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The Legend of the Wartime Placebo
The origin story of the mind-over-matter placebo effect is a fascinating tale. There is no evidence it ever happened.
Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. | 11 Feb 2022
Facts rarely get in the way of a good story. There is a foundational myth in placebo research that has been repeated over and over again, sometimes with inexplicable flourishes, often with the variations one expects from a telephone game. You have probably read it in a mainstream publication. It's the story of a doctor, working in dark times, who cannot do his job properly and accidentally discovers the power of the placebo to relieve pain. It is such a good story.
And it might not even be true.
What follows is a story of my own. This one is true, and it involves bad scholarship, the basement of a library, and an episode of the television show M*A*S*H.
This is my story of the story of Dr. Henry Beecher who ran out of morphine while treating soldiers, and how it may never have happened.
Despair begets discovery
The placebo effects (plural, as there are many) generate a lot of misunderstanding. Popular culture likes to simply equate them with the power of the mind to heal the body. If you have a terrible headache and a doctor in a lab coat were to give you a sugar pill but tell you that it is a powerful analgesic, your headache would vanish, pop culture says, because your body healed itself, thinking it was getting genuine medication. And, don't you know, four pills have a stronger placebo effect than two, and red sugar pills excite whereas blue sugar pills calm you down. So say the stories.
Mike Hall has spent the past few years tracking these myths down to their academic roots on the British podcast he co-hosts called Skeptics with a K. It turns out that many of these simplistic stories are distortions of actual research that either showed nothing of the sort or contained important flaws. The father of placebo research is often said to be Dr. Henry Beecher. Mike Hall recently took an interest in how Beecher discovered the placebo response in the first place.
The story which follows may not be true. Your brain has been warned.
Henry Beecher was a medical doctor who graduated from Harvard Medical School in the early 1930s. He became chief of anesthesia at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1936 and the world's first endowed chair of anesthesia at Harvard University in 1941. This much is true.
During World War II, he was in charge of a military base hospital. The story goes that, one day, a badly wounded soldier needed surgery and Beecher had run out of morphine. Faced with this impossible situation, Beecher improvised and injected the soldier with a saline solution (salt and water to match the body's own fluids). The soldier relaxed and Beecher carried on the operation without anesthesia. This was the moment Beecher realized the power of the mind over the body, and he would dedicate his career to studying the placebo response.
This origin myth has been twisted in the telling. On a website about brain facts, Beecher treats many soldiers in this way and 40% report an improvement in their pain. In an article published in Review of Ophthalmology, it is a nurse who chooses to inject the soldier with saline out of despair, and the wise Dr. Beecher takes notice. Where does this discovery take place? Often, it's in Anzio, Italy, but in a junior high school student report, it's in Northern Africa, and in one recollection, it's on a Pacific island where Americans were fighting the Japanese, even though Beecher's obituary in The New York Times only mentions North Africa and Italy as the places where he served during the Second World War. Oh, and in one book, it's not saline that tricked the soldier's brain but cigarettes!
You would think that a story that has been described as a "Pauline conversion," referring to the spiritual rebirth of Paul the Apostle on the road to Damascus, would have been clearly documented by Dr. Beecher himself. He did, after all, publish many papers on the use of morphine against pain and on the effects of placebos on the human mind and body. But I scanned through every paper of his that mentions morphine and did not find a trace of this story.
Academics who write about this placebo miracle sometimes do not provide a reference. If they do, it will often be to one of two papers. The first is "The Powerful Placebo," a deeply flawed summary by Beecher of the placebo literature in 1955. It makes no mention of this story. The other came out on the heels of the war. It is called "Pain in Men Wounded in Battle." In it, Beecher argues that morphine is often administered almost willy-nilly, and that the majority of wounded soldiers have so little pain, they do not want morphine. He hypothesizes that, in everyday life, a wound upsets normalcy and causes us to focus on that pain. It feels really bad. On the battlefield, however, a wound might release a soldier from a dangerous environment. The soldier becomes euphoric at the thought of this deliverance. The pain becomes tolerable. Interestingly, Beecher mentions a 19-year-old soldier with extensive wounds. In the confusion, he was given a sedative instead of morphine, which got him to quiet down and fall asleep. "No morphine was needed."
While this case report rhymes with the morphine-saline story, it is not the same.
This discovery of the placebo response on the battlefields of World War II, I started to think, had the markings of an urban legend. Could it be that Beecher's report from the war of euphoric soldiers who did not need morphine have become mashed up, over the years, with another tale, becoming this hybrid medical legend with enough legs to grow in the telling?
On Twitter, a user named NeoRenfield made an interesting observation. This story of doctors who run out of morphine while treating soldiers at war and who give them a placebo, it had been told to a very large audience.
This is exactly what happens in the season six finale of the popular television show M*A*S*H.
Could it be that an episode of M*A*S*H collided, in the collective unconsciousness, with Dr. Beecher's early writings, and that the fictional story of what happened to Hawkeye and his fellow surgeons was transposed from the Korean War to World War II?
There was only one way to find out.
I had to contact the man who wrote that episode.
"The best doctor is right up here"
Believe it or not, I had never seen M*A*S*H. I found myself really enjoying the whip-smart comedy of its season six finale, "Major Topper." The dialogue crackles. The characters irk each other. There are bouts of lunacy. And sure enough, one of the three storylines involves the mobile army surgical hospital running out of morphine.
One of their wounded soldiers is burning up. He may have a raging infection… or it's possible that last box of morphine the surgeons have is contaminated and the soldier is having a reaction to it. They throw the box out to be safe, knowing they won't be getting a new shipment until the morning. It promises to be a long night, filled with soldiers in pain who can't get relief.
Colonel Potter, who is instructing the surgeons, calls for secrecy as he tells them a story from his childhood. His aunt was visiting and came down with a terrible migraine. The doctor, who lived across the way, gave her sugar pills, unbeknownst to her. The migraine went away. Potter suggests they do the same with their wounded soldiers during the night. "If we sell it," he claims, "really sell it, it just might work."
They scrape powdered sugar off of doughnuts and stuff it into capsules. When they meet again, Colonel Potter reports that it worked. "Almost half," he says, referring to the number of soldiers who were tricked by it. "Not too bad." Later, he concludes, "The best doctor is right up here." He taps his head.
Where did this story come from, I wondered. Had it been inspired by the tale of Beecher running out of morphine… or did it end up inspiring it? The man who wrote this episode of M*A*S*H is Allyn Freeman. The Internet Movie Database lists "Major Topper" as the only episode of the show for which he is credited. Besides that, he wrote five episodes of Hart to Hart. Freeman is now a writer and business consultant, and I managed to reach him through the college where he used to teach.
He wrote to me that the two other storylines in that episode—Corporal "Boots" Miller losing his sanity and Hawkeye's foil bragging about this and that—came from him, but the plotline about the placebos was suggested to him. "It came from the late Gene Reynolds, the show's producer, after he spoke with someone," he wrote to me. "No name cited."
If the story of Beecher running out of morphine did not exist prior to the episode airing, which was March 27, 1978, then there was a chance that this episode of M*A*S*H helped create it.
Academic finger-pointing
Thus began a mad, day-long scramble to find any trace of this myth prior to 1978. Mike Hall and I worked in tandem, exchanging leads. Search engines were used, virtual books were loaned out, obituaries were read. Indeed, Beecher's obituary makes no mention of this Pauline conversion, nor does his entry in Encyclopedia Britannica. Factiva, an archive of over 32,000 news sources, was mum (although my academic account excludes 2,663 sources).
We did have a few leads, but they often proved to be closed circles of academics pointing the finger at each other when citing the story. It came from John, said Eric. John says he got it from Roberta. And Roberta references Eric.
One lead took me to the basement of the Redpath library at McGill. That Review of Ophthalmology article I mentioned earlier, it cited a 2004 book as its source: Mind over matter in modern medicine by D. Evans. That book itself cited as a reference to another book, The Antidepressant Era, by David Healy, a psychiatrist and author in the United Kingdom. Like a set of Russian dolls, the story told in that book apparently came from three references, two of which end up being for the same book. The first reference was to Dr. Beecher's "The Powerful Placebo" paper, which does not contain the story. The other two references were to a book Mike and I could not find online.
Luckily for us, the Redpath library had a physical copy. It is called The Psychopharmacologists II and is the second volume of a series of interviews that David Healy conducted. One of these interviews is with Michael Shepherd, a professor of psychiatric epidemiology who trained in London, and it was conducted in June 1995, two months before his death.
There, in the basement of the library, I read about Shepherd's recounting of the tale of Henry Beecher, "a powerfully built, solid character, very much in the mainstream of medicine," who ran out of "morphia" during the war (an old British term for morphine). Accidentally, one of the nurses gave "an injection of still water and the patient came out of shock and lost his pain." Beecher was amazed and he repeated the experiment, using distilled water until the supplies came in.
The problem with this recollection is that Shepherd did not seem to have any firsthand knowledge of Beecher. He came to know people who worked with Beecher, but there was no indication that he was there at Beecher's military hospital. This was thus not a direct account. Moreover, he placed Beecher at a base hospital "in one of the Pacific islands," but Beecher's obituary states he served in North Africa and Italy during the war. And since the story was told in 1995, it is possible Shepherd was misremembering that episode of M*A*S*H.
The last lead came from a paper on Beecher and the placebo effect with two citations. The second citation itself cites the first, so it's a case of a snake biting its own tail, but what is interesting is that one of them, this 1969 book chapter written by Martin Orne, mentions Beecher using saline solutions in battlefield situations and getting 90% of the effectiveness of morphine. This proves that the story did not originate with M*A*S*H.
Where it actually came from, I do not know. Author Shannon Harvey spent days trying to track this myth down, reading Beecher's published papers and even contacting a librarian at Harvard who had access to Beecher's personal archives. No luck.
What Colonel Potter said, about the best doctor being the mind, deserves a giant asterisk. In 1997, two researchers took a closer look at Beecher's famous "Powerful Placebo" paper and concluded that it was riddled with holes. There was actually no evidence in the cited studies for a mind-over-body phenomenon. Instead, many of the non-specific placebo effects we know well today were simply ignored: spontaneous improvements, the fluctuation of symptoms, additional treatments, wanting to please the doctor, etc. They wrote that "the placebo topic seems to invite sloppy methodological thinking."
Beecher's road-to-Damascus moment, swapping morphine for saline and being amazed at the results, has become a sort of mind-over-matter placebo effect of its own. There is nothing tangible to this story, no active ingredient, yet its effect endures.
This whole investigation won't change the record, I suspect. We often find ourselves impervious to facts in the face of a good story.
Take-home message:
-The discovery of the placebo response is often attributed to Dr. Henry Beecher, who is said to have injected wounded soldiers with a saline solution during World War II because of a morphine shortage and to have discovered that it worked to reduce pain
-There is no evidence so far that this story is true
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Who the Governor actually hates...
Cue unending news cycle about how Gov. Sam Brownback hates the LGBTQTOOMANYLETTERS community.
The editorials (and the whining. Good heaven, please make the social media whining stop.) are going to suggest Brownback hates gays. They're wrong.
The story clearly illustrates for whom the Governor has obvious disdain: Conservative legislators.
Brownback said he rescinded an order banning state discrimination against the Letter People, because former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius instituted the directive "unilaterally." As he inserted a rusty knife into the backs of conservative legislators, Brownback said such changes should be made by the state legislature.
It's hard to find the right words. I want to be respectful, but I also want to launch spitballs at the Governor. And I want to put bags of poo on the porches of whoever is advising him.
I don't actually disagree with the Governor's logic. Brownback said the Sebelius directive created a special class of people. True.
Brownback, in signing his order, said this "ensures that state employees enjoy the same civil rights as all Kansans without creating additional 'protected classes' as the previous order did."
On that, we can agree. But the timing. Oh, the timing. Brownback has been Governor for 4-plus years at this point. The fact that he waited a few weeks into his second term reeks of strange political
maneuvering. Clearly, Brownback was worried the change might affect his chances at re-election. So he waited.
If policy changes are necessary, if they're right, then a principled leader makes the changes, no matter the political consequences.
But since Brownback is obviously concerned with political consequences -- he should have taken a second to consider what his policy change will do to conservative legislators who are up for re-election in two years. They will be asked to defend Brownback's decision. And they're damned if they do and damned if they don't.
Brownback further twisted the knife by telling news organizations that this sort of policy change belongs to the legislature. This is true, but now there's proposed legislation to make the change through statute. So now legislators aren't only going to be asked to defend the Governor, they're going to be asked to vote on emotionally-charged, ill-timed legislation.
This isn't the first time Brownback has stuck his foot in it at legislators' expense. His school allotment cut announcement came straight out of left field, with the vast majority of legislators learning of the Governor's proposal at the same moment the Kansas City Star and Wichita Eagle learned of it. Hence, some of the absolute disaster I wrote about yesterday.
Meanwhile, had Brownback had legislators in mind at all, he would have announced broad sweeping cuts to all department allotments -- not just education. That would have allowed legislators to say they preferred to use a scalpel rather than an axe on the budget. They could have "negotiated" the exact same thing the Governor wanted. Yes, Brownback would have taken political heat, which he is already -- but conservative legislators, who, once again have to stand for re-election in a very short time, would have some cover.
The media is going to weave a compelling tale about how Brownback hates LBGTQ people, and like always, they're going to miss the point. No gay state employee is going to lose a job over this change. But you know who just might? Conservative legislators.
Brownback doesn't hate gays. He hates the Kansas Legislature.
Posted by Gidget at 9:48:00 AM 1 comment:
Labels: conservative legislators, Kansas Legislature, LGBT, Sam Brownback, Sebelius
WHY ARE WE ALWAYS BEHIND THE 8 BALL?? Why? Why?
Unless you've been living off-the-grid in a shack on the side of a mountain, you've recently been bombarded by public school shills threatening to recall Gov. Sam Brownback over cuts to school funding.
Their response to the $45 million in cuts is laughable. They're using a Moveon.org petition to recall the recently re-elected Governor. Their odds of success are slightly lower than my chances of winning Wednesday's $450 million Powerball lottery.
But the silly petition is getting some traction. Recently, I have seen perfectly sane people bemoaning the "cut."
And now I'll explain why normal people have been drawn in to this irritating circus of misinformation. It is the fault of conservatives and the Governor. I'm sorry, but it is.
That's right, you dear conservative, need to take a small sliver of the blame for this.
Anyone with two functioning brain cells and the tiniest bit of information could see this news story coming. Kansas revenue was short of projections and public education receives more than 50 percent of the revenue pie. Of course, education funding was going to take a hit. And as surely as night follows day, the liberal media and KNEA shills were going to use that fact to bludgeon the Governor. This should not have come as a surprise.
Media loves bad Brownback photos
What I find continually shocking is conservatives are always two or three days behind the running media narrative. I don't get it.
First, Kansas GOP leaders should long have been saying one likely reason for the revenue drop is a change in federal capital gains rates, caused by the President's forced expiration of some Bush tax cuts.
(I realize they tried, but not hard enough. One must search hard to find that explanation, and one must be wiser than a turnip to understand it.)
Try harder, GOP and Governor. Mentions of the forced expiration of Bush tax cuts and its effect on Kansas' budget should have been dropped into every single press release on the budget -- FROM DAY ONE.
For the general populace a truth must be repeated several times before it sinks in. Liberals have to hear a truth about 60,000 times before they even consider it or attempt to refute it.
More importantly, the fact that this is a cut to an anticipated increase can not be repeated enough. Despite the perceived cut, Kansas schools will still receive more in state funding than they did last year.
Why, oh why, did the Governor's Office wait what seemed like three days before mentioning the fact?
And let's talk about that mention: It was mentioned in the weirdest, strangest, most awkward way. I received a personal email from the Governor's Office. It appeared in my email as from "Melika Willoughby (GO)." The "(GO)" stands for Governor's Office and the email address attests as much.
But from there, I can't figure out exactly to whom to attribute the email.
"My fellow Kansan,
"As you may have heard, Governor Brownback announced additional budget reductions yesterday. Here is what the Kansas mainstream media won't be reporting. The Legislature significantly increased spending on schools in the budget bill last year. Six months later, the Governor and Legislature were given a $63.6 million dollar bill above the budgeted increase as the Kansas Department of Education underestimated the fiscal note for the school finance bill passed last year. This is one example of why the school finance formula needs to be replaced.
Yesterday, a reduction of $28 million to school districts was announced. Even after the reduction (to the increase), school districts are still getting $177 million more this school year from state funds than last school year. What about the concern of reductions during the school year? The reserves of school districts have grown significantly over the last few years. At the following link, there is a listing of each school district's reduction (of the increase) under the heading 1.5% General State Aid Reduction. In the column to the right of the reduction is each district's cash reserves that are in accounts they are statutorily allowed to move over to cover classroom operating costs."
And then there are some links -- one to each school district's reduction in increase and another to a Wichita podcast.
The email is unsigned.
This public relations response is baffling to me. If you're going to be a full-day behind, why bother responding? Seriously. Responding when you're this far behind the narrative only serves to keep a damaging narrative front and center.
Conservatives (and the vast majority of Kansans -- who not only voted for Brownback, but did so overwhelmingly) know that our public schools are bottomless pits of spending. No amount of money yanked from our pockets and diverted to indoctrination camps will ever be enough to keep the KNEA happy.
There's barely a blip in the pupil-teacher ratio. In 2009, there were 14.4 students per teacher in Kansas schools. Now there are 15 students per teacher. That's according to the Kansas Department of Education. (More information is here at Wichita Liberty.) I'm just spit-balling here, but maybe that fact should get a mention from the administration up front -- as in the day the cuts are announced, rather than a day or two later. Despite the wailing of teachers and their sycophants, the sky isn't falling.
A savvy administration could harness some of the power of the press, but for reasons I will never understand, this administration chooses not to.
(Dear administration friends, the next time you're about to do something that you know is going to be controversial, please, please phone a friend. Or email one.)
It may be time for Brownback to keep a public relations firm on retainer. (Or if he is, maybe it's time to find another one??? I mean no disrespect to Brownback's myriad of public information officers, but come on!!! We all knew what the response to the "cut" announcement was going to be.)
And here's where conservatives get a healthy dose of the blame for this unflattering narrative: Where on earth are you, conservatives? Social media is flooded with stupid links to that Moveon.org petition. There is very little opposing information in the comments sections or in status updates to these stupid posts.
I first started seeing links to the petition of ignorance from my KNEA-active friends. They have a very selfish reason for posting such nonsense, but their incessant teeth-gnashing is now gaining some traction. I am noting apolitical, but quietly right-leaning friends now posting and signing this ridiculous petition.
Why? Because when the petition first began circulating, no one was soundly and loudly posting facts to dispute it.
This should serve as a lesson to legislators. While I agreed whole-heartedly with recent tax cuts, thinking people understood that spending cuts had to happen (at first) in order to stabilize the budget. (Over time, tax cuts generate additional income as businesses add people and increase their own spending. Key words: Over time.)
Legislators should have cut spending BEFORE they cut taxes. And it should be noted, I believe there's still room for additional cuts. Kansas doesn't have a money tree. I can speak from personal experience, working people and the middle class are hurting right now and have been for some time. State and federal spending MUST be cut to preserve our way of life, and tax cuts should follow -- eventually leading to increased revenues.
I have to believe the vast majority of Kansans, who recently re-elected Brownback, understand what's going on here. And I'm not sure what those (paltry few) who voted for Paul Davis expected to happen if Davis received the nod. Budget revenues were trending low before anyone cast a ballot in 2014. Voters understood that budgetary concerns were likely to mean cuts somewhere or tax increases. Davis would likely have added tax increases, if he could find enough legislators to support them. (Unlikely). Brownback was likely to pursue cuts. Voters had a clear choice and they made it -- two months ago.
Still, I wonder: When will conservatives learn?
The silent majority isn't the majority for long if it remains silent.
Posted by Gidget at 12:38:00 PM 1 comment:
Labels: Moveon.org, public relations, public school cuts, Sam Brownback
Brownback advocates for tax increase
I hate to pile on Gov. Sam Brownback today as the mob is restless about the tiniest of cuts to schools. (To listen to the mindless rally of the libs -- and their uninformed friends -- you'd think the $44.5 million in cuts was going to close schools. A closer look at the numbers shows that for the vast majority of schools the cuts will be less than 2 percent of their budgets. How about buying fewer pencils? Or foregoing new football uniforms? That ought to cover it.)
One proposed solution to raise some cash: Brownback has suggested adding taxes to cigarette and liquor sales.
I mean this as nice as possible: That is the silliest solution in the history of well, history. Conservatives -- heck, even liberals -- recognize that an increase in cigarette and liquor taxes in Kansas will likely mean less revenue for the state. A very large percentage of Kansans live within a few miles of neighboring states. (Hi, Missouri!)
The biggest proponents of the Brownback tax hike are Missouri convenience store owners. (Note to Gov: They aren't your constituents.)
And don't even get me started on the sheer stupidity of using the tax code to induce certain behaviors. I hate.hate.hate that. I don't like it when liberals do it, and I expect better of conservatives. If we don't like cigarettes and/or liquor, let's ban them outright rather than taking a bigger slice off the top. That only puts government in the awkward position of having to encourage behaviors in order to pad their bottom lines. It's D-U-M dumb.
Fortunately, Brownback's proposed tax hike appears to be dead on arrival. (No word yet on how many angry phone calls David Kensinger will dish out before the Legislature's budget battle is complete.)
Though it appears to be going nowhere, someone in the Brownback administration (and perhaps the Governor himself) should be taken to task for reneging on a foundational promise to the electorate -- fewer taxes, not more.
As one astute emailer who shall remain nameless said, "Not only is (Brownback's) proposal incredibly stupid policy for a supposedly staunch economic conservative, but it also demonstrates an alarming degree of political cowardice that might entail further problems down the road."
Labels: cigarette tax, David Kensinger, liquor tax, Sam Brownback
Commence caterwauling in 4..3...2..
I am not sure where to even start with this article in the Wichita Eagle.
Um. Mr. Lefler, your bias is showing.
In this "news" piece, Lefler writes about some teacher's union people hyperventilating because a legislator, Sen. Mitch Holmes of St. John, suggested that moving spring municipal and school board elections to the fall would reduce teacher-union influence in local elections.
In a press release, Holmes said, "The teachers unions do not want to give up the majority they currently enjoy in low-turnout, off-cycle elections. But this act is not about protecting incumbency or special interest groups. It is about giving community members representation in local issues."
The state's largest teacher's union is opposing the bill, the Help Kansas Vote Act. (These bill names. Whatever.)
What interest do teachers unions have in legislation about the timing of local elections? There really shouldn't be any. However, the fact that they're opposing the bill, which would likely increase voter turnout, pretty much proves Holmes' point.
Of course, Lefler doesn't bother to make that connection in his hit piece against one of the most rational pieces of legislation in play this year. (That's one reason, I'm doing it for him here, reader.)
For what it's worth, the teacher union mob leader, Mark Desetti, said the union opposes the bill because in addition to changing the date of local elections, it would make local elections partisan.
Again, I have to ask, what interest is that of teachers? (I think we know the answer, because Holmes gave it to us.)
The bill, which hasn't yet been assigned a number, is a good thing -- especially the timing piece.
My stomach turned when I started hearing about local 2015 candidates approximately two minutes after the 2014 General Election. There was no time for a victory lap or just a rest from the constant barrage of campaign nonsense. Personally, I could use the breather.
You know who else could use a few days between a general election and a spring, local election? The folks who work in the county election office.
As an added bonus, the consistency of a November election every year would result in more consistent voters.
Leave it to the people who throw a temper tantrum about how challenging it is to show an identification at the polls, to screech like banshees about making voting easier by establishing a consistent date. I don't get liberals, and on the off-chance I ever start "getting" them, please, direct me to the nearest mental institution for observation.
Now, the partisan election piece: I do prefer to know from which side of the aisle my representatives on all taxing bodies hail. I have voted for Democrats for local office. It's not necessarily my preference, but I have seen far, far too many conservatives on local bodies who are, for example, awesome on social issues but can't pull their heads out of their behinds where finances are concerned. Socially, they're Republicans, but fiscally, they may as well be tax collectors for the welfare state.
Local governments and school boards are rarely required to set policy about social issues, and in the rare instances when they are or attempt, the state legislature has the authority to make them see the light. A good example is the conceal and carry legislation that is (not quickly enough) requiring city halls to remove those stupid "Gun Free Zone" signs. (Because nothing scares a criminal out of a violent act faster than a sign.)
Most voters are wise enough to pick their candidates based on their stances on issues -- especially local candidates and issues. Joe Schmoe may be the greatest conservative the right has ever seen, but if he wants to run in Small Town, Kan., he probably ought to be very supportive of the sales tax plan to build a new park. (Or whatever.)
According to the abhorrent Eagle story, there's a third provision in the proposed legislation that would revoke a state law requiring candidates' names be rotated on ballots.
My feelings won't be hurt if they toss that particular portion of the bill, but otherwise, this legislation is a much-needed improvement, regardless of what the mouthpiece for the teachers union says.
(Apologies to Bryan Lowry, whom I originally said wrote the article. It was Dion Lefler.)
Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article9366713.html#storylink=cpy
Posted by Gidget at 12:14:00 PM No comments:
Labels: local elections, Mark Desetti, Mitch Holmes, teachers union, Wichita Eagle
You're for free speech or you're with the terrorists
This bill should never have seen the light of day. Never.
House Bill 2234 would force Kansas community colleges and state universities to implement policies that prohibit professors from using their titles when contributing to newspaper opinion peices.
No legislator will admit authoring this attack on free speech, but the Topeka Capital-Journal theorizes-ish that the author is either Virgil Peck or Steve Huebert. Those two have assumed circling firing positions.
Look, there are a LOT of liberal professors polluting the airwaves and newsprint with their stupidity. And I realize America doesn't look as pretty as she once did, but we still believe in free speech, right?
Peck told the Cap-J that he didn't offer the bill and then did an about-face saying he sometimes introduces bills in committee as a courtesy. As a courtesy to whom, sir?
Yes, legislators sometimes offer bills as courtesies to constituents, but legislators can also say no.
If (and that's a BIG if) someone actually asked Peck or Huebert to introduce this attack on the First Amendment, the should have told them, yeah, no. Not going to happen.
Posted by Gidget at 10:18:00 AM No comments:
You're for free speech or you're with the terroris...


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Elizabeth Warren helped family flip wigwams for heap big wampum
Michael Laprarie June 3, 2012 Business, corruption, Elections, Finance Reform, Hypocrisy 12 Comments
Yes dear WizBang readers, it's time to pick on Big Chief Paleface again. The Boston Herald is reporting:
Elizabeth Warren, who has railed against predatory banks and heartless foreclosures, took part in about a dozen Oklahoma real estate deals that netted her and her family hefty profits through maneuvers such as "flipping" properties, records show.
A Herald review has found that the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate rapidly bought and sold homes herself, loaned money at high interest rates to relatives and purchased foreclosed properties at bargain prices.
Land records from Warren's native Oklahoma City show the Harvard professor was active in the often topsy-turvy real estate market in the 1990s, including:
• Purchasing a foreclosed home at 2725 West Wilshire Boulevard from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for $61,000 in June 1993, then selling it in December 1994 for $95,000 — a 56 percent mark-up in just 18 months.
• Buying a house at 200 NW 16th St. for $30,000 in August 1993, then flipping it for $145,000 — a 383 percent gain after just five months.
• Lending one of her brothers money at 9.5 percent interest to buy a home at 1425 Classen Drive for $35,000 in August 2000. He sold the place three months later for $38,500 — a 10 percent gain in 75 days.
• Providing her brother with financing to buy a $25,000 house at 4301 NW 16th St. in 1994. He sold the property four years later for $42,000, a 68 percent increase.
… Herald columnist Howie Carr reported yesterday that Warren and her relatives also profited from two additional Oklahoma City foreclosures — in both cases showing triple-digit percentage gains.
Warren's campaign issued a statement last night: "Elizabeth and (her husband) Bruce are fortunate to be in a position where they can help their family. They have been able to help relatives buy their homes and her nephew — a contractor — fix up houses."
I'm not one to criticize someone for taking advantage of a good deal when they find it. As a resident of Oklahoma City I can tell you that Warren and her family shrewdly bought bargain homes in parts of town that were popular transition areas (older/retired homeowners selling smaller 1950's era homes to young first-time buyers) that saw a lot of market activity ten to twenty years ago. And the house in Mesta Park (200 NW 16th), which is a neighborhood of stately two story WWI era homes that sell today in the $200 – $300k range, was an incredible find. I'm also pretty certain that buying the house so cheaply meant it was in pretty bad shape, therefore a lot of the sales price went to cover the cost of renovation.
But there is something not quite right about an advocate for fair and affordable housing taking low-priced homes off the market and then reselling them at a substantially increased price. This helps put thousands of dollars in Elizabeth Warren's pocket, but it how does it help lower income first-time home buyers looking for an affordable property that they can buy, repair, and use as a means to invest and build equity wealth? Likewise with foreclosure homes, which generally involve a significant financial loss for the foreclosed homeowner. Should a critic of "predatory lending" and "dangerous mortgages" be profiting from the resale of foreclosure homes?
And look at the deal for 1425 Classen Drive. It's a two bedroom condo in a multi-unit townhouse style building. The fact that the purchase and sales dates, and purchase and sales prices, of the property are so close together tells me that her brother was likely forced into a quick sale. Probably the place was resold "as-is" or with little more than a new coat of paint. If her brother enlisted the help of a licensed real estate agent, then he would have been responsible for paying their commission out of the sales proceeds. If you factor in the 9.5% interest rate Warren charged her brother, it is very likely that he could have actually lost money on the deal. But as a lender, Warren of course made money.
As I've said before, I have no doubt that Elizabeth Warren is genuinely concerned about the institutionalized or systemic disadvantages borne by America's low income families. But she has chosen to make her mark on the political world by attacking wealthy entrepreneurs and the financial industry. That's a rather tricky position for someone who has managed to earn a million-dollar fortune for herself, with much of it apparently derived from practices that she now preaches against on the campaign trail.
(Title shamelessly stolen from comments at The Blaze.com)
You Need to Watch This Sneak Preview of 'Bunheads,' a New TV Show
Racine Tea Party Rally for Scott Walker/Kleefisch (Also Paul Ryan, Dana Loesch, Tony Katz, More)
Tags:Elizabeth Warren, flipping, foreclosure, Real estate
Eco-Idiots
EPA 'Crucifixion' Video Pulled From Youtube, The Liberal Cockroach Behind the Move
Newspaper circulation continues to tank
Michael Laprarie
Michael Laprarie lives in Oklahoma City and has been blogging since 2004. He is currently employed as a science teacher, and his professional experience includes contracting as a residential remodeling and asset preservation specialist, small business ownership, and QA/QC as well as general laboratory operations in the environmental testing industry. His interests include jazz record collecting, politics and current events from a conservative viewpoint, and Christian thought in the Armenian/Wesleyan tradition.


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Leeds Santander among 140 banks to close as 1270 jobs put at risk
Santander announced plans to 'reshape its branch network'
matt millingtonLeedsLive publisher
Santander will close 140 branches as part of a 'reshape' of its branch network
Santander has revealed that 140 of its bank branches will close this year, including one in Leeds.
The Street Lane branch in Roundhay was listed as part of the announcement this morning (Wednesday) and will close on July 4 2019.
The move will put the jobs of workers at the branch at risk - along with a total of 1,270 roles across the UK.
The company says the move is 'in response to how customers are choosing to carry out their banking'.
It says it will seek to find alternative roles for the staff affected 'wherever possible', but it expects to redeploy just a third of those.
Santander will retain a nationwide network of 614 branches following the changes, and all of it's current and business account holders can also bank using one of over 11,000 Post Office branches across the UK.
'We are working alongside our unions to support colleagues'
Susan Allen, head of Retail and Business Banking, said: "The way our customers are choosing to bank with us has changed dramatically in recent years, with more and more customers using online and mobile channels.
"As a result, we have had to take some very difficult decisions over our less visited branches, and those where we have other branches in close proximity.
"We will support customers of closing branches to find alternative ways to bank with us that best suit their individual needs. We are also working alongside our unions to support colleagues through these changes and to find alternative roles for those impacted wherever possible."
Barclays to axe hundreds of jobs at site in Leeds


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Houston ISD Superintendent Terry Grier Resigns
NO MORE GRIER NEXT YEAR: Six years is a relatively long time for a superintendent to stick around an urban district, judging by the average. But on September 10, Houston Independent School District superintendent Terry Grier announced that after six years, he'll be leaving his post in March 2016. As superintendent of the eighth largest district in the country, Grier's tech-related initiatives have included the PowerUp blended initiative, an effort to bring technology and training to all 282 of HISD's schools. On where he'll end up next, Grier said in a September 10 press conference that he'll probably "land somewhere that has something to do with supporting and helping children."
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Amplifon opens new store in Leicester city centre
The firm has taken the lease of a 2,500 sq ft ground floor unit at 40-50 High Street in a deal secured by commercial property consultant Innes England.
David GodsallStory Editor
Amplifon's new unit.
HEARING specialist Amplifon has opened a new store in Leicester city centre.
With over 134 branches across the UK and Ireland, the firm has experienced increased demand for its bespoke hearing solutions and has now moved from its previous, less central location in Abbey Street to the city centre.
Kevin Brereton, national acquisition and property manager at Amplifon said: "We are incredibly busy servicing an ever increasing number of customers who have a need for our specialised products and services.
"Historically there has been a stigma surrounding hearing difficulties and some people found it hard to discuss. However over recent years, with the progression in technology this stigma has lessened and I believe this is why we are helping more and more people rediscovering the joy of better hearing.
"Our move to High Street comes as part of the business's strategy to be in city centres throughout the UK and Ireland. Figures show that people are now looking for hearing solutions while carrying out their usual shopping duties – meaning we need to be in city centres and in amongst the core retail offering.
"The location of the unit is ideal for us as it's close to the popular Highcross shopping centre and we are already experiencing a noticeable increase in footfall."
The property was previously occupied by Coffee Republic, and will be let to Amplifon on a ten year lease.
Jenny Clarke, associate director at Innes England
Jenny Clarke, associate director at Innes England, said: "This letting has met Amplifon's needs, being a firm which has moved away from being a destination retailer to a high street name. The unit is in a prime location and I wish Kevin and the team great success here.
"Retail vacancy rates in Leicester are at pre-recession levels, meaning units such as this are in high demand and do not remain vacant for long. There has been a continued demand for city centre premises from firms like Amplifon, wanting to monopolise on Leicester's strong retail offering."


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Friday, June 12, 2020 George Nelson
Seitz to Leave Penn-Northwest at End of Month
HERMITAGE, Pa. – Randy Seitz, longtime president and CEO of Penn-Northwest Development Corp., will leave the organization at the end of the month.
John Thigpen, president of ILSCO Extrusions Inc. and chairman of Penn-Northwest's board of directors, confirmed Friday afternoon that the board voted Thursday at its regularly scheduled meeting not to renew Seitz' employment after his current contract expires June 30.
"We've been very happy with Randy's leadership," Thigpen said. With his contract ending at the end of the month, the board decided to move in a new direction.
"Change is a natural and healthy way for community-based organizations to maintain momentum toward achieving their goals," he said.
Seitz said the board's decision did not come as a surprise to him. "Eight to 10 years is a good time for both the agency and the executive to explore new opportunities," he said. He was hired by Penn-Northwest in 2012.
Over the past eight years, the Mercer County economic development entity assisted 30 companies with relocating to the area, according to a release announcing the board's decision.
"The organization is very grateful for the significant contributions that Randy has made to bring about favorable economic change for Mercer County during his tenure," Thigpen said in the release. "He introduced a new board structure and an annual program of work at Penn-Northwest that will live on well beyond his departure; he has worked very hard to make the corporation the best it can be and he is leaving the corporation in a strong position."
He also emphasized that Seitz's relationship with the board remains good and he has agreed to provide transition services for a period corresponding with the search for his successor.
"It has been a pleasure working with the board and staff at Penn-Northwest. This is a fantastic community with many great advantages for companies looking to expand and grow their operations," Seitz said in the statement. "I am excited to begin the new chapter in my career, but will be cheering enthusiastically for your success."
In a subsequent email, Seitz said he has determined his next move but declined to say what it would be.
Among the things he said he is most proud of during his time at Penn-Northeast are restructuring its board "to be a more active committee-driven organization and getting more leaders directly involved in economic development," changing Penn-Northwest so it is a performance-based organization, operating with a program of work that lets staff focus on results and convincing local community foundations to support economic development.
Over the past eight years, Penn-Northwest generated 2,102 new leads, sent out 533 prospect proposals and hosted 109 site tours, Seitz said. "In addition, the efficiency of the program of work allowed for staff to assist over 215 local companies with expansions adding 1,061 new jobs and retaining 3,178 jobs to our community that might have been at risk," he said.
Companies assisted included Boise Cascade, Astralloy, Ellwood City Forge Group, Moretto Plastics, Pocono Pro Foods, GE Transportation Re-work Facility and Precision Castparts Corp., "just to name a few," he said. He particularly enjoyed working with NLMK USA, as well as to keep the Mercer State Correctional Institution and the Polk State Center open.
A search committee has already begun work with a goal of filling the position in 60 to 90 days.
Penn-Northwest recently moved from downtown Sharon to LindenPointe Innovative Business Campus, providing "yet another new start and excitement that should prove helpful in recruiting its next leader," according to the release.
The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber occasionally had the opportunity to work with Seitz and his staff on economic development projects, "supporting each other's needs and working toward success," said Sarah Boyarko, chief operating officer and senior vice president for economic development with the chamber.
"We wish him well with his next opportunity," she said.


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Home Tags Posts tagged with "ADAC"
F4 season review: Double champion Antonelli in a class of his own
by Roger Gascoigne 24 December 2022
It's hard to find new superlatives to describe Kimi Antonelli's two F4 campaigns in Europe. He won 22 times to earn a rare title double
The timeline of German single-seater racing's decline
Germany was home to racing's most famous driver, brands and two F1 grands prix in the 2000s. But its single-seater scene has declined since
ADAC F4 championship will not take place in 2023
Germany's national F4 series will not run in 2023, as the organiser confirms it "will not be accepting entries for ADAC F4 for the 2023 season"
What next for Van Amersfoort Racing in F4 after a record-breaking year?
by Roger Gascoigne 15 June 2022
How do you improve on six titles out six? That's the question facing Van Amersfoort Racing's F4 squad after its 2021 lockout
Eriksson leads Dienst in first ADAC F4 race at Oschersleben
by Gruz David 12 September 2015
Joel Eriksson took his sixth ADAC F4 victory of the season in race one at Oschersleben.


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How I learned to stop worrying and love A.I.
Andy Maslen
The story of how I got past my initial reluctance to use AI to improve my writing
When I first heard about Marlowe, the fiction-savvy artificial intelligence from Authors A.I., I experienced two strongly conflicting emotions.
Emotion one: An AI can read my entire novel in 15 minutes and tell me what's good/bad about it? Wow! That is amazing.
Emotion two: An AI can read my entire novel in 15 minutes and tell me what's good/bad about it? Yeah, right! In your dreams.
In life, I'm a skeptic. But I'm also an optimist. And I often take fairly major decisions on little more than gut feel. (I once bought a house because I loved the color of the front door.)
Photo by Esther Wilhelmsson on Unsplash
My skepticism about Marlowe (and this was before she acquired her cool moniker) was down to a belief that my creative process was unique and distinctive, and how could a mere bot understand it?
But the overall promise was irresistible. Because, I reasoned, what if she really was that good? You see, I want to write best-sellers. It's my goal. And in Authors A.I. co-founder J.D. Lasica, here was a very persuasive guy telling me he had a piece of software that could help me.
''OK, I'm in,'' I said.
What did I initially expect from Marlowe?
I guess my worry, if I'm honest, was that she'd throw out a lot of criticism. Maybe without the ham sandwich approach taught on most creative writing courses. You know, praise first, then hit them with the hardball criticism, then a bit more praise to salve their wounded pride.
In fact, this is absolutely not what she does. When we show our work to friends and family we ready ourselves for remarks like these:
"I loved it! It's so good. You should definitely get published."
"I didn't like the main character."
"It felt a bit flat in the middle."
Even the positive remarks aren't really that helpful. What we authors really want to know is why did you like it? What was wrong with the main character? How come it felt flat in the central section?
Marlowe is a judgment-free zone
Marlowe is different. The one thing you won't get is subjectivity. Marlowe doesn't love novels. She doesn't hate them either. Instead, she analyses your writing based on the thousands and thousands of best-sellers she's already read.
And then she compares your book to those others.
Finally, she generates a report showing you exactly how and where you're going wrong – and right.
This is essentially a quantitative approach. Marlowe counts things. Action beats. Words with high emotional power. The amount of dialogue versus narrative. Use of clichés.
Her burgeoning superpower is being able to tell you how your numbers compare to those of best-sellers in your genre. What you do about it is up to you.
If you have a manuscript in your bottom drawer, pull it out and give Marlowe a try. You'll receive her feedback in as little as 15 minutes:
GET FREE A.I. REPORTS
Five (faulty) assumptions I made
Here are five mistaken assumptions I made about Marlowe … and what actually happened.
Marlowe would give me a line-by-line critique of my book
1I think I'm a pretty decent stylist. By which I mean as well as telling a good story, I can use language with a certain amount of skill. Now, that may all be narcissistic BS, but it's how I feel.
I thought — or feared — Marlowe would break down my book line by line as a copy editor would and pick apart every metaphor, verb tense and character description. Essentially wagging an ink-stained finger at me and rewriting every sentence.
In fact, Marlowe scrupulously avoids passing judgment. She doesn't even say a given word, sentence, paragraph or chapter is bad or good. What she does is to give you a reality check — to make sure you're aware of what you're doing.
A small example is her table of repeated words and phrases. You might have an unconscious, or even conscious, preference for describing characters as quirking their mouths into a smile.
But how would you feel if Marlowe told you you'd used that word 50 times in a 70,000-word manuscript?
I'd be taking instruction from a machine
2I didn't spend decades honing my craft only to be told by a mere machine how to write novels! That's basically how I felt when my skeptical side was in the ascendant.
But the clue came with my own reaction. Because a mere machine doesn't know squat about writing novels. Or flying fighter jets. Or designing recipes for diabetics. That comes from human experts. In our world, that means best-selling authors.
Photo by Maximalfocus on Unsplash
Marlowe has no interest in becoming your new editor. She has gorged herself on thousands upon thousands of best-sellers. And here's the tricky bit to wrap our heads around.
She doesn't know why they work. She only knows that they work.
The really key insight I formed while working through my feelings about letting Marlowe loose on my drafts was this …
A human being told her that the books she imbibed into her database were bestsellers. And those bestsellers were, in their turn, written by humans.
So, no, I would not be taking instruction from a machine. I'd be taking lessons from thousands of best-selling authors whose craft and instinct for a great story well told was codified into a series of benchmarks I could use to evaluate my own work.
Marlowe would fix the problems in my novel
3OK, I thought, let's suppose JD is right. Marlowe is going to revolutionize the way I write. She's going to show me exactly how my books compare to best-selling thrillers.
And then tell me how to put right whatever is wrong.
If I've written a draft that is drowning in dialogue, she'll convert some of that dialogue into narrative, or internal monologue.
If I've contracted a bad case of sagging middle she'll inject some pacy scenes to prop up that bellying prose.
If my two main characters embody identical sets of traits, she'll tell me how to pull them apart and give them distinct identities.
No. Nuh-uh. Sorry, chum. That's the writer's job.
However, what she does do, brilliantly, is tell me how much dialogue I have compared to narrative, and where in the story it occurs.
She shows me with a graph where the main action occurs and give me specific text references to help me pinpoint it.
And she describes the main characters, not as I imagine I've written them, but as they actually appear on the page.
Marlowe would be slow and laborious to work with
4When I'm in the zone, the last thing I want to do is wait. For anything. I'm there, I'm firing on all cylinders (forgive the cliché, Marlowe would). I'm immersed in my fictional world.
And now this JD fellow is telling me I need to stop what I'm doing and send my MS off to be read and analyzed before Marlowe writes her report.
Are you kidding?! I don't have time for – wait, what? It's ready? But I only send it off 15 minutes ago.
I send off each draft I want analyzing at the start of a coffee break. Maybe lunch. And the report I need to rework it and make it better is waiting for me when I get back.
Marlowe would take the fun out of writing
5Even as I eagerly embraced the chance to have my novels compared dispassionately to bestselling authors, I worried I might have to ditch creativity in favor of being a slave to the machine.
Like a literary version of the children's game Simon Says, only without the gotcha questions you're supposed to ignore.
Marlowe says cut the passive voice.
Marlowe says insert more action.
Marlowe says use fewer clichés (by spotlighting the ones you didn't realize you'd used).
Marlowe says add more dialogue.
Marlowe says shorten your sentences.
In fact, I would say Marlowe has increased the enjoyment of writing. The initial excitement as I create a first draft out of nothing more than my imagination is still there. Still phenomenal. Still great fun.
But now, once I send it to Marlowe, I get a roadmap to a second draft that will pull it closer to what my human editor calls ''the best version of the story you're telling.''
It's still up to me to decide what to do in response to Marlowe's observations. If my middle third needs more action, well, it's me who has to figure out what that action should be. And it's me who then has to write it. Like I said. Fun.
Those were my reservations. How about my actual experience having worked with Marlowe on three novels so far?
How I learned to love Marlowe
You've probably guessed by now. But for the record, let me say it here.
I am a convert.
Why? Because just as I invest in human beings to edit and proofread my novels, I also invest in AI to help me shape the version I send to those human beings.
By ironing out simple structural and linguistic issues first, it means my editor can focus on the kinds of issues best done by a human being. I'll give you an example using dialogue.
Marlowe looks at the ratio of dialogue to narrative. She expresses that number as a pie chart and a timeline highlighting the distribution of dialogue through the book.
What she doesn't do, what she can't do, is assess the quality of that dialogue. But my editor can.
If the character speaking is doing an info dump – in other words I'm using dialogue as exposition – my human editor will tell me and suggest an alternative. If I haven't nailed the way someone would really speak, again, she'll tell me.
The other reason for using Marlowe is that there's nothing to agree, or disagree, with. Her reports are entirely factual. You have used commas this many times in your manuscript. On average your sentences are this long. You have evenly spaced story beats except for a gap between 56% and 71% of the way through your story.
Not only that, but she also tells you how these numbers compare to books that hit the bestseller charts.
That's a metric I'll always find useful.
Andy Maslen writes the Inspector Ford books published by Thomas & Mercer. As an indie author, he self-publishes two further series, featuring Gabriel Wolfe and Stella Cole. He is part of the network of indie authors behind the authors-run startup Authors A.I.
The secret sauce of bestseller success
How to create a vivid sense of place in your novel
An author's long road to publication
Creating a bestseller using Marlowe
Making the most of your novel's setting
AI Report breakdown
Author careers
Authors AI news
Tools for authors
Writer tips


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Italian reports linking De Rossi to Chelsea
Date: 25th May 2013 at 8:00am
Reports in from Italy claim that Jose Mourinho's first signing as Chelsea manager is to be Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi.
Gazzetta dello Sport is the media outlet that the reported the rumour and believe the Italian could be making his way to Stamford Bridge for around £12 million.
Roma have been able to keep hold of their most prized asset up to now despite interest from Manchester City last summer but may now be willing to cash in on the 29-year-old after a disappointing season in which they finished sixth in Serie A.
He's been a magnificent servant to the Rome club, where he has been for 13 years, and it would be hard to imagine him going anywhere else as I was always sure he'd stick around like Frencesco Totti. But we have missed a dominant force in midfield since Michael Ballack left the club and injuries took their toll on Michael Essien.
De Rossi will turn 30 over the summer and is approaching the latter years of his career but he is still a top player and I certainly wouldn't mind having him at the club as I've long been a fan of his. Whether or not it is a good deal would depend on the price, wage and the player's ability to adapt to a new environment after being in Italy his entire career. His age will put most people off but Ballack was 29-year-old when he signed for Chelsea back in 2006 and turned out to be a great addition, he was a free transfer though.
He's always been the complete midfielder with his strength, defensive and passing abilities but I doubt we'll see him in Chelsea blue by September 1st, even if he's keen for a new challenge and Roma are willing to sell one of their star names.
Source: Three and In & gazzatta.it


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U.S. Arms Sales Restraint in 2022?
This is the second blog post in a series looking at an array of issues in 2022 related to weapons use, the arms trade and security assistance, often offering recommendations.
Looking at what is often the most common metric of arms sales intention and volume -- notifications of potential government-to-government Foreign Military Sales (FMS) -- the Biden administration at first blush appears to be exercising restraint in the arms trade. FMS notifications made to Congress in calendar year 2021 totaled just over $36 billion, the lowest annual amount since 2011 and second lowest since FMS grew sharply in 2006.
(See dedicated spreadsheet on 2021 FMS notifications here (see all 3 tabs), which was created using the spreadsheet linked to the Forum's resource page.)
While the 2021 total is the lowest in a decade, there are still many problematic sales on last year's list. Top of mind is the one that raised the most attention -- the $650 million November notification of 280 air-to-air missiles to Saudi Arabia. The administration argued that those weapons could not be used for "offensive" purposes and therefore were in line with its human rights goals, especially as related to avoiding harm to civilians in Yemen. Nonetheless, a majority of the President's party voted (unsuccessfully) to block the sale in the Senate last month, with many arguing that providing weapons to oppressive regimes serves to legitimize them, regardless of whether you consider weapons offensive or defensive.
Those arguments can and should also be applied to others on last year's list, perhaps most noticeably the Philippines, where the administration told Congress it wanted to sell F-16s, Harpoon and Sidewinder missiles valued at more than $2.5 billion to the oppressive Duterte regime. Scrutiny is also rising on countries that have in the past been less controversial, such as Israel and India, for which there were FMS notifications as well as human rights concerns.
It's Not Just Foreign Military Sales (FMS)
FMS itself also does not tell the full arms sales picture, which appears to be increasingly comprised of company-initiated Direct Commercial Sales (DCS) that are much less transparent to the public. The May scandal of JDAMs on offer to Israel during a flare up of conflict in which civilian areas were bombed was via the DCS program. Part of the controversy was that a Congressional leak was needed to raise awareness of the potential deal, in part because DCS notifications are not shared on a convenient website, whereas FMS notifications are.
The State Department arms sales factsheet from January 2021 indicates both the scale and relative lack of information we have on the DCS program. It details that in fiscal year 2020 more than $124 billion in DCS licenses were authorized, but only $38.5 billion of which were notified to Congress. (In the latest factsheet, released last month, the Biden administration provides even less clarity, removing details about how much of the $103.4 billion fiscal year 2021 DCS approvals were notified to Congress.)
There is also a billion dollar request for Israel's Iron Dome program supported by the administration, assistance to Egypt that the Biden administration did not fully withhold, and $20+ billion F-35 and drones sales to the UAE that raise the question of how much restraint this administration will support.
New Policy Anticipated
As soon as this month, we expect the Biden administration to unveil a new conventional arms transfer policy that was previewed in part in November. At that time, Tim Betts, the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, said the policy will "seek to elevate human rights, stress the principles of restraint and responsible use." That is certainly welcome. In all likelihood, however, the new policy will follow earlier ones in that the list of reasons to engage in weapons transfers will not be weighted. Those looking to argue for commercial interests will find language they want, and no indication that human rights have a higher priority. How the administration actually implements the policy will likely be more telling than the words in it.
An initial follow-on step should be for the Biden administration to recommit to the U.S. signature to the Arms Trade Treaty. President Trump's repudiation of the one global treaty that establishes baselines for responsible trade of broad categories of conventional weapons, and which is already consistent with U.S. law, is a stain on U.S. international credibility and inconsistent with shared goals.
Getting this right is not easy, of course. But if the United States, the world's largest weapons provider by far, actually wants to show arms transfer restraint, it needs a consistent approach to existing or future conflicts that moves away from adding more weapons to volatile situations. It must find ways to engage the Middle East and elsewhere through commercial ties, cultural and academic connections, and other approaches. And in many cases, especially in pulling back, it will need to increase and enable humanitarian assistance to those places impacted by war. The withdrawal from Afghanistan, while a positive for those supportive of a less militarized approach, has not been followed by a humanitarian response sufficient for the suffering country.
Nor has aid that would help those in Yemen been able to reach them, in part because the United States has not truly used its full power to demand that the blockade on the country be immediately ended. In Yemen, the Houthi are no saints. They have committed horrible abuses. U.S. leverage and complicity, however, is tied much more closely to Saudi Arabia, for which the U.S. continues vital aircraft maintenance support, and to the UAE, which despite claims of exiting the war is still engaged via proxy groups and control of the Socotra island.
Even more than relations with Saudi Arabia, that with the Emiratis may be most telling on potential U.S. arms restraint in the coming months and years. In December, the UAE threatened to walk away from the massive F-35 deal. The administration has consistently said it wants to make the deal work, but has insisted on publicly unspecified end-use and other conditions. In my close reading of the comments by State Department and Defense Department officials last month, it's unclear that human rights and civilian protection concerns are being raised at all with the Emiratis. That must change.
Finally, Congress may also play a role. A wide array of legislation has been introduced that would impact on arms trade restraint should it be adopted. A short, but incomplete, list includes the progressive Stop Arming Human Rights Abusers Act introduced by Rep. Ilhan Omar; the SAFEGUARD Act, led by the influential chairs of the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees; and the bipartisan National Security Reforms and Accountability Act/National Security Powers Act that would "flip the script" and require Congressional approval on many arms sales -- similar to an approach once introduced by then-Senator Joe Biden in the 1986.
Jeff Abramson is a senior fellow at the Arms Control Association and manages the Forum on the Arms Trade


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Spectracom Introduces GSG-62 Multi-GNSS Constellation Simulator
Spectracom GSG-62
Spectracom has announced its new dual-frequency, 32-channel multi-GNSS simulator, the GSG-62.
The GSG-62 offers multiple frequency band operation, multiple-GNSS constellation simulation, and expansion capability for more frequency bands and channels, including support for upgrades to GPS L2C and L5, as well as future GNSS systems.
Priced at just under $30,000, the GSG-62 supports manufacturing and development testing with all-in-view satellite simulation. The GSG-62 offers 16 channels for L1 frequency and 16 channels for L2 frequency, which can be assigned to GPS or GLONASS, P-code or C/A code. According to the company, channels may also be used for satellite-based (SBAS) simulation of EGNOS, WAAS, GAGAN, or MSAS satellites, or for multipath and interference signals.
The GSG-62 incorporates all the features of Spectracom's previous models, including compatibility with GSG StudioView PC software to facilitate creation and editing of simulation scenarios via Google Maps.
Spectracom is a business of the Orolia Group with U.S. headquarters in Rochester, New York.
Spectracom Launches GSG-54 8-Channel Simulator
Spectracom Launches GSG-55 GPS/SBAS Constellation Simulator
Orolia Introduces the New GSG-7 Simulator
ACEINNA Launches Centimeter Accurate, Multi-Constellation,…


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American League Baseball Team Newsletters
Identifier: BAS 590
Scope and Contents This collection consists of Major League Baseball team fan newsletters published by teams in the American League. The newsletters promoted interest in the clubs, and each newsletter typically contained brief stories about players, accounts of recent games, details for upcoming games, news about ballpark promotions, or other information about the team. Most newsletters also contained photographs, cartoons, or other images. Some newsletters included advertisments. Materials include published...
Baseball Sheet Music Collection
Identifier: EPH 7502
Scope and Contents An accumulation of around 400 different pieces of published sheet music relating to baseball. The relationship may reside in the music's title or lyrics, in the sheet's cover graphics, or in some other identification with the game. Examples bear copyright dates ranging from 1860 to 1992. Baseball themed sheet music was especially common in the half-decade before World War I.
Curt Flood Legal Documents Collection
Scope and Contents This small collection consists of legal documents and correspondence related to Curt Flood's lawsuit, Flood v. Kuhn against Major League baseball's reserve clause in the early 1970s. The legal documents include official court papers from the Appellate Court case in the Second Circuit of Appeals (1971) and the Supreme Court decision (1972) against Flood. The correspondence largely consists of letters to and from the law firms Arnold & Porter and Wilkie, Farr, &...
League Parlor Baseball Game
Scope and Contents Baseball board game with abacus-style scorekeeping system. Pieces missing.
"Lou" Gehrig's Official Plaball Junior
Scope and Contents One game manufactured by Johnson Store Equipment Co. Baseball board game. Pieces missing.
Major League Baseball All-Star Game Programs
Scope and Contents This collection consists of Major League Baseball All-Star game programs. The programs typically contain photographs, statistics, and rosters of the players on the All-Star teams from the two leagues. Many programs also contain articles about the history of the All-Star game, stories about the current season, information about team owners or league officials, and advertisements. The programs tend to get longer and more substantial through the years. Formats include programs.
Major League Baseball American League (AL) Team Yearbooks
Scope and Contents This collection consists of Major League Baseball annual team yearbooks published by American League clubs. Aimed at fans, yearbooks typically contained information and articles about players, managers, and coaches, as well as statistics and schedules. Most yearbooks also featured numerous photographs of players and personnel and other team-related images. Some yearbooks contained advertisements. Materials include annual team yearbooks.
Major League Baseball National League (NL) Team Yearbooks
Scope and Contents This collection consists of Major League Baseball annual team yearbooks published by National League clubs. Aimed at fans, yearbooks typically contained information and articles about players, managers, and coaches, as well as statistics and schedules. Most yearbooks also featured numerous photographs of players and personnel and other team-related images. Some yearbooks contained advertisements. Materials include annual team yearbooks.
Major League Baseball World Series Programs and Scorecards
Scope and Contents This collection consists of Major League Baseball World Series game programs and scorecards. The World Series programs typically contain pictures, articles, and statistics about the players on the teams playing in the World Series. Some programs also include pictures and information about team managers, team owners, other team personnel, league officials, historical articles, information about the host city, and advertisements. The programs tend to become longer and more substantial through the...
Major League Indoor Baseball Game
Scope and Contents One game manufactured by Philadelphia Game Manufacturing Co. Players choose a baseball team and play by spinning the dial to move players around the bases throughout the innings.
National League Baseball Team Newsletters
Scope and Contents This collection consists of Major League Baseball team fan newsletters published by teams in the National League. The newsletters promoted interest in the clubs, and each newsletter typically contained brief stories about players, accounts of recent games, details for upcoming games, news about ballpark promotions, or other information about the team. Most newsletters also contained photographs, cartoons, or other images. Some newsletters included advertisments. Materials include published...
Negro Leagues Pennant Collection
Scope and Contents The Negro Leagues Pennant Collection consists of seven felt pennants for African American baseball teams that played in the organized Negro Leagues during the 1930s and 1940s. The teams represented in the collection are the Homestead Grays, two examples, with one version spelled as "Greys", the New York Black Yankees, the New York Cuban Stars, the Baltimore Elite Giants, the Newark Eagles, and the Philadelphia Stars. The pennants contain no information about their origin or date of creation....
Dates: c. 1930s - c. 1940s
New York Yankees Sunday Baseball Correspondence Collection
Identifier: MSSP0010
Scope and Contents This collection consists of correspondence, clippings, and other items related to the New York Yankees' efforts to encourage state legislation (primarily the 1918 Lawson Bill) permitting Sunday baseball in New York state. Many of the letters are directed to Yankees president Jacob Ruppert by politicians responding to the club's letter asking, "Will you, if elected, favor an amendment of the Penal Code which will permit the citizens to enjoy professional base ball and other forms of harmless...
Ora W. Harvey Letter
Identifier: MSN/CW 5026
Abstract A four-page letter written on 15 April 1863 by Civil War private Ora W. Harvey of the 46th Massachusetts Infantry, mostly discussing camp recreations, especially baseball.
Dates: 15 April 1863
Richard K. Fox Baseball Team (Fair Haven, New Jersey) Collection
Scope and Contents This collection consists of 16 broadsides and advertising fliers promoting baseball games of the amateur Richard K. Fox Baseball Team during the 1909 season. The Richard K. Fox Baseball Team represented Fair Haven in Monmouth County, New Jersey. In addition to information about games and schedules, most broadsides include a picture of a player or another image related to the team, as well as humorous text about the Richard K. Fox Baseball Team, their opponents, their fans, or other topics. The...
West Philadelphia Base Ball Club Collection
Identifier: MSSP 0002
Scope and Contents This collection consists primarily of letters addressed to the West Philadelphia Base Ball Club during the season of 1867 with a few letters from 1866. Many items are challenge letters or letters otherwise scheduling matches. There is also a 6-page letter from the Excelsior Base Ball Club of Milford, Delaware, inquiring about a player named Fisher, who pitched for the West Philadelphia Base Ball Club and another team during the 1867 season. Most of the correspondents are from the Philadelphia...
Dates: 1866-09-01 - 1867-09-07
Subject: Baseball -- United States -- History X
Subject: Baseball X
Baseball -- United States -- History 10
Baseball -- United States -- History -- 19th century 5
Baseball -- History -- Sources 4
Baseball -- History 3
Board games (game sets) 3
Gameboards (board game elements) 3
Telegrams 3
Baseball -- Law and legislation 2
Baseball -- Scorekeeping 2
Baseball teams 2
Game pieces (game elements) 2
Newsletters. 2
Wood (plant material) 2
Yearbooks 2
Antitrust law 1
Baseball -- Management 1
Major League Baseball (Organization) 6
American League of Professional Baseball Clubs 4
Brooklyn Dodgers (Baseball team) 4
National League of Professional Baseball Clubs 4
New York Yankees (Baseball team) 4
San Francisco Giants (Baseball team) 4
Baltimore Orioles (Baseball team) 3
Boston Braves (Baseball team) 3
Boston Red Sox (Baseball team) 3
Chicago Cubs (Baseball team) 3
Chicago White Sox (Baseball team) 3
Cincinnati Reds (Baseball team) 3
Cleveland Indians (Baseball team) 3
Detroit Tigers (Baseball team) 3
Los Angeles Dodgers (Baseball team) 3
Milwaukee Brewers (Baseball team) 3
Minnesota Twins (Baseball team) 3
New York Giants (Baseball team) 3
Philadelphia Athletics (Baseball team) 3
Philadelphia Phillies (Baseball team) 3


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Navigation: Home > News > International > Muslim woman set to make history in US Congress
Muslim woman set to make history in US Congress
By Kane Farabaugh on 09/08/2018
•Former Michigan state lawmaker Rashida Tlaib
Ahlam Jbara lives in Chicago, Illinois — six hours away from Detroit, Michigan — which means she can't vote in the state's primary election.
But the race for Michigan's 13th Congressional District was too important, and personal, for Jbara to miss. So she packed her car, and drove six hours to volunteer for former Michigan state lawmaker Rashida Tlaib's Congressional campaign on election day.
"As a Muslim American, as an Arab American, as a Palestinian American… I'm her, she's me," she told VOA during a break in distributing Tlaib's campaign literature outside a polling station.
Across the country, about 90 Muslim Americans like Tlaib are on ballots for elected office during midterm elections this year, many running as Democrats hoping to be part of a "blue wave" that shifts control of the U.S. Congress. Tlaib is among 13 Muslim candidates running for office in the state of Michigan alone. A Detroit Free Press review of all the candidates running in Michigan's primary election August 7 revealed that 24 of them, Tlaib among them, were immigrants or children of immigrants.
Although it's an election in Michigan, Tlaib's campaign for the U.S. Congress has historic, nationwide implications, particularly for Muslim American women, who view her candidacy as a door opening.
From her vantage point outside the polling location, it was clear to Ahlam Jbara just how much of an impact Tlaib's relentless door to door campaigning the last year was having on voter turnout.
But personally connecting with voters — by Tlaib's estimation she knocked on more than 50,000 doors during her campaign — helped propel her across the finish line in a successful campaign that was, until the end, a close race.
Though overcome with emotion upon hearing the final outcome, Tlaib paid tribute to those who stuck it out with her to the very end, and took the opportunity to recognize the importance of her historic moment for her family when addressing the media and her supporters at her campaign office just before 3:00 a.m.
Since there is no Republican challenger in November, the primary election is the only close race Tlaib will face before being sworn in as a freshman U.S. congresswoman — a role many Muslim Americans across the country are now watching with eagerness and hope. (VOA)
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Rajeev S. Ramchandran, M.D., M.B.A.
Appointment: (585) 273-3937
A member of the University of Rochester Medical Faculty Group
groupAn Accountable Health Partner
assignmentAccepting New Patients
210 Crittenden Blvd, Floor 3
Strong Flaum Eye Institute
Ophthalmology: (585) 273-3937
1701 Lac De Ville
Faculty Appointments
Associate Professor - Department of Ophthalmology (SMD)
Associate Professor - Center for Community Health and Prevention - Joint
Associate Professor - Department of Public Health Sciences (SMD) - Joint
Patient Care Setting
Dr. Ramchandran provides surgical and medical care to patients in the Rochester area as well as throughout the Finger Lakes Region and Western New York.
Dr. Ramchandran is a native of Pittsford, NY where he attended Pittsford Sutherland High School. He left Rochester to study at the University of Pennsylvania where he graduated Summa Cum Laude, majoring in Biology and South Asia Regional Studies. He then completed his medical degree, with distinction in research, at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and went on to an ophthalmology residency at Duke University. He recently returned to Rochester where he completed a Vitreoretinal Fellowship at the Flaum Eye Institute in July, 2009. Dr. Ramchandran is licensed in the state of New York and certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. He is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the American Society of Retinal Specialists and the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology. Dr. Ramchandran performs retinal surgeries, laser therapy, intravitreal injections as well as medical retina. His other interests include health policy and economics, telemedicine and international ophthalmology.
Dr. Ramchandran sees patients at the University of Rochester Flaum Eye Institute offices. The office is located at 210 Crittenden Boulevard.
Ophthalmology - American Board of Ophthalmology
MD | University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry
Fellowship in at University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry
Residency in Ophthalmology at Duke University School of Medicine
Internship in at Albert Einstein Medical Center
John M. Brophy Award
Sponsor: Simon School of Business, University of Rochester
Operations Faculty Award
Sponsor: University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry
Beta Sigma Gamma, Honor Society member
Travel Grant Recipient
Sponsor: Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
Distinction in Research
Sponsor: University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry
Second Year of Medical School Commendation for Academic Performance
American Medical Association Medical Student Section Recruitment Award
Suma Cum Laude graduate
Sponsor: University of Pennsylvania
Phi Beta Kappa, member
Golden Key Honor Society, member. Top 15% of Senior Class
Senior Ivy Day Honor Award, Alumni Award of Merit for Outstanding Contributions to the Penn Community
Outstanding Board Member of the United Minorities Council
Hindu Student Speaker, Graduation Baccalaureate Ceremony
Benjamin Franklin Scholar Honors Program
National Merit Finalist & Scholarship Recipient
Sponsor: Pittsford Sutherland High School
Location: Pittsford, NY
Patent Title: Automated Fundus Image Field Detection and Quality Assessment
Patent #: 9,905,008
Issue Date: Feb 27, 2018
Invented By: Gajendra Jung Katuwal, John P Kerekes, Rajeev Ramchandran, Christye P Sisson
Ding L, Kuriyan AE, Ramchandran RS, Wykoff CC, Sharma G. "Weakly-Supervised Vessel Detection in Ultra-Widefield Fundus Photography Via Iterative Multi-Modal Registration and Learning." IEEE transactions on medical imaging.. 2020 Sep 29; PPEpub 2020 Sep 29.
Chen A, Dang S, Chung MM, Ramchandran RS, Bessette AP, DiLoreto DA, Kleinman DM, Sridhar J, Wykoff CC, Kuriyan AE. "Quantitative Comparison of Fundus Images by Two Ultra-Wide Field Fundus Cameras." Ophthalmology retina.. 2020 Aug 28; Epub 2020 Aug 28.
George S, Spiegel M, Protopsaltis T, Buckland AJ, Gomez JA, Ramchandran S, Lafage R, Lafage V, Errico T, Lonner B. "Mandibular slope: a reproducible and simple measure of horizontal gaze." Spine deformity.. 2020 Jun 3; Epub 2020 Jun 03.