelsea finding a way back in. Yet despite the best effort of the Chelsea attacks, the beanpole Romanian stood strong. The bearded chess piece that is Juan Mata continued to pull the strings and create chances, but Pantilimon was the white wizard and nought would pass.
Despite a long period of dominance, the Conservative leaderships of Thatcher and Major eventually yielded to a fresh-faced Tony Blair in ’97. Benitez, similarly sensing the winds of change, sent on another striker and went for an attack-minded 4-4-2. The masked Fernando Torres (so attired because of a loose Steaua Bucharest boot breaking his nose in the UEFA Cup) entered the fray on the hour mark. Of course, the reality for poor Nando is he’s been conceptually wearing a mask ever since his arrival at Stamford Bridge. However, the effect of his introduction today was immediate. His diverting run on arrival to the pitch allowed for the Premiership’s best volleyer of a ball, Demba Ba, to crash home a smart finish which hinted at a royal blue revival. Torres was a menace until the final whistle and, if Chelsea had been the victors, the credit for the revival would have been his.
Football, like politics, has its tense moments, and the climactic 20 minutes made for uncomfortable viewing for City fans. On form, Chelsea have the best attacking pivot in English football. So, by sitting back, City proffered a very dangerous invitation to Messrs Oscar, Hazard and Mr Tumnus. In an effort to shore up victory, Mancini brought on City’s very own anti-Moneyball, the beautiful-yet-useless Javi Garcia. The man to make way was Carlos Tevez. Granted, Tevez was not having a vintage game, but breaking up the dream strike pairing of him and Aguerro seemed an odd way to see out a game which had potentially another 50 minutes to play (plus penalties, in which Carlitos would certainly have had a part to play). City lost their calm retention of the football. Thankfully, however, one man didn’t yield to the mayhem surrounding him. Pablo Zabaleta proving once again that, deep down, he’s more British than the rest of us with perfectly timed interception after perfectly timed interception. At one point even implementing a slide tackle with his head.
Chelsea eventually relented. With United tramping the dirt down on any challengers to the Premiership title, a cup final against Wigan on May the 11th provides City’s last opportunity for any season-salvaging silverware.
Juan Mata was a continual thorn in City’s side.
Tags: Chelsea, Chelsea FC, Costel Pantilimon, Juan Mata, Manchester City F.C., Pablo Zabaleta, Stamford Bridge, Tony Blair
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White Desert in Kutch, Gujarat
For the adventurous spirit, The White Desert is a perfect place to visit
Kutch Tourism
White Desert
Tourism in Kutch
Rated 4.3/5 (based on 282 reviews )
Nov - Feb
http://gujarattourism.com/hub/8
Cultural Show
About White Desert in Kutch (Bhuj)
White Desert in Kutch, also known as the Great Rann of Kutch, is located in western Gujarat. One of the hottest regions in India, the desert is the site of popular Rann Festival in Gujarat which is held from November to February every year. Camel rides, hot air balloon safari, jeep safaris, and watching cultural dances are popular things to do in White Desert in Kutch.
Rann of Kutch Festival
Spanning 30000 square kilometres between India and Pakistan lies a salty marsh called the Rann of Kutch. This is the largest salt desert in the world. It is made up of three parts: The Great Rann of Kutch, the Little Rann of Kutch and the Banni grasslands. The word Rann is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Irina’, which means desert.
The best time to visit Rann of Kutch is during the Rann Utsav. The famous Rann Utsav in white desert of Kutch is held every year in the winter season. From November through February, the cultural activities at Rann of Kutch Festival enthrall tourists of all ages.
This Marsh can be accessed through the Kharaghoda Village of Sundernagar District. The monsoon rains fill the flat lands of the marsh with water. This land is approximately 49 feet above sea level and has no outer drain and the water stagnates here. During the summer as the hot sun causes the water to evaporate, a bed of minerals and salt is left behind, which creates this unique salty marshland. During exceptionally heavy monsoons, the wetlands extend from the Gulf of Kutch on the west through to the Gulf of Cambay on the east.
Studies have proved that this area was an extension of the Arabian ocean. Seismic activity caused the land to rise near the shore creating a lake. This lake is said to have been in use until the time of Alexander the Great.
The Ghaggar River used to feed the Rann of Kutch until it began to dry out. This happened due to seismic activity, which altered the course of its tributaries to the Indus. The traces of the old delta, the change of river courses and the formation of the Rann has been documented in detail by the Geographical Society of India.
Today the river Luni feeds the Rann of Kutch in from the northwest and the river Rupen from the east and the river Banas from the west.
Being part of a desert, the temperatures are the highest in the sub-continent. The temperature can go up to 50 degrees and higher. However, the winter temperatures can drop equally low with even zero degrees being recorded frequently.
Ecologically Rich lands
The unique nature of the land has given rise to vegetation, which has become home to some varied species of animals and birds. Flamingos and other migratory birds call the Rann their home. As do the Chinkaras, nilgai, wild asses and much more.
Most of the marsh has been marked off as a protected area with limited access to human beings. Several animal sanctuaries have been formed to protect the local species. Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary, Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary, Narayan Sarovar Sanctuary, Kutch Bustard Sanctuary, Banni Grasslands Reserve and Chari-Dhand Wetland Conservation Reserve, are places to be visited to get to see the wildlife.
Take a look at our Kutch tour packages and Rann of Kutch tour packages to start your journey.
Gujarat ( 4D & 3N )
Sasan Gir
Upto 3 StarsFlightsMealsSightseeingHotelSafariTransfers
Saputara
Places To Visit In Kutch
Mandvi Beach In Kutch
A little sea side town in Kutch, Gujarat, Mandavi has several claims to fame. Among others is the Vijay Vilas palace, now made famous by Bollywood movies, and the second is the Wind Mills which dot the Mandvi Beach in Kutch.
History made by the ship makers of Mandavi
This port town was set up by the Maharao of the prin...
Prag Mahal In Kutch
Bhuj is set in a desert, a land so arid that there is no respite from the sun. Yet the colour of the people and their culture shines forth in many ways. The history of the land is also rife with stories of people wanting to add to the rich heritage. One such mark on the history of Bhuj is the Prag Mahal.
Legacies of a Raj...
Historic sightseeing
Dholavira in Kutch
The Indus Valley civilization is one of the oldest civilizations in the world, as told by our history books. The civilisation was formed around the area fertilised by the Indus River and its tributaries. Archaeologist and historian have had an ongoing love affair with this period in history and periodical finds of sites of ...
Bhuj Chattardi in Kutch
Bhuj, the capital of Kutch District, has an ancient past. It has been the capital for the Maharaos of the princely state of Kutch for many centuries. Monuments found around the town bear testament to the era gone by.
A Cenotaph’s complex
The cenotaph’s complex is an interesting place. The complex is a set of monuments er...
Kutch Museum in Kutch
This is one of the oldest museums in Gujarat. But if you want a glimpse into the past of the region, the Place to come to is the Kutch Museum. It is set on the shore of the beautiful Hamirsar Lake in Bhuj.
A house for wedding gifts
When Maharao Khengarji III, the Maharao of the princely state of Kutch, got married in 188...
Things To Do In Kutch
Rann Of Kutch In Kutch
Rann of Kutch is a vast salt marshy area in the Kutch district in the Indian state of Gujarat, parts of the Rann of Katch region lies in the Sindh region of Pakistan. The region is divided into two parts, one is called the Great Rann of Kutch and the other one is called the Little Rann of Kutch. The region supports both the...
Cultural shows
Koteshwar Temple in Kutch
Surrounded by the sea…
Koteshwar is tiny village set in the west Kutch. In the village on the banks of the Kori Creek is the famous Koteshwar Mahadev temple. When the high tide comes in the temple, it gets cut off from the mainland. But with the roads being developed in the region, the temple is now accessible all through ...
How to reach White Desert in Kutch
Mumbai to Kutch
Ahmedabad to Kutch
New Delhi to Kutch
Trip to Kutch
Everything was good.We enjoyed the tour.Only thing we didn't like was hotels.You could have provided still better hotels in good areas...or you have to insist the hotel incharge to improve the cleanliness.The bedsheets were stinking and dusty.
SUSHEELA V RAO
Bengaluru, 17 days ago
Had a good time. Well arranged within given budget by De Voyager. Driver was polite but didn't know good local places for food and shopping. Overall a good experience. Would definitely recommend De Voyager and travel triangle. Visit to the statue of unity
Gauri Kalurkar
Pune, a month ago
It was an amazing experience. Thanks Travel Triangle & Nova tour & travelsz. Everything was memorable.
Manisha Jha
New delhi, a month ago
OVERALL BEST EXPERIENCE...NICE ARRANGEMENT... best hotels. best cab and cooperative cab driver. thank u..... Somnath ... Dwarka... statue of unity...... Akshardham temple.....
Govind Jadhav
The whole trip was well organised and everything went well and smooth as per plans. The Agents and the Driver where so supportive and responsive. We absolutely enjoyed the trip. Thanks to travel triangle and Street Romeo Visiting Dwarka temple was our best moments
Bharathv
Bengaluru, 2 months ago
De Voyager worked with us to get entire trip planned. Booking were done in timely manner. Hotels were good. Taxi driver was polite and flexible. De Voyager was exceptionally flexible considering that I had done partial bookings of hotels and travel with half baked itinerary before contacting Travel Triangle. They were able to fill in all the gaps and made a seamless experience. Special call out for Trupti Roy for the excellent support.
Umesh
Pune, 2 months ago
Once again... Travel triangle and its agents don't dissapoint. We had a 5 days gujrat trip and was travelling with my parents. Kudos to the entire team of street romeo travel planner. Special shoutout to siddarth who was in touch with us throughout the trip. Inspite of the fact that we had to almost cancel the plan due to family emergency, and the plan was finalised last moment, Siddharth and his team managed everything perfectly. Glitch free beautiful trip. Thank you to entire team!!! Attending aarti at shree somnath ji.
Robinka
Greater noida, 3 months ago
Street Romeo arranged a well organised trip. It was indeed a wonderful experience.
Nibeditalahiri
Kolkata, 3 months ago
The entire trip was very well organised. The Street Romeo travels arranged a good trip for us. The one Hotel Gir Pride in Sasan Girl was not upto the mark. The staff was very rude. However, the owner atleast listened to the queries. The light and music show in Somnath. The amazing food across the trip.
Soumya Ng
Travel agent, Driver were very good and friendly! We did not face any single small problem. We had a great trip! Many thanks to Team Travel Triangle!
Anagha Nagabhushana
Bangalore, 3 months ago
FAQ's of Kutch
Is Gujarat safe to visit for solo travellers?
Ahmedabad is considered one of the safest city in India, especially for solo travellers. The Gujaratis are very warm and welcoming people. However, it is best to take care of yourself like in any other place during travel and keep your luggage safe at all times.
Can I find non-vegetarian food in Gujarat?
While Gujaratis are known for their vegetarianism, non-veg food is not all that hard to find in major cities in Gujarat. There are plenty of restaurants serving all kinds of cuisine in Gujarat.
What are the famous fairs and festivals in Gujarat?
Navaratri, Rann Utsav, and Uttarayan (kite festival) are famous festivals in Gujarat. The Bhavnath Fair in Junagadh, Vautha Fair in Vautha, Shamlaji Mela near Himmatnagar, and Dang Darbar in Ahwa are popular fairs to visit in Gujarat.
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Food toursFood Travel
The 10 Best London Food Tours for Every Taste
by Thomas Mathys December 23, 2018
written by Thomas Mathys December 23, 2018
London, England’s lively and dazzling capital, is home to nearly nine million people. More than one-third of these people were born in a foreign country. That makes London the city with the second largest immigrant population in the world (NYC is in the first position). This has a positive effect on the diversity of the city in general, but especially on the variety of delicious food you can eat.
The best way to discover some of these mouthwatering dishes is by booking one of the many London food tours available. But with the huge variety of food experiences London offers, it can be difficult to choose the right one.
To help you gain a better overview of what’s available in terms of food tours in London, we created this list to show you de creme de la creme of tours which introduce you to the culinary aspects of London.
The 10 Best London Food Tours
Secret British Food Tour (3 hours)
London East End Food Tour (3.5 hours)
International Foods of Soho (3.5 – 4 hours)
London in Film & Local Tastings: Private Tour (2.5 hours)
Vegan Food Tour Experience in London (3 hours)
Shakespeare’s Globe Tour and Afternoon Tea with Prosecco (2.5 hours)
English Tea & Desserts Tour (2.5 hours)
Secret Indian Food Tour (3 hours)
London Chocolate Walking Tour (2.5 hours)
Lunch or dinner on the Thames River (1.45/2.45 hours)
Secret British Food Tour – Photo from Get Your Guide
This London food tour concentrates on the best English food in London. I know, English cuisine doens’t always have the best reputation. But bear with me.
During the 3-hour tour through Borough Market and the surrounding area, you will taste British specialities like Cumberland sausages, fish and chips and real London ales. While you indulge in the delicious meals, your guide will explain the history of Borough market and the surrounding area. The tour ends with a typical British dessert and tea. Oh, and in case you’re wondering about the name of the tour: As in any of the Secret Food Tours, there will be a secret dish waiting for you!
Click here to get your ticket now
East End Food Tour – Photo from Get Your Guide
Have you already seen enough of central London but still want to experience the joy of British food? Then we recommend this East End Foods tour.
Less crowded than Central London, the East End awaits you with the best bacon sandwich, scrumptious fish and chips, and delightful English cheeses. On this East London food tour, you will savour eight different foods and learn more about the East End’s traditions and culture. Discover not only the best food of East London, but also hidden synagogues, vibrant street art, and Roman burial grounds.
International Foods of Soho – Photo from Get Your Guide
This London food tour takes you through the historic Soho quarter, where you will enjoy ten food and drink tastings. The Soho food tour will start in the morning with a breakfast tasting, so make sure you skip your hotel breakfast. You’ll then stroll through some of London’s oldest and most enchanting streets and discover a range of world cuisines. These include Indian, Mexican, Italian, Hawaiian, Taiwanese and more. There are also British delicacies in one of the five oldest pubs in London. At the end of the tour, you will also visit the oldest wine bar in London! This is probably one of the best London food tours.
London in Film & Local Tastings – Photo from Get Your Guide
This is one of the best London eating tours for people who like to combine movies and food. You’ll discover some of London’s famous film locations and hear the latest on-set gossip and insider news from the movie-loving guide. You will visit the landmarks where movies like Harry Potter, James Bond, Sherlock Holmes, Bridget Jones, and others were filmed. As for the food part: you’ll savour four surprising tastings and drink a beer or cider in a typical London pub where people have been drinking since Shakespeare’s time.
Vegan Food Tour Experience in London – Photo from Viator
This vegan food tour in London is relatively new, but we are sure it’s going to be a big hit. Explore the best plant-based restaurants in Shoreditch on this 3-hour long food tour. On your way from restaurant to restaurant, you will explore the bustling streets full of contrasts and some of the best vegan food to eat in London.
One of the highlights of this tour is discovering some of London’s most awesome street art pieces, including work by the famous Banksy. The meals in the restaurants are all offered in a variety of smaller “tapas-style” bites. But trust us, you will not end this tour with a hungry stomach! It’s one of the best vegan food tours London has to offer and definitely a highlight for every foodie, no matter whether you’re vegan or not.
Shakespeare’s Globe Tour and Afternoon Tea with Prosecco – Photo from Get Your Guide
Not a classic food tour per se, but still worthy enough to be on this list because of its crowning finale. The Shakespeare’s Globe tour will take you on a guided tour through the Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, which is a faithful reconstruction of the open-air playhouse from 1599. You will also visit an exhibition and learn more about Shakespeare’s life in England’s capital. Furthermore, you will discover how the traditional Wooden O theatre space works today.
The culinary highlight of the tour is a traditional and delicious British afternoon tea in the elegant Swan Restaurant. Indulge in freshly made sandwiches, warm scones with jam and cream (yummy!), homemade patisserie and, of course, a range of exquisite English tea. Pssst, you’ll also get some Prosecco.
English Tea & Desserts Tour – Photo from Get Your Guide
You’re less interested in Shakespeare and more fascinated by the best food to eat in London? Then one of the best London food tours you can book is this English Tea & Desserts Tour. On this tour, you’ll not only visit the Queen’s own grocer and see the foods served at Buckingham Palace, but you will also visit one of the most outlandish and lavish chocolate stores ever created.
Furthermore, your guide will tell you interesting stories about the exciting Mayfair and Soho districts. The best part though is the tasting of all the delicious sweets like scones (of course with cream and jam), chocolates and cakes, combined with England’s finest tea. There is no better way to spend a proper British afternoon.
Secret Indian Food Tour – Photo from Get Your Guide
The history of India and England are deeply connected and so it shouldn’t surprise you that there is a huge variety of Indian food to be found in London. If you want to discover these delicious Indian dishes, then we recommend booking the best Indian food tour London has to offer.
You’ll enjoy a guided food tour through East London with seven stops, where you’ll learn about Indian cuisine and the Indian food history in the UK. Various curries, pakoras, dhokras and other Indian dishes are waiting to be relished. You won’t only discover savoury meals, but also sweet treats like creamy ras malai and yummy gulaab jamuns. This tour will make sure that you can completely indulge yourself in the delicious food of the Indian subcontinent (also including Pakistani and Bangladeshi food).
London Chocolate Walking Tour – Photo from Pexels
We all probably know, that chocolate makes you happy, right? Well, this next food tour is a very happy one! On the Chocolate Walking Tour London, you will explore the boutiques of some of the finest chocolatiers in the world. Not only will you learn a lot of interesting facts about the history of chocolate and discover the upmarket Mayfair district of London, but you’ll also sample six delightful chocolate treats.
Some of the famous places you will see include amongst others the Paul A Young boutique, Freggo (which serves the best chocolate ice cream in London), Fortnum & Mason’s and Ladurée. And as it’s a walking tour, you also don’t need to be worried to gain too much weight.
Dinner on the Thames River – Photo from Get Your Guide
One of the most pleasant and cosiest ways to discover London is by boat. And what better to accompany this already amazing experience than a 2-course lunch?
On this London food tour, you board a modern river cruise boat at the Tower Pier and slowly cruise down the river while enjoying a delicious meal and fantastic panoramic views. You’ll see famous sights like the Tower of London, Tower Bridge and the Houses of Parliament from a completely new angle. Furthermore, live commentary will give you interesting facts about London during your cruise.
If you’d rather eat dinner while cruising the Thames, then there is also an option to do a Dinner Cruise on the Thames. This gives you the perfect occasion to see the sights illuminated for the night while indulging in a 5-course dinner, accompanied by live music.
Click here to get your ticket for the lunch cruise now
Click here to get your ticket for the dinner cruise now
We hope that we’ve helped you to find a London food tour suited to your taste. Keep your eyes open and follow your nose. That way you will soon discover what a foodie paradise London really is. We assure you that it is very rewarding to be a London foodie.
If you need an additional digestive walk after one of the best London food tours, then check out our post about the lovely walk along the Regents Canal. In case you prefer to end your day the British way (in a pub), then keep your eyes open for our next post, where we will show you the best pub tours in London. If you’re more into sightseeing the traditional London spots, then check out this London photo essay from our friend Elisa at TheWannaBeGypsy.
You could also check out our post about the best food festivals in Europe or our other foodie posts if you’re interested in reading more food-related articles.
Did you like this post? Was it helpful? Then pin and share it on Pinterest to share the love, thank you!
Featured image from Pixabay
englandEuropefoodfood tourfood travelLondonStreet fooduk
Thomas Mathys
I quit my job in October 2017 to travel the world. As a Co-Founder of TripGourmets it is my job and passion to catch all the beautiful moments and places this world has to offer on my camera. Sometimes I also write some articles for our blog.
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Welcome to TripGourmets!
We are the TripGourmets, Sarah and Tom! It is our mission to bring you fantastic travel-related content featuring food, culture and adventure. We love to experience the sights and flavours of the world and have been committed to travelling as much as we can for the last 5 years in order to do that. We hope you enjoy our blog, and please get in contact for any ideas, feedback or just a chat! Find out more or contact us.
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Cows, connections & caring–in Vermont
June 3, 2014 June 4, 2014 by Kelly Salasin
Twenty years later and Vermont is still giving me warm fuzzies for things I didn’t even know I cared about–like politics or energy or something called a “heifer.”
Last month at the River Garden was just one of those times. Students from area schools gathered for a mid-point check in on their science projects for the upcoming Neighborhood Energy Science Fair, sponsored by the Strolling of the Heifers.*
Executive Director Orly Munzing addressing students.
Executive Director Orly Munzing, who founded the Strolling, was on site to address the participants as they prepared to have their work reviewed by science professionals. She told these young innovators that their passion for energy science would help define the future of this planet, and as such, they would serve as ambassadors–educating others, even adults, especially adults. (I got chills.)
I’m only just beginning to comprehend the full scope of what has transformed (in my mind) from a novelty parade into a movement, experienced closeup through my children, who insisted on going to that first “cow” parade in 2002.
A decade later, one of those children is among those enthusiastically preparing an entry for the science fair.
My son Aidan, 13, has been working with peers, Leander, 12, and Cyrus, 10, on a project they began shaping last winter at their elementary school. After School Program Coordinator Emily Wagner worked with regional educator Lisa Holderness from the Vermont Energy Education Program*(VEEP) to engage students who were interested in energy science and who might like participate in the Strolling’s Neighborhood Science Fair which they were helping to sponsor.
It’s exactly these kind of opportunities that create the warm fuzzy feeling that Vermont so freely offers; and its the conscious connections behind those fuzzies, so richly interwoven, that make it hard to know who to thank for making Vermont such a caring place.
But I’d like to try, simply as an exercise in appreciation and recognition:
Was it the Strolling of the Heifer Parade, and the accompanying events that ignited an interest in sustainable energy for my son? Was it the after school science programs, partially funded by the VT Agency of Education, that flamed that interest? Was it his teachers at Marlboro Elementary who, year after year, emphasized experiential, place-based education, capped by independent research, followed by field study abroad and at the Nation’s Capitol with opportunities for social activism? Was it the accessibility of government officials, like VT Governor Peter Shumlin and Senator Bernie Sanders, which so empowered him? Was it our neighbor, Gary MacArthur, who installed our hot water solar panels? Or was it my husband and our community who raised the energy-efficient home in which we live? Was it our grocery store–The Brattleboro Food Co-op whose mission includes outreach and education–connecting food, people and place? Was it the unique community of Brattleboro itself, known for its activism, art and engagement and the enthusiastic support of that by local businesses? Or was it something even simpler, like the hatching project in my son’s kindergarten classroom, or the visit to the local farm in first and second grade, or the creation of the school garden in third and fourth grade–each supported along the way by educational grants from the Strolling of the Heifers?
You’ll have to ask Aidan and his friends, Leander and Cyrus, why they devoted week after week of their free time to a project that even their parents don’t fully comprehend. You’ll find them Saturday, after the parade, on the Brattleboro Commons, as part of the Slow Living Expo, at the center of the Home Energy Village where the first annual Neighborhood Energy Science Fair takes place!
~kelly salasin
Students meet with science professionals at the River Garden in May.
*Now in its second decade, the Strolling of the Heifers has grown from a small-town parade (of cows) into a regional movement with year-round programs and events. The Stroll has expanded its horizons to include not only sustainable agriculture and food systems, but other aspects of local economic sustainability, highlighted by a three-day Slow Living Summit which opens tomorrow, June 4th, 2014. The parade and fairgrounds take place on Saturday, June 7th.
VEEP (Vermont Energy Education Program) is one of the sponsors of The Neighborhood Science Fair. Founded in 1979, their mission is to cultivate energy literacy among Vermont students. “Students who understand energy and how it works will make more informed choices about energy use and inspire others to do the same.”
An Energy Literate Person Knows:
What our energy resources are and how we utilize them
The many ways electricity is made and the advantages and disadvantages of each
Why it is important to use energy wisely and how to do so
How government policy effects our energy choices
An Energy Literate Person Chooses:
To use energy wisely, recognizing the impact of their choice on climate change, our environment and our economy
To share their knowledge and inspire action and learning in others
To schedule a free in-class presentation, or learn more about VEEP’s standards-based curricula and ‘hands-on’ science methods, visit www.veep.org.
After school programsBrattleboro Vermontenergy literacyenergy scienceEnergy VillageMarlboro Elementary SchoolNeighborhood Science Fairrenewable energySlow Living ExpoStrolling of the HeifersVEEP Vermont Energy Education Program
that time in August…
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Finding Dory Will Reportedly Take Place at a Marine Institute
Marlin (Albert Brooks) and Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) in Finding Nemo
Pixar/Disney
By Victor Luckerson
We’re beginning to learn a little more about Disney’s upcoming Finding Nemo sequel, Finding Dory.
The 2016 Disney film will apparently take place in part at the Marine Biology Institute of California, a Pixar executive revealed at the Comic Con Experience in Brazil, according to Slashfilm. That’s where Dory was born, and she will venture back to the site of her nascence to try to learn more about her childhood and family.
The plot of the film was reportedly changed after the documentary Blackfish brought to light the way killer whales are treated at SeaWorld. According to the New York Times, the ending was reworked to make it clear that the sea creatures in the marine park have the ability to leave if they want to.
Ellen Degeneres and Albert Brooks will return as Dory and Marlin in the sequel, while Diane Keaton will voice Dory’s mother and Eugene Levy will play Dory’s father. The film debuts June 17, 2016.
[Slashfilm]
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What Shall We Do With Our Heroes?
An essay excerpted from Professor Ernestine Hayes’ presentation Stories of Deer on Indigenous Peoples’ Day Oct. 9 By ERNESTINE HAYES for the UAS Whalesong What would we do if in the year 2020— only a couple years from now—this American culture was suddenly subdued by another culture that believed theirs was the superior way of…
October 23, 2017 in Campus Life, Features, Letters to the Editor.
A Letter from the Editor: On The Future of the Whalesong
BY DANIEL PISCOYA Managing Editor, UAS Whalesong In my very first Letter from the Editor, I praised this university’s close-knit community and sense of participation. In my last letter, I will say that if this tradition is not bolstered in the coming years, there will be a time with no more letters – no more…
April 28, 2017 in Campus Life, Opinion.
Ignorance in its Place
BY GINGER BEAR For the UAS Whalesong There is wisdom everywhere. Most people ignore wisdom that does not come from some stuffy book or the equally stuffy academics who write them. Wisdom that comes from our elders and our history is largely ignored, especially Native American history in America. A lifetime of knowledge can be…
A Letter from the Editor: UAS Needs its Bookstore Back
BY DANIEL PISCOYA Managing Editor, UAS Whalesong Two years ago, when I was a Staff Writer for the Whalesong, I interviewed Tom Dienst, Director of UAS Business Services, on the closure of the UAS Bookstore, once located at Auke bay.
April 7, 2017 in Opinion.
Students: Get Some Skin in the Game
BY DANIEL PISCOYA Managing Editor, UAS Whalesong Being the Editor of our university’s student newspaper is a position which has offered me deep involvement in campus life, university politics, and the greater Juneau community. Looking back, though, I’ve been the Editor of the Whalesong for two years – that’s half my college career and two-thirds…
March 31, 2017 in Opinion.
15th Annual UAS Oratory: Finding Your Path in Life
BY ANA CHRISTINE TAFOYA For the UAS Whalesong My name is Ana Christine Gabrielle Tafoya. I was born in Taos, New Mexico. I was previously attended the University of New Mexico and while I was on the National Student Exchange program attending UAS in 2015. I transferred last semester to UAS to pursue my degree…
15th Annual UAS Oratory: The Story of UAS
BY FELIX THILLET Radio UAS For the UAS Whalesong The story of UAS is the story of the people that represent it. It is the story of the people who both work and study within the physical and virtual structures of the institution. It is the story of the people who live side by side,…
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October 27, 2013 / 9:25 AM / 6 years ago
Romanian farmers choose subsistence over shale gas
Luiza Ilie
PUNGESTI, Romania (Reuters) - The small hilly town of Pungesti in eastern Romania could be sitting on vast reserves of shale gas and U.S. energy major Chevron wants to find it.
A general view of Pungesti village, where U.S. energy major Chevron plans to search for shale gas, 340 km (211 miles) northeast of Bucharest October 19, 2013. REUTERS/Bogdan Cristel
But the people of Pungesti want nothing to do with it.
Though most of them live off subsistence farming, social aid and cash from relatives working abroad, they would rather stay poor than run what they say is the risk of ruining their environment.
Villagers have set up camp outside the empty lot where Chevron aims to install its first exploratory well, blocking access and forcing the company to announce last week it was suspending work.
“Our kitchens are filled with homemade jams and preserves, sacks of nuts, crates of honey and cheese, all produced by us,” said Doina Dediu, 47, a local and one of the protesters.
“We are not even that poor,” she said. “Maybe we don’t have money, but we have clean water and we are healthy and we just want to be left alone.”
The decision to stop work at Pungesti - which was to have been Romania’s first shale gas exploration well - matters because of the message it may send about how welcome shale gas is in eastern Europe.
Large parts of wealthier western Europe have shunned shale gas exploration because of fears about possible water pollution and seismic activity from the hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” process used to release it.
The industry says the risks can be avoided.
While Britain decided this year to support shale gas exploration, France has a total ban citing ecological concerns and Germany is reviewing its position on shale.
In poorer, ex-Communist parts of the continent the need to bring in tax revenues, cheaper fuel supplies and jobs has shown signs of trumping the concerns, but to what extent is not yet clear.
GROUNDED IN SCIENCE
Chevron, which has all the necessary permits for the exploration well at Pungesti, says it adheres to the highest safety standards.
The exploration phase would last around five years and not involve fracking, the process whereby large amounts of water mixed with chemicals is forced into rock formations under high pressure to crack them apart and release natural gas.
Company executives met Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta on Monday while he was making a scheduled visit to Washington.
“Emphasis was placed on continuing activities responsibly and safely for the environment, while at the same time giving communities the chance to have a conversation grounded in scientific data,” Chevron said in a statement.
Asked to comment on local concerns, the company said it tests groundwater before and after drilling to make sure it is not affected, carries out geological seismic surveys and keeps the community informed at every stage.
In a detailed statement, it pointed to the widespread use of fracking in the United States and elsewhere and said it “is a proven technology that has been used safely for more than 60 years”.
But it is struggling to convince the people of Pungesti.
Three public meetings held over the summer with Chevron and environment agency officials turned into shouting matches. Deputy mayor Vasile Voina says he believes people “were not sufficiently informed”.
Sprawled along a bumpy road, the town of 3,420 people is made of eight villages with narrow houses behind short, chipped picket fences, fat orange pumpkins dotting small plots of land and apples drying in the sun behind window panes. It does not have central heating or a mains water supply.
Even in this remote town, 340 km (210 miles) northeast of the Romanian capital Bucharest, the global debate about the impact of “fracking” has permeated.
Several people said they had gone on YouTube to watch excerpts of the 2010 U.S. documentary “Gasland,” which purported to show the environmental damage caused by shale gas production.
The energy industry disputes allegations made in the film, but it, and other sources, including activists and local clergy, have influenced opinion in Pungesti.
People say heavy equipment will ruin their roads. They fear fracking will cause earthquakes and pollute their water, risking their health, their cattle and their vegetable gardens.
“If they put wells they will destroy farming,” said Andrei Popescu, 22.
Prime minister Ponta has spoken of potential shale benefits, especially for a poor area like Vaslui county, which includes Pungesti. It receives heavy subsidies from the state.
“Without investment, we can’t pay wages and pensions. Projects can be improved ... but we cannot block investment,” Ponta has said. He toppled a previous government in May 2012 partially on an anti-shale message but his government has since thrown his support behind the project.
Chevron said studies by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Ground Water Protection Council had confirmed no direct link between hydraulic fracturing operations and groundwater contamination.
It says direct benefits include jobs and payments to contractors and suppliers and, during the production phase, taxes and royalties.
Some local people say they doubt the project would generate many jobs, or that they are qualified for them. If there is to be progress and investment, they say they would prefer a vegetable processing plant, abattoir or wind energy park.
“They could do anything else, why settle on underground gas,” said Daniel Ciobanu, a 40-year-old farmer.
CAMPAIGNING PRIEST
For all the concerns in Pungesti, many people in eastern Europe welcome shale gas. Governments in Poland, Lithuania, Romania and Ukraine are all keen to encourage exploration, although in Bulgaria it is banned.
In Poland, the industry’s biggest shale gas hope in mainland Europe, exploration drilling is underway on several concessions. The country, with a history of conflict with Moscow, sees shale gas as a way of reducing dependence on Russian gas imports.
Yet even in Poland, some local people, backed by environmental campaigners, have staged protests. At one of Chevron’s Polish shale gas concessions, near the village of Zurawlow, local people occupied a work site when contractors started trying to erect a fence.
Around 800 locals, neighbors, activists and the clergy gathered for a protest next to Chevron’s concession in Pungesti last week. In sunny but icy weather, they carried banners that read Stop Chevron, Resist and God is with us.
Clad in his black habit, Father Vasile Laiu, an Orthodox priest from the nearby city of Barlad and one of the most outspoken local opponents of fracking, asked people to kneel, then led them in prayer.
Up to 50 villagers that have been taking turns staging a round-the-clock vigil, blocking access to the lot, said they were preparing for a long haul. They have pitched tents and dug a lavatory pit.
“Can we live without water?” one of them asked the crowd on a microphone. The air carried faint smells of incense.
“No,” the demonstrators replied.
“Can we live without Chevron?”
Additional reporting by Dmitry Zhdannikov in London and Tsvetelia Tslova in Sofia; editing by Christian Lowe and Philippa Fletcher
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Consultations, Health, Ombuds and reviewers, UK Parliament
The draft Public Service Ombudsman Bill: What recommendations are being taken forward?
Posted by M Doyle ⋅ January 12, 2017 ⋅ 4 Comments
Filed Under Local Government Ombudsman, PHSO, Queen Margaret University
On 5 December 2016, the Cabinet Office published the draft Public Service Ombudsman Bill, setting out its proposals for bringing together the responsibilities of the current Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman and the Local Government Ombudsman to create a new organisation with strengthened governance and accountability for complaints about public services in England. The Bill has had a long gestation, starting with a review in 2014 by Robert Gordon QC, then a public consultation in spring of 2015, the government’s response one year ago, and now the draft Bill.
UKAJI is publishing a series of pieces on the draft Bill, from a range of contributors and perspectives. The initial post, by Richard Kirkham and Brian Thompson, asked whether the changes in the draft legislation constitute significant reform. In this second post, Gavin McBurnie compares the recommendations for reform made by the UK Parliament and the PHSO with the proposals in the draft Bill.
By Gavin McBurnie
With the publication of the draft Public Services Ombudsman Bill in December 2016, the recommendations made by the former Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) have come to fruition. As well as the PASC, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) has long been arguing for ombuds reform. This blog post looks at the recommendations of both PASC and the PHSO and whether the Government has accepted them.
Columns 1 and 2 in Table 1 below list the recommendations for ombuds reform made by the two bodies, while column 3 details whether or not each recommendation is contained within the draft Bill.
Table 1: Recommendations by PASC and PHSO, and inclusion in the draft Bill
REC No. PASC PHSO Included in the draft Bill?
1 Enable easier access: remove MP filter; allow flexibility in way complaint submitted Enable easier access: remove MP filter; allow flexibility in way complaint submitted Included in Bill
2 Allow own-initiative powers Allow own-initiative powers Not in Bill but ability to widen an investigation is given
3 Enable publication of reports without need to lay in Parliament Enable publication of reports without need to lay in Parliament Still required to lay reports before Parliament
4 Consult on which public services to include but suggests PHSO, Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) and Housing Ombudsman (HO) All public services Only PHSO and LGO but option to include HO at a later date
5 Dealing with complaints concerning non-devolved public services. Two options: A single combined ombud covering both English public services and public services accountable to the Westminster Parliament. OR, two separate ombuds offices. A single combined ombud covering English public services and public services accountable to the Westminster Parliament. A single combined ombud covering English public services and public services accountable to the Westminster Parliament.
6 Accountability: The Public Accounts Commission to be responsible for scrutiny of the PSO performance while PASC (now PACAC) should retain responsibility for reports produced by the PSO Revised governance structure to include appointed chair and Board. Parliament responsible for scrutiny of performance Accountability: The Public Accounts Commission to be responsible form scrutiny of PSO performance while PASC (now PACAC) retain responsibility for reports produced by the PSO.
In addition, a revised governance structure to include appointed chair and Board.
7 Oversight of complaint handling Oversight of complaint handling
8 Revision of rules concerning alternative legal remedy Slight changes but not what PHSO asked for.
9 Increased information sharing powers No significant change
Own-initiative powers
Both the PASC and the PHSO wanted the new PSO to be able to conduct own-initiative investigations – that is, investigations where the PSO may have concerns but has not yet received a complaint. This would have brought the PSO to a position comparable with most other ombuds offices. It is disappointing that the Government has not agreed to give the PSO such powers, its view being that the use of such powers by the PSO would detract from its ‘citizen defender’ role (Cabinet Office, 2015, p.18).
By reaching this decision the Government chose not to act upon the evidence considered by the PASC which indicated that offices with these powers did not overuse them, as the circumstances calling for use of such powers represent a small part of their workload (PASC, 2014, para 65-72).
While the ability to widen a complaint received by the PSO to cover other matters that come to the attention of the ombud during an ongoing investigation is welcome (Cabinet Office, 2016, Cl 13), this power comes with four conditions that all have to be met. The ability to interpret them generously will determine whether this power is real or not. Assuming that the new PSO is able to interpret the conditions generously, then this could be a major extension to ombuds’ powers in England, as an ombud with strong external links should be able to generate the necessary initial complaint which then justifies the wider look.
Complaints and devolved administrations
One of the key issues arising from the draft Bill is the relationship between the new PSO and the ombudsmen of the devolved administrations. The Government’s view is that ‘it should be as simple as possible for all UK citizens to pursue a complaint’ and it would make provision that enables the PSO to develop strong relationships with ombudsmen from the devolved administrations ‘with a view to creating a “no wrong door” approach’ (Cabinet Office, 2015, p.8).
The answer to a ‘no wrong door’ approach is to have only one door. A resident from any of the four constituent nations in the UK should be able to complain to their local public service ombud service, with the respective ombud reporting to the relevant Parliament(s). It is known that if complainants face blocks while pursuing a complaint many will give up, so why make it more complicated for them? Public-sector bureaucracies would undoubtedly be able to deal with four different ombuds offices. The existing public sector ombuds in the UK already have fora through which issues of common interest can be discussed. This could be a mechanism through which common approaches could be agreed, reducing the risk of inconsistency in approach.
There is also a concern that if different offices are involved then inconsistent decisions may be reached. Consistent decisions are reached through good ombuds practice.
The decision that should be reached in any complaint is the one that best meets the facts of the case. Sometimes decisions can be finely balanced, but these will occur within an ombud office as much as across offices.
What needs to be resolved is that the draft Bill, as currently written (Cabinet Office, 2016, Cl 19), provides discretion to the new PSO as to whether it should pass details to another ombudsman of a complaint it receives that is within the jurisdiction of that other ombudsman. If a ‘no wrong door’ approach is to be implemented, then that discretion should be removed and instead a requirement should be placed upon the PSO to pass complaints over to the correct ombudsman, subject to consent from the complainant being secured.
Role of the ombud
There is one particular area that is disappointing. The draft Bill states that the role of the Public Service Ombud is to investigate complaints (Cabinet Office, 2016 Cl1(2)). This is not surprising, as the Government has previously stated that it saw the role of the ombud is to put things right for individual citizens through consideration of their complaints. This is not a new debate. It was perhaps best put by the NSW Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration, almost 25 years ago, who questioned whether the role of the ombud was to ‘swat flies or to hunt lions’ before deciding that it was to ‘swat flies’ (1992). It seems the UK Government still believes that an ombud’s role is to swat flies.
It seems the UK Government still believes that an ombud’s role is to swat flies.
This represents a rather old-fashioned view of ombudsmanry. It was Colin Neave (the current Australian Commonwealth Ombudsman) who, when considering the role of the modern ombuds, said:
‘There are some people, both in government and the community, who think that all the Ombudsman does is handle complaints. … This is a narrow view and it falls dramatically short. In fact, it is a very old-fashioned notion. … In reality, we [Ombudsmen] are leaders in building better public administration whereby an ombudsman is involved in the resolution of complaints, giving a voice to the ‘citizen’, investigating systemic complaints and in the overall improvement of public services.’ (Neave 2014)
Kirkham discusses this changing role where he talks of the ombuds community paying increased attention to identifying administrative deficiencies and recommending procedural and even legislative and policy reform (Kirkham 2005). Gill (2011) picks up this argument that ombudsmen have more than a complaint-handling function. He states that ‘ombudsmen are now expected to do more to drive improvements in administrative decision-making’.
While the new ombud can lay special themed reports (as the PHSO does currently), this deliberate constraining of an ombud’s role is disappointing when Parliamentary time and interest in ombudsmanry is historically quite low and not likely to be on the Parliamentary agenda for some time into the future. It seems to represent either a lack of ambition or an unwillingness for the ombud model to develop its role within the administrative justice system.
Justice is about remedying injustice and that will not occur if bodies can reject findings and recommendations.
It has been highlighted that the Bill is silent on whether the ombud’s findings are binding on bodies (Kirkham and Thomson, 2016). This is not an accident. The Government, in its response to the consultation, declared ‘We will not make the findings of PSO binding’ (Cabinet Office, 2015, p.18). This is potentially an extremely worrying development. Until now PHSO’s findings have to be accepted unless they can be shown to be wrong, although there is only a moral obligation to accept its recommendations. But the Government is now saying that bodies do not need to accept the ombud’s findings. This is a regressive move which undermines the ombud’s ability to deliver justice. If a body is able to reject the findings of an ombud (as a sizeable number may like to do), then where does that leave the complainant and the ombud service? Justice is about remedying injustice and that will not occur if bodies can reject findings and recommendations. The status quo is sensible, and the Bill should be amended to maintain that.
The draft Bill states (Schedule 2 Part 4 14(3)): ‘A person may not be employed by the Board [of the PSO] if the person is employed by, or is an officer of, a designated authority’. Presumably the intention is to avoid conflicts of interest, but this raises a practical problem for the PSO as health services are designated authorities. A large proportion of complaints considered by the PHSO relate to clinical issues. When investigating such complaints, the PHSO will take advice from clinical advisers, some of whom are employees of both the PHSO and the NHS. As the draft Bill stands, the PSO will not be able to continue with such arrangements. It will therefore need to procure clinical advice from alternative sources or by alternative means. This can only create problems for the new body.
Research implications
Assuming that the draft Bill is passed by Parliament unchanged, there will be a range of issues that should be researched. How well do the arrangements work for complainants not resident in England when raising complaints against public bodies accountable to the Westminster Parliament? Has the new PSO been able to take advantage of its ability to widen investigations, thus improving public administration? Arguably, of prime importance is how will the ability of bodies to reject the findings reached by the PSO play out in practice, and what will the implications of this be for administrative justice?
Gavin McBurnie is a PhD student and lecturer in dispute resolution at Queen Margaret University. He previously worked at the PHSO.
Cabinet Office (2015), A Public Service Ombudsman: Government Response to Consultation [online] [Viewed 22 December 2016]. Available from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/486797/PSO_-_Consultation_Response_-_Final.pdf
Cabinet Office (2016), Draft Public Services Ombudsman Bill [online] [Viewed 22 December 2016]. Available from https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/575921/draft_public_service_ombudsman_bill_web_version_december_2016.pdf
Gill C. (2011), ‘Right first time: the role of ombudsmen in influencing administrative decision making’, Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, 33(2) 181-192
Kirkham R. (2005), ‘Auditing by stealth? Special reports and the Ombudsman’, Public Law, 4, 740-748
Kirkham R. and Thompson, B. (2016), An initial commentary on the draft public services ombuds bill [online] [Viewed 22 December 2016]. Available from https://ukaji.org/2016/12/20/an-initial-commentary-on-the-draft-public-services-ombuds-bill/
Leave, C. (2014), ‘Exploring the role of the Commonwealth Ombudsman in relation to Parliament, Senate Occasional Lecture’, [viewed 15 March 2015]. Available from http://www.ombudsman.gov.au/files/Speech_Colin_Neave_Senate_28_Nov_14.pdf
PASC (2014), Time for a People’ Ombudsman Service, London: The Stationery Office
PHSO (2014), Further written evidence to the Public Administration Select Committee on Parliament’s Ombudsman Service, [online] [Viewed 21 December 2016]. Available from http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/public-administration-committee/parliaments-ombudsman-service/written/5904.html
Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Public Administration (1992), ‘Review of the Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman’ (Parl Paper 519/1992)
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4 thoughts on “The draft Public Service Ombudsman Bill: What recommendations are being taken forward?”
Governors of maintained schools have no access to the LGO if they are not satisfied that their complaint about maladministration by council officers has been satisfactorily investigated.Governors of maintained schools are specifically exempted from access to the proposed PSO, without explanation.This needs to be addressed during pre legislative scrutiny.
Posted by Oliver Mills | March 4, 2018, 4:47 pm
Pingback: A manifesto for legislative reform of the ombudsman sector | UKAJI - March 28, 2019
Pingback: Seminar report: Complaints about public services – where next for the ombud? | UKAJI - February 24, 2018
Pingback: What do we know and what do we need to know? A review of research on public-sector ombuds — UKAJI | Ombuds Research - February 3, 2018
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Is It Possible To Have Coherent Principles Around Free Speech Norms?
Posted on August 1, 2017 by Scott Alexander
One factor that must underlie people’s distrust of non-governmental free speech norms is that they’re so underspecified. The First Amendment is a comparatively simple, bright-line concept – the police can’t arrest you for saying the President sucks. Sure, we need a zillion Supreme Court cases to iron out the details, but it makes sense in principle. By contrast, social norms about free speech risk collapsing into the incoherent Doctrine Of The Preferred First Speaker, where it’s okay for me to say that the President sucks, but not okay for you to say that I suck for saying that. This is dumb, and I don’t know if free speech supporters have articulated a meaningful alternative. I want to sketch out some possibilities for what that sort of alternative would look like.
The philosophical question here is separating out the acts of having an opinion, signaling a propensity, and committing a speech act.
Having an opinion is the sort of thing free speech norms ought to exist to protect. The opinion ought to enter the marketplace of ideas, compete with other opinions on its merit, and either win or lose based on people’s considered rational judgment.
But this can’t be separated from signaling a propensity for action. Suppose Alice has the opinion “hand hygiene doesn’t matter”. The truly virtuous action is to show her (and concerned third parties) studies that prove that dangerous infections are transmissible by unwashed hands. But while you’re doing that, it’s fair to not want to eat at her restaurant. And it’s pro-social to tell other people not to eat at her restaurant either, and not to hire her as a nurse – and if she’s already a nurse, maybe to get her fired. Even though reasonable free speech norms demand that we fight bad ideas through counterargument rather than social punishment, in this case they should permit a campaign to get Alice fired.
One solution here might be to give people the burden of demonstrating that their controversial opinions won’t lead to dangerous actions. For example, if Alice is a nurse, she might say “I don’t believe hand hygiene matters, and I’m going to try to convince the hospital administration to remove their rule mandating handwashing – but until I succeed, I’ll follow the rules and wash my hands just like everyone else.” If I trusted Alice, this would allay my concerns, and I would go back to wanting to debate with her instead of wanting her fired. See also Be Nice, At Least Until You Can Coordinate Meanness.
Some signaling of propensities can’t be so easily fixed. If Carol thinks that “Hitler should have finished the job”, I feel like this tells me a lot about Carol besides just her moral ranking of various World-War-II-related alternate histories. If she was a schoolteacher, then even if she promised not to kill any Jews in class, or even to spread any anti-Semitic propaganda in class, it would be hard for me not to wonder what else was wrong with her, and whether she could really disguise every single repugnant aspect of her personality. On the other hand, if we try to get the school board to fire her, we’re implicitly endorsing the principle “Get someone fired if you know of a belief of theirs that suggests they’re an otherwise repugnant person” – and isn’t this the same principle that led people to campaign against atheist schoolteachers, pro-gay schoolteachers, communist schoolteachers, etc? See also Not Just A Mere Political Issue. I think I bite the bullet on this one and say that if the schoolteacher credibly promises not to be repugnant in any way in front of the kids, you let her keep teaching until she slips up.
And both having opinions and signaling propensities are hard to separate from commiting speech acts. The archetypal example is telling an assassin “I’ll give you $10,000 if you kill Bob” – a form of speech, but tantamount to murder. Repeated harassment – the kind where you scream insults at someone every time they leave the house – falls in the same category: the active ingredient isn’t the information being conveyed by what insults you choose, it’s that they face being screamed at and made to live in fear. And yeah, the archetypical example of this is starting a campaign to email someone’s embarassing secrets to their boss to get them fired.
We can’t just ban speech acts. Everything is a speech act. Me saying “Donald Trump is wrong on immigration” lowers Donald Trump’s status – that’s a speech act. Me saying “You’re wrong about free speech” might trigger you and make you feel awful until you write a 10,000 word essay responding to me – that’s a speech act too. Telling an offensive joke is definitely a speech act, but do we want to ban all jokes that anyone anywhere might be offended by? Let’s face it; a lot of speech is criticism, sometimes really harsh criticism, and the line between “criticism”, “insult”, and “harassment” is vague and debatable (see eg all of Twitter). Everyone has a different set of speech acts they consider beyond the pale, with no real way of sorting it out. So what speech acts do we permit as unavoidable parts of the process of social interaction, which ones do we punish, and how do we punish them?
A sample problem: a while ago, I read an article which took a sensitive social problem, approached it with inexcusably terrible statistics that mis-estimated its incidence by seven orders of magnitude, and then used it to mock the people who suffered from it and tell them they were stupid. I complained about this, and the author was really confrontational to me and said things like that I “needed to see a psychiatrist”. I ended up writing a couple of really angry blog posts, which not only corrected the statistics but also prominently named the author, accused him of being a bad person, and recommended that nobody ever trust him or take him seriously again.
One view: although the author was wrong, we’re all wrong sometimes. I’ve been wrong before, probably in ways that other people considered inexcusable, and I would rather be politely corrected than excoriated in public, dragged through the mud, and accused of being a defective human being. By my article, I contributed to a world where we don’t just debate each other’s points, but launch personal attacks against people in the hopes that they are so ashamed and miserable that they never participate in the discussion again. I have committed crimes against Reason, and I should humbly apologize and try to do better next time.
A second view: the author was either deliberately deceitful or criminally stupid; either way he really was inexcusably bad. If I just quietly correct his statistical error, only a fraction of his readership will see my correction, and meanwhile he’ll go on to do it a second time, a third time, and so on forever. Although there are many good people who should be approached as equals in the marketplace of ideas, there are also defectors against that marketplace who deserve to be ruthlessly crushed, and I was doing a public service by crushing one of them.
And a third view: by being needlessly cruel in his article, the author had already forfeited the protection of “the marketplace of ideas”. Just as if someone tries to shoot you, you can shoot back without worrying so much about the moral principle of nonviolence, so it’s always proper to fight fire with fire. Although I wouldn’t be justified in smacking down someone who had merely failed egregiously, someone who fails egregiously while breaking good discussion norms is another matter.
The second and third views get kind of scary when universalized. The second amounts to “if you decide someone’s a really bad person, feel free to crush them.” No doubt some evangelicals honestly think that gay rights crusaders are bad people; does this justify personal attacks against them?
The third seems to demand a more specific trigger (violation of a norm), but since nobody agrees where the norms are, it’s more likely to just lead to cascades where everyone ends up at different levels of the punishing/meta-punishing/meta-meta-punishing ladder and everyone thinks everyone else started it.
(an example: Alice writes a blog post excoriating Bob’s opinion on tax reforming, calling him a “total idiot” who “should be laughed out of the room”. Bob feels so offended that he tries to turn everyone against Alice, pointing out every bad thing she’s ever done to anyone who will listen. Carol considers this a “sexist harassment campaign” and sends a dossier of all of Bob’s messages to his boss, trying to get him fired. Dan decides this proves Carol is anti-free speech, and tells the listeners of his radio show to “give Carol a piece of their mind”, leading to her getting hundreds of harassing and threatening email messages. Eric snitches on Dan to the police. How many of these people are in the wrong?)
But I can’t fully bite the bullet and accept the first view either; some people are so odious that an alarm needs to be spread. I’m not proud of my behavior in the specific situation mentioned, but I won’t completely give up the right to do something similar if the information arises. I’m going to try as hard as I can to err on the side of not doing that (I stick by my decision not to name the Reason columnist involved in the sandwich incident, although I guess everyone already knows) but sometimes the line will need to be crossed.
I think the most important consideration is that it be crossed in a way that doesn’t create a giant negative-sum war-of-all-against-all. That is, Democrats try to get Republicans fired for the crime of supporting Republicanism, Republicans try to get Democrats fired for the crime of supporting Democratism, and the end result is a lot of people getting fired but the overall Republican/Democrat balance staying unchanged.
That suggests a heuristic very much like Be Nice, At Least Until You Can Coordinate Meanness again: don’t try to destroy people in order to enforce social norms that only exist in your head. If people violate a real social norm, that the majority of the community agrees upon, and that they should have known – that’s one thing. If you idiosyncratically believe something is wrong, or you’re part of a subculure that believes something is wrong even though there are opposite subcultures that don’t agree – then trying to enforce your idiosyncratic rules by punishing anyone who breaks them is a bad idea.
And one corollary of this is that it shouldn’t be arbitrary. Ten million people tell sexist jokes every day. If you pick one of them, apply maximum punishment to him, and let the other 9.99 million off scot-free, he’s going to think it’s unfair – and he’ll be right. This is directly linked to the fact that there isn’t actually that much of a social norm against telling sexist jokes. My guess is that almost everyone who posts child pornography on Twitter gets in trouble for it, and that’s because there really is a strong anti-child pornography norm.
(this is also how I feel about the war on drugs. One in a thousand marijuana users gets arrested, partly because there isn’t enough political will to punish all marijuana users, partly because nobody really thinks marijuana use is that wrong. But this ends out unfair to the arrested marijuana user, not just because he’s in jail for the same thing a thousand other people did without consequence, but because he probably wouldn’t have done it he’d really expected to be punished, and society was giving him every reason to think he wouldn’t be.)
This set of norms is self-correcting: if someone does something you don’t like, but there’s not a social norm against it, then your next step should be to create a social norm against it. If you can convince 51% of the community that it’s wrong, then the community can unite against it and you can punish it next time. If you can’t convince 51% of the community that it’s wrong, then you should try harder, not play vigilante and try to enforce your unpopular rules yourself.
If you absolutely can’t tolerate something, but you also can’t manage to convince your community that it’s wrong and should be punished, you should work on finding methods that isolate you from the problem, including building a better community somewhere else. I think some of this collapses into a kind of Archipelago solution. Whatever the global norms may be, there ought to be communities catering to people who want more restrictions than normal, and other communities catering to people who want fewer. These communities should have really explicit rules, so that everybody knows what they’re getting into. People should be free to self-select into and out of those communities, and those self-selections should be honored. Safe spaces, 4chan, and this blog are three very different kinds of intentional communities with unusual but locally-well-defined free speech norms, they’re all good for the people who use them, and as long as they keep to themselves I don’t think outsiders have any right to criticize their existence.
I don’t know if this position is coherent. My guess is there’s a lot of places it doesn’t match my intuition, and a lot of other places where it’s so fuzzy it could justify or condemn anything at all.
But I think trying to hammer out something like this is important. Free speech norms aren’t about free speech. They quickly bleed over into these really fundamental questions, like – what is a culture? What is it we’re trying to do when we get together and have a society? Are we allowed to want different things from a culture? If so, how do we balance everyone else’s demands? Do we just live in some kind of postmodern globalized atomized culture, or are cultures these things inexorably linked to specific value systems that we’ve got to keep moored to those systems at all costs? How much are we allowed to use shaming to punish people who don’t conform to our culture? How angry are we allowed to be when other people use shaming to punish people we like who don’t conform to theirs?
Trying to get a model of these things that doesn’t immediately contradict itself on everything is potentially a good first step to trying to get a model of these things that’s right and/or liveable.
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463 Responses to Is It Possible To Have Coherent Principles Around Free Speech Norms?
dwietzsche says:
I think this is one of the best examples of the distinction between liberal and libertarian notions of liberty. Like, the libertarian idea is that people should be able to say whatever they want, and in principle there should be no norms whatsoever, since norms are inherently regulations and regulations are bad. But this creates a world where people willing to say anything have outsized power to intimidate people not willing to say anything out of engaging in speech. So, you might decide, “hey, I want speech norms that maximize the amount of freedom people feel to engage in speech.” These norms might entail such things as banning death threats and other kinds of intimidation tactics.
The problem is that no matter what, there is no non-exclusive set of speech norms, including the norm (which is regulatory) that there should be no norms. So there ends up being a question about how to properly maximize free speech in practice, which ends up just being a fight between different groups of people over who has the right to speak in the first place.
sevens2 says:
For a case study: https://www.thefire.org/university-of-central-florida-wisely-drops-punishment-of-student-for-viral-tweet-about-ex-girlfriend/
“In a reversal highlighting the need for colleges to refrain from haphazardly disciplining students for private speech, the University of Central Florida walked back its suspension of a student who tweeted a picture of his ex-girlfriend’s apology letter. UCF student Nick Lutz had copy edited the letter in red pen and graded it a “D-.”” – By Lyndsey Wajert August 3, 2017
David Manheim says:
I would suggest a simple heuristic; talk to a diverse group of people and ask whether something really violates a norm. Don’t act unless you get, say, 2/3rd agreement. (Yes, you should know and talk to people outside your filter bubble. And no, this isn’t too much of a burdern to justify attacking someone publically.)
Alex M says:
Scott does an excellent job of analyzing the pros and cons of different “Free Speech norms,” but he fails to spot one extremely obvious alternative – that maybe “Free Speech norms” shouldn’t exist in the first place.
The problem as I see it is that the United States constitution is set up to protect and enshrine the idea of free speech. However, these protections no longer work as intended because the Founding Fathers imagined the primary danger to free speech being the government – whereas in the modern day, corporations have far more power to limit free speech. If you say something on your FB page that somebody thinks is inappropriate, it’s not the government that will police you – it’s other people who will report you to the corporation where you work and kick up a fuss until you get fired.
The rational solution to this is to take away a corporation’s power to police free speech by making everything you say and do outside of work a legally “protected class.” Just as your employer would get prosecuted for firing you for your race or gender, they should be prosecuted if they fire you for something that you said outside of the workplace. For example, if an alt-right supporter makes a bigoted comment on your FB page, they would be protected by this law. If they make a bigoted comment at the office, they could be fired freely. Similarly (to show that this law benefits left-wing SJWs as well as their opponents in the alt-right), Alison Rapp’s dismissal from Nintendo for prostitution would be illegal, since it took place outside of the workplace.
Some might say that companies would be hindered by having employees who said controversial and damaging things because they would be subject to boycotts. But boycotts only take place because the company has the power (and thus the liability) to fire people whom internet lynch mobs dislike. Take away that power and you take away the liability as well – there is no purpose in boycotting a company over a controversial employee, since it would be illegal for the company to give in to the boycott. They could simply shrug and say “We deplore this employees comments also, but what do you want us to do about it? Our hands are tied due to this law.” Very quickly, having employees be able to say whatever they like (as long as they behave professionally at the office) would simply become the new normal, and social norms would no longer exist outside of the workplace. I think that this would be a wonderful world to live in – a world where every philosophy, no matter how unconventional, would have a fair chance to compete in the marketplace of ideas. This is what Free Speech should look like.
Sam Reuben says:
There’s a pretty big weakness to this solution, which takes a few factors to come to glorious, awful fruition. Number one is that people can boycott just because they don’t like the company. It’s a pretty easy jump to make from “this company has one employee who has horrendous beliefs” to “this company is staffed by horrendous people,” and once people do, they’ll just avoid the company regardless. However, the company can no longer fire people for their beliefs, and so they can’t try to regain public image by that avenue. This is the second part of the problem, and leads neatly into the third: once reputation is well and truly tarnished, it’s incredibly hard to recover. What this means for the company is that they can’t afford having a single person who gets outed as having unpopular opinions, or else risk losing a ton of customers. So here, they invoke part four, which is that it’s pretty easy for companies in America to fire people for whatever damn reason they please so long as they aren’t mouthy about it, and start in on part five: actively and aggressively policing their employees’ out-of-work presence so that they can know about these problems before they catch the public eye and nip them right in the bud. If nobody’s even started to make an outcry about the employees, then it’s going to be hell to prove that they were fired for their opinions. Thus, the solution proposed will highly incentivize companies being massively more draconian than before, because otherwise they could risk getting stuck with an extremely well-known and unpopular employee who they can’t get rid of in any way.
This is the problem with blunt-force attempts to solve tricky social problems: there are a lot of incentives involved in creating the problems, and if you try to ban the problem without handling the incentives, you just set yourself up for people doing those same bad things in more creative (and sometimes more dangerous) ways. That’s what went wrong with Prohibition, for example. Banning things can certainly work with some problems, but they tend to be a whole lot more cut-and-dry than the nightmare tangle of speech rights.
carvenvisage says:
How do you respond to an unexpected or even unprecedented trangression? -Something everyone would agree was wrong if they had time to think about it, but are put on the back foot by the aggression of the transgression and possibly some ‘moral drama’ (thanks drBeat) the wrongdoer is pushing at the same time?
On the most basic level we have the classroom bullying example. Someone loudly declares that someone ‘is annoying’ (or whatever), and attacks them. People get swept up in the momentary delusion they can exert their full forcefullness at any oppurtunity, and most go along with it, damning themselves by their human nature to believe their behaviour was good, thereby distorting the norms of the local community.
In this kind of situation I don’t want someone around who thinks in terms of majority norms rather than inherent morals of the situation. Before we even start to hash out moral norms in cases of both-good but conflicting alternative norms, we have to have a system to deal with random excesses of human nature and the tendency to justify them after the fact.
If the norm for dealing with these situations is ‘deal with it’, people will, however it is necessarry, including by moving away from thinking before acting (‘analysis paralysis’ is the last thing you want in avoiding being a target), and in becoming more violently/aggressively inclined in general. If we don’t have norms that are effective against this kind of thing, everyone is a potential victim to anyone else, and their (molochian) perogative is to make themselves a poor target, the easiest way by more concern with jostling for position and ‘respect’ (of one’s actively developed violent tendencies), which in aggregate not only doesn’t prevent the problem but makes it worse.
So without the bedrock norms of ‘don’t go along with what’s wrong, whatever the majority thinks,’, it’s very difficult to get a social environment in which people can rationally hash our norms, because without that norm no one except those who have no trouble defending themselves, and those who cannot defend themselves anyway have an incentive to move themselves towards rationality. (on topics like objectivity in fraught situations which do not profit the holder in any obvious way)
I don’t find it plausible we get the current state of public discourse without some (lack of) norms that make people escalatebots. No one wants to be a that guy always aggressively asserting his rights at the expense of others(‘), but if you have to be you might as well own it, right?
TL:DR view 3 is dangerous but it is the bedrock on which more rational discussion can be built. Without a strong response to human nature’s excesses they will spiral into a bad equilibrium where everyone is incentivised to prioritise being a bad target long before and probably at the expense of being rational.
Which isn’t to say that hashing things out can’t be of great value, when it can be done. The strong response can simply be establishing a clear standard that it isn’t good/Cool etc to do those things, and part of that is certainly picking apart ‘moral dramas’ used to justify them or wrongfoot the response long enough to get away with it. In fact sometimes that’s the only thing that can work.
There are a lot of ways to counteract a balance where it’s safeish to harass people so long as they’re weak or peaceful or your mob is large. One is certainly to undermine the false stories people use to shield themselves from condemnation. Another is to bring hell down upon them when they piss off the wrong person seeing as the ‘right people’ won’t by definition be able to retaliate.
Seperate point: was it just a stupid joke, or was it an aggressively banal joke thereby sending a message? -a speech act. The response may be disproportionate in either case but I don’t see how you can avoid the basic question of who actually started it and how much people escalated at each step. (-Ever). Certainly it’s dangerous to go there, but isn’t it far more dangerous to steer clear, to make our norms around the limitation that we can never know who attacked who, when in fact we sometimes can?
In this case maybe the conclusion is that we don’t know, and we have to work with that, but if we could know she literally spat in the guy’s face earlier that would certainly strengthen the argument she has no right to hyperescalate, or if we knew the joke was a goofy excess of good spirits not even meant badly it would remind us to make allowances sometimes. And vica versa if we knew this guy was really saying “sit down, bitch”, or that she’d done little or nothing to provoke it, or if this guy was constantly making such ‘jokes’, or actually making people feel unwelcome.
Like I said maybe the response is disproportionate in either case but such simple differences of fact could make a huge difference in how we see the case if they could be ascertained.
“actually making people feel unwelcome”
to be clear, -because that isn’t, I mean acting so as to predictably (given your knowledge) and culpably make people feel unwelcome. More like saying this ‘joke’ deadpan to every woman while giving them a fixed hostile stare until they laugh or otherwise react, less like going around wearing a smelly shirt.
Also “safeish to harass” should= “safeish to attack”
Jiro says:
It’s predictable that a man kissing his boyfriend in front of a homophobe will make the homophobe feel unwelcome.
And if some ‘homophobe’ (another orwellian conclusion-presupposing word) later reacts to an insult somewhat more strongly than the insult alone would justify, that would be relevant context. -More contentious than spitting in someone’s eye, but “homosexuality=normal and good” is not an accepted settled norm like you seem to be implying. It is a norm which is backed by propoganda and government force, and even on the law books in some authoritarian places, but it is nowhere near a consensus or universal norm, and if you ‘kiss your boyfriend’ in public you are doing so with the threat of violence and ruination standing above anyone who would object, so actually it would seem to be a fairly serious form of provocation.
-even if in practice we wouldn’t count it as such, as the perpetrator might be oblivious of this aspect and simply think it was a settled norm everywhere like it appears to be in liberal strongholds.
(And of course loudly taking umbridge at the same thing in a gay bar rather than wider society would be relevant too, to a later inflated response to provocation. –This is about right or wrong, but it’s hard to come to a direct judgement on such questions so we go by things like settled norms and who’s house you are in. (Liberals think broader society is their house, so they view disapproval of homosexuals as obvious provocation, but this is objectively wrong: wider society is not the sole property of your religion, liberal or conservative.) )
In any case, disregarding my heretical position, there being some cases of debatable/contentious provocation on the borders of our norms doesn’t mean that there aren’t uncontentious or culturally universal ones.
There’s being somewhat aggressively overassertive and overconfident of your norms, there’s being very much so, and then there’s intentional or clearly culpable provocation. -It doesn’t matter where you stand politically, if someone shouts ‘suck my dick, bitch’ at someone else, that puts later actions taken by that second someone in a different light.
also wasn’t my goddamn disclaimer enough? Never mind my deranged ramblings, in either case Scott is taking an implicit position in the initial article on the initial wrongdoing, while at the same time saying he doesn’t care to get into it.
-He background assumed “now obviously this was just a harmless dumb joke”, then when it was disputed said ‘whatever, I’m not that interested in the details’, without really making a concession (or that’s my perception, if that’s going to be offputting to anyone who’s norm isn’t already ‘don’t escalate unless it’s super clear, and maybe not even then’.
By Scott’s values the escalation was a bad norm no matter what, but by more ‘human’ vengeful norms it might be down to the details of the situation whether or not the escalation was supporting a bad norm.
I’d also like to point out that this is the first case I can think of where there was something most people would see as active provocation. The argument ‘don’t crucify people for different political beliefs’ is quite a different one from ‘don’t crucify people for testing/insulting/crossing you’, and I think the average person is not so inclined to accept the second as the first.
(participating in the political process isn’t crossing you (you lunatic), nor is wearing a shirt, nor is having backwards views on your blog, nor is recommending a different bakery, but telling someone to shut up and make you a sandwich is a provocation.)
faoiseam says:
I am disappointed that Scott did not make the distinction between “speech acts” in the philosophical sense, meaning illocutionary acts like promising, ordering, greeting, warning, inviting and congratulating, and normal statements. Banning (some of) the former seems reasonable, and covers a lot of the ground. Claiming that everything is a speech act just destroys the previously useful term “speech act”, which distinguished statements from actions that have another effect as well.
I think I see his reasoning: a lot of statements with distinct semantic meaning (as opposed to a lot of the heavily speech-acty ones) will still have some character as a speech act. For example, let’s say Frank is wearing green shoes, and his avowed nemesis George exclaims loudly within earshot that “I think green shoes are incredibly tacky!” There’s some semantic meaning there, to be sure, but we can all clearly see that what George is actually doing is making the speech act of declaring opposition against Frank and, depending on the setting, throwing down the gauntlet to him. Another person saying this in another setting could be just a statement about shoes, but in George’s mouth it becomes a passive-aggressive challenge – a very typical speech act.
Of course, as the intellectual left has investigated and pointed out, a ton of nominally semantic speech potentially and actually has this sort of speech-act character to it. This is where the idea of “microaggressions” comes from, for instance. The problem is that it’s exceedingly hard to find out, at times, whether some nominally semantic speech is or is not a speech act. If Frank confronts George about the green shoes statement, then George will deny it (and in another telling of the story, where George didn’t know anything about the shoes and was simply commenting on his footwear tastes, an antagonistic Frank could wrongly interpret that as a personal attack). The extraordinarily codified speech acts, such as “please” and “thank you,” are nearly impossible to imagine as anything else, but with enough working, almost anything can become a speech act.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that everything is a speech act. That’s a confusion of the potential and the actual, and one which a lot of folks have made on the personal and intellectual level. I certainly agree that Scott should have pointed the distinction out for the sake of clarity, but I think the logic works (albeit implicitly) along the framework which I’ve laid out. The nasty, squishy maybe-if territory of possible speech acts makes everything a “speech act,” and makes free speech more difficult to constrain. Although he shouldn’t have just said that saying anything is a speech act, not least because it isn’t, it does follow that anything being a potential speech act makes norm-setting against certain speech acts much more difficult to accomplish.
cvxxcvcxbxvcbx says:
“do something similar if the information arises”
I think “information” should be “situation”.
the verbiage ecstatic says:
So, I’m generally very much about the meta-level principles, not the object-level argument, but the more I think about this the more I think free speech norms only make sense as a set of object-level rules about what can or cannot be said.
Let’s go back to “why free speech?” At a community level, I think the main case for free speech norms is creating a mutual intellectual and social commons where people can be in discovery / creative mode, not defensive / political mode. Basically, a community has free speech when members can speak spontaneously from the heart without being afraid of social reprisal. That’s good for the psychological health of individuals and the creative and intellectual output of the community.
It seems like the place to draw the line in such a community is: any speech is okay unless it threatens the very premise of the community commons. One of the important premises in such a commons is the right for community members to participate, so things like “hey, group [X] is a bunch of horrible people” is going to be not-okay if there are any members of group X in the community.
Which means that: insofar as a space is populated by members of groups with competing identity formulations, a free speech commons is not possible. Free speech works best when everyone is on the same page.
In the current public internet sphere, I do not think people feel safe just speaking their hearts, because the internet is a big place and there will always be someone who doesn’t like what you are saying. Contemporary public discourse isn’t a commons, it’s a war zone: commercial, political, and ideological interests are battling it out using speech as a tactical weapon, not as a means of honest self-expression. We only see successful free speech commons in isolated intentional communities such as this blogs’ comments.
So I think coming up with a set of meta free speech rules that work on internet scale is impossible. Like it or hate it, there no longer exists a public sphere that serves as a demilitarized commons.
I guess this is an argument in favor of Scott’s archipelago utopia, and an argument against keeping on the pro-Hitler school teacher who promises not to say anything bad in class. Sorry, pal (ie, the teacher): you’re in the wrong community. There are no norms that can successfully encompass the diversity of cultures that the internet throws together.
I’m not sure that this analysis quite properly works. Your core claim is that free speech norms only work as object-level rules and not meta-principles, which indicates that final tenets of free speech will take the form of “saying a, b, c is unacceptable” and not “things which follow the logical framework of X, Y, Z are unacceptable.” However, you quickly establish that free speech has a generalized, logical goal: the “mutual intellectual and social commons.” (I would state it differently, but that’s neither here nor there – I think this is an excellent representation of what free speech is meant to get at.) The generalized, logical goal will of course have some generalized, logical norms of conduct, of which you name the norm that you can’t say that members of the community are just plain awful. The leap in logic is where you assume that in a community with general membership, you can’t have a norm like “don’t call people within the community terrible.” With general membership, this simply expands to “don’t call people terrible,” which seems an extremely good rule for reasoned, free debate on subjects.
I can see where some threads connect the premises to the conclusion. Perhaps a more thorough norm for free speech curtailment would be “don’t say anything which will make members of the group feel like they can’t participate freely in the group,” which definitely does create a hard tension between battling groups of fanatics. To the Star-Bellied Sneetches, to use Seuss as our guide, a simple claim of enjoying plain bellies will alienate, and the same is true the other way around. However, this seems to be more of a comment upon people who are unwilling to participate on the terms required for a general forum than it is on the general forum! Excluding the exclusive, etc etc. The interests of the Star-Bellied Sneetches and Plain-Bellied Sneetches can both be represented in the forum, but by their moderate members who can stand talking to one another, not by ones who can’t even imagine that other people can exist. This is the quite reasonable standard for a true, free-speech community.
The internet is, needless to say, not a general free-speech community, and neither is a country or anything else in the public sphere. The public sphere hasn’t ever been a general free-speech community, even America with its vaunted First Amendment. At worst, individual public spheres have been oppressive zones with harsh, object-level rules on what can and can’t be said, and at best they serve as archipelagos with their political fields carefully sanitized to prevent serious eruptions of malignity and hatred. (In fact, I’d argue this is what the First Amendment establishes: the government isn’t allowed to crack down on any islands of the archipelago. Every island can go about saying their own thing, and nobody is allowed to go rowing out on canoes and conquer all the other islands.) The particularly successful free-speech-promoting societies curate healthy and effective archipelagoes, and only a very small number of those islands are the real, generalized debate zones. Usually, these are the universities, where a good deal of the membership has explicitly signed their life away to the cause of truth for the sake of truth, but not all of these zones are universities, and not all universities are these zones. Not all are perfect at achieving the status of general intellectual community, but at the very least that is what they tend to strive for.
The internet has taken the archipelago model and shaken it up rather violently. First, it has allowed people to exist in two types of community at once: the material, and the electronic. Materially, you are where you live, while electronically, you are where you browse or chat or what have you. Already, this means that people are going to have some nasty conflicts of beliefs brewing, where one of the communities they belong to has harsh differences with one of the others. Take that recent (and admittedly a little funny) instance of the quilt community getting polarized. The reason is, of course, that people who like quilts can fall easily in both progressive urban Blue Tribespeople and traditional rural Red Tribespeople, so as soon as a quilt community tries to show up online, the members realize they’re not of the same tribe and there’s a nasty schism. Pre-internet, you’d just have the Redstown Quilting Club and the Lower Blueopolis Quilt Society and everyone would be happy on account of never having heard of one another. Spread this problem along all axes, and you’ve got a lot of weird conflicts that haven’t shown up before. Add in the increasing polarity of (American) society, and things get way worse. Heck, the fabled internet echo chambers can make that even worse!
The second, slightly more troublesome problem is that it’s gotten way easier to get in your canoes and head for the next island. If you’re from Blueopolis and want to protest Redstown, or from Redstown and want to protest Blueopolis, you’re a serious car-drive away (assuming you’ve even heard of what’s happening in the other place). The internet has made it way easier to get to blueplace.com or redtalk.com and argue, if you so desire. Even worse, platforms that have some real use for “both sides of the aisle,” like Twitter and Facebook, make it ludicrously easy to find someone whose beliefs you dislike and to advise them of that fact. In fact, in Twitter we have something far closer to the “commons” than has ever existed in the past, outside of the political podium – and we know how polemical that can get!
So, in short, I disagree with your analysis. The object-level rules do make sense for a lot of islands in the archipelago, and yet some few among them along with the general rules governing traffic between islands can be handled by meta-level norms. Further, this arrangement is not new, but rather the tradition. However, the internet does bring new problems into the mix, and we haven’t seen an effective solution yet. Given the prior success of meta-level norms in handling wild disagreement, it seems reasonable to look to them as our way out of this mess. Otherwise, the common spaces of the internet (like Twitter) will be awful, and the smaller islands (like here) will keep on having people paddling in on their canoes to make people miserable.
Scott Alexander says:
I agree with your point “this is hard”, but I’m not sure the problem can just be dismissed. Even after you say “I think the problem is impossible”, there will still be an Internet. Unless you’re saying nobody should say anything at all on the Internet, or anyone should be able to get anyone fired for anything, I’m not sure how you avoid having norms, even if by accident.
aciddc says:
You are the greatest. I love reading this blog.
In regards to the idea of “No doubt evangelicals honestly think that gay rights crusaders are bad people; does this justify personal attacks against them?” one thing I’d consider is that maybe it does make sense within their value system, and that value system rather than the tactics used to spread it is the problem. This isn’t the exact evangelical argument, but let’s say someone believed that acceptance of homosexuality was leading to more people becoming homosexuals (coming out of the closet from our point of view), and that was leading more people to go to hell. Then if there’s a reason to think that vigilante social norm enforcement will have effect, which in this case it potentially could be encouraging more gays to stay in the closet, evangelicals could be totally justified on a utilitarian basis within the confines of their value system. The issue is that they’re wrong about the metaphysical effects of homosexuality, not that their actions are necessarily extreme in the context of those incorrect beliefs.
This seems sort of generalizable to a lot of things. Violence is sometimes justified. The only way to know exactly when is to look to your own values and belief system. Those can very widely between people and cultures, and while I think some views are more reasonable than others, you basically have to act on what you’ve got. Sometimes people’s beliefs and goals make them your enemy on a fairly fundamental level.
Of course none of this is to say I really disagree with your position on language policing and mod policies. I’m fairly pacifistic when it comes to violence and when it comes to social violence. But the fact that a framework for looking at such violence implies that it’s sometimes justified doesn’t rule out that framework to me.
baconbacon says:
The major flaw that underlies this series of posts is that it isn’t about how many people support or don’t support something for social norms, it is how deeply they support it. Many of the issues with democracy come down to the fact that voting is easy, your opinion doesn’t actually carry much weight and it is difficult to get your opinion to carry weight. In a real market I can forgo consumption of goods I kind of like to save up for something I really like. Always wanted a nice car? Ramen and a cheap place to rent for a few years can put it in reach. Always wanted to legalize marijuana? Can’t skip voting on taxes, dog catcher or school board representative and shove them all toward your preferred issue. This is why minorities, even foul and disgusting ones like people who drive purple PT Cruisers, are far better served in a market than a democracy.
When it comes to social norms (but not laws) it isn’t about 51% of people liking/not liking a thing, it is about how intensely they don’t like it and how much influence they wield. The trouble with social media is that the effort/influence ratio can get far crazier than in normal interactions. Retweeting a post to 100,000 followers can seriously effect the author’s life (in either a negative or positive way) at virtually no immediate cost to the retweeter. This is essentially bullying, picking on someone with little to no cost to yourself, when it is petty, and is the crux of the issue.
captjparker says:
One factor that must underlie people’s distrust of non-governmental free speech norms is that they’re so underspecified.
The thing is: civil society doesn’t have “free speech norms.” Civil society has “speech norms” that are indeed underspecified. One may think that civil society ought to have free speech norms because of the frequently invoked “right to free speech.” But, where did such a right come from if it indeed does exist? The First Amnedment is surly not the source of a right to free speech within civil society. Quite the contrary. The First Amendment says only that the regulation of what one may and may not say is not within the scope of government authority. I am a free speech advocate and what I mean by that is that I support a robust and expansive First Amendment. One consequence of a robust First Amendment is that since government is to have no role in defining speech norms the free marketplace of ideas about how to have public debate about divisive issues is left to do it’s job and I am content with that.
J Mann says:
Well, there’s a difference between a norm and a law.
It’s against the law for the government to restrict speech.
It’s not against the law for you to post the names and pictures of the woman who yelled at the Christakises at Yale, or the woman who put the Donglegate guys on blast, or that Texas doofus that Popehat was mocking last week.
That doesn’t mean that it’s not wrong, or ill-advisable, or that we shouldn’t try to develop a norm against it.
As to where it came from, I’d say that the proposed norm has something in common with the long tradition of anonymous speech in this country, and opposition to the blacklist, and the idea that you shouldn’t fire someone just because they support Bernie or Trump or whomever.
I’m not sure I’m convinced – my first thought was why shouldn’t we signal boost the name of the Christakis-yeller, but I never did, because a lot of smart thoughtful people thought it was wrong. I’m still not sure where the line is, but I agree it’s worth discussing.
As a data point for this discussion, I can’t feel bad for this guy unless there is a lot more to the story:
http://www.theroot.com/cop-shares-racist-facebook-post-turns-in-resignation-a-1797450272
“And however different postmodernists, evangelicals, Islamists, Muslims, crystal-healers, and Trump supporters might be, there actually is one thing they have in common: all these groups have great gender balance. You’ll never find a Wiccan circle or a gender studies class that accidentally ended up as 100% male.”
No, but you can easily find ones that accidentally ended up 100% female. That’s not “great gender balance”, that’s the opposite skew.
Plucky says:
The central problem in your framework is the problem of how genuine social norms get formed.
Leaving aside the issue of whether 51% actually constitutes a societal norm, this is not really how all social norms get created. Some do get formed organically, but others are instead formed because someone has the power to impose them long enough that everyone else just gets used to it and passively accepts it. Activists know this, and that’s what drives the get-people-fired mentality. Activists are trying to alter, create, and/or impose social norms by the latter method.
The get-people-fired method is unfortunately very effective- like most dominance relationships, it only takes a handful of demonstrative incidents for everyone to get the message of what the new rules are and who is in charge. A couple years of HR policy later and it’s institutionalized. We may or may not have a genuine norm that sexist jokes are a grievous offense for example, but anyone in a corporate environment knows that dropping one in the office or on the company’s email server is playing Russian roulette with their job. Regardless of what society at large thinks norms ought to be, they know what the rules are and have mostly gotten accustomed to it.
So activists launch hate-storms at anyone they feel is a weak target, and it only takes a few of them to stick. Being on the receiving end is no easy task- An employer that gets dogpiled by 50,000 angry activist calls/tweets/emails out of nowhere can easily feel as though a societal norm has been broken, even though 50,000 people represent miniscule percentage of society.
The problem of maintaining a free-speech culture requires leaders of institutions to have the courage to stare down activists and weather a hate-storm, often on behalf of people who aren’t terribly sympathetic.
SUT says:
> requires leaders of institutions to have the courage to stare down activists and weather a hate-storm
Exactly this. I wonder if a becoming known as The free speech company could even become an effective marketing tool for recruiting? Funny enough, it was Academia that was the original “free speech company” and it still is for everything on the spectrum from centrism to infinity-times-infinity-leftism. Now, from what I hear, for the IT industry, the place you’re least likely to be fired for your political views is online Porn. Strange days indeed.
albatross11 says:
A social norm that says that firing people for being the target of a twitter storm is a shitty thing to do, or firing people for weird aspects of their personal life is a shitty thing to do, would help resist the activists’ calls for someone’s firing. IMO we should encourage this norm.
Every aspect of our lives is becoming more visible and searchable over time, and it’s increasingly hard to keep different sides of our lives separate. That could easily lead us to a place where anyone with weird political, religious, or social beliefs, weird hobbies, weird sexual practices, etc., would find themselves having a hard time getting a job. The result of *that* would pretty inevitably be the world becoming a whole lot more boring.
A lot of progressives and liberals think this is a win for their side. And maybe they’re right. But you could easily imagine it going the other way, and many of the biggest employers effectively requiring respectful discussions about Christianity, patriotism, the military, etc., as a de facto condition of continued employment.
The Nybbler says:
or firing people for weird aspects of their personal life is a shitty thing to do
We already had that social norm. Pushed by the people that the current pushers of the opposite social norm claim to be the successors of. Not firing people because they’re homosexual or go to the wrong church (or don’t go to church) or have a tattoo (especially where you can’t see it) or generally because they were in some way “immoral” in their personal life… these were _liberal_ norms.
The cynical view is that it turns out these norms were all a lie; all those people really meant was that they supported the object-level behavior, but they knew those in power did not so they used high-sounding meta-level principles to justify them. Now that they’re in power, those high-sounding principles can simply be discarded and the _correct_ object level behavior can be supported while the _wrong_ ones can be tabooed everywhere. Pretty sure I’ve seen that view pushed here.
The less cynical view is they’re different people and the SJWs don’t have a valid claim to being the successors of the liberals.
Nancy Lebovitz says:
I think that kind of hypocrisy is more likely to be people not thinking things through rather than a deliberate lie.
Matt M says:
A lot of progressives and liberals think this is a win for their side. And maybe they’re right. But you could easily imagine it going the other way
Maybe you can, but they cannot. They believe they are on the “right side of history” and that their power will only grow and expand. They simply cannot imagine a future wherein rightists hold power over them.
Hence the bizarre Russia conspiracies vis-a-vis Trump. They do not allow a worldview wherein actual conservatives exist in any number sufficient enough to represent any sort of legitimate threat to them or their power.
The set of people who are punching Nazis or demanding someone get fired for refusing to spout the party line w.r.t. women in coding are a really tiny fraction of the society. They’re loud and organized and very visible, but their power comes entirely from the willingness of the much larger set of ordinary people to follow what they say, out of a combination of fear of being denounced, taking the path of least resistance, and having been philosophically disarmed by being convinced that the activists are on the side of the angels.
The activists in this case have overplayed their hand to the extent that they’re getting increasing backlash. And when that backlash really hits, they’ll find that like 95% of the support they seemed to have has evaporated almost overnight.
Gobbobobble says:
But this can’t be separated from signaling a propensity for action. Suppose Alice has the opinion “hand hygiene doesn’t matter”. The truly virtuous action is to show her (and concerned third parties) studies that prove that dangerous infections are transmissible by unwashed hands. But while you’re doing that, it’s fair to not want to eat at her restaurant. And it’s pro-social to tell other people not to eat at her restaurant either, and not to hire her as a nurse – and if she’s already a nurse, maybe to get her fired. Even though reasonable free speech norms demand that we fight bad ideas through counterargument rather than social punishment, in this case they should permit a campaign to get Alice fired. [emphasis added]
Disagree. The first couple pro-social actions are laudable. This whole firing campaign business, though, rests on one of two flawed notions:
1) From this speech act I know your job performance better than your bosses and co-workers
This is ridiculous, one interacts with their coworkers and bosses daily and, in the case of bosses, are at least ostensibly having one’s job performance reviewed. If Alice was truly dead-set against handwashing, her place of employment would already know. The “fine I’ll do it because thems the rules” agreement can be reasonably inferred to already exist by her continued employment.
If there is evidence that she is not handwashing while employed, the moral strategy is to use the other pro-social means to go after the business that tolerates such practices – why would anyone want to get treated at a hospital that lets their employees not wash their hands? But it is hubris to assume that you’ve caught Alice out in some nefarious scheme: unless she’s actually discussing how she gets away with breaking her employer’s policies, there is nothing to report. Either their unorthodox views don’t impact their job performance or their employer has different definitions of proper execution. The latter should be taken up as a cause against the employer, not the employee. Once you convince the employer, Alice will have to suffer the rules or be fired for breaking them.
2) This speech act demonstrates beliefs that have nothing to with your job performance that nonetheless your employer should not tolerate.
Which flies wildly in the face of the the principle laid out last time:
Likewise, the goal of being pro-free-speech isn’t to make a really liberal-sounding law code. It’s to create a society where it’s actually possible to hold dissenting opinions, where ideas really do get judged by merit rather than by who’s powerful enough to shut down whom. Having free speech laws on the books is a necessary precondition, but it’s useless in the absence of social norms that support it. If you win a million First Amendment victories in the Supreme Court, but actively work to undermine the social norms that let people say what they think in real life, you’re anti-free-speech.
1) is an excellent point, and is why the get-someone-fired (or equivalent) campaigns really shouldn’t fly. That sort of attack, the signal-boosting or demand for punitive action, are made from positions of extreme if not ludicrous ignorance. From the example given, we honestly have little to no idea what Alice is doing or why her beliefs may or may not have relevance to her keeping her job. There are countless possible scenarios where she has that unpopular opinion but still ought to keep her job. A campaign to get her fired rejects all of them as potential outcomes.
This also works for all of the more nebulous stuff, like offensive jokes. It may just be some quirk of my personal circle, but I know a ton of people with dark and nebulous humor. If I related every joke or comment which they, or even I, shared in private and with the knowledge that the recipient would understand it, then I might get told that they’re bad influences and worth avoiding, or that they’re bad people in some other respect. The thing is, I know all these people, and know they’re all good people with dark humor, occasional social incompetence, or both. I know their humor doesn’t reflect their actual opinions so much as it exhibits how they can investigate uncomfortable problems. So I stay friends with them, because I know what they’re really like. Other people might not have that depth of perspective.
Of course, there’s a better solution to these kinds of problems: if relevant information isn’t available to the interested parties (let’s say Alice is rebelling against the sanitation hegemony with secretly unwashed hands), then that information can be passed on in tactful secrecy so that decisions can be made by the relevant authorities. If they refuse to solve it, and they’re demonstrably in the wrong about it, then the solution wasn’t ever to force a firing, but rather to try and get rid of the incompetent administrator! There’s no situation where it’s reasonable to try to achieve targeted retribution through mob action. It serves as a dangerous and unstable weapon which starts to wreck society.
So why is it so popular? Obviously, the thrill of self-vindicating through retribution is an incredible drug, and there’s no question that plays a role. But I think that the temptation there remains at least somewhat stable across all humans, and yet a lot of people just don’t participate in it without having some specific education in the effective and moral structure of the crime. What I’d personally pin it on is a lack of humility, where individuals just lack the trust and deference towards people with better knowledge that would let them pass the decision on. Accordingly, they take the matter into their own hands, make their own judgments, and feel like there could be nothing grander than what they’ve set out to do – because they decided on it. Excess of humility obviously has its own problems, but it doesn’t seem to be what’s at fault here.
Mostly agree. I guess by “start a campaign to get her fired” I mean tell her boss that she’s against hand-washing (if the boss doesn’t know) and let them draw their own conclusions.
Deiseach says:
Re: hand hygiene, if you must fall sick, be sure to do it in an Oregon hospital 🙂
The top five states were:
1. Oregon (with 100% of hospitals complying with handwashing regulations)
2. New Jersey (94%)
3. Florida (93%)
3. Nevada (93%)
5. Tennessee (90%)
The bottom five states were:
46. Missouri (59%)
48. Arizona (50%)
48. New Mexico (50%)
50. Wisconsin (45%)
50. Wyoming (44%)
(Greene, Crain’s Detroit Business, 6/11; Leapfrog release, 6/11; Leapfrog report, May 2015).
Randy M says:
Is there any discernable trend there? What separates Nevada from Arizona that is relevant to doctor hygiene? And who decided we really need both an i and an e in the middle of hygiene??
Caveat? Much of that ordering within wide bands is random; it’s a survey of 1,500 hospitals, so an average of 30 per state – not a huge sample size. The difference between 94% and 93% is 15/16 versus 14/15.
Hygiene, pronounced just like Hi, Jean.
Or like Hi, gene. But not like Hi, jiene, nor Hi, giene.
johnswentworth says:
The hand hygiene example seems to be missing the most important step: if Alice thinks hand hygiene is completely useless, then the very first step is to ask why she believes that. If you jump straight to assuming she’s wrong, then you’ve missed a potential opportunity to learn something. Even assuming she’s wrong (which is probably the case), you’ve missed the opportunity to learn why she would believe that. If you understand the real underlying reasons why people believe X, then you should know how to convince them of not-X. Isn’t that supposed to be one of the basic principles of the rationality community?
Of course this doesn’t always work perfectly. Understanding why people believe things is a lot of work. Leveraging that understanding to change their mind (or yours) is also a lot of work. We don’t have infinite time on our hands. But it’s at least worthwhile to point out the ideal, and use it as a measuring stick for more realistic solutions.
VolumeWarrior says:
No one ever asks why someone is racist. We assume it’s because they have a brain virus and hate dark colours. In reality, they might say something like some POCs are upstanding citizens but that general community values promote single parenthood, drug use, and violence.
It’s more expedient to just assume racism = brain virus.
Have you read John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty? I believe that he addresses some of this in broad strokes.
you should work on finding methods that isolate you from the problem, including building a better community somewhere else.
Yes, most of the free speech “problems” are in fact problems with public spaces and government formation in general. You pool a bunch of people together based on geographic place of birth, and then they have a conflict over legal/moral grey area and no one is ever happy. You could come up with the metaphysically correct position on free speech and no one would ever listen to you because people get paid in social credit, not logical consistency.
But the doxxers don’t care about borders and safe-spaces anyway. Twitter is a private community, but what you say on Twitter can be sent to your employer to get you fired. I don’t see why this would change if I go over to Rightistan, and someone in Leftistan gets offended at something I say and then blows it out of proportion and tries to get me fired.
People should be free to self-select into and out of those communities, and those self-selections should be honored. Safe spaces, 4chan, and this blog are three very different kinds of intentional communities with unusual but locally-well-defined free speech norms, they’re all good for the people who use them, and as long as they keep to themselves I don’t think outsiders have any right to criticize their existence.
I thought a major criticism of 4chan was that it was a breeding ground for racism/sexism/homophobiablablabala. Such that even though it is self-selected and relatively cloistered off from the internet, it still creates real harm in society by giving a platform to moral degenerates.
This is not my opinion, but it’s easy to come up with examples of people going off into their echo chamber and promoting immorality. And then if people use those opinions to build coalitions that translate into immoral actions…
However, I overall don’t see any moral justification for a free speech doctrine. It is supposedly useful in a democracy to serve as checks and balances bla bla bla, but most moral philosophies do not identify a positive duty to maximize everyone else’s free speech. And if I curtail you free speech because I’m your boss and to fire you because you listen to Alex Jones, would society really be more “free” if I were forced to keep paying you?
tscharf says:
And if I curtail you free speech because I’m your boss and to fire you because you listen to Alex Jones, would society really be more “free” if I were forced to keep paying you?
Yes. It’s not a condition of employment to listen to Alex Conditions, it just shouldn’t be a basis for being fired because you disagree with Alex Jones in most cases. One can imagine an endpoint of a very long list of thought crimes that are terminating offenses such as the sin of listening to VolumeWarrior and I would suggest that in this world VolumeWarrior would consider it less “free”.
it just shouldn’t be a basis for being fired because you disagree with Alex Jones in most cases
It would sure be nice. But if some over-zealous employer decided to fire everyone except liberal democrats, I don’t see how that’s a problem. His right to associate with whom he pleases seems to exist. Whereas you don’t see to have a right to be employed at any specific company.
Case in point, if the businessperson has right to shut down his business “just because they feel like it”, they’re allowed to. That’s arbitrary. But for some reason if they shut it down just for Alex Jones supporters, that’s not within their rights.
One can imagine an endpoint of a very long list of thought crimes that are terminating offenses such as the sin of listening to VolumeWarrior and I would suggest that in this world VolumeWarrior would consider it less “free”.
The world would actually be substantially less free if people were forced to continuing associating with others, regardless of distasteful opinions. Yes, maybe I’d prefer it if I was miraculously exempt and my opinions were protected, but I’d also prefer it if I were supreme Czar. So that’s a lousy way to decide how society should be structured. There’s a very strong presumption in favor of free association.
It’s like you guys have some kind of job fetish where everyone has an unconditional right to a plug-and-play 9-5 job. And every single employer that bids for your labor has to meet the exact same conditions or else it’s oppression. But if you stop to think through the implications of a norm that says: “You can’t do anything to me that affects me economically”, it is a horrible slippery slope (see comment to birdboy2000 below) because many many things have large economic effects. Society would be morally and spiritually repugnant if I were legally forced to consider economic utilitarianism in my other social interactions.
The short answer is terminating people for thought crimes (as opposed to real crimes) unrelated to the ability to competently perform your job is frowned upon.
Independent contractors can be terminated for any reason. I’ve lived in that world for decades. The world exists where people can be canned for unrelated activities, it just rarely happens. Part of the reason it doesn’t happen is because independent contractors are usually pretty careful about controversial subjects. The other reason is business owners care about their business first and foremost and whether Johnny is a secret conservative just isn’t important to making widgets.
A workplace such as the DNC might find it quite objectionable to have Alex Jones fans working for them, SpaceX not so much. This detail matters.
I think we are having different arguments, whether it should be illegal or whether it is proper.
Right, we’re talking about social norms, not employment law. If you fire people for their religion, you’ll run afoul of US employment law, but as I understand it, that’s not true of politics. That is, I don’t think there’s a law that says you would get in trouble for firing anyone you thought was a Republican. (But someone please tell me if I’m wrong!)
However, I think it’s a better world when we have the social norm that firing people for their politics is a bad thing. I think we are better off overall when companies know that firing all their Republican employees will get pushback even from their non-Republican customers and employees, because it would be easy for us to end up in a situation where only the independently wealthy dared to express a non-standard political opinion in public.
birdboy2000 says:
Yes, because the overwhelming majority of people are not employers, but proletarians, and a social norm allowing employers to target proletarians if they dislike their views makes it impossible to coordinate any social change that benefits said overwhelming majority at the expense of employers.
If you support a norm where businessmen can fire people for whatever reason they feel like, you support a society where power is concentrated in the hands of those who own businesses; oligarchy, not (meaningful) democracy.
a social norm allowing employers to target proletarians if they dislike their views makes it impossible to coordinate any social change that benefits said overwhelming majority at the expense of employers.
Employers would prefer it if workers didn’t screw off on facebook (or SSC) once in a while, but there’s a social norm that says you’re allowed to do it anyway.
The very fact that any worker anywhere is paid above sustenance wage is evidence of proletariat bargaining power.
If you are suggesting a norm where people have to take care of each other economically before personal preferences can enter the mix, this is a very dangerous and slippery slope. Marriage has an extremely large economic effect and yet everyone agrees you can marry or not marry anyone you want for all kinds of arbitrary reasons. Despite the fact that this might lead to more economic inequality as rich college educated folks pair off and leave the socioeconomically disadvantaged to each other.
Hell. Even refusing to be friends with someone because of their politics might have serious economic consequences. After all, one of the ways you get a job is through your network!
There’s just no coherent line you can draw in the sand. It might sound practical if you’re imagining some exaggerated capitalist hell, but there’s no way the philosophy could be coherent.
John Schilling says:
If you support a norm where businessmen can fire people for whatever reason they feel like, you support a society where power is concentrated in the hands of those who own businesses
And if you support a norm where workers can strike or quit their jobs for whatever reason they feel like, you support a society where power is concentrated in the hands of the proletariat or the charismatic leaders thereof; communism, not (meaningful) democracy, right?
Or perhaps the market for labor is not so wholly one-sided as either of these simplistic formulations would have it be.
Yes, because the overwhelming majority of people are not employers, but proletarians
Nope. In a world where people own their labor they are employers and the businesses that purchase their labor are their customers. The right to fire is the same as the right to quit.
blacktrance says:
Saying that someone shouldn’t be listened to is part of the marketplace of ideas, not an exception to it (though ideally you show your work and don’t just shout insults.) The problem is when you move from persuasion to silencing them or trying to punish them for their views, such as when you try to get them fired. Universalizing a norm like “if you decide that someone’s a bad person, feel free to say so, but don’t go beyond speech yourself or encourage others to do so” doesn’t seem scary. It’s only okay to fire someone if their views interfere with their job and they refuse to act otherwise, regardless of their perceived harm – uncompromising flat-earthers shouldn’t teach geography, even though no thinkpiece writer would be motivated enough to run a campaign to get them fired. Similarly, if Brendan Eich had walked around the Mozilla offices saying “Gay people are evil”, firing him would’ve been fine.
But I don’t think this requires Be Nice Until You Can Coordinate Meanness (which I disagree with anyway because it enshrines convention instead of truth). Firing people for sexist jokes on Twitter isn’t bad because it rarely happens – if it were the norm, it’d be worse – but because it’s neither connected to truth nor show that they can’t be professional at work. If Democrats were 99% of the population and Republican views were generally considered abhorrent, firing Republicans would still be wrong even though the Democrats wouldn’t need to worry about retaliation.
(Would it be better if all marijuana users were arrested, instead of just a few?)
It would also help if there were norms or clear indicators of the privacy a speaker is expecting or should expect – whether it’s “don’t say anything that can identify me” or “don’t post anything here you wouldn’t feel comfortable putting in your NYT column if you had one”.
A Definite Beta Guy says:
I am in broad agreement with the above, especially this point:
It’s only okay to fire someone if their views interfere with their job and they refuse to act otherwise
I bolded a portion for effect. A fundamentalist Christian should be allowed to teach a high school science class as long as he or she teaches it in the manner that’s considered appropriate by supervisors. There’s no call, at all, to bring up any disciplinary proceedings unless there’s actually a workplace issue.
These domains should be separate.
I once had a science teacher who prefaced a unit about evolution with “I don’t believe any of this, but I have to teach it”, then never mentioned his beliefs again.
The times I’ve seen this class of argument used in practice, it was always pretty obvious that the reasoning went:
a. This person has expressed ideas I find offensive.
b. Therefore they should be punished.
c. Therefore I will invent some kind of justification for why their ideas could indicate some tendency that would make them bad at their jobs.
For example, when that one cancer researcher was being net-shamed for making some kind of sexist joke in a speech (I think trying to be ironic), many people supported him losing his job because this joke proved he would be a bad boss to female researchers, but this didn’t seem to lead to looking for any evidence he was a bad boss or coworker w.r.t. women, and in fact several testimonials from his female students and coworkers seemed to have no weight in that calculation.
ADifferentAnonymous says:
One complication is that publicizing a specific example of an allegedly problematic behavior is really useful for advancing the broader issue, but in the current climate it also ends up being a speech act. I’ve seen SJ people give examples of microaggressions and deliberately not name names, because they want dialog on the issue and don’t want mobs against one microaggressor–but this means only one side of the story is available, and skeptics are understandably wary.
dndnrsn says:
I think that the most sensible place to draw the line is when speech directly influences illicit actions. Nobody would defend a group of mobsters sitting around a table planning a hit on the basis of free speech (well, I suppose somebody would, but you get the idea). This would generally mean that the free speech line would get drawn right before direct incitement. “Group x are terrible” would be OK, “Group x are terrible and should be killed” would not be. That the first might lead to the second being said would not be enough.
The problem then becomes “who gets to determine where the line between incitement and stuff that could possibly be read as incitement is”, “who enforces this”, etc. But this is already the problem with speech law, and plenty of law in general, and all sorts of informal enforcement of norms.
There are some things that depend on individual circumstances and can’t easily be reduced to nontrivial general principles. Maybe it is okay to retaliate against people who are horrible on the kill all Jews level–as long as you’re competent at figuring out who is actually that horrible. If you go by that, it’s still wrong to ruin the life of someone for making a sexist joke, for the same reason that it’s wrong to kill someone in self-defense if they’re spilling juice on you.
Or to put it another way, maybe the actual bad thing is having bad judgment. It’s okay to hurt someone for reason X, but poorly judging X is not okay. It’s harder to universalize this, since everyone thinks they have good judgment, but the fact that it’s harder to universalize doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the wrong way to think about the problem.
Also, on a separate note, I still think that Scott is being too charitable here. Most of the cases where someone says “it’s okay to ruin someone’s life for being sexist” are not actually attempts to run on consistent principles at all. The “it’s okay to…” is just an excuse and would not be followed by the person saying it if it ever becomes inconvenient.
Standing in the Shadows says:
My guess is that almost everyone who posts child pornography on Twitter gets in trouble for it, and that’s because there really is a strong anti-child pornography norm.
I may regret this.
The “distributed twitter protocol” OStatus, implemented on things like mastodon.social has been exponentially growing in Japan because the ostatus network lets users post about legal-in-Japan ロリコン artwork, that gets them hard banned on Twitter.com.
An interesting article on this is at http://ansuz.sooke.bc.ca/entry/335
I know the writer of that blog reads this blog, because that very article has a link to this blog.
davidlizerbram says:
“Alice’s Restaurant” – good one.
Paul Zrimsek says:
So I walked in and I told Scott, “Shrink, I wanna kill bacteria.”
liskantope says:
There, on the other side… in the middle of the other side… away from everything else on the other side… in parentheses… in capital letters… quotated… read the following words:
(“KID, HAVE YOU DECONTAMINATED YOURSELF?”)
Roakh says:
I think this discussion and proposal suffers from being excessively formalistic, in the sense that it considers proposals along the line of ‘If Y/Z, then you can *crush* someone’ and settles on the principle (roughly) that ‘if you can get >50% agreement to be able to non-arbitrarily and uniformly enforce norms then you can enforce norms and if you can’t you pretty much have to detach and hope you can find some nice locality on the metaphorical archipelago.’
But it seems like a more fruitful approach might be giving a more subtle account of what you can do in what circumstances, specifically: what degree and kind of bad actions warrants what degree and what kind of response (short of ‘crushing’).
The second view described seems basically right except in that it allowed completely away to “crush” an opponent for bad statistics. It seems decisively less objectionable if you replace “crush” with some level of pretty staunch public criticism commensurate to the level of wrong committed by the opponent, rather than “quietly correct[ing]” them in a way which almost everyone will ignore or crushing them by making a persona non grata in public debate. I think all the action is in trying to appropriately calibrate what level of response is judicious rather than describing conditions in which you can either enforce whatever norm you like/are not allowed to apply significant social pressure to people.
I keep thinking that this comes down to the Overton window–what’s the range of positions that are seen in your society as acceptable. This defines the area where most people “agree to disagree.”
In general, if you try to socially punish/fire/harass someone for expressing positions within the window, lots of people think you are thuggishly trying to suppress legitimate speech. But if you try to socially punish/fire/harass someone for expressing positions outside the window, only pretty committed free-speech advocates much care[1].
The added complication is that different cultures have different windows. In some subcultures, a principled objection to affirmative action programs is outside the window, and people will feel like that’s beyond the pale and you should be shut up, or at least be expected to keep your mouth shut about your offensive beliefs at work. In other subcultures, expressing serious doubt about the existence of God is outside the window.
The window is the result of social forces that have little to do with logic or morality. You can see this because the ideas within the window change over time. In mainstream US politics of 1970, gay marriage and drug legalization were both outside the window. (Or maybe on the outer edge of the window–people recognized that a few radicals advocated for both.)
[1] I think there are different “outside the window” zones with different responses. If you express your belief that UFO aliens are routinely visiting Earth and interfering in human affairs, you’re well outside the window, but hardly anyone feels you need to be crushed for your offensiveness–they’ll just ignore you. On the other hand, if you express your belief that sex with small children is morally acceptable, you’ll probably be seen as both crazy and evil, and you’re much more likely to get fired, shunned, beaten up, arrested, etc.
I like this post. Specifically I like that it acknowledges that there’s an incoherence to the “free speech norm” position. I’ve been arguing that in these comment sections for a while now. I appreciate the struggle to find some sort of coherent principles, though I’m not sure it is there yet. Specifically, this part:
I think embodies an unrealistic notion of how norms are created, spread, and enforced. Attempting to punish a norm violation is an assertion that it exists and a de facto referendum on the question. There’s rarely some process that can be used to create or test or lobby for the existence of a norm outside of a concrete case.
On a more narrow issue:
I think this is bending over backwards for your prior post. The relevant category isn’t sexist jokes. Sexist jokes exist come in all sorts of contexts. In some they violate norms and in some they don’t. Consider a student telling a sexist joke to his college roommate, a faculty member telling a sexist joke at a lunch table with a few fellow faculty members, a student raising his hand in class and telling a sexist joke, and a professor telling a sexist joke during class to a lecture hall full of students. Each of these situations is quite reasonably subject to a different set of norms. If the professor that tells a sexist joke to a classroom full of captive audience students is punished that isn’t unfair merely because tens of thousands of students are telling sexist jokes in their dorm rooms. Similar things should be treated similarly, but different things should be treated differently.
The case of the sandwich tweeter is not the same as the case of the dongle joke. He was not telling a joke to his own hand picked audience of friends and overheard by a hostile audience. He deliberately sought the attention of both the target of his nasty joke (by including @ladiesofliberty) and all the members of the conference and those following what was happening at the conference (by including #MakeLibertyWin) in general. The spotlight didn’t just randomly find him, he chased after it.
I agree with pretty much all of what Brad says here. I still have objections to attempts to coerce via appeals to employers, but even allowing for acceptable venues for offensive humor–or counter-cultural views like h-you-know-d–doesn’t mean there is no genuine violation present in the current example.
Is much of the problem just social media throwing everybody together with no established norms?
manwhoisthursday says:
Where most of the West seems to be headed is a 70/30 split for social liberalism/social conservatism. 70/30 is a pretty large majority and means that legal and social norms are going to be heavily tilted towards social liberalism. On the other hand, the 30 percent seems pretty solid. That’s about the percentage of people who want to ban abortion with no, or almost no, exceptions, and that has been stable for decades. It is likely that opposition to gay marriage and disapproval of gay sex will bottom out at about the same percentage.
The 70 percent seems like it is enough to do whatever you want legally and, to some degree, to set a strong social norm. The problem is that 30 percent of the population is still a hefty portion of the population, and if you simply shit on them continuously, they’ll likely just defect to their own institutions, and you’ll have a bunch of hostile institutions representing 30 percent of the population. That seems like it has the potential to cause a lot of trouble.
There are divisions too among the 70 percent. Not all of them want to continuously shit on the 30 percent. Not all of them are on board with every last bit of social liberalism.
So, here we are, on the verge of what I see as an even nastier culture war than we’ve had over the past few decades. And that with an overwhelming majority broadly in favour of social liberalism, well over 51%.
The broader point is that norms aren’t established by a strict 51% criteria.
There are divisions too among the 70 percent.
Oh, that’s going to be the next fun phase of the culture wars, and I think we’re seeing it flaring up already. Supposing the progressives do beat down the conservatives to a stable 30% who can’t be vanished out of the way but have no social or political clout, then the next targets are going to be those on the edge of the left who are nearest to the centre – the centrists, the liberals, those who can be portrayed as “very nearly on the right themselves” because they will be to the right of the progressive wing.
And so those who patted themselves on the back for their victory about same-sex marriage are going to find to their shock and dismay that they are the new regressive bigot enemy who must be either converted or crushed. Andrew Sullivan is getting a taste of that, and you know what? I rather like seeing the boot be on the other foot here. I wonder how it feels to wake up one morning and find yourself in the enemy’s shoes, that enemy you so blithely characterised as extremist and hating diversity? The same person who wrote the excerpt below, when nobody was making the argument that “letting gays get married will mean straight people have to get gay-married”, is now insisting that gender is innate, biological, fixed and binary – but Andy, surely the only way recognition of the case for trans rights could delegitimize gender is if cis people were persuaded by law to change their gender, and that’s clearly not true!
Gay marriage could only delegitimize straight marriage if it were a real alternative to it, and this is clearly not true. To put it bluntly, there’s precious little evidence that straights could be persuaded by any law to have sex with – let alone marry —someone of their own sex.
But it’s certainly going to be an extremely nasty war.
I rather like seeing the boot be on the other foot here.
Yeah, if any individual deserves credit/blame for the legalization of gay marriage, it’s Andrew Sullivan. So, it’s amusing to see him exiled from the goodthinkers.
The original Mr. X says:
After the manner of Saturn, the revolution always eats its own children.
It’s also truly amusing to see the New Atheists lumped in with the Christian right on the anti-SJ side.
hoghoghoghoghog says:
Sullivan has always considered himself a conservative, so this is a bit less ironic than you suggest.
aynrandysavage says:
And one corollary of this is that it shouldn’t be arbitrary. Ten million people tell sexist jokes every day. If you pick one of them, apply maximum punishment to him, and let the other 9.99 million off scot-free, he’s going to think it’s unfair – and he’ll be right. This is directly linked to the fact that there isn’t actually that much of a social norm against telling sexist jokes.
These all seem to be indirectly referencing the “Sandwich” conversation the other day in which a guy who tweeted a sexist joke at a number of prominent libertarian women had his post retweeted by those same women with the goal of alerting potential future employers to his behavior. A few points.
The comparison here isn’t really apt. The “sandwich” tweeter didn’t just make a sexist joke in private among a close circle of friends. He intentionally broadcast it to female leaders in the liberty movement with the express intent of antagonizing and demeaning them. A better analogy would be of somebody walking right into a police station with a bong and lighting up there while flipping them police off. Maybe one in a thousand marijuana users get arrested, but I imagine every single person who tries to smoke weed in a police station gets arrested. When you’ve got a 100 percent rate of arrest, the “unfairness” argument goes out the window.
This is directly linked to the fact that there isn’t actually that much of a social norm against telling sexist jokes.
I’d dispute this assumption as well. Just because something’s prevalent in private circles doesn’t mean that there isn’t a social norm against it. Even granting that there isn’t a categorical proscription of sexist jokes, I can’t imagine how anybody could deny that telling sexist jokes to women you don’t know, or to women in a professional capacity, is not incredibly frowned-upon.
If you can’t convince 51% of the community that it’s wrong, then you should try harder, not play vigilante and try to enforce your unpopular rules yourself.
I can only see a pragmatic argument against this (it would be ineffective and a waste of time.) I also don’t know what it means, exactly to “play vigilante.” Again, if we’re talking about the sandwich case, I’d certainly wager that the number of Hiring Managers and/or career-oriented women in the DC non-profit sector who find sexist jokes unacceptable is closer to 100 percent than 51 percent.
on the other hand, if we try to get the school board to fire her, we’re implicitly endorsing the principle “Get someone fired if you know of a belief of theirs that suggests they’re an otherwise repugnant person” – and isn’t this the same principle that led people to campaign against atheist schoolteachers, pro-gay schoolteachers, communist schoolteachers, etc?
The problem here isn’t that we’re not justified in removing people from positions of employment where they could be harmful, it’s that we misjudged the harm they were capable of.
nweining says:
The situation is a bit more complicated, it seems to me, than “there is a norm” or “there is not a norm”. Sexist jokes are very strongly disapproved of in some social milieux, not in others. The rate of disapproval has increased with time but is still far from 100%. Feminists reasonably wish the rate of disapproval would increase faster. How are they to do that– how is anyone who wants to spread a beneficial and hitherto unevenly observed social norm to do so– if not to apply at least somewhat disproportionate punishment to norm-violators where they get the opportunity? The key phrase here is of course “at least somewhat”; you can believe (as I do) that trying to get people fired goes too far, and still think there has to be some disproportion to make the norm-spreading stick, even if that is in some aggregate sense unfair to those who get punished.
I agree that being somewhat disproportionate has a useful purpose here, but I’m not exactly sure that this is disproportionate.
From my other post:
As somebody who works in the liberty movement and makes hiring decisions/supervises employees, I don’t feel any apprehension in saying that I’d be much more reluctant to hire an employee who made public tweets like the “sandwich” tweeter. If I found that one of my direct reports was making sexist comments towards women in affiliated organizations, then I’d have him sit down for a stern disciplinary talk with myself and HR at the very least.
I’m glad that I know about this guy’s behavior at YALcon. If I ever ended up interviewing him for a position, his behavior here is something I’d want to know about.
The whole reason we see “trying to get him fired” as unduly harsh is because his comments actually do put his career in jeopardy. They put his career in jeopardy because they were deeply disrespectful and unprofessional. I don’t want to work with disrespectful and unprofessional people. If I’m deciding whether to hire a person, their professional and respect will be at the top of the list of my considerations.
Civilis says:
The problem is that the reverse still holds. A lot of people don’t want to work with someone that tries to get people fired over a potentially-offensive joke, because that sort of behavior also signals unprofessional and difficult to work with. Yet I certainly would feel a lot more apprehensive saying I would be more reluctant to hire someone that played the ‘naming and shaming’ game on social media.
If you’re more willing to hire people who make sexist jokes to colleagues than people who shame them on twitter, I can predict with absolute certainty that you don’t work in HR.
No, I don’t work in HR, but I am on good terms with the HR Manager enough to know that ‘being a team player’ counts a lot for a perspective employee. Someone that comes in looking for a problem is not going to get hired.
We had an issue like that in the small company I work for. Longtime head of IT had ‘monkey’ on his list of generic insults; relatively new junior IT technician was black; predictable results ensued… almost. Turns out the head of HR, also black, had heard enough of the head of IT throwing invective around at others, including corporations and inanimate objects, that he knew the head of IT was like that and the technician’s description of the events didn’t sound like it was racist, merely a poor choice of words, but apparently the technician insisted it was the head or him. I was literally getting off the plane from a month out of the country when the technician’s departure for other work was announced, so I don’t know whether he quit or was fired. From later experience, had the head of IT been let go, the company wouldn’t have lasted a year. As it was, it took a lot of work (and money) to replace the technician.
There’s a gap between what we say (“I won’t hire anyone stupid enough to joke like that”) and what we do (“I won’t hire anyone stupid enough to joke like that where it will come up in an interview AND I won’t hire anyone that seems oversensitive enough to go to HR over a joke.”) It’s that we can’t say what we really do that causes all the problems.
Your head of HR made an innocuous joke that could be misinterpreted as racist. In this scenario the guy in question made an intentionally sexist tweet and intentionally antagonized women with it. If your head of IT made a sexist joke at the expense of one of his coworkers, I doubt your HR team would be so forgiving.
The question is not whether you hire people for making sexist jokes, it’s whether you fire them. It’s quite unclear how you know someone makes sexist jokes to colleagues when you are hiring them.
Do you not see how this is screening employees based on class? Not everyone knows HR’s speech codes and people from different classes and regions have different acceptable codes. The reality of the liberal utopia here is knowing the rules, not having moral character, because these are falsely equated.
My guess is these “rules” aren’t even written down anywhere except in vague platitudes and HR evaluates them on a case by case basis. What makes it really bad is there is no way to even know the rules of artificial niceness in most cases and these rules change constantly.
Yes, and the company would have gone out of business, a much better outcome for all involved. Again, the only reason this didn’t end in disaster was the head of HR happened to be both reasonable and immune to the specific allegation of racism.
It’s very prevalent on the right for people to hate corporate HR departments, and while I understand the anger, I think it’s often misplaced, especially for small, well-run companies. A good HR person wants the company to succeed. Somebody that can’t keep his mouth shut is frequently much less of a problem to work with and less of a direct threat to the company than someone looking for excuses to sue the company.
The idea that making it easy for certain groups to allege discrimination ultimately makes those groups less likely to be hired isn’t new. The problem is that it’s something that nobody can officially admit to doing, and so of course it’s hard to prove.
The question is not whether you hire people for making sexist jokes,
Isn’t that *exactly* the question at hand?
hlynkacg says:
Only if the job opening is for a comedian.
What I meant was sandwich guy isn’t currently working for anyone and the conversation is explicitly about sandwich guy. So it seems the question is hiring not firing.
In the case of sandwich guy, we already have strong evidence that he’d make sexist jokes to colleagues because he’s already on the record as having done so.
You’re creating a false dichotomy. Just because “don’t disrespect women” is not a universally held-norm does not mean disrespecting women is not inherently immoral.
My guess is these “rules” aren’t even written down anywhere except in vague platitudes and HR evaluates them on a case by case basis. What makes it really bad is there is no way to even know the rules of artificial niceness in most cases and these rules change constantly
I just re-read my own organization’s employee “code of conduct” handbook. The rules about sexual harassment and derogatory language were fairly clear and unambiguous. I don’t know what organization you work for where the rules about whether it’s acceptable to make derogatory comments towards women “constantly change” but it certainly does’t sound like a healthy one.
Yes, and the company would have gone out of business, a much better outcome for all involved.
So where do you draw the line? What if he actually were a racist? What if he actually physically assaulted an employee of color? Does being “indispensable” to the company mean that he can get away with any illicit activities he wants?
There’s also the problem that sexist jokes are more tolerated in all male spaces than in mixed company. In fact, PC has a very tenuous purchase in general among males in the West. It’s trivially easy to find even liberal males who hate PC. So, even if feminists succeed in banishing sexist jokes from mixed spaces, they don’t really have much hold on all-male spaces, especially given that self-identified male feminists, with a few ultra high status exceptions, tend to be one of the most sorry groupings of humanity you will ever meet.
The revealed feminist position on all-male spaces is they shouldn’t exist (except maybe men’s toilets).
I know, but good luck with that.
eyeballfrog says:
I was under the impression the men’s bathrooms needed to be converted to “gender-neutral” bathrooms.
andrewflicker says:
I think you’ve got a (possibly college or bay area?) skewed view of male feminists. I am one, as are most of my male colleagues (judging purely from self-declaration, here). We’ve got body-builders and athletes, most of us are married fathers, strong incomes, etc.,- not obviously a group I’d call “one of the most sorry groupings of humanity you will ever meet”. If anything, I’d say on average we’re fairly high-status sorts in the traditional metrics.
I don’t deny your experience, but I have to ask who has the skewed view of self-declared male feminists.
Do you call yourselves male feminists because you assume that “feminism = equality” or because you think Amanda Marcotte has a reasonable model of reality.
JonathanD says:
@eyeballfrog, you didn’t ask me, but as my experience is very similar to andrewflicker’s, I’ll answer. My favorite definition for feminism is one I ran across a while back. “Feminism is the radical notion that women are people.”
Which is a long-winded way of saying that yes, I think that feminism = equality.
My favorite definition for feminism is one I ran across a while back. “Feminism is the radical notion that women are people.”
This strawmans non-feminists (nearly all of whom believe women are people), and is often used as the motte in a motte-and-bailey. You can’t get from the notion that women are people to the idea that it’s a serious offense to dismissively suggest women are best employed making sandwiches; only people make sandwiches.
I absolutely hate that definition.
Almost all of politics is based on legitimate disagreements about how people should be treated. Only at the extreme fringes do you get Nazis calling for subjugation or extermination of literal untermenschen. Mostly, it’s about e.g. who should pay for a person’s routine medical expenses. If one side takes the legitimate position, that, unless indigent, a person should pay for their own pills, this gets applied to contraception, and Team Feminism offers an indignant “I see we need to introduce you to the radical notion that women are people!”, then we have left the path of reason, nobody is going to be persuaded or informed, and you have poisoned the debate.
I propose the “radical” notion that women are people, and that no person should be alternately coddled and privileged in the way feminists would have us do for women. And then I usually try to express it in a less toxic manner.
lvlln says:
This conversation reminds me of a comment by Milo, which I took to be depressingly spot on. He noted that some recent-at-the-time polls (in UK, I think? Or maybe UK & US?) showed that the % of both men and women who supported the notion of equality between the sexes was higher than the % of both men and women who identified as “feminist,” and that this was an indication that people are so wary of the bad acts by self-described feminists that even though they actually do support feminism, they’d refuse it if labeled as such.
FWIW, I identify as feminist based on the idea of equality between the sexes, and I don’t shy away from the label, but I can’t fault others for the wariness, because the damage caused by the loudest and most influential people under that banner has been shameful. My experience with other male feminists mostly matches that of andrewflicker, but I also think that the ones that you’re most likely to encounter online tend not to match our experience, though I think manwhoisthursday’s description as “with a few ultra high status exceptions, tend to be one of the most sorry groupings of humanity you will ever meet” is rather hyperbolic and needlessly inflammatory. IMHO.
roystgnr says:
Polls which ask “are you a feminist or not” suggest that about a quarter of people are feminists, and half are not.
Polls which ask “are you a strong feminist, a feminist, not a feminist, or an anti-feminist” suggest that about a third of people are plain feminists, a seventh are ‘strong’ feminists, and not quite half are non- (including a small fraction of anti-) feminists.
I linked to one of each poll, but IIRC there are multiple polls of each type with fairly consistent results.
The simplest explanation seems to be that about 14% of Americans are ‘strong’ feminists, and about 11% are ‘not strong but not ashamed’ feminists, and a full 23% are ‘feminists, but only if there’s no chance you’ll mistake me for one of those feminists’. By extrapolation we can surmise that there might also be a pretty big ‘would have said feminist if you’d stuck to the women-are-people definition’ subset in the ‘non-feminist’ block. If the motte-and-bailey conflation in this case was deliberate, it appears to have seriously backfired.
eyeballfrog:
By that definition, you almost can’t find any non-feminists in the US. Even people who think women ought to be subordinate to men in most situations, that a woman’s place is in the home, etc., agree that they’re people–crimes against them should be treated as actual crimes, they should have the protection of the courts and laws, etc.
When I hear someone describe themselves as a feminist, I assume a number of positions which usually (but not always) go with that–a belief that current social arrangements are oppressive toward women, that womens’ lower average income and lower rate of participation in some fields is a serious social problem needing a government solution, that gendered toys and upbringing for children are a bad thing, etc.
Apologies for the late reply- I call myself a feminist because I genuinely believe that women deserve equal social respect/worth, and that various sub-societies including common ones present in the US frequently disadvantage women in ways that are harmful to the individual women and net harmful to society. I don’t think women are *uniformly* disadvantaged, or anything crazy like that, and I disagree with plenty of radical feminists like the late Dworkin. I place myself within the fairly common strain of modern feminism that largely seeks equality between the sexes and an increase in opportunity for everyone- that men aren’t shamed for home-making because home-making isn’t tarred as a nasty feminine thing, and that women aren’t shamed for being career superstars that cruelly neglect their infants (to give a taste of the hyperbole I’ve heard from more traditionalist acquaintances/relatives).
Most of my male colleagues are nowhere near as well-read in feminist literature or general philosophy as I am- but they’ve absorbed enough of this rather boring mainstream feminism that they’d describe their reasoning as similar.
Notably, they are *not* the extreme self-parodying version of feminism that you might often see online- outside of a few bastions, that sort of feminist is rather thin on the ground (and I say that having attended a few philosophy courses in California and at ASU that significantly included feminist work, where you’d think the density would be much higher).
Generally speaking most of our wives are even *less* feminist than we are, by the usual metrics, since most of them are stay-at-home moms (my wife and I are the only childfree exception in my close work circle).
to give a taste of the hyperbole I’ve heard from more traditionalist acquaintances/relatives
You’ve actually heard these people say either femininity or homemaking was nasty? ime, these sentiments are more likely to come from “feminists” than “traditionalists”
Quoting albatross: “When I hear someone describe themselves as a feminist, I assume a number of positions which usually (but not always) go with that–a belief that current social arrangements are oppressive toward women, that womens’ lower average income and lower rate of participation in some fields is a serious social problem needing a government solution, that gendered toys and upbringing for children are a bad thing, etc.”
These are flawed assumptions. I think most feminists would probably agree with some version of the first (current social arrangements oppressive to women) but wouldn’t phrase it so universally, and would often include a caveat about how it harms men too. A common phrase might be something like “modern patriarchal society prevents a lot of women from achieving their potential, and pushes both men and women into traditional roles that might make them unhappy or unproductive, or worse”.
Your second point is several mixed assumptions- some feminists might believe that womens’ income/participation is a serious problem requiring gov intervention, but many also believe that only the participation is a problem, and that it can/should be remedied by private practice/shame. Some others believe that income is a problem, but participation isn’t (these are the people that think that companies just decide to pay more to male-valence jobs, etc., but not that women should have to do them). I’d say most feminists, myself included, are strongly in favor of laws preventing deliberate discrimination based on sex or gender (which does not prevent companies from requirements that might bias against women, such as the ability to lift 60lbs regularly, etc.), but not in favor of quotas. (A sizable minority approve of quotas in politics, but that’s a whole different kettle of fish.)
Your third point, about gendered toys, is similarly flawed. Many feminists believe *forcing* children to use gendered toys is inappropriate, and that boys and girls do better when offered and encouraged to play in a wide variety of ways. Many are offended when companies appear to “assume” that children will only want highly-gendered toys (whether or not that is true). But that’s a far cry from the belief that gendered toys are *inherently* bad, regardless of how they are used/sold/marketed.
Randy M: What I meant was that I’ve heard people excoriate men for home-making, calling it weak, harmful, degrading, etc.
EDIT – Man, I wish these things threaded better when down this many sublevels.
Very well, that’s more clear.
Do you think there is anything to the theory that women, moreso than men, are innately inclined to desire men more when they have higher status and income, and that this plays a role in men devaluing homemaking as a masculine option?
For myself, if you can pay the bills on one income and the tikes aren’t breastfeeding, then it is really no different who is primarily providing care and who is earning the income–except that you are doing the opposite of what is the more typical instinct in both cases. But all secondary sexual characteristics, especially mental, are on a spectrum and it is certainly possible that for any particular couple their instincts are not the norm. Hyperbolic Patriarchs might give you crap for it, but you surely know there are hyperbolic Feminists who will give stay-at-home mothers crap just as easily.
But I would push back against the assertion that a default assumption is some kind of oppression.
AnonYEmous says:
andrewflicker:
do you believe that gender is a social construct, and if so, how much of a blank slatist are you?
One problem here is that a political label tends to be defined by its most visible adherents and their most visible actions. If “feminist” means thinking people should be free to live their lives as they like w.r.t. sex roles (women can work if they want, men can stay home with the kids if they want) and that employers and schools ought not to discriminate on the basis of sex, then I’m a feminist, and so are probably 95% of the rest of the people in these comment threads. It’s actually really hard to find people who don’t agree with that. You will find very few such people even in a conservative Catholic parish or at a Tea Party rally. But that’s sure not the way I understand the term in practice in US politics or society.
In the campaign, this was referred to as “locker room talk.” Several athletes came out and said this doesn’t happen in locker rooms.
I’m, personally, with you. Most guy groups I meet make sexist jokes all the time. There are actually very few guys around whom I DON’T think sexist jokes are made….they aren’t the sorry sort, but they are definitely socially ostracized and seen as extremely uptight.
I think I’ve met one self-identified male feminist, and he is a pretty fun guy, but he also thinks all cops are pigs, and was briefly banned from FB (I believe for making jokes to that effect).
Even female feminists are pretty rare. I think I know 3. Most women don’t seem to care enough to loudly identify as “feminist.”
Professionals, maybe. The issue with the “locker room talk” line isn’t that it was false, it’s that it reflects a (Jr) High School level of maturity.
“Several athletes came out and said this doesn’t happen in locker rooms”
“[T]hey aren’t the sorry sort, but they are definitely socially ostracized and seen as extremely uptight”
I remember a few progressive anti-Trump Evangelical types who said they had never heard this sort of thing. Growing up in a religious community of that type myself, I mostly believe them, but question how representative their experience is.
As for the athletes, I think that was a “first rule of fight club is not to talk about fight club” thing, because I was also involved with sports quite a bit in the larger community, and I know how just how crude the locker room can get.
Locker room talk is pretty common in lots of hyper-masculine adult domains.
Doctor Mist says:
The issue with the “locker room talk” line isn’t that it was false, it’s that it reflects a (Jr) High School level of maturity.
Hah! I was just about to observe that I have actually heard that kind of talk in the locker room, but the last time I was in a locker room was high school.
On another topic, back during the election, on another blog, I mooted the idea that Trump never meant his line to be taken literally, that “grab them by the pussy” was a crude and dismissive metaphor, much like talking about a man who lets himself get pulled around by his dick, rather than an actual claim to have committed sexual assault. The idea didn’t get much traction, but I still think it’s the best reading of the remarks.
I suspect that there are some people who do not make, or hang around people who make, sexist jokes. And some people for whom that is true for racist jokes. And some for who that is true for religious jokes. And some for who that is true of sexuality jokes. And some for who that is true of profession jokes.
But I suspect there is literally nobody who is completely intolerant of all forms of humor based in stereotype or exaggeration. The tactics are the same, the target merely changes. The same people who were so offended at Trump’s comments which objectify women have little problem associating with those who blithely discussing “bathing in male tears” and “white libertarian shitlords” etc.
If by “locker room talk” we’re talking about discussions of which women the speaker has and/or intends to have sex with, descriptions of their physical characteristics, and explicit descriptions of the acts the speaker has done or intends to do to/with the women in question, this absolutely happens in locker rooms (and other all-male situations).
Maybe not professional/high level collegiate locker rooms, because they’ve learned there are often reporters around.
I mooted the idea that Trump never meant his line to be taken literally
Wait – people thought that was meant literally??
I’m hardly an expert on the female anatomy (insert joke here), but that seems like…. uh…. not the body part most suitable for grabbing if you wish to obtain control of someone? Like, anatomically speaking, it’s hard to get a grip…. ok, I’ll just stop now.
This was my observation back when this was the fresh story and NFL players came out and said “We don’t talk like that in our locker room.”
Like DUH, of course you don’t. Because the first person who tried would be suspended by the league and raked over the coals by ESPN for several weeks after a nearby female reporter became incredibly offended.
I took the Trump statement as being hypothetical: if you’re famous and powerful enough, many (though definitely not all!) women are happy to let you touch them in the crotch without much in the way of preliminaries.
Sadly, I think that is actually true, though I also think it a really bad idea for famous and powerful men to test this out in reality, given the obvious fact that a significant number of women are not going to be at all happy with that sort of thing.
I have no doubt that professional athletes have to be on their p’s and q’s when reporters are around, like after a game, but reporters aren’t always around. I doubt the talk is quite so restrained then.
I think locker room talk is how the bulk of everyone in Trump’s generation learned how to reproduce. Sex education wasn’t even allowed. It’s my understanding there is a biological basis for attraction to the opposite sex but I guess knowing the right speech codes might work for some people. If people think what Trump did was exceptional they might want to learn the statistics on Internet searches and bandwidth usage. The Internet is one massive demented locker room and that reflects human nature as it is, not as some wish it to be.
Oh yeah. Or at least they pretended to.
the body part most suitable for grabbing
Well, that’s what I thought, too, but I’ve led a pretty sedate life and I didn’t want to seem naive.
For the post a couple of days ago, I started by doing a lot of googling to convince myself that the sandwich in question was literally a sandwich and not a threesome.
HeelBearCub says:
What the heck are you guys on?
First off, if you can’t imagine how one can “grab a woman by the pussy”, you aren’t very imaginative. Be face to face. Face the palm of your hand towards their body. Place the heel of your hand on their mons pubis. Cup your fingers so they rest on the labia or clitoris. Apply pressure through the clothing, If they are wearing a dress or something of sufficiently pliant material, you may even be able to insert one or more digits into their vagina slightly. If she actually desires this activity, it can be mildly to extremely pleasurable, depending on how much sexual desire and how little sexual experience is present.
Trump clearly was bragging that he could literally do this to women he had just been introduced to without repercussions. Whether this was merely bragging or a description of something he had actually done is not proved by the recording, but I know my money would be on his having done it when he felt like he could.
This is the kind of thing sufficiently drunk and/or horny guys do in topless bars or brothels which then gets them firmly escorted out, at the very least.
Yes, I was thinking Trump was bragging about doing just what HBC described. I can’t see even Trump managing to do it without objection as a first move, but maybe I’m still underestimating celebrity.
It may seem infeasible to do while standing but it sounds quite easy to do when both people are sitting and facing each other. (Can’t believe I’m actually seeing a discussion on SSC going this route, probably shouldn’t be participating in it at all :P).
Either way, things are very ambiguous — it’s quite plausible that this is something Trump has literally done, while it could also be a metaphor or exaggeration. I have to say that Trump didn’t help his case for mere metaphorical/exaggerated “locker-room talk” during the second debate when Anderson Cooper started grilling him about it and Trump avoided for as long as he could answering whether he’d actually done it.
I suggest people watch a few “30 for 30” documentaries on ESPN if they think athletes aren’t targeted by groupies with the specific intention of wanting to be groped and having even further relations (gasp) with a celebrity. There is apparently a subscription website that reports when and where athletes go out and the groupies show up. The same was true (and probably still is) for rock stars.
Some women will allow this and intentionally attract it. Turn your head ahead away if you want, but it happens. What is missing here is that all women are also not created of equal moral character. Maybe they are looking for a good time or a good husband. It doesn’t mean it is proper or that celebrities should engage in this behavior even if it is invited.
It’s unclear to me whether this debate is about the existence of women who allow this type of groping, that someone falsely stated that these women exist, that someone falsely believes all women allow this, or that someone is of low moral character if they do this even when it is invited. I think we can agree it is improper to do this when it isn’t invited, but I don’t think that is what this debate really is.
The crux of this debate is essentially as follows: women who behave in an unladylike fashion are good, or at least fine, and criticizing them is wrong, but men who behave in an ungentlemanlike fashion are the worst.
Oh, sure, you can find those who think the event as described was sexual assault (I think HBC is one of those people), but the fact that he said “they let you” in the quote pretty much sinks that argument right out of the gate. So it’s just a toxic mix of conservative chivalry and liberal empowerment doctrine, which produces a cute double standard – women can accept terrible behavior and even desire it, or allow it to happen, but men who do it are the worst, even if the women wanted it.
Oh, and in case this all sounds too pat – I challenge anyone to prove me wrong. What’s your problem with the incident?
maybe I’m still underestimating celebrity.
You are probably underestimating celebrity, and taking “first move” too literally. For two reasons:
1. Women who are assaulted by a celebrity will fear reporting it.
2. There exist women who are extremely open sexually within minutes of meeting them.
Either case is sufficient for the “grab em by the pussy” comment to be an event that actually happens, relatively soon in a first meeting, if not a first move.
“The rate of disapproval has increased with time but is still far from 100%. Feminists reasonably wish the rate of disapproval would increase faster.”
Eh, at least some of them wish for half of them to remain. Only jokes that are sexist against women should be disapproved of
One solution here might be to give people the burden of demonstrating that their controversial opinions won’t lead to dangerous actions. For example, if Alice is a nurse, she might say “I don’t believe hand hygiene matters, and I’m going to try to convince the hospital administration to remove their rule mandating handwashing – but until I succeed, I’ll follow the rules and wash my hands just like everyone else.” If I trusted Alice, this would allay my concerns,
But why would you trust Alice, when you’ve just given her a huge motive to lie?
If the goal is to “allay your concerns” and make you feel good in three-monkeys sense about the sanitary conditions in hospitals, this may work. If the goal is to A: make sure everybody actually is washing their hands, B: make sure the handwashing isn’t just a giant hoax by that idiot Semmelweis, and C: promote a useful free speech norm, I think the burden of proof has to go in the other direction – like it does in e.g. courts of law, and for about the same reason.
If we assume that there are people who genuinely aren’t going to wash their hands before surgery even though that presently is the rule, but put the burden of proof on the prosecution and assume that Alice’s talk is just talk until shown to be otherwise, then we’ve got to actually check and see whether she is washing her hands before surgery. Which should be doing in any event, and this way we’ll know we have to do it if we want our concerns allayed. Meanwhile, we can have an open discussion about the actual merits of handwashing and decide whether it is really what we should be doing.
Putting the burden of proof on Alice means giving all the actual non-handwashers a free pass(*) so long as they either A: perform the Ritual of Compliance Assurance to acceptable standards or B: keep their mouth shut outside the anonymous handwashing-skeptic message boards. Meanwhile, it has a chilling effect on people hoping to conduct an honest inquiry into whether handwashing is really a good thing, even while washing their hands so long as the issue is in doubt, because if they don’t perform the RoCA to acceptable standards (which will be vague and informal) they will be fired. So you won’t actually know whether handwashing is a good idea, and you won’t know what the level of anti-handwashing sentiment among nurses is, and you won’t get a useful cue as to whether you need to be stepping up your handwashing enforcement in the OR. But your concerns will be allayed, because you won’t hear any dissent and because you somehow trust the person you just told to shut up or lie if she wants to keep her job.
If there is a rule, the burden of proof should be on whoever would accuse someone else of breaking the rule. If someone speaks out against a rule, the presumption should be that this is mere advocacy and they are nonetheless obeying the rule until proven otherwise. These aren’t just the law, they are good ideas.
* Pedantically, there will always be some level of enforcement, some possibility that a fellow nurse will notice them failing to wash their hands, so take “actual non-handwashers” to mean people who wouldn’t be deterred by this default or baseline enforcement level.
Douglas Knight says:
I’m pretty sure that’s what Scott meant. As you say, Bob can keep his mouth shut. The ritual of compliance isn’t to grant Alice any more protection than Bob, but to put them in the same position, dispelling a cloud that might linger over her. Whether we actually need a ritual of compliance depends on whether people, both advocates and authorities, actually make the presumption of mere advocacy.
I would describe this in terms of authority: the hospital has the authority to insist that its employees follow its policies, while at work; but it has no authority over its employees outside of work. So the hospital has the authority to insist on handwashing at work, and the responsibility to conduct some level of checking to ensure it happens, but it shouldn’t be able to punish its employees for what they do at home.
(Perhaps a better example is anti-vaxxers: the hospital can require that its employees administer vaccines to patients, but shouldn’t have any authority to try and make their employees vaccinate their children, not post on anti-vaxxer sites, not lobby to change the mandatory vaccination laws, etc. That’s the nearest equivalent to what happened to Brendan Eich, or Larry Garfield.)
For this to actually “work”, though, it has to be really possible for people who don’t agree with the hospital’s policies to find work elsewhere. That is, society must, both de jure and de facto be decentralized enough that people can sort themselves more-or-less how they want, and that authority figures don’t have the power or right to rampage through every corner of their lives seeking WrongThink.
For this to actually “work”, though, it has to be really possible for people who don’t agree with the hospital’s policies to find work elsewhere.
It also has to be possible to somehow enforce whether the hospital is exceeding its authority or not.
In an era where employers are now all but openly admitting that they hire based on “cultural fit” rather than technical qualifications, this probably becomes difficult. So when they fire the anti-vaxxer because they “don’t fit our culture,” they aren’t even necessarily lying, are they?
I don’t think there’s anything new about companies hiring on cultural fit.
No, but what’s new is them publicly admitting it and society acting like this is a really cool and acceptable thing while simultaneously demanding equal racial, ethnic, religious, sexuality, and gender representation among workforces.
Denis Rancourt says:
I bet some of you would find this my article helpful on this question:
http://dissidentvoice.org/2016/11/towards-a-rational-legal-philosophy-of-individual-rights/
Towards a Rational Legal Philosophy of Individual Rights
by Denis Rancourt / November 15th, 2016
Summary: I briefly describe the anthropological origin and recent statutory embodiments of human rights of individuals. I show that the modern “democratic” state moderates the rights of individuals by both: (1) violating the said rights in order to maintain and enforce the societal dominance hierarchy, and (2) preventing disproportionate violations, to avoid inciting rebellion. The courts are charged with these tasks but must not appear to represent an oppressive state. The courts’ practical solution has been to develop the legal artifice of “balancing conflicting rights”, where the court presents itself as a neutral arbitrator providing “access to justice”, rather than the enforcer that it is. I develop several examples involving the human rights of freedom of thought, expression, and movement, and the right to a fair trial. I show that the said legal artifice is best dismantled by a method of compartmentalization where a given act producing harm that is a crime (or offence or civil liability) is compartmentalized into its distinct elements that either constitute the crime or are human-rights freedoms that are not in play at trial or in sentencing.
tjohnson314 says:
Scott’s suggestion about not enforcing idiosyncratic rules reminded me of an incident with a conservative writer on Quora, who recently was banned for a couple of weeks. Among his offences was misgendering Chelsea Manning.
He complained (post since deleted, so I’m going from memory) that “deadnaming” and “misgendering” are crimes that only a very small, very liberal, very influential segment of the population cares about. In other words, there’s not a social norm against them yet.
And yet Quora chooses to ban people for this, and if I’m not mistaken, Scott does the same in this comment section.
To be clear, given the harm that misgendering causes to trans people, I agree that it should be banned. But this means that perhaps we do have some idiosyncratic rules that we enforce, even on a larger majority that disagrees.
Or maybe one could argue that within the rationalist community, misgendering is against social norms. Then we might be justified in applying that social norm to anyone who wants to come visit our “safe space”, even if we don’t enforce it on conversations in the rest of the world.
I think the issue here is that Quora (I assume, I’m not actually sure on this) presumably claims neutrality.
Scott says that 4chan, safe spaces, and SSC can all exist with their own specific norms, and that’s a good thing. I agree with him on this.
I think it gets contentious when some venue pops up that claims to be a neutral source, that claims to want to host opinions from all across the spectrum, that says “safe space people AND free speech people AND rationalists can all come here and debate each other on neutral terms” – but actually enforces the rules the exact same way the safe spaces do, that people start to get really mad.
If Quora openly identified itself as a social-justice advocacy site, I think this conservative writer would probably shut up and go somewhere else (or, more likely, would have never gone there in the first place). I think if Twitter and Facebook and other similar such sites just admitted they are very left-leaning and that they support significantly more restrictions on free speech (not just on their own sites, but for society in general), well, criticism of them would’t vanish overnight but I do think it would eventually die down a bit.
The criticism would be different. Currently, for a lot of sites like facebook, reddit, and twitter, they claim to support the open exchange of ideas, then ban or sanction the ones they don’t like. Now as private entities it is perfectly within their rights to censor anything for any reason. However, it is fraudulent (in the ethical, not legal, sense) for them to then claim to be supporters of free speech. This is the basis for the current criticism: that these sites are liars.
If they were open in their suppression of conservative ideas, then the criticism would switch to saying that they shouldn’t do that. That as forms of mass communication that a large fraction of the public uses, they should support the ideal of free speech, rather than speech they like.
Again, ultimately as private entities these sites have no obligation to provide an open platform for speech. Nevertheless, we should still praise those sites that do, and especially criticize those who claim to but don’t.
Nornagest says:
Deadnaming? I haven’t heard that one before. I’m guessing it refers to using an openly trans individual’s old name rather than their current one, e.g. Bradley for Chelsea Manning?
gbdub says:
That is my understanding. What I’m not sure has an official ruling is how one ought to refer to notable things the person did under their now-dead name.
Like, clearly it would be rude to go up to Caitlyn Jenner and insist on calling her Bruce. But is it wrong to say, “Bruce Jenner was the winner of the 1976 men’s decathlon?”
Would it make sense to do what we do for maiden names, e.g. “Caitlyn (née Bruce) Jenner”? At least for people who lived enough of their lives under a previous name to be notable?
What I’m not sure has an official ruling
Can you point me towards the office in question so I might inquire?
Conrad Honcho says:
To my understanding, the polite thing to do is to match the name and pronouns to the identification at the time. So,
Bradley Manning leaked military secrets and he went to jail.
Chelsea Manning had her sentence commuted a few months ago.
random832 says:
This doesn’t seem to be true at all from what I have been able to find. e.g.
One could argue that the media routinely ‘getting it wrong’ is in itself reasonably sufficient evidence that there’s not as uniform agreement on best practice as this appears to suggest there is, but I can’t fathom how you could come to conclusion that a practice people routinely object to is “the polite thing”
Well there you go. This is what I was told by a trans person. I have no idea what to do then.
Probably the safe thing to do is ask and not generalize the answer to any other individuals, but that unfortunately doesn’t resolve what to do for someone you’re not in a position to ask.
Probably applying them retroactively is the option least likely to piss people off if it turns out to be wrong.
Aapje says:
I think that the people who favor deadnaming want people to pretend that Bradley Manning never existed. To me this strict norm seems like censorship and very impractical for many reasons.
I don’t accept the right by people to dictate what I cannot talk about. Of course when there is no reason to talk about a person’s past there is no reason to drag that up, but that is no different from the generic norm to not be an asshole about sensitive things in people’s pasts.
So I think that Conrad’s policy makes most sense, also from a language point of view (I get language dysphoria if I have to use nonsensical constructs, like referring to Bradley’s as she or single people as ‘they’ or other such things).
@random832
This norm is for talking about people, not to people, so the person will usually/often not be present to ask. That is why we need a generic norm and can’t have a person-specific norm.
misgendering
Given the Orwellian term advocates choose to use our prior should be that they are less interested in harms and more interested in asserting their (group’s) authority.
Like, imagine if “holocaust denial” was called holohoaxing.
-Baking your conclusion into the very terms you use is like the absolute clearest signal that you are up to no good.
(Note that I said “prior” and “signal”, not conclusion and proof, so I’m not quote, “Misgendering”, unquote, anyone, even indirectly.)
Hyzenthlay says:
Baking your conclusion into the very terms you use is like the absolute clearest signal that you are up to no good.
What would be a good alternative term though? “Calling people by pronouns they don’t want to be called” is kind of a mouthful.
I was just about to make a similar point.
I agree with Gbdub that it would be rude to go up to Caitlyn Jenner and insist on calling them “Bruce”, so I’m not going to do that. However, the more trans-activists complain about the use of “them” instead of “her” the more I feel the need to dig in my heels. Bruce Jenner won the 1976 men’s decathlon and there are four lights not five.
Especially since this is a very relevant factor. By calling the winner of the Olympics in 1976 a her instead of a him you are giving a false fact about the world. Once Winston Smith gets done updating the history books, people will look at the record and say “Wow, a women was the fastest runner in 1976! I guess testosterone isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. We really are equivalent.”
You say this like it’s absurd, but I’m pretty sure that is, in fact, how we are supposed to view this.
Isn’t the PC story that Bruce was always a woman, he was just pretending to be Bruce? Therefore, the winner of the mens decathlon in 1976 was, in fact, a woman.
I do think it is absurd, but I also agree that it is intentional. Cue Dalrymple’s quote about communist propaganda:
In my study of communist societies, I came to the conclusion that the purpose of communist propaganda was not to persuade or convince, not to inform, but to humiliate; and therefore, the less it corresponded to reality the better. When people are forced to remain silent when they are being told the most obvious lies, or even worse when they are forced to repeat the lies themselves, they lose once and for all their sense of probity.
Isn’t the PC story that Bruce was always a woman, he was just pretending to be Bruce?
Yes; in fact, it’s suspicious for you to even want words that create distinctions between trans and cis women.
Right. If LeBron James “came out” as trans tomorrow, then the best basketball player in the world would be a woman. Period. And anyone who says otherwise is a horrible bigot.
dodrian says:
No doubt evangelicals honestly think that gay rights crusaders are bad people; does this justify personal attacks against them?
Could you change this sentence to read ‘some evangelicals’? I’ve known some evangelicals who do think that, I’ve also known some who don’t think gay rights crusaders are bad people but wish they’d stop, and I’ve even known a few who volunteer with LGBT+ rights organizations.
Or it could be replaced with something like “extreme socially conservative evangelicals” or even “the Westboro Baptist Church”. (I also know an evangelical who is very active in LGBT+ rights.)
Bugmaster says:
Safe spaces, 4chan, and this blog are three very different kinds of intentional communities with unusual but locally-well-defined free speech norms, they’re all good for the people who use them, and as long as they keep to themselves I don’t think outsiders have any right to criticize their existence.
Ok, I’ll bite.
The standard argument against 4chan (as well as this blog and safe spaces) is that it is a place where horrible people can go to amplify, disseminate, and refine their horrible ideas. If they are allowed to exist, then the fraction of people in our society who hold these horrible ideas will continue to increase. Granted, there might be some upper limit to this fraction; it may never reach 100% or even 50%. However, people who hold horrible ideas eventually end up committing horrible actions, up to and including violence; thus, by allowing 4chan (or whatever) to exist, we are implicitly endorsing violence, and are complicit in the injuries and deaths that follow. Thus, it is best to crush such evil, horrible subcultures early, before they can get any traction. Doing so is not merely a “right”, but a moral imperative.
This is the standard argument against free speech, as far as I understand it.
> However, people who hold horrible ideas eventually end up committing horrible actions, up to and including violence
I don’t think the conclusion follows from the premise here.
We can expand this statement into two sub-clauses; the people who advance this argument would AFAICT endorse both:
1). Horrible beliefs are often horrible because they dehumanize some demographic group. Dehumanizing a group leads to increased violence toward the people in the group. Note that this violence doesn’t need to be enacted by the person who does the dehumanizing — it could be enacted by someone else, who buys into his horrible ideology and therefore doesn’t think that it’s a big deal to go beat up some of “those freaks”.
2). Alternatively, horrible beliefs could promote some deviant behavior (such as e.g. not washing your hands) which, while not targeted at anyone in particular, will nonetheless cause widespread death or injury down the line.
That argument sounds an awful lot like the fearmongering spread around about violence in video games
I mean, part of the trigger for the whole ants incident was the fact that a lot of feminist video game “criticism” had just taken Jack Thompson and replaced violence with sexism.
honhonhonhon says:
If you idiosyncratically believe something is wrong, or you’re part of a subculure that believes something is wrong even though there are opposite subcultures that don’t agree – then trying to enforce your idiosyncratic rules by punishing anyone who breaks them is a bad idea.
You have a typo at “subculure”.
First mover problem – how do you know if your opinion is dominant or not without trying out? It seems to me that the worst censorship currently is exactly groups which believe they represent the majority and are trying to censor everything in sight to fulfill your criterion about punishing all transgressors and not just isolated martyrs. Unfortunately they’re not the majority so they mostly end up purging their own enclaves and isolated martyrs in the public space.
The whole principle is a bit too close to “might makes right” for my taste, but that’s a separate topic.
Agreed. The whole point of free speech is to create a strong norm against any kind of censorship, because every would-be censor thinks himself the hero of his own story. It’s human nature to do so.
Beware of he who would deny you access to information; for in his heart, he dreams himself your master.
— Commissioner Pravin Lal, Datalinks.
@honhonhonhon
Unfortunately they’re not the majority so they mostly end up purging their own enclaves and isolated martyrs in the public space.
Shouldn’t that be ‘fortunately’?
nate_rausch says:
what is a culture? What is it we’re trying to do when we get together and have a society?
It seems to me that culture is the system architecture for how decentralized nodes communicate to produce some kind of optimal outcome. This includes the structure, behavior and protocols (communication) of the system.
If anything like that is the case, it is easy to see that systems are not mere preference. Certain system rules have certain predictable outcomes.
– Mandating that everything think and say the same improve likely improve alignment, but reduce the innovation and resilience of a system
– Making a system where each node is an independent actor tho thinks for himself provides the possibility for crowd-validation, and reduces chance of catastrophic failure of a system, but reduces the maximum computing capability
Viewing it like system architecture, I see free speech as a legal imperative for a decentralized system of independent nodes to work. For the system as a whole to gather the results of information processes in a single human brain, it has to be said. It seems to me that free speech is actually way too weak, it’s more something like “always saying what you think” that makes this sort of system work ideally.
Coupling that with other problems of system architecture like coordination problems, and I quickly realize how complex the problem is. But tolerating individuals or groups that differ – while of course criticising them as much as you want, seem to be the western solution.
Then of course there comes the point of firing dissenters. Should a company fire people who disagree. Well, only if they want to give up the benefits of a system architecture that consists of independently thinking decentralized nodes: innovation, error-correction and resilience.
In the long run this is evolutionary. My guess is that we find ourself having the system/culture that we have because it is the system that best adapts over time. So to put it bluntly we should expect countries and systems that deviate from these core patterns to stagnate or die because of catastrophic systematic errors not being corrected (see Easter Island or the Sovjet Union).
Forlorn Hopes says:
This is dumb, and I don’t know if free speech supporters have articulated a meaningful alternative.
My alternative is simple: Don’t escalate. If someone insults the president you can insult them. But if someone politely criticises the president’s policy you should respond with a polite defence of the policy.
Obviously that’s fuzzy as hell, and we’ve all seen exploit attempts like saying a police criticism of the president’s affirmative action policy is inflicting violence on minorities and so physical violence in response would not be an escalation.
But it resolves the issue you bring up in “The third seems to demand a more specific trigger (violation of a norm), but since nobody agrees where the norms are”. I think we should just agree that the norm is don’t escalate and I think that humans acting in good faith can agree about what is and what is not escalation; and that trying to get someone fired for insulting the president is escalation.
For your examples. I would say that Alice not washing her hands is a question of actions not speech. You don’t need to use complex heuristics of trust and personality to judge whether Alice’s statement implies her resterunt will have poor hygiene. You can just read the hygiene inspector’s report. Here in the UK loads of interests have a little 1-5 sticker on the door.
As for teaching. I actually consider this one a special case, since a teacher’s job is to transmit ideas, having bad ideas in your head is a direct decrease on your ability to do the job. However I would expect official government procedures or the headmaster to filter out Nazis before they ever reach a classroom; all teachers do need to undergo an background check. Yes this could go horribly wrong, it already has, it used to be illegal to “promote homosexuality” in the classroom. That was awful. But I think in this case we should have the battle of ideas in parliament rather than the classroom.
But if Alice was a software developer or a bricklayer, it goes back to don’t escalate. And it is ok to fire someone for speech that violates company policies, so long as those policies are clearly defined and applied impartially.
I would go a little further and prefer that the norm is to try to de-escalate.
Non-escalation requires only a single player, De-escalation takes two.
Unilateral escalation is quite possible.
Sure it is, but he who chooses to unilaterally escalate has chosen escalation.
That’s right. So non-escalation requires both players as well. Two non-escalators don’t escalate. Two de-escalators de-escalate. One escalator and one non-escalator escalates. Two escalators escalate even faster. One escalator and one de-esclator escalates until the de-esclator de-escalates himself to the point of silence.
non-escalation requires both players as well.
No it does not. A non-escalator who responds in kind is still not escalating.
The overall situation still escalates, though
Non-escalator: A, for reasons
Escalator: !A, for reasons
Escalator: !A and you suck for promoting A
Escalator: !A, and I can’t believe you’re so horrible as to continue promoting A when I said you suck.
Escalator: !A, and STOP ATTACKING ME BY CONTINUING TO SUPPORT A, OR I’M CALLING THE COPS
Esclator: !A. POLICE, POLICE!
Contrary to popular belief “Non-Escalation” does not mean “Door mat”.
How this actually works in real life, is that escalator escalates, and non-escalator responds in kind until an equilibrium is reached or one or the other ends up dead. Non-escalators tend to win in the long run because they have an easier time coordinating, and don’t pick fights with the cops when they show up. This tendency leads to a general de-escalation over time.
The interaction you just described is how de-escalators end up de-escalating themselves into silence.
@hlynkacg
I anticipated this, which is why I said ‘try to.’
You can attempt to de-escalate and if the other person doesn’t respond in kind, go for non-escalation or sometimes escalation.
I’m not sure “don’t escalate” is as clearly good a principle as you think.
I once read a really interesting explanation for why there’s a $300 fine for littering. The claim isn’t that littering one piece of paper does $300 worth of damage, but that maybe littering does 10 cents worth of damage, but only 1/3,000 litterers gets caught by the police, so in order to make littering net negative, you need to fine the cases that get caught at $300.
If you’re mean to a hundred people, and one of those people is able to stand up for themselves and be mean back to you, that’s not going discourage meanness that well. I’m not sure you should always escalate, but it seems possible to me that it’s sometimes worthwhile.
chosenonemore says:
I agree. People who are rude and bullying need to be made aware of their behavior and shown that there are consequences. This doesn’t have to mean that they get fired! Or that you bring in your friends to gang up on them!
But if I never escalate, that means people are free to escalate at me without any consequences, and that’s not a life I want to live.
Sometimes it should mean, for example, ‘I am not willing to continue this discussion with your current tone. If you don’t make your point more politely, this relationship is over.’
There are levels of escalation in between zero and mob harassment.
Lirio says:
*rolls for self-control, fails*
Alice writes a blog post excoriating Bob’s opinion on tax reforming, calling him a “total idiot” who “should be laughed out of the room”. Bob feels so offended that he tries to turn everyone against Alice, pointing out every bad thing she’s ever done to anyone who will listen. Carol considers this a “sexist harassment campaign” and sends a dossier of all of Bob’s messages to his boss, trying to get him fired. Dan decides this proves Carol is anti-free speech, and tells the listeners of his radio show to “give Carol a piece of their mind”, leading to her getting hundreds of harassing and threatening email messages. Eric snitches on Dan to the police. How many of these people are in the wrong?
Obviously Eric is in the wrong, and he will be punished with beatings. Everyone knows snitches get stiches.
Philosophisticat says:
There are a lot of interesting points here, but I want to focus on one species of reasoning which is being used and which I see a lot here and in debates bout free speech in general, and which I think is problematic. It’s the kind of argument implicit or explicit here:
The way it works is someone proposes a norm, like say “Fire people who are racist”. Then Scott, in this case, says “aha! but if you say ‘fire people who are racist’, surely that’s an instance of the more general principle ‘fire people who are repugnant’ And isn’t that what [insert people with incorrect and reprehensible views about what is repugnant] thought they were doing?” This is then taken to be a refutation of the proposed norm.
I call this kind of argument “factoring out the first order question” because it works by taking a proposal which invokes a first order moral stance on some issue, and then replaces the first order moral view with something general, like “whatever moral view you happen to have”. Then it imagines the principle with its specific moral content factored out in the hands of someone with bad moral views. It’s a kind of “going meta” and I think it’s a fallacy.
It’s not actually obvious how the thought at the end (“that’s what [awful people] thought they were doing too”) is supposed to be an objection to the original proposal, and people who invoke it aren’t clear. (Final two premises: ???, Profit) One thought is that it shows that it’s impossible to consistently endorse the original proposal without endorsing the behavior of [awful people]. But that’s just false. Thinking that people should be fired for racism, or more generally for things that are actually repugnant, is not inconsistent with thinking that people should not be fired for being homosexual, or more generally things that are not actually repugnant.
Another possible way to complete the argument is pragmatically: to say that what’s shown is that you can’t promote the social acceptance of the original norm without also promoting the behavior of [awful people]. But for the life of me I can’t see why. At least I haven’t seen anyone who gives this kind of argument explain it.
Perhaps there is some other way of completing the argument. But I don’t see it in this post, or elsewhere. And however you complete it, I expect the argument will be bad, because it can be easily parodied.
Suppose I propose that we encourage people to be accepting/supportive of loving homosexual relationships. Then imagine Pseudo-Scott objecting as follows: “But surely, encouraging people to be supporting of loving homosexual relationships is just a special case of encouraging people to be supportive of relationships that are permissible and healthy. And didn’t [group with horribly regressive views on relationships] think that they were doing just that!? Checkmate!”
Obviously, this is a bad argument. But as far as I can tell, it has much the same structure as the other examples of factoring out the first order question.
Factoring out the first-order question is an attempt to remove personal leeway from the principle being created. If you give people leeway, they’ll use it in the most convenient way. Loving relationships are great, so everyone will claim their relationships are loving, including cult leaders and their disciples. Without this you might as well just say “fire people who are repugnant” and let the most popular group trample over everyone else using their own definition of “repugnant”. Today the most popular group define “repugnant” = “racist”, last century they defined it “repugnant” = “gay”, next century they’ll define “repugnant” = “wasn’t a designer baby”. That’s no good for a principle.
I was taking it as obvious that the parody argument was bad, so I wasn’t expecting anyone to endorse it, but there’s nothing special about the particular version I chose. You can construct a similar argument against pretty much any proposed norm. So the factoring strategy would prove too much.
Scots approach is more future-proofed.
Imagine someone who takes the same approach you do but born in a different place with a different “obvious” moral code and different definitions of repugnant.
Perhaps someone born in a society that considers it essential that a child be sacrificed to appease the gods each solstice or someone born into a society that views the keeping of pets as morally repugnant.
Next imagine 2 versions of Scott, same deal but they share their meta-principle.
The 2 people following your system are pretty much certain to end up declaring each other monsters and turning on each other.
The 2 versions of Scott have the possibility of meaningful dialog.
You call it a “parody” argument but it’s a mainstream and extremely consistent and coherent position.
https://www.popehat.com/2017/01/21/on-punching-nazis/
We have social and legal norms, including “don’t punch people because their speech is evil, and don’t punish them legally.” Applying those norms is not a judgment that the speech in question is valuable, or decent, or morally acceptable. We apply the norms out of a recognition of human frailty — because the humanity that will be deciding whom to punch and whom to prosecute is the same humanity that produced the Nazis in the first place, and has a well-established record of making really terrible decisions. You — the bien-pensant reader, confident that sensible punchers and prosecutors can sort out Nazis from the not-Nazis — will likely not be doing the punching or prosecuting. The punching and prosecuting will be done by a rogue’s gallery of vicious idiots, including people who think that Black Lives Matter should be indicted under RICO and that it’s funny to send women death threats if they write a column you don’t like.
I have noticed the tendency as well and have played around wth bringing up this point.
Basically, I think the source of the tendency boils down to age old “Where do values come from?” question. Given that we know that values are always, at least in some ways, arbitrary, we should have a certain amount of epistemic humility about the values we currently favor. That seems to be the point of factoring out this first order moral question.
Scott wants to solve this problem by following the impulse to let people just leave and go elsewhere. In a world with infinite resources, infinite space, no cost to leaving, and universal knowledge (you don’t want X people ending up in the “sacrifice X to the gods” land by accident) that would probably work. Obviously we don’t live in that world. And note that, because “people” is the fundamental resource that forms “community” we would also need infinite numbers of people. For one thing, we will need a bunch of cows that really want to be eaten X people that want to be sacrificed.
Of course, you also frequently see the argument trotted as M&B to attempt to protect one’s own sacred values after losing an argument about whether those sacred values should be imposed on others.
I’m sympathetic to appeals to epistemic humility, but that’s not what Scott is doing. “We really shouldn’t be so certain that genocide of the Jews isn’t morally right after all, and that’s why we shouldn’t fire people who believe that” is pretty clearly not the argument he’s trying to give. Scott is sufficiently intellectually honest that if he were relying on a claim as likely to be rejected by his audience as that, he would say it out loud.
@Philosophisticat:
No, he is making the argument that “Yes, I am certain that exterminating the Jews is bad, but I shouldn’t feel so comfortable about that certainty that I think I can violate other sacred values.”
He is trying to square the circle, by making both of these things compatible (certainty that X is wrong vs. certainty that free speech is right).
My preferred solution is to regard these values in a system as being in tension with each other. There is no lodestar. The closer you get to some values, the farther you get from others.
Given that we know that values are always, at least in some ways, arbitrary, we should have a certain amount of epistemic humility about the values we currently favor.
Do we know that? Values seem to me to be very tightly constrained, and vary only in the small signal. Valuing a diet of beef versus fish may be arbitrary, but both are superior to a diet of broken glass.
Though the structure is the same, I think the key difference in this case is that Scott’s argument is about punishing, while your theoretical one is about encouraging. This conversation is necessarily pretty hazy and lacking obvious boundaries, and it makes sense that when the consequences are as extreme as firing, we be very careful about our epistemic humility and acknowledge that we may be just as mistaken on what we consider repugnant, such as Nazi-ism, as we consider others to be mistaken on what they consider repugnant, such as homosexuality. In the case of encouraging being supportive of things, it’s neither a particularly strong consequence or a negative one, so it seems more OK to be a bit more confident that our own arbitrary values might be more correct than the arbitrary values of others.
Obviously, our values are our values, and we should be free to argue that what we consider repugnant is indeed repugnant and vice versa. So if the arguments were always in the form of “We should make [people of characteristic X] unemployable because [characteristic X] is repugnant, and here are several very strong arguments that conclude that [characteristic X] really is repugnant rather than me just claiming it so – and if you give me convincing counterarguments that [characteristic X] isn’t repugnant, then I’ll change my mind” I think this would be OK. What I – and Scott, I think – would object to are the far more common versions that say “We should make [people of characteristic X] unemployable because [characteristic X] is repugnant, and take my word for it that it’s repugnant.”
All that’s assuming repugnant behavior is something we want to discourage, obviously.
I don’t think the issue is about encouraging/punishing. You can create the same sort of parody to argue that any norm of punishing is bad. (“But that’s just saying we should punish things that are bad/repulsive/whatever. And isn’t that what [people with awful views about what is bad/repulsive/whatever] thought they were doing?”)
I also don’t think he’s going for the “we might be wrong about Nazis being wrong” epistemic humility thing.
I think I might have been unclear on the point. It’s not just the punishment/encouragement dichotomy – it’s the extremeness of the punishment, and how our epistemic humility should be scaled with it. In that sense, while encouragement is less harmful than punishment, encouragement falls in that bucket as well; the more strongly we want to encourage something, the more epistemic humility we should have with respect to whether that something is a good thing.
For instance, in the realm of punishment, we have capital punishment, which is possibly the extreme form of punishment. It’s severely damaging and permanent. There are those, like me, who are against it on the basis of epistemic humility; we have to be literally 100% sure that someone committed a crime to be OK with punishing them by killing, and it is literally impossible to be literally 100% sure that someone committed a crime, therefore there does not exist any possible situation in which capital punishment is justified. But if the punishment were a light slap on the wrist, I’d be willing to be somewhat less than 100% sure that the person being punished was actually the criminal.
Obviously there’s a lot of space in between, and the interesting discussion is where the hazy lines should be drawn. I would argue that firing someone is such an extreme punishment that we better be very sure that they really are repugnant before we feel comfortable enacting such punishment. I would say I’m very sure that holding the opinion “I should murder these people” is repugnant, but I’m not so sure that merely holding the opinion “Hitler did nothing wrong (but I’ll take no physical action to complete his work)” is repugnant.
This can work for encouragement, too. If we’re talking about encouraging on the level of smiling at them and letting them know you support them, then I’m quite sure that loving relationships are good and worth encouraging. If we’re talking about encouraging on the level of holding people at gunpoint and requiring that they engage in it under penalty of death, then I’m not quite as sure that loving relationships are good and worth encouraging.
I think that’s what he’s going for, with the stuff about the extremeness of action justified by the epistemic humility I wrote about above. There’s also a universe of difference between “we might be wrong about Nazis being wrong” and “holding the opinion that Nazis weren’t wrong might not be so repugnant.”
I’m not so sure that merely holding the opinion “Hitler did nothing wrong (but I’ll take no physical action to complete his work)” is repugnant.
I am. Repugnant enough to jail you for saying it? No. To ostracize you? Perhaps not. To shun you? Absolutely.
(I’m not trying to virtue-signal here, as I imagine in context you meant “… is repugnant enough to warrant firing”, and I can certainly sympathize with your uncertainty about that.)
@Doctor Mist
If you shun people with ideas like that, a likely outcome is that they find a bubble of like-minded people and unconstrained by having their ideas challenged (or at least, in the right direction), they radicalize.
And because you are no longer in contact with people who oppose their ideas, the chance is substantially increased that if they choose to use violence, no one will be able to stop them in time.
If you shun people with ideas like that, a likely outcome is…
I don’t argue with your statement about strategy, but my point was whether a particular reaction was morally justifiable.
Still, I’m sure you’re not suggesting that any rudeness, insensitivity, or repugnancy is best addressed by confrontation.
Obviously, our values are our values, and we should be free to argue that what we consider repugnant is indeed repugnant and vice versa.
Except that this isn’t obvious. Some philosophies hold that to argue that a position deemed repugnant is not repugnant is itself repugnant. And that this applies all the way up the meta-belief hierarchy. To defend a witch is to become one.
Scott distinguished between repugnant people and repugnant beliefs. If you think belief X is repugnant, then you are probably going to ban it from the classroom. Scott is not arguing against that, at least not here. He is claiming that people are banned from teaching on the ground that locally-repugnant beliefs predict actions globally seen as repugnant. If this is a consistent error people make, then it is reasonable to worry that we will make it, too, even if our basic morals are correct. Maybe it’s worth pointing out that he failed to actually argue this, but it is not a completely missing step. In particular, if correct morals have better correlations with each other than incorrect morals, that would argue against it, but you need more than just correct morals.
I’m more worried about the factual claim of why people want to ban teachers with repugnant beliefs.
I should note that similar arguments are sometimes made by libertarians, and they might be helpful to consider. They go something like this: “okay, so the outcome of government intervention X is positive. But think about all the times government wants to do something and it is bad. Saying that the government should intervene whenever it’s for the best is just what [horrible policy’s proponents] thought.”
This is sometimes frustrating for non-libertarians, where the natural response is “I’m not endorsing the government intervening whenever whoever is in charge thinks a policy has good outcomes. I’m endorsing the government intervening when the policy really has good outcomes. Endorsing well-designed government intervention doesn’t commit me to endorsing any shitty thing the government does.”
I think there are some ways to save the libertarian argument. One is to argue that endorsing a policy even with good outcomes somehow encourages future government activity which is likely to be bad. This is an empirical claim. I think its plausibility varies on a case by case basis. If you wanted to make a similar move with the free speech stuff, it would be claiming that refraining from firing people for bad views makes it less likely for people to fire others for good views. This is also an empirical claim. Maybe it’s plausible. I’d like to see a case made for it.
A second way to save the libertarian argument is to say that because of the greater risk of governments making a mistake, it would be better if the government’s hands were tied in some domain, rather than the having the capacity to enact both the good and the bad policies (since as a matter of fact, the balance struck will be in favor of the bad). I think the empirical part of this claim is actually generally pretty plausible. The main issue with this is that all this argument justifies is that if we have the ability to tie the government’s hands, we should. It doesn’t justify that we shouldn’t enact a policy with good outcomes when doing so would not restrict the government’s power to enact bad policies. The parallel argument in the free speech case would be to say “If we could somehow stop people from firing each other for their views, we should, because on balance, the harms from people misusing this power (to fire homosexuals or whatever) are greater than the benefits of people using it well (to fire racists or whatever).” And again, I think that’s kind of a plausible claim. But all it shows us is that if we have the power to stop anyone from firing anyone for their views, we should. It doesn’t show us that we shouldn’t fire people for bad views, when refraining from doing so would not tie the hands of others.
I think the issue is “I’m endorsing the government intervening when the policy really has good outcomes. Endorsing well-designed government intervention doesn’t commit me to endorsing any shitty thing the government does.” I’m not a libertarian, but from my experience, the same libertarians who make the type of argument you highlighted are perfectly fine with some government intervention that really has good outcomes, such as protection of private property or proven externalities. The issue is proving if something really has good outcomes, and actually providing evidence, argument, or anything at all that supports the assertion that there really will be good outcomes. That’s where having some epistemic humility comes into play.
Getting back to what the libertarian argument is a metaphor for, one might say that [characteristic X] really is repugnant and therefore [person with characteristic X] should be [severely punished], and this doesn’t put us in danger of [severely punishing] [person with characteristic Y] because we know that [characteristic Y] is not repugnant. And this would be convincing if every time one made that argument, one was also openly making strong arguments that [characteristic X] really is repugnant while [characteristic Y] isn’t, and credibly expressing that one is very open to listening to arguments that they are wrong about [characteristic X] being repugnant and open to changing their minds about that.
But when it seems that one just decided that [characteristic X] was repugnant based on their own arbitrary values, there’s no reason to believe that the person who declared [characteristic X] to really be repugnant was any more correct than the person who declared [characteristic Y] to really be repugnant before.
Getting back further to the actual example, I think Scott has enough epistemic humility to acknowledge that just because he’s sure Nazi-ism is obviously evil, that doesn’t follow that he gets to be sure that a teacher who believes in Nazi-ism will be harmful to their students.
Thinking that people should be fired for racism, or more generally for things that are actually repugnant, is not inconsistent with thinking that people should not be fired for being homosexual, or more generally things that are not actually repugnant.
Yes, but when other people input their own moral beliefs into the same decision procedure, some of them get that they should fire homosexuals. Thinking that racists should be fired doesn’t imply thinking that homosexuals should be fired per se, but thinking that racists should be fired because you think they’re egregiously bad does imply that people who think homosexuals are egregiously bad should think that they should be fired.
You’re making the mistake of thinking that endorsing a norm in favor of firing people for racism commits you to endorsing, for everyone, as a decision procedure, “fire people for anything that you think is egregiously bad”. That’s false, and can be parodied along the lines above.
What separates “racism” from “anything that you think is egregiously bad?” We weren’t handed down some tablet from the heavens declaring “Racism is egregiously bad and people who believe it deserve to be fired.” We didn’t take a bunch of measurements of observed phenomena and empirically determine it. It’s something a bunch of people convinced each other of based on their own idiosyncratic beliefs and values. Just as in the past, a bunch of people convinced each other that homosexuality or being a Jew were egregiously bad and people who are it deserve to be fired/murdered.
That’s not to say that one can’t argue that one’s values are the correct values; but one must still make those arguments. And be credibly open to being convinced that they’re wrong. Otherwise, it’s no different than just claiming that it’s bad because one declared it so, which means that one is leaving open the possibility of declaring anything to be bad just by declaring it so.
So yes, as long as the process for determining “racism deserves being fired” remains “I think it’s egregiously bad,” endorsing a norm in favor of firing people for racism absolutely commits you to endorsing, for everyone, as a decision procedure, “fire people for anything that you think is egregiously bad.” Unless you’re making a non-principled argument or just a non-universalist who privileges your own judgment as being better than everyone else’s.
You have to have some reason for wanting to fire racists, and whatever it is, it’s susceptible to meta-level arguments. If it’s because you think racists are egregiously bad, why shouldn’t I fire whomever I think is egregiously bad? True, you need not initially explicitly endorse that everyone follow your decision procedure, but given that you’re using it, upon being confronted about it you can either endorse it as correct (and then I can use it too) or reject it.
I don’t feel the force of your parody objection. If you think that you should support homosexual relationships because I think they’re loving, the regressive group would do the same if they followed the decision procedure you believe to be correct.
You should not fire whomever you think is egregiously bad, if you have false beliefs about who is egregiously bad (on the view I’m defending). The “meta-level argument” you’re making is fallacious. Whenever I do something that I believe is right, because I believe it is right, it does not follow that I thereby endorse, even implicitly, that everyone who believes something is right do that thing, for that reason. That would involve endorsing people who believe it is right to kill jews killing jews. The reason that someone who believes killing jews is right should not kill jews is that they are mistaken about killing jews being right. The reason that you should not fire whoever you think is egregiously bad, when you are wrong about that, is the same.
(Of course, the reasoning against killing jews doesn’t begin and end with “I believe it is right” – it includes all the first order reasons why you believe it is right. But the same holds for the racism case.)
I think you’re missing the parody because you’re individuating “decision procedures” differently in the first case and the second – making the decision procedure include the specific first-order reasons bearing on homosexuality in the homosexuality case, but not letting the decision procedure include the specific first-order reasons bearing on racism in the racism case. That’s just being inconsistent in the application of the “factoring out” move.
By stipulation, say we think homosexuality should be supported because it’s a healthy and permissible relationship, and that the foil holds that abusive pedophilic relationships are healthy and permissible. It doesn’t really matter what you plug in as the reason, as long as you plug it in the same way for the foil.
You should not fire whomever you think is egregiously bad, if you have false beliefs about who is egregiously bad
Who decides what beliefs are false?
Whenever I do something that I believe is right, because I believe it is right, it does not follow that I thereby endorse, even implicitly, that everyone who believes something is right do that thing, for that reason.
No, of course it doesn’t, but it will none the less be used by others who see you to justify their own use of the tactic. Which is why you must spell out the distinction.
If I advocate capital punishment for murderers, that doesn’t mean I want capital punishment for theft; maybe I think that idea is crazy. But someone who does think theft is as bad as murder (or crosses the same threshold) will use the existence of support for capital punishment in murder cases and reason that it is therefore applicable to theft.
The job of reasoned debate is to spell out the relevant distinctions between the two situations.
If you want to fire racists, fine. You may also not want others to fire pescatarians. But if you want to dissuade the persecution of pescatarians, or persuade the persecution of racists, be prepared to lay out the principle to distinguish what’s worthy of censure and why that particular remedy is applicable.
Whenever I do something that I believe is right, because I believe it is right, it does not follow that I thereby endorse, even implicitly, that everyone who believes something is right do that thing, for that reason. That would involve endorsing people who believe it is right to kill jews killing jews.
So are you just claiming that by doing something you believe is right, you’re merely endorsing everyone doing what you believe is right? That’s akin to just proclaiming yourself an ubermensch who gets to declare by fiat what’s right and wrong. It’s not a useful way of determining what’s actually right and wrong, and it’s not very convincing to anyone else who’s not you.
The point of the meta argument is to develop a mechanism by which everyone can determine the right thing to do. If your proposition is “do what I think is right,” well, that’s not very helpful because not everyone has access to your thoughts or the ability to call you up before making decisions, and it’s not particularly evident that what you believe is right is actually right.
So are you just claiming that by doing something you believe is right, you’re merely endorsing everyone doing what you believe is right?
I’m not claiming that. I’m not the one making grand inferences about other commitments from people doing things on the basis of what they believe is right.
I think her name is Becky.
Unless you’re claiming that you’re a super man who uniquely gets to determine what’s right and wrong, whatever behavior you engage in is an implicit endorsement of others engaging in that behavior. You don’t get to merely claim, “It is right that I get to do what I think is right,” and then claim that you’re not making claims about how you believe others should behave.
Not it isn’t. People are allowed to have object level positions. Holding such positions is not a claim to be a moral superman that uniquely knows right from wrong. On the contrary it marks me as a member of the group known as humanity.
Me saying we should put baby rapists in prison doesn’t explicitly, implicitly, or in any other way endorse Russia putting gays in prison.
At least until the Russians cobble together some horseshit propaganda to convince their citizens all gays are basically baby rapists.
ETA: It’s not about what you endorse, it’s about what sort of precedent you’re setting. Meta-level processes to derive your object-level views serve to constrain the possible “but they did it for X and this is [essentially the same|just as bad]” space
Nope. Still nothing to do with me. It’s perfectly okay to have the belief that A is good and B is bad. If other people think B is good and A is bad, it’s okay for me to think they are just wrong — and that if they enact their views that’s evil, whereas someone enacting A/B is good.
It can certainly be interesting and illuminating to go to the meta-level. But this idea that anything and everything has to be debated at ever higher levels of meta, and that the object level is illegitimate, is pathological.
Sorry, but woosh.
I’ll agree to “this idea that […] the object level is illegitimate is pathological”. But the meta-level is valuable and it’s not illegitimate to point out meta-level flaws in an object-level argument.
I’d compare it to that Toronto staircase thing that’s come up here a few times: sure, you can build a staircase position out of scrap wood on the object level in an afternoon, and it’ll do a reasonably good job. The law/government/commons/whatever should be held to more rigorous standards, though, because resiliency matters and if you do it wrong people will get hurt.
It’s fine for you to believe that A is good and B is bad. But when you endorse a policy that amounts to “we do what I think is good”, that’s bad because the next powerful guy who comes after you can use that to do whatever HE thinks is good, and you may not like it.
Objective-level example – high-ranking American politicians don’t get imprisoned. Maybe you’re right to think that Nixon or Hillary should’ve gone to jail. But once you break that truce once, you can bet your ass you’ll be in prison once your term ends, and then the guy from the other party who came after you will follow, and so on.
For the same reason, “we should ban racists because I don’t like them” is harmful if you don’t really clearly delineate what makes racists special in a way that the next powerful guy can’t turn around and say “we’re banning piscetarians now”. You’re free to hate racists personally though.
@Gobbobobble
Let’s step back and look at the implications of what is being insisted on in this subthread.
The implication seems to be that that everyone that isn’t an anarchist is endorsing — or at least setting a precedent for — Nazis and Stalinists. Because any support for any government power means that other people’s values enacted through government power are equally valid.
Is that right? Am I misreading or unfairly extrapolating from what you and lvlln and blacktrance are saying?
Philosophisticat:
The problem with that view is that your decisions are based on your beliefs, not the truth. A rule like “only fire people who actually egregiously bad, and not if you have false beliefs about that” isn’t workable because no one thinks that their current belief is false. (Which is not to say that there’s no fact of the matter about who’s actually egregiously bad.)
Doing what’s right is somewhat different because there’s no alternative to doing what you think is right (“No, I shouldn’t do what I think is right!” is incoherent), so there’s no other decision procedure anyone could follow. But in both the firing and homosexuality cases, there are meta-level alternatives (e.g. “don’t fire those you consider to be egregiously evil” and “don’t support relationships you think are loving”).
@Brad
I think that the argument is that when you have a rule that all government is illegitimate, dictators violate the rule if they want to take power. So if society is conditioned to defend the rule, the dictator will be opposed. Of course, those who want a democratic government will be opposed too.
If you do want a democratic government, you have to change the rule so that ‘government is legit.’ However, if you stop there you have eliminated the safeguards against a dictator getting to power.
So what you actually need to do is build up a new norm so people still keep resisting the dictator, but they don’t resist the democratic politician. The problem then is that the dictator has a strong incentive to pretend to be a democratic politician, so the safeguards don’t just have to work for a dumb dictator who is open about his ideas, but also a scheming dictator who tries to game the rules.
So once you eliminate the general rule you become responsible for creating a new rule or set of rules that cannot easily be gamed.
This basic argument keeps being restated with different examples.
Yes, it absolutely does, unless you actually make a coherent argument that baby rapists deserve to be in prison whereas gays don’t deserve to be in prison. Now, this seems like a really easy argument to make, but you still have to make that argument. You don’t get to just declare “I deem baby rapists to be bad, but gays to be not bad.” If that’s all you do, you’re declaring yourself a super man who gets to invent moral rules as he sees fit. If you don’t make the argument or at least explain the process by which you arrived at your object-level preferences, there is absolutely no reason to believe that your preferences are any less evil than those of people who want to put homosexuals in prison.
I mean, I guess if you’re a pure anarchist, maybe you’d argue that everyone gets to do what they believe is right, fuck the reasoning behind their preferences, and fuck the consequences. Which is at least consistent, I guess, in terms of not privileging your own idiosyncratic arbitrary preferences over the idiosyncratic arbitrary preferences of anyone else.
@lvlln
I absolutely think a coherent argument has been made that baby raping is bad. Are you insisting that it be made by every person that ever wants to reference it every single last time he brings it up? Isn’t that a variant of the isolated demand for rigor problem? Or more generally the DFS problem?
I absolutely think a coherent argument has been made that baby raping is bad. Are you insisting that it be made by every person that ever wants to reference it every single last time he brings it up?
No, but that makes it no longer an object-level belief, doesn’t it? You can refer to existing meta-level arguments and in some cases they’re common knowledge, or even subconscious.
But common sense is a poor argument on its own since it can be used to justify all sorts of things. You need to put in meta-level legwork to distinguish between the norms you want to keep and norms you want to change.
Not every single last time, no, but when the discussion is explicitly about the value of going to meta level versus object level, then absolutely it should be brought up when arguing something along the lines that the object level ought to be good enough and that going one level meta is unneeded.
I think dealing with the object level is extremely valuable, and indeed that’s where most of the interesting arguments in reality happen. But when one is arguing something along the lines of “No! Just because I want to punish people for [something I deem bad] that doesn’t mean it’s OK for others to punish people for [something they deem bad],” one absolutely needs to reiterate that [something I deem bad] actually has support as something that’s actually bad in a way different from [something they deem bad].
In general, I think it’s good never to presume that values and preferences that one believes has already been sufficiently supported is something that others have also been convinced of. This isn’t an absolute rule, but just a good thing to do, I think.
I think her name is becky
I asked becky and she said philosophisticat was joking.
But that answer undermines her authority, so now i don’t know what to think.
All people whose name starts with ‘b’ are liars.
It’s not a mistake.
He’s arguing that endorsing a norm in favor of firing people for something you think is egregiously bad means endorsing a decision procedure people fire people for things they think are egregiously bad. It’s practically a tautology.
Point being that lot of different people have lots of different ideas about what constitutes “egregiously bad” so stay in line and keep your guns pointed down range unless you want to participate in a circular firing squad.
Edit: ninja’d Twice over
I’ve explained multiple times why, (at least if endorsing a decision procedure amounts to endorsing the actions of people who use it) it’s not only not a tautology, but false, and why accepting it commits you to accepting all kinds of obviously bad arguments, like that doing something because you think it is right commits you to endorsing the actions of Nazis. (If you want to say that it makes you endorse the decision procedure used by Nazis but not the actions, then that just shows that there’s nothing wrong with endorsing the decision procedure used by Nazis, and still undermines the argument).
That’s…literally how societies work?
You are correct, it is not an endorsement that you, personally, think “X” group should be fired, but you are not empowered to make ALL decisions in society. You have to share decision-making with other people, who do not share your beliefs.
Therefore, you should be careful about what norms you promote.
Your alternative is to argue legislatively to forbid employment decisions on certain parameters, but once you violate the norm, employers who disagree with you will find ways to work around your bans.
And in a culture where this is a common belief, homosexuals will not be employed.
youzicha says:
So I think there is a specific reason that this “meta”-move comes up in discussions about free speech, which is that the concept of free-speech itself is motivated by meta-level concerns.
That is, we don’t value free speech (in the sense of a right to say offensive or unpopular things) as an end in itself. Instead, the value of free speech is that it enables a discussion to figure out what the true or right thing is. The paradigmatic case of free speech in the U.S. tradition is political speech—I.e., trying to figure out what should be done. Historically, one of the most important cases was anti-religious speech—trying to figure out what is true or right. So whatever norms proposed need to work in cases when we don’t know on the outset what the true answer is.
Of course, in cases where we do feel confident that we have the right answer, it’s possible to “hard-code” it into the free speech norms. For example, we know that killing is bad, and so the first amendment is interpreted to have exceptions against incitement to murder. And in the case of loving homosexual relationships in particular, we know homophobia is bad, so European-style anti-hate-speech laws may rule out certain kinds of anti-gay speech.
But these special cases do not help us solve the main problem: how do you design speech norms which let you discover that racism or homophobia is bad, when you didn’t already know it.
The US and Europe have a huge divergence in their speech rights. If you and your Nationalist Socialist friends want to march through a Jewish neighborhood, that is A-Okay in the US.
In the US, free speech (defined as freedom from government restricting your speech) is an absolute terminal value. And it’s explicitly stated that it means absolutely nothing if you cannot use your free speech to say the most reprehensible things imaginable.
“Fighting Words” are not covered by Free Speech, but you’re talking about a narrow exception. You can argue in the abstract that overthrowing the US govt and replacing it with a Communist Dictatorship is an awesome thing that we should all do.
Arguments like this tend to involve private actors, so the specific government law does not apply. But that doesn’t mean freedom of speech is not without value. Free Speech is an important cultural norm that we should support beyond just “the government will not imprison you for this.”
At least some people seem to think that political beliefs should enjoy a cultural status similar to protected class, so firing someone for their political beliefs is as morally reprehensible as firing someone for their skin color.
blaisorblade says:
> The US and Europe have a huge divergence in their speech rights. […] In the US, free speech (defined as freedom from government restricting your speech) is an absolute terminal value.
Any chance to compare the two choices in this forum? It seems US people love to paint Europe’s as a dictature on this point, I hope in this venue we’ll do better.
Speaking in a consequentialist perspective, maybe free speech shouldn’t be a terminal value in the US “deontological” way: Scott admits some cases are bad. “SJWs” claim Social Justice is instead the terminal value and act accordingly. Maybe those are both values to be balanced very carefully? And such careful balancing is better suited to judges than to mobs?
And indeed, that’s what European law tries to do (http://www.echr.coe.int/Documents/FS_Hate_speech_ENG.pdf). It seems we see fewer Leftist mobs here (data welcome)—maybe the Left doesn’t feel the need, because actual fascism is forbidden? We do have some problems (Trump might like Italian libel laws better), but I wonder if the EU system has an advantage here.
It seems we see fewer Leftist mobs here
Antifa was a big thing in Europe before it came to the US.
OK but how big was Antifa in the two places? And I’m not sure it’s an exception. Antifa protests actual neo-Nazi rallies in Germany of all places, where Nazism is theoretically forbidden in the Constitution (a rule which is enforced very carefully as long as you don’t use actual Nazi symbols—see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Democratic_Party_of_Germany). Would you have Antifa without Nazis? But the answer seems sort of obvious—if the state censors unpopular opinions, mobs won’t need to, and if we’re sure Nazism is bad it doesn’t need a place in the marketplace of ideas.
Alternative take: maybe censoring Nazis is good as a principle but too hard to do through law? I’d still take any advantage from that censorship.
(EDIT: To be sure, I’m not defending Antifa—I hope calling it a mob is clear enough).
Spookykou says:
So I could be totally off base here, and I really don’t understand moral philosophy all that well, but I read Scott as trying to mitigate obvious failure modes not all failure modes.
Any action that anyone takes for any reason, is an implicit acceptance that people can take actions for reasons, reductio ad absurdum, fining people who jay walk -> governments can levy punishments -> Nazi gas chambers. This is obviously a ridiculous standard that nobody can actually maintain, except maybe with a perfect and true moral philosophy, which I don’t think Scott has hashed out just yet(but I am waiting).
I assume the concern here is how easy it is to get from any given norm to a horrible failure mode.
For instance, society A where they establish a norm that the worst outcome of a criminal trial is prison time and society B where they establish a norm that the worst outcome of a criminal trial is death. If you are really worried about the government putting innocent people to death, the norm of society A is probably safer, if not actually safe.
In this case I think Scott is worried about how quickly/easily ‘fire someone for being racist’ can become ‘fire someone for being a homosexual’ given the historical context, I think this is a reasonable concern.
The norm that such a serious punishment can be attached to little more than rumors of moral failing seems like it can fail easier than say, a norm that people can be fired after a serious inquiry/violation of explicit policy, coupled with a norm of clearly established protections for wrongful termination, etc. (Obviously they could/do make it an explicit policy that, say, being a christian is grounds for termination, but that is an extra step, and I think each extra step makes it harder to reach the bad end state.)
I think it is worthwhile to try and figure out which norms are more susceptible to horrible failure, and try and weigh the benefits of the norm against the chance/harm of the associated failures.
It seems similar conceptually to ‘idiot proofing’.
I’m trying to avoid negative-sum games / wars-of-all-against-all. If we fire the people we don’t like, and they fire the people they don’t like, the end result is everybody getting fired, and no net change in ideology.
The only way to avoid this is if you assume that good people are always more powerful than bad people – which is questionable to say the least.
I’m certainly not assuming anything like that. I agree that if we aggressively censure people on the basis of our (good) moral understanding, and bad guys aggressively censure people on the basis of their (bad) moral understanding, the result might be worse than if nobody aggressively censured anyone on either basis.
But there are some steps missing here, if this is supposed to be an argument against us aggressively censuring people on the basis of our (good) moral understanding. Consider the possible parody arguments with the same structure: “If you do [thing you believe has a morally favorable property] and [horrible people] do [things they believe has that morally favorable property], then the result is [horrible outcome]. Therefore you ought not do [thing you believe has a morally favorable property.]” This is not a good type of argument.
Maybe the missing step is this: “if we don’t aggressively censure the people who are genuinely reprehensible, then [the bad guys] will respond by not aggressively censuring decent people.” But that is not obviously true.
Maybe the missing step is this: “it is much easier to get society to accept and maintain norms where nobody aggressively censures anyone than it is to get society to accept norms where the right people are aggressively censured and the wrong people are not. So working towards the former system is more likely to succeed than working towards the latter system.” This is kind of plausible, I guess, though again, not obviously true. And if both of those projects are basically doomed anyway (which seems the most plausible to me), then again, this argument will lose its force.
In any case, something is missing, and I wish people who gave this sort of argument were explicit in what they are going for, and then defended the bridge.
Note: I’m not actually for these forms of aggressive censure. Like you, I’m just an enemy of bad arguments for good conclusions.
How do you differentiate [good people] versus [horrible people] with any sort of confidence and accuracy? Every [horrible person] in history has honestly, genuinely believed that they were [good person], so obviously one’s own judgment that they’re [good person] not [horrible person] is completely worthless (well, my experience indicates to me it’s actually not completely worthless – in general, the more confident someone is that they’re [good person], the more likely they’re [horrible person], and the more horrible they are. But that’s just subjective anecdote).
That’s not to say there’s no difference between [good person] and [horrible person], but it’s to call for some humility with regards to one’s own judgments on what’s [good] and what’s [horrible]. That means doing things like outsourcing to independent 3rd parties as much as possible (e.g. if there’s a large portion of the population who disagree with you, listen to them with a genuine openness to be convinced before you just conclude that they’re just [horrible people]), and scaling both punishment and reward to be somewhat proportional to the confidence – ideally, they should be scaled to be less intense than one would believe is warranted, because we should recognize that everyone tends to be overconfident about these things.
Which is why I keep going back to the need to actually do the hard work to “prove” (for some casual meaning of that word) that [good thing] really is good and [horrible thing] really is horrible before committing strong acts of punishment (or reward).
So if you’re pushing the norm of “punish people for doing [horrible things],” you better also explicitly and emphatically accompany it with extremely stringent requirements for determining what [horrible thing] actually is – otherwise, you’re pushing the norm of “punish people for doing [thing they subjectively deem horrible].”
To play a bit of a devil’s advocate…
What’s wrong with the norm of “punish people for doing [thing anyone subjectively deems horrible]”, objectively? There’s an old saying “an armed society is a polite society”, that I think could be argued to apply here.
Is it possible that everyone being constantly afraid of everyone else could lead to better outcomes?
I don’t see any reason to dismiss that out of hand. Do we have any examples in real life we could draw from to figure out what kind of outcomes to expect?
Sans specific evidence, I do think that if everyone is afraid of everyone else all the time, that could increase baseline level of stress in individuals. Some stress is a good thing, but I think this may push it up to such an extent that overall health effects would be negative.
I also believe that societies have evolved, and I think in general the societies that have survived a long time tended not to be of the form where anyone punishing anyone else for anything they subjectively deemed horrible was the norm. This isn’t slam dunk evidence, but I think this may be indication that such societies tend not to be stable or prosperous.
It’s possible that we’re at a sort of a local maximum, though, so maybe it’s possible that such a “everyone being constantly afraid of everyone else” is overall better, but we have to artificially force society to reach there while going through less optimal states in between? Possible, but I think a very strong case would need to be made – the idea of forcing society into a new, better state while temporarily going through a worse state pattern matches a little too closely to Communism for my tastes, and I’m a little wary of there being a similar failure mode, i.e. death of 10s of millions.
That is a good meta reason and one that you used elsewhere in the article, but the first example, the one PC jumped on is Nazis. We can coordinate meanness against Nazis. If you want to say that we should not, you have to make another meta argument, such as a slippery slope.
We can coordinate meanness against Nazis.
Not if we can’t agree on what a Nazi actually is.
In the context of Nazis “coordinate meanness” means “shoot on sight and burn thier cities to the fucking ground” If you have an alternative targets or levels of meanness in mind you need to make that clear.
In the context of Nazis, “coordinate meanness” means “we can punch someone or disinvite him from conferences or fire him for being a Nazi”. It would be much better if we limited it to shooting and burning cities, since it’s much harder to get away with those actions as a vigilante.
I disagree vehemently.
That’s fun as rhetoric, but in this society, if you shoot someone for being a Nazi, you’re headed to prison for a good long time. And if I’m on the jury and am convinced that you committed the murder, I’m going to be voting to convict.
As you should. If Nazism is a genuine threat, prison is a small price to pay for fighting it.
My point is that if you’re simultaneously labeling someone a Nazi and not shooting them on sight you’re either a coward or you’re wielding the label dishonestly.
Sniffnoy says:
I think it’s worth keeping in mind here what the point of free speech is. (Well, or what I’ll claim it is, anyway. 😛 ) The world is full of lost purposes that people keep arguing over to no end as if these were the actual goal. Unsurprisingly these arguments don’t get anywhere. I don’t think free speech per se is the real point of free speech, and if instead of focusing on free speech per se you focus on what (once again, I claim) free speech is aiming at, you can make things much more sensible.
So what is the point of free speech? The easiest way to understand this is to look at the most common alternative. In your standard environment without free speech norms, you’re rewarded or punished based on how much what you say reflects what other people want to hear. Maybe there’s one central authority everyone has to agree with, maybe it’s the consensus of the mob; maybe there’s a particular view everybody holds that you have to agree with, maybe it’s just that you have to deliver good news; but regardless of the specifics, the result is the same: Truth loses. The group or organization ceases to be grounded in reality, sometimes even going into a positive feedback loop. But nature can’t be fooled, and one way or another this takes its toll, eventually resulting in total failure. Unfortunately, sometimes the consequences can take a long time!
(People talking about free speech often tend to focus on governments or societies, but remember that this all applies at a much smaller scale just as well and is probably easier to see there. Look at businesses; companies fail because of this sort of issue all the time! Nokia is a recent example.)
The point of free speech is to prevent this, to create a good epistemic environment. One ruled not by a positive feedback loop but by a negative feedback loop — one where mistakes get noticed and corrected. People have to be free to disagree because otherwise mistakes don’t get noticed. People have to be to free to continue to disagree — to hold a contrary position even despite an absence of supporting evidence — because maybe they’re right and you just can’t tell yet. Etc.
So I think, when you’re thinking about free speech norms, the thing to ask is, what sort of epistemic environment does this promote? One of groupthink and shooting the messenger? Or one of error correction and being able to deal with reality?
(Could there be an alternative to the first that isn’t “free speech”? Let’s just say, such a thing has yet to be demonstrated…)
If you keep this goal in mind, I think the answers to a number of questions become a lot clearer. For instance, a really destructive thing you can do with “free speech” is to go around saying, “So and so is a bad person and as such you shouldn’t listen to anything they say.” That’s free speech, of a sort. But does it promote the free exchange of ideas? No, it does the opposite. Does it lead to a good epistemic environment? No, it does the opposite.
I could go on in this vein, talking about how to have an argument well, but I don’t think I’d be saying anything unfamiliar to most people here. The point is, if you keep in mind the idea that the point of free speech is creating a good epistemic environment, things make a lot more sense.
Let’s look at another question: What about Alice above, who says something along the lines of, “No, Bob, you total idiot, you forgot to account for such-and-such. For such an elementary mistake you should be laughed out of the room.”? Well, it’s a bit rude, certainly; and it’s a good thing to be polite, because it’s almost always possible (it’s pretty rare that having to be polite actually cuts down on what sorts of argument you can make), and being rude can discourage replies (by indicating that you’re going to be an unpleasant person to argue with — or, perhaps, that you might be someone who actually tries to hurt those who disagree with you). On the other hand, not everyone wants to take the time to be polite, and so in the interest of allowing everyone to speak you don’t generally actually constantly require that people be polite.
Personally, I’d say that it’s generally understood that people are often going to be a bit rude when arguing, and if Alice argues with Bob and calls him a “total idiot” and etc., she’s not actually trying to discourage Bob and others from arguing, she’s just, y’know, expressing her disagreement pretty vehemently (along with her low tolerance for really stupid arguments 😛 ). (The old guide to the ad hominem fallacy is relevant here.)
On the other hand, there are, as mentioned above, people who will take some minor mistake of yours, correct it, and then heap abuse upon you, who clearly are trying to circumvent argument rather than engage in it. And that’s the sort of thing that doesn’t lead to the free exchange of ideas and a good epistemic environment! Unfortunately there’s no bright line that can be drawn between one and the other; still, I feel like in practice it’s generally pretty clear… and when it’s not, well, I think that if you assume good faith the “bad guys” will generally eventually make their nature apparent.
So to take the example above — Alice’s rudeness is probably OK; Bob’s response is definitely not; and beyond that my answer is roughly “Oh my God I don’t really care”. I mean, OK, that latter part’s not quite true, some of those responses there are pretty despicable and disproportionate; but the point is that at that point we’re already into the realm of social fights rather than truth-seeking, and the most important question is how do we get out of there, not adjudicating the disputes that occur within there. Like, yes, OK, that’s something that’s probably going to need to happen, but it’s not nearly as critical.
All this leaves the question of what to do about people who knowingly make the epistemic environment worse. That’s a harder question and I don’t really have an answer to it. That said, one thing is pretty clear: If you want to attempt punishment or retaliation — or anything that could be construed as such! — you need to be absolutely clear what rules you’re playing by. Otherwise you just get escalation, and that way lies disaster. Like, obviously you want to warn people away from them; but if you say “This person is making the epistemic environment worse, you should ignore them”… this could be construed as saying “This person is bad and you should never listen to them”, and as such your warning could be taken as legitimating such things! And I’m not sure of any way of being absolutely clear about that other than, like, tediously repeating the whole rationale for why you shouldn’t do that. So, uh, yeah, it’s a hard problem.
Basically I don’t think there’s a way to make rules here that are totally abuse-proof. But I think you can at least make guidelines that are easier to evaluate and harder to abuse (in that abuse of them is more obvious).
(Now I need to go back sometime and actually comment on that meritocracy post… 😛 )
People like talking about how democracy was adopted because it’s the most efficient, you don’t get to suffer under cruel incompetent uncaring hereditary monarchs, etc. The death eaters disagree and say democracy is a practical solution to civil wars, e.g. easier to see who can do more violence with a vote than with guns.
You focus on the epistemic virtues of free speech, and that’s important when talking about what norms serve it best. But I subscribe to death eater-style argument here – the point of free speech isn’t truthseeking alone, it’s also about leaving space for dissent. If you shut down any naysayer, that leaves people with less space to be civil while overthrowing you.
Part of free speech is also justice. It is not just for a person to lose their employment prospects for a mean joke; the retribution is wildly disproportionate to the harm caused (excepting perhaps some really dodgy utilitarian accounting focusing on hurt feelings of every potential audience member). All the more so throwing someone in prison for criticism of the government or the like.
andagain says:
Utilitarianism is not the only theory of justice: If someone starts from the proposition that e.g. jokes offensive to blondes are more evil than murder, they could conclude that it is just to imprison someone for decades for telling an anti-blonde joke.
Sure, but do you actually see the virtue-ethics or deontological equivalent of the torture vs dust specks argument made?
No. We can come up with our own abhorrent arguments thank you very much. 😛
The point is, if you keep in mind the idea that the point of free speech is creating a good epistemic environment, things make a lot more sense.
I very much agree with this.
Debate — like anything else — takes practice. People do a terrible job expressing their ideas the first few times the try.
I want a world where people are able to articulate their own beliefs, and explain their reasoning. In order for that to happen, we need forums where people can refine their thinking. This means forums where people can make mistakes.
If we over-react to bad (or inarticulately-phrased) ideas, we’ll just drive people away from debate and towards some other past time. In the long run, that’s going to drive down the “sanity waterline” and make politics even less sophisticated than it already is.
Out of curiosity, are comments for the previous SSC post turned off or something?
Yes. Scott sometimes does this when he is afraid that the comments will be offensive to the people in the outgroup who he wants to convince with a post. At least, that is my interpretation.
BlindKungFuMaster says:
Yeah, and it’s a pity. Just yesterday I was wondering whether the male-female incidence ratio in autism could be explained by a different mean on the people-thing axis (Turns out the mean difference should probably predict a much higher ratio, like among libertarian or physicists or c-scientists). Super interesting topic.
The systematizing-empathizing scale Scott writes about (which is close to MBTI’s T/F) was designed by S Baron-Cohen specifically for studying autism.
Most biological distributions are not bell curves, so you can’t predict tail ratios from mean differences; or far tail from near tail. A common reason for something not to be a bell curve is that it has two causes, often a continuum of variation, plus a rare big effect. For example, height has a sex difference of d=2. People who are 1/50,000 tall are virtually all male, but people who are 1/50,000 short are close to even (2:1?) because they’re mostly dwarfs (mostly due to achondroplasia, a single mutation). It could be the same with autism.
Sure, but it would have been neat, because you could argue that autism might be culture independent. Than you could differentiate between the biological and the cultural component of this particular sex difference.
But actually the systematizing-empathizing difference of d=0.5 fits the male-female ratio and incidence rate of autism very well (For 4.3:1 and 62/10000 = the wikipedia numbers). Of course that’s less interesting, because it probably doesn’t inform job choice quite as much. Still, it’s an indication that it makes sense to talk about a spectrum and that this one might be gaussian.
I’m arguing against your argument that the cause of libertarians is not the cause of autism. If you accept that S/E (T/F) is the cause of autism, well, it’s pretty clearly not the sole cause of libertarians. But I think my argument still needs to be made because it is important to consider what you can conclude from subsets of the evidence, because you might end up having to discard S/E or adjust its d. (I also doubt that S/E is the whole cause of libertarians.)
Some people claim that a substantial portion of autism is due to de novo mutations of large effect. If this is true, then we’re pretty much in the achondroplasia situation and fit between the d of S/E and the sex ratio of autism is a coincidence. But it should be easy to take de novo autists and measure their sex ratio.
I really wish Scott would put a “comments disabled” warning at the top of such posts, because then I’d save a bunch of time by not reading them in the first place.
Why? You don’t find it worthwhile to read an SSC post unless you can comment under it? For the record, I found that post a good and interesting read.
I don’t particularly care if I personally can comment; but rather, I believe that most of the value of SSC blog posts comes from the discussion in the comments, as people attempt to disprove (or prove) Scott’s ideas, or merely present their own perspectives.
James Miller says:
You can read comments on the SSC Reddit for the post.
If the past is any indication, we’ll just start commenting on it on the next OT.
I’m preparing a blog post to address it (and other discussion that has been had in the doxxing thread) as we speak!
sconn says:
I was really disappointed by that. I was a female libertarian and now I am not, and many of my friends are in the same boat, or are married to libertarians and aren’t themselves. I think I might have something to offer on the topic (I think Scott comes close but doesn’t quite hit the reason) but, alas, nowhere to put that comment.
As Matt M pointed out, stick around for the next open thread. I’m sure folks would be interested.
platanenallee says:
Comment on the subreddit?
I’m interested.
When Scott makes a post on gender it attracts a large number of aggressively terrible anti-women commentators. These guys are obsessed with their pet theories about gender and will post ten or twenty of these terrible comments which means hundreds total. (Same dynamic happens with race.)
Then when the main post gets linked from somewhere high profile, which it probably will because it is thoughtful and well written, some of the people learning about SSC for the first time will click down to the comments section and think this place is a hive of scum and villainy. They’ll wonder WTF is wrong with Scott for fostering that type of community. Worse yet many of the terrible commentators think that Scott secretly agrees with them and their comments will so imply.
The very people that Scott hoped to convince in the first place now not only aren’t convinced, because whatever argument was made in the post has been overwhelmed by the sewage in the comments, but have a negative opinion of SSC and of Scott to boot.
Whereas if someone comes along and reads the post and there aren’t any comments, either that will be that and he’ll be convinced or not by the post. Or if he decides he wants to stick around and clicks on one of those other posts that don’t directly have to do with race or gender (like the free speech thread) at least there will be a more fair cross section of comments. Yes, it will still have the terrible ones, but in the usual proportion instead of in the catnip post proportion.
I wish this wasn’t true, but I’ve gotta agree. I remember one case in particular where there was a well-spoken poster who got fed up and was all “that’s it I’m done with this shithole” and I’m thinking “wait no the guy you’ve been arguing with isn’t even a regular come baaack”
I think I know the post you’re talking about too.
I remember this. Didn’t that guy actually come back? Or am I mixing people up?
We all know the real deal here is the battleship posts, though.
Not just battleships.
Other naval vessels, too.
Whoa now, let’s not go overboard here.
herbert herberson says:
Didn’t that guy actually come back?
Maaaaybe.
In my defense with regards to non-committal ness, I am going to try and stay away from biotroofs discussions, much as I already tried to with feminism–some people are too set in their ways, and I think it is often based on deep personal experiences one could never successfully argue with.
In my defense with regards to the initial outrage, it wasn’t just that post (which was fairly mild mannered, if ridiculous), it was an entire thread of people discussing the spectrum of “the current present-day status quo” and “a lifeless Venusian hellscape” and where on that spectrum a world in the mold of somewhat dysfunctional post-colonial African states would be.
But, ultimately, the fact that I think a few posters are both absurd and reprehensible isn’t enough to overcome the fact that Someone On The Internet Might Be Wrong (to say nothing of the fact that some of the comments and commenters are actually very good)
Hey, some of us are absurd without being reprehensible.
…and some of us are reprehensible without being absurd.
*looks around shiftily and shuffles over to a corner where he can sit with his back to a wall*
The archipelago solution also requires that people are willing to be honest about the rules of their archipelago and are willing to keep the size relatively small, so space is left over for others.
This is where Safe Spaces often fail, as they tend to be advertised as safe spaces for all, even though they are frequently spaces where hostility against the outgroup is allowed and criticism of the ingroup isn’t, where it is demanded that certain dogma is accepted, etc. Secondly, and this is related to the deceptive advertising, there is a push to make everything a Safe Space. When that happens, something that is billed as creating a separate space for a certain group becomes an attempt to write the rules for all spaces.
So I think that the archipelago solution can only work if there are strong norms against this kind of motte and bailey: ‘we only want an archipelago and…it has to encompass everything’.
I agree and am surprised that there’s not more debate about the feasibility of “safe spaces for all!” in progressive circles.
As I understand the concept, “Safe Spaces” were therapeutic and tailored for some small, specific group. The point was to make a space where people in that group could express their unfiltered thoughts.
Railway Engineers might want a safe space to talk about the trauma that comes from driving a train that kills someone. It seems totally legitimate to give them a private space to rage about the idiocy of people who ignore crossing guards. Or the selfishness of people who commit suicide-by-train.
But that safe space should be totally disconnected from the safe space for people who’ve lost family members to suicide. Combining those groups into a single forum would be monstrously cruel.
Calling everything a “safe space” dilutes the concept, and seems like it deceives people about the level-of-protection they should be able to expect.
“Safe space” is one of those very common motte-and-baileys. When describing the rules inside the safe space, a safe space what you describe. The bailey is to switch to the common meaning of the term “safe” and assert that everywhere (or almost everywhere) should be safe for women-and-underrepresented-minorities,.
SamChevre says:
Safe spaces are awesome, but they only work if they are small and well-defined. As noted by The Nybbler, they’re frequently a motte-and-bailey.
When I was in college, my “safe space” was the kitchen of one of the late-night hangouts. The cook was my friend, and from the same working-class background I was (and about my parents age). I would hang out and make sandwiches when I was exhausted and needed to not feel like a poor, uncouth outsider for a few hours.
Even putting safe spaces aside, I think “safety” in general has become one of the most egregiously abused concepts, by a wide variety of people, over the last 5 years or so. “I felt unsafe” is now treated as a magical phrase which can be used to justify all sorts of activity that would otherwise appear to be obviously horrendous and unacceptable, and the problem is it works and there are no signs that its power will be decreasing anytime soon.
College students standing outside an invited guest lecture and screeching that the entire thing must be shut down seems ludicrous on its face. But if they say “this speaker makes me feel unsafe” then suddenly they are taken seriously – and why shouldn’t they? Safety is the administrations #1 priority (and its a reasonable priority to have if the word is not abused) and who are you to question someone’s feelings? What are you going to do, insist that they are lying about their feelings? Or tell them that their feelings don’t matter and aren’t important?
But don’t think it’s just a lefty thing. You know who else is likely to justify something horrible by saying “I felt unsafe.” A cop, on the jury stand, for having shot an unarmed black man 20 times. And much like the college administrator, the jury is quite uncomfortable questioning the police officer’s feelings. Officer safety is important. And who are we to tell him his feelings were wrong?
My general advice to anybody who has ever been caught doing something wrong is to offer “I did it because I felt unsafe” as a first excuse. Think about justifying it logically later. But putting someone in the position of having to either say “your safety is unimportant” or “your feelings were incorrect” puts you in a position of strength, because nobody wants to do that.
Winter Shaker says:
Leaving a nit-picky comment for Scott here, since comments are closed at the ‘Gender Imbalance’ post: shouldn’t it be ‘circular firing squad’, rather than ‘chamber’?
Also, utilitiarianism and utilitiarian seem to be misspellings.
Incurian says:
Maybe he had a tokamak in mind.
JulieK says:
Also, is “…all these groups have great gender balance. You’ll never find a Wiccan circle or a gender studies class that accidentally ended up as 100% male” supposed to mean the higher the percentage of women, the better the “gender balance?” (I’ve never been to a Wiccan circle or a gender studies class, but I suspect they are usually more than 50% female.)
Yes. Common usage of “good gender balance” is “as many women and as few men as possible.”
I’ve been to both. The gender studies class I took had a significant fraction of men in it — perhaps 30% — but that’s probably because taking it or one of several similarly themed classes was a requirement for graduation.
The Wiccan circle was indeed almost entirely women.
Have you ever seen a group savaged for being mostly or all women?
so obviously, it’s only men that are the problem.
Like I’ve said in the previous thread basically on this subject: the free speech norm should be, or at least the norm I hold to is, “Free speech means freedom from disproportionate consequences”.
Of course, in practice this leads to a lot of wrangling about disproportionality and what it actually means, but I think it’s fairly easy to define depending on the situation and limits the scope of the argument for the betterment of all.
We agree on principles, but I think either it’s not easy to define in real life, or else it’s easy for me to define but everyone else disagrees with my definition, which is a form of “not easy to define”.
For example, I’ve been getting a lot of anger and insults on Twitter from people who think my post about signal-boosting/doxxing was bad and wrong. Some of these are people I respect; some are blue-checkmarked Official Important People.
I think it’s hard to define in real life, but it lets you actually get down to brass tacks and dissect the core of the argument. And ultimately, if people think that what they did isn’t disproportionate, you will probably not ever convince them with any other metric or method.
Wander says:
There’s a couple of questions I wish I had more answers to whenever free speech discourse comes up. They’re in sets, based on which rough side someone is on.
What’s something you can say that you shouldn’t be able to say? What’s something you can’t say but you think people want to say?
What’s something you can’t say that you think you should be able to say? What’s something you can say that you think people don’t want you to say?
“Can’t say” and “be able to say” aren’t quite the right questions. We need to ask something more like “What are some examples of proper and improper punishment for speech?”
So, for example and to answer your questions
Making an accusation of a crime or other serious moral breach absent very compelling evidence should result in loss of trust and, absent expression of remorse, ostracism of the accuser if the target is not found guilty
Attempts to change moral norms should not be done by shaming people who hold recently outdated values, and attempts to do so should be met with polite criticism
Normative statements should not be taken as personal judgement nor result in harassment or public shaming in response, but attempts at rebuttal by appeal to shared values
Offenses against feelings should not result in attacks against livelihood unless targeted and repeated
dansimonicouldbewrong says:
Government restrictions on political expression are a very specific problem, and “free speech”–that is, strict limits on such restrictions–is a very specific solution to it. Without free speech, democracy is extremely vulnerable to collapse and replacement by a tyrant. The Constitutional protection of free speech is thus intended to protect democracy from usurpation by tyranny.
Private enforcement of social norms, on the other hand, is not only not a threat to democracy–it’s positively necessary for smooth and orderly social interaction. We attempt to interfere with it at our peril. And realistically, nobody expects people who violate consensus social norms not to pay a certain price for doing so.
The scary examples of private suppression of speech that have people like Scott clamoring for some broader definition of “free speech” are in my view actually part of a very different phenomenon–one that I’ve blogged about in the past (but can’t link to): institutions with monopoly or cartel power being taken over by groups seeking to impose their own brand of uniformity of opinion on them. Universities are an obvious example: if they weren’t collectively the mutually-certifying sole source of white-collar job credentials, ninety percent of the students who attend them today would never bother, and radical faculty could continue to purge heterodoxies from their nearly-empty campuses to their hearts’ delight with nobody else caring. Similarly, if the press weren’t dominated by a de facto cartel led by a tiny number of large news outlets with large, massively inbred staffs, then they could enforce their political party line all day–just as niche press outlets do, in their own way–and few would even notice. Go through the list of recent scary cases of suppression of free expression, and you’ll find case after case of institutions in monopoly positions being hijacked by people seeking to use the institution’s monopoly power to enforce their own orthodoxy.
The solution, then, is not a futile attempt to establish “free speech” norms for social interaction, but rather to undermine the monopolies that serve as a vehicle for the power-hungry speech-suppressors. Dismantle the higher-education cartel, the journalistic hive, the showbiz clique, the Silicon Valley oligopoly, and so on. Make organizations compete seriously for employees and customers, and watch the stifling conformity that rules these places melt into openness and freedom–or at least into pluralism and diversity of opinion.
I couldn’t agree more. The problem is the power disparity. It’s pointless to seek some sort of objective standard for the speech, when the real problem is when members of one clique can deny those outside of it the things necessary for their livelihood or well-being. The actual speech is just the “MacGuffin”… opinion trends will move this way and that; what was banned is now mandatory, and vice versa. The enduring thing is power: how far can Group A’s power extend over the internal business of Group B. Right now, these cartels have disproportionate power over people’s livelihoods. And, I might add, nobody ever agreed to give them the power, let them be the ones to decide what is WrongThink or Beyond-the-Pale or whatever– they just took it, and manipulate the system to keep it. That’s the problem.
Clickbait journalism is viciously competitive, but we do not see openness and freedom coming out of it.
Your Facebook feed must be different from mine. I see clickbait from every point on the political spectrum I can imagine, and some I can’t.
Sebastian_H says:
I also wonder if part of the problem isn’t totalizing rhetoric. Someone who thinks taxes are too high probably isn’t really a Nazi. Someone who wants a bit more government involvement probably isn’t a Communist. Someone who is ok with gay marriage being legal but uncomfortable enough with it not to want to work for the wedding probably doesn’t need to be ostracized. If an atheist architect doesn’t want to be involved in building a church maybe that’s ok.
Tolerance means really thinking about what serious disagreements don’t need to be turned into rubbing people’s noses in the disagreement.
onyomi says:
I disagree here for the same reasons I strongly disagreed with “Be Nice until you can Coordinate Meanness,” and, though I hadn’t read it before, now disagree with “Not just a Mere Political Issue.”
I think drawing the line at legality or illegality as a proxy for social consensus is a proxy which will work most of the time but not because social consensus is where the line should be drawn. The reason it works is because willingness to do illegal things strongly, but not perfectly correlates with “person who is dangerous and unpredictable.”
I would happily invite someone to dinner who had ostentatiously refused to pay his taxes and gone to jail as a result. This is because, while he has offended the law and social norms, he has done so in a way which increases, rather than decreases my priors on him being a good person. Related, I would not invite someone who worked for the NSA or the IRS to dinner, even though I would happily invite to dinner someone who thinks these agencies are necessary. This is because willingness to actually work at these agencies implies a level of dedication to principles I think are terrible much greater than mere abstract support.
Maybe I’m misreading you, but are you actually saying we should be against the Holocaust in the abstract but be willing to invite over a concentration camp prison guard for dinner because he was just following orders? Analogous to the above example, I would be happy to invite over for dinner a person who had simply been a German citizen during WWII or even fought for the Germans in WWII because I don’t think being a citizen of a country the government of which did terrible things or even fighting in the army for a government which did terrible things are alone good proxies for “bad person.” Being willing to work in a concentration camp where you have no plausible deniability about what was going on, however, is a different matter. Spitting on Vietnam vets, similarly, is bad; spitting on the individual Vietnam vets who committed the My Lai massacre, however, is reasonable, and not just because we can construe it as having been illegal or against army policy. Rather because those actions are sufficient prior for them being bad people.
Moreover, I think the legal/illegal line, and even, to a lesser extent the “vague impression of social consensus/my idiosyncratic judgment” line have a very bad consequence: namely, the reinforcement of the norm which excuses people for “just following orders.” Probably more evil has been committed in recent history, if not all of history, by people “just following orders” than people who conceded, in their own minds, that what they were doing was bad. In other words, I very much want to live in a society where following the dictates of one’s own conscience is the rule, not following the law or even vague social consensus.
The rule I propose instead of “be nice until you can coordinate meanness” is “be nice until you have a very good reason to believe they’re being mean; once you do, it is acceptable, if not always advisable, to respond with proportional meanness, beginning with social ostracism.” Note that I think “having a different political opinion” is a very poor proxy for determining meanness, but actions speak louder than words. I can be friends with someone who supports taxation. I can’t be friends with someone who collects taxes.
Aevylmar says:
Interesting post, and I agree with a lot of what you’re saying, but I don’t think I agree with this:
“Probably more evil has been committed in recent history, if not all of history, by people “just following orders” than people who conceded, in their own minds, that what they were doing was bad.”
Because I think that’s apples to oranges, Onyomi.
The question is, how much evil was created in recent history, if not all of history, by people “just following orders,” versus people who said, “I know the truth, and society is wrong, and the truth I know is worth killing for?”
Because I think that those are the two points you’re trading off. You can say, “People should follow society’s dictates,” or you should say “people should try to devise their own morality,” but the failure mode of the former is “my society is right when it says to kill the Jews,” and the failure mode of the latter is “my society is wrong when it says I shouldn’t kill my neighbor.” Or lead a communist revolution to kill your neighbor, as the case may be.
I stand by the statement as you helpfully elaborated it.
Because I think most people, when they’re being honest with themselves, have a fairly good and surprisingly similar moral sense, I think far more evil is done by people doing things they would know are wrong if they relied on their own conscience but that they tell themselves are okay because “just doing my job” than is done by people following their own, idiosyncratic morality to extremes.
Also, of the few people who have a really idiosyncratic ethical intuition that firmly informs them that actions almost everyone else would think are evil are good and the bravery to act upon it, how many would be dissuaded from acting by social consensus and the law, anyway?
“Because I think most people, when they’re being honest with themselves, have a fairly good and surprisingly similar moral sense, I think far more evil is done by people doing things they would know are wrong if they relied on their own conscience but that they tell themselves are okay because society than is done by people following their own, idiosyncratic morality to extremes.”
I disagree.
That is, I agree that most people have a fairly good and surprisingly similar moral sense. Absolutely.
But people are really good at convincing themselves that they are a special case, they they have some kind of an excuse that means they don’t have to follow the rules, that this is really justified by the circumstances and that everyone else would agree if they knew what they knew.
… I’m sorry, that came out kind of crooked. I hope ot makes sense anyway.
The point being, “killing people is wrong,” is quickly followed by the exception, “except in self-defense,” which mutates into “except when defending our children,” which further mutates into “except in case of danger to our children,” which mutates into lynch mobs.
I think that if people are taught to follow their idiosyncratic morality to extremes, the result will be a million people screaming at each other that everyone else is violating the “timeless platonic contract that doesn’t exist” without an excuse, whereas they have a perfectly good reason for their violation of it.
Hmm. We may be defining our categories differently. I see the average person who gets sucked into working for a rebellion as fitting in the “people should devise their own morality” category, not the “people should follow society’s dictates” category.
That is to say, the dictates of the general society they were raised in generally include, “don’t take action to disrupt this society.” Breaking with that – even if it’s to join another society – takes a lack of respect for the society you left.
Or, in other words, the average concentration-camp guard may have been just following orders. The average brownshirt was taking unfortunately necessary actions that appear to violate the common morality for the greater good of the state and the German people.
Does this make sense? I’m a bit sleepy right now.
The Milgram and Stanford Prison experiments show people have a strong tendency to suspend their good moral sense in the face of authority and social pressure. I don’t think nearly so many people having a correspondingly strong tendency to go vigilante about their idiosyncratic ideas no one shares.
I agree that people are good at coming up with exceptions and justifications for doing what they feel like doing, rather than what is right, but I think “I’m just doing my job/what everyone else is doing,” is on the top of that list.
I think being in favor of everyone following his own conscience is precisely the safest position for anyone who is highly skeptical of mass movements, revolutions, etc. The amount of damage (or good, some revolutionaries might argue) the crazy dreamer with the idiosyncratic ideas can do is highly limited without a lot of followers. It’s hard to attract a lot of followers, especially to an evil cause, if everyone is following the dictates of his own conscience.
I guess I’m saying humans acting like lemmings scare me a lot more than lone wolves, scary as the latter might occasionally be.
Lone wolves, being lone, are much less of a threat even if they are individually scarier.
rahien.din says:
It’s hard to attract a lot of followers … if everyone is following the dictates of his own conscience.
From what state do you think institutions arise, and in response to what?
It seems to me that if the dictates of conscience are manifestly superior to institutions, then conscience would dictate that we not create institutions, and conscience-following humans would thus not create them….
…and yet, we did?
Did conscience fail us (why wouldn’t it fail us again)? Or is conscience a 21st-century invention? Or is there simply more to it.
It must be pointed out that you can’t be part of La Cosa Nostra if you don’t hold to moral values.
lone wolves
Lone wolves are rare because wolves naturally form packs. Nefarious humans don’t usually act alone. They gather cohorts and underlings via intimidation, inducement, grooming, appeals to conscience, etc. If the Milgram experiment was conducted with a Mafiosi in place of the researcher, how many people would have stopped giving shocks?
The danger of eliminating well-intentioned institutions is the non-elimination of evilly-intentioned institutions. Rule-by-conscience reduces immediately to rule-by-those-without-conscience.
Presumably you know that lemmings don’t actually leap from cliffs en masse. People believed the lie because it came from an authoritative source. This is sort of a Milgram phenomenon, in the submission to authority in absence of complete information.
The appropriate response to discovering the lie in White Wilderness is not to suggest we should abolish the institution of documentary-creation, but to upgrade our standards for the institution of nature/scientific reporting. IE to bolster the institution.
People are even better at convincing themselves that their group is a special case.
People are even better at agreeing with the guy that tells them that their group is a special case.
The way to escape the failure mode that one external source of morality can be wrong is not to have no external sources of morality, but to have multiple non-overlapping sources. When they disagree, take a serious look at what’s going on and then use your conscience as a tie-breaker.
Trofim_Lysenko says:
Because I think most people, when they’re being honest with themselves, have a fairly good and surprisingly similar moral sense
Strongly disagree. This is largely a function of early socialization and pedagogy, and can produce WILDLY different results. To use just one example, tribal morality has been dominant for most of history, and I think there’s a good argument to be made that it’s still dominant today. That is, the idea that morality or immorality of an action depends less on the nature of the act than on how much a part of your tribal in-group the person affected is. So, for example:
-Cheating member of my tribe? Morally blameworthy. Cheating outsider for personal gain? Less blameworthy or even morally neutral. Cheating outsider for gain of my tribe? morally praiseworthy/obligatory.
-Providing aid and comfort to a member of my tribe? Morally praiseworthy. Providing aid and comfort to an outsider? less praiseworthy or morally neutral. Providing aid and comfort to an outsider at the expense of my tribe or its members? very morally blameworthy, and the very soul of perfidy.
To be clear, I do not mean ‘tribe’ in the red/blue sense that has become popular here, though there are plenty of people for whom the above model DOES map pretty well to the red/blue tribes. However, the most common tribes are:
-Family/Clan/Tribe
-Race/Ethnicity
-Religion
I don’t think most people in the world have strongly divergent opinions about the most important issues (murder, rape, theft, etc.). In support of this consider that it’s usually possible, assuming no language barrier, to have a coherent discussion about morality with someone from another culture. If people truly had extremely divergent base-level moral intuitions such a conversation would rapidly become incoherent, because there would be no shared points of reference. For example, one could have a discussion about the “trolley problem” with people in many different parts of the world, and while you might notice that people from certain cultures are more likely to give a particular answer than people from another, I think you’d rarely, if ever, encounter people who just couldn’t understand the problem, or what was at stake.
But, even if moral intuitions do diverge greatly from culture to culture and neighborhood to neighborhood (and the latter is actually going to be the more relevant question since it’s more important for most people to get along with their neighbors than with people on the other side of the world, though that gets a bit tougher in the digital age), that still leaves this:
The choice is not between “everyone follows his own, potentially idiosyncratic moral intuition” and “everyone follows the correct moral view.” It’s between “everyone follows his own, potentially idiosyncratic moral intuition” and “everyone abides by the standard morality as determined by [a vote, whatever the king said, whatever it says in the Bible…].” Between those latter two choices, I see a lot more potential for evil in the latter.
You don’t see a difference between “stealing is wrong” and “stealing from family/tribe is wrong, stealing from outsiders is ok and sometimes even moral”?
EDIT: Add to that “Stealing may be wrong or right depending on consequences” and the various moral codes arguing that individuals should damn well take what they want when they want from whomever can’t stop them, vae victis.
And if you think I’m strawmanning here, to be clear I am not pointing fingers at specific cultures like, say, certain flavors of Arab culture (though they provide some good examples), or the identity politics of certain strains of left-wing thought, because you can find the belief alive and well in middle and upper class Europe and America just as easily.
Do you know how many criminals who regularly commit serious crimes like robbery (that is, theft with threat of violence) and assault have friends and/or family members who absolutely know and have proof of their deeds, and are not themselves criminals or gang members and thus don’t share a specific criminal moral code legitimizing the conduct, yet do not inform the police of their relative/friend’s behavior, and in many cases actively help to conceal it?
I am working on digging up hard numbers to answer that question, but I’d lay money that the answer is “Most of them”. And if you press them on it, once the rationalizations and bullshit fall away, what’s the answer? “They’re Family/Friends/Co-religionists, and you stay LOYAL to Family/Friends/Co-religionists”.
I don’t think most people in the world have strongly divergent opinions about the most important issues
If this is true (which I am far from convinced of), I would submit that it’s because most people in the world are part of a worldwide consensus that has formed over the past thousand years of relatively and accelerating high-bandwidth worldwide communication. That may not be relevant to your point, but it seems worth pointing out how contingent even these consensus lines are.
We know (don’t we?) that we evolved for “My brother before my cousin, my cousin before a stranger”. A high modernist might acknowledge the impulse while denying that it is truly moral; a tribesman might assert the obvious morality of the impulse and find it queer or even incomprehensible to deny it. That they can understand the words describing each other’s position seems sort of secondary.
Mediocrates says:
“They’re Family/Friends/Co-religionists, and you stay LOYAL to Family/Friends/Co-religionists”.
The Governor of She said to Confucius, “In our village there is a man nicknamed ‘Straight Body.’ When his father stole a sheep, he gave evidence against him.” Confucius answered, “In our village those who are straight are quite different. Fathers cover up for their sons, and sons cover up for their fathers. Straightness is to be found in such behavior.”
@Trofim, re. Mediocrates’ quote:
Confucius has to argue against the interpretation of morality which says you should turn your father in if he committed a crime. Which means it was a moral question at the time: “is your first loyalty to society or to your family?” and “Is it better for society for everyone to rat on everyone else, or might it be better for everyone to be loyal to those close to them, thereby creating a social environment of mutual trust and cohesion and effective, voluntary hierarchy?”
These are questions not only intelligible and relevant today, but on which I’m sure there’s disagreement among 21st c. Americans. Yet they were talking about them 2500 years ago. Pretty good evidence to me of a shared core of moral intuitions before globalization, etc.
moscanarius says:
I don’t think most people in the world have strongly divergent opinions about the most important issues (murder, rape, theft, etc.)
I’m not so sure. Many people around where I live support murdering criminals without trial, and others are outraged by it; a few have wildly divergent definitions of rape; and some others scream that “private property is theft”. None of them are actually satisfied with the laws we have on any of these subjects.
“moral intuitions” are what guide us to specific ANSWERS to given moral questions, not how those questions are framed.
If person A gets the answer “X is a Noble Act” and B gets the answer, “X is an Ignoble Act”, then they have differing moral intuitions, no matter how well they are able to have discussions about the issue with each other.
To use another example that may be closer to your everyday experience, one of the reasons very few people are sympathetic to your desires for an AnCap society or even a Libertarian society is that their moral intuitions lead them in a totally different direction as to the importance and moral value of things like individual rights and freedom of action/association.
@Trofim
If you define moral intuition as simply “base level ability to reason about moral issues+the actual chain of logic which brought your ability to do so to a given conclusion” then this is true, but trivially so. If you define moral intuition as just the basic faculty for reasoning about morals prior to logic, then this seems obviously false. Unless you think no one ever changes his mind on a moral issue in response to reading or hearing a new argument.
…one of the reasons very few people are sympathetic to your desires for an AnCap society or even a Libertarian society is that their moral intuitions lead them in a totally different direction as to the importance and moral value of things like individual rights and freedom of action/association.
As much as I love Jonathan Haidt, I feel like this is an area where he’s had a bad influence around here, and perhaps elsewhere. That is, I think it forecloses rational debate about ethical issues to say “well, you know, I just have a higher care score and lower purity score than you, so we’re not going to agree.” That is, it becomes an easy justification for moral relativism (I realize you weren’t using this as an argument, but just an explanation for why people disagree with me; still think the Haidt-ian framework can lend itself to this sort of problem, though).
Which is not to say I don’t believe in some degree, maybe a high degree, of heritability of political stances and, probably, moral intuitive faculties. If you took two identical twins separated at birth and asked them a political or moral question, I’d bet you’d find a surprisingly high degree of consonance. But that doesn’t mean moral intuitions are all just subjective feelings about which one can’t have a rational debate and arrive at a better answer.
As you said in your first response, life experience makes a big difference, too: raise one of those twins a Catholic and one a Hindu and though they have basically the same faculties, they are going to have been exposed to two different lifetimes of ethical arguments and probably reached different conclusions about important questions.
But that again, to my mind, doesn’t mean they need to each ignore their own conscience and follow some state or church-approved standard morality. Instead, they should discuss and work out mutually agreeable solutions insofar as possible.
By the way, ancap will not necessarily result in high degrees of individual autonomy for everyone. It might actually result in more conservative values, focus on family, etc. As David Friedman has put it, I think, ancap may often produce more libertarian results, but nothing says it must always do so in every case.
If I were to try to categorize my libertarian impulses in Haidt-ian terms, I’d say it’s more about a low innate respect for authority more than a love of individual liberty (though maybe those two go hand-in-hand? I am definitely not against family, hierarchy, or organization; I just feel strong revulsion toward what I see as unjustified authority and especially the use of force in cases outside self-defense).
I definitely recognize that not everyone shares my libertarian impulses, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t right answers to questions and that progress can’t be made. In the antebellum South, for example, probably only a small percentage of people had a natural instinct to fight for abolition. Yet now everyone, essentially is an “abolitionist.” The abolitionists won that argument, essentially, and everyone else’s moral intuitive faculty came to recognize the justice of it.
But this also doesn’t mean the abolitionists shouldn’t have freed any slaves before they won the argument. They were right, even when they were in the minority.
beleester says:
I don’t see how the fact that we’ve debated the question for 2500 years without settling on an answer is evidence that people agree on what morality is. We agree what the questions are, but we don’t agree on the answers, and if the past 2500 years is any guide we probably never will.
And unfortunately, the answers are what actually drive decision-making. If one man wants to pull the lever on the Trolley Problem, and the other man doesn’t, then telling them “Well, at least you agree that this is a moral question” isn’t really helpful.
I suspect it’s common for a career criminal to have family members who have some idea that’s something fishy going on with the person’s life. It’s that one cousin who doesn’t seem to exactly have a job, but he’s always got money and drives a nice car, and he seems to “go out of town” once in a while for no plausible reason. Or that uncle who seems like a nice guy, but some of the people he associates with are seriously scary, and he sure does seem to have a lot of people coming by his house at all hours of the night.
And probably plenty of those people don’t know more because they don’t want to know more. They can stay on good (if distant) terms with their cousin when they don’t know for sure how he supports himself, but wouldn’t be willing to do so if they had to admit to themselves he’s a drug dealer.
fairly good and surprisingly similar moral sense
This is interesting to me because I was for a long time surprised by how similar and bad almost everyone’s moral sense seemed to be. I feel like everyone I have ever met is okay with driving drunk, for instance. Also a shockingly large number seem to be shoplifters, etc. I think that these are minor things compared to what Onyomi is talking about, but It made me wonder if anyone else here has had similarly surprising experiences around the common acceptance of these ‘minor’ illegalities.
Largely because driving drunk falls more on the malum prohibitum side than the malum in se side. We ban drunk driving on the streets not because drunk driving is a sin but because you might hurt yourself or others.
I feel like everyone I have ever met is okay with driving drunk, for instance.
Some people have a different factual intuition of when they are dangerously impaired than laws which must cover grannies and fighter pilots alike. The moral baseline moral intuition would be whether it’s okay to endanger other people for your convenience or adventure. Not sure where your friends attitudes’ fall.
Also I feel like I’m the only person I know who thinks we should be much less against drunk driving (which is an extreme view, I value the sense of adventure), or even more specific about who can drink how much (which is not very extreme)
(N.B. I don’t break drink driving laws, it’s just my provisional opinion that our current ones are much too strict.)
Also a shockingly large number seem to be shoplifters, etc.
Assuming we’re talking about people who think it’s no big deal, without coming to that view from desparation or cultural indoctrination (not stealing bread to eat), I’ve come across some people like that and I think it can in some way be explained by a difference in factual appraisal, though not a very clear one:
I think some people shoplift for the same reason I littered when I was very young- because the world is a place that can absorb some minor material foibles and getting to show your bravery and express yourself is more important.
I don’t think my sense of intuition has changed too much since then, but I would never litter now because of a different factual understanding of the world. (for example, now it’s on my radar that somebody has to pick that shit up. Also its clearer how littering can look threatening or irresponsible rather than lighthearted to outside observer and thus pollute the social atmosphere not just the material one).
Then there is the issue of glorification of theft especially in rap and of transgression as a good vehicle to show bravery more generally, which means we aren’t necessarily getting people’s intuition at all.
Hitler, Stalin and Mao, to name but three, would have said “I know the truth, and society is wrong, and the truth I know is worth killing for?” And most of the people who implemented their massacres would have said the same.
Hitler, Stalin and Mao, sure but you’re forgetting that for the people implementing their massacres “society” was on their side.
Yeah, it’s completely bizarre to put Hitler, Stalin, and Mao in the “lone wolf” column.
Never mind the lack of ready followers, in a society where vigilanteism was the norm they would simply have been assassinated.
“One guy single handedly pulls everyone behind him into hell” probably isn’t the failure mode of vigilante society.
Probably is, as random vigilantism is exactly the sort of violence that makes people line up behind one guy who promises to stop it.
I think you are probably anchoring to plain chaos seeing as there is no ‘organised culture of vigilanteism’ I can think of in recent memory. Communist agitators in germany pre Hitler were not vigilantes for example.
(‘random vigilanteism’ is an oxymoron, a vigilante is someone who takes justice into their own hands, and justice is far from random.)
I wouldn’t invite any of those terrible people for dinner. However, if you overheard one of them talking about their terrible views, and you decided to start a mass-media campaign to get them fired, ostracized, and exiled — then I wouldn’t invite you for dinner, either. Like yourself, I would very much like to live in a society where people were free to follow the dictates of their conscience; unlike yourself, I am willing to share such a society with people whose consciences are opposed to mine, provided they refrain from any unconscionable actions (e.g. violence). After all, my conscience could very well be incorrect, and how will I ever figure this out if I eliminate all the people who could’ve told me so ?
On the contrary I think it’s absolutely vital to befriend and dine with the types of people who work for the NSA, or with Carol the antisemitic schoolteacher.
A black man befriended the Imperial Wizard of the KKK, and in doing so convinced him to leave the organization.
I believe that in opening up and risking having our beliefs challenged or changed, by genuinely listening to and trying to others’ worldviews, it is then when we are most effective in sharing our own.
I’m absolutely not arguing against engaging in polite discussion with, or making friends with, people who don’t share one’s own ethical intuitions or political views.
I’m just saying that, assuming most people are going to draw some line somewhere between “people I can have a polite disagreement with and still be friends” and “horrible people I want nothing to do with” or even “people I think belong in jail,” the question is where you draw that line (if you don’t think you should have any line, ask yourself whether you could be friends with an unrepentant serial rapist who’s often trying to convince you that rape is great, and if so, whether you should try to convince him politely, using logic, to turn himself in).
In “Not Just a Mere Political Issue,” Scott argues in favor of drawing it at illegality. Which, if I understand correctly, he means not to say that one can’t politely disagree with or, be friends with, anyone who’s done anything illegal (nowadays that would probably mean living alone), but rather that, if you’re going to draw your own personal line with someone outside it, then that person should have committed a crime in the eyes of the law, and presumably, in the eyes of society, and not just by your own, personal estimation.
I think that’s a bad line-drawing heuristic. It will work pretty well in a state that is not, currently, terribly oppressive, but it rapidly becomes a justification for evil in one which is. The reason it works okay in a society with a not horribly evil regime is because, while many non-criminals in such a society may have bad beliefs, very few genuinely bad people (which I define as people who commit evil acts) will be non-criminals. This breaks down in e.g. Nazi Germany because too many evil people will find themselves on the right side of the law.
I’m one of the people on here always arguing against the idea it’s okay to punch a Nazi just for talking about Nazism. My personal line is quite broad, and, as I said, I think the response has to be proportionate even to those who do cross the line. I’m very much of the feeling that I can talk about any idea in the abstract so long as the interlocutor keeps it at the level of ideas and not personal attacks. My best intuition is something akin to “bad argument gets better argument, not bullet” where “bullet” includes not only literal bullets but personal attacks, attempts to ruin reputations, etc.
Yet this is also why it may be justified, in some cases, to fight back against those who do attempt to ruin reputations etc. with more than just nice, polite, rational arguments, though I think it’s much preferable to keep it at that level whenever possible. The reason I also mentioned “ostracism” as a possible counter-measure is because I think the first, best response to abusive behavior is to walk away.
And when it comes to people putting actual bullets in the heads of actual innocent people I think it’s a terrible heuristic to pass judgment on them depending on the law or society’s general estimation of the okayness of e.g. putting bullets in the heads of concentration camp victims. The reason I argue so hard against antifa is because they take the principle “it’s okay to violently attack a concentration camp guard who murders people, especially if it’s the only way to stop him committing more murders,” which I agree with, and run with it to “it’s okay to violently attack anyone who argues, in the abstract, for the ideology concentration camp guards subscribed to,” and “it’s okay to violently attack anyone whose ideas vaguely pattern match to the ideas the concentration camp murderers subscribed to.”
OK, thanks, I think I understand your argument better now.
I guess I’m one of those people who believes the line should be drawn as far out as possible – I’d try and draw it up to where my physical or emotional safety are endangered, and maybe when my social safety is endangered.
Were I doing something that was harming others, I would hope that others would reach out to me first, even if I wasn’t particularly nice to them for doing so. I would like to say that were I born in the American South in the early 1800s I would have recognized the horrible injustices and immorality of slavery, and at the very least would have refused to participate directly. If I didn’t resist it, then I would hope the abolitionists would still try and look for the good in me, no matter how much I laughed at or derided them.
Do unto others and all that…
But now I think we’ve digressed quite a bit from your original point 🙂
This is an interesting response (I recall Ozy has made a persuasive case for the same view at their blog). You describe it as ‘vital’, but do you think this sort of thing is a matter of personal preference, or the morally obligatory thing to do, or supererogatory (good but not required)?
Edit: Of course “that is a false trilemma and here’s what I really think” is a legitimate answer too.
Sort of related to my response to onyomi above, everyone will have a different boundary at which point they decide to disassociate with someone, I am arguing it should be very uncommon.
I’m not sure exactly what you’re asking me, let me try and clarify though:
I believe that it’s more effective to befriend someone to change their opinion than to try and shout them down change them through force (social norms can be a kind of force). The example in the linked article was a black man befriending members of the KKK and convincing them to leave.
Doing so can be risky to yourself – as such I don’t consider it a moral obligation, even if your paths cross with someone it might benefit. The article also talks about someone else who believes that the KKK is so abhorrent no one should associate with them in any way. I think that person is incorrect and will probably be ineffective at convincing those they disagree with, but don’t think that they’re immoral for protesting and refusing to talk.
Does that clear up what I meant?
That mostly clears it up, yeah.
sovietKaleEatYou says:
I think the problem is too complex to be solved by any formal set of principles. One issue is that most people don’t think rationally, and so being able to express honestly held opinions can genuinely lead to bad things happening. So on the one hand, if we don’t have social ways of regulating speech we risk a situation where anyone can inflame a lynch mob. On the other hand, over-regulating speech results in online lynch mobs of another kind. I think the complexity of this problem is closer to the complexity of the legal code than to any easy-to-formulate commandment (or 10), and it makes me sad that it’s not regulated by the same system as the regular code (the courts).
In fact, the legal system has already solved a very similar problem. I think the question of “what beliefs can be expressed, how can they be expressed, and to what extent is it ok to treat someone differently because of their belief” is pretty similar to the question of “what religions are ok, how is it ok to worship, and to what extent is it ok to treat someone differently because of their religion “. We’ve somehow created a world where, through a combination of interpreting the constitution and looking at precedent, we can tolerate Islam (a minority belief system which often involves some pretty conventionally deprecated beliefs) but not the Fundamentalist Church of Latter-Day Saints. In my ideal world, the courts would have a similar complicated combination of principles and precedents to decide questions of freedom of speech, as well as “discrimination by belief”.
gricky says:
If she was a schoolteacher, then even if she promised not to kill any Jews in class, or even to spread any anti-Semitic propaganda in class, it would be hard for me not to wonder what else was wrong with her, and whether she could really disguise every single repugnant aspect of her personality. On the other hand, if we try to get the school board to fire her, we’re implicitly endorsing the principle “Get someone fired if you know of a belief of theirs that suggests they’re an otherwise repugnant person” – and isn’t this the same principle that led people to campaign against atheist schoolteachers, pro-gay schoolteachers, communist schoolteachers, etc?
I am glad you brought this up. Whereas both Nazis and Communists have wantonly murdered many millions of people, others should take steps to exclude them from certain positions of influence, and, schoolteacher is a perfect example of a position that neither should be allowed in. We already quite correctly kick people out of jobs like that for having nazi- or nazi-adjacent beliefs (e.g., KKK member, white nationalist, etc). That is working. We should extend it to communists again, as many American teachers’ unions decided to do shortly after WW2.
I’m not sure the exact list of jobs they should be excluded from, but I’d have to think it’s not very close to half of all jobs. Communists should actually be happy that all non-management labor positions are open to them since the alternatives put them uncomfortably close to enemy class behavior 🙂
The problem is that if you say, “people are allowed to kick people out of jobs for having nazi-adjacent beliefs,” the result is that anyone who wants to kick someone out of a job has two options: don’t do it, or explain how their beliefs are nazi-adjacent.
This is the case for an absolute rule: “But then someone else says “Well, if they get their exception, I deserve my exception,” and then someone else says “Well, if those two get exceptions, I’m out”, and you have no idea how difficult it is to successfully renegotiate the terms of a timeless Platonic contract that doesn’t literally exist.” (https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/02/23/in-favor-of-niceness-community-and-civilization/)
The disadvantage to an absolute rule is that it lets people behave badly. The advantage is that it’s a whole lot harder to lawyer.
I think you’re hugely over-thinking what I suggested. I’m actually arguing for basically the status quo here, but we should resume extending the treatment we already give to Nazi-alikes to communist-alikes as well. If you think that’s not working as-is, can you explain what problems you’re seeing with it in practice right now? It’s my impression that the small percentage of people with Nazi-like beliefs are fairly successfully excluded from teacher (and some other) jobs with virtually no harmful side-effects.
On side-effects: It is lately very popular to call people nazis. This is exactly because we’ve accepted that it’s fine to punch nazis, so if you can tar your opponent as one, you can get away with a lot of stuff. I’m doing a sleight of hand here by replacing “firing” with “punching” as I’m not aware of anyone getting fired for vague unproven nazi sympathism.
With nazis this is a bit troublesome but mostly fine, because nazi is a very specific term. You can call a rightwinger a nazi but bystanders won’t believe you if they don’t see a swastika or antisemitism. It helps that the general opinion is nazism ended with the defeat of Germany, I guess.
There are two other labels that seem in the US to allow for dehumanizing your opponent, “racist” and “sexist”. These are very vague and you can already see the problem. Because they’re powerful and hard to defend against (because they’re such vague accusations), they’ve already been used so much that they are starting to become meaningless, and are definitely less powerful than if you can label someone a nazi.
“Communist” seems to me closer to “racist” than “nazi”. In fact, it seems like it used to have the power “racist” has now, but just like we can now see happening to “racist”, it lost most of it because you can paint half the population with it if you’re more concerned with causing trouble for people you don’t like than with truth.
I’m not talking about black masked street rioters – I really am just talking about simple scenarios like disqualifying school teachers in a professional setting. It’s not common, but if one tries to tell his students the Klan is good, he normally gets removed. I’m not saying this is foolproof, but, it’s pretty much working OK and has been for a long time.
Conceded that face-punching enthusiasts haven’t managed the same track record, but, I wasn’t getting into that.
For some reason the labels “nazi” and “klansman” haven’t ballooned to include lots of unrelated people when it comes to firing, unlike the label “racist”. Is the label “communist” going to stay intact like “nazi”, or will it expand like “racist”, when you start firing for it?
I think it’s because people making school staffing decisions are not quite as unserious and politicized as 2017-era face punching enthusiasts. The point is that most times and most relevant settings, excluding certain extremists from a few special positions has been working uncontroversially, and, it seems clearly superior to the obvious alternative of just ignoring their views entirely.
The theme in this thread has been that people are suggesting the problem is unworkable in theory, but lots of people have gotten it to work in practice.
@honhonhonhon: There are very many people who “literally believe” that Trump is Hitler, just like Romney and McCain were literally Hitler, and both Bushes, and so on. I’d venture that you can go to any anti-Trump event you like and find very few of the attendees who can successfully define a “Nazi” as “a member of the National Socialist Party,” let alone identify what national socialists actually believed. (Indeed, some people have started trolling these events by going there and reciting speeches given by Hitler or Mussolini, and recording the anti-Trumpers cheering the sentiments expressed.)
“Nazi” just means “somebody who is evil, who we can therefore ignore and/or abuse”… just like “racist”. Hence, Godwin’s Law– eventually every bitter argument comes to the point where one side refuses to listen to the other even a little bit, and so the Literally Hitler maneuver occurs.
@Janet The issue isn’t with the name-callers, but with bystanders. The name-callers will still hate you even if we had no labels that allow for dehumanization – they’re just using the labels to justify themselves to onlookers and maybe even get them to help out. Accusations of nazism don’t seem taken as seriously as ones about racism or sexism, for example I can’t think of anyone getting randomly fired on unsubstantiated nazism accusations. I may be wrong on that though, I’ve lost track of the witch-burnings.
I can’t think of anyone getting randomly fired on unsubstantiated nazism accusations.
Randomly fired, no. But unsubstantiated Nazism accusations were involved in the attempted disinvitation of Moldbug from LambdaConf.
NostalgiaForInfinity says:
Why stop at Nazis and communists? The British government oversaw famines in Ireland and Bengal that killed over a million each.
Human history is so littered with mass murder and genocide that holding many political or religious stances (or national pride stances) puts you in an ideology-bucket with a crime against humanity. E.g. any defender of colonialism has to accept mass murder as a consequence of the ideology as much as a communist or Nazi (or deny its occurrence, as they both also do). Are historical religious atrocities significant enough to disbar the religious from teaching?
Many governments have been in power when some disaster happened. There were famines in Mughal India, for example. And Imperial Russia. And Sweden. And Manchu China. And Nationalist China. And Independent Bangladesh.
What was unusual about Communist dictatorships was that they so reliably caused famines.
As opposed to capitalist systems, which also reliably fail to feed millions of people, but it’s supposedly okay because they were poor anyway.
Examples?
http://www.worldhunger.org/2015-world-hunger-and-poverty-facts-and-statistics/
Which of the places with millions going hungry are capitalist systems?
cactus head says:
I completely agree that the fact that they were poor anyway makes it okay to fail to feed them.
This logic is completely unhelpful, and it irritates me to no end.
If ‘capitalist’ developed countries can be blamed for failure to feed people in non-developed countries, then ‘socialist’* countries can as well. So if ‘capitalism’ is responsible for hunger in the third world then ‘socialism’ is responsible for their own starved populations and those in the third world, capitalism is still the better choice. Likewise, yes, capitalist countries and socialist countries had been using less-developed countries as proxies to fight each other for years resulting in a lot of misery, which at best is attributable to both sides.
While there is often a trigger like a drought or crop disease, famines in the modern era tend to result from conflict or from government interference with the supply of food: things like tariffs on the importation of food, price controls and redistributing farmland. While it is perfectly possible for non-socialist governments, like Britain, to cause famines by interfering with the supply of food, socialism almost by definition involves the government rather than the market controlling the supply of food.
If you want to reduce hunger, stop governments from interfering with the supply of food, whether they are socialist or capitalist.
[* – For the purposes of this discussion, I am using the first definition of socialism I got from googling ‘define socialism’: a political and economic theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.]
yeah, I saw a similar version of this argument from a Youtuber named Badmouse, which might be where it’s from, and it’s pretty lolworthy. You can’t establish a direct responsibility, you can’t establish a level of blame for capitalists and not everyone else, and you can’t even account for the West giving tons of financial aid (which doesn’t work, making it seem like you’d need to go a bit deeper than just throwing money at the problem.) Ironically, what might work would be substantive interventions, which would then fall under the heading of colonialism (not inaccurately).
Long-term, a huge cause of famines used to be sound economic policy because such policies caused a significant increase in the food production, which caused an increase in population, which then resulted in a famine when an exogenous shock caused a temporary decrease in food production.
First off, I appreciate the spirt of the post. My tendency is to think that it’s not possible to draw any bright lines as we are very much in an A is better than B, B is better than C, but C is better than A type of situation.
Something to chew on:
I think I bite the bullet on this one and say that if the schoolteacher credibly promises not to be repugnant in any way in front of the kids, you let her keep teaching until she slips up.
I think you are letting yourself off too easily here.
Teachers, if they are to have the free speech rights you seem to believe in, must be able to speak in a manner that the public can hear. Children are in the public.
If, say, Dennis Leibnitz, a Jewish child who is a student in Carol’s class hears Carol’s speech, what is the appropriate remedy? What if we merely know Dennis is in Carol’s class? What if we don’t know if Dennis is in Carol’s class or not?
Psy-Kosh says:
> Teachers, if they are to have the free speech rights you seem to believe in, must be able to speak in a manner that the public can hear. Children are in the public.
Not using their position as teacher to give themselves an advantage by having a captive audience that they have authority over.
Yup, authority is the key issue here. People with murderous beliefs should ideally work for a living like the rest of us do, but, we don’t want them using authority positions to try to recruit others to their evil religions. We especially shouldn’t have institutions that organize audiences of impressionable young people who are supposed to learn from them. Again, not exactly sure what authority jobs they MIGHT still be allowed in, but, schoolteacher doesn’t make the cut. Maybe STEM professorship, if they promise to cool it on the whole “gas the jews” or “hang the kulaks.” Humanities is a tougher problem since ideologues see those positions as a high ground from which to conduct war on any beliefs that threaten their own, and, I think the last 60 years of history has shown that marxists can’t always be trusted to behave reasonably in those professorships.
gricky-
You seem to be agreeing with Psy-Kosh, but I’m not sure you really do. I read Psy-Kosh as saying that the key question was whether Carol espouses her poisonous beliefs in a public forum or actually in the classroom where her authority makes for a captive audience, but you sound like you mean Carol stating her poisonous beliefs in a public forum would disqualify her from working in a classroom.
If I’m reading Psy-Kosh correctly, I would draw an analogy with other abuse of authority. I’ve had several CEOs who called monthly or weekly all-hands meetings. If the CEO gave antisemitic harangues down at the local AntiSemitic Guild Hall, I could probably ignore it if it were a good job, but if it was a part of most all-hands, I’d probably push back at least to the extent of looking for other work.
If I’ve misread either you or Psy-Kosh, my apologies.
Yeah, you’re right about my intent. It was about abusing one’s authority.
As far as your CEO example, yeah, that’s basically what I had in mind re my comment. As far as my position of how to react to someone in power who spews vile stuff outside of their position? (Or, perhaps that’d be better phrased as “stuff I find vile”) I don’t know.
Hrm. I guess at least in _some_ cases, it’s reasonable to require certain views for certain jobs, but the main examples I can think of would be those where the views are directly related.
Since you bring up the example of antisemitism, I’ll use that for an example: I think it would be reasonable for, say, a Holocaust Memorial Center to refuse to hire any antisemites, or, especially, holocaust deniers, regardless of where they’re expressing those views. Kind of innately linked to the nature of the job.
I’d kind of prefer if biology teachers accepted evolution, etc…
So I think at least for jobs where the views are directly inherently related to the job itself, it might not be entirely unreasonable to filter based on such views. (I say hesitantly… though part of me is expecting that someone will convincingly demonstrate that actually accepting this as a policy would lead to everything being terrible forever.)
I’m not totally sure but I think “in front of the kids” is meant “at or immediately around her job”. The context of the post suggests we aren’t silencing her entirely, so she is allowed to do it some places, just not in the classroom or may be extending as far as places where she knows her kids are. (I would tend to think the fact that her kids could find out isn’t enough).
Drethelin is right, one focus needs to be on employers–the norm has to be something like: off duty legal behavior isn’t typically a firing offense. There are edge cases where it might be (spokesman for the company or something) but arguing over the exact contours of the border shouldn’t obscure the core idea.
A similar thing is happening WRT the main post. The problem is that lots of people are trying to enforce life destroying norm violation sanctions for things that are not (yet?) societal norms. They see the use of crushing sanctions as creating the norms, while they can’t be justly employed unless the norms are already in place (and even then senses of proportionality in justice might preclude certain sanctions).
I’m sure the death penalty for sexist jokes would be more effective at curbing them than the current regime, but it would also be out of proportion.
Yes, I understood that he meant “keep quiet in the class room, but do as you like elsewhere”
But the children, and their parents, are still likely to be able to hear them elsewhere, which raises quite a difficult point.
And here’s that baby step beyond Davis v. Monsanto I mentioned in the earlier thread. If you can be penalized in your employment by the government (in the case of teachers typically directly by the government) for speech made to the general public outside some specific employment situation, you’re not pushing in the boundaries of free speech: you’re taking a shot right at the heart of it. You’re saying that the government, by law and policy, can prevent people who espouse certain views from entering or remaining in certain fields of employment.
You’re saying that the government, by law and policy, can prevent people who espouse certain views from entering or remaining in certain fields of employment.
This is complicated, too, though perhaps I’m missing the context of the earlier thread. I totally agree it’s problematic for the state, by law and policy, to partition the populace into deplorable and non-deplorable based on their opinions. (See what I did there?)
But I didn’t read HeelBearCub quite the way you did. If Carol gives a nasty speech that her students might hear, it seems clearly within my rights to opine that she shouldn’t teach in my kid’s grade school. Suppose most of the parents in my district form similar opinions, and make a big fuss about it to the school board, who decide to take the path of least resistance and fire her. Is that “government law and policy”? Should Carol have recourse based on her right to free speech?
I can see it both ways, but this seems quite a different animal from, say, the legislature imposing a religious test as a qualification of employment.
(Naturally, I also fight the hypothesis. Schoolteachers should not be employees of the state in the first place. “At-will” employment should be “at will” and nobody should get any traction claiming that a firing is for an illegitimate reason, because there are no illegitimate reasons. But Scott is trying to speak more generally than just the legal right of free speech, so I forbear. Well, no, I guess I didn’t, but I beg people to ignore my stupid idiosyncrasies.)
@Doctor Mist:
If Carol gives a nasty speech that her students might hear, it seems clearly within my rights to opine that she shouldn’t teach in my kid’s grade school.
I’m actually a step back from that.
If Carol gives a nasty speech and her students hear it, it can reasonably be assumed to damage her ability to effectively teach at least some of those students. That this then gives proper cause for the parents or the students to ask that she no longer teach is, I think, a secondary effect.
Noted. I didn’t actually intend my description to be specific enough to exclude that clarification. I was mostly trying to raise the distinction between a bottom-up response and a top-down response. Of course, with popular sovereignty that may be a pointless distinction: I’m still trying to sort that out in my mind.
I think the distinction between government as employer and government as government is important here. I can be pretty easily convinced that the government can legitimately say “certain jobs for which we are hiring go only to people with certain views”–I’m fine with all employers doing so. Where I have a problem is when the government requires or “strongly encourages” anyone else to say that.
russellsteapot42 says:
Most people see someone who is acting in a professional capacity on behalf of their employer at the time to be, at that time, representing their employer. With teachers, this is often effectively the government.
Because of this, most people see restrictions on a teachers speech during class time, while they are acting in their role as teacher, or even toward the specific children they are assigned to teach, as perfectly acceptable.
People seem to be missing my point.
How is Dennis effected once he knows that his teacher is a rabid anti-Semite?
DrBeat says:
There are a LOT of teachers who just fucking despise certain students and go out of their way to punish them, despite no wrongdoing on the part of the student. Usually this is not due to the child being a Jew; usually this is due to the child being inherently unpopular.
Your question seems like it is less about free speech norms and more about that thing.
CatCube says:
How is a conservative Christian student affected once he learns that his teacher is gay?
Your stance smells more of “we’re actually cool with stomping on people for their private lives, just so long as the large jackboot is enforcing our norms” as opposed to “we don’t think that a teacher’s private life should have any bearing on whether they can do their job, so long as they leave it out of the classroom.”
@cat Cube:
No, I think your question is a reasonable one to ask.
I think Scott is eliding how difficult these questions become to answer if we decide that we can remove the current deontological structure from deciding how free speech and free association co-mingle.
I think that the deontological structure that decided
that gay people were immoral was wrong. Current society agrees with me. But I also understand that deontology doesn’t arise from principles of physics.
Current society agrees with me.
Does it really, or is it just the supreme court? As I recall gay marriage was 0 for 30 at the polls when voted on. I suppose that there are a polls with a majority that support gay people aren’t immoral, but you might want to check that assertion against worldwide society. My point isn’t to debate polling statistics or the morality of gays, but you seem to be taking a position that if we hit a 51% majority then people should be banned from having a contrary publicly voiced opinion.
If the rules are math teachers probably shouldn’t be voicing opinions on the morality of gays either way in class then I can probably live with that.
I think that the deontological structure that decided that gay people were immoral was wrong.
Checking my catechism…nope, still says sex outside of heterosexual marriage is a no-no. And I think there’s plenty of evangelicals around who have much harsher language.
However, my concern with regards to instruction of children is that the anti-anti-homosexuals have way overcompensated. Yes, I can agree homosexuals should not be persecuted (always have, the Catholic teaching on this stuff has never changed from “treat sinners with compassion”), but now we’ve gone from Pride parade day, to Pride Week, to all of June being Pride Month, and the deontological structure deciding not just that homosexuality shouldn’t be persecuted, but that homosexuality is normal and good and celebrated more than heterosexuality and anyone who thinks otherwise is evil. Shocking, when a massive cultural crusade extols the virtues of homosexuality, you wind up with less than 50% of teens identifying as straight.
Given all of the negative outcomes associated with the gay lifestyle, like disease, drug and alcohol abuse, mental illness, depression, suicide, teaching children that this lifestyle is normal or healthy seems like a terrible choice. Do you have to scream hellfire and damnation? No, but if all we’re showing our kids about homosexuality is Glee and parades and rainbows and leaving out all the downsides of hedonism I have to think we’re doing them a disservice.
How is Dennis effected once he knows that his math teacher is the most inspiring competent teacher he has ever had or doesn’t even know what an anti-Semite is, or why he should even care?
Does this enter into the equation or are we talking purity tests naturally lining up with the “right” values?
Dennis is Jewish. I think it’s pretty reasonable to assume a high probability for the proposition that his education will be deleteriously affected if he learns that his teacher desires his extermination.
@HeelBearCub
It takes far, far, far less to be called an antisemite than to want the extermination of Jews. Among a decently sized group of people, opposing a state for favoring specific ethnicities or religions is sufficient.
I have an issue with people who fight for rules based on claims that the rules will be used against the most egregious violators of the rules, while in practice these rules get used to fight political disputes with.
You do need to at minimum address the most likely outcome of the policy that you defend, not an unrealistic ideal.
@Aapje:
Carol isn’t my invention, but Scott’s. Her desire for the extermination of the Jews is part of the original example.
I merely added Dennis into the equation to show how Scott was not considering the implications, how Carol’s speech outside the classroom affects students inside the classroom.
I also said that this is a hard problem to solve, and my contention is that it is one that is fundamentally “unsolvable”. The model I continue to return to is of the system of rights being in tension with each other. The nearer one moves to an absolute in one area, the farther one moves from another.
Your proposing or supporting unrelated purity tests for qualifications in a field with which one may be very qualified. Should we not allow teachers who despise cats? One can make a reasonable linkage to excluding a pedophile from teaching, one cannot make that linkage from somebody just being intolerant of something that is not in a certain group’s Overton window.
I’d like perfect pure people teaching my kids but I’m grown up enough to recognize people are flawed and what really matters is their ability to teach and what happens in the classroom. I imagine there are many Muslim teachers in the US who likely have unfavorable views of Jews, shall we ban them?
If it can be shown Dennis is being treated unfairly then by all means complain all you want. This line of thinking appears to justify not even requiring evidence that Dennis is being treated unfairly.
@tscharf:
Your proposing or supporting unrelated purity tests for qualifications in a field with which one may be very qualified.
I actually haven’t proposed anything.
I said that Scott hadn’t considered fully the specific scenario he conjured as an example.
From a Bayesian perspective, knowledge that Carol desires the murder of Jews should significantly raise our prior that a Jewish child in her class will be treated unfairly. Dennis gaining knowledge that his teacher desires his death should raise our prior that he will have a sub-optimal educational outcome in the class.
This then represents a conflict. The mere exercise of Carol’s free speech represents a significant possibility that educational outcomes in her class are affected, even though the speech is restricted from the class. Resolving this inherent conflict has no easy answer.
I think it’s pretty reasonable to assume a high probability for the proposition that his education will be deleteriously affected if he learns that his teacher desires his extermination.
Is it reasonable? Only in as much Dennis lets it deleteriously affect his education, but I don’t see why Dennis should let it do so, assuming that the teacher behaves in a way that is indistinguishable from someone who doesn’t desire his extermination. I think the proper course of action is that Dennis – and every other student – should be taught that one should be completely ambivalent to the internal contents of someone else’s mind unless there’s some accompanying change in behavior predicted by those internal contents.
Now, if there’s good evidence that indicates that Carol being a literal Nazi who desires literal death of some of her students including Dennis would affect her ability to teach those students, then it does seem reasonable that Dennis’s education be deletriously affected, and it also seems reasonable that Carol be fired from her job.
This would be roughly equivalent to Carol revealing her inability to read and write, and then being fired because inability to read and write is predictive of not being able to perform her job of teaching kids at a satisfactory level. Not because we want to punish people who lack the ability to read and write.
I agree it’s not easily resolvable. If it’s a math class versus world history where Dennis got a bad grade because he thinks the holocaust was a terrible idea matters.
Cat haters teaching cat lovers seems innocent enough. My viewpoint is that thought crimes need to have a very high threshold of proof that damage is actually being done. There are far too many people on both sides that would use this ability to push a cultural agenda.
From a Bayesian perspective, knowledge that Carol desires the murder of Jews should significantly raise our prior that a Jewish child in her class will be treated unfairly.
From a Bayseian perspective, knowledge that Carol is a Muslim should also significantly raise our prior of the same thing.
Yet we don’t fire teachers for being Muslims, and there’s a reason for this.
@Jiro:
If they were a Muslim who used their rights of free speech to advocate for the extermination of Jews, I would agree with you.
Otherwise your argument is laughable.
Is it reasonable? Only in as much Dennis lets it deleteriously affect his education, but I don’t see why Dennis should let it do so,
Talking about blaming the victim. The idea that a child has a duty to be numb to fear so that an adult in position can freely have access to him — access that would allow her to do the very thing he fears — is evil.
Laughable?
The chances the fictional anti-Semite teacher would be a Muslim is pretty high.
Pew 2011 – % Favorable Views of Jews / Population
Turkey 4% / 81M
Egypt 2% / 98M
Jordan 2% / 10M
Lebanon 3% / 6M
Palest. Ter. 4% / 5M
Indonesia 9% / 264M
Pakistan 2% / 197M
It is nearly impossible to get 98% of people to agree on anything, ever. Iran’s president called for Israel to be wiped off the map at a World Without Zionism conference. Yes, Muslim anti-Semitism is “laughable” except for at least 700M people. I don’t have anything against Muslims or Jews but I’m not blind to the fact that Muslims have some quite intolerant views on this subject.
Because this is a complete derailment from the question at hand, “What are the limits of free speech?”.
We don’t have to guess at Carol’s views. We know them with certainty because knwpowing them with certainty is part of the thought experiment. In fact, voicing them out loud is a centrally necessary part of the thought experiment.
Again, as I already said, if we posit a Muslim who makes clear that they desires the extermination of the Jews, the thought experiment does not change.
Of course it does.
Muslims who call for Jewish extermination are largely painted as victims of Israeli oppression who, although they may be overreacting, have a good point and whose righteous anger, if misguided, is certainly understandable.
White Americans who call for Jewish extermination are seen as the lowest form of human scum imaginable whose views are only based in idiotic hatred and ignorance.
Just crazy talk of course, but we could always go a little less Minority Report and wait for Carol to actually mistreat a student before commencing disciplinary action.
@Paul Zrimsek:
Again, this is a thought experiment. I don’t have to try to see the future, I get to construct the past.
And in this past, Dennis has heard Carol’s calls for the extermination of the Jews. We can already reasonably infer that Carol has harmed him. See Mary above for a slightly more passionate formulation of this argument.
And we can also see that it becomes very hard to disentangle various threads to show, say, biased grading. There is always a certain amount of subjectivity in the teaching/learning/assessing/grading loop.
That’s not how Bayseianism works.
If only a subset of Muslims are likely to hurt Jews, and the other Muslims act normally, then being a Muslim (without qualifiers as to whether they are in the subset) is Bayseian evidence that they will hurt Jews.
Bayseian evidence doesn’t allow you to say “we don’t know if they’re in the extermination-happy subgroup, so Bayseianism doesn’t apply at all”.
In this case, this thought experiment, we are examining the implications of the the exercise of free speech. We are trying to find the bounds of free speech by examining not just the benefits to that speech, but its harms.
If names now count as sticks and stones, and the harm to Dennis has already taken place, what was all that mahooha about the Bayesian probability of a harm in the future?
@Paul:
Because a) some of the the probable harm comes directly from the speech. It is caused by the speech itself. That alone should be enough to call into question the claim of the right of free speech.
But, in addition, b) the other probability (of unfair treatment) is raised because she is specifically speaking about desiring to harm. She isn’t merely in a reference class.
“I desire to harm this person, but I promise not to” is different than “Some people who share some properties with you sometime say they want to harm this person”.
The comment about probabilities wasn’t intended as the basis for establishing a utilitarian view concentrated only on net outcomes. Rather it was simply pointing out that we have a good reason to believe that the speech will be harmful or can be used to predict harm. From a legal perspective, this is part of the grounds for a claim of negligence, I believe.
We are trying to find the bounds of free speech by examining not just the benefits to that speech, but its harms.
That applies to both cases. The harm in the first case is if you let a Jew-hater have a job, and he discriminates against Jews in the classroom. The harm in the second case is if you let a Muslim have a job and he discriminates against Jews in the classroom.
Either way, members of the class (Jew-haters, Muslims) are on a Bayseian level more likely to discriminate against Jews than an average person.
If you want to construct a simply utilitarian worldview, then it’s useless to talk about “rights”. You are engaged in throwing out a red herring.
You were the one who brought up Bayseian expectations and priors. And then you said you weren’t talking about utilitarianism, but about benefits and harms, which of course is utilitarianism.
I’d suggest that if you’re going to ignore utilitarianism, you do so in both cases. So it doesn’t matter that the Muslim has an increased chance of harming Jewish students, but it also doesn’t matter that the Jew-hater has an increased chance of harming Jewish students. People should be punished for things they do, not for Bayseian increases in probability, even if punishing them for Bayseian increases in probability leaves others safer.
@HBC,
Want to test your principles with a real world example?
Trinity College professor Johnny Eric Williams (teaches race and racism) put up a public post on “Let Them F***ing Die” which specifically called for black emergency personnel to let wounded white people die rather than lend assistance. Trinity put him on leave but recently reinstated him because these statements were “extramural utterances”.
Do you support or oppose this?
Most of this free speech debate really comes down to a fear of biased outcomes based on the ideology of those who judge. This example screams bias. If one doesn’t get fired for literally calling for the death of white people when you teach race classes, one assumes you can say anything outside of class. Or not.
I have zero faith rules like this are going to be implemented in a fair and equal manner, and so far reality agrees.
The canonical example of a limit to free speech doesn’t do anything other than raise a likelihood of harm.
I would have been perfectly OK with that Trinity professor being let go. It appears that he was not let go because of internal policy, which seems consistent with the idea of tenured professors being having a exceedingly large amount of freedom of opinion. Generally, I am in favor of organizations developing policies that are clear and then following them. It’s specifically because these problems are hard that we shouldn’t expect every organization to have the exact same policies.
You keep acting as if I have said “Carol should be fired.”, but I have not said this. I said that Scott hasn’t fully wrestled fully with the problem (especially noteworthy that he said he was “biting the bullet”) nor do I think this argument is actually wrestling with it.
People are trying to prove me wrong in a position I haven’t even taken, no matter that you think you know what position I would take.
If you’re referring to yelling ‘fire’ in a theater, I hope you know why that isn’t a good example.
It was a questionable metaphor for the case at hand when it was invented. But it has lasted as a rhetorical point nevertheless, because taken literally it’s pretty unobjectionable. And HeelBearCub is perfectly correct, the reason it seems a justifiable infringement on free speech rests entirely and precisely on utilitarian grounds.
HBC seems to be switching between utilitarian and non-utilitarian decisions when convenient; if you want to fire a Jew-hater, harm is important, but if you want to fire a Muslim, all of a sudden we’re not being utilitarian any more.
If you’re utilitarian, you should fire both of them. If you think people shouldn’t be punished for Bayseian likelihoods, you don’t fire either of them and you take the risk. You don’t fire one for reasons of Bayseian harm then ignore Bayseian harm for the other.
@Jiro
But you never don’t have qualifiers, outside of a perfectly spherical thought experiment. This sort of argumentation that it’s fine to just quit gathering evidence and make conclusions based on very coarse group membership is something that gives rationality a bad name.
Also, I think you are using language that implies a severe overestimation of the relative size of each group. In your statement “knowledge that Carol is a Muslim should also significantly raise our prior of the same thing”, the word “significantly” implies several orders of magnitude more weight than what is justified.
But you never don’t have qualifiers, outside of a perfectly spherical thought experiment.
This objection also applies to the case of the Jew-hater asked to teach a class containing Jews, to which the Muslim example was a comparison.
Steve Sailer says:
My view centers around what I call the concept of being “In the Arena.” The more you choose to be In The Arena of, say, national debate, and the more successful you are at accomplishing your ambitions to be In the Arena, the more reasonable it is for you to be a target for criticism.
I try to be In the Arena, so I’m fair game for critics.
Similarly, I worked pretty hard at times from 2005 to, say, 2010 to point out flaws in the thinking of Malcolm Gladwell, because Malcolm, selling millions of books, giving many highly compensated speeches, and writing lots of long articles in a top magazine, had very much chosen to be In the Arena and was quite successful at accomplishing that.
Over time, my critique of Gladwell has spread, and Malcolm has responded somewhat by refocusing his efforts more toward his strengths than toward the weaknesses I had identified.
This would seem to be a constructive process, even if it involved hurt feelings on Malcolm’s part.
On the other hand, I don’t see much point in putting much effort into critiquing people who either haven’t chosen to be In the Arena or haven’t much succeeded at it.
I would be interested in your advice on how to write about politically incorrect topics.
ilkarnal says:
Existence is an imposition. Space is finite and precious. This principle can be extended to social space. If all the little tiny hunter-gatherer tribes got to sit around on their land because they ‘weren’t bothering anyone’ then the world would still be entirely dotted with tiny hunter-gatherer tribes. Progress, or really any meaningful change requires that space be fought over and that ‘not bothering anyone’ isn’t a free ticket to eternal unmolested existence. We’re seeing this principle in action in some places with the success of NIMBY. What you’re proposing leads straight to NIMBYworld hell. The answer is – no, you don’t have a right to be unmolested simply because you aren’t molesting others. That isn’t a thing. Your existence in itself is a very significant imposition on other beings and you’d better be able to defend it with more than your harmlessness. If you do nothing to help me and nothing to harm me you’re a walled-off hole in the world where something useful once was. Where there was a free path I could walk and resources I could take there’s a barrier. That’s a problem – a problem that scales directly with how many ‘harmless’ non-interactors there are.
In the social world this is less urgent than in the physical world – though obviously the separation is somewhat artificial – but, if the social world is balkanized and I am basically isolated to a teeny chunk, that’s still pretty urgent to me. If Twitter and Facebook ban me then my ability to communicate has been significantly hampered by their walled platforms, and I am fully within my rights to campaign to have those walls sundered – the idea of regulating them as utilities comes to mind. The problem is not solved by trying to split the social world into a zillion walled communities. Realistically people like being connected, which means there will be gates in those walls and those with the keys have the power. If I’m not one of the keyholders I will be the dire enemy of these walls. Being isolated is not tolerable. Like being herded into some walled ghetto, this sort of isolation is a prelude to whatever the hell the powers-that-be want.
I think the most important consideration is that it be crossed in a way that doesn’t create a giant negative-sum war-of-all-against-all.
It’s not self-evident that big conflicts are negative-sum. Life is basically a giant war of all-against-all, and here we are. From that war springs friendship and love and beauty. Love and friendship are ways of binding individuals together to put something over the rest of the competition. That’s what brought them into existence and that’s what sustains them. If you try to make them into some sort of edgeless saccharine all-pervading fairy tale nonsense, then to the extent that you succeed they will wither and die. To be the enemy of competition is to be the short-lived enemy of life.
If Twitter and Facebook ban me then my ability to communicate has been significantly hampered by their walled platforms, and I am fully within my rights to campaign to have those walls sundered
Why? You’ve just argued in the first part of your comment that ” no, you don’t have a right to be unmolested simply because you aren’t molesting others”. Why should Twitter or Facebook allow you access ‘just because’? In your own terms, how are you helping or harming them, and they have the right to set up demands that you justify your existence – or being given/retaining a place on their platforms.
I really don’t see that you can declare “simply being isn’t enough, if I can’t make something from you, I have every right to walk into your house and take whatever stuff I find lying around” and at the same time argue “I should have the right to sit in my house quietly and enjoy it”. Twitter and Facebook are putting up the “walls” to drive progress in the way you want – making you strive to gain access by surmounting barriers, and if you can’t do that, then your deserved fate is to be trampled beneath the feet of those who can do so.
Why should Twitter or Facebook allow you access ‘just because’?
They shouldn’t. They should be warned that not allowing access will be treated as a hostile act, and those so isolated will act to rid them of their autonomy.
“I should have the right to sit in my house quietly and enjoy it”
I do not in fact have that right. If I merely sit quietly in my house and enjoy it, it will be seized from me. I am required to pay dues to local and distant lords in order to merely exist unmolested. Also, de-facto, meet certain social standards of niceness and positive interaction, not simple non-interaction. Obviously I would like to have such a right, but not at the cost of everyone else having it for the reasons I partially outline in my original post.
if you can’t do that, then your deserved fate is to be trampled beneath the feet of those who can do so.
This reality of non-interaction as an imposition is a large part of what’s behind hospitality norms, I think. Westerners are often surprised around the world by the effusive, generous hospitality they receive. What they don’t seem to understand is that not helping a traveling individual or band is tantamount to aggression. Where this generous family once was, there was free space where you could forage and hunt and camp and traverse freely. To turn your backs and close your doors, especially en masse, is to become a terrible imposition on the traveler. This can be safely done to some, but not to those with some scrap of power, and rich men-nobles-westerners-soldiers etc cannot be so insulted and imposed upon casually.
By electing a president with an advisor who joins in our opprobrium for liberal censorship on social media platforms, my compatriots and I send them notice that going too far will be risky. Lots of far-right people operate fairly freely now. I think there’s a significant chance there would be a bigger crackdown if the country’s leadership was friendly instead of hostile to such action.
Still, Twitter, Facebook, by extension the whole liberal ruling edifice of society view my ilk and I as fairly minor annoyances to be eventually ‘trampled’ through the standard tactics of censorship and black propaganda. Eventually we will have to crush them, surrender, or leave.
Why are you talking like a character from Lord of the Rings?
I don’t see any resemblance, save it be to the Orcs plotting to steal away with a gang of the lads and harass the settlers for plunder and rapine while the great war is going on.
ilkarnal’s putative notion of how social spaces work is the same thing: a bigger force is entitled to push you off your land and take it over. That they then demand, from an admitted position of weakness, that the bigger and stronger group let them in “or else” they will do unspecified harm to them is like a single Orc threatening Gondor: let me in or else!
The conclusion of his post was that he sees this as a life or death struggle.
Why do people talk so grandly in the life or death struggle of Lord of The Rings? Because if you want to face oblivion you tend to hype yourself up a bit more than if you’re out gardening.
Also this post I made about how calling a paranoiac paranoid can look might be relevant:
https://slatestarcodex.com/2017/07/30/ot81-open-djed/#comment-530443
They should be warned that not allowing access will be treated as a hostile act, and those so isolated will act to rid them of their autonomy.
Again, why? You’ve set up a “man against man” situation where “Space is finite and precious. This principle can be extended to social space.” All Twitter and Facebook are doing is defending the space they’ve marked off and developed. You claim that “Progress, or really any meaningful change requires that space be fought over and that ‘not bothering anyone’ isn’t a free ticket to eternal unmolested existence”. Well, that is exactly what Twitter and Facebook’s walls are doing: they are fighting against the unwanted and uninvited. You, by your own principles, have no right on their space, no right of access, no right to be permitted inside the walls “just because”. The barriers they impose are there to sort out those who can contribute value. If you can’t pass the test to give them value, you don’t get in.
And by your principles, that’s perfectly fine. “Your existence in itself is a very significant imposition on other beings and you’d better be able to defend it with more than your harmlessness.” If you provide no help to Twitter, they are not obligated to allow you access to their space and resources.
Your threat is that “I can cause harm to Twitter”. On your own? No, you have to gather up “the other isolated persons”. You don’t seem to recognise that you are in the position of the “little tiny hunter-gatherer tribes [getting] to sit around on their land”. Twitter is the colonising European power that has better technology and more force of arms that has come in, said “you’re not doing anything with this space, we can make better use of it” and taken it over – again, all in consort with your own principles.
To turn your backs and close your doors, especially en masse, is to become a terrible imposition on the traveler.
Other way round. A wandering stranger looking to take up room by the campfire, food, and shelter is imposing on the villagers. He has contributed nothing to growing or hunting the food, building the huts, or keeping the village safe. And what can a single traveller do against an entire village, if he makes threats to “give me food or else?” Now he’s not a traveller, he’s a bandit, and the society of the village is entitled to defend itself against him.
You’re that bandit, trying to force Facebook to give you unearned benefits. They may be stronger than you. What is better to do is gather all the other isolates and carve out and develop your own space, as a competitor to them.
We already know how that ends.
Forward Synthesis says:
Scott’s problem in that article seems to be that the network effect stops the market in social media from working correctly, but you can easily see people’s reluctance to move from an established network to a new one as a revealed preference indicating that the problems with the established network aren’t that bad yet.
I wouldn’t really worry about more opportunities and choice for all. People could move to alternatives, but they don’t because they prefer being with their friends more than they hate the niggles of the big social media sites. We have to conclude they are doing something right by the majority of people, or at least nothing majorly negative.
Meanwhile, thousands upon thousands of communities do exist for the people who think differently. It’s just not the majority, or the average person, and that’s fine. Maybe for the average person the internet is Facebook. That’s fine, because I have alternatives and am happy to be among the small percentage of people to whom it isn’t.
“Let a thousand nations bloom” was always the wrong way of approaching this issue. It should be “Let as many nations bloom as befits the tastes of various factions of the populace”, which is on the internet pretty much what we have now. The system works. Ultimately, being annoyed at Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit being so big is being annoyed that most human beings don’t have the same taste as you.
Libertarians need to realize that their real problem is that they are essentially aliens to the average person, and no system wide change will correct that, because the system (short of eugenics/other weirdness) will always contain the same kind of typical person.
Ultimately, no social system has ever worked, if analyze things with the wrong kind of expectations.
The point of pointing out the network effects is that the implications of “better because of better policies” and “better because of network effects” are different. It’s literally true that both of those are revealed preferences, but characterizing them that way omits a relevant distinction.
The network effect is only of a certain magnitude. If the negative pressure of bad policies hasn’t exceeded the positive pressure of the network effect, then they can’t be running these things all that catastrophically. Do they really deserve a massive exodus in the first place?
You, by your own principles, have no right on their space, no right of access, no right to be permitted inside the walls “just because”.
I don’t think you’ve grasped my principles at all. I have a right to attack them, they have a right to attack me in turn. That aside, the matter my post clarifies is that offering 0 upside is in effect an attack when your existence takes up precious space and resources. ‘If you’re not with us (at least a little) you’re against us’ is an entirely legitimate claim.
We should both do what we think is best for us. If Twitter thinks they can get away with banning, say, people who talk like Trump, and this suits them, they should do it. The anti-liberal bloc that I am a part of will attempt to retaliate. We might very well win, and gouge away some of their autonomy. This deterrence is at least part of what has kept even people far to the right of Trump on Twitter.
Other way round. A wandering stranger looking to take up room by the campfire, food, and shelter is imposing on the villagers.
They are both imposing on each other and depending on the situation both impositions could be deadly.
It is correct for the bird to try to eat the worm and for the worm to try to avoid being detected and eaten by the bird.
And what can a single traveller do against an entire village, if he makes threats to “give me food or else?” Now he’s not a traveller, he’s a bandit, and the society of the village is entitled to defend itself against him.
A bandit… or a lord, or an army, or someone with connections to such powers. ‘Entitlement’ to an attitude that will annihilate you is meaningless.
Who is a single traveler? Most people have connections, cannot be disappeared consequence-free. A scrap-clothed old vagrant is harmless and thus unlikely to receive hospitality – has no meaningful entitlement through power, the only real entitlement.
They may be stronger than you
They are definitely stronger, but that does not mean that I fear them or cannot profitably fight them. I can be a scale-snatching fish, there and gone with my prize before they can do anything about it.
they then demand, from an admitted position of weakness, that the bigger and stronger group let them in “or else” they will do unspecified harm to them is like a single Orc threatening Gondor: let me in or else!
There are ways to go places without having permission. Not everything is behind high walls. We don’t have the numbers or resources to sack Minas Tirith, but that doesn’t mean we need to sit around trembling. Let them tremble behind their walls.
Your existence in itself is a very significant imposition on other beings
[Later] If Twitter and Facebook ban me then… the idea of regulating them as utilities comes to mind.
[Then, much later] To be the enemy of competition is to be the short-lived enemy of life.
This entire post boils down to “I’m strongly in favor competition except when I lose.”
A competing hypothesis is that mere existence is not itself an imposition on fellow beings, but those who feel that it is are generally (and justly) excised from social groups……
When am I not in favor of competition? I’m describing how I, along with people who are like-minded to varying degrees, will attempt to impose our will in turn on those who would impose on us.
On the contrary those most central to the formation and management of social groups feel and act according to this principle, very strongly.
When am I not in favor of competition?
When you say that if [X social entity] bans you, you would be in favor of regulating them as utilities. If [X social entity] is a public utility, then access to its social space is the desert of each person, with no need for or possible resort to competition. This is exactly counter to your purported thesis.
Ultimately, I don’t believe you really are in favor of competition, even in concept. If you were, you would acknowledge the very real potential of your own loss/ failure/defeat/exile. I feel you’re using “competition” to stand for “I personally deserve to always win.”
You shouldn’t actually tell people you’re just out to impose your will on them though. That’s likely to contribute to you losing by rallying people against the guy who wants to control everything, and even thinks staying out of his way isn’t enough.
@ilkarnal
Existence is an imposition. Space is finite and precious.
But it isn’t all that finite and precious on the internet. All those teeny tiny tribes from real space no longer exist because economies of scale meant that larger social groups could defeat them militarily. The existence of separate sites on the internet for separate interests emerges from different phenomena.
There is the network effect which tends to mean that social networks tend towards a small number of big companies, but this problem isn’t solved by making an even bigger monopoly of a single social network and destroying all alternatives. Outside of social media, there are thousands of little specialized communities, just like this one, which act as retreats. Destroying those gives the powers that be far more control, since you’ve conveniently assembled everyone into one community under one ruleset, with no avenues of escape.
Right now, there are a few big fat fish, and innumerable minnows, and you want them all to be swallowed by a shark.
and you’d better be able to defend it with more than your harmlessness
This is pretty bold. Diseconomies of scale exist too, so you’ll have a hard time turning the internet into a single website, which seems to be the logical conclusion of seeing every separation and filtration as being an oppressive waste of resources. If you merely wish to regulate social media as utilities, this actually solves none of the problems you claim to have about walls.
Realistically people like being connected, which means there will be gates in those walls and those with the keys have the power.
“People” is not a unitary concept. I don’t like being connected to just anyone. I like being connected to people who are interesting. The problem is that it’s not just walls that prevent you from moving freely, it’s also the people behind the walls. You can tear down the walls, but now all the people behind them are sharing a space right next to you and getting in your way. It’s not clear you actually save any resources. If you dissolve the barrier between the fishing enthusiast forum and the racing car enthusiast forum, now you have one big community where people who like fishing more than racing cars and vice versa battle for control over the same resources.
You say there’s no right to go unmolested, but I say there’s no right to be free either. I agree that life is a giant war of all against all, and I’ll do everything in my power to make sure the norms I prefer about community defeat the norms you prefer. It’s literally not possible to be the enemy of competition. Cooperation, and every saccharine dream, requires competition to achieve and competition to maintain (and by your standards the “enemies of competition” are winning). It’s hardly a fairy tale when separate communities like 4chan, twitter, reddit, facebook, this place, rotten tomatoes forums, moviecodec forums, spacebattles, and every internet community from the massive social networks to myraids of tiny message boards is the current status quo.
You’ll have a hard time changing that. Sounds more like a fairytale to me.
But it isn’t all that finite and precious on the internet.
Storage, bandwidth and computing costs are irrelevant, what matters is the people. There’s a very limited number of people, and their time is finite.
Diseconomies of scale exist too, so you’ll have a hard time turning the internet into a single website, which seems to be the logical conclusion of seeing every separation and filtration as being an oppressive waste of resources
No. Boundaries impermeable to me are oppressive to me. Presently such boundaries are very rare on the internet because the internet has a norm and requires for ideal and efficient operation a great deal of openness. Facebook and Twitter are eyeing this situation, looking to make things more closed to block out certain undesirables. They step carefully because boundaries are costly and risky. I along with a significant bloc want to make this as risky as possible.
It’s hardly a fairy tale when separate communities like 4chan, twitter, reddit, facebook
What bothers me, as is clear in my initial post, is places and people closing themselves off and being ‘non-interactors,’ and the idea that this isn’t a potentially deadly imposition. None of these places are closed off right now. They are almost completely open. All the big places I want to go to are open to me. If and when I am walled off, I will do my best to bypass and tear down the walls alongside those who are walled off with me.
4chan, Twitter, and Reddit have subtly different norms but ultimately they almost entirely overlap – you can go on any of these platforms and say pretty much anything you like to anyone on the platform, rules about profanity and pornography aside. Facebook is the most closed, but still pretty open, much more open than real life social circles. This is an extension of the initial extreme openness of the Internet. If the main social media platforms were to crack down this would be a tremendous blow to people like me, and we wouldn’t take it lying down. We would attack and circumvent the barriers and platforms with any means available to us. This would not be a case of us being nasty aggressive people, but rather defending our legitimate interests from what amounts to a very harmful imposition.
drethelin says:
I think this has a similar problem to your post a few days ago about signal-boost doxing. It focuses the ENTIRETY of the debate on what it’s ok to say to and about other people, on the assumption that if word gets back to their boss/whoever they get fired. If we’re going to spread any sort of robust cultural norm, it seems to me far more sensible to spread a norm about NOT firing otherwise-satisfactory employees based on minor rudenesses outside the context of work. It seems like if we can change how people treat each other, it’s much more fundamental to change how people relate to friends, family, and coworkers, especially when it comes to disagreement and censure, and especially when it comes to finding people they can relate to and trust.
No one is perfect. No one has perfectly moral opinions on all topics, and no one has perfectly reliable judgement at all times. We can accept this in ourselves (except for the scrupulous), and we allow it in our friends because we KNOW they have a lot of great and likable traits that counterbalance whatever flaw is recently brought to our attention. But more and more people are being encouraged to abandon friends and family and to cut ties with jobs and businesses based on imperfections. This is atomization gone turbo: Not only do you end up with almost no friends because you moved for college and then moved again for work, the “friends” you DO make might abandon you at the drop of a sandwich.
Too many people throw away too many positive things because they are imperfect, and this is horrible.
Post-script: one of the things you mention briefly is the idea of deducing a person’s character from something they say, and I think we’ve gone entirely too far in the direction of dehumanization and fundamental attribution error. A racist comment becomes morally equivalent to a lynching, rendering the speaker a moral non-patient, an outlaw. Traditionally, this punishment was reserved for the worst criminals. For everything else, compromise. Compromise, the partial fulfillment of multiple desires, is the fundamental basis on which civilization is built. Without compromise, we are stuck in an eternal war of all and against all.
A major part of it is bad pattern matching. People are often unable to distinguish between the person who is slightly racist and treats black people generally quite well vs a hardcore racist who celebrates lynchings. People start pattern matching to the most extreme and rare outliers, not the common case. Then they don’t check whether their stereotyping is actually correct, but just shoot from the hip.
I actually blame atomization for this, because it seems that increasingly, people have a bad model of their outgroup and worse, are not even able to communicate with their outgroup. Their ingroup has build up a lot of dogma & a shared vocabulary and the outgroup has done the same, so communicating with the outgroup is really, really difficult. Both groups consider things obvious that are considered clear falsehoods to the other side and use terminology which is build on their own worldview that the other side considers toxic. The chasm is so big that both groups rarely get to actually hash out their differences, because getting to a shared vocabulary and shared set of facts is not really something that you can achieve in a single debate.
Compromising tends to require actual understanding of the other side, because otherwise you need a perfect balance of power and constant fighting to have each side get their way sufficiently. In practice this is never the case and if there is then no understanding, the group that dominates tends to create very hostile environments to the other side, frequently by accident.
I think Scott’s “it’s politically advantageous to pattern match incorrectly” is more responsible than atomization.
I think it’s more than just bad modelling of the outgroup, I think it’s active seeking of dragons to slay.
If you’ve grown up hearing heroic tales of brave warriors saving helpless peasants from dragons burninating the countryside and yet you never seem to meet any real dragons… well, if you squint hard enough, some lizards begin to look like dragons, so if you smash them with a giant sword, you’re a hero, right?
SJWs as Don Quioxte is a meme I’m willing to get behind.
Don Quixote fighting Trogdor is a meme I can get behind. No one can defeat Trogdor, but Don Quixote would fail harder than most 🙂
Yes, I think there is a major dose of “I want to be a hero” going on. It’s everywhere in literature and movies. The search for a personal Darth Vader and an Empire to overthrow is programmed into us from the very beginning by our culture. Naturally we are all Luke Skywalker in our minds but the heroe’s journey requires an Empire to overcome so it’s necessary to create one in your head. This may create a lot of unnecessary conflict but it is unclear that it isn’t a good thing overall. Jobs, Musk, Gates, etc. all slayed imaginary dragons.
It is unfortunate we all learn the hard way that the Empire almost always wins. They might want to throw in a few stories of Brave Little Johnny getting eaten by a dragon because he didn’t know what he was doing.
So bring back the Grimms’ versions of fairy tales?
Attacking the evil empire seems like it could do with a similar heuristic as Scott has suggested for criticizing your ingroup: if it doesn’t pain you at least somewhat to criticize them, they’re probably not your ingroup. If you’re fighting the evil empire and finding it extremely cathartic, invigorating, and satisfying, as opposed to terrifying and/or unbelievably frustrating, you are probably not actually fighting the evil empire.
Jobs, Musk, Gates, etc. all slayed imaginary dragons.
But their dragons weren’t imaginary. The Dragon of Not Having Personal Computers and the foul Serpent of Being Unable to Process Credit Cards Without a Merchant Account were realish things, and Jobs, Gates and Musk got very real gold for slaying said beasts.
Steve from Accounting, who was fired thanks to a twitter mob because of a sexist joke was not in fact the Evil High Rapist Patriarch of Misogyny Tower, no damsels were saved, and no loot acquired.
I second this heuristic.
I actually blame atomization for this, because it seems that increasingly, people have a bad model of their outgroup and worse, are not even able to communicate with their outgroup…
This is what I was trying to get at in the last open thread. Reading the classics is important because common stories and cultural touchstones are the bulwark against atomization and what make true communication with the outgroup possible. “Miles of inferential distance can be crossed with a simple name or phrase so long as both of us know the story behind it.” Martin Luther King was successful in large part because he was able to invoke biblical allegories to recruit white Christians to his cause.
MLK talked about issues where both sides agreed on key facts though. People were not disagreeing whether black people were allowed to sit in front of the bus, go to non-segregated schools, vote, etc. They were arguing about the desirability of these things.
A lot of the modern disagreements hinge on competing claims of what the facts are. Are women underpaid only because of discrimination or mainly because of choices they make? Do white officers shoot black suspects more often or do all officers shoot too often for all suspects?
I don’t see how the classics help with that.
dyfed says:
They don’t help prove or disprove a fact, but they do help bridge the cultural divides that cause radically different interpretations of the same evidence. I would argue that most modern disagreements don’t arise from two wholly legitimate competing claims of facts, but rather one that is strong in part because the evidence is strong, and one that is strong despite the evidence.
Take capitalism versus communism, for instance: capitalism has an overwhelmingly strong track record of enriching everyone and everything that comes in contact with it (although the argument can be made that it doesn’t enrich everyone to the same degree and that could be bad—these criticisms are not germane); communism either ruins/impoverishes everything it touches or (if you believe its modern proponents) has never actually been implemented properly and therefore can’t be judged on the actions of its avowed practitioners.
Now go to reddit, to r/LateStageCapitalism, and you will find that the consensus view of economic history is rejected outright, and they believe there is nothing that has so impoverished the human race as capitalism. But precisely because the evidence for this view is so vanishing and weak, evidence-based arguments (indeed, all arguments) are prohibited.
If you want to reintegrate these people back into communion with economic society, you’re going to need a set of common societal stories and values that they won’t dismiss out of hand.
I think atomization also made it more difficult to identify the trolls and the edgy teenagers among the opinion offenders, which makes many speeches look more frightening than they should be regarded.
But isn’t there any room for discretion in choosing one’s friends? I’m happy to have an intellectual discussion in a forum like this with someone who thinks it’s dangerous that there are a lot of “Jewish billionaires,” but I don’t think I want to be friends with this person. (Mind you, I’m only talking about protecting myself, not dragging in third parties by trying to ensure that no one else is friends with this person.)
The issue is not that you shouldn’t filter your friends based on who you like to spend time with, it’s the overeager categorization of people into noble/evil based on tiny things.
But isn’t there any room for discretion in choosing one’s friends?
Yes there is! There has to be; no one can force you to be friends with someone else.
In the situation you proposed, you only know the Jew-billionaires-problem guy from an Internet forum, and you may (quite reasonably) feel uneasy about meeting him face-to-face and sharing more than a few comments online. But I think what drethelin is criticizing is not the situation you brought: it is people who would drop a friendship that was already established on other environments simply because of learning about a weird (perhaps obnoxious) opinion that they have.
For example: imagine that, instead of a random Internet guy, it was one of your close friends who was into the Jew-billionaire-problem thing, and you only found this out recently. They have always been a good friend to you, and you never had any complaints about their behaviour; would you now suddenly feel the need to cut the ties of friendship to protect yourself?
If we’re going to spread any sort of robust cultural norm, it seems to me far more sensible to spread a norm about NOT firing otherwise-satisfactory employees based on minor rudenesses outside the context of work.
“an otherwise satisfactory employee” who cannot treat his or her colleagues respectfully is a liability to the organization, however good his or her quality of work may be otherwise.
This is not atomization. This is about maintaining a culture of respect and decency within the organization.
If you work in public relations, ok fine you can try to mind control your employees into only saying PR-compatible inanities. But 99 percent of people don’t work in PR. They have actual output and tasks to complete that provide value to others, and ignoring that because someone made a sandwich joke is throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
and ignoring that because someone made a sandwich joke is throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
I probably wouldn’t fire him as a first step. But an organization where employees can’t work productively together each other isn’t just a miserable place to work, it’s an organization that’s at an immediate handicap when it comes to value creation. No employee is indispensable enough that they can wantonly make sexist/racist/homophobic or just generally rude comments to their colleagues.
Let’s say you have a working team of five people. One person makes an offensive comment. You are offended. The other three don’t care either way. You go to management and say that you refuse to work until that person is removed from the team.
Who is responsible for the team “not working productively together.”
ManyCookies says:
@Matt M
Just because Person B first escalated to management doesn’t mean she’s responsible. “Offensive comment” covers a whole lot of ground:
“Let’s say you have a working team of five people. One person constantly tells another member how great her tits and ass look in that tight dress. She is offended by this harassment. The other three don’t care that much. She goes to management and say that she refuses to work until that person is removed from the team.
Who is responsible for the team “not working productively together.” ”
And obviously we can go the other way where Person B is clearly overreacting by escalating to management, but at that point I’m not sure what we’ve learned. We’re back to a values judgement on how much of a jerk Person A is being versus how much Person B is overreacting.
The correct answer is to pull the offensive person aside, say, “hey friend, I’m sensitive on that topic and it hurt, could you avoid doing that in the future?” The vast majority of people will then apologize and avoid doing that in the future. If he says “fuck you I do what I want!!!!” then you go to management.
But an organization where employees can’t work productively together each other isn’t just a miserable place to work, it’s an organization that’s at an immediate handicap when it comes to value creation
Now you are jumping to conclusions not allowed by your first statements. It does not follow from “couldn’t be respectful on the Internet towards a celebrity (if I got the sandwich reference right)” that this person would not be able to work together with their colleagues. This sort of instant alienation of people who stepped out of the line was just the object of criticism in the first comment of this subthread.
He didn’t tweet at a “celebrity.” He tweeted at employees of a non-profit that was sponsoring a conference hosted by his own org. Some of the women in LoLA are also members of Young Americans for Liberty as well. So he was directly disrespecting his own colleagues when he made his sexist tweet.
depends on what the person said. Offices tend to be pretty clear on what is acceptable versus unacceptable behavior. Just because I’m not offended by a lot doesn’t mean that the rules should reflect my own personal views.
“I probably wouldn’t fire him as a first step. But an organization where employees can’t work productively together (…).”
Must be your place. Given how far the idea of sexism reaches, and how many sex differences there actually are, making that a taboo is funny. It stretches further, the horrible heinousness of sexism is largely derived from the assumption that women are (1) dramatically disadvantaged, and that (2) gender roles are rigid as granite. Not only rigid, but also (3) cause, not symptom of sex differences. The central point, traversed one way or the other, is (4) stereotype accuracy, the matter of the truth of sex differences. Assumptions that travel along with these are that (5) gender roles as they are serve no sufficient purpose, and that (6) sex differences are bad, an insult (not good, nor a correspondence of traits advantageous and disadvantageous).
Thus the attempts to suppress sexist speech are based on a plethora of premises that are contested and, I find, largely wrong. Setting up rules to enshrine the absence of sex/gender flies in the face of its importance and permanent presence. That’s one farcical sandwich joke.
Trying to do away with sex-specific (broadly understood) preferences and differences is even more of a ridiculous idea in a “movement” that purports to be about liberty and to be informed by the principles of free speech and markets. “Gender neutrality”, that means gender absence, is absurd. Liberty is meaningless if one prohibits its use. Rather than deny sex (differences), environments should be adapted (to them); that also necessitates the search for truth, and ongoing negotiation. Both are done through speech, and through jokes. Finding things “funny” is an excellent guide to contradictions and to the unresolved. Making fun is also way to make conflict less harsh. A sandwich joke can be much milder than the hard truth.
As a side note, we can only (randomly; what happens is arbitrary) treat sexism as cardinal offense because of some combination of the numbered premises above. Otherwise people could claim that whatever offense they found should lead to beheading. Convey that someone is feminine, and your head can currently [come] off. Convey that someone has a feature/trait that is not (presently perceived to be) linked to “gender roles” and there is generally no ground for the guillotine. (Well, except for race and such, but the features/traits linked to it are far fewer in number and prevalence.)
The only assumption I’m making here is that telling successful professional women that their primary role is to be subservient to men is a shitty thing to do, especially when the man in question is a college kid with far fewer accomplishments than the women he chose to antagonize and call inferior.
That’s a rather extensive assumption. Why would it extend to all the women are, and not be about the project instead? Why about the entire project and not about parts, some premises, or some steps?
And why this kind of response of/for such superior women (how modest are they, by the way?) to such a lowly college kid?
Because your interpretation, and sense of justice and proportionality rely on the things I have outlined: these are your assumptions. There’s a touch of tribalistic taboo.
Because the question was how women can make liberty win. It’s referring to the broad collective of women as a whole, and the broad project of advancing libertarian/classical liberals in society. It’s also clearly intended to be a sexist joke.
Why not? The guy’s a student leader who represented his organization at YALcon. And he’s directly insulting leadership of LoLA, and the other sponsors he tweeted to.
How’s that filter pan out when you look in the mirror?
Everyone I know well have weird idiosyncrasies that would get rejected by your filter IF they were honest about everything they said. I would suggest that what you are truly filtering for in most cases is people who know the speech codes and those who do not. I hope you can see the difference here.
Pretending that knowing speech codes results in respect and decency is the biggest fallacy of political correctness in my view. Being nice is fine, but pretending you are creating something other than artificial niceness is an illusion.
Artificial niceness is better than genuine disrespect. Expecting that my employees don’t openly disparage each other is not political correctness. I don’t care what they “sincerely” believe as long as they keep it to themselves. Part of “respect” is knowing how to behave around people even if you genuinely dislike them.
I don’t care what they “sincerely” believe as long as they keep it to themselves.
So if they sincerely believe in gay rights or undocumented immigrants getting jobs are they to be forced to keep this to themselves?
Are you saying you are enforcing a policy of no politics at work or that correct politics will be tolerated?
At a blush? Yes. For the same reasons you do not discuss politics or religion at the dinner table.
I think the “don’t mix politics and work” is pretty universal and if you haven’t learned it, then you eventually will. I’m just trying to get to the bottom of whether this HR enforcement is viewpoint based or simply it’s not work related and out of bounds.
I’m not for anarchy in the workplace but there is a difference from being a bit of an irritating person and having HR take action.
What set me off is that my daughter just recently told me that someone made a joke at lunch to the effect of “maybe we need affirmative action for the Autocad users” which resulted in a week long investigation by HR. It had nothing to do with race, just a snide comment on the competence of one group learning another tool. It was the HR person who heard it and decided it required action, nobody else cared. This is the kind of overreach that is a bit ridiculous and tends to almost always lean in the progressive direction.
The problem with “No politics in the workplace” is it seems to work out in practice to “Remember, at COMPANY we don’t discuss politics in the workplace. Now on to the discussion of structural oppression and how microaggressions by overrepresented groups are resulting in women and minorities not getting their fair share of positions and promotions here. Also, don’t forget the big Gay Pride event next week celebrating the Obergefell decision!”
Agree with Nybbler. It’s “no politics at work”
Except for constant environmentalist propaganda. That’s not politics, it’s science.
And constant gay-rights affirming talk. That’s not politics, it’s basic human decency and equality.
And all of our celebrated ongoing efforts to promote black history month. That’s not politics, it’s our commitment to diversity (our strength).
And the little American flags we hand out on Veterans Day. That’s not politics, it’s patriotism.
I agree with The Nybbler.
What I see a lot in SJ spaces is that it’s claimed that there is a culture of inclusivity, respect, decency etc; but these get defined in a way that I consider racist and sexist. So it then is considered acceptable to make disparaging and offensive remarks about men, white people and such, while jokes that can only with the assumption of bad faith be assumed to be targeting ‘oppressed’ groups are treated as violations of the norms.
From my perspective this makes a very exclusive and disrespectful space. The worst part is that pointing this out is itself considered to be a violation of SJ norms, so you can’t even oppose this racism and sexism without painting a target on your back.
It’s not surprising that some people tried to create social constructs along the lines of “only my out-group can be publicly criticized”. It’s a bit surprising how successful this has been but I think that it has recently hit a wall because that card was overplayed. Shouting people down doesn’t work in the voting booth.
Part of “respect” is knowing how to behave around people even if you genuinely dislike them.
I actually agree with ayrandysvage that artificial niceness is better than no respect, and that it is good enough for the workplace. But though I believe him to be sincere, I am not so convinced that most people would apply this rule as blindly at they should.
Would they be willing to punish the black employee that tweets about white thrash out of his genuine dislike for white people? Or the feminist staffer that says things like “all men are potential rapists”?
I don’t know if free speech supporters have articulated a meaningful alternative
I hope that in a follow-up post we can see some research notes and criticism of the various free speech philosophies that have been refined over the last few hundred years. I have a vague intention to post some leads, but it’s late and very likely that others will do a better job.
yodelyak says:
For legal purposes, I think a judge (or an attorney guessing a judge’s mind) doesn’t need much more than commonsense, access to precedent, and a strong dose of the sentiment behind the Keynes quip, “Words ought to be a little wild, for they are the assaults of thoughts on the unthinking.” link
As a quip about words, it’s not fully true. Not all words feel wild on the tongue; e.g. “please pass the gravy” is not, and need not be, a wildling phrase. But “wildness” does offer a poetic way of thinking about what the law should aim for, in terms of what kind of speech it is that ‘freedom of speech’ must protect.
For purposes of building social norms, I think we can aim much higher than mere wildness though. Any crappy high school teacher can succeed in saying something that scandalizes the prudish among their students. Propaganda is insidious because the lie in the throat can become the truth in the heart. Therefore, let us tell only the truth. Relying on a fairly well-known poem here…
“Let me not, to the marriage of true minds, admit impediments… “
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Past Smash
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U / 3DS
Rate their Chances: the DLC Edition. Day: 192: The final day
Thread starter colder_than_ice
First Prev 29 of 304
Pureownege75
Smash Journeyman
Gangplank Galleon
Chance: 60%
Inkling's have an excellent chance, as a brand new Nintendo IP. I think they are pretty much a lock for Smash 5, but they also have a decent shot at becoming DLC for Smash 4. Not only are they very relevant and represent a new franchise, but also have garnered a lot of votes. Frankly I wouldn't at all be surprised if they are already planned. I'm sure Nintendo want to do everything in their power to advertise their new IP, and putting the character in Smash is literally the best way to do that.
Want: 40%
Splatoon is looking like a really awesome game and I'm very excited for it. It's been too long since we had a true, Nintendo EAD AAA new IP. I really like the Inklings, and would love to see them in Smash. That said I can't be terribly excited for a character whose game I have yet to play, but I'd be very happy to see them in the game regardless. Definitely among my Top 5 most wanted.
Rayman Prediction: 15%
RH character x3
Themed Stage Packs x2
Likes: Flor@ and PK_Wonder
Erimir
Smash Lord
3DS FC
BluePikmin11 said:
Please refer to my signature if anyone needs a reminder that he can change his stance with third-parties VERY EASILY.
If I thought it was a hard rule that could never change, then I definitely would've given Shantae 0%. But I didn't.
Even with the interviews Swampasaur brought, it doesn't change the fact that he can still change his mind like with he did with fighting characters earlier.
We don't really know whether he changed his mind, or whether Nintendo changed it for him. Ryu is a great marketing choice - if Capcom had really said they wanted Ryu while Sakurai wanted Mega Man, I could see higher ups going "Hmmmm... Ryu in $ma$h..." He's going to sell a ton of copies. I don't know that anyone will buy a Wii U/Smash for him, but it will certainly be more people than would buy them for Shantae.
If he's in, I'm now kinda expecting a Ryu trailer for E3. Because that's one of the most hype things Nintendo could drop at E3, honestly. Sakurai's desires might not have anything to do with it.
But guess what that kind of reasoning does not apply to? Minor characters who won't sell as many DLC copies and won't cause as much marketing hype. Sakurai has to change his mind all on his own and advocate for Shantae/whoever to Nintendo despite her not being the best marketing/sales choice. Because I don't see any Nintendo execs pressuring Sakurai to put Shantae in. Sakurai doesn't have to want Ryu for Ryu to be in.
And the other issue is then: why this non-iconic 3rd party rather than a different one? Why not Shovel Knight? He'd get more hype I think. Why not Professor Layton with his long Nintendo history? Why not Quote who's an indie darling? Why not Namco's own Klonoa? Why not a Bravely Second character? Why not a Nintendo-platform Final Fantasy protag? When you get away from the super-icons, there's also a lot more competition, because only a few characters are iconic and most are not. You inherently just have to give them lower scores.
It's not going to be fun at all if were to bring up the "iconic" argument every time we rate a non-iconic third-party character.
But it's always going to be a relevant argument, for the reasons I just gave. Sorry?
Likes: Swamp Sensei and Pacack
Nintendotard
NNID
Mariotard
Erimir said:
If this was the case, and they would not allow for Nintendo to put Mega Man over Ryu, I feel like Sakurai would have given up on a Capcom character, so their might have been a deal, we put Mega Man in now, Ryu later. Sakurai most likely wants to give the original mascots their spotlight (especially noting Mega Man's life in Capcom now, aka non-existant), and it seems like Ryu is the current mascot just because they're so focused on Street Fighting games.
N3ON
The Less I Know the Better
rdg121193 said:
I don't want it to be another Golden Sun where people pushed this like the next big thing and feel completely off after one bad game like Dark Dawn.
People were pushing for GS long before DD was even a glimmer in Camelot's eye.
Likes: Swamp Sensei, Delzethin and Ura
MasterWarlord
Smash Champion
Crocodilopolis/White King’s Paradise
Chance 35%: This is a high rating coming from me. I still think it would go against the ballot and Nintendo would want to make sure the new IP doesn't bomb before including them in Smash Bros. Of course, I could see them just advertise it the same way they did Roy and Greninja against the consumer's best interest, hence them having any kind of chance.
Want 0%
Likes: Ura
Warlock*G
Banned (6 Points)
Québec, Canada
But guess what that kind of reasoning does not apply to? Minor characters who won't sell as many DLC copies and won't cause as much marketing hype.[...]
There's marketing for Smash Brothers and its DLC...
...and then there's marketing for the games of the characters that are in Smash Bros. Three Shantae games are on sale on the Nintendo eShop right now, and having her in Smash Bros would boost the sales of those games tremendously, *and* could also open the Japanese market to those games.
Likes: Raheem The Dream
Scamper52596
I was originally going to rate higher, but after reading what people said yesterday in their predictions for this character, I decided to lower my expectations a bit. I figured that the Inkling is the epitome of a character that could happen, but just as easily might not happen at all. Though I have to say that I don't really understand the arguments that the Inkling's game isn't out yet so they won't get considered. They'll obviously be a ballot character if they were to make it in as playable, and the ballot ends this October. By the time they create the character and set a planned release date, their game probably would have been out for over a year. Their chances rely mostly on whether or not this game does well. By October we'll probably know as well as Nintendo, Sakurai, and the developers of Smash 4 whether it's a success or not. If the game does well, I'll consider them a pretty likely pick. For now, I'll give the ink shooting squids a 50%.
I'd say they definitely have an inkling of a chance at becoming playable...
I know a lot of people were holding off giving them a want or high want percent until the game actually releases, and I definitly think that's a smart and intelligent thing to do. I'm going to have to be that guy though who's impatient because he already expects to love the game the Inklings star in; therefore, I'm going to give them a high want rating before I even play the game. I think they have a lot of move set potential, and I would probably love playing as them.
Prediction - Rayman: 14.9%
x3 Tetra
x2 Toon Zelda
Likes: BluePikmin11, Deleted member and PK_Wonder
PK_Wonder
@ A10theHero , you are the winner of FIVE extra bonus nominations to spend how you please for being the closest predictor of Shantae's score.
Likes: A10theHero
Champ Gold
Smash Scrublord
Switch FC
N3ON said:
Yeah but Golden Sun suffered from not being as marketed as hard as other Nintendo RPGs and doesn't have the backing like Splatoon.
Plus I'm meant more of fans making this the next major Nintendo franchise when it barely passed Custom Robo and still trailing a mile behind Punch Out
Smash Rookie
Splatoon will probably sell well, and they already have a fanbase. They still face competition from many other Nintendo icons, but they are likely leading the pack as far as the ballot goes.
I wouldn't be mad if they got in. I'm sure they'll be fun to play, but I have no connection to them and would therefore be disapointed.
Nominations: Henry Fleming x 2
Ridley x 3
Likes: PK_Wonder
Well... it was marketed fairly decently for something that wasn't Mario, Pokemon, Zelda, or Wii whatever back then. It had time dedicated to it at both E3 09 and 10, which is more than most c-list series can say. It simply didn't live up to the expectations.
And barely passed Custom Robo? That series only had two of its titles released outside Japan, and, even though VGChartz inflates sales numbers, according to them, Dark Dawn sold better than both of those games combined. Not to mention GS1 and 2, both of which sold over a mil.
In total, that puts GS maybe a mil behind Punch-Out. Is that really a mile?
Most people don't realize on average Golden Sun is as successful or more successful than several series already on the roster, at least at the times they were included.
Likes: LasermasterA
IvanQuote
Smash Ace
Looking for those who like Mighty No 9
Splatoon:
Insanely hyped, new ip, potential, check. Just think it's a bit too new to put in already.
Indifferent, but think they could be in a sequel.
Reiman predict:
Quote x5
BandanaWaddleDee
bdon25
OOO the Inlkings
It's a new IP, which can either work for or against them. Already has an established fanbased (Squidboards is a thing, I think), and will most likely do well. I say they have an INKLING of a chance. Ba dum tss.
The Inklings look cool enough and I would like them. But I have to play the game to make a final judgement.
Rayman Chance: 5%
Want: 1%
9-Volt x3
Anthony Higgs x1
Leon Powalski x1
Fuzzy Pickles!
Say, FUZZY PICKLES!!!
Deep in the Heart of Texas
astarisborn1994
SW 1409 9782 5984
I'm going to abstain from rating the Inkling's chances until their game comes out. I think they are plausible, but there's currently no way to tell how likely they are for DLC and I'm not sure if I agree with the notion they're inevitable for Smash 5. I can't help but get a similar vibe to Zoroark, Pac-Man, and Chrom (who were mostly expected but not wanted characters). As for want... 1%
I don't want them in at all. Originally I was really hyped for Splatoon when it got revealed at E3 last year. Over time, however, I lost interest in the game. Just as I was beginning to look into the game again, we then get the announcement that Splatoon doesn't have voice chat online at all and that killed my interest in the game. Like seriously, voice chat should be a given and there is no reason why we shouldn't have that. It seriously hurts, if not kills its competitive potential and for me, there just is no way I can justify investing in Splatoon when I won't have local friends to play with over the time it'll be relevant and I don't know if I can get a Skype match going online either. For me, Inkling's inclusion would be a reminder of Nintendo's archaic "we need to protect the kiddies!" stance that they have not learned from time and time again. I don't like the idea of that being rewarded with them being a Smash character. If they simply get fast-tracked into Smash for promotional reasons at E3, I am going to be very displeased in that one of my biggest complaints for this game's roster exacerbated. I hope Nintendo at least have the courtesy to wait until they see how Splatoon is received before putting them in. If they're ballot characters thought, fine, but I doubt I will care about their inclusion.
Ice Climber x3
Chorus Men x2
LasermasterA
Weyard
I have missed this thread for quite a while. Finally to get posting again!
Chance - 30%
+ Cool possible moveset
+ Heavily promoted Nintendo IP
+ One-shot IP have been in Smash (Shulk - although now franchised)
+ Getting tons of support
- Ink based moveset may get hard to execute on the 3DS
- Game isn't even out yet
- Ballot spot could go to more deserving and older characters
Want - 25%
They could be cool, plus I am interested in Splatoon BUT the game isn't even out yet. Plus I am not that looking forward to the idea of an IP that has not even started to get a rep. There are other characters which I support more and which definitely deserve a bigger chance plus they have an awesome potential moveset themselves.
Rayman Prediction - 15%
He may be somewhat of a legend plus has a history with Nintendo but I still don't see DLC characters being 3rd party maybe with the exception of Ryu who is all but confirmed. Ubisoft has also announced end of support for Wii U and what not. I just think him really unlikely. First party first.
Monster Hunter x 1
Andy x 2
Neku x 2
VeemonTamer
Cyber Sleuth
Chance 50
want 0
Will explain in more detail after I get off work
Xeno610
The Mysterious Smasher
Brawler610
KenithTheGatherer said:
No offense XenoBrawler, but by the time Inklings would realistically be included in Smash their game will have been out for at least several months.
There is way more time for consumers to "get to know" the Inklings before they appear before Greninja.
While this may be true, putting in the Inklings feels more like a shameless plug by Nintendo. I guess you can say the same for Greninja, but putting the Inklings in would make it feel like that even more so by putting in characters from a very new IP.
Sarki Soliloquy
Andover, MA, USA
For those who remain wholly invested in the "legendary 3rd party" rule, might just want to keep this in mind when rating or speculating:
The longer you hold onto the "iconic" mentality with third-parties, something that no longer exists with Nintendo newcomers, the more its going to sting when the "rule" is broken, whether it be this time or next or whenever, because eventually it will break. Third-party inclusions are unpredictable, Sakurai is a liar, the indies are super motivated, some are fairly close with Nintendo, and popularity is pretty important nowadays.
I commend those people who try to apply logic and precedent to the third-parties, however third-parties are debatably the most unpredictable part of the roster. For every Sonic and Mega Man, there's a Snake and a Ryu. You think arguing logic and precedent would've ended up in favour of those two prior to their inclusions? Not to say logic and precedent aren't unimportant, but Smash fans should recognize that when it comes to creating and therefore predicting the roster, you've got to think outside the box as much as you're going to think inside it.
I'm not saying everyone should start expecting an indie, but opening yourself up to the possibility couldn't hurt.
Chance - 50%: It's a straight toss-up with these celaphodic splat-slingers. It really could go either way. As if Nintendo would want to promote their game awhile after a positive release. Or if they would want to give newer franchises more room to grow overtime before considering them for a new game.
We don't know if this Smash will make more recent characters viable as DLC, just by virtue of expanding the lifespan of the game into the future release line. So I give the Inklings a solid 50% due to the fact that they have all the right factors to be supported (after release). It's only a question of if the fans want them enough. Their characters and even there game have a considerable amount of hype behind them. By the impressions we're getting of Splatoon, it looks like the hype will deliver and make a strong start for this ambitious new franchise. Although, there's always the possibility that Splatoon reeks of chum on release or performs lower than initially expected.
There's no question about their uniqueness. The Inklings could fill a niche of a sniping zoner with huge interplay between AoE mechanics. They could use their various ink-based guns and painting equipment to litter ink onto the ground, which could give them optimized buffs when they are on their ink. Almost like how Robin performs best with his tomes/Levin Sword and becomes less reliable with them expended. They could also morph into their squid forms, which allow them to hide and swim under the surface of their ink, as well as offer a rocket jump recovery attack. It would create a neat interplay in making them very immobile and heavy outside their ink, but very agile and strong within their ink. You can expect their standards and specials to utilize a higher-than-average projectile range & high priority. A directional aiming mechanic might serve them well too.
Besides the plethora of ink-based arms, their sub-weapons could spread ink in many unique ways, such as grenades, sprinklers, showers, etc. You could also take many of the platforming gimmicks found in the single player campaign for specials if you want. Oh, and the ink splatter would make great cosmetic effects too. Just imagine shooting your opponent with ink and having ink droplets stain their texture. Maybe more powerful attacks would straight-up palette swap them! It would disintegrate after awhile though.
Want - 30%: If this was Smash 5, I'd be rallying for the Inklings. Their franchise hasn't even came out of the womb and it should be allowed to grow and not be truncated. It would be shortsighted to include them like a year or two after release, special design exceptions or marketing nonwithstanding. Depending on the gap between the end of the current dev cycle (because clearly Smash 4's isn't over) and the next, there's going to be a fresh amount of Nintendo creative capital, with already 2 new IPs locked down. And boy they better spread it wide, because SSB5 only has so many iconic Nintendo characters left to choose as newcomers, while the lot are B-listers and fan favorites. If Splatoon becomes a hit or even gets a cult following, that's an easy A-list spot to secure for SSB5. And may the gods be gracious if we'll get an SSB6.
But, if it came down to us getting the Inklings in SSB4, I would just deal with it and praise the character. Because I do already.
Chance - 75.7%
Want - 85.9%
Concept: No DLC Characters After Fighter Ballot x3
Galacta Knight x2
Likes: BluePikmin11 and PK_Wonder
ShinyRegice
What's with the eye roll? How does it make him unbalanced exactly?
Okay maybe "Unbalanced by default" was a little exaggerated but I felt like you were comparing an hypothetical custom Mewtwo to the vanilla rest of the roster while I'm actually doing the reverse - comparing vanilla Mewtwo to the rest of the cast with access to custom moves. The entire point of them is to open the door to more playstyles and strategic possibilities like combos, etc. and if Mewtwo lacks them then he has has an automatic and unfair disadvantage against the rest of the cast which benefits from their customs, unless you manage to make him worth using in such a ruleset while still making him balanced for a vanilla (non-custom) ruleset. And if you want my opinion, that is 10x harder than balancing Mewtwo's custom moves
Also considering they're not allowed in For Glory I'm not even sure if Sakurai cares much about custom moves being balanced. They admittedly nerfed Charizard's Dragon Rush (side B number 3), but I doubt all balance changes are done with 1vs1 no item neutral stage stock battle ruleset in mind anyway (I believe it originally dealt almost as much as damage as the original Flare Blitz in Smash 3DS pre-patch, so I think it's more of a "make the move more faithful to what we intended it to do" rather than a proper balance change).
Likes: BluePikmin11
A10theHero
SSJ Fraud
The Hoenn region
+ Potential for awesome movesets
+ Fairly popular from the get-go
+ Brand new IP that Smash could market
~+ Relevant because of new game in May
+ Already going to have amiibos of them available
+/- The success of the game might sway Nintendo's opinion. If it does poorly, they might not want to sell it (especially since they've advertised it so much; if it fails, they might just rage-quit with it)
+/- I don't know what Sakurai thinks for sure, but the fact that they're brand new may or may not affect his opinion. I know in past games, Smash has advertised for brand new characters (Roy and to a lesser extent Marth), but I'm not sure if he'll repeat this.
Prediction:
Rayman: 7%
Nomination:
Spyro the Dragon [x10]
IceBreakerXY
Universal Champion
inkling change:50%
i personally believe there changes aren't in the hands of sakurai but nintendo.If nintendo believes that splatoon needs a bit more advertisting than yeah inkling is pretty much gonna be in the game however if they believe spaltoon can sell will without the smash apperance than i exepct to see them in smash 5.I really don't think sakurai has word in the option.
Inkling want:30%
they'll be cool characters and would be without a doubt have an intereesting moveset.However i feel they are just to new to really have ve in the game yet.This isn't a roy situtation as this they are from an entirely new series and not a series with a history with nintendo already.And i feel they would be better suited from smash 5 as by that time i think will have a splatoon 2 and would be a perfect newcomer
rayman prediction:10.67%(if any othr 3rd parties are to go by)
slippy x5
Likes: Raheem The Dream and PK_Wonder
sogeki
Chicago, home of pizza and Italian beef.
MexicanSaiyan
Inklings would be an amazing way to cross promote both games. I can actually picture Ink jetpacks as a recovery and stuff like that.
Sid-cada
Chance - 20% - Depending on how the ballots go, I can see them getting in. A bit too new to be notable, but at the very least they're a lock for the next game. I know the ballot goes on for a while after the game, though, so I still consider it reasonably possible.
Want - 70% - I'm already a bit hyped for the game, but I would like to wait just a bit for more of them.
Rayman prediction - 21.45% - I haven't a clue, but being third party won't help.
New Guidances X3
Anna (FE) X2
But time changes but look at some of those franchises
F-Zero had GX which commercially flopped and Climax hurt the series by not being advertised more. Mother's latest game didn't release in the West which lets be fair probably would had done well due to NOA calling it Earthbound again for sales. Fire Emblem didn't have the advertisement that it needed like FEA got. And not counting the retro series like Kid Icarus (at Brawl's release) and the like, Golden Sun wasn't up there with most franchises.
And some franchises ie FE didn't get western releases for most of games. When I say Franchises like Punch Out or even Advance Wars, they still had a pull and mainstay with Nintendo, they weren't big but they trumped Golden Sun.
GS for millions on their first 2 games but the reason I said it wasn't but because Nintendo didn't capitalize on it truly.
Compared the Xeboblade which both NOJ and NOA both saw something not took at it like crazy. They didn't with GS like they did, that why I compared Splatoon in theory where hopefully Nintendo will capitalize on it but first letting it develop before trying to hang with Nintendo's major series. Mario, Zelda, Kirby, Pokemon, Star Fox, Metroid, Fire Emblem, Animal Crossing and DK has that major swing of influence and popularit that it established.
Splatoon just needs to build its foundation.
PrettyIvyPearls22
Geez the ratings are all over the place. :O
I'm really liking it.
I have some things to say:
Even with the interviews Swampasaur brought, it doesn't change the fact that he can still change his mind like with he did with fighting characters earlier. It's not going to be fun at all if were to bring up the "iconic" argument every time we rate a non-iconic third-party character.
Also if you're here to give a very low rating just to balance out the ratings, just don't rate at all, that isn't an honest rating. (I regretfully did this when it came to Muddy Mole back in the day, I've gotten a lot of flak for it.)
And I'm sure Risky's Revenge has been released in Japan.
I've seen multiple articles stating about it's release two years.
It appears there seems to be no Japanese release.. hmm.
The fact that all the characters we've seen in Smash have a legacy behind them. Even the heavingly rumored Ryu definitely has a legacy. Shantae is just small when compared to other potential third parties we've seen. She'll stick out like a sore thumb and I mean this in a bad way, she'll open up floodgates. Sonic, Megaman, Pacman, Snake, Ryu all come from very well known and beloved franchises that been around for years and impacted the gaming industry, and helped revolutionize a particular genre in gaming.They are all well known household names. Shantae and Shovel Knight hasn't really done much for us gamers and are just fads for now. The fact that these two aren't really that well known in Japan hurts their chances even more.
I also hate the "advertising excuse" for characters like Shantae, Bayonetta, Shovel Knight etc. if that the case then why do they need Smash? If they're that obscure then what's the point? Third parties shouldn't need advertising to get into Smash the name should already be out there. People didn't want her before the ballot don't really see her getting in now. I'm positive Sakurai isn't going to change his mind about third parties he's created a trend with it and I think he's going to stick with it. Yes, even for DLC I'm sure he still have his rules and reasonings. People are just going to end up getting dissappoined at third parties characters, for still not getting in. Most people are being honest if they don't want her, then they don't want her. Don't force a character on us just so we can like them. We can rate them low if we like if they have a shot. If we don't likke them then let us be. You're signature means nothing it too is made up rule by you. You only made that so that the third party characters that you hope can be in so that they can be excuseable. So your signature rule is also abstain. The people that are pushing for Shantae and Shovel Knight is making me even more hesitant to try their games I've only heard praises no negatives those games can't be that flawless that people are making them out to be. I know there good games out there but even the good one have their flaws.
Play Super Smash Flash 2 if you want even more obscure third parties dang it.
Likes: Scamper52596 and TallT
BluePikmin11
Akko is my dear daughter!
https://twitter.com/BluePikmin11R
I don't think you understand.
I'm just keeping open the possibility, all of didn't expect fighting game characters to be in because Sakurai said so until the Ryu/Roy files were found, that can easily change for non-iconic 3rd parties too.
And I'm not forcing you to like them, I just want you guys to just keep the possibility that other non-iconic third parties can join. if you keep the mindset and a non-iconic character gets in, it's gonna end up being very toxic.
And I'm sure there were Shantae supporters before the ballot, tons of them actually as I was a part of pre-Smash 4 speculation.
Pacack
Super Pac-Fan
US (Mountain Time, -7 Hours)
And I'm not forcing you to like them, I just want you guys to just keep the possibility that other non-iconic third parties can join.
If they're not rating the character 0%, then they're not claiming that the character is an impossibility.
Likes: Yomi's Biggest Fan, TallT, Scamper52596 and 5 others
As long as it's not 0%, then I'm ok with it for the most part.
Again not forcing you to like them, just keep open the possibility.
I also hate the "advertising excuse" for characters like Shantae, Bayonetta, Shovel Knight etc. if that the case then why do they need Smash? If they're that obscure then what's the point?
For the record, they aren't obscure at all, not Bubsy obscure, they are from pretty popular, relevant franchises that can get some people excited for their inclusion in Smash.
Really? You may have seen Shantae be requested during preSmash 4. I've never once seen someone put Shantae for a possibility on the roster for possible third party for Smash4. She was never bought up by anyone in all honesty during pre speculation. Everyone quickly denied her here. I'm scared of even giving her a chance because really her community kind of ruined the experience of me wanting to support her.
FooltheFlames
needs hugs~<3
Ashley's Haunted Mansion!
The Inklings huh?
Chance: 64% Inkling is doing great on the ballot polls from what I see, Nintendo is heavily promoting it, Roy was in Melee b4 his game ever came out to promote the newest FE game at the time.
Want: 10% No offense to the character or his/her fans, but I havent even played Splatoon yet, and cant be sure I'll like it b4 I play. videos are not enough for me to judge if I'm gonna enjoy it or not yet.
I know the game is going to be a high quality one ofc, becuz it's freaking Nintendo behind it! But I dont enjoy every Nintendo game as much as I do say, Zelda or Pokemon~
smileMasky
parent's basment
TPPyro
I think I've said this before but I think Nintendo Does have a few rules they follow for characters and I only see them beak their own rules on their 1st part characters. So I know that they might have had good sales on their consoles but I think what they are looking for in a character is how Iconic they are they Need to go above and beyond and also fit in to the smash universe 3rd party has it easy But Indies I see them extremely outside the radar. Sure we got a few trophies for indie game titles but that's just it, trophies they need to have a massive main stream audience from East AND West or have a really good history with Nintendo. Again the only ones I really see having it sort of higher chance are the big company 3rd parties.
PrettyIvyPearls22 said:
Really? You may have seen Shantae be requested during preSmash 4. I've never once seen someone put Shantae for a possibility on the roster for possible third party for Smash4. She was never bought up by anyone in all honesty during pre speculation.
She was wanted before, but mainly not expected in the main roster.
Everyone quickly denied her here. I'm scared of even giving her a chance because really her community kind of ruined the experience of me wanting to support her
You should, all of the popular indie characters people are supporting come from very good games that you can buy on the eShop.
Once you play their games, you'll understand why they support them.
smileMasky said:
If that's your view, ok then, but I'll just remain open to the possibility.
hey I never said they don't have a chance I just see it low but if their in their in if their not their not no sense in complaining right?
Old School Tommy
Smash Cadet
Inklings:
Chance: 10% (Inklings are overrated imo. Just because they have an amiibo, it does't mean they're pretty much guaranteed for Smash. MP 10 has their own amiibos)
http://www.gonintendo.com/s/251612-...much-smash-bros-dlc-as-possible-made-for-fans
It’s a huge undertaking to create a fighter, so I think we can’t make them in large quantities. I’d also like to feel refreshed when the project is over. However, since we have decided to tackle [DLC] once, I’d like to offer as much fun [content] as possible. It will take a while from now, but please look forward to it.
Would this change any of your views with DLC having more than 10+ characters now?
Likes: Kalimdori and Yomi's Biggest Fan
colder_than_ice
INKLINGS!!
Chance: 35% - On one hand it definitely seems unlikely that Sakurai would put a character in Smash without knowing how successful the franchise will been, on the other hand Nintendo has been promoting this game like crazy. Splatoon has already recieved lots of coverage from almost every Nintendo direct since E3 and Inklings themselves already have three Amiibos. I don't remember the last time Nintendo advertised a new IP this much, where was all this promotion when Wonderful 101, Pushmo World or Code Name S.T.E.A.M. were in development?
Want: 90% - I love their design and I think they'll turn out to be fun characters to use.
Nominations: Henry Flemming x5 (Finally beat his game today)
DAY OVER
PLEASE WAIT WHILE I CALCULATE THE RESULTS
Likes: PK_Wonder and BluePikmin11
Hey so the Inklings huh well let take a look at these guys:
Let's look at some pros.
From a new IP, that may be "Nintendo's New Secret Weapon".
Relevant, about to have their game released next month.
More than likely could show up as another preballot character.
Nintendo wants this to be one of their next big-hitter franchises "not named Mario, Pokemon, or Legend of Zelda".
Gameplay has been shown for possible moveset potential.
Customization available for both gender, weaponry, and clothing.
Already receiving positive reactions even with their game not out by just playing demos.
Getting requested by the ballot from the community and are pretty popular and plausible newcomers that is first party.
They have their own Amiibos that's compatiable with their own game and may work for Smash.
Possible characters that would attract Sakuari's attention.
Wow there's actually a lot going for them here actually.
But let's look at some Cons
Nintendo may think that they're not ready for Smash yet.
Needs more exposure.
The game may end up flopping.
May want to be saved for a possible Smash 5 newcomer.
May have to have more games under their belt.
Chances: 75%
This is as high as I'll go for now. The Inklings are pretty popular. Even without their game being out, they could end up being the new Fire Emblem of Smash Bros. It seems like something Nintendo would do. The Amiibos are also there which is all something that Smash have. I don't see why the Inkling won't show up here.
Want: 100%
Again this seem like a character that would attract Sakuari. They have moveset potential. It'll be another customizable character to add to the roster. They'll be heavy projectile users something we don't much of in Smash. It would be a new IP to have some kind of representation. We can get stages, trophies, items from this new universe. I have this gut feeling that the Inkling will make it as another pre-ballot DLC character they can easily get revealed at E3 or in a direct. We know a good bit about them already. Sakuari have to had known about Splatoon before we even did. They'll totally fit into the Smash Universe.
jahkzheng
We're on to the new IP now, Inkling. Messiest character yet~
Here's my picture of the categories I'll use for assessing characters again again...
These points are for making a best estimate of their chances, although the weight of each category is still unknown at this time. Other unforeseen factors could keep the character from being added. I'll likely post this at the start of all my assessments.
The Inklings of Splatoon are riding the high of having an imminent game release, being cool and interesting looking, being unique, having no preconceptions weighing them down, and making sense from a marketing standpoint to become DLC. Most polls I've seen, they're often top 5 newcomer material. People are really just starting to believe they'll get in too, even if they're not huge supporters. The theory is that Nintendo would try to cash in on what they expect to be a big franchise. The jury's still out on the game, but we can't deny they're putting a lot of marketing effort into Splatoon. People like fresh faces too, and the Inklings seem like they could be it.
The Inklings are a kind of "squid children" that represent Splatoon's brand, but no one Inkling is a main character or anything. This does open up the possibility for several alt looks a la Villager however. The most recognizable Inkling is arguably the default female Inkling. Lots of people instantly feel in love with her design specifically, but even more so just to concept of the characters. It terms of what they mean in the grand scheme of things? Well, they're relevant, but they have no history and haven't even proved to be the next big property of Nintendo's although they're being pushed that way.
The Inklings could really present some very unique characters. Not only are they diverse in a appearance, but they're weapons of choice could potentially introduce a whole different appearance to the game... quite literally. It's hard for me to wrap my head around how they'd do this, but Inklings use paint guns and their weapons imply an ability to paint opponents at the very least. Could we really see a whole new texturing algorithm added to Smash for the Inkling weapons? Would be pretty awesome to see Mario completely covered in yellow paint or something. I imagine it wouldn't be too far from what they do for metal characters, except the colors and texturing would be different obviously. I don't see painted characters getting partially covered since that would require a bit much game coding to do and it just seems too busy of a feature to toss in the game for a single character. Partial painting of stages seems unlikely too unless it's something a single move could do in a specific way, although I could see a Final Smash completely covering every texture on screen in paint. Beyond the main gimmick of Inkling's weapons, we have a variety of ways to attack. I could see Inklings having paint pistols, paint bombs, paint mines, paint rollers, paint brushes, paint buckets, paint anything really being a tool for attacking. It's definitely a unique gimmick to base a moveset around that no one comes close to claiming too.
Inklings are relevant. Or, at least, they're on the brink of relevancy. They've appeared in many directs and advertising for Nintendo, and the company thinks they could be the next big thing. They're arguably relevant even pre-release simply because Nintendo has been doing well to give them exposure. Nintendo's been pushing them so hard in fact that some believe the next logical step from the company would be to push them into the Smash roster. Whether the Inklings will get such love remains to be seen. As it is, it appears they're relevancy is only going to get greater until the day their game releases, at which point they'll be moving into the realm of increasing importance and perhaps even more popularity.
Inklings are part of a new IP that may or may not be a franchise title. They are the face of this new IP though and assuming it continues on to success, they're the only choice for representation of their game. I'm undecided on whether Inkings are ready though. I'll just say that, yes, they could use the representation if they live up to their hype.
The only thing really limits Inklings is that they're an untested property. Some say they push from Nintendo and marketing opportunities overshadow this, but it truly remains to be seen what risks Nintendo is willing to make. They're popularity isn't Isaac and K. Rool levels either so assuming we get very little DLC it could be a lot of competition for them to get in past other "best of the rest" contenders. Many see Inklings as having an edge even if they're popularity isn't as big as Isaac or K. Rool because relevance and marketing opportunities though, and there's a belief out there that whether we want them or not doesn't matter because we might just get them anyways. I don't think it's that clear however.
They're popular enough and I think there may be enough of a marketing opportunity there to get a little boost. The risk involved in backing an untested property prevents me from bumping their chances as high as the marketing opportunity alone would. I think a character like Wolf is a much much safer and more obvious marketing opportunity in the near future, and Krystal may qualify along with him. Still, 55% is not bad odds by my standards. Nearly as good as Krystal and Isaac who are from tested properties that are either just as popular or more so than Inkling.
I'm just not quite sold yet. I think this character needs more of a chance to prove itself. I like the possibilities though.
Here's how I think the thread will vote for Rayman...
Prediction for Rayman
Chance: 15.1%
Want: 51.5%
2 Points to Snake~
2 Points to Sceptile - (that one's for you Delzethin!)
1 Point to Bayonetta?
I don't want to pick Wolf because I don't think it would be interesting even though I really want him too.
CHANCE: 43.29%
Want: 45.19%
We may not know much about their game but that didn't stop the Inklings from getting a decent score. Next up we're rating Rayman. He already has a trophy but can he go further? Also please predict what score Snake will get tomorrow.
Likes: Scamper52596
It doesn't change my views either way. I still expect eight or nine DLC characters and although I do think ten or more is plausible, it's a viewpoint I've maintained before.
As for Rayman, I will rate later. I don't really see the case for Rayman, but I will wait and see what other says before throwing in my two cents.
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SMT, PCB Electronics Assembly Manufacturing News
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16961 SMT / PCB Assembly Industry News Releases
Data I/O Announces New Distribution Partnership with iNETest Technologies India
Sep 22, 2015 | Data I/O Corporation announced the company completed a distribution agreement with iNETest Technologies India Pvt. Ltd. for representation of Data I/O In India.
Data I/O Corporation
Data I/O is the world's leading provider of manual and automated programming solutions for semiconductor (IC) devices. Data I/O's solutions, software and programming engine ensures devices are programmed correctly every time.
Redmond, Washington, USA
Manufacturer of Assembly Equipment
Ravi Parthasarathy, ZESTRON, to Present at IMAPS’s Advances in Semiconductor Packaging Exhibition
Sep 22, 2015 | ZESTRON is pleased to announce that Ravi Parthasarathy, Senior Process Engineer, ZESTRON, will present “Impact of Cleaning Technologies on Lead Frame Packages: The Difference in Wire Bond Yields” at IMAPS’s Advances in Semiconductor Packaging Exhibition on September 24th.
ZESTRON Americas
The globally leading provider of high precision cleaning products, services and training solutions in the electronics and semiconductor manufacturing industries.
Cleaning, Test Services, Training Provider
Valtronic to Participate in Manufacturing Day for Local High School & College Students
Sep 22, 2015 | Valtronic announces that it will participate in an upcoming Manufacturing Day at the Formtek, Inc. facility on October 2, 2015 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Formtek, Inc. has gathered a group of manufacturing companies and invited high school and college students to meet at its facility, located at 4899 Commerce Pkwy, Warrensville Heights, OH 44128 for a facility tour and various presentations. The purpose of the event is to join manufacturers across the country during the month of October, which is delegated as “Manufacturing Month.” Many manufacturers will hold open houses to spotlight the wide range of high-skill, high-pay career opportunities available in contemporary manufacturing facilities and to highlight manufacturing’s vital role in national and regional economies. Formtek has created an event that hosts various manufacturers at their facility and brings today’s youth to encourage them to consider careers in manufacturing to inspire the next generation of engineers, builders and inventors.
Valtronic Technologies Inc.
Valtronic provides engineering and contract manufacturing services from micro-electronics and micro-mechanics parts to the integration of complex systems for the medical device and hi-tech industries.
Solon, Ohio, USA
Design, Contract Manufacturer, Service Provider
PennEngineering® Awarded U.S. Patent for Unique Heat Sink Mounting System
Sep 22, 2015 | PennEngineering® has been awarded U.S. Patent No. 9,113,567 for a unique three-piece heat sink mounting system designed to securely attach heat sinks to printed circuit boards while providing firm and constant contact to the chip component for optimized heat dissipation. The inventor of this dynamic mounting system is Robert F. Stotz, Jr.
PennEngineering
Worldwide fastener manufacture, including surface mount fasteners for PC boards
Danboro, Pennsylvania, USA
Manufacturer of Components
Seica Celebrated the Opening of its Fourth Site
Sep 21, 2015 | Tuesday 8 September has seen the official inauguration of a new Seica Spa premises, measuring 1,000 square meters which joins the other three premises at Seica’s headquarters, making a total of 6,000 square meters. The site is the result of considerable investment made by the company, since 2014, as part of its development in recent years, of the Seica Group.
SEICA SpA
SEICA offers innovative ATE solutions which range from Bare Board Test, Flying Probe Systems, In-Circuit and Combi Test to Functional Test.
Strambino, Italy
Manufacturer of Assembly Equipment, Test Services
Productronica will see the Launch of New Switching Solutions from Pickering Interfaces
Sep 21, 2015 | Pickering Interfaces will be showcasing their latest PXI, PCI & LXI switching and simulation solutions at Productronica, Munich, Germany - November 10-13.
Pickering Interfaces Ltd.
Manufacturer of commercial and custom switching systems used in the electronics test market and for imbedded switch systems in OEM equipment.
Essex, United Kingdom
Aegis Software adds Spanish Language Website to Support Growing Markets in Europe, Mexico and Latin America
Sep 21, 2015 | Experiencing a steady growth in business from its Spanish-speaking customer base in Mexico, Latin America and Europe, Aegis has launched a Spanish language website to complement their increase in sales and support staff in these regions.
Aegis Industrial Software Corporation
Developers of State-of-the-Art Manufacturing Enterprise Automation Software
Horsham, Pennsylvania, USA
Software Manufacturer
Season Group & Others Selling Excess Electronic Manufacturing Assets
Sep 21, 2015 | EMS provider Season Group in Texas is continually upgrading their manufacturing capabilities. As part of this process; they will be liquidating some of their excess and unused assets utilizing the online auction services of Baja Bid. The bidding for this event will open promptly at 8:00am EST on October 5, 2015 and the closing will begin at 11:00am EST on October 6, 2015.
Baja Bid
BAJA Bid was founded to form an auction organization with the primary objective of providing an outstanding experience for both our buyers and sellers.
Odessa, Florida, USA
Equipment Auctions, Equipment Dealer / Broker
Practical Components Increases Distributor Network In Middle East
Sep 20, 2015 | Practical Components Inc., a worldwide supplier of dummy components, test boards and training kits, has appointed Neuro Technology Middle East Fze as its exclusive distributor of its products throughout the Middle East.
Practical Components, Inc.
An international distributor of mechanical IC samples or "dummy" components, SMD production tools and equipment
Los Alamitos, California, USA
Manufacturer of Components, Pick and Place, Repair/Rework, Distributor
Pickering Interfaces Expands PXI Fault Insertion Switch Range for Differential Serial Interfaces
Sep 19, 2015 | Pickering Interfaces is expanding its range of PXI Fault Insertion switching with the introduction of two new modules (models 40-200 and 40-201) designed for use with differential serial interfaces.
PhiChem Joins Underwriters Laboratories (UL®) Standards Technical Panel 796 for Printed Wiring Boards
Sep 18, 2015 | PhiChem has been accepted as a member of Underwriters Laboratories (UL®) Standards Technical Panel (STP) for Printed Wiring Boards STP796, which covers standards UL746E and UL796. UL746E is the UL Standard for Polymeric Materials – Industrial Laminates, Filament Wound Tubing, Vulcanized Fiber, and Materials Used in Printed-Wiring Board, while UL796 is the Standard for Printed-Wiring Boards.
PhiChem Corporation
PhiChem is a leading developer, manufacturer and seller of high-performance, cost-effective materials for a wide-range of manufacturing sectors, including communications, electronics and consumer products.
Manufacturer of Assembly Material
EU Directives and Regulations Significantly Impact Electronics Industry IPC Gathers Experts to Discuss Government Regulation in the EU
Sep 18, 2015 | September 10 European Union (EU) Court of Justice ruling on a case on the calculation of levels of substances of very high concern (SVHCs) in articles under the Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH) regulation will significantly increase REACH reporting requirements in the electronics industry. For electronics manufacturers who want to learn more about the effect of the ruling on their compliance program, Teresa Bernheim, Bundesanstalt für Arbeitsschutz und Arbeitsmedizin (BAuA) will provide an update at IPC Conference on Government Regulation on October 13, 2015 in Essen, Germany.
Association Connecting Electronics Industries (IPC)
IPC is the trade association for the printed wiring board and electronics assembly industries.
Bannockburn, Illinois, USA
Association, Non-Profit, Training Provider, Events Organizer
Digicom Electronics Expands Oakland, California EMS Facility
Sep 18, 2015 | Digicom Electronics has expanded its facility in Oakland, California in the San Francisco Bay area. In addition to doubling in size, Digicom has added even more advanced manufacturing equipment and additional personnel to increase manufacturing capacity and capabilities. Digicom specializes in complex electronic boards and assemblies for medical device, military, aerospace, and industrial products.
Digicom Electronics
Digicom provides turn-key electronics manufacturing solutions for prototype to volume production builds, PCB assemblies, and complete box-build systems.
Oakland, California, USA
Manufacturer of Assembled PCBs, Assembly, Cleaning, Turnkey, Contract Manufacturer
USB-to-SDIO Host IC Brings Instant microSD-compatibility to USB Ports
Sep 17, 2015 | The VUB300 is a single-chip USB-to-SDIO hardware bridge that allows SDIO- and SD-compliant devices to be connected to a host PC via its USB port.
Saelig Co. Inc.
Founded in 1988 in Rochester, NY, Saelig is a North American distributor with a growing reputation for finding and sourcing unique, easy-to-use control and instrumentation products.
Fairport, New York, USA
Valtronic Further Strengthens Customer Service with New Hire
Sep 16, 2015 | Valtronic announces that Kristin Jamroz has joined the company as its newest Customer Service and Order Entry Representative.
Scienscope Enters Exclusive Rep Agreement with Assembly Solutions for the Northwest Region
Sep 16, 2015 | Scienscope International announces that it appointed Assembly Solutions as its exclusive manufacturers’ representative in the Northwestern US. Assembly Solutions will represent Scienscope’s state-of-the-art X-ray cabinet systems.
SCIENSCOPE International
Scienscope supplies inspection equipment, including stereo zoom microscopes, video an X-Ray inspection equipment, automated optical inspection systems, magnifiers, measurement systems.
Chino, California, USA
Saki America Adds Distributors in the United States
Sep 16, 2015 | Saki Corporation announces that Saki America has added three new distributors: SMT Equipment, Bench Top Solutions, and Contek Sales & Marketing. The companies will provide sales support for Saki's 2D and true 3D automated optical, solder paste, and x-ray inspection systems.
SAKI America
Saki's 3D automated solder paste, optical, and x-ray inspection systems (SPI, AOI, AXI) have been recognized to provide the stable platform and advanced data capture mechanisms necessary for true M2M communication.
Fremont, California, USA
Nordson ASYMTEK's NexJet NJ-8 System Simplifies Precision Fluid Dispensing for High-throughput Applications
Sep 16, 2015 | Nordson ASYMTEK introduces the NexJet® NJ-8 System which improves and simplifies the dispensing process for fast-paced production environments where precision, flexibility, and long-term reliability are important. The NJ-8's ReadiSet™ 2-piece jet cartridge is quickly and easily removed, cleaned, inspected, and re-installed without tools, maximizing equipment utilization and up-time. The NexJet system is an integral part of Nordson ASYMTEK's comprehensive closed-loop dispensing systems and fully-integrated software-control of the precision jet dispensing process.
Nordson ASYMTEK
A leader in automated fluid dispensing, jetting and conformal coating. Products range from benchtop dispensers and stand-alone dispensing workstations to fully automated, in-line conveyorized systems.
Carlsbad, California, USA
Manufacturer of Assembly Equipment, Adhesives/Dispensing, Assembly, Component Packaging
ISVI Corp. Releases All-New 12 Megapixel Compact CoaXPress CMOS Camera
Sep 16, 2015 | ISVI Corp. has announced the official release of its all-new IC-M12S-CXP, a monochrome 12 Megapixel CMOS camera with a CoaXPress CXP6, DIN-4 interface delivering 181fps.
ISVI - Industrial Sensor Vision International Corporation
Industrial Sensor Vision International specializes in advanced camera technology of high resolution fast speed cameras for automation, AOI, 2-D/3-D, SPI inspection and wafer inspection.
Oxford, Connecticut, USA
IPC to Host Europe Forum: Innovation for Reliability in Essen, Germany
Sep 16, 2015 | IPC — Association Connecting Electronics Industries® will host this year’s Europe Forum: Innovation for Reliability in October in Essen, Germany. This three day event consists of two parts. The 9th Annual CALCE Tin Whiskers Symposium on 13 October, followed by the Technical Conference: Innovation for Reliability on 14-15 October.
Inovar Invests in MIRTEC’s SPI Systems to Decrease Solder Defects
Sep 16, 2015 | Inovar announces that it recently purchased and installed four MS-11 solder paste inspection (SPI) systems from MIRTEC.
Inovar, Inc.
Inovar, Inc. is a leading Contract Electronic Manufacturer (CEM) dedicated to providing flexible solutions to Original Equipment Manufacturers in the fastest growing segments of the electronic industry.
Logan, Utah, USA
Fancort Industries to Exhibit Desktop Soldering Robots at SMTAI
Sep 15, 2015 | Fancort Industries will exhibit with Electronic Assembly Products (EAP), Ltd. in Booth #807 at SMTA International. Company representatives will demonstrate the Japan UNIX Desktop Selective Soldering Robots.
Fancort Industries, Inc.
Fancort Industries products include cutting equipment, bench air presses, and racks and fixtures.
West Caldwell, , New Jersey, USA
High Frequency PCB with Broad Prospects
Sep 14, 2015 | High frequency pcb is a special printed circuit board with high electromagnetic frequency. Generally speaking, high frequency can be defined the frequency above 1GHz. Its physical performance, accuracy, technical requirements are very high, commonly used in automotive anti collision system, satellite system, wireless communication and radio frequency fields etc.
Shenzhen KEYOU PCB Co.,Ltd
Established in 2003,Shenzhen Keyou PCB Co. Ltd is a professional high-tech factory that is engaged in PCBs manufacturing,including high-precision double sided and multilayer circuit boards from China.
Manufacturer of Bare PCBs
Discover Leading Test and Inspection Platforms from Nordson at SMTAI
Sep 14, 2015 | Nordson DAGE and Nordson YESTECH, divisions of Nordson Corporation will exhibit in Booth #606 at SMTA International, scheduled to take place Sep. 29 - 30, 2015 at the Donald Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. Nordson’s team of Test and Inspection experts will demonstrate the XD7600NT Diamond FP X-ray inspection system from Nordson DAGE and FX-940 Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) In-line PCB inspection system from Nordson YESTECH.
Nordson DAGE
The leading provider of award winning bond testing equipment and continues to invest significantly in research and development to remain at the cutting edge of bond tester technology.
Aylesbury. Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom
Inspection, Test Services
Bentek to Exhibit New Residential, Commercial and Utility-Scale PV Products in Booth #3314 at SPI
Sep 14, 2015 | Bentek will exhibit in Booth #3314 at Solar Power International (SPI), scheduled to take place Sept. 14-17, 2015 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Bentek will introduce several new Electrical Balance of System (EBOS) solutions for the residential, commercial and utility-scale PV market.
Bentek Solar
A leader in manufacturing and engineering solutions for complex electro-mechanical and power distribution systems for the semiconductor and solar industries.
San Jose, California, USA
Nordson to Feature Test and Inspection Systems in the SMTA - NPL Solder Paste and Solder Joint Automatic Inspection Experience at SMTAI
Sep 14, 2015 | Nordson DAGE and Nordson YESTECH, divisions of Nordson Corporation are pleased to announce that their products will be featured in the SMTA International – National Physical Laboratory (NPL) Defect Database Live Solder Paste and Solder Joint Automatic Inspection Experience from Sept. 29-30, 2015 on the show floor of SMTAI. The experience is free to attend and is supported by CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY Magazine, SMTA and NPL.
Jigar Patel, ZESTRON, to Present at the 2015 Medical Symposium
Sep 14, 2015 | ZESTRON is pleased to announce that Jigar Patel, M.S.Ch.E., Senior Process Engineer, ZESTRON Americas, will present “Electronic Assemblies & Devices for the Medical Industry: Cleaning & Material Compatibility Challenges” at the 2015 Medical Electronics Symposium.
ISVI Corp. Releases All-New 29 Megapixel Compact Camera Link CCD Camera
Sep 14, 2015 | ISVI Corp. has announced the official release of its all-new IC-M29S-CL, a monochrome 29 Megapixel CCD camera with a base configuration Camera Link interface achieving 4.45fps.
Ersa Opens Registration for Its Next Versaflow 3 Level II Application Training Course
Sep 14, 2015 | Kurtz Ersa North America today announced that it will hold a two-day ERSA Versaflow 3 Selective Soldering Level II Application Training Course from Oct. 21, 2015 at 1 p.m. – Oct. 23, 2015 at 12 p.m. at its facility in Plymouth, WI. The course will provide instructions to properly maintain the Versaflow systems with minimal or zero defects at the highest throughput possible.
kurtz ersa Corporation
Manufacturer of Selective Soldering Systems, Ersascope BGA Inspection Systems, BGA Rework Systems, Soldering Irons, Wave Solder and Reflow Equipment.
Wertheim, Germany
Manufacturer of Assembly Equipment, Soldering, Selective Soldering
Rocket EMS Enhances Quality Assurance with a SPEA 4060 Flying Probe Tester
Sep 14, 2015 | Rocket EMS today announced that it has purchased and installed a SPEA 4060 Flying Probe Tester. The addition of the flying probe further expands Rocket’s already extensive functional test capability.
Rocket EMS
EMS company specializing in ultra-quick-turn (24 – 48 hour) manufacturing of Printed Circuit Boards, design and complementary services with a heavy focus in the New Product Introduction (NPI).
Santa Clara, California, USA
Manufacturer of Assembled PCBs, Assembly, Design, Contract Manufacturer, Service Provider
Kalyan Nukala, ZESTRON, to Present “DI-water and Low Standoff Cleaning Challenges” at SMTA Connecticut Chapter Meeting
Sep 10, 2015 | ZESTRON is pleased to announce that Kalyan Nukala, M.S.Ch.E., Application Engineer, ZESTRON Americas, will present “DI-water and Low Standoff Cleaning Challenges” at the SMTA Connecticut Chapter Meeting on September 15th.
Ventec’s Martin Cotton to present paper on PCB Design Process at SMART Group European Conference
Sep 10, 2015 | Ventec Europe will present a paper entitled 'Making the right decisions at the right time in the PCB design process' at the 2015 SMART Group European Conference & Exhibition. The conference will be held on the 22-23rd September at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), one of the UK’s leading science and research facilities, located in Teddington, London.
Ventec International Group
Ventec develops, manufactures and sells high quality copper clad laminates and pre preg bonding materials for the fabrication of a wide variety of printed circuit board (PCB) applications.
Free Webinar “Surface Analytics” Presented by ZESTRON Academy
Sep 10, 2015 | ZESTRON is pleased to announce the seventh installment of ZESTRON Academy’s 2015 webinar series, “Surface Analytics” will be held on September 17th, at 1:30 PM EDT.
Count On Tools Inc. Introduces the StripFeeder Transition Rail
Sep 10, 2015 | Count On Tools has released a new accessory – the Transition Rail – for its award-winning line of StripFeeder products. Each StripFeeder Transition Rail features machined tracks for both paper and emboss tape on the same rail for a seamless transition.
Count On Tools, Inc.
COT specializes in high quality SMT nozzles and consumables for pick and place machines. We provide special engineering design service of custom nozzles for those unique and odd components.
Gainesville, Georgia, USA
Manufacturer of Assembly Equipment, Manufacturer of Assembly Material, Pick and Place, Repair/Rework, Contract Manufacturer
NCAB Group USA Continues Expansion Program
Sep 10, 2015 | NCAB Group is pleased to announce the hire of Ray Vandal. Mr. Vandal has joined NCAB Group as the General Manager for the Southeast Division.
NCAB Group USA
One of the world's largest suppliers of PCBs.
Hampstead, New Hampshire, USA
Manufacturer of Bare PCBs, Manufacturer of Assembled PCBs, Contract Manufacturer
Specialty Coating Systems to Host Seminar in Munich on November 5th
Sep 10, 2015 | Specialty Coating Systems (SCS) is pleased to announce that it will host a Surface Modification Seminar entitled, “Increasing Reliability through Advanced Conformal Coating Technology.” The seminar is scheduled to take place Thursday, November 5, 2015 from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Hotel Gasthof zur Post in Munich, Germany.
Specialty Coating Systems
For over 40 years, Specialty Coating Systems has provided high quality Parylene conformal coating services and expertise to the medical device, electronics, automotive and military/aerospace industries.
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Adhesives/Dispensing
VJ Electronix Appoints W-Tech for Sales of XQuik with AccuCount
Sep 10, 2015 | VJ Electronix is pleased to announce that it has appointed W-Tech as its newest distributor for the XQuik with AccuCount in Europe.
VJ Electronix
Rework and X-ray Inspection solutions for a variety of applications. VJ integrates proven industrial X-ray expertise with advanced SRT automation and NIS X-ray electronics inspection expertise.
Chelmsford, Massachusetts, USA
Manufacturer of Assembly Equipment, Assembly, Inspection, Repair/Rework, Soldering
GETECH Delivers GSR 1290 Large Panel Depaneling Machine to Tier 1 CEM
Sep 10, 2015 | GETECH is pleased to deliver the GSR1290, a large format depanelling machine, to a Tier 1 CEM for one of its facilities in Asia. The machine is capable of handling extremely large PCBs with very heavy construction (up to 8 mm thick).
GETECH AUTOMATION
Design and manufacture SMT assembly equipment
Manufacturer of Components, Other, Assembly, Design
Great Lakes Engineering, Inc. Receives 2015 Best in Class Award from Electronic Systems Inc.
Sep 10, 2015 | Great Lakes Engineering announced today that it is the latest recipient of the 2015 Best in Class Award in the category of MRO/Consumables/Equipment from Electronic Systems Inc.
GLE is a trend-setting manufacturer of surface mount stencils, precision laser cut parts and photo chemical machined parts for the defense, medical, electronics, aviation, energy, telecommunications, and computer industries.
Maple Grove, Minnesota, USA
Nordson ASYMTEK Chosen as Finalist for the San Diego Business Journal's 2015 Manufacturing Awards
Sep 10, 2015 | Nordson ASYMTEK, a Nordson company announces that it has been selected as a finalist for the San Diego Business Journal 2015 Manufacturing Award. The Manufacturing Awards honor San Diego County's best manufacturing leaders and companies and celebrates regional excellence. The winner will be announced September 17, 2015 at a special awards program.
ADLINK Celebrates 20 Years of Technology & Business Milestones
Sep 08, 2015 | ADLINK Technology celebrates its 20th anniversary this month. The company opened its doors in August, 1995, in Taipei with the goal of advancing technologies in the fields of test and measurement (T&M), applied computing and automation.
ADLINK Technology, Inc.
Provider of wide range of embedded computing products and services to the test & measurement and automation industries.
New Taipei City 235, Taiwan
Pickering Interfaces Expands Range of PXI and PCI Precision Programmable Resistors
Sep 08, 2015 | Pickering Interfaces is expanding its range of PXI and PCI Programmable Resistors used for high-density resistor simulation.
New Product Release from Pickering Electronics - New high voltage Reed Relays for up to 10kV
Sep 08, 2015 | Pickering Electronics have expanded their Reed Relay range to include the new Series 67 and 68, ideal for high voltage applications. These new relays are available for up to 10kV stand-off, switching up to 7.5kV, with an option of either PCB or flying lead switch connections. The relays are suitable for high voltage transformer and cable test and some electro-medical applications such as defibrillators.
Pickering Electronics
Manufacturers of high quality Reed Relays for Instrumentation and Automatic Test Equipment (ATE), High voltage switching, Low thermal EMF, Direct drive from CMOS, RF switching and other specialist applications.
Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, United Kingdom
STI Recognizes Marietta Lemieux’s 10-Year Anniversary
Sep 06, 2015 | STI Electronics announces Marietta Lemieux’s 10-year anniversary. Lemieux is STI’s Analytical Lab Manager and her anniversary was celebrated with her colleagues at STI’s Madison, AL facility. David Raby, President/CEO, presented Lemieux with a certificate in appreciation of her 10 years of dedicated service and a check to use toward a vacation of her choice.
specialized transportation provider using specialized equipment and handling
Fort Wayne, USA
Other, Service Provider
CyberOptics’ John Hoffman, PhD to Present during Technical Session at SMTAI 2015
Sep 06, 2015 | CyberOptics® Corporation (NASDAQ: CYBE) today announced that Senior Image Processing Research Engineer John Hoffman, PhD will present during the technical session ‘Advances in Process Controls, From 3D Printing to 3D Inspection to Measuring Thermal Expansion Mismatch’, scheduled to take place Wednesday, September 30, 2015 from 2-3:30 p.m. at SMTA International in Rosemont, IL.
CyberOptics Corporation
CYBEROPTICS is a global leader in high-precision 3D sensors that significantly improve yields and productivity in the 3D scanning and metrology, Surface Mount Technology & Semiconductor Markets
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
VJ Electronix Expands Demonstration Capability in Europe
Sep 06, 2015 | VJ Electronix has expanded and enhanced its demonstration center in Budapest. Co-located with VJE Distributor, Euro Process Solutions, the new center is equipped with the latest in rework and X-ray systems.
GETECH Secures Significant PO from Memory Manufacturer
Sep 06, 2015 | GETECH announces that it received a significant PO from a tier-one memory manufacturer for its Asian facilities. The order covers the development and delivery of a series of machines designed to increase productivity and production consistency: 1. Measurement, Packing and Sorting Workcell for solid-state devices 2. Measurement, Packing and Sorting Workcell for memory modules
Keyou PCB Manufacturer Watch 9.3 Military Parade
Sep 06, 2015 | 9.3 military parade, which has attracted rich attention worldwide and is focused on by the Chinese national leaders and the Chinese people.Now pcb manufacturer lead you to appreciate the grandeur parade.
EI Microcircuits Introduces Brand Refresh
Sep 05, 2015 | We would like to announce the launch of our brand refresh. It features a new logo and tagline, visual identity, and brand positioning that communicates our commitment to innovation, solutions, and technology. We realize that much has and continues to change in this industry; therefore we need a fresh identity that remains relevant to these changing trends today.
EI Microcircuits. Inc.
Serving the electronics industry with contract design and manufacturing of standard and custom SMT and PTH assemblies.
Mankato, Minnesota, USA
Manufacturer of Assembled PCBs, Design, Contract Manufacturer
Saki America, Lean Stream, Innovative Equipment Technology, and Uptime Celebrate Opening of Fremont, CA Facility on September 10, 2015
Sep 03, 2015 | Saki Corporation announce the grand opening of their new facility in Fremont, California. An open house is being held on September 10, 2015, from 10:00AM to 6:00PM. Special demonstrations of Saki's true 3D and 2D automated optical inspection and measurement equipment will be available and Lean Stream will demonstrate Fuji's AIMEX IIS flexible placement platform.
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Home Bitcoin News Aussie Dollar Stablecoin Announced in Las Vegas
Aussie Dollar Stablecoin Announced in Las Vegas
The ranks of stablecoins continues to grow, this time courtesy of the Stellar blockchain, according to CoinDesk.
Novatti Group
The Novatti Group, an Australian payment technology company, will release the coin on the Stellar blockchain on the 19th of November. As with other fiat-pegged tokens, the idea is that every token on the market will be backed by a single Australian dollar, held in trust by the company. It announced the news at the Money 20/20 conference in Las Vegas.
Join the Leading Industry Event!
Peter Cook, Managing Director of Novatti, told CoinDesk that the fact that his employer is listed on the Australian stock exchange will benefit this new cryptocurrency, because it inspires trust.
He said that the the company will be working with other licensed entities, including banks, but did not divulge names.
The purpose of the coin is to be a usable currency. Said Cook: “We think that people will use them to help purchase goods from Australian enterprises. And we think that will also use them for the payment of bills or for services inside of Australia.”
Trade.io Contains Breach of Cold Storage Hardware Wallet, Protecting TIO HoldersGo to article >>
Bitcoin has been recognised as legal tender in Australia since September 2017, and blockchain firms required to register since January 2018. In August, the Australian government’s scientific research department announced that it would be developing a national blockchain, into which it hopes to integrate a major part of the economy.
Stablecoins are all the rage now. The first and biggest was and is Tether, which is tied to the US dollar. The management team is suspected of not really having the $2 billion that would be necessary to back it up, and for being too involved with a specific, and slightly suspicious, cryptocurrency exchange. What cannot be denied however is Tether’s influence on the cryptocurrency economy.
Since its success, others have been popping up regularly; there are or are planned coins based on the pound sterling, euro, Swiss franc, and more on the US dollar.
First stablecoin on Stellar
This will be the first stablecoin launched on Stellar, which is an open-source blockchain network created by Jed McCaleb, who also created Mt Gox and co-created Ripple. The purpose of the network is to facilitate cross-border payments, and its cryptocurrency, XLM, has a market capitalisation of $4.6 billion, according to coinmarketcap.com.
IBM uses Stellar to operate its own crypto-token, Verde, which is supposed to help the environment by helping users manage their carbon footprint,
Financemagnets
Financemagnates.com is author of this content, TheBitcoinNews.com is is not responsible for the content of external sites.
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Chinese Consortium Led by Huawei and Tencent to Launch Coinless Blockchain
The Chinese Financial Blockchain Shenzhen Consortium (FISCO), led by multinational telecommunication company Huawei and tech giant Tencent, will soon present...
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Reinventing Hulk for Avengers: Endgame
Tuesday, May 14, 2019 Monday, June 3, 2019 Maria H. (ndm#130) 0 Comments Avengers, Disney/Marvel, endgame, Hulk, Marvel, marvel cinematic universe, movies
Caution: This post COULD contain spoilers.
How DisneyResearch|Studios’ Technology and Industrial Light & Magic Artistry Helped Reinvent Hulk in Marvel Studios’ ‘Avengers: Endgame’
For as long as The Hulk has appeared on the silver screen, he’s been either Bruce Banner or “the other guy”—never both. But Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame, the epic conclusion of the Infinity Saga, introduced a character who’d managed to marry the two. “One of the biggest challenges of Avengers: Endgame was the creation of the new Hulk,” says visual effects supervisor Dan DeLeeuw. “In this incarnation, Banner has reconciled with the Hulk and has become a merged character. He is the best of both worlds, with the intelligence of Banner and the brawn of Hulk.”
Under the watchful eye of visual effects supervisor Russell Earl, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) used Anyma, a technology DisneyResearch|Studios (DRS) created in 2015 and continued to develop for years, to bring him to life. Unlike its predecessor, Medusa, which got its name from Greek mythology, Anyma is an “artificial word,” explains principal research scientist Thabo Beeler. “The word contains ‘animation,’ but ‘anima’ in Latin also means ‘soul,’ and that’s what we wanted to get to: We wanted to capture the soul of the actor.” Building upon Medusa’s award-winning motion capture technology, Anyma takes filmmaking to the next level. “You can set up cameras that are farther away, so actors can actually move around and they can truly perform,” Beeler says. “It’s very flexible, because it leverages the shapes you acquire with Medusa, and through this, it builds a very specific digital puppet of the actor.” As a result, senior research scientist Derek Bradley believes Anyma is “defining the next generation of performance capture.”
“Typically, such innovations build on top of each other. They’re built on experience, and one idea leads to the next one,” says Markus Gross, vice president of Research. “All the experience and the expertise Thabo, Derek, and their team collected during the designing and the conceiving of Medusa inspired them to create Anyma.”
“The wonderful performance delivered by Mark Ruffalo was subtle and nuanced,” adds Earl. “Mark has very distinct facial movements and a subtle asymmetry that make him unique. This in turn required a higher level of fidelity in our facial solves. We started with the robust facial system in place at ILM, but after seeing the initial results from Anyma, we felt it could be instrumental in achieving this higher level of fidelity and provide more control over the ultimate solved capture data, which our artists could process using our proprietary retargeting system, and apply to our Hulk character model.”
Anyma is now being integrated into other Disney productions by ILM and will only lead to further advancements. “I think what’s really important to emphasize is that this requires a long-term strategy,” Gross says. “This is what DRS stands for as an institution, as an organization within the company. Our aim is to push the forefront of technological innovations in service of our film production business.” Gross is particularly grateful to David Taritero, senior vice president of Visual Effects and Production, as he “saw our early prototypes and believed in our potential.”
Given all that DRS has accomplished, Taritero saw no reason to doubt the team. “Their collaborative spirit and their commitment to over-delivering has made their entry into these processes an easy sell to producers and VFX facilities alike,” Taritero says. “The finished product is consistently better utilizing DRS technology than it would have been without.”
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Disney’s Live-Action ‘Aladdin’ Soundtrack News →
Dick Van Dyke to Host “‘The Wonderful World of Disney’ Presented by Target Brings You ‘Mary Poppins’” on SATURDAY, 12/12
Tuesday, December 8, 2015 Maria H. (ndm#130) 0
VIDEO: Night Night, Groot – Read by Zoe Saldana
Wednesday, May 3, 2017 Maria H. (ndm#130) 0
Solo: A Star Wars Story “Becoming Solo” Featurette
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Watch Peter Frampton’s cover of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” at The Mann (Talk Box)
July 4th, 2017 | 8:40AM | By Megan Cooper
Peter Frampton | Photo by Megan Lynch for WXPN | meganlynchart.tumblr.com
Peter Frampton rocked Philly with his performance last week at the Mann Center. Along with his own tunes, Frampton treated the crowd to a cover of Soundgarden’s hit, “Black Hole Sun,” which he dedicated to the band’s late frontman, Chris Cornell.
Before the song, Frampton takes the time to formally tribute the cover to Cornell and the singer’s wife and children. He then dives into his unique, heartfelt take on the track. Beginning as purely instrumental, Frampton fuses his trademark guitar-driven, talkbox vocals about four minutes in before sending it off with an epic guitar solo.
Hear for yourself by watching a live clip from the set below.
Tags: Chris Cornell, Mann Center for the Performing Arts', Peter Frampton, Soundgarden
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Politicians, citizens stand against federal shutdown at Missouri park
motimesblog.com Washington
ST. LOUIS — State politicians joined nearly 100 people today — citizens and veterans — to take a stance against the federal shutdown at the Big Spring in Van Buren, Mo.
The park has been closed for almost two weeks since the federal government shutdown, and the group intended to remove the barricades to show their disapproval with the shutdown and hope that resolve can come soon so citizens can enjoy assets like Big Spring.
Rep. Steve Cookson, right, stands with a veteran, left, at the Blue Springs National Park in Van Buren, Mo. (Submitted photo)
Among those politicians at the event were Rep. Steve Cookson, R-Poplar Bluff, who helped organize the barricade removal, along with Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, Sen. Doug Libla, R-Butler County, and Carter County Commissioner John Bailiff.
“We wanted to make a statement about federal irresponsibility and overreach and abuse of federal power to remind our would-be federal masters that the states created the federal government, that everyone in Washington works for us, we are not serfs to a federal master and we are not going to take this anymore,” Kinder tells The Missouri Times about today’s event’s purpose.
Cookson says he was motivated to help organize the event after having a conversation with a 92-year-old World War II veteran who asked him to go with him to the park. The veteran kept saying the shutdown “just wasn’t right,” Cookson says, adding that though that veteran had traveled all around the world, he told Cookson he chose to live in Van Buren to be close to Big Spring.
“He said it has a way of rejuvenating this soul and his spirit just looking at the beauty of that spring,” Cookson says. “He said he’s been all over the world and right here is where he wants to live.”
Area Congressman Jason Smith was unable to attend the event because of ongoing debate in Washington D.C. between parties to end the ongoing shutdown. “The barricades on national parks, rivers and monuments across the country illustrate the disconnect between Washington politicians and families who visit the parks,” Smith writes in a letter sent to those at the event.
“As your representative in the United States House of Representatives, I will continue to fight any attempt by Washington to regulate our lands. The national parks do not belong to President Obama or bureaucrats in Washington. The national parks and rivers belong to every American.”
When he arrived at the park earlier today, Cookson says the barricades were already taken down, and attendees were not met with law enforcement. “If the federal government can’t keep [the park] open for citizens to enjoy and utilize then they need to give it back to the state of Missouri because we can take care of it,” Cookson says.
Kinder says he was surprised by the turn out, which he says included business owners who came to express concerns about the effects on their businesses from the shutdown as Big Spring is integral to some Carter County businesses.
[divider style=”tiny”][/divider]
Photo above: Kinder, Cookson and an area veteran gather to speak about the Federal shutdown. (Photo from Kinder’s Twitter page, used with consent from Kinder)
This article incorrectly identified the park as “Blue Spring.” In fact, it is “Big Spring.”
Brittany Ruess is a reporter for The Missouri Times and the SEMO Times, and a graduate of Webster University. To contact Brittany, email brittany@themissouritimes, or via Twitter @brittanyruess.
Tagged in : Doug Libla Jason Smith Peter Kinder Steve Cookson
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Previous Previous post: Five questions with Rep. Gail McCann Beatty, D-Kansas City
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Twitter makes amends, says developers are ‘essential’ to its future
by Nate Swanner — in Design & Dev
“Somewhere along the line, our relationship with Developers got a little complicated. A little bit confusing. A little bit unpredictable.”
In opening Twitter Flight, Jack Dorsey took to the stage to address developers. It’s no secret that Twitter ran afoul of the developer community some time ago when it restricted its once wide open API.
“Twitter was a very different company at that time,” says Prashant Sridharan, Developer Relations for Twitter. “It was a different time in the internet, different time in the mobile landscape, and the dawn of mobile apps.”
Sridharan also says the current crew at Twitter is mostly newer blood, and has no first-hand context for what happened all those years ago. It was messy, though — and Twitter hasn’t quite rebounded with developers.
Looking back, it’s easy to see Twitter was making a move to position itself where it is now: a company that has a ton of data, a lot of dedicated users, and leverages both to monetize. Twitter is a business, and all businesses must make money.
But Twitter also wants to help developers make money, and build really cool stuff. Twitter Flight 2015 is the first example that Twitter wants to power what developers are doing, end to end.
Fabric is already robust enough for things like crash reporting and sign-in, but Twitter is also rounding it into shape for everything else developers may need. With nine new SDKs, Twitter is partnering with services like Stripe, using Fabric as a platform.
Jeff Seibert, Senior Director of Product at Twitter:
What we’re very consciously doing [now] is focussing on use-cases. People want to build great apps, that’s why we have Fabric. All the tools in Fabric solve specific needs, basically all the hard problems we encounter when building our own apps.
We thought ‘hey, we’ve already built these tools internally, we should go share them with everyone.’
At this point, Twitter is ready to catapult itself into a new era by massaging its old model of growth via developers into something that fits a modern age. Many of the products and services introduced, like curation and managing customer service via Twitter, are all meant to put more eyes and users onto the platform.
But how does Twitter consider developers? At this point, a schism has been created — one Twitter brought on.
“Developers are essential to Twitter,” says Seibert. “Obviously they were instrumental in building Twitter, and now as a company we’re in a position where we can really give back. With Fabric, we are very intentionally and aggressively opening up the entire infrastructure to help Developers. It’s a heavy focus for the company.”
Jack Dorsey, addressing the developer audience on stage at Twitter Flight:
I want to talk to you today, first and foremost to apologize to you. We want to reset our relationship, and we want to make sure we are learning, listening and rebooting. That’s what today represents.
We want to make sure we have a great relationship with our developers. We want to have an open and honest relationship, and that we’re providing a service everyone can use.
One of the reasons great developers like you come to Twitter is because of what we stand for. We can’t stand alone. We need your help.
In order to earn that help, we have a responsibility to you. We have a responsibility to communicate our roadmap in a clear and transparent way. We have a responsibility to have an open dialogue to make sure we are serving you in the best way.
We need to make sure we’re serving all of our developers in the best way because that’s what’s going to make Twitter great. We need to listen, we need to learn and we need to have this conversation with you. We want to start that today.
It’s going to take some time, it’s not going to happen overnight, but I can promise you that we will make the right decisions and service this community in the right way.
In my experience this week at Flight speaking to various Twitter employees, it’s clear there’s a narrow focus on providing great tools for developers. An example: with Fabric, the team dedicates itself every Monday to bringing added value to developers by the end of each week. Seriously.
At one point many years ago, Twitter decided to walk its API back to take control. On one hand, that control is now being realized. It still has full control over the APIs, but they’re now dedicated to use cases.
That was likely the lesson it learned. Even though instances of services and apps running afoul of the old API were rare, they happened. It’s likely developers only wanted to access one angle of info that API provided, but a full-scale assault by disparate interests likely caused some panic for Twitter.
Of all the Twitter employees around this week at Flight, only Dorsey can speak to what happened all those years ago — and he did.
The old developer guard may not be able to turn the page on the past, but Twitter has. The company listens, responds to and cares about what developers want.
It acknowledges that at one point, it left them wanting. Twitter knows it fucked up. Jack has apologized, and the company is building one of the better set of tools for developers to take advantage of; maybe even the best.
Jack’s acknowledgement of Twitter’s past mistakes strikes me as sincere, too. That openness seems to reverberate throughout the entire Twitter team. It may be the same company — but at least where developers are concerned — in name only.
Meet the new boss — nothing like the old boss.
Read next: Top myths mobile startups tell themselves about user acquisition
Flight 2015Twitter
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Home India India shoots for the dark side of the Moon with Chandrayaan-2 Mission
India shoots for the dark side of the Moon with Chandrayaan-2 Mission
ISRO’s lander will attempt a ‘soft’ controlled landing near the lunar South Pole on September 6 after a journey of more than 50-days.
India is once again shooting for the Moon, but this time its the dark side. And with the Chandrayaan-2 Mission, to be launched in mid-July, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is looking at putting a rover on the Moon by September 5.
The ISRO had launched Chandrayaan-1 ten years ago and the planned to go ahead with the Chandrayaan-2 Mission in 2012 with Roskosmos, the Russian space agency. But the Russians withdrew from the mission because their lander developed problems in 2011. Thus, the ISRO was left on its own to design, develop and build a lander.
Officials confirmed that July launch will be onboard ISRO’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III and will cost $144 million (about Rs 10 billion). ISRO’s lander will attempt a ‘soft’ controlled landing near the lunar South Pole on September 6 after a journey of more than 50-days.
The ISRO chairman K. Sivan said the last 15 minutes to the landing will be the most terrifying moments for them. “Once it touches down, the rover will carry out experiments while being controlled remotely by ISRO scientists.” Sivan said variations in lunar gravity, terrain and dust could cause problems. He revealed that this is the ‘most complex mission’ ISRO has ever undertaken. The Chandrayaan-2 is made up of an Orbiter, Lander and Rover, which are all equipped with scientific instruments to study the Moon. Officials said the Orbiter would watch the Moon from a 100-km orbit, while the Lander and Rover modules will separate and make a soft-landing on the Moon’s surface. The Rover, a six-wheeled solar-powered vehicle will detach itself from the lander and slowly crawl on the Moon’s surface to make observations and collect data.
The Indian mission would be the third attempted lunar landing this year after China’s successful Chang’e-4 lunar probe and the Israeli spacecraft Beresheet, which failed and crashed onto the Moon in April.
Chandrayaan-1 Mission
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Tag Archives: ShineBlast Lip Gloss
Makeup in a Magic Wand? Also, Pets in the Dorm
Hello-Hello, welcome to a wacky Thursday here at the Prepatorium!
Scads of newsy tidbits abound today, we begin with one of them, word that Thom Browne will be adding a women’s collection to his eponymous line. The designer is seen below at Monday’s CFDA gala, covered in this post.
Steve Eichner/WWD
While many Princess readers know of Mr. Browne’s Black Fleece collections for Brooks Brothers, they may not be as familiar with his own line of apparel and accessories. Women’s Wear Daily reported about the new line today:
“The designer, known for shaking up American men’s wear with his shrunken suits and avant-garde runway shows, sold a majority stake of his company to Japan’s Cross Company last year, and the partners are keen to sensibly extend the brand.”
Below, looks from a previous runway show of Mr.Browne’s.
The designer does create more commercially appealing merchandise, below we show several current Black Fleece styles.
We look forward to seeing the new collection.
Next, an absorbing story in today’s Times about summer house shares in the Hamptons. Sarah Maslin Nir’s story begins by explaining what many already know:
“IN popular vacation spots like Fire Island and the Hamptons, the summer share is a time-honored tradition of weekend debauchery. The Long Island iced teas or mojitos downed on Friday evening typically kick off an alcohol-fueled series of events, and the drinking ends only when the various housemates hop a train or jitney back to Manhattan — with a hangover that stretches to nearly midweek.”
The story offers interesting insight into how one manages to enjoy the summer traditions minus the alcohol and other drugs.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
We have news sure to make many fans of Glee happy, there will soon be Glee-related books.
Little, Brown via Zap2It.com
Glee: The Beginning is a ‘prequel,’ with events taking place before the show’s era. The books are aimed at the young adult audience, a series of five is planned. The first novel is due out in August, and it will include a double-sided poster. Amazon is already taking pre-orders.
Also in today’s Times, the paper’s Skin Deep column looks at “Makeup to Help Flaws Disappear“, a gem from Catherine Saint Louis.
Tony Cenicola/The New York Times
The story looks at the use of new techniques for applying cosmetics, particularly foundation, beginning with the Temtpu airbrush system.
“Sort of like a gun that blows a mist of foundation, it promised to make my skin flawless. According to its manufacturer, it had made the faces of the “Stepford Wives” look porcelain smooth (if creepily perfect) in the 2004 remake, and it routinely makes movie stars and television anchors ready for high-definition close-ups.”
Ms. Saint Louis also tests other recent innovations, like the L’Oréal Paris True Match Roller (L) and the Lancôme Ôscillation Powerfoundation (R).
Here is a portion of her reaction to L’Oréal’s product:
“With the L’Oréal Paris True Match Roller, I felt as if I was trying to use a flat paint roller on uneven walls.”
The story is very well done; to read it in its entirety, click here. Ms. Saint Louis has a companion piece, “Tips for Applying Foundation” that is worth one’s time if interested in the topic.
Remaining with the cosmetics topic, yours truly was recently contacted and asked to test/review two complimentary products from Cover Girl, the new Smoky ShadowBlast (L) and ShineBlast Lip Gloss.
Perhaps we’re cosmetically-challenged, but we really struggled with the eye shadow. It was difficult to apply, in part because there is not a lot of pigment, or color, in the stick. Once applied the shadow did not last long, creasing was evident in less than an hour. (We used a Lauder shadow primer.) Our test sample was the ‘Silver Sky’ combination, and while we very much liked the colors in this combination, they appeared darker and richer in the product than they are in reality. Judging from online reviews we are not alone in our reaction to this product.
The company describes the ShineBlast lip gloss this way:
“Light reflecting shimmer layered under a high-gloss finish gives you 4x more noticeable shine*.”
We can’t tell you if it is 1x or 5x more shiny and can’t imagine anyone paying attention to such a precise claim. We can say the gloss went on easily and the applicator is nicely defined for more accurate application. It is *very* shiny, and the taste/scent were not offensive, lasting several hours. In summation, we can recommend the gloss for those seeking über-shiny lips, but we can’t say the same for the shadows. (We note our material connection to the product, as free samples were sent to us, click here for more.)
We leave you with one last tidbit from the Times, a story pointed out to us by The Queen Mother; with apologies to our Facebook Fans, we offer “Colleges Extend Welcome Mat to Students’ Pets“.
Dilip Vishwanat for The New York Times
The photo above shows Elena Christian and her Chihuahua, Annabelle. In her dorm room. At Stephens College. Where TP matriculated.
Here is another Stephens student, Allison Frisch, and her dog, Taffy.
From the story:
“With these efforts, Stephens is hoping to smooth the transition of some students who may be so anxious about leaving home or adjusting to college life that a stuffed animal will not be of sufficient comfort. They want the real thing.”
Filed under preppy, Preppy clothing & brands, Preppy Fashion, When Preppy Goes Wrong, You Can't Make This Stuff Up
Tagged as Brooks Brothers Black Fleece, Cover Girl, Glee novels, Glee The Beginning, Hamptons, Lancôme Ôscillation Powerfoundation, L’Oréal Paris True Match Roller, prep, preppie, preppies, preppy, preppy blog, Preppy Fashion, preppy lifestyle, Preppy princess, preppy princess blog, preppy style, ShineBlast Lip Gloss, Smoky ShadowBlast, Stephens College, Temtpu airbrush, Thom Browne
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iNotes Web Access on the IBM iSeries Server
iNotes Web Access is a next-generation Web client that allows you to use many of the messaging and collaboration features of Domino through a Web browser. You can work with mail, calendar, to do lists, or a journal-like notebook from any client with Web browser access -- without requiring a Lotus Notes client. You also have the option to work offline, without a permanent connection to the Domino server, or to work online seamlessly.
iNotes Web Access on the IBM e(logo)server iSeries server is not a platform-specific implementation. At the time when this IBM Redbook was written, only the redbook iNotes Web Access Deployment and Administration, SG24-6518, which is based on general platform information, was available. This IBM Redbook extends the topics written in that redbook from an iSeries server platform perspective. It also includes other general iNotes Web Access topics such as single sign-on, using LDAP for authentication, and URL redirection.
You can download the redbook, iNotes Web Access Deployment and Administration, SG24-6518, from the IBM Redbooks Web site (http://www.redbooks.ibm.com). You should also refer to the Lotus white paper, iNotes Web Access Deployment Guide 5.0.9, which is available for download from the Web site (http://notes.net). We strongly recommend that you use these materials, along with this redbook, for a complete guideline on how to deploy and implement iNotes Web Access on the iSeries server.
Date Published: February 11, 2002
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Home Blog Page 1373
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https://version-11-0.string-db.org/cgi/network.pl?networkId=a8FsR4z0YnDv
"thiG" - Thiazole synthase in Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942
thiG Thiazole synthase; Catalyzes the rearrangement of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5- phosphate (DXP) to produce the thiazole phosphate moiety of thiamine. Sulfur is provided by the thiocarboxylate moiety of the carrier protein ThiS. In vitro, sulfur can be provided by H(2)S (286 aa)
1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate synthase; Catalyzes the acyloin condensation reaction between C atoms 2 and 3 of pyruvate and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate to yield 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate (DXP); Belongs to the transketolase family. DXPS subfamily (636 aa)
thiC
Phosphomethylpyrimidine synthase; Catalyzes the synthesis of the hydroxymethylpyrimidine phosphate (HMP-P) moiety of thiamine from aminoimidazole ribotide (AIR) in a radical S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM)-dependent reaction; Belongs to the ThiC family (456 aa)
thiE
Thiamine-phosphate synthase; Condenses 4-methyl-5-(beta-hydroxyethyl)thiazole monophosphate (THZ-P) and 2-methyl-4-amino-5-hydroxymethyl pyrimidine pyrophosphate (HMP-PP) to form thiamine monophosphate (TMP); Belongs to the thiamine-phosphate synthase family (343 aa)
bioB
Biotin synthase; Catalyzes the conversion of dethiobiotin (DTB) to biotin by the insertion of a sulfur atom into dethiobiotin via a radical- based mechanism; Belongs to the radical SAM superfamily. Biotin synthase family (320 aa)
thiD
Hydroxymethylpyrimidine/phosphomethylpyrimidine kinase; Catalyzes the phosphorylation of hydroxymethylpyrimidine phosphate (HMP-P) to HMP-PP, and of HMP to HMP-P (263 aa)
ABB56190.1 bioB Synpcc7942_0158 Synpcc7942_0419
Biotin synthase; Catalyzes the conversion of dethiobiotin (DTB) to biotin by the insertion of a sulfur atom into dethiobiotin via a radical- based mechanism; Belongs to the radical SAM superfamily. Biotin synthase family
ABB56190.1 thiC Synpcc7942_0158 Synpcc7942_1096
Phosphomethylpyrimidine synthase; Catalyzes the synthesis of the hydroxymethylpyrimidine phosphate (HMP-P) moiety of thiamine from aminoimidazole ribotide (AIR) in a radical S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM)-dependent reaction; Belongs to the ThiC family
ABB56190.1 thiD Synpcc7942_0158 Synpcc7942_2379
Hydroxymethylpyrimidine/phosphomethylpyrimidine kinase; Catalyzes the phosphorylation of hydroxymethylpyrimidine phosphate (HMP-P) to HMP-PP, and of HMP to HMP-P
ABB56190.1 thiE Synpcc7942_0158 Synpcc7942_1057
Thiamine-phosphate synthase; Condenses 4-methyl-5-(beta-hydroxyethyl)thiazole monophosphate (THZ-P) and 2-methyl-4-amino-5-hydroxymethyl pyrimidine pyrophosphate (HMP-PP) to form thiamine monophosphate (TMP); Belongs to the thiamine-phosphate synthase family
ABB56190.1 thiG Synpcc7942_0158 Synpcc7942_0576
Thiazole synthase; Catalyzes the rearrangement of 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5- phosphate (DXP) to produce the thiazole phosphate moiety of thiamine. Sulfur is provided by the thiocarboxylate moiety of the carrier protein ThiS. In vitro, sulfur can be provided by H(2)S
bioB ABB56190.1 Synpcc7942_0419 Synpcc7942_0158
bioB guaA Synpcc7942_0419 Synpcc7942_0189
bioB thiC Synpcc7942_0419 Synpcc7942_1096
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NH-UNH-IOL
3.4.2019 23:02:03 CEST | Business Wire
The UNH-IOL Approved as the First OVP Verified 3rd Party Laboratory
The University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL), an independent provider of broad-based testing and standards conformance services for the networking industry, announced today they are the first lab to complete and receive the verification badge as the first OVP Verified Lab within the OPNFV Verification Programs.
“We’re excited to see the continued growth and drive within our development communities,” said Heather Kirksey, vice president, Community and Ecosystem Development, the Linux Foundation. “Announcing the first OVP Verified Lab is another milestone in those programs and activities. The UNH-IOL joining as the first OVP Verified Lab ensures commercial NFVI and VNF products and vendors have more options to prepare for the market and an interoperable ‘One NFVI’ future.”
As a verified test lab, the UNH-IOL has demonstrated a commitment to the open source community and a level of competence in the execution of testing. This announcement comes with the expansion of the programs to include testing of VNFs (virtual network functions), based on requirements defined within the ONAP project. Previously, the programs included functional testing of the NFVI platform or infrastructure, according to a set of tests agreed within the OPNFV community.
“As the ecosystem of open source software continues to grow, operators and end users are facing an increasingly complex problem in integrating and testing of those systems,” said Lincoln Lavoie, UNH-IOL Senior Engineer & Chair of the LF Networking Compliance and Verification Committee. “By creating these programs, the industry is working together to create scalable testing, taking input from end users for the program requirements and goals. The UNH-IOL is thrilled to participate in this process by offering testing services to the industry based on open and agreed test plans.”
The UNH-IOL has been working with the OPNFV and Linux Foundation since late 2016 as the host for OPNFV's Lab as a Service (LaaS) infrastructure, providing community and developer resources for the Linux Foundation's Networking Projects. The UNH-IOL is also hosting hardware for other OPNFV projects, available to developers within those projects. To learn more about the UNH-IOL’s and working with the OPNFV Community please visit the OPNFV Testing Services page.
The UNH-IOL’s Lincoln Lavoie, will be speaking at the 2019 Open Networking Summit (ONS) this week in San Jose, CA on the vision of the CVC (Compliance and Verification Committee) within LFN. The UNH-IOL will also be participating during the LF Networking Demos at ONS and the demo will be of the LaaS 2.0 features and details can be found on the ONS Event page.
About the UNH-IOL
The UNH-IOL is dedicated to being the world's premier data networking resource. Beginning in 1988, the UNH-IOL has built a multimillion dollar testbed and developed testing solutions to help companies efficiently and cost effectively deliver products to market. UNH-IOL’s services fit the needs of the market, while maintaining broad, comprehensive interoperability and conformance testing of networking, data, telecommunications, and storage products. The industry relies on UNH-IOL’s extensive staff experience, standards-bodies participation, 28,000+ square foot facility, and 100+ students who represent the future interoperability testing and verification.
www.iol.unh.edu | Twitter @UNH_IOL | Facebook @UNHIOL
LinkedIn @UNH InterOperability Lab | Instagram @unhiol
Organization Contact: UNH-IOL Mara Bernazzani, +1-603-862-0901 Communications Coordinator mbernazzani@iol.unh.edu www.iol.unh.edu
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Brahma is the original living creature in the universe, from whom were generated the Manu Svayambhuva and his wife Satarupa. From Manu, two sons and three daughters were born, and from them all the population in different planets has sprung up until now
"Brahma is the original living creature in the universe, from whom were generated the Manu Svayambhuva and his wife Satarupa. From Manu, two sons and three daughters were born, and from them all the population in different planets has sprung up until now"
The history of the creation of the population of the universe is given herewith. Brahmā is the original living creature in the universe, from whom were generated the Manu Svāyambhuva and his wife Śatarūpā. From Manu, two sons and three daughters were born, and from them all the population in different planets has sprung up until now.
The father, Manu, handed over his first daughter, Ākūti, to the sage Ruci, the middle daughter, Devahūti, to the sage Kardama, and the youngest, Prasūti, to Dakṣa. From them, all the world filled with population.
The history of the creation of the population of the universe is given herewith. Brahmā is the original living creature in the universe, from whom were generated the Manu Svāyambhuva and his wife Śatarūpā. From Manu, two sons and three daughters were born, and from them all the population in different planets has sprung up until now. Therefore, Brahmā is known as the grandfather of everyone, and the Personality of Godhead, being the father of Brahmā, is known as the great-grandfather of all living beings. This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (11.39) as follows:
vāyur yamo 'gnir varuṇaḥ śaśāṅkaḥ
prajāpatis tvaṁ prapitāmahaś ca
namo namas te 'stu sahasra-kṛtvaḥ
punaś ca bhūyo 'pi namo namas te
"You are the Lord of air, the supreme justice Yama, the fire, and the Lord of rains. You are the moon, and You are the great-grandfather. Therefore I offer my respectful obeisances unto You again and again."
Retrieved from "https://vaniquotes.org/w/index.php?title=Brahma_is_the_original_living_creature_in_the_universe,_from_whom_were_generated_the_Manu_Svayambhuva_and_his_wife_Satarupa._From_Manu,_two_sons_and_three_daughters_were_born,_and_from_them_all_the_population_in_different_planets_has_sprung_up_until_now&oldid=416686"
From Whom
Svayambhuva Manu
Satarupa
Spring Up
Facts about "Brahma is the original living creature in the universe, from whom were generated the Manu Svayambhuva and his wife Satarupa. From Manu, two sons and three daughters were born, and from them all the population in different planets has sprung up until now"
Date of first entry August 18, 0012 JL +
Date of last entry August 20, 0012 JL +
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Google Assistant can now turn you into a wannabe bird whisperer
Khari Johnson@kharijohnson April 24, 2017 3:55 PM
Above: Golden Eagle
Image Credit: Cosmo_71
Zappos lead data scientist on the challenges of using semantic search
About 25 new actions have landed on Google Home for Google Assistant, including an action that lets you listen to the sounds of hundreds of bird songs and one that mimics the person in your office who says innocuous, buzzword-laden things in meetings.
More than 175 actions have been made available on the Google Home app since the launch of the Actions on Google platform last December. Actions are the voice apps third-party developers can create for Google Assistant. In recent weeks, the third-party ecosystem of actions has grown to include a WikiHow action for thousands of DIY instructions and a Bible reader that can read scripture based on how you feel.
The Bird Song Skill from Thomptronics can play more than two hundred bird sounds — from a wild turkey to half a dozen swan species to the Veery, which is said to have one of the most beautiful bird songs in all of North America.
Google Assistant can tell you what a swan or hummingbird sounds like, but it has limits — it cannot tell you about a grey wagtail or a black browed albatross, for example. If you get especially good at recognizing the birds, you can try your hand at the Bird Song Skill’s song quiz. I can’t wait for an action like this to take my location into account so I can learn the sounds of birds in my immediate surroundings.
Continuing a trend of actions made for public transit times in major cities, the Atlanta rail action was recently made available to tell Atlanta metro area residents about the arrival time of the next bus or train.
Another noteworthy new action is The Virtual Concierge. The action (and its accompanying Alexa skill) were made by Dana Young for guests staying at The Lodge in Palmer Lake, Wash. By saying “Talk to the virtual concierge,” a vacation rental or Airbnb guest can learn about house rules, or ask questions about things like the Wi-Fi password, nearby restaurant recommendations, and a range of other things a property may want a guest to know.
A large part of the new batch of actions is related to characters and storytelling.
Value Adder is an action that mimics the jargon-laden things people say in business settings, like “The key takeaway here is that we need to collaboratively pursue collective synergy” or “If you ask me, I think we should continually develop scalable niches.” To call on the action, say “OK, Google, ask Value Adder to add value to this meeting.”
The Misfortune Cookie action will tell you about mild misfortunes, like someone blocking your way on the escalator, kids with sticky hands, or soggy fries. Each cookie opened is another misfortune.
The Temple at the End of the Forest tells a story and gives you clues to unlock riddles along the way.
Story Tree is a lot like The Magic Door, an action that gives multiple choices in a story landscape driven by sound effects and characters.
The Earth Day action can tell you how to do something to address issues like deforestation, biodiversity, and climate change on earthday.org.
Another action built to spread knowledge about the world around us is the Farmer’s Almanac. Like Ben Franklin’s encyclopedic book of the same name, this action will tell you things like the number of days till summer, that “today is the best day to destroy pest or weeds,” or what a rabbit and hunting for eggs have to do with Easter.
Mercedes and Hyundai recently launched actions to give owners of their vehicles control of their cars via Alexa or Google Assistant. The Mercedes Me action can unlock the car door, start the car engine, or take navigation directions.
Google Assistant initially drew criticism for not allowing users to personalize their experience (as well as lack of such features as work address, payments, and calendar). However, the intelligent assistant is continuing to expand. Last week, Google Assistant on Home devices gained the ability to support multiple accounts and recognize the unique voices of up to six people.
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Is WhatsApp Ready to Launch on Google Assistant?
on September 10, 2017 at 10:16 pm
There is a new webpage for WhatsApp that indicates the company has built an Action for Google Assistant. A leading Alexa and Google Assistant developer in France, Quentin Delaoutre, was the first to spot this page in the wild. The page indicates that WhatsApp is in the “Social & Communication” category for Google Assistant and it suggests three action phrases such as, “Send a WhatsApp message,” and “Send a voice message.”
But, WhatsApp Doesn’t Appear to be Active Yet
Despite the existence of this page, and the 4.4 star rating, it appears that the Assistant app for WhatsApp may not yet be live. A typical invocation like, “Talk to WhatsApp” on Google Assistant returns a web search with WhatsApp FAQs. “Open WhatsApp,” delivers a link to the WhatsApp webpage. Using the first two action phrases suggested on the page returns the familiar, “Sorry, I’m not sure how to help. But I’m still learning.” A query on Google Home returns the response, “Sorry, I can’t send messages yet.”
The third action phrase to, “Send a voice message” brings me not to WhatsApp but to iMessage as I was testing on iPhone. That implementation isn’t really seamless as even after it records the message and confirms by voice, I still have to click send because Apple doesn’t offer that level of integration to Google. Siri can do the entire thing by voice and I assume Google Assistant on Android delivers a similar experience. None of this experience is remotely WhatsApp related.
Couldn’t Google Assistant Already Work with WhatsApp
The integration of Google Assistant with the default SMS app for the phone has been available since March. Techware Guide suggested a method for sending messages from WhatsApp in March as well, but I assume that only works on Android as I could not recreate the experience on iOS. With that said, interacting with an Android app using Google Assistant is a different integration than having a custom Google Assistant app optimized for voice. The assistant.google page for WhatsApp suggests something more than simple mobile app activation.
I do have WhatsApp on my iPhone so I have met that requirement, but there is not a clear way to link my account with Assistant. One more clue that WhatsApp is not ready for go-live is that it is not listed in Google Assistant’s Social & Communication app directory. The current app directory includes the messaging apps Text Messages, Chalk Talk and Starfish Actions for Google Assistant, but no WhatsApp.
Messaging Will Be Important to Voice Assistants
It is obvious that WhatsApp would want to be on Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and every other platform it can access. WhatsApp has the world’s largest messaging user base and it wants those users on mobile to follow the brand to voice assistants as well. I would expect Facebook would also want to get Messenger on Google Assistant as well.
Voice assistants are the key existential threat to the current messaging app leaders. If we all start using a preferred voice assistant and it has a native messaging feature, then based on convenience we may slowly shift out usage away from our current messaging app. The challenge for messaging apps is that the voice assistants are clearly going to be available in smart speakers, appliances, IoT devices, cars and yes, smartphones.
Amazon is Also Working on SMS / Messaging Feature
To drive this point home, Voicebot was the first to discover that Amazon is developing an SMS feature for Alexa. Earlier in the year, messaging was added to Alexa so users can send and receive text messages by voice through Amazon Echo, other Alexa-enabled devices and in the Alexa app. Recent code additions to the Alexa app suggest that Amazon is not content just using their own app and devices. The company also wants users to have a unique phone number that likely can be used for both calling services and text messaging.
Messaging by voice and text are an important communication method that are likely to be core services offered by all leading voice assistants. Texting was one of the first important use cases for Siri and it remains commonly used today. It is import for companies like WhatsApp to stake out their own voice assistant messaging territory while consumer habits are being formed. This can increase usage of messaging and ensure that the winners of the mobile messaging wars aren’t co-opted by the rise of voice assistants. Let me know on Twitter if you are able to get WhatsApp to work with Google Assistant on Android or other devices.
Amazon Alexa SMS Features In Development
Amazon Alexa Calling and Messaging is a Great Feature That Puts Rivals on Defensive
Google ActionsGoogle AssistantNews
Voice Assistant MessagingWhatsApp
SoundHound App Update Includes Voice Control with Houndify
How Prominent Will Siri and HomePod Be for the Apple iPhone Launch?
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ARKit Holo App Puts Your Favorite Personalities in the Palm of Your Hand
by Kyle Melnick
Volumetric video can fulfill your dream of having your own personal Jon Hamm.
When it comes to bringing photo realistic people into virtual and augmented reality, 8i has paving the way with their technology. The photogrammetry company is quickly becoming the industry standard in 3D holograms thanks to their proprietary technology, which has been responsible for some pretty cool experiences. Now the New Zealand-based company has officially employed the use of Apple’s powerful ARKit platform to bring a whole new level of realistic digital figures to augmented reality.
Now available via the App Store for iPhone 6S and any later models, Holo with ARKit allows users to place realistic 3D animated holograms of humans and animals in the real world. You can move around them to inspect every angle and even interact. There’s also an ability to record video and snap pictures of you and your virtual companion to share with friends and family.
Of course all that technology wouldn’t mean much without any interesting content to play with. Thankfully, Holo boasts an impressive array of recognizable personalities, objects and animals. Hologram collections from artist Jhené Aiko, World Cup-winning defender Jerome Boateng, Glee star and dancer Harry Shum Jr., dancer Chachi Gonzales and influencer Tristan Tales are available now. The app also features celebrated astronaut Buzz Aldrin, professional skateboarder Nyjah Huston, pop duo Superfruit and mixed martial artist Anderson Silva, with more on the way.
On top of all these famous faces, Holo has also teamed up with major media and entertainment brands such as Viacom Velocity for the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards with a Moon Person collection, Hearst and Cosmopolitan for Magic Mike Live, and Sony Pictures for Spider-Man: Homecoming.
“Since we first introduced Holo in June, people have placed more than three million holograms in nearly every country around the globe, demonstrating an appetite for authentic human content in AR,” said Steve Raymond, CEO of 8i. “The arrival of iOS 11 and ARKit marks the first time millions of people can experience true volumetric video on a mass-market consumer device. With ARKit, Apple has ignited a groundswell of enthusiasm from developers reminiscent of the initial introduction of the iPhone, and our team at 8i is excited to enable easy integration of human holograms into their AR apps.”
Holo with ARKit is available worldwide now for free via the App Store for iPhone 6s and any later models. Holo without the ARKit functionality is available for earlier iPhone models as well.
8i Apple AR ARKit Augmented Reality Holo Photogrammetry
Man Proposes In Zero Latency’s VR Zombie Arena
Legoland Bringing VR Roller Coaster To Parks This Year
Kyle Melnick
Kyle is a writer for VRScout also working in new media production. He's also a part-time bounty hunter.
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Clay mineralogy and soil classification of alluvial and upland soils associated with Blackwater and Nottoway rivers in southeastern Virginia
LD5655.V855_1989.A423.pdf (5.461Mb)
Al-Hawas, Ibrahim A. M.
Because the Coastal Plain of southeastern Virginia has not been extensively studied, thirty random samples associated with Blackwater and Nottoway rivers were collected in the spring of 1987 from Surry, Sussex, and Southampton counties. Soil classification as well as mineralogical, chemical, and physical analysis were conducted for all samples.
The purposes of this investigation were to: (1)classify the soils in this area, (2) determine the distribution of sand and clay minerals, (3) examine the weathering effect on clay minerals on different position of the landscape for different parent material sources.
The soils examined classified as follow: Aquic Hapludults 43% > Typic Hapludults 26.6% > Ultic Hapludalfs 10% > Humic Hapludults 3% = Typic Rhodudlts 3% = Aquic Hapludalfs 3% = Typic Udipsamment 3% = Typic Quartzpsamment 3% = Psammentic Hapludalfs. Qualitative analysis of clay minerals revealed that kaolinite and hydroxy interlayer vermiculite were the dominant clay minerals; that montmorillonite, mica, gibbsite quartz, and vermiculite were of lesser quantities; that chlorite, feldspar and interstratified minerals were of trace amounts. Kaolinite represents about 21-70%, HlV 11-60%, montmorillonite 0-20%, mica 0-16%, gibbsite 0-13%, quartz 1-12%, and vermiculite 0-10%. The presence of these minerals were mainly related to the acid reaction of the soil media, which was essentially attributed to Al and H ions in soil solution. From the past history and geological composition of the Piedmont it is assumed that kaolinitic minerals were transported and sedimented in the Coastal Plain. Hydroxy-interlayer vermiculite minerals was weathering from vermiculite because most of the Al was adsorbed by vermiculite to form HIV. Therfore, gibbsite was not precipitated. Montmorillonite was assumed to have formed from mica minerals. That was substantiated by statistical analysis which showed a high negative correlation between gibbsite and vermiculite (r=0.46, n=30) and between montmorillonite and mica (r=-0.6, n=10).
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Books & Audiobooks
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From Coveralls to Zoot Suits
The Lives of Mexican American Women on the World War II Home Front
Escobedo, Elizabeth Rachel
During World War II, unprecedented employment avenues opened up for women and minorities in U.S. defense industries at the same time that massive population shifts and the war challenged Americans to rethink notions of race. At this extraordinary historical moment, Mexican American women found new means to exercise control over their lives in the home, workplace, and nation. In From Coveralls to Zoot Suits, Elizabeth R. Escobedo explores how, as war workers and volunteers, dance hostesses and zoot suiters, respectable young ladies and rebellious daughters, these young women used wartime conditions to serve the United States in its time of need and to pursue their own desires. But even after the war, as Escobedo shows, Mexican American women had to continue challenging workplace inequities and confronting family and communal resistance to their broadening public presence. Highlighting seldom heard voices of the "Greatest Generation," Escobedo examines these contradictions within Mexican families and their communities, exploring the impact of youth culture, outside employment, and family relations on the lives of women whose home-front experiences and everyday life choices would fundamentally alter the history of a generation.
Publisher: Chapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press, ©2013
Characteristics: 1 online resource (229 pages) : illustrations
Read more reviews of From Coveralls to Zoot Suits at iDreamBooks.com
Mexican American Women — California — Los Angeles — Social Conditions — 20th Century
Mexican American Women — Employment — California — Los Angeles — History
World War, 1939-1945 — Women — California — Los Angeles
World War, 1939-1945 — War Work — California — Los Angeles
World War, 1939-1945 — Social Aspects — California — Los Angeles
California — Los Angeles
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Bio: Lautenbach, Louis & Martha
----Source: Levis 125 Year Book (1981); provided by "The Jailhouse Museum".
Surnames: LAUTENBACH OPELT
Lautenbach, Louis & Martha
Louis Lautenbach and Martha Opelt were married in 1922. To this union one son, Leroy, was born. They worked at farming on the place known as the John Schoen place on Day’s Corners (Clark Co., Wis.). Later, in 1925, they moved a house from Day’s Corners to the 80 acres of land which they purchased in sections 4 and 9, later owned by Rev. Koehler. This 80 had 12 acres of cleared land; after clearing more land and building a barn they farmed until 1960 when Louie and Martha accepted work as janitor and cook at the Consolidated Pine View School until 1965 when they retired and moved to Neillsville, Clark Co., Wis. where Louie passed away. Martha still resides in their home in that city.
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Mathematics Institute
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Differential Geometry is the study of geometric structures on manifolds. Manifolds are spaces which locally look like Euclidean space and therefore, one can do calculus on manifolds by means of coordinate charts. Examples of manifolds include surfaces in 3-space, complex projective space, and matrix (Lie) groups (e.g. O(n), SU(n), SL(n), etc.). The way in which coordinate charts are pieced together give the manifold a differentiable structure or a complex structure.
Geometric structures
Riemannian structures in which an inner product is specified on the tangent space at each point of the manifold. This allows us to measure length of curves, angles and most importantly, to define curvature.
Symplectic structures in which a closed skew-symmetric bilinear form is specified on the tangent space at each point of the manifold. This structure was inspired by considerations from classical mechanics (Poisson bracket, etc. ).
Kähler structures in which a Riemannian structure, symplectic structure and complex structure interact in a harmonious way. Algebraic manifolds admit a Kähler structure. Kähler manifolds are of tremendous importance in modern physics, particularly string theories.
Symmetric structures, including hyperbolic structures.
Related areas include algebraic geometry, singularity theory, and topology.
PDEs and Analysis on Infinite Dimensional Spaces in Differential Geometry
The space of maps between manifolds is studied by pulling each map 'tight' and then studying the space of 'tight' maps. This involves studying a nonlinear version of the heat equation. Development of singularities is a major area of research. This area also has significant interaction with stochastic analysis.
Special submanifolds (e.g. ones which minimize volume) satisfy the Euler-Lagrange equations of some functional.
The Atiyah-Singer Index theorem provides a deep link between invariants associated to a linear differential operator on a manifold and algebraic topological invariants. This has led to a general study of index theories, which includes the development of new cohomology theories and analysis on path and loop spaces.
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Last revised: Wed 8 Aug 2012
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Increased Power & Profits For FM Broadcasting Companies
FM Broadcasters… look at the potential benefits that the commissioning of our Advanced ILS Antennas at nearby airports can afford you! Fewer restrictions on bandwidth, fewer restrictions on broadcasting power settings, fewer restrictions on broadcasting times, larger audiences, fewer restrictions on tower height, increased profits from increased advertiser base…
Watts Antenna Company Can Help Make It Happen At No Cost To You!
FM Broadcasters have a large stake in the way in which airports develop but have their hands tied when it comes to expansion. That is because for many years FM stations have been subject to limitations of all sorts including broadcast power, tower height and location as a result of boundaries required to remain relatively free of RF interference for airport landing systems, such as Instrument Landing System (ILS), to function unhindered. Most of the Broadcast Industry in fact, considers ILS to be a hindrance to them and supports the International Aviation Community’s attempts to rely exclusively upon satellite based navigation systems to take over all aviation tasks including landing aircraft. They would prefer to remove ILS from airports completely believing and hoping the move would free FM Stations near airports to increase their reach which in turn would enhance their profit potential. Little did anyone know or could anyone predict that it would be a company that designs and manufactures Advanced ILS Antennas that would make their hopes a very real possibility.
For Our Main Stakeholder’s Page (Click Here)
There is plenty of room not only for FM Broadcast expansion, but for all other stakeholders to benefit significantly including the airports themselves. That is because the very thing that hinders one stakeholder in this case hinders all. Likewise, in this case, what benefits one benefits all! Let me explain it further.
While technologies such as NextGEN and GNSS have received the bulk of the international navigation community’s attention and funding over the last several decades, ILS remains the “gold standard” in all weather landing systems because of the obvious vulnerabilities of GPS by intentional or unintentional outages. Global innovations of the ILS antenna array however, the most important sub-system in providing improvements to the National Airspace System (NAS), have fallen well behind the ILS transmitter and monitor electronics. Throughout this period, Watts Antenna Company has continued to privately fund and develop state-of-the-art ILS antennas.
The fact that ILS remains the most utilized landing system world-wide, vindicates Watts Antenna Company’s decision to aggressively pursue advanced ILS antenna research and development the results of which are simply stunning!
Watts Antenna Company has managed to accomplish what no others have been able to accomplish by designing and manufacturing the firstAdvanced ILS Glide Slope Antennas that feature asymmetric electronic beam steer capabilities. We design and manufactured Advanced ILS Antenna that radiate the world’s narrowest highly directive ILS signal beams which are directed to approaching aircraft with greater precision and accuracy than all other ILS Localizer and Glide Slope Antennas. What this means is that it is no longer necessary for activities inside and outside of airports to be constrained as they presently are because extensive modeling proves that our Antenna Systems remove the necessity of these constraints and thereby end the era of large limited use areas.
VIEW OUR 2019 ATCA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE IN ISSUE 1 OF THE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL ASSOCIATION’S 2019 ATCA BULLETIN!
Contact your local political and transportation representatives to ask them if they are aware that Advanced ILS Antenna solutions exist that will modernize global airspace systems and benefit all stakeholders everywhere! Your own profitability is at stake!
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ICCC Conference day 1 – Chicken of the Sea and BBC
Anthony Watts / May 17, 2010
Sunday was speaker orientation and the evening reception/dinner. I met up with Willis Eschencbach, watched and listened to him play the piano in the lobby. I took some photos with my cellphone camera, but they turned out badly. Willis and I had an interesting talk with Gary Sharp about Tuna acting as ARGO buoys.
Apparently the Tuna have a daily habit of feeding near the surface, then diving deep, repeating the process later in the day. Just like the ARGO buoys dive then float to the surface, so do the Tuna.
Somebody (and I don’t recall who) is fitting Tuna with temperature loggers that take a measurement every 20 seconds. Gary says that prelim tunatemp data isn’t showing different than ARGO.
That prompted me to recall a old TV jingle (being in TV for 25 years my head is full of them) that some readers may remember but I added a twist when I recited it at the table with a musical lilt.
Ask any Tuna you happen to see, where’s the global warming? It’s not in the sea!
I thought Willis might need resuscitation he was laughing so hard.
I had an afternoon meeting where I saw some extraordinary data cleaning and homogenization methods applied to surface temperature data to clean up the train wreck that it is now. It was quite impressive and far better than anything I’ve seen from NOAA or NASA. It makes their QC look like, well, Tuna salad. Or maybe a PBJ sandwich.
I met many people, including Donna Laframboise of Toronto who runs “no Frakking Consensus“who seems much younger in person than shown in her photo. I met with E.M. Smith (Chiefio) and Verity Jones (Digging in the Clay) also, and sat with them along with Joe D’aleo at the dinner reception.
Steve McIntyre gave his keynote presentation on the “trick” at dinner, along with Apollo 17 astronaut and Geologist Dr. Harrison Schmitt who talked about his views on current science. Both were well received. It was carried on live video streaming. PJTV is providing live video coverage (streaming and otherwise) at the PJTV CLIMATEGATE 2010 MICROSITE.
Bob Carter gave me his new book to read Climate: the Counter Consensus.
I gave a couple of interviews today. The interview I had in the evening after the keynote dinner with an independent crew working for BBC on some documentary on “The Skeptics” was unscheduled. They caught me in the grand hall asking if it could do an interview. It started out pleasant enough, but soon deteriorated. They had no organization at all and had no idea where to shoot it. They suggested we shoot the interview in my room, because they wanted to have me set in front of my computer. I thought that was more than a bit forward and suggested the foyer, we got there, setup and then after starting decided they didn’t like the setting. They they suggested that we go to the media room (which they apparently just discovered) so they tore down and went there.
After a couple of false starts the questions started coming. I started to wonder where they were going with this, and when they started asking about what I thought about Dr. Phil Jones “wanting to commit suicide” I realized that it wasn’t going to be factual, but more emotionally spun. I told them flat out that question and what went on in Dr. Jones mind/intent wasn’t something I could or would comment on since I have no information beyond the press report.
These two independent filmakers were just kids, early 20’s and were struggling to come up with questions. They kept trying to get me to use the word “fraud” as applied to Dr. Jones. There were about five attempts to do so in questions, asking essentially the same question over and over again in different ways.
They also asked why climate skeptics are so “angry” and why there are so many nasty comments on forums. I pointed out that they should visit some of the entertainment forums where people talk about celebrities like Britney Spears etc if they wanted to see some real vitriols, and that nasty comments are a part of the blogosphere, particularly when anonymous commenting is involved. Alarmists make a lot of nasty comments. Look up dhoghaza and Joe Romm.
The capper came at the end when they asked me to sign a release form. I was shocked, because standard procedure is to have the interviewee look over and sign the release form before the interview.
Reading it was like reading no other release form I’ve ever seen. It had a clause that said “gives us the right to use your content however we see fit” which concerned me because usually an interview for a documentary is limited to that venue. For all I know they may put me on a political comedy show.
Then there was something I’ve never encountered in all my years of television. An oath of “honesty and factual accuracy” was in the release. While I certainly thought I answered honestly and factually, this clause concerned me. When somebody interviews me on a contentious subject like climate, I’m giving my opinion. Opinions are almost always disputed. I was sure mine would be. To have such a clause connected to one’s opinion is just insane because then someone can hold up anything and say “but scientific consensus says..etc…etc…so Mr. Watts lied and violated his contractual oath in the release form”. It’s not a court of law, it’s an interview. Jeez Louise!
The release was obviously written by amateurs, and I refused to sign it. They then admitted that “it’s being revised to ‘simplify it’ and ‘could we send you a revision?’. I said I’d look at it, gave them my card with email address, told them that I thought they had the process backwards and that I was unhappy with being confronted with flawed legal language after giving a good faith interview, and left.
My impression is that whoever hired these two kids for the BBC is in for a peck of trouble down the road. I doubt the documentary on skeptics will be little more than a slam job. We’ll see if they try to use me even though I have NOT signed the release.
That’s an hour of my life I’ll never get back.
May 17, 2010 in Climate News, Uncategorized.
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110 thoughts on “ICCC Conference day 1 – Chicken of the Sea and BBC”
How many quadrilllions of quatloos are in the BBC retirement fund that these two kids will never see?
Lonnie Schubert says:
Rick K says:
Anthony, thanks for taking the time to update us on the goings on in spite of your busy schedule.
Henry chance says:
Legal issues. They want a release signed? Will the kids at the BBC sign a release saying they didn’t change a single word or phrase in the interview? Contracts are a 2 way street. Has Algore signed his consents under oath?
I am glad the media showed up. To some extent, they may have written their story before they got on the plane. Now they may be unable to land if they go back. The volcanoe caused by melting is still active.
Did the BBC independent filmmakers try to corner you into admitting to being a “birther”, too?
Josh Keeler says:
Sounds like you had a great time. I’m not surprised by the characterization of the BBC interviewers, as it has been my observation that lately the BBC is not concerned with facts in their documentaries relating to controversial subjects, but merely what has the most shock value. Conservation films like “Life” and “Planet Earth,” ostensibly pieces designed to showcase the wonder and beauty of nature often go down a path of emotional appeals to save mother nature from the evil advances of Mankind. Imagine how much more so a piece labeled “the Skeptics” that deals specifically with those who do not worship the view that the evidence proves we are causing irreparable harm to the great Mother.
Mike Haseler says:
The downside of all those excellent wild-life documentaries and the “pro-nature” ethos in the BBC is that we get all those stupid climate-scare stories from the “pro-nature” ethos in the BBC which never stops to consider that being pro-nature doesn’t mean swallowing every bit of nonsense on the environment.
A C Osborn says:
Thanks for taking the time to let us know how you are doing. It’s a shame someone wasn’t filming the BBC filming you, it would have made great U Tube material.
Chris Long says:
Interesting piece… just to note, when Anthony says these guys were ‘working for the BBC’, I would say it’s quite likely that these were independent film makers hoping to sell something to the BBC, rather than actual BBC employees. The BBC doesn’t make many programs itself any more, a huge amount is bought in from independent production companies.
Sorry, Charlie. Only the best tuna get to be Starkist Tuna.
Sounds like you need to get one of those cheap HD video cameras Glenn Reynolds is always talking about and set it up in the corner of the room to capture the whole process in raw form.
Chris Long is correct. The BBC and many media outlets use sub contractors. Sub contractors also sign agreements holding the BBC harmless.
Have fun in the windy city. I am sure a side trip to the massive Carbon climate Trading Exchange would be unique. For 10 cents a ton, carbon credits; get them while they are hot.
Tunamometers! I wonder what unintended consequences that will lead to? It will turn out that some excitedly reported spurious trend will turn out to be tuna mating season or some such.
Eric Anderson says:
Thanks for the update, Anthony. Sounds like it will be a great conference.
Don’t worry about the BBC kids. Chris Long could well be right. Besides, now you have a great story to tell!
Ed Caryl says:
I doubt they were really from the BBC! They were much too unprofessional.
My father has described to me this very scenario dozens of times. This attempt to corner you and then edit the (snip) out of it later, seems particularly amateurish. Nice to hear you jabbed Willis in his funny bone !!
OT, but someone needs to respond to Krugman’s column, How Will They Spin This?
http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/16/how-will-they-spin-this/
re new GISS release showing hottest 12 months on record.
I guess my first response would be to ask, “What were the raw temperature readings?”
Mike Spilligan says:
What Chris Long 0742 stated is correct, including much work being done “on spec”, but the BBC always have the final say – that’s the way it’s always been done, back to 1920s radio. It also means that they can and may use in future any “archive” material in any way, edited in any way including out-of-sequence and way out of the context in which the interview / recording took place.
DaveUK says:
Don’t bother signing or even being part of this crock.
There has been a couple of documentaries made by budding journo’s on the BBC.
‘Undercover cop’ and so on.
They always pick their subject and go great guns to incite folk to do or say things controversial.
They would never make a documentary called ‘Undercover biased BBC executive’ that is for sure.
H.R. says:
Great update, Anthony. Thank you.
“What’s the best tuna? Chicken of the Sea!”
(Announcer: “Sorry, Charlie. You’re just not good enough for Chicken of the Sea.”)
Dave F says:
Wow, way to disabuse the process there! Oh, now that we have asked you all these questions, will you sign this release form saying that we can use your content however we see fit, and on top of that, now that we have all these answers, we will have you sign an oath to answer the questions factually and honestly. So we can edit it to make it look like you are lying, and destroy evidence that you weren’t, and stay within the bounds of our contract. Sounds fair to me.
Mike McMillan says:
I see Costa Rica’s Christiana Figueres is taking over Yvo de Boer’s UN climate job. Not too encouraging, since the other prospect was from South Africa and reluctant to cripple developing nation economies with a climate regime.
JER0ME says:
I seriously envy you, meeting with all those we hear from regularly and have respect for. Thanks for the update.
Don’t worry about ‘The men from Auntie’.
R. de Haan says:
Nice to hear AccuWeather is there!
http://www.accuweather.com/ukie/bastardi-europe-blog.asp?partner=accuweather
BernardP says:
I’ll believe we have turned the corner on climate change when I can read/see/hear objective comments about the ICCC Conference in the mainstream media.
Apparently, it won’t be this year. After the Climategate bump in the road, the media has reinserted the old eight-track cartridge in the player….
Frugal Dougal says:
Thanks for the heads-up – we need to his the BBC hard if and when your interview, or any comments by BBC personnel traceable to it, show up.
crosspatch says:
“I realized that it wasn’t going to be factual, but more emotionally spun.”
Which is the problem with the entire issue. Here is what I believe I have been able to learn in my years on this planet:
People tend to have groups that they admire and wish to identify as being a member of. One way they sort out who is and who is not a member of their desired affinity group and how they signify their own affinity are positions on certain issues and possibly even certain buzzwords used in a certain context. Now this has little to do with actual critical thinking. It isn’t a position arrived at through independent research and analysis. It is more about learning an argument and all of its proper buzzwords by rote.
So one wishes to identify with a certain group of kewl kids and repeats their line on various issues. They identify “the opposition” in the same way.
Enter the news organization. The purpose of the news organization is basically to attract eyeballs to advertisement. It gains them eyeballs if they can create a controversy. The more emotional the controversy the better as it tends to keep viewers coming back for more (re: Greta Van Sustern’s “all Aruba all the time”). They are going to attempt to make a caricature of an argument and present the most extreme viewpoints they can find to create the greatest possible contrast. It has little to do with information, it has more to do with rousing emotion and creating controversy.
Most people don’t have time to dig through an issue and learn enough about it to really come to an informed opinion. They simply look to who they think are the “kewl kids” or the “good guys”, see what their position is on the issue, and adopt it themselves. This causes all sorts of problems when politics becomes involved. Now people adopt a position as a matter of faith in their political beliefs and no argument of logic can overturn a position of faith. It also raises problems with people who DO look at issues and learn about them. One could find themselves concluding that one political side has issue A correct but the other political side has issue B correct. This results in one becoming alienated by people on BOTH sides. This is because it doesn’t matter how many issues you agree with someone on, you are not “with” them if you disagree on even one and adopt the “other side’s” position on it.
What an interesting study people are!
The BBC’s adherence to the parallel universe that is AGW is steadfast; an example may be seen tonight on BBC2 “Springwatch” at 8pm. Chris Packham, the acolyte sans pareil of CCAGW intones breathlessly that “anyone who doubts need only look to nature for proof that mankind’s impact is a very real, complicated and urgent issue.”
Meanwhile, back in the real world of agriculture and commerce, Royal Horticultural Society growers for the Chelsea Flower Show which starts next Monday, have been obliged to move up to 750 varieties back into greenhouses and polytunnels, with one exhibitor observing that this was his 45 show and that this was the most difficult with everything three weeks behind and that nothing had had a chance to grow on.
In the letters section a writer bemoaned the lack of swifts this year which usually arrive in her vicinity around the 6th May.
Yes, we look to nature; and nature, incredulous of the AGW message, fails to feel the balmy winds so typical of R. Gates’s and the BBC’s warming arctic.
Al Gore's Holy Hologram says:
The BBC always have young useful idiots running around with cameras. They did it to me many years ago, put me on Panorama and made me look like I was narrating the programme because of the way they edited it when in fact I was just a passer-by who answered some questions and gave an opinion. They didn’t even ask my permission.
thethinkingman says:
Thanks for the diary update Mr Watts, it is always good to get information in live time.
As for the BBC , just be thankful you aren’t an Israeli because they don’t like them much either.
That’s the BBC now! We have a saying here that Lord Reith (founder of the BBC) turns in his grave whenever the BBC do a piece on global warming. I once joked to Fred Singer of SEPP that Lord Reith is spinning so much in his grave now, that someone could attach a coil of wire to him and stick a magnet under his coffin – and we could generate CO2-less electricity out of him – and Fred Singer posted it on his website! I’m afraid the BBC is a shadow of its former self. There are some good bits left, but really not much. Despite the fact that it should be secular, we have to put up with daily ‘godspots’ on the two most popular radio channels. Even someone within the BBC recently quoted that it had been completely taken over by Christian Lesbians – not that there’s anything wrong with lesbians…
Re tuna temp logging: the AWG/PETA crowd will say they only want tunas with the good taste not to hang around with the sceptic crowd. Otherwise they will be Star-Crossed tunas.
Andrew Zalotocky says:
The BBC’s one-sided coverage of climate issues is regularly highlighted on the ‘Biased BBC’ blog:
http://biased-bbc.blogspot.com/
I’m so glad the internet is making “journalists” obsolete in large part. Too many unqualified, unskilled, and politicized people now occupy the field. It may be hard to find the truth with competing blogs and websites, but the standard media have lost any credibility they once held. Any well-reasoned, fact-supported/documented argument is likely to be more correct than the fluff we get in print.
Annabelle says:
Sounds like the media crew were just freelancers taking a chance on selling something to the BBC on spec. I wouldn’t be surprised if the BBC has actually never heard of them.
Tim Ball says:
A few of us were ambushed by the BBC at the first Heartland conference in New York. They led us to believe they were covering the conference. In fact they were doing a program ridiculing skeptics and their views. Complaints to Ofcom, the agency responsible for dealing with such problems, did a whitewash but that is the pattern of all UK investigations of climate science and media coverage.
Luboš Motl says:
When I read these BBC (or would-be BBC) experiences, it may be a good idea to first find out whether the filmmakers are competent and will be satisfied with the decent rules that one assumes, and if there are reasons to think that the answer could be No, just reject them.
Too bad that such people can’t be forced to make another chicken-of-the-sea commercial rather than propagandist soap operas that make them feel as powerful brown or green shirts.
Poptech says:
Anybody else have problems with the live streaming? It worked fine last night and this morning, they never streamed Pat Michaels speech like they said, instead they keep rerunning some loop video. Why can’t PJTV just live cast a certain session of the conference all day?
Anthony, I am disappointed with Steve M’s position about not questioning government’s ability to implement policy as if they can never be challenged. If this a standard view in Canada it is no wonder they let government role all over them. This makes me slightly concerned about Steve’s rationality to all this. His stance on not calling fraud, fraud because of academic precedence is unacceptable? Since when are academics above the law? Most of his explanation on his reasoning came off like doublespeak and I was disappointed to hear it. Don’t get me wrong I respect his professionalism but trying to explain why he does not consider it fraud or rather why it should not matter sounds like excuses. This sort of position is killing us and the reason why he received a standing ovation before the speech and not after. No one wants a witch hunt but Mann and those involved deserve whatever criminal charges that can be brought against them. If the policy stakes were not this high, I would understand leniency but this is not some minor academic dispute.
Tilo Reber says:
If what is happening below the surface in the equatorial Pacific is any indication of what will happen at the surface, I think that we are about to undergo a dramatic change. Here is the latest NOAA report. Take a look at page 11.
http://www.cpc.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/lanina/enso_evolution-status-fcsts-web.pdf
tarpon says:
Tuna Heat Island(THI) ???
Maybe some day they’ll do a documentary on “The Science”.
janama says:
The BBC probably said – “if you can get some decent interviews with key people we may consider using it”
@Gary:
“I’m so glad the internet is making “journalists” obsolete in large part.”
The problem is that there are too many “journalists” and not enough reporters. The difference between a journalist and a reporter, in my opinion, is like that between a painter and a photographer.
People generally have a limited scope of information. We rely on news outlets as sort of the intelligence agency for the masses. Many of us expect the news media to be a mirror where information on events and issues beyond our horizon can be reflected back to us so we might come to our own conclusion. The problem comes in when the information is reported in an “activist” sense and it is skewed one way or another. This skewing can be extremely subtle. It also isn’t new to modern times. Ben Franklin was an absolute scoundrel when it came to “reporting” and would make up events and even craft forged “letters” to the editor (him) in order to influence opinion. Read his autobiography sometime.
The difference is that in the not so distant past, we had many more news outlets to choose from. San Francisco had over a dozen daily newspapers in 1900. It was our family tradition dating back several generations to take at least two newspapers … the Republican paper and the Democrat paper because my Dad said that in order to find out what was really going on, you had to “add the two together and divide by seven”. You don’t have that choice today. Most cities and even many regions are “one paper” towns. And even then, many papers are owned by the same publisher. The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and 15 other newspapers around the country and web sites such as about.com
The company that owns the San Francisco Chronicle (Hearst Corp.) also owns 15 other newspapers, 29 TV stations, 15 magazines, and several cable entertainment channels. So if you read the San Francisco Chronicle and Esquire magazine and watch ESPN you are getting a good part of your world view from the same source. Or the woman who reads the Houston Chronicle, reads Cosmo, and watches A&E … same thing.
What the Internet has done is reduced the cost of producing content for global consumption to something many more people can afford. It has returned us to an era where we have more perspectives to choose from. But it is still up to the consumer to separate the wheat from the chaff. There is a lot of junk out there and some real gems.
Reed Coray says:
Anthony, I think you just received a not-so-gentle reminder–skepticism applies to all things: global warming alarmists who stand to make a profit, car salesmen telling you they’re on your side in the battle against the sales manager, and media news crews claiming they want to present your side of an argument.
Dan in California says:
I’ve been interviewed dozens of times by local, national, and foreign TV, makers of documentaries, etc, as part of my day job. I agree that the documentary you describe is most likely a producer hoping to sell the show the the BBC. There is a standard “release” form that they all use with small changes, but this one sounds far different. They all have the “in perpetuity” clause, though.
They all get the information wrong to some extent; it’s just life in the real world. I’ve never been the subject of an attack piece, but by far the least accurate – by a wide margin – was an international documentary (sorry, no names). We complained to the writer on that one. He apologized and explained that the editor changed it to make a better story. Wrong, but more interesting.
R. Gates says:
No, not really Tilo. The only thing “dramatic” is your characterization of a normal cooling phase after an El Nino. Here’s the “dramatic” summary from the same report:
A transition from El Niño to ENSO-neutral is underway.
• Sea surface temperatures are decreasing across much of the Pacific Ocean.
• Based on current observations and dynamical model forecasts, a transition to
ENSO-neutral conditions is expected by June 2010, which will continue into the
Northern Hemisphere summer 2010.
• Although many models predict ENSO-neutral conditions, there is a growing
possibility of La Niña developing during the second half of 2010.
In summary, nothing unusual or out of the ordinary for the end of an El Nino, and the potential beginning of a La Nina, though that’s far from certain.
Overall, ocean heat content globally remains high:
http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/OC5/3M_HEAT_CONTENT/
LarryOldtimer says:
Either the usual clowns and monkeys of the mainstream media circus, or simply clowns and monkeys attempting to join that circus. Always striving to please the ringmasters.
David, UK says:
The BBC has been in the ranks of the alarmists since forever. This is the organisation that sat on the Climategate emails for several weeks before an exasperated whistleblower resorted to releasing them across the net.
I have also seen two BBC programs in which the host performed a highly original twist on Gore’s ‘Massive-Hockey-Stick-Graph-And-Crane’ propaganda stunt. One of these simply substituted a tall ladder in place of the crane. And the other program had its host (David Attenborough) walk across a massive HS graph laid out on the studio floor with an aerial camera looking down from way above as he made strides along the straight line and then up the curve of the HS.
Another BBC program I saw (it may have been the same one as with the ladder stunt) had a Michael Mann interview, in which MM defended his HS (this was after Steve Mac’s debunking) saying that several independent studies had verified the HS and therefore his HS was robust. And the host just nodded and smiled. And I had to run to the bathroom to be physically sick. It was common knowledge by then that random numbers fed into his model produced a HS, but the BBC clearly wasn’t interested in inconvenient truths like that.
So please, my American friends, don’t be in any doubt as to the BBC’s agenda.
Crosspatch said:
One could find themselves concluding that one political side has issue A correct but the other political side has issue B correct. This results in one becoming alienated by people on BOTH sides. This is because it doesn’t matter how many issues you agree with someone on, you are not “with” them if you disagree on even one and adopt the “other side’s” position on it.
Crosspatch, you are right. That’s politics. Divide and rule.
Most of all, of course, on issue C – climate. We divide, and they rule.
Max Hugoson says:
I think the proper response is to NEVER sign a “release” form.
If these puppies are so “weakkneed” as to need a “release” form, they deserve NOT to be doing “journalism”.
One word for them, similar to “Chickens of the Sea”…Kowards…
stephen richards says:
Ed, sorry but your are wrong. The BBC has moved a very long way from its original high standards of impartiality and professionalism. Every program now has a climate change element to it and based on the false premises it has been advocating for some years.
Naw, R Gates; Tilo’s correct. Kelvin’s kabooming equinoctially and the rate of heat loss over the last month is unprecedented in recent monitoring.
I recall a spur-of-the-moment interview with Monkton on the “Climate Wars” series. Monckton was caught in a hotel lobby, and compared poorly to the quiet office environment granted to other interviewees. It gave the impression of contrary opinion on the informal fringe.
They could spin your interview into something along these lines:
Narrator: “Anonymous climate sceptics gather around blogs like ‘Watt’s Up With That’. The debate is acrimonious, as the blog owner explains”
Watts: “you should visit some of the entertainment forums where people talk about celebrities like Britney Spears if you want to see some real vitriol … nasty comments are a part of the blogosphere, particularly when anonymous commenting is involved”
Narrator: “These types of comments have driven respected scientists who are the target of the hateful comments to consider suicide”
Watts: “what goes on in Dr. Jones mind isn’t something I could or would comment on since I have no information beyond the press report”
I hope it doesn’t go that way. But it would be worth preparing yourself.
Anthony – if you get the opportunity could you please inform the video director that watching a speaker talking about a chart is not as interesting as seeing the chart he’s talking about!!!
R. Gates
“The only thing “dramatic” is your characterization of a normal cooling phase after an El Nino.”
Don’t consider it dramatic if you like. I consider a change from subsurface equatorial water anomalies being mostly warm or hot to being mostly cool or cold as dramatic. I don’t care if it’s happened before. I also think that the amount of subsurface cool water that has developed, and is continuing to develop, serves as an indicator that we will not go to ENSO neutral conditions, but rather to La Nina conditions. And if we do get La Nina condition, then we are heading for 14 years of no global warming. I consider that more dramatic than a chunk of ice breaking off Antartica. Now there is something that is dirt ordinary.
Chuckles says:
Anthony, You just enjoy the conference.
All that talking about Tuna, you just got a couple of bottom feeders excited there.
We in the UK are sort of eyeing the remit of our funding of such creatures at the moment, we’ll just add it to the list.
MARK BAILEY says:
The BBC abandoned any semblance of balance and impartiality in its climate change reporting years ago. A while back its science coverage in the news was run by a qualified scientist called David Whitehouse (a PhD) and very good it was too. But I guess that it was hard being a scientist among the english graduates of this world (such as Roger Harrabin) and their science coverage has been going downhill ever since, to the point where its reputation has been severely damaged. the BBC trust has been so concerned by BBC News poor science coverage that it has called for a special report. I bet that, like the CRU enquiries, will be another whitewash.
My husband answers questions for the press as the representative of his trade association. I won’t give the details except to say it’s not oil, but it is in an industry
that comes under alot of scrutiny from the press. A few years ago, he was interviewed
by BBC’s Jonathan Bell. Bell asked him lots of leading questions, essentially trying to prove his agenda. Unfortunately for Bell my husband was not able to substantiate Bell’s claims.
The kicker is this, the next day as Bell made his report on the BBC, he just trotted out his “facts” regardless of truth. You see they don’t want the whole story only what serves the narrative.
PBS frontline, cut and slice the story to our satisfaction. NPR was pretty much the same. After a two hour interview, the reporter didn’t even get the name right. Now he reserves the right to see and amend any final product before he will agree to any interview.
cmdocker says:
bbc propaganda on bbc2 as i write (springwatch signs of change with chris packham)
Rhys Jaggar says:
I guess you could try contacting the New PM Mr Cameron, since his party were firing guns into the sky about the BBC in the lead up to the election. And his guru, Archie Norman is now running the main commercial competitor, so he may be prepared to listen to your issues in a friendly way…..
Maybe it’s time for a counter ‘contract’ to be signed by all BBC reporters. in which the rights of someone like yourself are encapsulated in a legally robust document……..?
Bill Hunter says:
Tuna are unique fishes. They have no swim bladder which in other fish can cause barotrauma when suddenly changing depth in the water column.
Also tuna are effectively warm blooded. This allows them to operate over a wide range of temperatures like when diving below thermoclines. Swordfish are also deep divers but they have a method of warming just the blood coming to their brain. So after a sustained deep dive swordfish are often seen sunning themselves on the surface of the water in a stupor and are easily approachable.
Great idea tagging these fish with sensors. We have lots of needs to better understand the life cycles of these fish and here is an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.
Love the Charley Tuna ditty!
Enneagram says:
REAL “TUNAMOMETERS”. This is not a joke. The following is the FAO paper on Fish catches related to temperatures:
ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/005/y2787e/y2787e00.pdf
If you don´t want to read all the document see graph at page 50:
What it is remarkable that this is a document from UN´s FAO and it forecasts temperatures to 2100, it openly contradicts IPCC non-sense.
Colin W says:
They were probably trying to get a rough doc together to pitch to the BBC, and also using the BBC name to get interviews which they would not have got otherwise.
oldseadog says:
I have just watched the BBC Springwatch programme. Look at http://www.bbc.co.uk/springwatch .
How on earth do you counter this?
I lost count of the number of times that the presenters stated categorically that runaway Global Warming is an undisputed fact, accepted by the “vast majority of scientists”, and that it is almost certainly caused by human produced CO2.
Gail Combs says:
These were satellite readings of the troposphere.
Remember the oceans cover 70% of the earth. The readings show heat moving out of the ocean and into the atmosphere as it heads for outer space. (Yeah, Yeah CO2 might bounce a little back but the thunderheads whisk that heat up pretty fast)
The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) shifted from the cool phase to the warm phase around 1976, and has recently switched back to the cool phase. El Nino (hot) has switched into neutral. The result of this “heat transport” into the atmosphere is “The decrease in upper ocean heat content from March to April was 1C – largest since 1979″
In other words we are looking at a downturn in ocean temps for about 30 years. Add a solar funk and volcanoes and I doubt anyone will be worried about “Global Warming” 5 to 10 years from now.
I have just spent several minutes trying to get onto the “Blog” part of the Springwatch pages without success. Has anyone else tried and how did you get on?
Is this an opening salvo in the 2012 Democratic primary? Bill Clinton calls CO2 plant food.
Fitzy says:
Kudos to Anthony, getting infomation out during conference, not easy.
As for the Beeb Dweebs, seems if one wants to present a formal case against the AGW theory, one needs their own media branch.
The Net has made that easier, cheaper, immediate and now days vital. A non partisan, impartial documentary, unbiased documentary would be corporately unwelcomed in this world of failed rockstar journalism and the media circus. My gut feeling is people are hungry for old school reporting, sans spin, glitter, glam and BS.
Anyone got an idea about a budget for such? Despite the ecnomic times, I reckon the WUWT crowd could pony up enough to put one together. We could create a small production house called the “Better Broadcasting Company”, and invite David Bellamy to host it. That would twist some knickers.
Eric, that was a trip into the ninth circle of Hell, the comments were beyond Post Normal, many were just Postal. Its like some kind of Post Modern Climate Jihad, almost like a Green Radical Islam, “Kill the unbeliever!”, “Burn the Heretics!”.
Plus his graphics suck, anyone can use a chart to back an argument, if Paul wants to know how Skeptics would spin this, …we wouldn’t, because we DON’T.
No, not really Tilo. The only thing “dramatic” is your characterization of a normal cooling phase after an El Nino….
That graph is old it ends in January. There was a drop of 1C/month from March to April 2010. The chart does show parts of the 60 year cycle and that we are now headed back down in heat content of the ocean.
http://wattsupwiththat.com/2010/05/07/the-decrease-in-upper-ocean-heat-content-from-march-to-april-was-1c-largest-since-1979/
The BBC has been in the ranks of the alarmists since forever…..
Thanks to the internet we are now aware that the BBC pensions are invested in carbon trading…. Talk about vested interests!
Colin Porter says:
And in the mean time, the BBC is once more peddling its propaganda as often as it can now that it thinks that the Climategate scandal is subsiding. I have just seethed through watching a one hour programme in which the presenter, Chris Packham, has given his personal take on Climate Change. The only evidence he presented was that spring was coming earlier in the UK by an average of 11 days and that it must be anthropogenic because the majority of scientists and in the same breath, politicians think it is so. It shows the level of confidence that the BBC has in its absolute control of the propaganda war in that we have just experienced a series of cold summers and winters culminating in the harshest winter in many years and the BBC glibly passes this off as just weather.
You could have driven a juggernaut through the arguments, but without a right of reply, the BBC just gets away with murder. It makes your blood boil at the injustice of it all.
Sun Spot says:
Why AGW has become a dogma and corrupted the scientific method:
There has formed an opportunistic cabal comprised of Big Business (Cap’n Trade), Big Government (carbon tax), Big Science (billions for research), Big Eco-Green (billions for wind and solar), Big Media (Gore/Suzuki and a new global warming apocalypse story every day) , Big Socialism (IPCC and U.N. wealth re-distribution) money, money, money follow the money. AGW has now become a holy cause formed out of the un-holy alliance outlined above.
I laud those who take on the money machine of this scope (I’ve never seen anything like it), good luck your going to need it.
old construction worker says:
QUESTION: Do they have to account for the tuna’s “body heat bias” and does that “body heat bias” fluxuate with the depth of the dive (think wind chill or in this case, “water chill factor”)?
Wondering Aloud says:
Since you didn’t do any bomb throwing and didn’t give them permission to manipulate what you said into what they wanted you to have said, I doubt you will ever hear from them again.
Ken Hall says:
There is a big difference between the excellent BBC science department and the BBC political ethos. Sadly the latter has thoroughly imposed itself on the former.
Hang in there Anthony. Best advice on legal documents: don’t try to be your own attorney!
There are bound to be some savvy physicists there at the conference, see if you can get some real insight into the recent unprecedented drop in the temperature of the oceans in relation to sea waters thermal conductivity, being rather small, the transfer will be slow.
I had expected this multi-year pause in cooling of the oceans to actually start to be apparent. Has to do with the rate at which the thermocline can contract in response to the loss of heat in the upper layers. (You know, the missing energy). See if you can gather some real science behind this aspect. Mother nature is doing what she always will do, of course, following proper physics!
and where can i see the videos?
kwik says:
Hmmm, maybe a good idea asking for an ID Card?
Roger Simon;
“What a relief it is the public is finally turning against this. And we have men like Monckton and Lindzen to thank for it, as well as many others at the conference. Steve McIntyre, whom I will be interviewing Monday, comes quickly to mind.”
Here;
http://pajamasmedia.com/rogerlsimon/2010/05/16/talking-climate-in-the-windy-city/?singlepage=true
Stephen Brown says:
Never, ever trust anyone at all who says, “I’m from the BBC …”
They will twist, re-edit and mis-quote to their heart’s delight. It is how they operate, it’s just too easy to spot whilst watching their miserable offerings to the UK audiences.
The BBC is now interested in only one thing and that is the propagation and proliferation of their own extremely left-wing ideology which has been nurtured by 13 years of equally socialist Labour government (who held the purse strings).
My favorite financial blog Zero Hedge includes volcano studies.
“Just to add to the ink needs of European central banks, the Iceland met office reports that it has recorded a small earthquake at the Katla volcano. With Europe already pretty much bankrupt, and the only reason why Europe is still quoted being due to ECB, IMF and Fed backstops, the last thing needed by the troubled continent is the next major volcanic explosion to terminate airline travel indefinitely. As earthquakes tend to not be an indicator of volcanic stability, the most anticipated volcanic explosion in human history may finally be a fact quite soon. We are confident the HFT lobby will somehow determine that volcanic ash clouds add liquidity to the market. Stay tuned. ”
Katla Earthquake May Presage Next Volcanic Explosion
http://www.zerohedge.com/article/katla-earthquake-may-presage-next-volcanic-explosion
… and we in the UK have to, by law, PAY a licence fee to have a television, this money goes to the BBC. We have to PAY for the drivel which the Beeb produces whether or not we agree.
Phil. says:
Anthony as someone who has fished for tuna in three oceans I’m not sure that this experiment will be very effective. Typically tuna seek out a certain temperature range so wherever the tuna go is likely to be in the same temperature range. We would look at the satellite surface temps and look for temperature breaks which is where the tuna would be, also we’d monitor the surface temp and troll on the ‘right’ side of the break.
Who says they were with the BBC?
Did you record the interview for your own sake?
cmdocker says: “bbc propaganda on bbc2 as i write (springwatch signs of change with chris packham)”
We just love Springwatch and Autumnwatch. But I suffered this too (and my wife joined in with incredulity – my scepticism seems to be spreading).
The chap who filmed mountain hairs in their white coats against the dark heather and bracken. How many years ago was the film taken? At least one – perhaps two or three years agi. I’d be very surprised if it was this year given that the Scottish highlands are still well covered in snow half way through May.
On the spread of lung worms in dogs. Are we to assume it has nothing to do with keeping dogs in warm, centrally heated houses?
And on mosquitoes in the UK. Nothing to do with exotic fruit shipments: Kenya yesterday, Tesco (UK supermarket) today?
The list goes on. There were frost fairs on the Thames a couple of hundred years ago – so nobody seriously suggests the UK climate hasn’t been warming. (Well, perhaps the purveyors of hockey sticks – but they don’t count.)
And in the mean time, the BBC is once more peddling its propaganda as often as it can now that it thinks that the Climategate scandal is subsiding. I have just seethed through watching a one hour programme ….
Thank goodness for the internet. It has definitely changed the playing field. Without it the political interests could run right over us.
I spend a lot of time out in the public and there has been a sea change in attitudes towards CAGW here in the USA. Even those who are still believers can now see the carbon tax rip off aspect. They feel used and violated and angry.
rbateman says:
Where has all the heat gone? It went up, after giving us a fair El Nino. I’m looking at the higher probablility that La Nina is in the offing, and lower probabilities to ENSO neutral/deep La Nina. I do question NOAA’s forecast of above normal Western US.
Sure doesn’t seem to fit the pattern, but anything can happen. It’s predictions, might as well enjoy them.
George E. Smith says:
Well I had this conference at the top of my list of things to do this year; along with going back to NZ to attend the Distinguished Alumni Dinner and presentations; but the Obamapelosi spending spree put the Kibosh on both of those.
With the massive tax increases; and some unemployed family having no chance at a government climate research grant; I had to close the shutters; and put on the survival suit.
I’m glad that some of the local regulars here were able to make it; no way I can fake a job related excuse to go; since we have no interest in either up or down effects of the Climate change/green energy gravy trains; and I certainly can’t convince any evil big oil company to pay my way.
But next year; I will crawl on my hands and knees over broken glass; naked in a blizzard; and uphill both ways to make at least the climate science conference; and probably the Alumni thing as well, since I am expected to attend.
I’d really like to hear what Prof Lindzen or Dr Roy Spencer have to say, when enclosed under the dome of silence.
So much for academic freedom; when you can’t speak openly because of politics.
The latest Alumni mag under its Student Life section; has an article about some LLB student who is an “environmental Officer” with the University’s Environmental Programme; and was one of 12 NZ youth delegates to the big Copenhagen bust in December. Well their heading says “Hopenhagen or Flopenhagen ?”
Frankly it disturbs me that NZ would send law students to what purportedly was a climate science affair; and with no interest in anything but somehow passing some legally binding treaty to enforce behavior of people around the world.
As I see it, New Zealand has precisely nothing to gain (but misery) from any climate treaty; since it too; like the United States, is not permitted to offset its “carbon footprint”; with its massive tree farming operations that along with its agriculture likely make it a net carbon sink; which the USA is.
They are going to be hearing from me; about putting legal basketry ahead of dealing with the clear inconsistencies in the suppoedly settled science. Seems to me that the science has only just started to materialize; and it is not looking too good for unnatural variability; or CO2 drive versus H2O Feedback regulation. And with Countries like Japan employing global warming geo-engineering to extend crop seasons, and cause “global warming”; just what is the point in other countries signing on to their own economic demise; when even Europe is not abiding by their Kyoto promises; and India/China/Indonesia just plan to carry on with business as usual (which maybe they should).
Hopefully, we will here some conference news from Anthony and the others pretty soon.
Mike Lorrey says:
I’ve got a new phrase to describe what is done to temp data via the hockey team’s homogenization tricks: Bake n’ Fake.
Ian H says:
We have to watch the media. Someone somewhere has decided that the thing to do about those pesky climate skeptics is to try to put them all in the same boat as creationists and anti-science right wing religious nutcases. I’ve heard several media commentaries that have pushed that meme this week.
With apologies to any creationist anti-science right wing extremist nutcases who might be present, a lot of us don’t want to be put in that boat. I’m an atheist; I’m middle of the road politically; I think creationists are borderline crazy; and I’m a scientist in my day job. However I’m also very skeptical about the current paradigm in climate science.
Jim Cole says:
If memory serves me right, I believe the original jingle was:
Ask any MERMAID you happen to see,
“What’s the best tuna?”
Chicken of the Sea
Funny bit, though
The sign-off line ought to be
“Sorry, GAVIN, only the best tuna get to be “real climate” data
William Gray says:
Mr Mann is not allowed to be taken to task. The order has gone out to all persons of influence. From whom and why anybody guess.
kadaka (KD Knoebel) says:
Wow, that tuna stuff gets confusing. Jessica Simpson thought “Chicken of the Sea” was chicken, which is understandable since white albacore tuna was referred to as chicken of the sea “way back when” by fishermen. And these days PETA wants fish to be known as Sea Kittens so people will think twice about eating any fish.
Tuna, chicken, kitten… Guess if we eat more Asian cooking it won’t be a problem, then we’ll just cook up whatever animal protein we can find.
Anyone up for some Sea Chick Kitty? I found this old Vietnamese recipe online…
Re: kadaka (KD Knoebel) on May 17, 2010 at 5:04 pm
Whoops, looks like I goofed up a link somehow. “white albacore tuna was referred to as chicken of the sea” should have been linked a Wikipedia article. Sorry about that.
Willis Eschenbach says:
Gary said they had two temperature sensors, one inside and one outside of the fish. The heat of the tuna (as I understand it) comes from the action of the muscles, so if it is exerting it warms up. But what do I know? …
Van Grungy says:
It’s called professionalism… Why put yourself in the position to be called a hate monger…
Ignoring the Mann issue right now is pragmatic and savvy…
CRS, Dr.P.H. says:
Thanks for the updates, Anthony!
Here’s Sen. Jim Inhofe’s comments about the Heartland conference, delivered on the floor of the US Senate:
http://epw.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Minority.Blogs&ContentRecord_id=a880900c-802a-23ad-45e0-6ac1d20af80f&Issue_id=
Capn Jack says:
Were any Danish or Chicagoan chicken ranchers doing pro bono work at the conference, I am just exercising a litle bit of intellectual interest, in the interests of of this blog’s current affairs.
Smokey says:
The usual bedwetters [Lord Monckton’s most excellent term] in the blogosphere are whining about this conference — which they will not attend — while turning a blind eye to the world’s biggest freeloaders’ conference.
rogerkni says:
Here’s what I’ve posted (it’s still in moderation):
How will we spin this?: Two words — El Nino. Those who read a dioxide-deviationist blog like WUWT would be aware of this, unlike the out-of-touch sarcastic commenters above (except Don K). Further, it’s our opinion that this up-tick will be succeeded later this year, or early next year, by a down-ticking La Nina like the one that followed the up-spike in 1998.
Wanna bet (and take it out of my hide)? You can wager on the GISS temperature anomalies for coming months (May, June, and July), for 2010, for the next five years, etc., at https://www.intrade.com
Tuna possess a rete mirabili which is a counter current heat exchanger which keeps the inner temperature warmer than the skin temperature so that they can operate in lower water temperatures.
Roger Sowell says:
rbateman, re “. . . NOAA’s forecast of above normal Western US.”
We are having temperatures that are below “normal” in California this Spring. It’s snowing again today in the Sierras near Yosemite, and a cold rain is falling in Los Angeles. ‘
The Sierra snowpack is at almost 150 percent of “normal” for this time of year. One has to wonder how all that snow got there, when CO2 is warming the planet so very, very much.
I suspect that the cause is the particular strain of CO2 in California: undisciplined, anti-authoritarian, and not about to take orders on how it is to behave, from IPCC or anybody else.
John Galt II says:
Anthony,
The New BBC = The Old Monty Python
Great Story,
JG2
Al Gored says:
I see the new BBC as Monty Python’s Ministry of Truth, without the humor.
sandyinderby says:
Join me and complain to the BBC about the content.
DaveF says:
Tuna are being fitted with temperatue sensors? So that’s what I broke my tooth on in my tuna sandwich yesterday!
Where do you think the Tuna get all the mercury we get warned about?
rms says:
BBC Radio 4 this morning apparently referred to the gathering in Chicago as “the convention for climate change deniers.” (or something like that).
Bill Tuttle says:
R. Gates: May 17, 2010 at 10:59 am
Not really Tilo. The only thing “dramatic” is your characterization of a normal cooling phase after an El Nino.
All cooling is *normal*. Only *warming* can be dramatic, Tilo, even if it’s only +.0027C and the instrument has a +/-.2C calibration error and there’s a +2C uncorrected siting error in the station located 1,200 km from the “measured” location.
Yeesh. Read the memos, people!!!11!eleven!!!1!
*koff*
Sandyinderby,
I’m fed up complaining to the BBC; they never answer the question asked and always slant the reply to a comment.
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The Going Just Got Better With Super Fast (eMMC 5.1) Storage On Galaxy S6
The Samsung Galaxy S6 seems to be one impressive phone indeed with the amount of rumors, speculations and leaks surrounding the device. The Korean manufacturer has just gone ahead and announced what it claims to be the world’s first memory chips based on the eMMc 5.1 standard.
Samsung Launches Superfast eMMC 5.1 Based Flash Storage Chips
The Korean chipmaker makes some impressive claims about performance statistics on its latest flash memory storage. According to the press release, the new chips will be able to achieve data transfer speeds of up to 250 MB/s for data writes and 125 MB/s for reads. The modules have been launched in three capacities, that are 64, 32 and 16 GB. Whats more interesting about today’s launch is its timing. Given the much anticipated launch of the Samsung Galaxy S6 this March, could it be that the Korean manufacturer has also chosen to equip its flagship smartphone with the latest in flash memory storage?
Given the storage sizes of today’s chips, eMMC 5.1 can only end up seeing a limited appearance on the Galaxy S6, as the Korean giant is highly unlikely to make 64 GB the maximum storage option available on its devices. The 64 GB module also boasts up to 11,000 – 13,000 input/output operations per second. These are seven and 26 times faster than typical external micro SD cards, according to Samsung. The eMMC 5.1 chips launched today also come with command queuing on board, which can be said to be a major upgrades from previous chips in the same category. Command queuing allows commands to arrange in queues rather than wait for execution individually. Its been present in PC drives for quite a while and sees its appearance on mobile storage solutions for the first time today. A superior flash storage module on the Galaxy S6 will complete the package. We’ll learn more when the flagships are launched by Samsung in March.
Flash Android 5.1.1 Custom ROM on Samsung Galaxy S6 – How to
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Here’s How To Get RAW Images In Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Duo
Ramish Zafar • Jun 22, 2015
How to Fix Galaxy S6 “Deep Sleep” Battery Drain Issue – Android Tips
Rafia Shaikh • May 17, 2015
Galaxy Note 5 Reported To Be Codenamed ‘Project Noble’; Project Zen To Be A Variant Of Galaxy S6
Lenovo K80 vs. Samsung Galaxy S6; Price/Performance Comparison
ASUS announces partner Radeon Navi Cards
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Eight found dead inside truck at Texas Walmart in 'human trafficking crime'
Updated July 25, 2017 02:58:02
Video: Along with the bodies, police found 30 survivors. (Photo: AP/Eric Gay) (ABC News)
Map: United States
Eight people have been found dead in the back of a truck outside a Walmart store in Texas, and another two have since died in hospital, in what police are calling a "horrific" human-trafficking case.
Driver in custody after eight found dead in truck
Several others found in critical condition
Police say the "horrific tragedy" is related to human trafficking
Another 30 people, many suffering from heat stroke and exhaustion, were found with the bodies in the truck, which lacked air conditioning or a water supply despite blistering summer temperatures.
Two of them later died in hospital, taking the number of victims to 10.
"They were very hot to the touch — so these people were in this trailer without any signs of any type of water," San Antonio Fire chief Charles Hood said.
Officials said many of those inside the truck appeared to be adults in their 20s and 30s, but that there also appeared to be two school-age children.
External Link: @JackAcostaKENS5:Breaking 252am - SAPD & SAFD update outside Walmart in SW San Antonio after 8 bodies found inside trailer. @KENS5
The truck's driver was arrested and will be charged, US Attorney for the Western District of Texas, Richard Durbin, said.
"These people were helpless in the hands of their transporters," Mr Durbin said in a statement, adding the heat in southern Texas is "punishing" at this time of year.
"Imagine their suffering, trapped in a stifling trailer in 100-plus degree heat," he said — referring to heat around 38 degrees Celsius.
They were victims of "ruthless human smugglers indifferent to the wellbeing of their fragile cargo," he added.
The US Homeland Security Department later stepped in to take the lead in the investigation.
'A horrific tragedy'
Police said the discovery was made after a person from the truck approached a Walmart employee in the parking lot and asked for water late on Saturday night or early Sunday morning (local time).
The employee gave the person the water and then called police, who found the victims when they arrived.
Twenty of those taken to hospital were in "critical to very critical" conditions.
The temperature in San Antonio reached 38C on Saturday and did not dip below 32C until after 10:00pm.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus described it as a "horrible tragedy," and said other suspects had fled the scene as police officers arrived.
Investigators checked store surveillance video, which showed vehicles had arrived and picked up other people from the truck, he said.
Photo: The discovery was made after a person from the truck approached a Walmart employee and asked for water. (AP: Eric Gay)
"We're looking at a human trafficking crime this evening," Mr McManus said.
Mr Durbin said prosecutors would work to identify others responsible.
Investigators could be seen gathering evidence from the truck, which had an Iowa license plate and was registered to Pyle Transportation Inc. of Schaller, Iowa.
A company official did not immediately respond to a phone message seeking comment.
The US immigration department is trying to establish the immigration status of the victims.
"By any standard, the horrific crime uncovered last night ranks as a stark reminder of why human smuggling networks must be pursued, caught and punished," Thomas Homan, acting director of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said.
The latest in a string of truck seizures
Other cases of human trafficking in the United States have led to more deaths.
In May 2003, 19 immigrants being transported from South Texas to Houston died inside a sweltering truck.
Prosecutors said the driver in the 2003 case heard the immigrants begging and screaming for their lives as they were succumbing to the stifling heat inside his truck but refused to free them.
The driver was resentenced in 2011 to nearly 34 years in prison after a federal appeals court overturned the multiple life sentences he had received.
The Border Patrol has reported at least four truck seizures this month in and around Laredo, Texas.
On July 7, agents found 72 people from Mexico, Ecuador, Guatemala and El Salvador crammed into a truck with no means of escape, the agency said.
AP/Reuters
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, crime, human-trafficking, united-states
First posted July 23, 2017 20:54:00
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing
Enjoy a feast of Moon-themed stories from across the ABC as we mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing.
Will you make it your mission to get 10/10?
This week marks 50 years since the first Moon landing, will you make it your mission to get top marks?
Netball World Cup lacking a competitive pulse
In Olympic terms, the preliminary stages of this Netball World Cup had been far too much Eric the Eel and far too little Michael Phelps, writes Richard Hinds.
England's task harder after Women's Ashes Test opener
England already finds itself in an impossible position as Australia looks to wrap up the series, writes Geoff Lemon.
Southern Hemisphere's largest cemetery introduces Google Maps for the dead
Teen boys charged after man and parents attacked with angle grinder, axe in 'horrific' home invasion
A good short can go a long way to getting your feature film financed
Trump supporters chanted 'send her back'. Instead, Ilhan Omar hit back
The terrifyingly small reason why so many astronauts find God (photos)
I handed my precious biometric data to Russia and all I got was this lousy photo
The 1.5 million people planning to storm Area 51 don't know what they're in for
Christian siblings who refused to pay taxes come from Dutch honey-farming family
'We're confused': Team miffed after Australia's Rohan Dennis ditches Tour de France mid-stage
Australia's house of cards is still standing, but don't punt on another boom
The curious mid-stage withdrawal of AWOL cyclist Rohan Dennis
The world's 'most beautiful stadium' is the envy of the nation, but for how long?
Being a Trump 'bestie' makes challenges for Morrison
Australia's fortune exceeds England's as Women's Ashes Test match begins
The terrifyingly small reason why so many astronauts find God
Netball World Cup lacking a competitive pulse after a week of lopsided lead-up games
A landmark decision will cut power bills for all — but big business is the real winner
Caleb Ewan compared to Aussie sprint great after maiden win at Tour de France
Regulator should no longer accept banks’ gift of cooperation
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PIAA campaign warns student-athletes about losing teammates to addiction
by: Sarah Gisriel
Posted: Apr 20, 2018 / 03:30 AM EDT / Updated: Apr 20, 2018 / 09:00 AM EDT
Across the country, opioids are ejecting student-athletes.
“We have student-athletes — 15-, 16-, 17-year-olds getting injured that are being prescribed medication and through those prescriptions. They’re becoming addicted,” said David Bitting, Lower Dauphin School District director of athletics.
With grant money from the state attorney general’s office, the PIAA is fighting the crisis through a new ad campaign urging students to speak up.
It’s harsh, but it’s reality.
“The purpose behind the poster, as you can see, is to take away one of their teammates and kind of give them the visual of this could happen. It’s here, it’s almost, unfortunately, in every town, every area of the state,” said Melissa Mertz, associate executive director of the PIAA.
The posters were given to every PIAA school in Pennsylvania and appeared on the back of the programs at the girls’ state basketball championships in Hershey.
“Twenty years ago, we wouldn’t have even begun to think about, ‘yeah, we’re gonna design a poster because we have kids that are taking pain meds that are turning into taking heroin,'” Mertz said.
Bitting said opioids aren’t a huge problem in his district — yet.
“Until we can reduce the amount of prescriptions that are being handed out to 15-, 16-, 17-year-olds, we’re not going to resolve this issue,” Bitting said.
Bitting said an ad campaign and coaches are a good start, but parents also need to get in the game.
“It also falls back into the families to make sure that they’re taking all the measures to lock up the prescriptions, to not make medication as available to the kids,” Bitting said.
by Alex Peterson / Jul 19, 2019
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) - Change is coming to a busy corridor in Harrisburg in the form of a two-way street.
North and South lanes are planned for a stretch of Second Street -- from Divison to Forster Streets -- which only has northbound lanes right now.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — A federal grand jury is accusing a Syrian refugee of plotting to bomb a Christian church in Pittsburgh to inspire Islamic State of Iraq followers.
The jury handed up a three-count indictment Wednesday against 21-year-old Pittsburgh resident Mustafa Mousab Alowemer.
Overdose-Free PA: Be Informed
Commonwealth Prevention Alliance’s Stop Opiate Abuse Campaign
Opioid Abuse Resource Center of the Pennsylvania Medical Society
South Central PA Opioid Awareness Coalition
Drug Take-Back Locations
Partnership For Drug-Free Kids
Drug Addiction: MayoClinic.org
DauphinCountyHOPE.org
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Parks and Recreation Episode 5.13 Emergency Response
Deedle-Dee Productions, Universal Media Studios
http://www.nbc.com/parks-and-recreation/
Dean Holland
Norm Hiscock, Joe Mande
Amy Poehler as Leslie Knope
Rashida Jones as Ann Perkins
Aziz Ansari as Tom Haverford
Nick Offerman as Ron Swanson
Aubrey Plaza as April Ludgate
Chris Pratt as Andy Dwyer
Adam Scott as Ben Wyatt
Jim O'Heir
Rob Lowe as Chris Traeger
Paul Schneider as Mark Brendanawicz
Leslie is pitching a presentation for a new park in Pawnee to the planning commission. However, Councilman Jamm has other plans - specifically, to sell the lot to Paunch Burger. As the commission is unable to approve an underfunded project, Leslie has to raise $50,000 in one week or lose the lot to Jamm's proposition. Ben comes up with the genius idea to fund the parks project with their wedding registry instead of on useless department store items. The two agree to hold a black tie gala, combined with a silent auction, as a means of making up the remaining $50,000. With the plan decided, Leslie's team gets to work.
A week later, the Parks and Recreation team has eight hours to finish preparations for their fundraiser. As Leslie assigns each member an individual task, Chris rolls up in a police car panicked, ordering Leslie back to City Hall. It appears the Department of Emergency Preparedness has picked this day for their annual review of Pawnee's crisis procedures. Having failed 12 years in a row, Leslie has no choice but to go and leave Ben to manage the gala preparations.
Elsewhere, April is with Andy at the police station, helping him prepare to take the police entrance exam. The written exam has Andy nervous, but he's overconfident about the personality portion, citing the many times people have used the phrase, "...but he's got a great personality," in reference to him. April gives Andy a dead rabbit, which she found on the side of the road, as a good luck charm. With the creepy but thoughtful gift in hand, Andy enters the exam room.
Inside City Council, Leonard Tchulm - the head of the Indiana Department of Emergency Preparedness - addresses Leslie and her team. With the most important event she's ever organized looming in eight hours, Knope is determined to knock the emergency drill out of the park so that she can get back to setting up the fundraiser. As the drill begins, Leonard informs everyone that their "emergency" is Avian Flu. Leslie is organized, having assembled a massive binder - which she calls "Mission Im-Pawnee-able: Knope Protocol" - just for this instance.
Back at the fundraiser site, Ben orders Donna to go find some chairs, since they have tables but little else. Ron Swanson offers to appear on Pawnee Today - Pawnee's local access news show - to promote the event, as Leslie is stuck dealing with the Emergency Preparedness Drill. Tom is hard at work trying to convince a local chef to cater the event for free, but since that makes little business sense, the chef scoffs at the idea and tells Tom to leave.
Leslie tries desperately to eradicate the hypothetical bird flu from Pawnee, but the IDEP's Leonard Tchulm keeps throwing curveballs her way. First, he informs everyone that the transit systems have been shut down and because he was on one of the buses, Chris is now infected. He takes the news in stride. Then, Leonard claims the cell phone tower has been shut off and confiscates everyone's phones. Realizing the fix is in, Leslie uncovers that Councilman Jamm put the IDEP up to this abnormally thorough drill as a means of foiling her fundraiser plans. Having uncovered his evil plot, Leslie and her team immediately tank the drill on purpose so they can get back to the gala. Within minutes, the entire town of Pawnee is theoretically dead.
Back at the police station, Andy's personality exam is not going as well as he originally thought. Once the lie detector test is properly hooked up, Andy gets a little nervous and starts answering the administering officer's questions completely wrong. He fails the personality exam in a miserable fashion. Meanwhile, Ron Swanson has been forced to take control of Pawnee Today, as its usual host Joan Callamezzo has passed out on set from a terrible hangover. Ron fields viewer's calls with poise, helping them with their obscure problems while promoting the upcoming fundraiser.
Arriving in a panic, Leslie is shocked to find out the Parks and Rec team has pulled off the gala in the nick of time. Tom made food arrangements by convincing all of the fast food places in town to cater the event - after all, they have the most to lose from a new Paunch Burger. Ron's performance on Pawnee Today attracted a larger audience, and he even helped a child perform a tracheotomy on his elderly uncle, so for him, it was a rewarding day. Ben convinced the firemen on site, who'd been using the lot for a triage during the "emergency," to stick around for the event.
The gala is a huge success, and the Parks and Rec committee easily reaches their $50,000 goal. The IDEP's Leonard Tchulm is in attendance and agrees to give Pawnee another chance to complete their emergency preparedness evaluation. As the party goes on in full effect, Leslie tells Ben that this has been the best wedding present ever, so much so that she wishes they could just skip the next three months and get married that night. After a momentary pause, Ben says "Let's do it then. Let's get married, here, tonight." To be continued!
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BC Needs To Use Full Toolbox to Stop Kinder Morgan
| Apr 26, 2018| Reinvigorate democracy| 0 comments
Op-Ed in The Tyee April 26, 2018
The government wins on tone but falls short on putting constitutional obligations to First Nations up front.
From the outraged hyperbole frothing from the lips of pro-Kinder Morgan supporters, you would think Premier John Horgan had flipped the Queen the bird with his campaign pledge to “use all the tools in the toolbox to stop” Kinder Morgan’s controversial oil tanker-pipeline proposal.
Just as Albertans expected their political leaders to fight back when Trudeau-the-dad tried to force his National Energy Plan on them in 1980, British Columbians expect our premier to fight to protect our province from bullies from across the Rockies trying to bisect British Columbia with an unwanted pipeline to deliver toxic bitumen to Burnaby for export on oil tankers.
The blowback against Trudeau Sr. changed Canadian politics for a generation. The “West Wants In” grassroots groundswell led to the creation of the Reform party, and the subsequent merged Conservatives led to Stephen Harper’s decade in power. A comparable political shift awaits if Trudeau-the-son keeps on huffing and puffing to force an unwanted proposal on our unwilling province (and let’s not forget unwilling municipalities and First Nations — but more on that later).
The pro-Kinder Morgan arguments about paramountcy, and the rule of law consume headlines, but there has been little analysis of whether Premier Horgan and his government colleagues have been fulfilling their pledge. Are all the tools in the provincial toolbox being used? What are these tools? And how effectively are they being deployed?
The escalating war of words
Horgan and Environment Minister George Hayman both deserve top marks in the verbal squabble with Alberta and Ottawa. While Alberta Premier Rachel Notley and our New Age Prime Minister appear anxious, aggressive and increasingly desperate with their multiple threats, both of B.C.’s main spokespeople on all things Kinder Morgan have appeared unflustered, undeterred and reasonable. Horgan and Heyman may be overwhelmed on the volume of hyperbole, but on substance and tone they win hands down.
Horgan’s strong performance is welcome news to anti-pipeline warriors who have been nervous because of Horgan’s uneven resolve before he formed government. Remember back to the day, after then-NDP leader Adrian Dix’s unexpected 2013 Earth Day announcement of opposition to Kinder Morgan, when Horgan knee-capped his boss by infamously speculating that the oil port could perhaps be moved to Deltaport or Fraser Surrey Docks. Perhaps personally witnessing the devastation of the tugboat Nathan E. Stewart oil spill in Bella Bella was the epiphany that strengthened his resolve on Kinder Morgan.
“No Tankers” supporters might still wish their B.C. representatives rattled their sabres more aggressively, but remember, in politics (well, in Canadian politics), the person that convinces people that they are the most reasonable usually wins. Avoiding unnecessarily aggressive language is also smart legally as many watching the controversy believe Kinder Morgan’s endgame is not to build its pipeline, but to position itself for a massive damages claim under the investor-state provisions (Chapter 11) of NAFTA.
In the legal arena
In the Kinder Morgan legal tug-of-war, British Columbia’s decision to refer the jurisdictional question to the courts was a master stroke though concerns about the timing remain. Some legal experts believe B.C. should have waited and not reacted to Kinder Morgan’s made-up May 31 deadline to walk away from the project. Trudeau and Notley screwed up by not accepting Horgan’s offer to join in the reference.
Left on its own, B.C. can now craft the legal question any way it chooses. It will likely go something like this: is there any formulation of provincial laws whereby British Columbia can regulate the health and safety aspects of the transport of bitumen through the province?
With a broad question like that, the answer from the court is obvious: “Of course, B.C. can.” Given the Supreme Court of Canada’s recent ruling upholding New Brunswick’s right to restrict Quebec beer being transported into the province, it’s hard to imagine the court ruling against British Columbia when it comes to toxic bitumen. Remember, health and safety are clearly under provincial jurisdiction in our Constitution.
While Trudeau, Notley and other Kinder Morgan cheerleaders cite the Constitution for their claim that B.C. has no jurisdiction over interprovincial pipelines, Canadian courts have been much less categorical about paramountcy (the doctrine that federal law automatically prevails when there is a conflict between provincial and federal laws).
Despite Trudeau and Notley’s huffing and puffing, the Supreme Court has rejected the notion that jurisdiction is siloed into separate watertight compartments. Our courts have made it clear that businesses operating in federal fields must also comply with provincial laws. The Supreme Court has called this “first general constitutional principle” and said finding otherwise “would create serious uncertainty.”
Our courts have consistently ruled that related provincial and federal laws can and will overlap and coexist. In the Supreme Court of Canada’s Tsilhqot’in decision (para 148) they said: “Interjurisdictional immunity — premised on a notion that regulatory environments can be divided into watertight jurisdictional compartments — is often at odds with modern reality. Increasingly, as our society becomes more complex, effective regulation requires cooperation between interlocking federal and provincial schemes. The two levels of government possess differing tools, capacities, and expertise, and the more flexible double aspect and paramountcy doctrines are alive to this reality: under these doctrines, jurisdictional cooperation is encouraged up until the point when actual conflict arises and must be resolved. Interjurisdictional immunity, by contrast, may thwart such productive cooperation.”
Despite how the pundits are trying to frame the issue, this is not primarily a federal-provincial dispute. The most important legal conundrum of the Kinder Morgan struggle is how Aboriginal rights and title (or jurisdiction) provides a check on unilateral federal and provincial powers. No one foreshadowed this better than Green Party leader Andrew Weaver when he suggested, “Notley ought to have a look at section 35 of our Constitution” in response to a question about how the newly announced NDP-Green alliance intended to stop Kinder Morgan. Section 35 recognizes and affirms the Aboriginal and treaty rights of Canada’s Indigenous peoples. Section 35 imposes specific obligations on both the provinces and federal governments to engage Aboriginal peoples who will be adversely affected by a proposed government action (for example, an oil port or pipeline).
Section 35 further complicates the balancing of interests the courts will inevitably seek in resolving the jurisdictional issue. Canadian courts have never considered the impact constitutionally protected First Nations title and rights have on the balancing in provincial and federal standoffs. First Nations’ jurisdiction is a true wild card.
While British Columbia’s reference of the jurisdictional issue was a smart move, it might not have maximized the impact of other legal tools, specifically using B.C.’s constitutionally imposed obligations to consult and accommodate First Nations as both a sword and a shield.
Although resetting and transforming the relationship with First Nations is a “foundational piece” of the power sharing agreement between the NDP and Green Party, the government has not kept this commitment at the centre of its responses to Kinder Morgan.
British Columbia’s mixed approach
The appointment of Thomas Berger to represent British Columbia as outside counsel on Kinder Morgan was applauded, but many of the subsequent choices have been ill considered. B.C.’s most egregious misstep was the decision to stand behind the evidence introduced by the previous Christy Clark government in the Squamish Nation’s challenge of the province’s Kinder Morgan approval. Ironically, while it is fighting off the big bad wolves from the other side of the Rockies, in the B.C. Supreme Court Horgan’s government defended the conclusion of the Clark government that Kinder Morgan would not have significant environmental impacts and that obligations to the Squamish had been fulfilled. Horgan’s government defended Clark’s approval despite knowing there were bureaucrats who were pulled off the Kinder Morgan file by the Clark government because they objected to the way First Nation and Squamish concerns were being ignored.
Berger could have easily gathered this evidence and filed it in the Squamish case. An affidavit from one of these government officials attesting to the inadequacies of Clark’s approval would have gone a long way to helping the Squamish quash Kinder Morgan’s environmental certificate, thus killing the proposal. Instead Horgan’s government decided to defend Clark’s approval, arguing it was obligated to because constitutional convention and the “honour of the Crown demands that B.C. defend its actions.” Filing a revised factual record that more accurately reflects what happened would uphold the Crown’s honour, not undermine it.
The B.C. government also seems to have lost sight of resetting the relationship with First Nations when reviewing the 1,187 provincial permits Kinder Morgan requires. It has committed to reviewing and reconciling laws and policies with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the Supreme Court’s Tsilhqot’in decision. This is no easy task; it will take time.
In the meantime, the government could implement the spirit and intent of its commitment in the power sharing agreement by instructing the staff reviewing Kinder Morgan’s permits to bend over backwards to engage affected First Nations on any issue, even if they tangentially involved. This doesn’t appear to have happened.
The controversy around Kinder Morgan is unlikely to go away anytime soon. While it roils, it is taking up a lot of political bandwidth in Victoria and Ottawa while distracting from other important work.
It is in the British Columbia government’s interest to make it go away as quickly as possible. So, while Horgan’s government has used most of the tools available to it, it has not always deployed them as effectively as possible.
As the battle heats up, B.C. must up its game considerably, particularly in using its commitment to transform relations with First Nations not just as a shield, but also as a sword.
Failure is not an option on this file. The consequences of messing up, both for the future of our magnificent coast, and for the NDP’s prospects of remaining government, couldn’t be more connected.
If David Suzuki’s ‘campaign of calumny’ is such a big deal, the petrostate must be spooked
Whatever Voting Systems Wins, BC Needs to Make Politicians More Accountable
Kinder Morgan and the “rule of law”
© Will Horter
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Dark Souls III Review
The Dark Souls series has quickly become one of gaming’s most revered franchises. But, according to series director Hidetaka Miyazaki, Dark Souls III is to be its final entry. If this should be the last in the Souls series, however, then the series can proudly claim to have gone out on a high note. Dark Souls III is another stellar installment, one that takes bits and pieces of its predecessors (including Demon Souls and Bloodborne) to create an adventure that plays like a greatest hits of the series.
In terms of gameplay, Dark Souls III is largely reminiscent of its predecessors. It remains a smartly constructed action RPG with a Metroidvania-style game world. Combat is tight and intricate, enemies are difficult and deadly, and defeating them earns the player “Souls,” which work as both experience points and currency in the game’s world. Player’s can find an assortment of different weapons – from swords and shields to bows and staffs – as well as armor to boost their character’s effectiveness.
Much like the past entries in the series, the game has a great sense of balance with its weapons, armor and magic, with the player’s preference in play style taking precedence over some items simply being superior to others, giving the game a nice sense of variety in gameplay. Though Dark Souls III also takes a page out of Bloodborne’s book, with the combat adopting some of said game’s quicker pace when compared to prior games donning the Dark Souls name. So those who may have found previous Souls games to be a little on the slow side may have an easier time getting into Dark Souls III.
As for the plot, Dark Souls III continues the series’ trademark subtleties in storytelling and lore. The player takes control of an undead known as the “Ashen One,” who is tasked with averting the destruction of the kingdom of Lothric by rekindling the “First Flame,” by means of destroying four renegade Lords of Cinder; previous kindlers of said flame whose duties have driven them mad. The game leaves most of the finer details of the plot in bits and pieces to be uncovered by those who want to know more about Lothric’s history and characters, but those who simply wish to run about the kingdom slaying monsters with as little plot as possible are free to do so as well.
Of course, Dark Souls III carries the Hidetaka Miyazaki tradition of intense difficulty. In many ways, Darks Souls III is the most difficult entry in the series, with often relentless enemies and brutally unapologetic level hazards. But the game never feels unfair, as it utilizes a trial-and-error approach rather brilliantly. Almost every encounter and situation asks players to think over their tactics, and to use any and all mechanics at their disposal. It rewards patience and those willing to think things through, and punishes those who would blindly run in to get the most kills.
Still though, this level of difficulty won’t be for everyone. And if the difficulty curve of past Souls games turned you away, chances are Dark Souls III won’t win you over. But for those who appreciate what the Souls titles have to offer – from trap-filled environments to memorable boss fights – Dark Souls III has the formula down pat.
Aesthetically, the game is a marvel. The series has never looked better, with polished graphics, great character and creature designs, and beautiful and dreary environments. The soundtrack is grand and perfectly captures the many moods of the game, and Dark Souls III continues the series’ tradition of having perfect sound effects. You get a sense of weight in the weapons and armor from the sounds alone.
If there are any downsides at all to Dark Souls III, it might just be that most of the optional areas in the game are a bit on the short side, at least when compared to the lengthy and often epic optional zones of Bloodborne. They still provide their share of memorable (and frustrating) moments as well as incredible boss fights, but they lack the grandness of the game’s mandatory zones which, again, is disappointing after how much detail went into Bloodborne’s optional content.
That’s ultimately a small complaint, however, when one takes into consideration everything Dark Souls III gets so right. It seems the further you delve into the adventure, the deeper the game becomes. There are covenants to join (each with their own special player vs. player gimmicks), sidequests to tackle, and even upgrading your equipment is made into an addicting game in its own right. And if things get too difficult for you, you can always summon other players to lend a hand. You may even have a great time simply being summoned by other players yourself, and reaping the benefits of Souls and covenant items that come with it.
For those willing to face Dark Souls III’s steep challenge, it provides a compelling gaming experience that seems to constantly introduce more layers of depth as the game progresses. It’s brilliantly paced, staged, and full of surprises. Dark Souls III takes many bits and pieces of the previous Dark Souls games, as well as blood relatives Demon Souls and Bloodborne, to create something of a Frankenstein’s monster of the franchise’s elements. It may not reinvent the series, but if this is truly to be its final installment, then Dark Souls III is a hell of a way to go out, solidifying the series as one of the most consistent, and richest, in gaming history.
Praise the sun!
Author: themancalledscott
Born of cold and winter air and mountain rain combining, the man called Scott is an ancient sorcerer from a long-forgotten realm. He’s more machine now than man, twisted and evil. Or, you know, he could just be some guy who loves video games, animations and cinema who just wanted to write about such things. View all posts by themancalledscott
Author themancalledscottPosted on April 29, 2016 July 29, 2018 Categories PC, Playstation, Video Games, XboxTags Dark Souls, Dark Souls 3, Hidetaka Miyazaki, Playstation, Playstation 4, Praise the Sun, Video Games, Xbox One
14 thoughts on “Dark Souls III Review”
Red Metal says:
I’ve only finished the first game, but I intend to play the sequel and this installment in the future. According to someone I know who played all three installments, he said that this game and the original are on par with each other.
themancalledscott says:
I would definitely agree with that sentiment. The second game, while great in its own right, was probably the weakest of the bunch. I’m not quite sure if it was the level design or the finite enemy respawns, but it just wasn’t quite the same. I feel like Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3 are brilliant successors, however.
A lot of people said that losing chunks of health every time you die is annoying. I would agree because that’s not a real challenge; it’s an annoyance. Judging by that and the points you brought up, the sequel seems to have more artificial difficulty, which is jarring considering the original had practically none.
Oh man I forgot about that aspect in Dark Souls 2. Yeah that was another downer. Thankfully Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3 brought all the good stuff back.
Justacommenter says:
I got a bit tired of the Souls formula after the 2nd game, but that might be because the 2nd game was definitely the least inspired of the bunch (I haven’t played Bloodborne but at least that’s tackling a whole new setting and bunch of enemies). But it’s good to hear the series is still doing well for the most part, I’ll be curious to see how the lore of this one stands up to the first Dark Souls, as that was probably my favorite part of the game, maybe that’ll be enough to make me want to give it a shot eventually.
The second game was indeed the weakest in the series (still great in its own right though). It added in more than a few questionable elements, even if they were creative (like finite enemy respawns). Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3 really cemented the series for me tough. Both have interesting lores and jut bring so much to the table.
Oh yes definitely, I’d still say I enjoyed my time with DS2, just don’t remember much off it looking back, and I personally enjoyed it more than Demon Souls (probably heresy for fans of the series, but I’m altogether not that fond of the first Souls game). I was just disappointed at how little the world seems to be developed compared to the first game, there’s barely much to tell hidden through the world, which is a shame.
I think that’s a fair statement. Demon Souls may have been the pioneer, but that also means that the sequels improved on what it accomplished.
AfterStory says:
Even though I’ve been fairly adamant on my disinterest in the fantasy setting and its slower combat, your review has most certainly peaked my interest in dark souls 3. As someone who absolutely loved Bloodborne (it’s undoubtedly my favourite game on the PS4 and of this generation), I was certainly unsure if I would enjoy the rest of the souls series, as I have only played Bloodborne. I will admit though that dark souls 3’s faster paced combat is far more enticing than the meticulous nature of the combat in past entries (granted I’ve never played them so who am I to judge?) I’m also worried that Dark Souls 3 would attain an overly familiar nature as I’ve been slowly chipping away at the platinum trophy for Bloodborne (I’m still so jealous that you have it!). I just personally enjoyed the eerily atmospheric Yharnam and all its gothic -Victorian glory. But I’ll probably give dark souls 3 a shot, just debating if I should play the original two first or jump straight into this behemoth. Also have you heard of the PS4 exclusive Niho?? It’s a combination of Ninja Gaiden, Dark Souls, and Onimusha as it’s set it feudal Japan, it looks extremely interesting and I think you should check it out and it’s conspicuously inspired by the Souls’ series! Anyway a fantastic review as always buddy! And I’m also going to be posting some stuff soon! More about all the classic games I’ve played over the past couple of months! So expect to hear about Super Mario RPG and donkey kong country 2!
In all fairness, the fantasy setting of Dark Souls at least has some unique creatures in it, instead of copying and pasting the whole “elves, dwarves, goblins” setup of basically every other fantasy fiction that ripped off Tolkien.
If you loved Bloodborne, I think you’ll definitely love Dark Souls 3. I’m not sure you have to play the other two first, so that’s really just your call.
I’ll definitely check out Niho. Funny thing is I just heard about it last night.
Looking very forward to your future writings. Especially those on DKC2 and Mario RPG. Expect those games to place very high on my eventual list.
Yeah I’d say I’ve been too hard on the souls’ series, especially due to the fact that I love Bloodborne and I haven’t played a main entry in the souls series, so my harsh judgment is fairly presumptuous. Its creatures are most definitely more twisted and grotesque, in comparison to the fantasy norm. Also I immensely enjoyed both The Witcher 3 and Skyrim, which are far more symmetrical to the works of Tolkien, so I should just shut up and give Dark Souls a go! Thanks mate! I honestly can’t wait to read your list! It’s going to be ripe with quality 🙂
Definitely play Dark Souls 3. You’ll love it.
thebyrnedisplay says:
I like the review! You mention trapped-filled environments, and I really resonate with that sentiment. The best trap this game had me in a psychological one: slowly looking around every corner for an ambush, approaching item pick-ups cautiously and smacking every treasure chest. Soulsborne games almost double as horror titles with the atmosphere they create.
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Portland State University PDXScholar Gallery Expert Gallery
Selected Works of Michael J. Smith
African American Parents in the Search Stage of College Choice: Unintentional Contributions to the Female to Male College Enrollment Gap
Michael J. Smith, Portland State University
Michael Fleming, University of California - Los Angeles
Post-Print
A serious imbalance exists in today’s African American undergraduate student population where women far outnumber men. Although at the macro level political, sociological, and economic forces frame this gender enrollment gap, scant research has explored micro level influences such as parents and parenting. This study uses a qualitative methodology and Hossler’s model of college choice to examine African American parent involvement during the search stage. The study found that the parents, who were mostly female, had higher aspirations for daughters, encouraged daughters to consider four-year colleges more often, but showed equal levels of tangible support for sons and daughters. The authors suggest that the boundaries of Hossler’s model necessarily shift when considering urban African American parents and that practitioners must have equally high academic aspirations for both African American male and female students.
This is an author-produced, peer-reviewed article that has been accepted for publication in Urban Education but has not been copy-edited. The publisher-authenticated version is available at http://www.asanet.org/.
http://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/10308
Citation Information
Michael J. Smith and Michael Fleming. "African American Parents in the Search Stage of College Choice: Unintentional Contributions to the Female to Male College Enrollment Gap" Urban Education (2006)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/michael_smith2/6/
Contact Michael J. Smith
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Writing without Workshops
A friendly approach to reaching your writing goals.
Who? What?
The Most Exciting Literary Time of the Year
The Tournament of Books is not considered a great prize and there is no monetary award, just a rooster, but I contend that it is the most exciting literary time of the year–better than the Pulitzer, the Man Booker, the National Book Award, and even the Nobel.
All those other awards are given under a shroud and with just a few lines of justification. Spend a few days in anticipation while waiting for the announcement, yeah. Get a momentary thrill, sure. Question the decision process, yes. But a day or two later, the discussion ends. The Tournament of Books is not like that–not at all.
A project of The Morning News, the Tournament take place all through the month of March. It pits 13 books against each other in one-on-one rounds, with the judges for each round named and specifically discussing the two books and why they chose the winner they did. Two official commentators give their opinions and the public also comments. Still, the winner is the winner, and that book moves onto the next round while the loser is knocked out of the competition.
Or so you may think.
By the time the end of the month nears, and the books have been whittled down to two, the zombie round ensues. Two books that have already been knocked out are voted back in by the public. These two books compete with the remaining two in the final set of battles.
The Tournament of Books touts its transparency in coming to a decision, and specifies none of any of this is fair–it’s all taste and opinion. But it’s a fun discussion of books. Whether you have read all the books in contention and are rooting for your favorite, or you’ve read none and you get to hear what the judges, commentators, and public have to really say about these books to add to your reading list, it’s an active discussion of books that gets those who keep up with it excited about reading. Curious? Read the judging for last year’s play-in round between Avenue of Mysteries by John Irving and A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler, judged by the writers of Bob’s Burgers.
When you’re done, check out this year’s short-list and prepare for another kind of March Madness.
Here is the Official Tournament of Books page, where you check out how the tournament works, the brackets for last year, and the history of the competition, which started in 2005.
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