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Voting for Fleet Problem #2
By Legate of Mineta,
November 2, 2018 in General
Alright, Captains, let's have the votes for the next set.
1) No Belles from Fleet Problem #1, got to have everyone shine a bit.
2) This is going to be a Night Battle, so...if you bring a Carrier, that's on you.
3) This should be a gun line, so maximum 1 submarine, or else it's going to be a hit-and-run...or a convoy battle, depending.
lazarusdw
who was in the first fleet
i know that Nautilus Boise and Henley , Arizona were in the fleet but who else
fleet A. kaga, henley, fubuki, arizona, nenohi, velasco, kumano
fleet B. Boise, New Orleans, Kirov, Nautilus, Lexington, Mahan, Admiral Graf Spee
this was the first test
for the vote do we submit whole fleets or is it single belles
Either! We'll smash them together as we did last time.
Interests:Reading (particularly historical fiction), sleeping, gaming, and cycling.
I will go with Salmon for Submarine, Salt Shaker and Bulldog are my other two votes
Love Kaga's design by the way and its good to hear the voices of the Belles
HMS Hood Kongou
R.N. Axum Shch-205 Nerpa
Gneisenau USS Mississippi (BB-41)
Algérie Profitern
La Motte-Picquet Aoba
Camicia Nera Leningrad
here are my picks
1 minute ago, David J said:
same hearing them all was nice. you know when they were not ripping out your heart when sinking
1 minute ago, lazarusdw said:
Agreed I felt pain right in my heart
4 minutes ago, David J said:
get the feeling unless victory is 100% without losses then i will be doing alot of runing at the start
Armnorn
Location:Germany
Don't have a whole fleet setup but I would love to see Kitakami, Kongou, Nagato, Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Hood (this is totally not me just trying to get a sample of what the Voice Actors are going to sound like)
Dmnt
Location:Not Kansas
Interests:Tanks... and knives... and warships...
and Béarn
Recorded'em!
Ninjapacman
Location:Close enough to make daily trips to the USS Iowa if I wanted to.
Interests:History
Oh boy have I got a set of things to say. I'll lay them out here and put them in spoiler tags to make it organized.
1. I AM MAD.
2. General Comments
3. Excellent reveal
4. The voices seem to be on point.
6. My votes for #2
I AM MAD. See my sig if you don't already understand why. I feel this fleet test was horrific and unjust, and should be re-filmed with events occurring properly. It's only insult to injury that the fire which did such ungodly things was started by the obsolete 200mm casemate guns of an aircraft carrier. I demand a redo, in which the best ship performs the best, as it should be, rather than taking the single largest damage number in the test from a first level fire. I'm also rather disappointed that there wasn't more of Kenobi. She got taken out of the action far too quickly.
This will just be my general comments, and a few issues I noticed. First of all, I love the design as it's finally evolved from the many tests you gave us in previous updates. The name and HP plates are good looking and distinguished, and the Flagship is clearly well marked. The gun firing animation seems to have been fine-tuned quite nicely, and I think the hit and miss animations for both guns and torpedoes are excellent. I enjoyed watching the fires grow as their severity intensified (Save for a certain one which did not...) and I liked how the flooding grew until the point when that final compartment breach sank a ship that would otherwise have still had HP remaining.
This brings me to the first of a couple criticisms. I had to watch the video a few times to understand that that was what had happened to Kaga, and it's a problem that persists for all four of the corner ships. It's impossible to see what parts are damaged when the text is blocked by an admittedly rather pretty belle. When Boise was sunk in one strike, it was impossible to see any of the many critical damage notes she had. Often it was impossible to see what critical damage any of the corner ships had taken when their figure popped up blocking the view of them. After watching on both my phone and computer, I determined that the text was also much harder to catch on the phone, rather than the bigger computer screen. Another major issue with the critical damage was the Xs. Each time there was a major critical hit, one would appear, but often a bit nonsensically, mainly with one of two major flaws. The first is a lack of correspondence to the ship part damaged, an example being when Lexington's turret was knocked out and it placed an X on the front of the flight deck, despite the fact that the turrets on her, and the Essex-class model she had were both around the island. The second flaw was a lack of critical details, in that most of these ships have more than one turret. Even when multiple turrets were damaged (again the example being Lexington) there was only a single X, so I had no idea how many or which of the ships' turrets had been hit. The engine damage Kirov repeatedly suffered seemed to also have no effect on her moving up with the rest of her fleet to the second echelon of the movement bars, whatever that meant. Also in keeping with lack of information, when the fighters would pass each other at the beginning of each stage, each would lose one plane, but it seemed to have little or no significance on the rest of the battle. I don't know what they did, if they were taking out bombers or anything like that. It seemed to just be a fun graphical effect, but had no impact on the battle whatsoever. Is there information that isn't being seen, or was it really just a fun graphic? Anyways, I think I'll leave my critique here for now, and will respond with more if I catch anything else that needs addressing.
I think it was a very good idea to introduce Kaga in this fleet problem. The fan base has been getting antsy for some time about no "real" updates, and adding a new girl reveal (And such a good one at that) to the actual gameplay was simply brilliant. Kaga's voice is excellent, and her design couldn't be better for Japan's first aircraft carrier. A few little details I found interesting: The crossbow is a very novel aircraft launcher, even if all of her little stubby-Zeroes don't have horizontal stabilizers or elevators. I can just imagine her firing those tiny things playfully or angrily at another belle. I wonder if they'd hurt... Anyways, her voice was actually just the right tone, and the VA did excellent work. Her flight cap with the ponytail sticking out is very novel and cute as well. Unfortunately, due to her sins in this particular video, I must find myself hoping that the next time she is shown, it's after taking a 1000lb and three 500lb bombs.
As mentioned, I found many of the voices in this video to be enjoyable and on point. Arizona's, while fun, does seem a little too stereotypical Texas south, rather than Arizona. Most of the discord seems to agree the "south" in her voice was laid on a little thick. Overall I was proud of her fight, though. As for the rest, My beloved Spee stands at the top of excellent voices, and so far I think the German fanbase agrees that she was done very well. She has just the type of proper polite and controlled tone I'd expect of such a wonderful lady. I fear that Kenobi's voice, while the snippet we had was cute, was not nearly enough for me to get a read on it. Nawlins has an excellent voice for her character. Nautilus is a bit more gung-ho than I was expecting, but looking back on her character, it certainly fits. Kirov's lines have been re-done nicely since the original voice reveal video, as have Henley's. I'm a fan of Kumano's and I think her voice and Fubuki's are both very good, but I'd have to hear more to pick out why. Lexington is having tons of fun as usual, and I enjoyed the heck out of her lines.
Now I have a few questions. I'll number these too so the answers can be made clear.
1) Will there be an option for subtitles? A lot of players might want to know what the non-English-speaking belles are saying.
2) I found the movement markings a little bit hard to understand. Will it be covered in a tutorial or otherwise help page what the range markings and such mean?
3) I've noticed that for most of the ships you used the same models, all destroyers appeared to use the German Type 1934 profile (I could be wrong on the class, but that was the closest match I remembered off the top of my head), whereas both Kaga and Lexington were portrayed in their damage models as Essex-class. Without going through an exhaustive list, will ships have correct profiles in the final game, or are we sticking with the generic Submarine-Destroyer-Cruiser-Battleship-Aircraft Carrier portrayals for all ships of those types? The same question for the aircraft, for which the role of fighter is played by the A5M, and all bombers by the TBD Devastator and Fairey Swordfish.
4) In some relation to question 3, in earlier versions I noted that you marked damaged parts by highlighting the shape of the part in red, but now you just bump an X over the relative position of the object (With a couple mistakes, as noted earlier with Lexington's turrets). Is that what we're going for in the final version?
Gosh, this took a while, didn't it? Here's my votes for #2. Rather than putting them in any specific fleets, I'll merely vote for 14 girls I wish to see in the battle.
1.Diether Von Roeder
2.Lebrecht Maass
3.Scharnhorst
4.Nevada
5.Swayback Maru
6.Yavuz
7.Nagato
8.U-29 (I did have to include that one allowed submarine, of course.)
9.Wicher
10.Pola
11.Camicia Nera
12.Rawalpindi
14.D'Aosta
Recorded!
For (some) of your q's:
The ship silhouettes and their damage markers are generic, and not tailored to the actual ship. The good news is, that it is possible to do both specific to the actual ship, but for Launch it will be generic. That's just a function of the time, artwork and placement needed.
For the corner ships and critical hits, oh boy we went back and forth and back and forth and back and forth. Ultimately, we opted to go with the lovely Belles making their appearances, even if it does obscure. It seems likely that will be how it is until Beta- it is possible to turn those off, for instance, and maybe that's an option that can be given to the Player after that. We'll see how everyone feels then.
One issue with criticals, which will be ongoing until the Crafting Module, is that there are many types of them (it's actually based on what you equip.) Kirov's engine hits are small Knot reductions in her speed, which meant that she could keep up. There are more severe criticals which could render her immobile, however. In Crafting, the critical names (although not the small x's) will be more indicative of what's going on.
The fighters scrap in the dogfight until they run out of ammunition or are damaged/shot down. They will actually go after Bombers if they aren't in the dogfight, though- if, say, Kaga had brought more fighters than Lexington, you would have seen them trail the Bombers and try to knock as many down as possible before their attack- likely in one of the future Fleet Problems you'll see that. The next one is at night, so...not then, though.
If it makes you feel any better, Lexington's Fleet Command has her usually going after Kaga. More often than not in the other tests we ran, she sinks like a stone.
1) There isn't a plan for subtitles. We have the English translation, of course, but no UI work has been done to provide subtitles. That doesn't mean it couldn't be done, but I wouldn't expect before Launch.
2) The movement chevrons are covered in the tutorial, but basically they describe how close the Belle is to the other side. A large number of chevrons, like in Nautilus' case, means that she is essentially next to Arizona's Fleet.
3) As above, all can be specified to the exact ship or squadron, but default to a generic type. I suspect that will be the case until Launch.
4) Yep- it used to be the whole ship section, but the x's seemed a *little* more understandable.
Wellington99
Location:Ohio, USA
Interests:PC video games, playing guitar, military history, anime, writing stories in my free time, British naval vessels
Well I don't have a full on fleet idea. I'd just like to see Hood, Bulldog, and Rawa to make an appearance, one or all three.
Well, thank you Legate, you did answer pretty much all of my major concerns. Now all I have to know is whether Kaga's little sans-stabilizer bolts are more useful for pranks or sport hunting of captains. I really can't wait for whatever update gives specific profiles. Those would be pretty cool. And yes, I think an option to turn on and off the pretty girls that block the screen would be welcome. That might just be me, though.
I also would like a little more specifics on that crafting module hooey and how it affects criticals and whatnot, but I suppose if that's classified I can live without it for now.
I think the "middle" option would be to have the belles appear *behind* the overlay, so they don't obscure information, rather than disabling it altogether.
I agree with Pac in that subtitles would be very welcome. That being said... it'd also mean having to translate each line(and it seems there'll be a ton of them) for EVERY language the game will be in.
Dmnt;
Actually, we tried it- but it looked pretty odd, unfortunately.
We'd likely only do subtitle for English, for the same reasons that we're only doing Story for English. Although...about that...well, we'll see.
Ninja;
We're doing one Module at a time- Crafting is towards the end, but it's coming.
By "the end" do you mean launch? It would be great if we got that whole system at launch, but if we have to wait for an update I think it would still be rather welcome.
Crafting is before the Beta, even.
Or maybe split the belles into two rows
BTW, I add Leningrad to my voting.


Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio -- The USO Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base recently celebrated its third anniversary of taking care of Airmen and other service members.
Intended for all branches of active-duty military, Guard, reservists and their families, the organization serves as a "home away from home" from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. most days, plus provides donated household goods, clothing, uniforms and children's items from its Airman's Attic.
Now it has a new manager seeing it into its fourth year of operation.
Whitney Armstrong had been serving as assistant manager since last April and took over in January, succeeding Mia Walthers, who is now the development director for the United Service Organizations of Central and Southern Ohio organization.
Armstrong now has a new perspective on what it takes to run the center in Bldg. 1222, Kittyhawk Center, Area A, and she gives full credit to those who provide her with assistance.
Armstrong is particularly proud the center has never had to close due to any concerns other than inclement weather. She thanks volunteers for that and hopes to welcome new volunteers, too.
"Even in sub-zero temperatures, we had people here volunteering because military members were expected to be at work, and we wanted them to have a place to have a meal and get warm," she said.
The Colorado native and her active-duty husband, Capt. Mason Armstrong of the Air Combat Command Intelligence Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory's 711th Human Performance Wing, moved from Shaw AFB, South Carolina, last year to come to Wright-Patterson AFB. She credits her bachelor's degree in English and years of teaching middle and high school students with her ability to interact with others and publicly represent an organization.
Armstrong became a stay-at-home mom when the couple's son Holden (he has since been joined by 7-month-old brother Torin) was born. She began volunteering as a key spouse at Shaw AFB, taught HeartLink classes and was named Military Spouse of the Year for 2017 there.
"I fell in love with non-profit work and that fueled my passion to help more people on a national level," she said.
Her volunteerism expanded to the Military Spouse Advocacy Network; she currently serves as vice president of programs and operations for the non-profit.
"What we focus on now is finding new spouses and mentoring them by pairing them with a 'seasoned' spouse to provide them with accurate, vetted, Department of Defense-approved resources," Armstrong said.
Her work with MSAN has not gone unnoticed. She was selected as one of 60 people to participate in the fifth annual class of the Presidential Leadership Scholars program. PLS serves as a catalyst for a diverse network of established leaders brought together to collaborate and make a difference in the world as they learn about leadership through the lens of the presidential experiences of George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Lyndon B. Johnson.
Scholars are selected based on their leadership growth potential and their personal leadership projects aimed at improving civic engagement or social good by addressing a problem or need in their community, the country or the world.
During the course of several months, PLS scholars travel to each participating presidential center to learn from former presidents, key former administration officials, business and civic leaders, and leading academics. They will study and put into practice varying approaches to leadership and exchange ideas to help strengthen their impact in their communities. The program ends in June.
"It's an incredible opportunity, and I am honored to have been selected," Armstrong said.
Her project focuses on growing the programs within MSAN and in an official capacity with other military service branches. She said she is also excited to take what she learns and apply it to improving the USO Center and the ways in which it serves military members and their families.
"It is my dream job to work for the USO and think about the impact it has all around the world," she said.
Locally, the number of troops and visitors who have gone through the doors is the USO's No. 1 accomplishment. As one of five centers within the 65-county USO-CSO, Wright-Patterson AFB's center is, by far, the busiest.
In 2018, the USO Center served more than 34,800 people. It's hosted everything from promotion and retirement ceremonies and official events to birthday parties and even a wedding. A monthly "Serving Heroes" dinner is sponsored by the Gary Sinise Foundation in the first-floor auditorium. That space can accommodate up to 150 people.
Meeting rooms on the second floor also are available for smaller groups when discretion and confidentiality are needed.
Evenings are a busy time at the center. After Airmen finish their duty day and perform physical training, they often come to the center to "hang out" and relax or work on their career development courses. Many don't own a vehicle, so they come to the USO to take advantage of free Wi-Fi, free snacks and drinks in the Wright Café – a lounge equipped with chairs, ottomans, counters, tables and flat-screen TVs.
Two common access card-enabled computers sit on one side of the door, while two private computer stations take up the other side. Two coolers hold fresh food; one of them is filled with items donated by Kroger for military members only to take home. Panera donates free bakery items.
Nearby is the game room, with a pool table, poker table, air hockey, pingpong table, three video game stations and a trio of overstuffed chairs.


Strokes are the leading cause of long-term disability in the U.S.
Approximately 795,000 people suffer a stroke each year.
A stroke results from an acute lack of blood supply to a portion of the brain. Because brain cells are very dependent on oxygen, a few minutes without proper blood flow can be quite damaging.
Symptoms of a stroke may include: numbness or weakness of the limbs, difficulty swallowing, headache, mental confusion, paralysis, problems with coordination, sudden visual loss and slurred speech. Modern imaging such as MRI's can help detect how bad the brain damage is following a stroke.
Typical post-stroke care starts with seven days of hospitalization followed by a couple weeks of physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy. Unfortunately, even after all of this, most stroke victims still have deficits and disabilities.
Acupuncture can help repair these deficits and disabilities.
Scalp acupuncture views the scalp as a microcosm of the whole body. Scalp acupuncture works on zones rather than specific points. The correlation between scalp acupuncture and stroke is fairly easy to figure out, as the scalp is close to the brain.
Acupuncture increases blood flow and oxygen to the areas of the cerebral cortex that were damaged from stroke and helps revive the cells and nerve function. Scalp acupuncture also incorporates a lot of what we know about the brain from a biomedical standpoint. Things such as the idea that one side of the brain controls the opposite side of the body. So if a patient had paralysis of the right leg, the acupuncturist would needle the left side of the scalp.
Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine can also be used in a preventive way to avoid a stroke from occurring. Getting regular acupuncture treatments can help with relaxation and relieving stress that can contribute to strokes. Also adopting a traditional Chinese diet can be beneficial, as it is high in fiber, low in fat, sugar and dairy products.
It is proven, populations that eat this kind of diet have a decreased chance of stroke and heart attacks. There is also a Chinese herb, bai guo ye or ginkgo biloba that can help prevent the occurrence of stroke. This herb stimulates cerebral circulation and can prevent blood clots in the brain.
As we can see, acupuncture can be beneficial for those who have already suffered a stroke. But it can be just as beneficial in preventing strokes.
This is just one more reason to add acupuncture to your arsenal of weapons when it comes to your health!


The burger chain's stock heated up in March with the help of an analyst upgrade.
What: Shares of fast-food chain The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN) gained 16% in March according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The burger chain seemed to benefit from the overall recovery in the market as well as a buy rating from an analyst firm.
So what: Longbow Research initiated a buy rating on Wendy's, saying that the company's turnaround story had just begun, and credited its shift to a "less capital intensive, higher franchised model, which should generate a more predictable and accelerated free cash flow that warrants a higher multiple for the shares." Longbow also gave the stock a $13 price target.
There was little news out on Wendy's stock last month, but the stock has been a solid winner over the last several years as investors continue to be convinced by the company's turnaround plan.
Now what: Wendy's stock plummeted following its recent earnings report in February, but the stock has battled back alongside the broader recover in the market as the S&P 500 has gained more than 10% since then. Like many of its rivals, Wendy's has been busy refranchising and refurbishing restaurants, hoping to boost customer traffic and cut general and administrative expenses, a strategy that seems to be working. Deals like its 4 for $4 menu have delivered a consistent increase in same-store sales. However, at a P/E of 30, the stock may be pushing the limits of its valuation. I wouldn't expect last month's run to continue.


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Tag Archives: lgbtiq
Working for the Australian Public Service – some thoughts
I just finished up a role in the Australian Public Service (APS) that saw parts of my blog locked down, and my twitter turned to private thanks to the agency's and general APS's social media policy. But that's not all. Let me talk you through my 8 and a bit months working in the current APS.
First I want to start that I worked for over 15 years in the Immigration Department early on in my career, finishing up there in 2009. I loved what I did, appreciated my colleagues and was proud I was making a difference. I left because I felt that the agency was increasingly risk adverse and I felt that I was no longer trusted to do my job. I thought I understood the requirements of the APS, but I didn't know how much they'd changed since 2009 and 2018.
For a little bit of background, let's start with Michaela Banerji, a former Immigration staffer, who was sacked for tweeting critically about the Government's asylum seeker policy from a pseudonymous Twitter account. She later claimed compensation for the psychological condition she developed as a result of the sacking, and was eventually successful in court.
The key part of Michaela Banerji's story is that the judge hearing her case of unfair dismissal found:
Judge Neville found Australians had no "unfettered implied right (or freedom) of political expression".
"Further, even if there be a constitutional right of the kind for which [Ms Banerji] contends, it does not provide a licence … to breach a contract of employment," the judge said.
The investigator, when Immigration suspected that Banerji was the owner of an account critical of Immigration and the government recommended that (same source as above):
…Ms Banerji be dismissed as a result of the two breaches of the Australian Public Service's code of conduct, noting bureaucrats must avoid making "harsh or extreme" criticisms of politicians or their policies.
However, Ms Banerji, who has a law degree and represented herself in the case, argued none of her tweets were "offensive or damaging to individual persons, but instead, they are expressions of political opinion, to which all Australian citizens have a constitutionally implied right".
"It is evident that they are a simple expression of political opinion, made in [my] own time away from work."
She said any finding of misconduct against a public servant "for expressing a political opinion contravenes the implied constitutional freedom of political communication".
Ok, so that's some background on the current environment in the APS, particularly in relation to employee's ability to publicly state their opinions about things. This article from August 2017 is probably the most recent bit about social media and APS employees:
Public servants could breach tough new social media rules if they criticise the government by "liking" posts on Facebook or Twitter or by sharing negative information or comments in private emails.
The public sector union and Labor have called a new social media guidance released by the Australian Public Service Commission on Monday "overreach", warning government employees should be allowed to participate in normal democratic debate.
Liking, reposting and sharing social media content or even selecting Facebook's "angry face" icon could breach employment conditions, while not taking sensible action about objectionable material posted by someone else could be seen as endorsement.
So… part of my employment was that I consented to a background check, which included me listing for them every social media account and website that I owned. I gave them the address for this blog, my cookbook website, my Flickr account, LinkedIn, and my twitter details. I was told that the background check could take up to 4 weeks, but was usually done in 2 weeks. Given this was over the January school holiday period, I thought it would be closer to 4, but was surprised when it was 5 weeks before I received a call from HR.
Apparently there was a problem, and the problem was my blog. You see, I have blogged freely about politicians and other individuals who have preached hate about people like me, or other marginalised groups. This didn't align with the social media policy. When I asked them about the fact that some of the material they had problems with was literally years old, and clearly written before I had even contemplated working in the APS again, I was told that it didn't matter and that I had to take it down because the APS is a-political and has to be seen as always having been so forever and ever (even though it really isn't) and that employing someone who had publicly criticised politicians (read the current government) was not going to happen, so I had to tidy stuff up. I tried to explain that the internet is forever, and no matter how much I unpublished or deleted these blog posts, they were still there on the internet. They told me that they knew that, but I had to choose. At this point I didn't have a job, and I needed one, so I thought I'd swallow my pride and tidy up my internet presence and see how it went.
I asked them to tell me which blog posts they wanted removed, and this is where we ran into the first problem. They told me that they'd send me the agency's social media policy and I had to determine from that which ones I should remove. This apparently meant it was up to my discretion, but if we're honest, it just means that they potentially had another stick to beat me with if I fucked up, because I didn't delete/hide all the blog posts that they had issues with. So I was extra cautious with hiding anything that might potentially be a problem.
I also locked my twitter account to private and spent significantly less time there than I had prior to getting this job. That made me a bit sad as I like my twitter friends, and I like getting involved with conversations about things with people. But I needed a job, and that was that.
On starting I did all the standard induction things, including reading policies relating to HR. One of the policies, not the social media policy I had been sent, but something similar, had a phrase in it that will stick with me for a long time:
"Do not engage in uncalled for personal attacks".
I thought about this phrase a lot. Who makes the judgement as to whether or not something is called for? I can guarantee to you that it is not the employee. If someone complains to the agency that they were personally attacked by an APS employee on social media, then that employee could find their employment at risk, regardless as to whether they thought the personal attack was called for. (I can't even define what a called for personal attack would be).
We were also told that we should mind our language. Now I don't recall what policy this was in, nor how it was phrased, but I got in trouble twice for using the word "fuck" and "shit" in two different emails. Both times I was describing a situation, at no point was I swearing at someone. The situation I was describing was the ill health of a friend, not a work situation. When I asked for the list of words that I was not allowed to use, I was told that there wasn't one (there clearly was because my email was being monitored for using them). I also said it was 2018, and I really didn't think that they general public would object to public servants swearing, and I was told that we had to maintain public confidence.
I also heard other people self censor their own swearing, or censor colleagues who swore in the workplace. It was not a good thing to hear. In one case my director said that she thought an excuse provided to her by a supplier was "bullshit" before apologising to the other people on the phone with her and said it was "bs". At the lunch table a group of colleagues turned on someone who had said "fuck" saying, "oooh, you dropped the f-bomb", and "don't use the f-bomb, you'll get into trouble". That group of colleagues were all young by the way, all of them would have grown up with far more swearing than I would have.
In the end I decided I had to leave because I couldn't be an effectively representative for the bisexual community and continue working in the APS. I have to be free to call our politicians and lobby groups for their queerphobic behaviour. I have to be free to call out homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and intersexism where I see it, including online, and working for the APS meant I was muzzled.
Now, please don't think for a moment that the people I worked with are bad people. The policies and constraints they operate under are limiting, but they all believe in doing the best job they can and providing the public with the best outcomes they can manage. The Australian Public Service is a group of people who are constantly being asked to do more with less and less, and who despite this keep churning out services and products. Yes there are problems, Centrelink's call response times for starters, but there are a lot of people doing everything they can to keep the machinery of government working. Blame the politicians for the issues that constant "efficiency dividends" have caused, the ASL cap (limiting the number of staff agencies can employ), and effectively gagging the APS from being able to give free and fearless advice to ministers and the government (as well as discussing their own political opinions).
I'm out now, heading back into private enterprise. No employer is perfect, but I will never be able to work for the APS while these policies are in place. Personally I think that limiting your employment pool to those who are happy to not express political opinions is going to bite future governments on the arse.
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Submission to the Federal Government's Religious Freedom Review
You have until 14 February to make a submission. Go now. There are fears that this review "Is Actually About Entrenching Discrimination, Participant Says". Please make a submission.
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The last day of summer linkspam (February 2014)
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Hi all, it's been ages since I blogged because I have been busy with school, life, more life, and then some more life. I've missed you all and I only have one more semester to complete in my course (Graduate Diploma of Museum Studies), which I will write about later (much later, like in November when I'm back from being overseas after I've finished my course).
But anyway, there is a Down Under Feminist's Carnival to share with you all, and I should get right on that. Thanks to Chally and Scarlett for providing submissions for the carnival.
At Tea and Oranges, "Reflections on women in public life":
But I reckon there must be a way to change how we work so that a steady simmer is the maximum setting. We don't need anyone to be at a roaring boil, at risk of flooding over and drenching the flames and ruining the whole thing. It's actually inefficient, really risky, and it means that some of the people at the top get there based on whether they can put in total life commitment long hours – not on other more important criteria.
Emily at Emily Writes wrote, "Dispatches from a car seat wet with an unknown substance":
I've been trying to work out how to say thank you in a way that totally encapsulates the huge and actually quite overwhelming gratitude I feel for you all. When I had to go offline the most beautiful and loving messages started flowing in by email, and then not just by email – by post too.
Judy Horacek provides a collection of comics on the topic of Quests at her blog.
Marian Lorrison writes at the Australian Women's History Network, "'Of idle and vagrant habits': Women and divorce in colonial Australia":
Most historians realise how difficult it is to trace the intimate lives of ordinary women, especially those of the working class, who were too busy earning a living to write letters or diaries. This is why colonial divorce records offer the historian such a variety of archival treasures, revealing abundant detail about the daily lives and loves of women from different social classes and backgrounds.
Marian Lorrison at Australian Women's History Network reviews Susan Magarey's "Passions of the First Wave Feminists" with, "From puritanical wowser to passionate reformer: The re-making of Australia's first-wave feminists":
'Passion' is not a word usually linked with feminists of the so-called 'first wave,' who have received more than a little bad press since they began to agitate for the franchise in the 1880s. The story of suffrage in Australia has been overwhelmingly portrayed as an isolated middle-class phenomenon. This is perhaps inevitable given the scholarly focus on the movement's leaders, who were for the most part affluent women with time and money enough to pursue political causes. Ian Turner's inflammatory 1969 claim that Australian women were handed the vote on a plate is also no doubt a reflection of the idea that suffrage in Australia was unexciting and uneventful, with an all-male legislature magnanimously bestowing citizenship upon the women of an enlightened and fledgling nation.
Deb Lee-Talbot at Australian Women's History Network reviews "Creating A Nation: 1788-1990" with "Fashioning a woman's place: The creation of an inclusive Australian history":
One particularly outstanding element is how well this collaboration of authors wrote fluid yet separate chapters. McGrath's chapters (1, 6 and 12) focus on Aboriginal historical experiences and Quartly's chapters (2, 3 and 4) present historical narratives about the colonies between 1788 and 1860. Grimshaw's chapters (5, 7 and 8) create a framework through which to conceptualise Australia from Federation to 1912, whilst Lake's chapters (9, 10 and 11) finally focus on the more recent twentieth-century history.
Vicky Nagy at the Australian Women's History Network writes, "The Essex poisoning ring":
In the midst of tumultuous events in mid nineteenth-century England (revolutions on Continental Europe, famine in Ireland, Chartist revolts, and women demanding the right to vote) the deaths of a few children, two husbands and one brother – all working class, all living in rural villages around Essex, and spaced out over five years – should have barely caused a ripple. However, the events between 1846 and 1851 in the north-west and north-east of Essex caused tension amongst pharmacists, physicians, politicians, newspaper reporters and their editors – not to mention the general populace, who were now riveted to any news about the so-called Essex Poisoning Ring.
Micro-aggressions, race and racism
Stephanie at No Award writes, "Continuum: First Aid for paper cuts":
Sometimes micro aggressions are subtle and gentle. They're so tiny and insignificant that I've called them paper cuts since before I knew what micro aggressions were.
The thing about micro aggressions, though, is that you have to be on guard for them; and sometimes you're on guard and they happen anyway, and they cut and cut and cut, and all you think of when you look at that project paperwork is bleeding on it.
proudblacksista writes at Ramblings – conquering kids and cancer, "The trouble with AMS":
I have trouble maintaining my medication regime at (Local Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Medical Service). I go to the service, my whole family goes and it annoys me that I have to see a health worker, I tell him or her, what I am there for. If I wasn't sick I wouldn't be there so why do I need to see the bouncer of the AMS. I then go back to the waiting room and wait for my name to be called to see the doctor. My name gets called and I don't see the doctor, I have to explain to the nurse why I am there and she takes my blood pressure we talk about that and when she has finished I don't go into the doctor, I get sent back to the waiting room. After another wait, my name is called again and I finally see a doctor. But It's not the same doctor I saw last time I was there and I have to tell him what I have already told the health worker and the nurse. I ask for a refill of my medication, should be easy, but it's not this bloke needs me to give him my entire history, I dutifully submit to him taking my blood pressure, checking me over and asking me again why I need the (list of medications).
Tessa Prebble writes at The Spinoff, "Ableism is everywhere. Parents of children with disabilities are challenging it, are you?":
For people in the disability community, the abled community's shock at these instances of ableism is frustrating. Frustrating because they've been trying to tell us this all along. They'll look at what I'm writing and wonder why it took this story being told by an abled white woman, the parent to a disabled child – and not a disabled person herself – before anyone listened. They'll shake their heads, because we should have known about this discrimination already. This shouldn't be news. And they're right.
Stephanie went to Continuum and writes about SF and horror at writes at No Award, "Continuum: SFFH with Asian characteristics":
This is not a panel write up; it's more of a rambling meander of panels I was on and panels I witnessed and thoughts I had along the way. It includes recommendations. But all of it is talking about Asian (mostly Southeast Asian) science fiction, fantasy and horror.
Scarlett Harris writes for SBS, "How watching 'Search Party' is like looking into a millennial mirror":
Major spoilers ahead for the first season of Search Party – particularly the finale.
When we're introduced to Search Party's protagonist, Dory (Alia Shawkat), she's going through the motions in a stagnant relationship with Drew (John Reynolds), who generally whines for Dory to fix him a microwave dinner when he's hungry and uses her for his solo sexcapades.
Scarlett Harris writes for SBS, "Comment: I can't get a rental because I own a dog. So now I'm homeless":
Jennifer Duke, review editor at Domain.com, agrees, telling me that the lack of rentals that are pet-friendly results in "at some point, some pet owners [having to] make the decision between having a roof over their head and keeping their dog or cat. These are adults who are having their life choices and choice of companion dictated to them by a landlord."
Jess Moss at The Spinoff writes, "Your different brain: How we will tell our child about her diagnosis":
When we received our girl's diagnosis last year, we didn't tell her.
Neither of us queried whether we'd fully explain it to her or not. We both assumed that we wouldn't for the time being. She'd just turned six and the list of compartmentalised issues on report was long.
Chrys Stevenson at Gladly, The Cross-Eyed Bear writes, "The Narcissism of Margaret Court":
The whole kerfuffle about Margaret Court's unpopular views on the LGBTIQ community and marriage equality has very little to do with her tennis achievements or the name of a tennis arena. It has everything to do with which side of the argument is telling the truth and which is spreading malicious and deceitful misinformation. In a nutshell, it's about who is bullying who.
An anonymous post at The Spinoff, "The Masterbatorium: A queer experience of conceiving":
For years we referred to our bathroom as 'The Masterbatorium'. We were a house of women who liked showers and baths very much, but the naming came from what happened in our bathroom once a month for six months.
Rebecca Shaw writes at Kill Your Darlings, "Wedded to the System":
On 18 May, Peter 'Bon' Bonsall-Boone died after a long struggle with cancer, leaving behind his partner of over 50 years, Peter de Waal. The two men were activists from the very beginning of their relationship until the very end of Bon's life, appearing in a video for marriage equality as recently as April. They simply wanted to be equals, and dedicated their lives to that cause.
Emily at Emily Writes has organised a "Wine Mum Night" in Wellington (I think). Anyway, it sounds great and if you can go, you should.
All posts in this section should be viewed with trigger warnings for harassment, assault, rape, abuse, etc.
Julie at The Hand Mirror writes, "Colin Craig is an abuser".
And that's it. Thank you so much for reading. Please volunteer to host (check out the future carnivals page to see free slots), leave comments on bloggers' posts, share the carnival on your blogs/social networks, and read away.
53rd Down Under Feminist Carnival
disabilityDUFCfamilyFeminismhistorylgbtiqmediapoliticsracismviolence
Wow, 98 carnivals. That's so many. It's been a very busy month with the lead up to the Australian election, Men in football being arsehats, the mass shooting in Orlando at an LGBT night club, Brexit, the rise of hate crimes in the UK, and conservative politicians being arsehats (still). I have finally had a month off from studying and have been catching up on playing computer games and cooking, not so much on catching up on blogging because I am a tiny bit sick of writing. Though I have lots of blog pieces in my head anyway.
Anyway, if you want to host a future carnival, then go to the Down Under Feminist Carnival site and let Chally know. It's not very hard, lovely people like Chally, Mary, myself, Scarlett and others will fill your inbox with excellent posts from feminists in Australia and New Zealand.
On with the carnival!
The fantastic cartoonist, Judy Horacek devoted her topic of the month for July to Feminism (posted at the end of June, so eligible for this carnival (just)).
Blue Milk writes, "Tickets for the Feminist Writers' Festival are on sale now"
Terri Psiakis writes at ABC The Drum, "So you suffer from 'gender fatigue'? Get well soon":
Now, don't get me wrong: I'm not numb-nutting the source of the research. I'm numb-nutting the idea that to achieve workplace gender diversity we need more CEOs with daughters. As if they need the existence of their own female offspring to finally understand the merit in the idea of gender equity at work.
Sure. Don't champion workplace change because it's necessary and long overdue. Champion it because you happen to have a girl at home.
Kate Galloway writes at KatGallow, "A mother's sacrifice: more than an incubator":
Let's take this argument to its logical conclusion: any woman of child-bearing age who becomes brain dead must be kept alive until a pregnancy test shows she is not pregnant. If she is pregnant, she must be kept alive until the baby is born. I realise that this is an exaggeration – but if we argue that the Portuguese case is justified because 'any woman would want her baby to survive' then where do we draw a line? If the woman is nine months pregnant? Eight? Four? One? How do we decide which foetuses are retained to delivery and which are not? Would we keep the woman on life support even as her body is decaying? What might cause us to change the decision to keep her alive?
Petra Bueskens wrote at New Matilda, "Gaye Demanuele And The Politics Of Homebirth":
The second big watershed moment for the reduction of access to homebirth was in 2009 when key legislative change, masquerading as reform, changed the registration and regulation process for midwives. New provisions contained in the Health Legislation Amendment (Midwives and Nurse Practitioners) Bill 2009 stipulated that privately practicing midwives had to have a "collaborative arrangement" in place with a doctor, usually an obstetrician, before being eligible for Medicare rebates.
As Maternity Coalition wrote in their response to the new regulations, this gave doctors "veto powers over midwives and birth choices". It created a system of parallel regulation whereby midwives couldn't practice without a doctor willing to sanction and support their practice; something that has proven very difficult in practice for homebirth midwives in particular.
Suzanne Dyson writes at The Conversation, "Good sex ed doesn't lead to teen pregnancy, it prevents it":
Opponents of school-based sex ed argue that educating young people about sex and relationships can lead to promiscuity, teenage pregnancy, increased rates of STIs and can even influence sexual and gender orientation. But this isn't supported by the research.
Catherine Chamberlain, Rhonda Marriott and Sandy Campbell wrote at The Conversation, "Why we need to support Aboriginal women's choice to give birth on country":
Not all Aboriginal women have access to high-quality, culturally competent maternity care. An audit in Western Australia, for instance, found 75% of services failed to provide maternity care sensitive to Aboriginal culture.
Kate Galloway writes at KatGallow, "Say no to sexist language in public discourse":
With respect, whatever Mr Entsch's views, the LNP's views, or the voter views of negative gearing and small time investors, it is not OK to use the language and imagery of witches about women. The implication of the image of the witch, deliberately positioned adjacent to Ms Howes' campaign corflutes, is to invoke the comparison.
Fleur Fitzsimmons submitted a guest post to me, "Guest Post: Equal pay a step closer":
Equal pay for women-dominated occupations is a step closer with the high-powered group led by the next Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy and including Phil O'Reilly, unions and Government Negotiators, tasked with developing equal pay principles under the Equal Pay Act 1972 reporting agreed principles and an agreed process to implement equal pay to the Government. The group has developed and agreed comprehensive principles for the implementation of equal pay in female-dominated work in New Zealand. The agreed principles are here.
Eva Cox writes at The Conversation, "The f-word enters the campaign and trips up both major parties":
Bill Shorten unintentionally fired the feminism debate by saying the changes were targeted at women, both as the major users and household organisers of childcare. Nationals deputy Fiona Nash and Today show host Lisa Wilkinson branded this statement "prehistoric", so Shorten then had to defend his stance by saying men rely on women to handle childcare arrangements..
Celeste Liddle writes at Daily Life, "Federal election 2016: The indigenous women giving me cause to hope":
Yet despite this, there is one silver lining. This election a record number of Indigenous candidates are standing and of these 13 people, eight are women. Should six of these candidates be successful in getting elected, Australia will hit population parity rates in Parliament for Indigenous people for the first time ever. Considering that it took until just last election for the first Aboriginal woman ever to enter Parliament, eight Aboriginal women contesting seats this election is a welcome advance. Aboriginal men's voices have often been preferenced by the mainstream over the voices of Aboriginal women due to the patriarchy, and this dynamic looks set to be challenged in Parliament House.
Cha wrote at Shallow Depths (about Stardew Valley, a computer game), "Mundus Vult Decipiti":
Visiting my hapless future husband became part of my daily routine. Which is completely normal, well-adjusted behaviour and not like stalking at all. Except it involved getting to know someone's schedule, hanging around outside their house and just happening to show up wherever they went. So, exactly like stalking actually.
Emily wrote at Mama Said, "It has been a day" and she also wrote, "The world is big":
I want to pledge now that I will parent knowing my child is going into this big world and he will have choices – choices to harm and hurt or to walk gently and powerfully with hope in his heart and love for others. I will parent knowing he is going into a world with your children too, that they need love and protection and respect – they need to be kept safe as I hope my son will be kept safe too.
Stephanie at No Award wrote, "totally respected in our very respectful code":
The thing about the misogyny entrenched in our code, of course, is the way it normalises violence against women. Football is a space where we're told with words that we're welcome, but we're also confronted with evidence that we're not. And the same evidence tells men that anyone who isn't a man is unwelcome.
Erin Riley writes at The Guardian, "This is what happens when you call out sexism in Australia":
This is what usually happens when you call out sexism in sport: nobody pays any attention at all.
We're used to sporting codes being sexist: used to paltry pay packets for female athletes, used to their bodies being objectified, used to sports administrations being dominated by men. Pointing out egregious examples of the worst of sport's sexism only sometimes raises an eyebrow.
Osman Faruqi wrote at Junkee, "How An Independent Journalist Brought Eddie McGuire's Sexist Comments To Account":
Despite making the comments on Triple M last Monday, the McGuire story wasn't reported by mainstream media outlets late yesterday. Riley, a freelance sports writer, transcribed the comments over the weekend and pushed the story out onto social media where it was eventually picked up by news outlets across the country.
Rebecca Shaw writes at Kill Your Darlings, "Age Gap: Where are the middle-aged women on screens?":
Try to imagine the most haggard and decrepit old actress you can think of. Who comes to mind? That's right, it's Olivia Wilde. The almost-objectively stunning Wilde recently revealed that she had been rejected for a role playing Leonardo DiCaprio's wife in the The Wolf of Wall Street because she was too old. At the time, she was 28 and Leo was 37. The part ended up going to Australian actress Margot Robbie, who was 21 at the time. The role in question involved portraying a real-life woman, who was 29 during the time the movie was set.
Anna at Flaming Moth/Orlando Creature writes, "The Shrew Lands":
Having thought about The Taming of the Shrew as long and as intimately as I have my conclusion, for what it's worth, is that there is no way to make it both a romantic comedy and at the same time not wildly offensive. But (and this is crucial) I have come to believe that this would have been so even when it was first penned, and that its primary driving force is to produce in the audience member the confusion of feeling something to be right and simultaneously feeling it to be wrong. We want Kate and Petruchio to get together and have a great relationship and a great future together, but the framework within which we see it happen is horrible. And I don't for a moment believe that this is because Shakespeare wanted us to think long and hard about the way our society treats women. I think he merely wanted to make sure his audience left this show compelled to talk about what they had just seen. That was how one made money in the theatre.
Scarlett Harris reviews the most recent series of Orange is the New Black for Junkee. It's full of spoilers, just so you know.
Scarlette Harris also writes at SBS, "It's time for WWE to pay more than lip service to the Women's Championship":
It's been just over two months since World Wrestling Entertainment ushered in a "new era", calling their female talent Superstars (which the guys had been branded as for decades) instead of Divas and retired the Divas Championship in favour of a brand-spanking new Women's Championship.
Since then, though, women have continued to get dismal airtime across WWE's two main shows, three-hour Raw and two-hour SmackDown!.
Stephanie at No Award writes, "No Award watches stuff: Cleverman":
It's so clear what's happening in Cleverman – the Zone is literally within Redfern; it's not subtle, and we LOVE IT. It's a message about missions and exclusion and the Stolen Generation, wrapped up in an analogy.
Avril E Jean reviewed some books at, Avril E Jean; Art and Analysis, "Gender bias in books I've just read in this week"
Celeste Liddle writes at Rantings of an Aboriginal Feminist, "The neutralising of hate":
It reminded me of when I saw news reports following Coburg referring to the leftist groups as "extreme anti-racism groups". See, apparently now, being anti-racist is an extremist action. The problem here being that it actually is. Anti-racism; thanks to centuries of denying colonial invasion, decades of the White Australia Policy, years of Hansonism and Howardism, Cronulla, Islamophobia (even though the Muslim connection to this land mass predates white invasion by up to an estimated 200 years) and bipartisan practice of despicable asylum seeker policy; is considered a radical act. Racism is so very embedded in the fabric of our society and apathy towards it right now is so high that to take an active stance against it is considered terrifying by many.
Bodies and body image
Coley Tangerina writes, "A fat bird":
"You're a little bird!" I laugh.
He laughs back. "You're a fat bird!"
Immediately his smile disappears, uncomfortable with regret.
Kath wrote Fat Heffalump, "Is Radical Fat Activism Dead?":
Don't get me wrong, I understand why she, and so many others have decided to give up blogging – I have a lot of the same feelings myself and it makes it really hard to keep blogging the way I used to. But understanding why doesn't mean I'm any less sad that so many amazing, bold, innovative fat activists and/or bloggers are deciding to pack it in.
Kath also wrote at Fath Heffalump, "Marketing to Fat Women – This Is How You Do It":
I mean what can I say? It's wonderful! Including actual fat women, including fat women of colour. Doing kick-arse stuff. With nary a word about "health". No "plus-size" models that wouldn't actually wear the plus-size range. No faux-bo-po slogan accompanied by a bunch of tall, hourglass, white women. Fat women actually speaking about themselves and their own experiences. Fat women showing that you can have an amazing life, exactly as you are.
QUILTBAG+ (some of these posts carry trigger warnings for queerphobia and violence)
A little red pen at Little Red Jottings writes, "Orlando, Orlando":
I've been in a relationship with a man since then, so it all feels a bit academic or something now, something I don't really have the lived experience to claim. It's easier in this world to play the straight card, to fit in and keep quiet. Quiet when activist, feminist friends edge towards transphobia, quiet when conservative relatives, colleagues, random strangers make bad jokes, quiet when my interests are assumed to be political and not also personal.
Elizabeth Duck-Chong writes at Daily Life, "Why it's time for parents to re-think declaring their children's gender":
There is a pervasive narrative that transgender people are "born as ?", but in reality, from my first coming out I was starting a process of undoing a lifetime of perceived maleness. My ever having "been a boy" was as foreign as a non-native tongue; my many hours repeating tenses in middle school French would have just as well been spent repeating a mantra of maleness – that is, neither stuck.
But now in adulthood these same friends who understand my womanhood doesn't originate vaginally, these transgender allies, see the bodies of their children and continue to draw conclusions in pastel pinks and blues.
Jo at A Life Unexamined wrote, "The strange state of being neither in, nor out":
And so I've found myself in this in-between space, where I don't actually know whether I'm properly out or not. I don't know whether people have just accepted all the hints and indications and run with it, and that everything is perfectly fine. I don't know whether they just haven't picked up on it. I don't know whether I'm just seen as an active ally, or as queer myself. I don't know who actually knows a lot more than they let on – like in the one case, where I found out that three of the people in my queer project group had actually found my blog and knew I was ace even before I had made any comments about it whatsoever. (Two of them then asked me out for coffee to talk about it. In a way, I much prefer that super-direct approach to all this uncertainty.)
Dr Inger Mewburn writes at The Thesis Whispherer, "If you blog, will you lose your job?":
Whatever you think of Ms Ward's politics, you would have to agree that she has the right to have her Marxist opinions. She also has the presumed right to post on a closed Facebook account in peace. A 'friend' leaking what she said about the Australian flag to the mainstream media is something she probably didn't expect to happen and hearing about it sends a chill down my spine.
Elizabeth Sunderland writes at New Matilda, "Bigotry In The Name Of God: The Case Against Religious Exemptions":
Shorten assured Christian leaders that if the ALP come to power in July, he will not be seeking to roll back the exemptions to anti-discrimination laws that faith-based organisations currently enjoy. Speaking in Perth, Shorten confirmed that "[the ALP]are not interested in telling religious organisations how to run their faith-based organisations. We haven't seen the case made to make change."
This pre-emptive statement – Labor were supposed to review the laws whilst in office – has delighted Catholic leaders, Lyle Shelton of the ACL, and The Australian newspaper. Elsewhere, it's gone largely unnoticed.
For a nation of people who see ourselves as secular and upholding the separation between church and state, Australians are alarmingly complacent about the influence of religious organisations.
Sarah Joseph writes at The Conversation, "Academic freedom and the suspension of Roz Ward":
Academics (and others) must be able to post such opinions without fear of retribution from their employers. Certainly, some find criticism of the Australian flag offensive, but as a society we must surely be able to tolerate such opinions. Ward is referencing debates that are far from closed. In contrast, La Trobe's reason a) seems to punish Ward for expressing an unpopular opinion.
Second, the reasons apparently given to Ward link her suspension to the fact that she posted the offending comments in the midst of ongoing controversy over Safe Schools. The implication is that Ward should be "extra careful" with what she says due to that controversy.
Rebecca Shaw writes at SBS, "Gay bars and safe spaces: Why Orlando has impacted me so much":
It is easy for people to forget, because of how far we have come, that it still takes something to live openly and proudly as an LGBTQI person. Yes, many of us are extremely privileged, especially those amongst who are cis and white and who live in a country like Australia. And yet, it still isn't easy. If you aren't part of the community, it is easy for you to forget. It is easy for you to walk down the street, safe in the knowledge that you love queer people, and ignore that there are still many who don't. To know and to sense, like we do, that there is still blatant hatred towards us. And to fear that if it isn't blatant, that it's just hiding there under the surface, waiting. It takes something to keep living as yourself when you see this seething and spiteful underbelly of this every time someone talks about Safe Schools or marriage equality, or draws a pathetically homophobic cartoon in the national newspaper.
Charlie Maycraft guest posted at Gladly, the Cross-Eyed Bear, "Orlando Vigil – Charlie's Speech":
This shooting was an attack on our human rights. There are people in this world who not only condemn us, they literally want us dead. I've seen news anchors and journalists all over the world trying to co opt this event as a non specific and random act of violence, rather than a blatantly homophobic and transphobic hate crime.
Paula Gerber wrote at The Conversation, "Orlando shooting is the latest chapter in the global fight for LGBT rights":
For every advance in LGBT rights that is made in one part of the world, there are extreme regressions elsewhere.
Perhaps this is evidence of Newton's third law that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Although when it comes to LGBT rights, the reaction is more excessive than equal.
Aaminah Khan (also known as Jay the Nerdkid) writes at Alternet, "Stop Asking Me to Denounce Islam to Prove I Care About LGBT Rights":
After events like the recent tragic shooting in Orlando, Florida, this problem becomes more pronounced. In the hours immediately following the Pulse shooting, I received a great deal of opportunistic hate mail, as I imagine many visibly queer and trans people did. However, most of the hate messages I received online were not about my sexuality or gender, but about my religion. Many came from fellow LGBT people, who asked me how I justified homophobic laws in Muslim countries (I don't) and demanded that I "disavow" Islam as proof that I really did care about LGBT rights (I won't, but I do). These attacks left me no space to mourn or deal with the pain of such a blow to the LGBT community, of which I consider myself a part.
Chrys Stevenson wrote at Gladly, the Cross-Eyed Bear, "Orlando: I blame you, Lyle":
Florida is a long way from Canberra, Lyle. And you are a Christian, not a Muslim. You were nowhere near the Pulse nightclub when Omar Mateen took out an assault rifle and a pistol and began firing indiscriminately into a club packed with the kind of people your Australian Christian Lobby spends so much money to vilify.
And yet, Lyle, I blame you for the horror which occurred in that nightclub. Because it is you, and people like you, who actively fuel the homophobic culture which helps unhinged people like Mateen justify their actions as 'right' and 'holy'.
Valerie Aurora, Mary Gardiner and Leigh Honeywell co-wrote a post at hypatia dot net, "No more rock stars: how to stop abuse in tech communities":
You can take concrete actions to stop rock stars from abusing and destroying your community. But first, here are a few signs that help you identify when you have a rock star instead of a plumber:
A rock star likes to be the center of attention. A rock star spends more time speaking at conferences than on their nominal work. A rock star appears in dozens of magazine profiles – and never, ever tells the journalist to talk to the people actually doing the practical everyday work. A rock star provokes a powerful organization over minor issues until they crack down on the rock star, giving them underdog status. A rock star never says, "I don't deserve the credit for that, it was all the work of…" A rock star humble-brags about the starry-eyed groupies who want to fuck them. A rock star actually fucks their groupies, and brags about that too. A rock star throws temper tantrums until they get what they want. A rock star demands perfect loyalty from everyone around them, but will throw any "friend" under the bus for the slightest personal advantage. A rock star knows when to turn on the charm and vulnerability and share their deeply personal stories of trauma… and when it's safe to threaten and intimidate. A rock star wrecks hotel rooms, social movements, and lives.
Claire Wright wrote at The Conversation, "Emancipated wenches in gaudy jewellery: the liberating bling of the goldfields":
Lola Montez was born in Limerick, Ireland in 1818, and christened Maria Eliza Delores Rosanna Gilbert. She changed her name to Lola when, at 18, she fled an arranged betrothal to a reviled old man. The woman who had dined (and slept) with the kings of Europe, plotted against the Jesuit-controlled monarchy in Bavaria, given advice on matters of state to Czar Nicholas and Ludwig I, performed in the opera houses of Europe, married at least three times and travelled the globe with her infamous Spider Dance, died alone in a New York boarding house of syphilis, aged 42. Her gravestone simply reads "Mrs Eliza Gilbert".
By the end of her short and explosive life, Lola might have suggested a better epitaph:
A woman of beauty and intelligence needs the quills of a porcupine as self-defence – or else risk ruin.
Deborah Russell wrote at Left Side Story, "What I think about a Universal Basic Income":
A friend asked me what I thought about a Universal Basic Income. Here are some notes I put together a couple of months ago, when UBIs were the topic of the day here in New Zealand. TL:DR – I'm a supporter in principle, 'though at this stage, a UBI may not be viable on fiscal grounds.
Violence and sexual assault – all articles in this section carry trigger warnings
Writing in Water writes, "We Are Not Really Decent People: How We Pretend to Hate Rape"
Erin Riley wrote, "Eddie McGuire, Caroline Wilson and violence against women: the AFL must act.":
The first notable thing about this is, of course, that is is absolutely awful. These are some of the most high-profile men in football joking about hurting one of football's most prominent women. So much of our discussions about violence against women acknowledge the importance of language and of attitudes in shaping the way men think about women. As the current government campaign says, "violence against women doesn't just start." While McGuire and co were undoubtedly joking, the underlying attitude is dangerous: it [reinforces] the attitudes of those who are willing to take their hatred of women beyond a "bit of banter".
Rebecca Shaw wrote at SBS, "A breakdown of victim blaming using pie charts":
But actually, who is at fault when assaults like this occur? I think it's time someone looked into it further, and broke it down for society. And that person is me. I will use pie graphs because i love pie. Let's hope we can clear this all up.
abusebodybody imageDUFCfatFeminismgender rolesharassmentlgbtiqpoliticsraperelationshipsReligionrepro justicesexismviolence
Wow, 94 carnivals, that is quite a number. I'm proud to be part of this, and hope that you enjoy reading this collection of feminist writing from Australia and New Zealand.
The Down Under Feminist Carnival is always looking for more hosts. If you have a blog, live in (or have lived in) Australia and New Zealand, and are a feminist, then get in touch at the Down Under Feminist Carnival site. Details of what is involved is also available here. Just remember, you won't be doing this on your own, there will be plenty of us to help you find posts and for you to ask questions.
Thank you to Chally for organising the carnival and sending me posts, and Mary and Scarlett for also sending me posts. On with the carnival!
Blue Milk wrote two pieces on relationships, one short, one shorter, "Follow kindness" and "On new relationships".
Avril E Jean writes, "Really, New Scientist?" and then follows it up immediately with a post on "Gender assumptions".
Deborah at A Bee of a Certain Age wrote, "Another entry for the "Patriarchy harms men too" files".
Scarlett Harris wrote for Harlot, "Does The LFL Have A Place In The Women's Sports Revolution?"
With the increased interest in not only women in sport but in different kinds of women's sports, would the LFL, in its original incarnation of a SuperBowl halftime attraction in which barely dressed models rolled around chasing a ball on pay-per-view, be dreamed into existence today?
Carla Pascoe wrote for The Conversation, "The ongoing taboo of menstruation in Australia":
Why do we use quaint euphemisms such as "sanitary products" and "feminine hygiene products" in supermarket aisles? We are still profoundly uncomfortable about the fact that females bleed once a month for half of their lives. It's messy, it's unsettling and no one wants to talk about it.
A C Buchanan writes, "On Empathy and Building Spaceships":
When I was around 10, I read an article in a newspaper about Asperger's Syndrome. "That's me!" I wanted to yell, as I made my way through the bullet points. I got to the last one. Doesn't like writing stories. I thought of the novel I'd just written. (It was about two German children on the run in WWII Wales. It was probably half plagiarised. Still, it was a novel.) I read the bullet point again. "This isn't me," I thought, deflated.
Lauredhel writes at Hoyden About Town, "Today in Ableism: The Perth Writers Festival, Part Two.":
The rows of information and ticket tents, the coffee and drinks tents, the tables and chairs, the bar, the water refill stations – these make up Writers Central, the busy hub of the Festival. The tents are all placed facing a large area of bumpy grass with sand traps. This row of tents all have their BACKS to a flat, very wide paved area. I will not mince words here. The organisers are clearly complete arseholes, since they know this is a problem and have failed to fix it. It would have cost them nothing to set up this area such that the tents and vans were accessible, and such that there were a couple of tables and chairs on a paved surface. Words cannot express how angry I am about this setup.
Kath at The Fat Heffalump wrote, "Plus 40 Fabulous – What Makes Me Happy":
When you're dealing with social activism of any kind, you have to be able to find the joy in life easily, or you're going to burn out very quickly. There has to be someone, and some things, that make you happy, and you have to be able to access them when the activism starts to get you down. It's all part of self care, which is VITAL for all of us, let alone those of us engaging in activism.
Scarlett Harris at The Scarlett Woman wrote, "In Defence of Millennials.":
For the record, I don't think the state of millennials in society is as dire as Steinem et al. would have us believe. I may work part time, but I also freelance. Last year, I had two additional jobs and the year before that I had two internships. As far as job loyalty goes, I've been consistently employed in my primary part-time job for six and a half years (and I'm up for long service leave this year!), while the part-time gig I had before that I worked in for seven. A few of my friends work to travel, and another is working in the Prime Minister's Cabinet! We're more educated than our parents and we're more likely to volunteer and get involved in community projects. Gloria Steinem was a grassrooter from way back, but how many activist campaigns in recent years have been started by millennials? There's the Occupy movement, SlutWalk, #illridewithyou, Love Makes a Way, #BlackLivesMatter. In the corporate sector, Mark Zuckerberg created the most popular social media platform in the world, Facebook, while Jennifer Lawrence was 2015's highest-grossing female movie star. (The highest grossing male movie stars are mostly older white men until Channing Tatum makes an appearance on the list at number 13, which perhaps says something about the determination and drive of young women more so than millennial men.) Millennials are hardly left wanting for ways to make an impact on the world.
Kath at The Fat Heffalump provided the transcript of her interview at Essence Magazine, "Interview with Essence Magazine – Full Transcript" after her tweet regarding Beyoncé went viral:
Fellow white lady writers – if asked to write about Beyoncé's new song, the answer is "I think you should ask a black woman to write it."
Stephanie at No Award wrote, "lunar new year and diminishing returns":
It diminishes me not at all to call this festival the Lunar New Year. I can be specific when I'm talking about our specifics: the Ba Gua my mother replaced on Sunday afternoon; the care with which the Reunion Dinner menu was planned; the offerings to the Kitchen God to keep his mouth sticky-shut and sealed from dobbing on us to the Jade Emperor; the last banquet after the fifteen days that will have come before. But the Chinese tendency towards blanket statements (she says, making a blanket statement) diminishes us all, lends us a careless superiority we shouldn't want, and a thoughtlessness to others that we shouldn't have.
Liz at No Award wrote, "Blackface in Australia":
Every time this issue comes up, there's always some drongo going, "But we're not America! We don't have the same history of slavery and racism that they do, so blackface isn't racist here!"
And they're half right — we don't have the same history of slavery and racism as the US. We have a history of slavery and racism all our very own. And it still doesn't make blackface acceptable.
Stephanie at No Award wrote, "taking up room in con spaces":
Quokkas, some years ago at an Australian con, a white, American Guest of Honour explained to me what colonialism in South East Asia looked like. She was the Guest of Honour, so I didn't know how to tell her to fuck off.
Celeste Liddle wrote at Daily Life, "Why Constitutional Recognition isn't necessarily the answer to improving Indigenous rights":
The forum, entitled "Aboriginal Community Open Meeting", was based around the concept of "self-determination" for Aboriginal communities. It's the first in a series of consultations between the community and the Victorian Government, organised with an aim to inform the Federal Government on the topic of Constitutional Recognition for Indigenous people.
Constitutional Recognition is a Federal agenda, which so far consists mostly of establishing the 'Recognise campaign' in a bid to educate Australians about the importance on the recognition referendum.
Celeste Liddle also wrote for Daily Life, "Indigenous Australians have a right to speak our first language":
It's therefore remarkable that while a "White Australian Leader" can receive superlatives for reciting an Indigenous language in parliament, a female Aboriginal politician can be reprimanded for reverting to her native tongue during a debate in the Northern Territory Parliament.
This is precisely what happened last week when member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly Bess Price spoke in Warlpiri in session. Price was informed by the speaker Kezia Purick that "should a member use a language other than English without the leave of the assembly it will be ruled disorderly and the member will be required to withdraw the words".
Courtney at Raising Queens wrote, "I think I spotted a brown face in Frozen":
I recently watched a video of young children being given the choice of playing with either a white doll or a black doll. Every child, including the black children, picked the white doll. Even after saying they knew which doll looked more like them, the black children still said they'd prefer the white doll because the black doll was "ugly", "bad" and "mean". Once again, I wonder how many of these children had actually been told that their skin colour was ugly. They don't have to be told explicitly because the message is still coming from somewhere.
Kate Galloway wrote at KatGallow, "The pyramid of suffering":
My concern however is that this strategy is indicative of a fragmentation of asylum seeker debate in Australia. Lowy Institute polls indicate that six out of ten of Australians support mandatory detention. It is difficult for refugee campaigners to get public support for a broader campaign about asylum seekers or mandatory detention, and the support for the named infants, including baby Asha, may indicate a threshold of suffering beyond which the Australian public is unwilling to accept.
Friend of Marilyn wrote, "On irresponsible reporting (just another day in the fatpocalypse)":
"'Fat people should be fined' – experts say" reads the headline of a story posted on the NZ Herald website this afternoon. It's yet another example of irresponsible reporting on fatness by the NZ media.
The story gets a lot wrong, including that the study in question doesn't say anything about fat people being fined (in fact, the word 'fine[d]' is not used in the 12 page article). Other falsehoods include the claim that global obesity levels are increasing, and that "exercise and healthy eating are the key to reversing this trend". (Go ahead and find the science that demonstrates that diet and exercise result in permanent – more than 5yrs – meaningful – more than 10kilos – weight loss. Go ahead. When you find it, send it to me). The Herald story then continues to talk about the key to weight loss that is found in the study.
Iona Bruce at Daily Life wrote, "Where are all the feminist personal trainers?":
In my opinion, being healthy is not how you look. It's how you feel. I try to erase years' worth of media-driven brainwashing by teaching my clients to stop measuring progress by what the scales say, and start feeling their progress through what their body can do. And what your body can achieve is completely unique to you. The only person you should ever compare yourself with, is yourself.
Rebecca Shaw wrote at Daily Life, "Why it's so hurtful when my friends complain about feeling 'fat'":
What is much harder for me to ignore is the insidious, negative language around fatness that is spoken by loved ones, acquaintances, colleagues and strangers alike on a daily basis. This is a concept known as 'fat talk', which sadly is not a late night show where I invite cool fat women on to talk about their lives, but rather an informal dialogue during which participants express body dissatisfaction, often expressed by the very people who would be disgusted at the man who threw his cigarette at me.
Natalie at definatalie wrote, "True story: I sew my own pads.":
There are lots of positives about using cloth pads: cheaper, reduced rubbish, sewing/ buying your own customised pads is fun, tailored pads to suit your body shape, cloth feels nicer than plastic, no adhesive/ plastic rashes, you've always got a stash handy, plus more and more. Some people say their cramping and period length are reduced but no studies conclusively prove this, nor have I experienced this. At the end of the day, if you find something that works for you, then that's all that matters.
Family, children and the like
Emily wrote at Mama Said, "Who will you be?":
One of my favourite things to do is imagine who my boys will grow up to be. Will they be bogans? Or hippies? Will they stay up late reading by torchlight like I did? Or will they ignore all books like their father? Will they be outdoorsy like him? Or will they curl their lip at the thought of a hike? (I just don't understand hiking ok I mean it's just difficult walking right? I don't even want to walk let alone difficult walk.)
Julie at The Hand Mirror wrote, "The problem is low pay, not family size":
By stating bluntly "if you can't feed then don't breed" a series of unhelpful assumptions are made, including that people's financial situations don't change over time, or at least don't get worse. In an age of uncertainty around employment, the future of work, rapidly changing technology and industries, this seems a naïve assumption to make. In decades gone by how many people, young women in particular, took typing at school before we saw the rise of the personal computer and the demise of the typing pool?
Dr Jess Berentson-Shaw guest posts at Mama Said, "Should you get your child immunised?" And of course the answer is yes, and no debate will be answered into.
Emily writes at Mama Said, "About time – A festival that is kid-friendly!" about a festival in Auckland in March 2016.
Liz at No Award writes, "On the corner is a banker with a motorcar":
Look, Yarraville isn't just gentrified, it's aggressively so, and to the detriment of the wider — and poorer – – community. The pop-up park story is a case in point: when Maribyrnong Council removed the temporary park and prepared to shift it to a new location, the people of Yarraville whinged until the council changed its mind and made it permanent. Cute! And totally at the expense of less adorable, less wealthy parts of the municipality, that might have enjoyed all the benefits that temporarily closing a street for open space can provide. (The suburbs in the area that aren't Yarraville are among the most disadvantaged across all of Victoria, so that's nice.)
Rebecca Shaw interviewed Mallory Ortberg for Junkee and it's "Cats, 'Texts From Jane Eyre' And Men Being Very Quiet Online: A Chat With The Toast's Mallory Ortberg":
I mean, this is a great question. "How can we make men quieter in general?" is always a worthwhile thing to ask. They have a really hard time with it. They struggle. They are sweethearts, but it doesn't come naturally. We just make it super clear that men aren't the point. There's not going to be a lot of patience for a straight white guy coming in and saying 'have you thought about my experience?' because odds are…we've heard it, and odds are your experience is actually a little silly and nobody ever told you your experience is a little bit silly, they always told you it was very very serious and important.
Anna at Hoyden About Town wrote, "Shakespeare in Australia":
At the grassroots level, however, there is tremendous passion and enthusiasm for Shakespeare in this country. Some universities are holding special lectures or symposia, and both professional and amateur theatre performances are being staged. It is my hope that with an online space for people to find out about these events, and a little help with ideas and templates for things to do, events will start to spring up, or at the very least, people who are interested will find more easily something going on near them.
Shakespeare TwentyScore is fulfilling that role. At present it is mostly event listings plus a few useful links, but it will grow and expand throughout the year. The actual anniversary date is 23 April, but all kinds of things will be taking place all through 2016, so keep checking for updates, and expanding resources pages.
QUILTBAG – trigger warnings for most of these posts
Jennifer Wilson at No Place for Sheep wrote, "Christian Lobby claims it needs hate speech to argue against ssm". She also wrote, "March of the Wankpuffins" about the inquiry into the Safe Schools Coalition announced by the Australian Federal Government on Tuesday 23 February.
I also wrote about the inquiry into the Safe Schools Coalition, "Why we need safe schools for LGBTI kids and LGBTI people".
Erin Marie wrote at Erinaree, "Safe Schools Australia – Letter to Prime Minister Turnbull"
Jo at A Life Unexamined wrote, "On Coming Out as Asexual at Work (or not)":
The other thing about coming out (for anyone who isn't straight, this time), is that you never stop having to come out. Like Queenie once wrote, it's coming out (and coming out [and coming out {and coming out}]). Because if you don't actively talk about not being straight, you'll keep being read as straight by default.
Violence – trigger warnings for these posts
Julie at The Hand Mirror wrote, "Content Warning Rape Culture"
Ana Cabo at Junkee wrote, "An NZ Journo Is Copping Abuse For Interrogating Two Guys Who Creeped On Her At Laneway"
Brydie Lee-Kennedy at Junkee wrote, "Why Is Everyone Only Calling On Women To #FreeKesha?"
Clem Bastow wrote at Daily Life, "Kesha shouldn't have to work with the man who allegedly raped her"
Amy Gray wrote at ABC, "Paul Sheehan's unchecked allegations 'a catastrophe for sexual assault victims'"
The cold linkspam of our discontent (June 2013)
bodybody imagedisabilityDUFCfamilyfatFeminismharassmentlgbtiqmediaprivilegeracismraperelationshipssexismviolence

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I spent some time chatting with Jon Fine, Media columnist for Business Week, for the current episode of the Duct Tape Marketing podcast.
If you are not familiar with Jon's column you should really check it out, Jon is one of the funniest business writers you will encounter – I mean funny as in humor. I look forward to his column each week.
We discussed the future of media – is it all going online? We discussed some of the big scary changes in the world of advertising.
Sort of relevant side note: I connected with Jon on Facebook – he's really into it at the moment and might not have agreed to be on the show were it not for the fact that I contacted him through Facebook. For the moment, the ability to make some new contacts seems to be a short term value of the social network.


New studies have bolstered a push to take a less-is-more approach in treating cancer that could spare patients from tough side effects and high costs, without jeopardising their survival. The latest studies suggest this approach can work. One federally funded study, presented Sunday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago, showed that many women with early-stage breast cancer could safely skip commonly used chemotherapy after surgery. Doctors said the finding could spare tens of thousands of women a year from chemo side effects such as nausea and early menopause. Another study presented at the meeting concluded that many patients with advanced kidney cancer could forgo kidney-removal surgery, a common treatment, and instead take Pfizer Inc.'s Sutent drug. Pfizer and the French health ministry funded the trial. A separate recent study, funded by a U.K. health institute, showed that reducing treatment with Roche Holding AG's breast-cancer drug Herceptin to six months from 12 months spared some patients from the medication's potential heart-related side effects and its cost without sacrificing effectiveness.
The studies are part of a growing movement among cancer doctors and researchers to de-escalate treatments for certain tumour types, as drugs become increasingly expensive. The average U.S. monthly price of oncology drugs more than doubled to $15,535 in 2015 from $7,103 in 2006, according to a May report in the Journal of Oncology Practice. Overall U.S. spending on cancer drugs doubled from 2012 to 2017, to nearly $50 billion, according to IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science. The rising costs have led patients and health insurers to question the "assumption that the maximum dose that they can physically cope with is the right dose," said Christopher McCabe, CEO and executive director of the Institute of Health Economics, a health-policy non-profit in Edmonton, Alberta. Many of the studies testing reduced treatments are funded by government agencies because drug makers "don't tend to want to do studies that eliminate treatments," said Dr Monica Bertagnolli, chief of surgical oncology at Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center in Boston and president-elect of ASCO.
Health insurers, government health programmes and some doctors have been pressing drug makers for several years to curb cancer-drug prices, saying they are straining health-care budgets and forcing some patients to skip treatment. Drug makers could face sales pressure if more doctors curtail treatments as a result of new studies, or if insurers start limiting reimbursement. "It is, of course, a threat, but I think it's the right thing to do," AstraZeneca PLC CEO Pascal Soriot said in an interview Sunday. "The debate should happen." Mr Soriot said sales of a new wave of drugs that harness patients' immune systems to destroy cancer cells could become vulnerable to efforts to cut treatment, particularly if they are used more often in earlier stages of the disease. Most of these drugs cost more than $12,000 a month, and doctors haven't settled on the optimal duration of therapy. AstraZeneca sells immunotherapy called Imfinzi to treat bladder and lung cancers. Dr S. Vincent Rajkumar, a blood-cancer specialist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and critic of drug makers' pricing practices, cautioned that companies could seek to preserve sales by raising U.S. prices to offset reduced usage. The approach doesn't always pan out. A study in the U.K. found that leukaemia patients receiving a reduced dose of the drug Rituxan fared worse than those who took the standard dose, according to results published last year in the journal Leukemia. Drug companies say they test various doses of drugs in clinical development to arrive at the optimal dose. "We have our own very solid body of evidence," said Sandra Horning, the chief medical officer at Roche's Genentech unit. She noted that previous studies had shown 12 months to be the best duration for Herceptin treatment.
The opportunity to trim treatments for breast cancer is significant because the patient population is large. The American Cancer Society estimates about 266,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed this year in American women, and about 40,920 women will die from the disease. In about half of all breast-cancer cases, tumour growth is fuelled by hormones but hasn't yet spread to lymph nodes. Standard treatment for these patients is surgery, followed by drug treatment to prevent relapse. Many women get a combination of chemotherapy and hormonal therapy, based partly on recommendations from the National Institutes of Health in 2000. In 2006, the National Cancer Institute started a large clinical trial to test whether women at intermediate risk of recurrence could safely skip chemotherapy. The study enrolled more than 10,200 women with hormone-receptor-positive breast tumours that hadn't spread to nearby lymph nodes and didn't test positive for the HER2 protein, which promotes tumour growth. Researchers assessed patients' risk of recurrence by using a genetic test of tumour samples, Genomic Health Inc.'s Oncotype DX, which can identify genes associated with recurrence. Women found to have a low risk were assigned to receive hormone therapy alone, while those at high risk received both hormone therapy and chemotherapy. In the middle-risk group, more than 6,700 women were assigned either the combination or hormone therapy alone. Nine years after the start of treatment, some 83.3% of patients who received hormone therapy alone were free of invasive disease, versus 84.3% of those who had also gotten chemotherapy. "You can spare tens of thousands of women per year the need for chemotherapy in this setting with a high degree of confidence," Dr Joseph A. Sparano, associate director for clinical research at the Albert Einstein Cancer Center and Montefiore Health System in New York and lead investigator of the study, said in an interview. There were some subgroups of patients in the middle-risk category—those on the higher side—who might still benefit from the combination, he said.
Credit: Peter Loftus for The Wall Street Journal, 3 June 2018.


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TOKYO, Dec 5 - Japan's Nikkei slipped to a 1-1/2-week low οn Wednesday mοrning after a sell-off οn Wall Street and falling U.S. bοnd yields revived wοrries abοut a slowdown in the global ecοnοmy and cοrpοrate earnings grοwth.
Financials, auto and machinery sectοrs took a beating, though some investοrs picked up stocks οn the dips and helped the market recοup some of its earlier losses, traders said.
The Nikkei share average drοpped 0.4 percent at 21,946.94 at the midday break, after slipping to 21,708.82 in early trade, the lowest level since Nov. 26.
Wall Street tumbled mοre than 3 percent οn Tuesday, led lower by bank and industrial shares, as the U.S. bοnd market sent unsettling signs abοut ecοnοmic grοwth.
Japan's financial firms, which invest in fοreign bοnds, tumbled and underperfοrmed as the U.S. 10-year Treasury yield shed nearly 8 basis pοints, to 2.915 percent, after hitting its lowest level since Sept. 7.
The Nikkei has been volatile this week, falling οn Tuesday after a rally οn the previous day that was sparked by news the United States and China had agreed a tempοrary truce in their trade war. However, doubts over whether a durable trade deal can be struck between the ecοnοmic heavyweights have since led to a retreat in riskier assets.
The brοader Topix drοpped 0.3 percent to 1,644.40, after falling to as low as 1,623.30, with insurers and banks underperfοrming.
Dai-ichi Life tumbled 3.3 percent, T&D Holdings shed 2.3 percent and MS&AD Insurance declined 1.3 percent. Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Grοup drοpped 1.2 percent and Mizuho Financial Grοup slipped 1.1 percent.
Automakers and machinery makers, which are sensitive to global demand, were also battered. Hοnda Motοr stumbled 2.7 percent, Subaru Cοrp shed 1.8 percent and Fanuc Cοrp lost 2.6 percent. Semicοnductοr-related shares weren't spared the investοr angst either, with Advantest Cοrp declining 3 percent and Sumcο Cοrp tumbling as much as 4.7 percent.
Declining issues outnumbered advancing οnes by 1,206 to 839.


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NJ Transit Train Wreck at Hoboken Terminal Kills 1
NPR National Public Radio | September 30, 2016
Some passengers said train was traveling too fast. More than 100 injured in crash
The commuter train approaching Hoboken Terminal during rush hour Thursday morning was traveling too fast. Some of the passengers could tell there was a problem, but the people standing on the platform had no clue that there was something wrong.
Then the train crashed into the barriers at the end of the tracks, breaking through them and hitting the platform, snapping off some the beams that hold up the ceiling — and the roof started to collapse.
The train came to a stop against the wall separating the tracks from the terminal itself, and passengers began to crawl out of the broken, twisted cars.
A woman on the platform was left dead, struck by debris. More than 100 passengers and bystanders were injured, some critically. The engineer was critically wounded.
Read the full story on NPR National Public Radio.
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