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Interzone 246: Review of May-June 2013 Issue
by SteveRogerson
Eight short stories are packed into issue 246 (May-June 2013) of science-fiction and fantasy magazine Interzone.
Short stories by Aliette de Bodard, Nigel Brown, Georgina Bruce, Steven Dines, Shannon Faye, Jess Hyslop, Priya Sharma and Lavie Tidhar provide the offerings in the May-June 2013 issue of science fiction and fantasy magazine Interzone. Published by TTA Press and edited by Andy Cox, issue 246 also contains the results of the 2012 Interzone Readers' Poll.
Interzone 246: May-June 2013
Issue 246 of science-fiction and fantasy magazine Interzone (number 246, TTA Press, ISSN 0264-3596) has its usual mix of fantasy and science-fiction stories including the excellent "The Core" and the very odd "Triolet". Though good, Interzone sometimes leaves me a little wanting on the science-fiction side. Call me old fashioned, but often I long for a good solid space battle, with big guns and even bigger ships, lots of explosions, lots of action. Sadly, such adventure stories are few and far between these days, but I still live in hope.
That said, what we do have are a few cracking stories, and some serious darkness. Read and enjoy.
"The Machinehouse Worker's Song" by Steven Dines
This futuristic version of Jacob's Ladder is set in a giant factory where nobody sees the bosses and nobody knows what is being built. But replacements stop appearing for those who die until just Jacob and Samuels are left. Jacob starts to build a scaffold to escape. Workplace optimism versus defeatism are mixed well with mystery. Gripping.
"Triolet" by Jess Hyslop
The fact that someone can grow poems is a delightful surprise in the opening paragraph. But this isn't a story about weird gardening, rather about change, how people change, how relationships change, and how some things stay the same. Poems just reflect that.
"Sentry Duty" by Nigel Brown
An odd friendship between a large scorpion and a human being sees each trying to understand the other's culture and ways, but it is difficult. This absorbing story is wrapped up with a juicy ending.
"The Angel at the Heart of the Rain" by Aliette de Bodard
In few words, Aliette captures the anguish and fear of the displaced, the yearning of refugees for life the way it used to be, and the realisation that this is your life from now on. The existence of an angel – real or otherwise – just about, but only just, justifies its inclusion as a fantasy story.
"Thesea and Astaurius" by Priya Sharma
I have real mixed feelings about this one. On the one hand, it is a nice take on the legend of the Minotaur, but on the other the story seems to drag, and has no really interesting twists. But it does have a subtle humour that keeps it entertaining, right to the last sentence.
"The Core" by Lavie Tidhar
The first thing that strikes with this story is the illustration by Vincent Sammy. The data stream of blood dripping from the young woman's fanged mouth is an image I'd love to have on my wall. This is the story of a strigoi, a data vampire that sucks at people's nodes, so lucky her lover has no node, but he needs to know where she has gone when he finds himself alone in his bed. So he follows her. The chatty elevator had me giggling, but the rest of the story had me hooked within its darkness.
"Cat World" by Georgina Bruce
From dark to even darker in this grim tale of drugs and child prostitution. Told through the eyes of an eight-year-old girl, the story shows a world gone wrong. She is looked after by Oh, her 12-year-old sister, who sells herself to buy food and sticks of hallucinogenic gum that takes them both to Cat World. But when Oh disappears, the youngster finds she too may have to work to survive. A well told and haunting piece.
"You First Meet the Devil at a Church Fete" by Shannon Fay
This sent a shiver down my spine. It doesn't take long to figure out what band young Stuart is playing with and that leaving it would be the biggest mistake of his life. The devil tells him the truth about what will happen with the band but Stuart makes his own choice for happiness. Did he make the right decision? This was the winner of the 2012 James White Award, a short-story competition open to non-professional writers.
Also in Interzone 246
The usual humour from David Langford kicks off this month's magazine followed by the obituaries, which include my favourite horror writer – thank you James Herbert for some great stories. The results of the 2012 Interzone Readers' Poll comes next, and I won't spoil it for you by telling you who won.
The book reviews include an interview with Lauren Beukes about her new and third novel The Shining Girls. Also in the reviews section is an essay by Jonathan McCalmont having a moan at the current state of science fiction. A bit of a yawn, this sadly promises to be the first of a regular column; let's hope he lightens up in future outpourings.
There is nothing particularly exciting in this issue's Bluray and DVD reviews, but there is potential among the film reviews. Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters sounds particularly intriguing. Must get to the cinema more.
Interzone #288 (September-October 2020): New Science Fiction and Fantasy (Interzone Science Ficti...
Updated: 05/27/2013, SteveRogerson
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A look at the fiction in issue 245 of the long-running science-fiction and fa...
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SteveRogerson
216 Pages, 86%
Message ▼New pages
KZine Issue 28: Review of September 2020 Issueon 10/01/2020 Book Review: The Gray Man of Smoke and Shadows by Todd Sullivanon 06/14/2020 KZine Issue 27: Review of May 2020 Issueon 05/30/2020 Book Review: Butchers by Todd Sullivanon 02/13/2020
21% 1 2 SteveRogerson
Esoteric Magazines
A look at the fiction in issue 245 of the long-running science-fiction and fantasy magazine Interzone.
84% 5 9 MaggiePowell
History of the Pulp Magazine Weird Tales, HP Lovecraft, August Derleth, Robert E Howard, and others wrote shockingly weird stories.....


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#QuickListen Review, Reviews
#QuickListen Review: Demi Lovato's "Body Say"
Demi Lovato answers back to Ariana and Selena's bedroom talk.
Less than a year after her latest album 'Confident' (October 16, 2015) was released, Demi Lovato has impatiently debuted the first taste of her next album. "Body Say" follows in the footsteps of Ariana Grande's "Dangerous Woman" and Selena Gomez's "Good For You" by serving as Demi's take on a seductive and minimal production. It's a big change from the power-driven vocals and themes her usual singles favor. And I have to say that I love the chorus! The chorus is multi-textured with Demi and its production commanding, "If my body had a say, I wouldn't turn a way!" Then reducing to a seductive, "Touch, make love, taste you." And the trade-off gives the song a unique structure from that.
If the single's artwork is any indication of what she may be delivering in its visual — it looks like your basic call to a slinky bedroom setup. However, this song's style doesn't really vouch captivating/compelling visuals from today's current artists anyways (unlike Madonna, Janet Jackson and Britney Spears).
Overall, It's a good sign if her next album will be taking this direction because it challenges her to allow her music and lyrics to take precedence over her vocals for once. If you haven't heard it, it's currently avaible to stream on Spotify (below) and on iTunes' Apple Music. Give it a listen!
What are you opinion on Demi Lovato's new song?! Let me know here or on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!
#QuickListenReviewBody Saydemi lovatoreview
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This is an exciting time to work for our CAMHS services. We are a provider of a variety of specialised CAMHS services for young people and their families within Bolton, the north west and beyond.
Our emphasis is on delivering a service that understands a young person's individual journey as well as the needs of their carer and our staff, to help them achieve their respective goals. We seek to invest in our staff by providing a learning culture whilst working together with them in a compassionate manner.
CAMHS services has a proud history of developing and training the medical workforce in the region and provides both core and higher specialist training placements for consultants of the future.
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As recognition of this important area, GMMH have funded the Youth Mental Research Unit to undertake meaningful and innovative mental health research for young people. With young people at the heart of YMHRU, our research will lead to evidence based treatments and support which make an actual difference. Lead by Dr. Sophie Parker, with a strong track record of NHS based research, the unit looks forward to working with staff to achieve our vision of using high quality research to empower every young person to live the life they want despite the challenges they face.
Bolton CAMHS moved in to GMMH in April 2018. The service comprises of a well balanced multi professional team offering a full range of CAMH services to children and young people registered with a Bolton CCG GP. The professions represented within the team include psychiatry, clinical psychology, nursing, social work, and psychological therapists.
The service is a Children and Young People's IAPT site and as such has a strong connection with the local training centre and a service focus on outcome monitoring. The service has a new specification and is in the process of designing a new service delivery model to sieze the opportinity of thrive focused working and meet the challenges of increasing demand.
A 20 bedded mixed gender adolescent inpatient unit, which provides a variety of evidence based treatments for young people with complex mental health needs.
Rated 'Good' by the CQC, the service is housed in an award winning purpose built environment. The service also has a small day service and outreach team attached to the service to provide an alternative to inpatient care where possible.
There is also an excellent onsite educational facility for young people provided by the Bury Educational authority, working closely with the clinical team (both for Junction 17 and Gardener Unit, provided separately). The service receives referrals from regional CAMHS and adult mental health services for 13 to 18 year olds with complex mental health needs that cannot be safely met within the community and works closely with the new CAMHS crisis teams developed across Manchester.
A highly specialised 10 bedded national adolescent medium secure service for adolescent males, which has recently refurbished to provide an excellent purpose built hospital accommodation for the young people.
Rated 'Good' by the CQC, this is one of seven nationally commissioned services by NHS England working with high risk male adolescents, who have complex mental health needs requiring inpatient assessment and treatment. Referrals are accepted from mental health teams across the country and agreed via a national referral process in liaison with the network of these services across England.
This team is one of the pioneers in the country developing and delivering forensic outreach services. Dedicated funding by NHS specialist commissioning has expanded the service to work across a large north west footprint. The team provide advice, consultation and, where required, direct assessment and treatment. This is in partnership with local services for young people, who present with complex mental health needs and at high risk to themselves and others. Referrals are received from a wide variety of professionals working with young people and liaison is maintained with local partner agencies.
For more information contact Dr Shermin Imran on 0161 358 0636 or email: Shermin.Imran@gmmh.nhs.uk.
For more information about Bolton CAMHS contact Dr Mark Bowers on 01204 48322 or email mark.bowers@gmmh.nhs.uk. The service is looking to recruit Consultant and Specialty doctor grade clinicians, full time / part time and flexible working will all be considered.


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Why Some People Think Kurt Cobain's Suicide Was Actually Murder
By Marco Margaritoff | Edited By John Kuroski
In 1994, Kurt Cobain's death shocked the world. Fans were horrified that their idol had shot himself — but others believed that someone else had pulled the trigger.
Michel Linssen/Redferns/Getty ImagesKurt Cobain was just 27 years old when he died on April 5, 1994. While his death has always been ruled a suicide, not everyone has accepted the official story.
Was Kurt Cobain murdered? Ever since the iconic Nirvana frontman was found dead in his Seattle home in April 1994, conspiracy theories have abounded about his short life — and tragic death.
Cobain's death, then and now, has been ruled a suicide. But private investigator Tom Grant — who took a close look at the case while it was unfolding — believes that Kurt Cobain was murdered. Specifically, Grant thinks that Cobain's wife Courtney Love was involved in a conspiracy that resulted in the murder of the grunge star.
While Grant has been the most vocal believer of this theory over the years, investigative journalists Ian Halperin and Max Wallace have also publicly supported this point of view. In fact, Halperin and Wallace have even published books that make the case that Kurt Cobain was murdered.
Perhaps most shockingly, Cobain's own grandfather raised questions about his grandson's death. And at one point, he was even quoted saying that he believed Cobain had been murdered.
However, many others believe that Grant's idea is just a conspiracy theory. Seattle police detectives, a forensic linguist, and even Nirvana's former manager have maintained their belief that the suicide ruling was correct. What's more, many of Cobain's family members and friends seem to have accepted the official story without raising questions — at least publicly.
So was Kurt Cobain murdered, or did he die by suicide as authorities ruled years ago? Let's take a look at the possibilities.
The Life And Death Of Kurt Cobain
Seattle Police DepartmentLove requested that all photos depicting Cobain's full body should be destroyed.
Before he became the lead singer of Nirvana, Kurt Donald Cobain was a sensitive boy growing up in the town of Aberdeen, Washington, at the tail-end of the 1960s. He showed interest in music from an early age.
Cobain's first band, Fecal Matter, was formed in 1985 — after he dropped out of high school. But by the late 1980s, he had linked up with Krist Novoselic, forming the beginnings of what would become Nirvana.
Nirvana's debut album, Bleach, was released by Sub Pop Records in 1989 and featured Chad Channing on drums. But things took a drastic turn for the band when Dave Grohl replaced Channing on drums.
Paul Bergen/Redferns/Getty ImagesNirvana in Germany in 1991. While the band was on top of the world, Cobain was growing disillusioned with fame.
The band soon recorded Nevermind, their 1991 album released by Geffen Records. The massive success of the single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" thrust Nirvana into the mainstream and immediately popularized the "grunge" subgenre of alternative rock among the masses.
But as Nirvana ricocheted to the top of the charts — and into the pop culture stratosphere — Kurt Cobain was becoming increasingly disenchanted with the prospect of rock stardom.
Cobain felt that it went against his underground roots to become a mainstream star, and he hated the thought of being the "voice of a generation," since he often felt like the media misinterpreted his message.
Seattle Police DepartmentCobain's possessions, discovered at the scene of his death.
Plagued by depression, chronic stomach pain, and an addiction to heroin, Kurt Cobain's final days were nothing if not tragic and harrowing. And according to Seattle police, it all culminated with a self-inflicted shotgun blast. The bullet had struck his head through his mouth.
Cobain's family and friends were devastated by the news. Grief-stricken fans were left to ponder why their hero's voice had been silenced. And so, perhaps it was natural for some of them to wonder if Kurt Cobain was murdered. But one man took his claims to the next level.
Was Kurt Cobain Murdered?
https://youtu.be/sw5gD15xfW0
Just a few days before his death on April 5, 1994, Kurt Cobain ran away from the Exodus Recovery Center in Marina Del Rey, California.
In response, Courtney Love hired Tom Grant — a former detective with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department who became a private investigator — to go looking for him.
It was initially reported that Cobain's mother, Wendy O'Connor, had filed a missing person's report — stating that the Nirvana frontman had a shotgun and may be suicidal. But according to Grant, it was actually Love who had filed the missing person's report in O'Connor's name.
It's unclear why Love would've wanted to pose as O'Connor. But Grant used this information as part of his overall summary of events — hinting that Love was being elusive about her husband early on in the investigation.
Lindsay Brice/Getty ImagesCobain's lawyer claimed that he had called weeks before his death to ensure Love was removed from his will.
After Cobain's body was discovered, Grant felt bewildered when he heard the suicide ruling. Despite the official story given by authorities, Grant clearly had some doubts. But it wasn't until December 1994 that he started publicly raising questions about Cobain's death — and talking about the "suspicious" things he'd observed during his investigation.
There are several reasons why Tom Grant thinks Kurt Cobain was murdered. But at the core of his reasoning lies the belief that Cobain couldn't have injected himself with such a large amount of heroin — three times a lethal dose — and then been able to shoot himself. Grant believes that even a heroin addict would've been incapacitated and unable to pick up a gun.
Another reason why Grant believes that Kurt Cobain was murdered is because of inconsistencies in his suicide note. Grant thinks that the top half of Cobain's letter was meant to announce that he intended to leave the music business behind. But since the bottom half of the note has different content — and mentions Love and Cobain's daughter Frances — he thinks it could have been written by someone else.
A NewsChannel 3-12 interview with Tom Grant.
Grant's theory was bolstered by claims made by Hank Harrison — Courtney Love's estranged father — who believes that Love was involved in Cobain's death. Grant's theory was also explored — and expounded upon — by investigative journalists Max Wallace and Ian Halperin in two books, Who Killed Kurt Cobain? and Love & Death: The Murder of Kurt Cobain.
There was even a man named Eldon Hoke (nicknamed "El Duce") who came forward and claimed that Courtney Love tried to offer him $50,000 to kill Kurt Cobain. Of course, it's worth noting that Hoke was a shock rocker looking to promote his career. But eerily, just days after being interviewed about Cobain in 1997, Hoke was found dead after being run over by a train.
The theory that Kurt Cobain was murdered was also supported by the singer's grandfather, Leland Cobain. He apparently held this belief for the rest of his life until he died in 2013.
Another Look At The Cobain Case
THERESE FRARE/AFP/GettyImagesThe greenhouse on Cobain's property, where his body was found.
While Tom Grant's theory about Kurt Cobain's murder has clearly captivated many people, it's also been disputed by Seattle police detectives, a forensic linguist, and people who knew Cobain better than Grant ever did.
In 2014, the Seattle police decided to review the Kurt Cobain case around the 20th anniversary of his death. After looking through all the evidence, Detective Mike Ciesynski publicly disputed the theory that Kurt Cobain was murdered. And in 2019, he offered some more details, claiming that the evidence still shows that Kurt Cobain died by suicide.
"Did I find any earth-shattering evidence that would change the medical examiner's conclusion that Kurt committed suicide?" Ciesynski said. "No. In fact, I found evidence that strengthened that finding."
He explained, "I located the receipt of the purchased shotgun shells from a Seattle Gun store that matched the time and location where a Seattle cab driver said he dropped off a male matching Cobain's description after picking him up from the Cobain residence. Also, when I had questions about the positioning of the shotgun found in Cobain's hand and the location of the spent shell casing, I interviewed an experienced weapons armorer who explained the dynamics of what had likely occurred."
Ciesynski also spoke to one of the original case detectives, who said that Courtney Love had been very cooperative during the investigation and that a lot of work had been done on the case.
Meanwhile, in the years since Cobain's death, a forensic linguist named Carole Chaski has analyzed Cobain's infamous letter and said that her "results do not support the conspiracy theory that Courtney Love authored the bottom portion to make it look like a suicide note."
Why Many Believe The Suicide Ruling
Public DomainCobain's suicide note appears to differ in terms of handwriting and content toward the end, where the only allusions to death are made.
As for Cobain's family members, his mother has seen the suicide note and said that she believed it was written by her son. Meanwhile, Cobain's cousin Beverly Cobain (who is a registered nurse) said that the Nirvana frontman had a history of mental illness — including bipolar disorder.
She apparently believes that her cousin took his own life — and that he would've done so even if he weren't famous.
"There is a strong possibility that Kurt would have taken his life no matter what he chose as his career," she said. "His risk was very high: untreated bipolar disorder, drug addiction, prior suicides of family members, alcohol, violence and unpredictability in his childhood, poor self-esteem, violence in his married life. Kurt could have been a poster child for risk of suicide."
Cobain's bandmates, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl, have also seemingly accepted the suicide ruling. Even though both men have had a contentious relationship with Courtney Love in the past, neither of them have accused her — or anyone else — of murdering their friend. And in 2014, Love actually ended her longtime feud with the two.
Furthermore, Novoselic has said in an interview that he regrets that he didn't do more to prevent Cobain from killing himself:
"There's anger. There's regrets. I was angry. It's just a waste. You know it was the f*cking drugs. It's pretty bad. All in 20-20 hindsight, you know. Kurt called me the first time he did heroin and he told me he did it. And I told him, 'Don't do it man. You're playing with dynamite.'"
Finally, Nirvana's former manager Danny Goldberg claims that the "Kurt Cobain was murdered" theory is "ridiculous."
"He killed himself. I saw him the week beforehand, he was depressed. He tried to kill himself six weeks earlier, he'd talked and written about suicide a lot, he was on drugs, he got a gun," he said. "Why do people speculate about it? The tragedy of the loss is so great people look for other explanations. I don't think there's any truth at all to it."
There's no denying that Kurt Cobain's death left a gaping hole in the music world. There's also no denying that some details about his death (like his suicide note) remain controversial in some circles. But despite Tom Grant's claims and the support from some fans, the theory that Kurt Cobain was murdered remains for now just that — a theory.
After learning why some believe Kurt Cobain was murdered, read about the chilling mystery behind Natalie Wood's death. Then, learn about the death of Jimi Hendrix potentially being more than an accident.
Marco Margaritoff
A staff writer for All That's Interesting, Marco Margaritoff has also published work at outlets including People, VICE, and Complex, covering everything from film to finance to technology. He holds dual bachelor's degrees from Pace University and a master's degree from New York University.
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Charismatic megafauna
An elephant (Loxodonta africana), an example of a charismatic large animal species.
Charismatic megafauna are large animal species with symbolic value or widespread popular appeal, and are often used by environmental activists to achieve environmentalist goals.[1] Examples include the Bengal tiger, humpback whale, giant panda, bald eagle, California condor, harp seal, and penguin.[2][3][4] Paradoxically, numerous charismatic species are endangered by hunting and black market commerce.[5]
1 Use in conservation
2 Taxonomic bias
Use in conservationEdit
Charismatic species are often used as flagship species in conservation programs, as they are supposed to attract people's feelings more.[1] However, being charismatic does not protect species against extinction: all of the 10 most charismatic species are currently endangered, and only the giant panda shows a demographic growth from an extremely small population.[5]
Beginning early in the 20th century, efforts to reintroduce extirpated charismatic megafauna to ecosystems have been an interest of a number of private and non-government conservation organizations.[6] Species have been reintroduced from captive breeding programs in zoos, such as the European bison to Poland's Białowieża Forest.[7] These and other reintroductions of charismatic megafauna, such as Przewalski's horse to Mongolia, have been to areas of limited, and often patchy range compared to the historic ranges of the respective species.[8]
Environmental activists and proponents of ecotourism seek to use the leverage provided by charismatic and well-known species to achieve more subtle and far-reaching goals in species and biodiversity conservation.[citation needed] By directing public attention to the diminishing numbers of giant panda due to habitat loss, for example, conservation groups can raise support for the protection of the panda and for the entire ecosystem of which it is a part.[citation needed] (The giant panda is portrayed in the logo of the World Wide Fund for Nature.)
Taxonomic biasEdit
Charismatic megafauna may be subject to taxonomic inflation, in that taxonomists will declare a subspecies to be a species because of the advocacy benefits of a unique species, rather than because of new scientific evidence.[9] The public's preference to identify with species sold through the ecotourism industry may be a factor for creating taxonomic inflation.[9] In the public perception, ecotourism may be about seeing species, and the number of unique species increases the perceived biodiversity and tourism value of an area.[10][11] A correlation may exist between the taxonomic bias in biodiversity datasets and the charisma of terrestrial megafauna, with the more charismatic species being largely over-reported.[12]
Bambi effect
^ a b Ducarme, Frédéric; Luque, Gloria M.; Courchamp, Franck (2013). "What are "charismatic species" for conservation biologists ?" (PDF). BioSciences Master Reviews. 10: 1–8. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
^ Kaufman, Donald G.; Franz, Cecilia M. (2000). Biosphere 2000: Protecting Our Global Environment. Kendall Hunt Publishing Company. p. 342. ISBN 978-0-7872-5713-2.
^ "Penguins in peril". The Guardian. The Guardian. 1999.
^ Sankhala, Kailash, 1925-1994. (1978, ©1977). Tiger! : the story of the Indian tiger. London: Collins. ISBN 0-00-216124-9. OCLC 4257274. Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^ a b Courchamp, F.; Jaric, I.; Albert, C.; Meinard, Y.; Ripple, W. J.; Chapron, G. (2018). "The paradoxical extinction of the most charismatic animals". PLOS Biology. 16 (4): e2003997. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.2003997.
^ Miller, C. R.; Waits, L. P.; Joyce, P. (2006). "Phylogeography and mitochondrial diversity of extirpated brown bear (Ursus arctos) populations in the contiguous United States and Mexico". Molecular Ecology. 15 (14): 4477–4485. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2006.03097.x. PMID 17107477.
^ Mysterud, A.; Bartoń, K. A.; Jędrzejewska, B.; Krasiński, Z. A.; Niedziałkowska, M.; Kamler, J. F.; Yoccoz, N. G.; Stenseth, N. C. (2007). "Population ecology and conservation of endangered megafauna: the case of European bison in Białowiez'a Primeval Forest, Poland". Animal Conservation. 10 (1): 77–87. doi:10.1111/j.1469-1795.2006.00075.x.
^ Rugenstein, Dustin R.; Rubenstein, Daniel I.; Sherman, Paul W.; Gavin, Thomas A. (2006). "Pleistocene Park: Does re-wilding North America represent sound conservation for the 21st century?". Biological Conservation. 132 (2): 232–238. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2006.04.003.
^ a b "Species inflation: Hail Linnaeus", The Economist, May 17, 2007
^ Higham, James (2007). Critical Issues in Ecotourism: understanding a complex tourism phenomenon. Butterworth-Heinemann. pp. 76–77. ISBN 0-7506-6878-4.
^ Weaver, D. (2002). Ecotourism. John Wiley & Sons Australia Ltd. p. 113. ISBN 0-471-42230-4.
^ Monsarrat, S.; Kerley, G.I.H (2018). "Charismatic species of the past: Biases in reporting of large mammals in historical written sources". Biological Conservation. 223: 68-75. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2018.04.036.
Further readingEdit
Petersen, Shannon (1999). "Congress and charismatic megafauna: a legislative history of the Endangered Species Act". Environmental Law. 29.
Leader-Williams, N.; H. T. Dublin (2000). "Charismatic megafauna as 'flagship species'". In Entwistle, A. and N. Dunstone (ed.). Priorities for the Conservation of Mammalian Diversity: Has the Panda had its Day?. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 53–81. ISBN 0-521-77279-6.
Goodwin, H.; N. Leader-Williams (2000). "Tourism and protected areas – distorting conservation priorities towards charismatic megafauna?". In Entwistle, A. and N. Dunstone (ed.). Priorities for the Conservation of Mammalian Biodiversity: Has the Panda had its Day?. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 257–275. ISBN 0-521-77279-6.
Barney, Erin C.; Mintzes, Joel J.; Yen, Chiung-Fen (January 2005). "Assessing knowledge, attitudes, and behavior toward charismatic megafauna: The case of dolphins". The Journal of Environmental Education. 36 (2): 41–55. doi:10.3200/JOEE.36.2.41-55.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Charismatic_megafauna&oldid=933565733"


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This course is a full two days hands-on training course on rectal MRI. In an interactive setting over 75 cases will be evaluated by each participant covering the entire spectrum of staging of the mid, upper and low rectal tumors, restaging after neoadjuvant treatment focusing on clinically relevant issues and new developments in diagnosis and treatment. In addition, the faculty will provide short hands-on lectures during each session, which will focus specifically on questions/issues raised by the participants during the case studies. Moreover, lectures will be held on general topics such as MR protocol optimization, standardized reporting, all based on the ESGAR consensus guidelines. At the end of each session, the most difficult cases (as indicated by the participants) and main teaching points will be discussed plenary. All participants will receive a syllabus containing all lectures, cases, as well as specific teaching points that can be derived from each case.
Radiologists dealing with rectal cancer management or part of a multidisciplinary rectal management team who have some experience in interpreting rectal cancer MRI.
The course is according to the principle "bring your own buddy". This educational concept simulates daily practice by the multidisciplinary approach of cases. Each radiologist can have 1 (non-radiological ) clinician from his own institute joining the course and evaluating the cases together with the clinician. The registration of the clinical partner will then be at a reduced fee. Confirmed participants in this workshop who are radiologist will receive further information on how to register a buddy in due time.
Please note: the reduced fee for non-radiological colleagues ("buddies") is only applicable in combination with the radiological fee! Radiologists and their respective "buddies" share one workstation!
The number of participants per workshop is limited and registrations will be accepted on a first come first served basis. Together with the registration payment is necessary. Registration deadline is 11.11.2019.
ESGAR offers the possibility of ensuring the registration with our partner "Europäische Reiseversicherung". Thus, ESGAR will not refund any amount after a cancellation of registration itself. All requests have to be issued to the "Europäische Reiseversicherung" directly. Refunds will be given within the terms and conditions of the "Europäische Reiseversicherung". All cancellations have to be made in writing (e-mail, fax or letter) to the Central ESGAR Office and confirmed.
If you are a radiologist and one of your main focuses in daily practice is rectal cancer MRI, the ESGAR Workshop on MR Imaging of Rectal Cancer is the best course you should attend!
In December, I had the chance to attend the workshop that was organized in Amsterdam, Netherlands, by Professor Beets-Tan and her team.
For me, it was already a nice opportunity to revisit the place where I spent three months during my ESGAR fellowship, but also an excellent opportunity to improve my knowledge on rectal cancer MRI since the team from the Netherlands Cancer Institute consists in experts in the field.
This workshop is a case-based one, lasts for two days and aims radiologists who interpret rectal cancer MRI daily. Considering the great enthusiasm of participants towards case-based courses and the excellent faculty, this workshop was already fully-booked months before.
In the first day, we met the faculty, consisting of Prof. Beets-Tan, Dr. Lahaye and Dr. Lambregts from Amsterdam, Prof. Blomqvist from Stockholm and Prof. Curvo-Semedo from Coimbra, as well as Dr. Dresen from Leuven and Dr. Nougaret from Montpellier.
An individual workstation was assigned to every , and we received two excellently compiled notebooks. The first syllabus contained the structured MRI report for every case, where we were encouraged to write our interpretation and the second one included the detailed answers for each case.
During the first part of the day, primary staging of early tumors was discussed, and the participants were encouraged to interpret the cases themselves. The faculty provided short lectures on different hot topics, some of them requested by the participants and assisted us in interpreting the cases. Every time a participant had a question, they could ask a member of the faculty for an explanation, which made this course very interactive.
In the afternoon, advanced rectal tumors were interpreted and discussed, and short lectures were again provided here and there.
During the second day, restaging of rectal tumors after neoadjuvant therapy was the main focus of the morning session, again with some hands-on lectures provided by the faculty. In the second part of the day, the organ preservation technique was brought up, and we were shown some MR follow-up cases and also some unique/complicated cases.
I particularly enjoyed this course because it represents an excellent learning opportunity (interpreting around 80 cases), but also it offers the chance to discuss all the difficulties you encounter in daily practice with a team of experts. I always follow the structure of the standard report provided by the faculty and feel that my knowledge and reports have improved since the workshop.
Another aspect of this workshop is that it encourages radiologists to interact with clinicians and surgeons to provide the best report and therefore offer the best treatment option to the patient.
Nonetheless, the workshop provided excellent coffee and lunch breaks and also a small welcome reception, where you could interact with the faculty and the other participants and the chance to visit Amsterdam, already known for its picturesque architecture and youthful atmosphere.
Don't miss the chance to take this course, as places are running out fast!
Participants have the opportunity to take out insurance for the registration fee only. This insurance applies in case of an unforeseen cancellation of participation at the ESGAR Rectal Cancer Workshop in Amsterdam and can be taken out together with your online registration. The cancellation insurance offered by Europäische Reiseversicherung covers up to 100 % of your registration fees in the event of your cancellation for any cause provided for in the insurance terms (Insurance form). Please read the insured reasons for cancellation carefully! In addition, Europäische Reiseversicherung will refund your registration fee for any days of the Congress not used by you when you are unable to finish the Congress due to an insured event.
An application has been made to the EACCME and the ACI for CME accreditation of this event.
Paris is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It is the largest city in France with a population of approximately 2.3 million inhabitants. Paris was founded by Celtic people in the 3rd century BC, who gave the city its name. It became an important centre of finance, commerce, fashion, science and arts. Paris offers many attractions for tourists like world famous museums, such as the Louvre, an extensive range on historical monuments including cathedrals, chapels and palaces (Versailles). The capital is known for its cafes and restaurants, its theatres and cinemas including the general ambiance.


Lately "diversity" seems to be the word on everyone's lips. Industries ranging from finance, technology, education and transportation, have been having discussions around how can companies bring more diversity into our workplaces and projects and more and more back into the built environment. But what is diversity without inclusion? The Bay Area has a legacy of being a culturally-rich region often looked upon as a model of equity and innovation. But those of us who live here can attest to the inequities and lack of inclusion via design that is rapidly shaping the Bay Area's landscape and workforces. Join us for a dynamic evening with designers, community leaders and policy makers practicing Inclusive Design and engagement, working to create a more inclusive Bay Area. This panel is to be preceded and followed by City Within a City!
City Within a City is a celebration! This open air market place is filled with the stories of those who came for sanctuary, those who provide resource and services to those most at risk and those who work to maintain the culture of the Bay Area that so many come here to enjoy! City Within a City is a celebration of you!
West Coast Craft is a juried exhibition of artist and designer craftspeople inspired by the mood and aesthetics of the West Coast lifestyle. Catch us in booth C05 featuring a few of our favorite black women makers!
West Coast Craft will take place June 9 & 10, 2018, in the Festival Pavilion at the historic Fort Mason Center on the San Francisco waterfront.


Tora! Tora! Tora! (Our surprise attack has been successful). The exultant signal sent by Commander Mitsuo Fuchida to Admiral Chuichi Nagumo told a surprised world that Japan had carried out a devastating attack on Pearl Harbour bringing America into the war, an act which finally sealed the fate of the Axis powers.


text:
UK Tour for Michael Morpurgo's Running Wild
The UK Tour opens in February 2017 at Chichester Festival Theatre
First Look: Running Wild in rehearsal
21 April 2016 24 July 2019
Rehearsals are well underway for Running Wild at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.
Running Wild at Regents Park Open Air Theatre
13 April 2016 27 September 2016
Michael Morpurgo's Running Wild at Regents Park Open Air Theatre is a story of love, loss, loyalty and of living for the moment.
War Horse announces West End closing date
17 September 2015 17 February 2020
Epic WW1 drama War Horse announces final performance as 12 March 2016.
I Believe in Unicorns: Returns to the West End's Vaudeville Theatre
17 June 2014 17 February 2020
A stage adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's much-loved children's story I Believe in Unicorns is returning to the West End
I Believe In Unicorns at the Vaudeville Theatre
17 June 2014 3 September 2015
From the author of War Horse comes Michael Morpurgo's much-loved children's story I Believe in Unicorns to the Vaudeville Theatre.
I Believe in Unicorns: Transfers to the West End's Vaudeville Theatre
A stage adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's much-loved children's story I Believe in Unicorns is transferring into the West End
1 May 2014 2 December 2019
The National Theatre's epic, Olivier Award-winning drama returns to London
West End Production Of War Horse Now Booking To February 2014 As New Cast Members Join The Company At The New London Theatre
29 January 2013 14 February 2020
The National Theatre's internationally acclaimed stage production of War Horse today releases over 100,000 new tickets for sale for the West End production, taking booking at the New London Theatre to 15 February 2014. War Horse, which has now been seen by over 1.6million people in London and by over 3 million people worldwide, received its world premiere at the National Theatre in October 2007.
National Theatre's War Horse Celebrates Fifth Anniversary
26 October 2012 14 February 2020
140,000 New Tickets Released For London Production Of War Horse
31 August 2011 14 February 2020
The National Theatre's Laurence Olivier award-winning production of War Horse at the New London Theatre has released 140,000 new tickets for sale, taking bookings up to 16 February 2013.
War Horse – 290,000 Tickets Released For Sale In London
6 June 2011 14 February 2020
Today, 6 June, the National Theatre's award-winning production of War Horse at the New London Theatre will release over 290,000 new tickets for sale, taking bookings up to 20 October 2012.
New Cast For London Production Of Michael Morpurgo's West End Hit War Horse As Show Welcomes Its One Millionth Visitor
1 March 2011 14 February 2020
War Horse the Movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch, directed by Steven Spielberg
One of Steven Spielberg's big projects for 2011 is a movie version of War Horse starring Jeremy Irvine and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Transfer News: Juliet Stevenson, Avenue Q, Prunella Scales and War Horse
17 March 2009 30 January 2020
It's all change in the West End as a number of shows close to make way for transfers from other theatres. In an increasingly risk-averse climate for producers, a hit in a small venue or success in a limited run could mean money if it transfers into the West End. The subsidised National Theatre and Almeida are bringing in War Horse and Duet for One respectively, Cameron Mackintosh decides to keep Avenue Q running and Carrie's War and Saturday Night transfer from smaller venues. Duet For One The Almeida's recently acclaimed production Duet for One will transfer to the West …
Transfer News: Juliet Stevenson, Avenue Q, Prunella Scales and War Horse Read More »


text:
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#define LCD_DEVICE_H

#include "../../device/deviceDescriptor.h"

/**
 * Returns a descriptor on the lcd device.
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DeviceDescriptor* getLCDDeviceDescriptor();

#endif

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Cop Stop Conundrum
RAY: The inspiration for this puzzler came from Jeff Jacovelli from Cyberspace, Montana.
A fellow is driving his car and gets pulled over by a cop. The cop says, "I happened to notice as you were driving by that your inspection sticker expired six months ago. I'm going to have to give you a ticket."
The fellow replies, "You're not going to believe this, but this is the first time that the car has been driven in seven months. You see, I was let go from my last job and while the security people were escorting me from the building I fell down a flight of stairs and broke my hip. I've had a pretty rough go of it, what with the surgery, the steel pins and the rehab. I've been home all these months. I haven't gotten the inspection sticker because it expired while I was convalescing.
"Just yesterday I got a job offer, and I'm heading for an interview tomorrow. But I figured I better go get my inspection sticker because I knew it had expired."
The cop seems to be buying this whole story. He says, "I do feel pretty bad for you. That's a sad story, and I hope you get the job. But I'm going to have to see your driver's license to make sure that that hasn't expired."
The fellow opens the door to the car, undoes the seatbelt, gets out and reaches for his wallet to get his driver's license.
The cop says, "I'll definitely need to see that license because I'm writing you a ticket."
The car had been driven during the period of time that the fellow said it hadn't been driven.
What did the cop see?
RAY: Here's the answer. What the cop saw as soon as the fellow opened the door, was the little sticker that gas stations often affix to either the door or the door pillar that says, your next oil change is due in three months, and they put the date on it. And it gave him away.
TOM: Because it was three months ago.
RAY: Yeah, he'd had an oil change three months ago and if this is the first time he's driven the car, he's in deep trouble. Who's our winner?
TOM: The winner this week is Linda Quary from Roanoke, Virginia. Congratulations, Linda!


but nice to sail flat water some time.
I found simple game site.
200 of different kind of simple game.
I add it bottom of my link list.
When I get kanaha, car parking is full! today is public holiday.
well I get wet today. I was on 5.8 pretty much OK.
had good day for some test board.
after sail my friend Tammi show up at Kanaha.
when she get on the water, wind is light.
but she doing good . next time I wanted see she is on small board.
I met Jess and Maggie too.
last night I hanging with faction of Cam!!
we went to his friend's BBQ. we had good time over there.
sounds like she had hard work out day. so I gave here massage around shoulders.
couple minutes later, I notice one guy staring at me very hard.
he is came close to me, but he doesn't say anything. seems like a her boyfriend??
he grab a beer, then walk out. seems like a he pissed off!
a, o~ I guess my friend make him calm down. don't get Jealously man!!
picture is my friend Cam.
today I watched great adventure movie.
before see this movie, should see Indi 1. more fun to watch new one.


text:
Lydia Davis on Auden's Sleeping Habits
From her short story collection Break it Down. Link.
How W. H. Auden Spends the Night in a Friend's House
Lydia Davis
The only one awake, the house quiet, the streets darkened, the cold pressing down through his covers, he is unwilling to disturb his hosts and thus, first, his fetal curl, his search for a warm hollow in the mattress . . .
Then his stealthy excursion over the floor for a chair to stand on and his unsteady reach for the curtains, which he lays over the coverings on his bed . . .
His satisfaction in the new weight pressing down upon him, then his peaceful sleep . . .
On another occasion this wakeful visitor, cold again and finding no curtain in his room, steals out and takes up the hall carpet for the same purpose, bending and straightening in the dim hallway . . .
How its heaviness is a heavy hand on him and the dust choking his nostrils is nothing to how that carpet stifles his uneasiness . . .
Posted by Zed at 4:45 PM No comments:
Labels: poems
Barney Frank, Metamathematician
He declared:
"This was never going to be a bill that was going to make people happy," he said. "No solution to a problem can be more elegant than the problem itself. We are dealing with a very difficult problem."
Andrew Wiles was unavailable for comment.
Posted by Zed at 10:34 AM No comments:
Labels: oddities
Stevens: The Auroras of Autumn VI
(Link.)
from The Auroras of Autumn
Wallace Stevens
It is a theatre floating through the clouds,
Itself a cloud, although of misted rock
And mountains running like water, wave on wave,
Through waves of light. It is of cloud transformed
To cloud transformed again, idly, the way
A season changes color to no end,
Except the lavishing of itself in change,
As light changes yellow into gold and gold
To its opal elements and fire's delight,
Splashed wide-wise because it likes magnificence
And the solemn pleasures of magnificent space.
The cloud drifts idly through half thought of forms.
The theatre is filled with flying birds,
Wild wedges, as of a volcano's smoke, palm-eyed
And vanishing, a web in a corridor
Or massive portico. A capitol,
It may be, is emerging or has just
Collapsed. The denouement has to be postponed.
This is nothing until in a single man contained,
Nothing until this named thing nameless is
And is destroyed. He opens the door of his house
On flames. The scholar of one candle sees
An Arctic effulgence flaring on the frame
Of everything he is. And he feels afraid.
Osama bin Wordsworth
Turns out Osama bin Laden writes poetry.
"(Bin Laden) frequently uses mountains as metaphors," Miller told the newspaper. "As borders, they separate Arabs from each other but mountains can also help them from the temptations of the secular world."
Auden's remarks on Wordsworth, in the Letter to Lord Byron, seem relevant:
I'm also glad to find I've your authority
For finding Wordsworth a most bleak old bore,
Though I'm afraid we're in a sad minority
For every year his followers get more,
Their number must lave doubled since the war.
They come in train-loads to the Lakes, and swarms
Of pupil-teachers study him in Storm's...
The mountain-snob is a Wordsworthian fruit;
He tears his clothes and doesn't shave his chin,
He wears a very pretty little boot,
He chooses the least comfortable inn;
A mountain railway is a deadly sin;
His strength, of course, is as the strength of ten men,
He calls all those who live in cities wen-men,
I'm not a spoil—sport, I would never wish
To interfere with anybody's pleasures;
By all means climb, or hunt, or even fish,
All human hearts lave ugly little treasures;
But think it time to take repressive measures
When someone says, adopting the "I know" line,
The Good Life is confined above the snow-line.
Posted by Zed at 5:49 PM 2 comments:
Labels: lit crit, poems
Two words diverged in a yellow wood
It is strangely satisfying to consider that this was once a redundancy:
at his warning,
Whether in sea or fire, in earth or air,
The extravagant and erring spirit hies
To his confine:
(Hamlet I.i)
Which, to be historically accurate, should be translated as the out-wandering and wandering spirit.
I would be erring extravagantly if I didn't flag this Sandys quote in the OED:
Now dispersed into ample lakes, and again recollecting his extrauagant waters.
Hamlet, Facebooked
Hamlet's facebook feed, by Sarah Schmelling at McSweeney's, via Alex Massie.
The king poked the queen.
The queen poked the king back.
Hamlet and the queen are no longer friends.
Marcellus is pretty sure something's rotten around here.
Hamlet became a fan of daggers.
Hamlet added England to the Places I've Been application.
The queen is worried about Ophelia.
Ophelia loves flowers. Flowers flowers flowers flowers flowers. Oh, look, a river.
Ophelia joined the group Maidens Who Don't Float.
Laertes wonders what the hell happened while he was gone.
Posted by Zed at 9:05 PM 1 comment:
First Sentences, Cont.
Thus begins Hrafnkel's Saga:
It was in the days of King Harald Tangle-hair, son of Halfdan the Black, son of Gudrod the Hunter-king, son of Halfdan Hearth-stingy, son of Eystein Fart, son of Olaf the Wood-cutter, king of the Swedes, that a man called Hallfred brought his ship to Iceland, putting in at Breiddale east of the Fljotsdale district.
The genealogies are sometimes the best parts of a saga.
Labels: lit crit
Sensitivity Training?
Jon Chait has the obvious and just reaction to this piece of news:
Alan Keyes Was Unavailable?
I see that the person John McCain has playing Barack Obama in debate prep is... Michael Steele. Does the McCain campaign realize that he needs to prepare to articulate his agenda, not just general talking-to-a-black-guy preparation?
--Jonathan Chait
Big Boy Beijing
A wonderful simile from Imagethief via James Fallows:
Like a giant kid who's been holding a fart in during a three week elevator ride, Beijing has apparently relaxed its many industrial sphincters and let a big one rip.
L.E.J. Brouwer for President?
Jonathan Rauch satirizes the McCain campaign's recent antics in an amusing dialogue between McCain and Steve Schmidt. He has Schmidt make this entirely valid point:
"We've figured out something. The law of the excluded middle is not in the Constitution. We looked. It's not in any contract our party ever signed. It wasn't even written by Republicans. It was written by left-wing academics."
That's intuitionism we can believe in.
In Which I Agree with Brad DeLong
He says:
John McCain needs to retire, immediately. Joe Lieberman needs to retire, immediately. Howard Fineman needs to retire, immediately. Honest people don't vote Republican. Friends don't let friends read Newsweek or buy goods made by its advertisers.
All of which is succinct and irrefutable.
What psychologists think they know about math
This is appallingly dumb and uninformed:
"When mathematicians and physicists are left alone in a room, one of the games they'll play is called a Fermi problem, in which they try to figure out the approximate answer to an arbitrary problem," said Rebecca Saxe, a cognitive neuroscientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who is married to a physicist. "They'll ask, how many piano tuners are there in Chicago, or what contribution to the ocean's
temperature do fish make, and they'll try to come up with a plausible answer."
"What this suggests to me," she added, "is that the people whom we think of as being the most involved in the symbolic part of math intuitively know that they have to practice those other, nonsymbolic, approximating skills."
Fermi problems are entirely symbolic. You work them out something like this -- you estimate the number density of fish in the ocean, then you look up how big the ocean is, then you make a crude model of how often fish fart and how much energy that releases, and then you multiply everything -- all your estimates are powers of ten, so this step is just addition.
The point is, your estimates are generally based on either knowledge or a certain kind of abstract deductive cleverness. You virtually never know enough about the problem to have a "gut instinct."
As for the general thesis of the article:
I imagine there are strong correlations between basic math instinct and intelligence, and between intelligence and formal math. One really ought to control for IQ in these studies.
They seem to have stopped testing at 14. At this point, most people other than math prodigies are still basically multiplying and dividing numbers; translating this into, say, serious group theoretic ability is a stretch. Who knows, some people might use an innate approximating sense to figure out if their results make sense. But it seems like you could also use general intelligence for this purpose.
Their "philosophical implications" are bunk. (Surprising isn't it.) Incidentally -- if, as they claim, Fermi problems are related to gut instinct -- neither Einstein nor Heisenberg (and almost certainly not Hawking, though I don't know for a fact) was much good at Fermi problems. In fact, Heisenberg's incompetence at this sort of reasoning had a lot to do with the failure of the German nuclear program.
To reason from positive correlations in the general populace to high prevalence in the tails is to forget about Bayes' rule.
I've never heard of a mathematician with an interest in Fermi problems. Math is generally one of the least quantitative disciplines.
I generally do not read the Times's neuroscience/psychology articles. Whenever I do, I promptly regret it.
Posted by Zed at 10:12 AM 3 comments:
Kennings
I've been reading Egil's Saga, which is about a poet, and Snorri's Prose Edda, a medieval treatise on Icelandic verse. The best thing about Icelandic verse is the profusion of kennings; to quote Brad Leithauser:
Admittedly, this poetry is often deeply hermetic stuff, laced with recondite or remote kennings—those little conundrums by which, say, an "ocean horse" stands in for a ship. Heavily annotated texts are the result, translations that effectively require a further translation—as when we're given a line like "of wound-wasps' sweat," and a gloss explaining that "wound-wasps" refer to arrows and "sweat" to blood. These verses can be maddeningly elusive, and it's probably true that no reader will respond wholeheartedly to the sagas who doesn't enjoy riddles. For those who do, the frustrations inherent in not-always-explicable texts will be compensated by numerous little pleasures, as where a "prow's meadow" turns out to be the sea; "scabbard-icicles," swords; "love-hair's island," a vagina; "dark beer," blood; and the "drink of the giant's kin," poetry itself.
Posted by Zed at 11:46 AM 1 comment:
The Essential Palin
Green on Warhol on Jagger
from Warhol's Portraits
He is in my opinion past his prime
already in this print, and he and Keith
are fast becoming tacky little skanks
and sherry-slurping, chicken-headed whores.
They shake their butts and sweat in leather pants,
like ancient drag queens high on Angel dust.
-- George Green
Here's the portrait (link):
Posted by Zed at 11:11 PM No comments:
On Buying Books
When should a starving grad student with access to a large library buy a book? There's an ethical issue here as well as the prudential one -- university libraries let you borrow arbitrarily many books, and you can usually keep them for a long time. In principle your renewals run out at some point, but you can always hand in the book and borrow it again in a day, or have someone else borrow it for you. Nevertheless it seems wrong to hog the library's copy of, say, a novel that you could buy for $10-15 on Amazon, just because you sometimes unpredictably feel like rereading it. And there are also the books you -- at least if you're me -- haven't read and like to have lying around in case you're ever in a mood to read them. I remember running out of renewals on Halldor Laxness's large novel Independent People (strongly recommended, btw) before I read it, and finishing it about five minutes before Frost library closed. If I owned my copy I might never have read it; on the other hand I had no business keeping the library's copy for eight months.
Apart from textbooks, which one always ends up buying regardless of price, the following seem like well-motivated purchases:
Books to travel with. Three library hardcovers are a lot heavier than three paperbacks. Besides, you can't slough library books.
Books with passages I return to. Poetry, of course; but also the more aphoristic types of nonfiction. Montaigne or Johnson, say. Some literary criticism -- W.H. Auden's The Dyer's Hand, William Empson's Some Versions of Pastoral. Some picaresque novels, like Tom Jones or Don Quixote, that are readable in sections. Not Dostoevsky or especially Tolstoy; if I were to reread War and Peace, I would probably have to reread the whole thing. It follows that I don't need a copy, since I can borrow it whenever I want to reread it.
Of course, one's very favorite books are always rereadable in parts.
Remaindered books. The bargain/remaindered books at most bookshops are, of course, there for a reason -- there are very few masterpieces, but a lot of the lesser works of good writers.
Books perpetually checked out of the library. Camus, for instance, or Arendt or anyone else of that sort. I tend to avoid these except when I can get them cheap. Which isn't always possible.
Of course, I often make stupid purchases, like buying books I probably won't reread because they're on sale.
Given that one wants a book, there's a decision to be made about whether one should hang on until one finds it at a bookshop or use Amazon. I like to support what Mary Beard calls "Real Bookshops," i.e. independent bookshops with better collections than Borders/B&N. I don't mind the big-box stores, but they tend not to have what you're looking for, and, more importantly, not to have anything you didn't know you were looking for. I don't think these bookshops serve a useful purpose, except as pretentious cafes; I would rather support Amazon, which tends to have better prices and more books in the long tail, where most of my reading list is. I especially like shops with medium-sized, idiosyncratic collections; there's something to be said for the acres-of-random-stuff model, but one tends to zone out and miss things one isn't specifically looking for.
Apart from the social responsibility high, I guess there's the rationing effect of saying something like, that's a book I want to own, but I'll wait until I find it at a bookshop.
[These reflections were triggered by seeing the name Alcock somewhere in a news story, and remembering this observation in Littlewood's Miscellany p. 128:
At a Scholarship Examination, Dykes pointed out to me that the list had the consecutives Alchin and Alcock.]
In Which DFW Kills Himself
Link.
I wonder if this makes it less or more probable that I'll read him. Less, because the formerly unlikely prospect of his writing an inviting novel is now quite impossible. More, because his shorter pieces will be all over the internet.
Amherst faculty were ambivalent about DFW [who, of course, was an Amherst alum and near-classmate of Dan Brown] pre-suicide. I remember Norton Starr ranting about the garbled math in Infinite Jest. Andy Parker reputedly said that I reminded him of DFW. Bear in mind that the one time I took a class with Parker -- "Big Books," my first semester at Amherst -- he called me into his office and lectured me on how my behavior in class "could do with some improvement."
Posted by Zed at 12:48 PM 1 comment:
Obama Backwards, Me Forwards
The classicist Mary Beard is, astonishingly, the first person I know or read to observe that Obama backwards is "amabo," which, of course, is Latin for "I will love." Along w/ the East African connection, this means that I have two unexpected things in common with Obama: my name also means love in an unintended language -- Korean in this case.
No wonder I don't like him very much.
PS The plot thickens. There's an urbandictionary entry for "Sarang" that's clearly meant to refer to someone named Sarang.
Horace, Probability Theorist
after Horace Odes I.34
Anything can happen. You know how Jupiter
Will mostly wait for clouds to gather head
Before he hurls the lightning? Well just now
He galloped his thunder cart and his horses
Across a clear blue sky. It shook the earth
And the clogged underearth, the River Styx,
The winding streams, the Atlantic shore itself.
Anything can happen, the tallest towers
Be overturned, those in high places daunted,
Those overlooked regarded. Stropped-beak Fortune
Swoops, making the air gasp, tearing the crest off one,
Setting it down bleeding on the next.
Ground gives. The heaven's weight
Lifts up off Atlas like a kettle lid.
Capstones shift. Nothing resettles right.
Telluric ash and fire-spores boil away.
(from District and Circle)
The third-party candidate we've been waiting for...
Godot!
(via Alex Massie)
Labels: lit crit, oddities
Jagu on the LHC
Interviewed for some Amherst PR gig:
If you think of any thing that might happen, like Tony Marx opening his kitchen faucet tomorrow and a dragon coming out and biting him, you can calculate the probability of that process. It is probably non-zero because it's not forbidden by any known conservation laws. But we wouldn't say, therefore, that Tony Marx should not go near his kitchen faucet tomorrow.
Two groups of independent experts have looked in detail at the risks posed by the LHC and have concluded that there is no reasonable risk (of the exotic kind). Moreover, experience with cosmic ray events lends some empirical support to the assessment that the risk is well below the threshold of rational concern. As the inimitable Ashton Kutcher says in Dude, Where's My Car?, "I don't want to go down in history as the dude who destroyed the Universe".
Posted by Zed at 12:56 PM 2 comments:
Massachusetts Governors Suck
Another former Massachusetts governor is an idiot:
Speaking on behalf of the McCain campaign, former Massachusetts Gov. Jane Swift tonight flatly stated that Obama had called Palin a pig.
"[T]he formation of the Palin Truth Squad couldn't have happened too soon, as we saw when Sen. Obama in Lebanon, Va., this evening uttered what I can only deem to be disgraceful comments comparing our vice presidential nominee Gov. Palin to a pig," Swift said. "Sen. Obama owes Gov. Palin an apology," she said.
Asked why she was so confident Obama was "comparing" Palin to a pig, she said Palin was the only one of the four candidates on both parties' tickets who wears lipstick.
"She is the only one of the four candidates for president, or the only vice presidential candidate who wears lipstick," Swift said. "I mean, it seemed to me a very gendered comment."
But, Swift added, if "as part of his apology Sen. Obama wants to say, no, he was calling Sen. McCain -- who is a true hero in our country -- a pig, then I suppose we could wait en masse for an apology to that, as well."
It was pointed out to Swift that, after the line about the pig, Obama had said, "You can wrap an old fish in a piece of paper called 'change,' it's still gonna stink after eight years."
Swift then suggested that Obama was calling McCain a fish."
I have a fourth-grader and two second-graders at home," she said. "I would not teach them that this is sort of a high-minded debate on policy issues when they are calling people rotten old fish or a pig. In fact, it sounds a lot like some of the least intelligent debates on the playground sound like at our elementary school."
Mystery Mitt
It still seems weird that they let that clown become governor of Massachusetts. I know he was less right-wing and all that, but surely he was just as lacking in basic political skills.
Here he is, from the Republican convention via Hendrik Hertzberg.
Last week, the Democrats talked about change. But let me ask you—what do you think Washington is right now, liberal or conservative? ... We need change all right—change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington!
The fist is more romantic than the sword
Jenny Factor once did a reading at Amherst, which I remember best for the purported "canzone about fisting," which sounded bizarre and unsatisfactory. I came across the text today; the poem, it turns out, is less bizarre and more unsatisfactory -- quite awful, in fact -- than I remembered. The canzone is a sort of sestina on steroids; there are five endwords, and each stanza has a featured endword, which is repeated over and over and over. I am not aware of any canzones that are actually worth reading.
While on the topic -- not of canzones -- I would like to introduce you to Professor Manfred Pfister, Lowell's German translator and a distinguished scholar of Romance languages:
From Steven Weinberg's Harvard Phi Beta Kappa lecture "Without God," reprinted in the NYRB [and gated]:
in the past forty years I have not seen any paper in the areas of physics or astronomy that I follow that was written in an Islamic country and was worth reading. Thousands of scientific papers are turned out in these countries, and perhaps I missed something. Still, in 2002 the periodical Nature carried out a survey of science in Islamic countries, and found just three areas in which the Islamic world produced excellent science, all three directed toward applications rather than basic science. They were desalination, falconry, and camel breeding.
I look forward to the letters. Of course it's silly to attribute the weakness of Iranian physics to the tension between science and Islam; there are many more obvious things -- some religion-related, some not -- holding the Middle East back.
Public Opinion on Abortion
Here is Gallup's summary of attitudes towards abortion. It's clear that abortion is not, at this point, a major issue in this election -- though this is at least partly because most people take their cues on what issues are important from the media and the parties, and no one is campaigning on abortion. It's also notable that people generally support a ban on partial-birth abortions. (Which is understandable. I support all abortions; people who feel like aborting their fetuses eight months in have no business having kids. However, there is obviously a thin line between partial-birth abortion and infanticide.) This is problematic for Obama, who's broadly in favor of killing fetuses.
It still seems like a good idea to use culture-war issues to tie Palin (and the ticket) to Bush -- esp. because there are other issues, like stem cell research, that are substantially less popular than abortion. But it might take a little more care than I assumed. The majorities simply aren't big or firm enough.
Palin and the Culture Wars
I don't like Froma Harrop, but I think -- or at least hope -- she's onto something here. I get the sense that the conservative base is at least as far from the mainstream on a lot of cultural issues as the liberal base; as long as one focuses on Palin's political views as opposed to the bogus "experience" argument (which is really about optics -- she's a she and not Hillary, hence unfit to be president -- and should work better if not mentioned), she's obviously very weird and far-right. The left seems to think cultural issues are losing issues by definition, but this isn't actually true; public opinion was distinctly with Schiavo's husband, and stem-cell research helped the Democrats win the MO senate race in 2006.
What a McCain presidency now promises is another four years of Terri Schiavo and other artifacts of the cultural right. You remember Schiavo's husband having to fight the Bush administration and Republican Congress to remove his wife -- in a vegetative state for 15 years -- from life support. It's four more years of national humiliation as our leadership undermines the teaching of evolutionary science, and if something happens to John McCain, opposes stem-cell research.
One tries to untangle McCain's political calculations. The Schiavo case, creationism and similar excesses appeal to a passionate but small slice of the electorate. They are one reason voters are booting Republicans out of power. So while some religious conservatives may be "energized" by the Palin pick, most everyone else is revolted.
An Anthology of Fuck-you Poems
Some of these are quite good. The translation from Catullus (pedicabo ego vos et irrumabo) isn't. I tried quite hard, and very unsuccessfully, to make something of that poem a couple of years ago; it's probably impossible to translate, at least into modern English, because there really isn't that much emotional force to shouting "faggot" any more.
I've always been a fan of that Ammons poem:
Their Sex Life
One failure
On top of another.
-- A.R. Ammons
Peggy Noonan Scares Me
I have a lot of respect for Peggy Noonan as a writer, but she makes my flesh creep. Consider this comment, quoted in Fallows's long Atlantic piece on the debates:
I remember always having the sense that Obama couldn't land a punch. And then kind of respecting the fact that he wouldn't land a punch. Hillary was flailing away like a midget boxer and he was holding her off with his long arm and then saying something boring about alternative energy sources.
It's brilliant, but you can feel the vicious sexism just beneath the surface.
First Sentences
Halldor Laxness, in The Fish Can Sing:
A wise man once said that next to losing its mother, there is nothing more healthy for a child than to lose its father.
Brad Leithauser is apparently a huge fan of this opening sentence. Alice Munro has a similarly good one in the current New Yorker:
I am convinced that my father looked at me, really saw me, only once. After that, he knew what was there. ("Face")
Geoffrey Hill: In Ipsley Church Lane 1
(New Criterion Jan 2006, collected in Without Title.)
In Ipsley Church Lane 1
Geoffrey Hill
More than ever I see through painters' eyes.
The white hedge-parsleys pall, the soot is on them.
Clogged thorn-blossom sticks, like burnt cauliflower,
to the festered hedge-rim. More than I care to think
I am as one coarsened by feckless grief.
Storm cloud and sun together bring out the yellow of stone.
But that's lyricism, as Father Guardini
equably names it: autosuggestion, mania,
working off a chagrin close to despair,
ridden by jealousy of all self-healed
in sexual love, each selving each, the gift
of that necessity their elect choice.
Later, as in late autumn, there will be
the mass-produced wax berries, and perhaps
an unearthed wasps' nest like a paper skull,
where fragile cauls of cobweb start to shine.
Where the quick spider mummifies its dead
rage shall move somnolent yet unappeased.
Prison Rehabilitation Policies: Map
(Source.) It's interesting that -- while the south has disproportionately harsh policies -- the overall picture is fairly patchy and random. For the record, while I don't believe in disenfranchising prisoners, I could live with the no-inmates, or the no-inmates-or-parolees, policy. Disenfranchising people on probation seems like a bit much.
Prisons and Black Turnout
Andrew Hacker has a very insightful article in the New York Review about the things that keep black people from the polls. He is especially good on the issue of rehabilitation for convicted and released felons:
Virginia takes an especially harsh view of drug offenses, which is mainly why so many black Americans are imprisoned there, not least because it's so easy to make such arrests. Released offenders must wait seven years before they can file a petition for their vote, which must be accompanied by seven documents and several supporting letters, plus another to the governor detailing "how your life has changed" and specifying "why you feel your rights should be restored."
Mississippi has a similar regimen: with 155,127 men and women released between 1992 and 2004, only 107 petitions to have the right to vote restored were approved. The disenfranchisement of former felons in Kentucky has reduced its potential black electorate by 24 percent.
According to the Brennan Center report, only Maine and Vermont allow inmates to vote (as they can in Israel and Canada). Thirteen states, including Pennsylvania and Michigan, allow former convicts to vote upon their release from prison, while twenty-five bar voting until such ex-prisoners have completed their probation or parole. The other ten, like Alabama and Virginia, make the process of reattaining the right to vote so arduous that most people don't try. Nor does there seem to be much sentiment in those states for removing the bans or lowering the barriers.


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Millions of people everyday spend eight hours or more in a small padded cubicle. The curious thing about it is they choose to do that. They willingly sacrifice a quality of life because they believe it is the only way to support their families. That may have been true 10 years ago but it isn't any longer.
Starting an online business can be the salvation for which many want-to-be corporate escapees are looking. Unlike starting a brick and mortar business, the start-up costs for an online business are very small. Initially, an online business needs only a part-time owner. Corporate prisoners by day can build their underground railroad by night.
There are three key components to running a successful online business. They are determination, profitable products, and marketing skills.
Of the three critical components, only "determination" can't be taught. Not everyone is suited to be an astronaut or a truck driver. And, not everyone is suited to run one's own business. Determination is a single-minded drive that moves one beyond the minor setbacks of the learning curve. If you tend to start but never finish projects, an online business is not for you. An online business takes staying power.
Many people have tried their hand at online sales through eBay. After many unsuccessful attempts at finding profitable products, they give up. Finding profitable products can be learned but there are tricks of the trade.
Knowing this, many people get sucked into paying some "eBay guru" thousands of dollars to do it for them. Unfortunately, they find out quickly that they have to find the products themselves. An individual who wants their own online business wants to find their own products. But how?
Depending upon your financial situation, there are six proven ways to find profitable products to sell online. They start with those requiring no investment and end with those requiring thousands of dollars of investment capital. Regardless of the price of the product, the higher the investment, the lower the unit cost of the products. The lower the unit cost of the products, the higher the profit margin. The higher the profit margin, the more money the company makes.
Many people attempt to start an online sales business at the bottom of the product acquisition food chain, with dropshipping. Dropshipping requires little or no initial investment. With dropshipping, you sell someone else's product. When you sell the product, you pay the supplier to drop-ship the product to your customer with the fee coming out of your profits. Typically, the profit associated with dropshipping is very small or non-existent.
A better alternative for those people with little money to invest is consignment selling. Consignment selling is where you sell someone else's product, but you collect a fee of between 10% and 25% of the final sale price. Sounds good, right? It is but it takes a person who is a real self-starter and can negotiate with people. Family, friends, neighbors, local crafters, local businesses without a web presence are all candidates for consignment sales.
With your profits from consignment sales, you can move on to acquiring bulk and surplus products. Working with surplus brokers requires some initiative and internet surfing skills. There are hundreds of surplus brokers on the internet. Choosing the right one is a problem and requires some research skills. However, the profit margins are higher on surplus goods than the other two techniques discussed above. For instance, a Janome Memory Craft sewing machine was acquired at surplus for $99.00 and sold on eBay for $430.00, a very nice profit.
In addition to the three product acquisition methods discussed above, the biggest profit margins and more reliable supply of products is achieved by working with wholesalers or importers. Working with wholesalers, they require you have a legal business and a resale certificate from your state's taxation board. Working with imported goods is more difficult. If you attempt to go directly to the source in China, as a novice, you can lose a great deal of money very fast. Consider working with a reputable customs broker if you choose to acquire product in this way.
All of these acquisition skills can be learned; but without determination, you will not succeed.
Once you have acquired your product, marketing skills are needed to successfully sell your product.
Two people with exactly the same product for sale will not experience the same success. The one who wins will have superior marketing skills. Marketing skills include the ability to find customers and then motivate them to buy your particular product.
Marketing starts with identifying the particular customer you will sell to. You do not sell a skateboard to a 13 year old with the same conversation you sell that same skateboard to his mother, or grandparents. Marketing requires you get into the mindset of your customer in such a way that you start to think like them. Without knowing their motivations and concerns, you will never sell them anything. Great marketing is targeted to a specific group of people.
After a thorough understanding of your customer is achieved, you need then to design your offer in a way that appeals to them and encourages them to buy now. All of these skills can be learned and must be learned to run a successful business, online or not.
With a great offer in hand, you need to find customers. Where does your targeted group of customers hang out? What do they read? Where do they go on the internet? You must get your offer in front of their eyes. They won't find you.
There are literally hundreds of methods for communicating your marketing message online and via traditional methods, like advertising. The only ones that will work will be those that find your target market. You can send marketing messages all day without success. If your potential customer is tuned into some other location, you'll miss them.
Marketing skills can be learned. Acquiring profitable products can be learned. But both of these critical skills rest on a foundation of determination. Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Certainly! If the "old dog" is determined to learn.
An online business is not for everyone. However, it can be your way out of corporate America. Never again will someone else set your work hours for you. Never again will you miss a child's recital because you couldn't get away from work. Never again will you sweat making your next house payment. Ready? GO!
Michele Schermerhorn is the president of Online Business Institute, Inc. – Creating successful online business owners one person at a time. Online Business Institute can be found online at (http://www.obinstitute.com).


text:
Senators Durbin, Blumenthal Question Potentially Deceptive Marketing at Rite Aid
by Gary Kopycinski on March 8, 2012
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Concerned that "wellness ambassadors" recommending dietary supplements are mistaken for pharmacists and medical professionals
WASHINGTON, D.C.--(ENEWSPF)--March 8, 2012. U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) today questioned potentially deceptive marketing practices at the drugstore chain Rite Aid which has GNC dietary supplement stores in more than 2,000 Rite Aid pharmacies nationwide. In a letter to the President and CEO of Rite Aid, Durbin and Blumenthal express concern over the placement of "wellness stations" in stores, which are staffed by "wellness ambassadors" who take health . . .


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