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Home » School of Science appoints 10 faculty to named professorships | MIT News
School of Science appoints 10 faculty to named professorships | MIT News
The School of Science has introduced that 10 of its faculty members have been appointed to named professorships. Faculty members chosen for these positions obtain further assist to proceed their analysis and develop their careers.
Camilla Cattania has been appointed Professor of Cecil and Ida Green Career Development within the (*10*) of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences. Her analysis makes use of theoretical and computational strategies to higher perceive how faults slide throughout and between earthquakes, with a deal with explaining statistical seismicity patterns that emerge from the underlying small-scale physics. She has developed new aftershock initiation fashions and estimates of earthquake recurrence and predictability. More not too long ago, she has targeted on the complexity in fault geometry and its relationship to foreshock sequences, which in the long run might assist enhance earthquake prediction.
Olivia Corradin, an assistant professor within the (*10*) of Biology and a core member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, has been appointed Professor of Career Development for the Class of 1922. Corradin is specializing in non-coding DNA variants – modifications within the DNA sequence that may alter the regulation of gene expression – to acquire perception into pathogenesis. Using their novel outdoors variant strategy, Corradin's lab recognized a kind of mind cell concerned in a number of sclerosis and elevated the recognized general heritability by three to fivefold. She additionally examines how genetic and epigenetic variations have an effect on susceptibility to substance use problems.
Tristan Collins is now Assistant Professor of Mathematics Class of 1948 for Career Development. He conducts analysis on the interface of geometric evaluation, partial differential equations and algebraic geometry. In joint work with Valentino Tosatti, Collins described Ricci circulate singularity formation on Kahler manifolds in phrases of algebraic knowledge. In collaboration with Gabor Szekelyhidi, he gave a crucial and enough algebraic situation for the existence of Ricci flat metrics, which play an vital function in string idea and mathematical physics. This end result led to the invention of infinitely many new Einstein metrics on the 5-dimensional sphere. With Shing-Tung Yau and Adam Jacob, Collins is at the moment investigating the connection between categorical stability situations and the existence of options to differential equations arising from mirror symmetry.
William Frank has been appointed Victor P. Starr Career Development Professor within the (*10*) of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences. His analysis investigates the bodily mechanisms that management the deformation of the Earth's crust. By learning fault instability throughout the Earth, from shallow stick-slip earthquakes to deeper regular creep, he hopes to enhance earthquake hazard estimates. Using a multidisciplinary strategy, he combines seismological methods with geodetic observations to study extra concerning the evolution of fault processes in time and area and the way the Earth responds to tectonic, volcanic, and anthropogenic influences.
Jeremy Hahn, Assistant Professor within the (*10*) of Mathematics, has been appointed Rockwell International Career Development Professor. Hahn's analysis is in algebraic topology and homotopy idea with a specific deal with structured ring spectra. With colleagues he has carried out work on the equivariant chromatic homotopy idea, on the classification of high-dimensional manifolds and on the redshift conjectures within the algebraic Ok-theory.
Erin Kara, an assistant professor within the (*10*) of Physics and a member of MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, was named Class of 1958 Career Development Professor. She is an observational astrophysicist working to perceive the physics behind how black holes develop and have an effect on their environment. She additionally works on the event of new and future area missions. She is co-chair of the supermassive black gap working group of the XRISM observatory, a joint JAXA-NASA X-ray spectroscopy mission due to launch in 2023, and deputy principal investigator of the AXIS probe mission idea.
Kristin Knouse has been appointed Whitehead Career Development Professor. As an assistant professor on the (*10*) of Biology and the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Knouse goals to perceive how tissues sense and reply to harm so as to develop new approaches to regenerative drugs. She focuses on the mammalian liver – which has the distinctive skill to totally regenerate itself – to ask how organisms reply to organ damage, how sure cells retain the flexibility to develop and divide whereas others don't, and which genes regulate this course of.
Brent Minchew, an assistant professor within the (*10*) of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, was appointed professor of profession improvement for the Class of 1948. Minchew is a geophysicist working to perceive the interactions between local weather, the cryosphere and the stable earth. He makes use of a mixture of geodetic observations – primarily interferometric artificial aperture radar – and bodily fashions to research dynamic methods and their varied responses to environmental cues. Most of Minchew's analysis focuses on the dynamics of current glaciers, with an emphasis on glacial mattress mechanics, ice-ocean interactions, and ice rheology.
Taylor Perron is now the Cecil and Ida Green Professor of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences at MIT. Perron research how landscapes kind and evolve, each on Earth and on different planets. His strategy combines idea and numerical modelling, discipline and distant sensing observations, evaluation of knowledge from planetary missions and laboratory experiments. His group's analysis is organized round three themes: explaining distinguished panorama patterns corresponding to branching river networks; utilizing pure experiments to research how local weather shapes landscapes; and the research of planetary landforms to study concerning the evolution of different worlds.
Richard Teague has been appointed Kerr-McGee Career Development Professor within the (*10*) of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences. He is an observational astronomer learning planet formation by way of preliminary situations and protoplanetary disks, in addition to early planetary life and the formation of their atmospheres. He makes use of observations from telescopes such because the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the Atacama Large (sub-)millimeter Array (ALMA) to detect and characterize planets throughout their formation, to stock the supplies used to construct Planetary methods are used, and map the bodily and chemical buildings wanted for formation.
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St. Matthew's University School of Medicine is a fully accredited medical school.
St. Matthew's University School of Medicine's M.D. program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission on Colleges of Medicine (ACCM), the accrediting body for the Cayman Islands.
The United States Department of Education, via the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA), reviews the standards that countries use to accredit medical schools. The NCFMEA has determined that the accreditation standards used by the ACCM to accredit SMU's medical program are comparable to those used by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the accrediting body that accredits M.D.-granting medical programs in the United States.
St. Matthew's University School of Medicine is one of the select international medical schools approved to participate in U.S. Federal Student Aid programs.
Approved by the New York State Education Department: In addition to clerkship opportunities, New York approval provides access to residencies in the state. The approval is for a period of seven years, which is the longest term of approval that can be granted to an international medical school.
The Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) identifies St Matthew's University as an approved school in the World Directory of Medical Schools (click here).
St. Matthew's University is a member of the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE) as well as the Family Medicine Education Consortium (FMEC).


1 x Official Raspberry Pi 3 Case. Note this is the original, and NOT the cheaper copy supplied by many other suppliers!
1 x 16 GB, Class 10 (high speed read/write) SD Card with NOOBS operating system programmed onto it. SanDisk or Kinston brand.


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Izu Skyline is a toll road through Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture. The road measures 40.6 km and leads through mountainous terrain in the eastern part of Izu Peninsula and connects Atami-touge IC near Kannami-cho, Tagata-gun, Shizuoka and Amagi-kougen IC of Atami city.

External links

 Homepage of Izu Skyline road

Toll roads in Japan

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Zero food hygiene rating for Stanton House Hotel
Zero food hygiene rating for Stanton House Hotel near Swindon
By Michael Benke
STANTON House Hotel has been told it needs to make urgent improvements to its kitchen after scoring zero in a food hygiene inspection.
The score is the lowest an establishment can receive and the owners must now take action to improve.
Inspectors visited the Stanton Fitzwarren hotel on July 10 with the score being published on the Food Standards Agency website.
The hotel has two restaurants, one of which is Japanese while the other has a mixed menu with Japanese elements due to its links with the nearby Honda plant.
It has been confirmed the rating for Stanton House Hotel covers all food catering within the building, including the restaurant and whatever is prepared for guests at the hotel.
The venue is popular among people in the region and is one of the leading venues for weddings while it also holds many conferences.
The exact details as to why such a low score was given are not publicly available, but the Food Standards Agency website explains how venues which deal with food are graded.
It read: "Each business is given their hygiene rating when it is inspected by a food safety officer from the business's local authority.
"The food safety officer inspecting the business checks how well the business is meeting the law by looking at how hygienically the food is handled, the condition of the structure of the buildings such as the cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation and other facilities as well as how the business manages and records what it does to make sure food is safe.
"At the end of the inspection, the business is given one of the six ratings from 0-5. The top rating of '5' means that the business was found to have 'very good' hygiene standards.
"Any business should be able to reach this top rating."
A hotel spokesman said: "Whilst naturally disappointed by the rating, we would like to make it clear that no guests have been directly affected.
"The inspection has identified some issues that could be improved, and we have already implemented a number of new practices and procedures in response with external consultant's help, as well as investing in further staff training."
This latest score follows the news that 14 other venues around the town were given a score of zero since the start of the year.
Louise Doughty, public protection team leader for Swindon Borough Council, said officers will look to work with venues to help them improve.
She said: "You often hear calls for these places to be shut down when they score a zero, but there are strict criteria which have to be adhered to.
"If they meet them then we will take action, but if not then we will work with them to try so they can improve.
"We don't go out looking to shut places down or give them a low score so we try and help.
"What we would say to any business which uses food is to contact us if they are unsure."
The hygiene scores of all the food establishments in Swindon can be found by visiting www.ratings.food.gov.uk
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Duchess of Cornwall invited to hospice's 40th birthday celebration
Stabbing victim threw BRICK at his attacker in Pinehurst cornershop
Highworth reptile sanctuary founder admits having sex with underage girl

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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The Search for Natural / Herbal treatments for HIV / AIDS in Africa
A Ghanaian herbalist has challenged the assumption that orthodox medicine and not plant medicine is the right mode of seeking a cure for HIV/AIDS.
Mr. Kamara Agyapong, Managing Director of the Peace Herbal Clinic, said even though orthodox medicine has the potential of treating HIV, plant or herbal medicine has the capacity of not only treating it, but also curing a patient of the disease.
He was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency at Ejisu in Ashanti, about efforts being made by some herbalists to propose more acceptable treatments/cure for HIV/AIDS.
Mr Agyapong is a renowned herbalist, who is already collaborating with the Department of Bio-Chemistry at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) (http://knust.edu.gh) to research into some herbal preparations for the cure of HIV/AIDS.
He said he was worried that even though a number of herbalists had researched on their own into plant and herbs to come out with cures for HIV/AIDS, their chances of administering such medicines to patients were being hindered by the lack of recognition by the authorities. Mr Agyapong appealed to the government and those in authority to give recognition and approval to such herbalists to enable them publicly contribute their quota towards the fight against the HIV/AIDS menace.
It has been reported that he is disappointed that the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC, www.ghanaids.gov.gh) has limited its role only to awareness creation about HIV/AIDS, while according to him, not publicizing initiatives assisting organizations that are researching into cures for the disease.
He said that enough awareness creation had been carried out with the support of the GAC and the time had now come for the Commission to channel part of its resources to helping herbalists' research to come out with a cure for HIV/AIDS.
Concerning the search effective treatments for HIV/AIDS, it has been argued that even though plants contain substances vital for the development of medicine that could cure the infection, African governments had down-played the role of traditional medicine in favour of the orthodox.
Mr Agyapong said if African Governments were determined to give their people good quality health, then the authorities should assist health practitioners to develop their own medicine using plants instead of relying on orthodox medicine.
He said herbal preparations from natural materials did not have hazardous side effects unlike orthodox medicine, which depended on synthetic base, and that apart from being medicinal, plant medicines can also served as food for humans, are very accessible, and less costly.
He called on cooperate bodies in Ghana that use their profits in organizing beauty contests, to divert such monies into complementing efforts of the government and herbalists at developing plant medicine.
Comment about this news item:
How much constructive health news (other than disaster reports and aid appeals) do you find reported from the continent of Africa ?
Although we do not have further information about this story it is interesting to know about the issues faced by natural health specialists in this region.
News is included on the IvyRose website to inform visitors about current health issues, but not to endorse any particular view or activity. Any views expressed in the article above are not necessarily those of IvyRose Ltd.. Based on information available by 29 July 2005.
Source: Media based in Africa e.g. Accra Daily Mail, Ghana.
Also in the News:
Saffron adopted through ABC's Adopt-an-Herb Program - 7 Apr '20
Garlic and Artichoke adopted through ABC's Adopt-an-Herb Program - 14 Jun '19
Total retail sales of herbal supplements in the USA exceeded $8 Billion in 2017 - 13 Sep '18
Health uses of the drumstick tree (India) - 2 May '16
Aromatherapy Book wins Botanical Literature Award (USA) - 19 Feb '16
New research links cannabis use and psychotic experiences - 19 Aug '10
Scientists develop new drug treatment for malaria - 16 Aug '10
Proposals for UK regulation of Herbal Medicines, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Acupuncture - 1 Apr '10
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International Society of Analysts & Programmers is organizing a mega event LEVEL7 at five different places (Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Coimbatore & Madurai) where creativity, talent, and innovation come together. It is going to be the biggest, boldest festival of tech bringing together global innovators and tech enthusiasts to help shape tomorrow's world and provides the opportunity to gain unprecedented brand exposure to the largest and most engaged tech audience.
We are glad to invite you and your students to participate in this grand convention, shower you performance and bag the awards and prizes.


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Logos Live est un album du groupe Tangerine Dream enregistré en public en 1982, soustitré "Live at the Dominion - London '82". Certains extraits ont été utilisés dans des compilations sous les titres "Logos (Red Part)" et "Logos (Velvet Part)".

Titres

Artistes
 Edgar Froese
 Christopher Franke
 Johannes Schmoelling

Notes et références

Album de Tangerine Dream
Album musical sorti en 1982


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Continuum joins Lorca UK
You are here: Home / Blog / Continuum joins Lorca UK
January 21, 2020 by Jenna Preston
Continuum Security Partner with Lorca for UK Expansion
Continuum Security is proud to announce our partnership with Lorca (London Office for Rapid Cybersecurity Advancement) a UK government-backed cybersecurity accelerator programme designed to:
Support the most promising cybersecurity innovators in scaling and growing solutions to meet industry's biggest challenges, while building the UK's international cybersecurity profile.
LORCA is a joint collaboration between Plexal, CSIT and Deloitte. It's funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport as part of the National Cyber Security Strategy.
As part of this partnership we will also be able to leverage cutting-edge academic support from the Centre for Secure Information Technologies (CSIT) at Queen's University Belfast.
Continuum Security already has a presence in the UK with some exciting current customers. This partnership with Lorca affords us the platform and resources to greatly expand our reach and work in partnership with industry leaders on strategic implementation.
The UK is one of the world's foremost centers for cybersecurity excellence and this will help us create a strong presence there in 2020 and beyond.
Lorca announcement
Links in the press:
Computer Weekly, Lorca announces new cohort of 20 security scaleups
National Technology News: Government cyber accelerator announces 20 new scale up
Blog, Company


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It's the end of one era and the explosive start of another as we return to Westeros for the penultimate episode of House Of The Dragon's first season.
Posted Oct. 17, 2022, 10:08 a.m.
Warning: the below contains full spoilers for Episode 9 of House Of The Dragon, which aired on HBO on Oct. 16, 2022. To refresh your memory, check out our review of last week's episode.
The King is dead! Long live the… er, who's next? That's the question that hangs heavy over this penultimate episode of the season, with the death of Viserys the Peaceful marking the end of an era in more ways than one. The departure of Paddy Considine's well-meaning king, after that sad final hurrah around the family table last week, means that the uneasy cold war between his potential heirs looks likely to get very hot, very fast.
We open with a striking series of images of the Red Keep in darkness and fog, the Iron Throne empty and its throne room silent. After shedding a quiet tear for the dead man, priority number one for Alicent (Olivia Cooke) and her father Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) is to stop the word getting out about Viserys' death until they've had a chance to secure the throne for Alicent's eldest son, Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney). That means locking up the servants and any nobles who won't bend the knee; it even means confining Rhaenys (Eve Best) to her rooms until she swears fealty.
Poor Lord Caswell (Paul Hickey) attempts to dissemble, bending the knee and then trying to flee the castle, but thanks to awful Larys Strong (Matthew Needham) he is caught and hanged. Lord Larys, meanwhile, now suggests that he'll work for Otto as well as Alicent, once again inveigling his way as close to power as possible – but almost immediately double crosses Otto to tell Alicent all about her father's secrets, in return for – eww – being allowed to perv over her bare feet. At least we know what he's getting out of the deal.
Alicent is driven by her (honest but mistaken) belief that this is all done according to Viserys' wishes; Otto by his thirst for power. In one respect Alicent is kinder than her counterpart in George R.R. Martin's Fire And Blood: she allows the Silent Sisters to tend to the king's body properly, rather than leaving him to rot for days while messages go out to her allies in preparation for the coronation. This Alicent had some affection for her husband, and even for her wastrel son, and still attempts to protect Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy, not present this episode) as she manoeuvres Aegon into power. She also stands up to her father, claiming that it's not unduly scrupulous to be willing to go to any lengths short of blatant murder (the entire history of Westeros might dispute that). It takes Rhaenys to point out the contradictions of Alicent's position, "toiling" in the shadow of men instead of being able to assume power herself. Her costuming is now full Tudor style, which is interesting. Is she a purported schemer like the popular image of Anne Boleyn, a tyrant like Queen Mary or a warrior leader like Queen Elizabeth I? Only time will tell.
It's a break from the habit that Game Of Thrones had of having a huge battle in the second last episode.
It won't be easy to steal the throne. For one thing, the Small Council is initially divided on the question. Lord Beesbury (Bill Paterson) correctly points out that what they're doing is illegal. Tyland Lannister (Jefferson Hall) has clearly been pre-plotting the whole affair with Otto and Lord Jasper Wylde (Paul Kennedy), to Alicent's dismay. Grand Maester Orwyle (Kurt Egyiawan) is not averse to the plot. But Cole reacts violently to Beesbury's objections to the coup, unfortunately for Beesbury, and kills him in a way that's maybe manslaughter, maybe murder (in George R.R. Martin's Fire And Blood it's a clear murder). The show finally remembers the existence of Graham McTavish's Ser Harrold Westerling, captain of the Kingsguard, and he at last gets something to do, ordering Cole down and then resigning from the meeting. He's about the only person that Otto and company don't immediately stop dead in his tracks.
The key is to get Aegon crowned as soon as possible. Viserys' purported wishes are one possible source of legitimacy, but with only Alicent to hear them that's not going to convince everyone. The coronation ceremony will put the matter further beyond doubt: only problem is that Aegon is AWOL somewhere in Flea Bottom. Alicent sends Cristen Cole and Scarier Lucius Malfoy – sorry, Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) – looking for her errant eldest; Otto dispatches Ser Arryk Cargyll (Luke Tittensor) and his brother Ser Erryk Cargyll (Elliott Tittensor) on the same mission. The twin knights privately debate the advisability of putting outrageous creep Aegon on the throne: Arryk is in favour; Erryk less so – particularly once he visits the child fighting pit that is one of Aegon's favourite hangouts. Yes, a pit. Where children fight. While nuclear shitheads like Aegon watch and sometimes father illegitimate children. I can't be the only one thinking that someone needs to burn this place to the ground – and in fact Otto's men do a little later.
That's because the White Worm, Mysaria (Sonoya Mizuno), who already knows about the death of the king (note Alicent's lady-in-waiting lighting a lamp in her window earlier) offers help in finding Aegon in exchange for a promise that Otto will stop the child fighting abuse. Otto and Mysaria's alliance seems likely to spell trouble for literally all their enemies in future. But there's a fight for Aegon's custody as the searchers reach him. Aegon wants to run for the hills and there's a pitched battle before the errant heir is brought back to endure his own coronation. Alicent attempts to parlay her custody of him to make Cole captain of the Kingsguard and to protect Rhaenyra's life; Otto keeps his own counsel.
Aegon is a little happier with the crown on his head, the Gold cloaks around him and his new subjects cheering, but he doesn't get to enjoy his freedom for long. Ser Erryk decides to break from the Green faction and to free Rhaenys as he goes, but they are separated in the crowds being herded to the Dragonpit for the coronation. She decides to go with the flow and try to escape on dragonback.
The climax of the coronation ceremony is therefore marked by the explosive arrival of her steed, Meleys the Red Queen, from beneath the great floor of the Dragonpit. Her escape kills a lot of innocent civilians and none of the royal family, though for one glorious moment it looks as though Rhaenys, looking like the Queen Who Shoulda Been rather than the Queen Who Never Was, might end the whole dispute. Alicent is terrified but faces her down, shielding her son's body with her own, and in a moment of game recognising game, or mother recognising mother at least, Rhaenys decides not to incinerate the lot of them and simply flies away – never mind the carnage she's left behind. Hope that doesn't come back to bite anyone, metaphorically; Meleys seems likely to bite someone literally.
It's a break from the habit that Game Of Thrones had, in later seasons, of having a huge battle in the second last episode, though perhaps a dragon rampage is close enough. Next week, presumably, Rhaenyra will find out about her father's death and half-brother's coronation and the dragonshit will really hit the fan. The civil war known as the Dance of Dragons is about to begin, and no one is going to be safe.


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Conservative blasts Bush&Co. as "radicals."
As Salon.com is reporting, in October, Lawrence Wilkerson, the lifelong Republican and miliary man who was Chief of Staff under Sec. of State Colin Powell, has publicly stated that the White House is an anti-democratic "cabal" led by Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. "Those people are not conservatives. I'm a conservative. Those people are radicals," he said at the Univ. of Maryland recently.
As Salon.com summarized, Wilkerson suggested that he and Powell "were duped by the case for war forged inside the Pentagon and CIA under the close watch of Cheney and his top aides," but came forward main because of "the use of American forces to torture prisoners in the war that it launched."
Wilkerson's a retired Army colonel who repeatedly saw heavy combat in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot, attended the elite Airborne and Ranger schools, earned degrees in international relations and national-security studies, taught at the Naval War College, and served as acting director of the Marine Corps War College. As if those credentials didn't make him worth listening to, Sec. of Defense Rumsfeld referred to Wilkerson's claims as "ridiculous"--the ultimate endorsement, to be sure.
Today, Wilkerson continues to see an administration that punishes dissent, pushes a radical reinterpretation of the Constitution, and exploits executive power.... "I can tell you that 9/11 made [Cheney] a paranoid, to the extent where I'm not sure his exercise of power carries with it reason."
[Wilderson] said the administration has played the fear card with lawmakers by suggesting that if the United States gets hit again, it will be their fault unless they back such policies as warrantless spying on Americans and the brutal interrogation of prisoners.
Such interrogation led Wilkerson to cite Aharon Barak, the chief of the Israeli Supreme Court, which ruled against the torture of prisoners in 1999. "This is the destiny of a democracy, as not all means are acceptable to it, and not all practices employed by its enemies are open before it," Barak wrote in the decision. "Although a democracy must often fight with one hand tied behind its back, it nonetheless has the upper hand."
Losing that upper hand, Wilkerson said, "is a very dangerous thing."
February 28, 2006 in Foreign affairs, Republicans; conservatism, Security; military | Permalink | TrackBack (0)
al Qaeda's not the IRA, Mr. Bush
Prof. Xavier Raufer, in "Al-Qaeda's New Front"
We are astonished when we see...when we hear, when we read what the present American administration describes as al Qaeda. They describe this as some kind of an Irish Republican Army, except that instead of being Catholics, they are Muslims. This is 1980s terrorism. It's the Red Army Faction. It's the IRA. It's even Abu Nidal group in the Middle East. It has nothing to do with what terrorism is today.... President Bush would disagree with what I am saying, but...we also...totally disagree with him, so it's no surprise. [al Qaeda is] like—it's totally amorphous. It's like an amoeba, you know? New jihadis are entering the fray each day.
And our invasion of Iraq and continued occupation of Iraq reverses this trend how?
Get a clue, George W. Bush. For the republic's sake, get a clue.
Duck! (No, quail.)
February 26, 2006 in Republicans; conservatism | Permalink | TrackBack (0)
New TypeLists
I've added some new TypeLists, including "I Read," "Evolution," and "Fotoblogs," all of which are in the gray column to the right. Check out the links. (Evolution 101 is particularly good. And make sure you explore the photo archives of rion.nu's great NYC photoblog. For better or worse, she is moving to Paris, so I assume the subject matter of her work will become the City of Lights instead of the The Big Apple.)
February 26, 2006 | Permalink | TrackBack (0)
['tween] Hillary & Bloomy?
Mike Bloomberg for President . . . as a Democrat?
What about Clinton-Bloomberg '08?
Electoral College-wise, such a ticket makes no sense.
Actually, Bloomberg or Clinton as a presidential candidate, either way, makes little sense in terms of the Electoral College.
But, it's not Electoral College math that should greatly influence the decision as to who the candidate is.
(Consider that Gore lost his own once-fairly-"blue" state, Tennessee, in 2000. And Bush and Cheney both come from securely "red" states, yet relatively early on in the Primary process Bush emerged as the GOP prez pick, and Cheney's state of origin obviously didn't influence Bush's decision much when selecting him as a running mate.)
February 24, 2006 in Campaigns, elections, Democrats; progressivism | Permalink | TrackBack (0)
BJU bans Starbucks
Bob Jones University is apparently switching coffee supplies because Starbuck's supports "homosexual events and causes."
On another note: Tom Vilsack, the Gov. of Iowa, says he supports civil unions (but not "gay marriage"), and wants to see progress for gay rights in Iowa after his tenure.
February 23, 2006 in Equality, rights, liberty, Religion; church & state | Permalink | TrackBack (0)
Hotline's William Beutler Dissembles and Smears Liberal Blogs
Matt Stoller's post on MyDD is a good examination of a smear against "liberal bloggers" by Hotline. The Agonist points to the episode Stoller's blogging about as an aspect of the bigger picture: persistent "mainstream" media attacks on progressive bloggers.
From Social Design Notes
Jews - the 2% solution?
In a grotesque display unbefitting of a governmental or similarly secular body anywhere, the Indiana legislature erupted into the song, "Take A Little Walk With Jesus," at the prompting of a private citizen who had just led the body in prayer, Clarence Brown.
From the Washington Post story:
Brown, 51, is an evangelical Christian layman who works in an auto parts factory 70 miles south of Indianapolis. Invited to give a prayer to open the April 5 House session, Brown said he was thinking about the separation of church and state as he drove to the state Capitol.
He said he talked with God during the ride and decided to speak up for the man he considers his savior. "I wanted to share the word. That's what I'm supposed to do," Brown said. "I have to do what Jesus Christ says for me to do as a witness."
Brown's prayer included thanks to God "for our lord and savior Jesus Christ, who died that we might have the right to come together in love." When the prayer was finished, [Indiana House Speaker Brian] Bosma announced that Brown would "bless us with a song."
Notice that Brown's thinking about the separation of Church and State led him to decide that leading religious worship in the public chambers of a legislative body was right and necessary. Such thinking is a transmittable symptom of a particularly debilitating pox afflicting America today: Christian religious supremacism. It is an insidious bug that's been allowed to spread for at least 30 years, and its architecture consists of:
1. a dominionistic sense of entitlement (a conviction that Christians by virtue of the supreme cosmic lordship of their god, Jesus the Christ, have authority over all things including the natural world and any government), and
2. a revisionist, Christianized American history in which the United States was created to be an officially Christian nation (both its culture and government) by men inspired not by Enlightenment principles emerging from an increasingly secularized and scientific world, but by religious chauvinism.
Fortunately, it's not just viruses that spread, but antigens: the tale of the worshiping legislature came to my attention thanks to a diary by my friend Frederick Clarkson. His diary is entitled "Do Jews Matter?" It was posted here, and it's subject matter is the report of a rabbi concerning his meeting with Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma on February 14--the Indianapolis JCRC's Jewish Lobby Day. (Clarkson first encountered the rabbi's message here, which led me here, which side-tracked me here, and thus to the Post article.)
The virulence of the above-mentioned religious supremacism is most subtly demonstrated in the words of Bosma as related in the rabbi's account, itself in a proper religious context (i.e. at a religious gathering not on government property!) on the evening of February 17:
Last Tuesday, the Indianapolis JCRC's Jewish Lobby Day was held. Around 40 Jews from around the State of Indiana came to Indianapolis to lobby our state senators and representatives on a number of issues.
The day ended with a private meeting with Speaker of the House Bosma meeting our group in the beautiful House chambers. We asked questions about full day kindergarten, about the clinics, and a young member of the delegation asked about providing sexuality education in public schools that is more than abstinence based. He responded to everything we asked. Sometimes we liked what he said and sometimes we didn't.
Speaker Bosma wondered why we hadn't discussed the controversy surrounding the issue of prayer in House chambers. He told us his version of what happened and what he believes, and a passionate exchange took place. The end of this exchange left us, the Jewish delegation, in shock. Speaker Bosma, defending the prayer issue, asked, "How many Jews are there in Indiana? About 2%? There are at least 80% Christians in Indiana."
The implication of this statement was that our minority community doesn't and shouldn't have any say or any voice. It is about the majority and what the majority wants. The jaws of the delegation dropped to the floor. We were speechless. Everything we believed about this country had just been trampled. Gone was the belief of the constitutional protection of minorities. Gone was not feeling marginalized. Gone was the belief we were not strangers in this country. I am sure that Speaker Bosma is a fine man, but in that moment, for the first time in my life as a citizen of this country, I was scared. It is what I now call the 2% solution (and Jews are much less than 2% of this state) that if you are only 2% don't even bother to speak up as the "Tyranny of the majority" will prevail.
I am sorry to bring such a depressing message as we prepare for Shabbat, but it needs to be said and addressed. I have been reminded about why we need to be vigilant. So I come to you on this Friday, February 17, 2006, to ask you to use this Shabbat to think about joining me and others at times to raise our voices. We might not agree on all the issues, but we agree that as Jewish residents of this State we should have a voice. 2% or less shouldn't matter. It is not about the majority. It is about us.
As you light your Shabbat candles this evening, light one for this great nation that has allowed us to grow and prosper and worship as Jews without restrictions. Light the other as beacon to our elected officials who if they follow the light will understand that leadership comes with responsibility to all, to be inclusive of all, and to help those who need the most help.
[UPDATE: Speaker Bosma has apologized for his remarks to the JCRC.]
February 21, 2006 in Religion; church & state | Permalink | TrackBack (0)
NYC housing crisis worsens
From Gotham Gazette:
The city's total number of housing units reached 3.3 million in 2005, . . . [but] it is harder for many New Yorkers to afford those homes and apartments. While real income in New York fell by 6.3 percent from 2001 to 2004, the median monthly rent rose by 5.4 percent increase (sic) from 2002 to 2005, the study found. As a result city resident must spend an increasing percentage of their incomes on rent.
An archive of other NYC housing stories from Gotham is here.
February 20, 2006 in New York | Permalink | TrackBack (0)


text:
using System;
using System.Linq;
using System.Threading;
using System.Threading.Tasks;
using Baseline.Dates;
using Marten.AsyncDaemon.Testing.TestingSupport;
using Marten.Events.Daemon;
using Marten.Events.Projections;
using Microsoft.Extensions.Logging;
using Shouldly;
using Xunit;
using Xunit.Abstractions;

namespace Marten.AsyncDaemon.Testing;

public class rebuilds_with_serialization_or_poison_pill_events : DaemonContext
{
    public rebuilds_with_serialization_or_poison_pill_events(ITestOutputHelper output) : base(output)
    {
        SometimesFailingTripProjection.FailingEventFails = false;
        FailingEvent.SerializationFails = false;
    }

    [Fact]
    public async Task rebuild_the_projection_happy_path()
    {
        NumberOfStreams = 10;

        Logger.LogDebug("The expected number of events is {NumberOfEvents}", NumberOfEvents);

        StoreOptions(x => x.Projections.Add(new SometimesFailingTripProjection(), ProjectionLifecycle.Async), true);

        var agent = await StartDaemon();

        await PublishSingleThreaded();

        var waiter = agent.Tracker.WaitForShardState(new ShardState("Trip:All", NumberOfEvents), 30.Seconds());

        await waiter;
        Logger.LogDebug("About to rebuild Trip:All");
        await agent.RebuildProjection("Trip", CancellationToken.None);
        Logger.LogDebug("Done rebuilding Trip:All");
        await CheckAllExpectedAggregatesAgainstActuals();
    }

    [Fact]
    public async Task rebuild_the_projection_skip_serialization_failures()
    {
        NumberOfStreams = 10;

        Logger.LogDebug("The expected number of events is {NumberOfEvents}", NumberOfEvents);

        StoreOptions(x => x.Projections.Add(new SometimesFailingTripProjection(), ProjectionLifecycle.Async), true);

        var agent = await StartDaemon();

        await PublishSingleThreaded();

        var waiter = agent.Tracker.WaitForShardState(new ShardState("Trip:All", NumberOfEvents), 30.Seconds());

        await waiter;
        Logger.LogDebug("About to rebuild Trip:All");

        // Simulating serialization failures
        FailingEvent.SerializationFails = true;

        await agent.RebuildProjection("Trip", CancellationToken.None);
        Logger.LogDebug("Done rebuilding Trip:All");

        // Gotta do this, or the expected aggregation will fail w/ fake
        // serialization failures
        FailingEvent.SerializationFails = false;
        await CheckAllExpectedAggregatesAgainstActuals();

        var deadLetters = await theSession.Query<DeadLetterEvent>().Where(x => x.ShardName == "All" && x.ProjectionName == "Trip")
            .ToListAsync();

        var badEventCount = Streams.SelectMany(x => x.Events).OfType<FailingEvent>().Count();
        deadLetters.Count.ShouldBe(badEventCount);
    }

    [Fact]
    public async Task rebuild_the_projection_skip_failed_events()
    {
        FailingEvent.SerializationFails = false;
        SometimesFailingTripProjection.FailingEventFails = true;

        NumberOfStreams = 5;

        Logger.LogDebug("The expected number of events is {NumberOfEvents}", NumberOfEvents);

        StoreOptions(x =>
        {
            x.Projections.Add(new SometimesFailingTripProjection(), ProjectionLifecycle.Async);
            x.Projections.OnApplyEventException().SkipEvent();
        }, true);

        var agent = await StartDaemon();

        await PublishSingleThreaded();

        var waiter = agent.Tracker.WaitForShardState(new ShardState("Trip:All", NumberOfEvents), 60.Seconds());

        await waiter;
        Logger.LogDebug("About to rebuild Trip:All");
        await agent.RebuildProjection("Trip", CancellationToken.None);
        Logger.LogDebug("Done rebuilding Trip:All");

        // Gotta latch the failures so the aggregate checking can work here
        SometimesFailingTripProjection.FailingEventFails = false;
        await CheckAllExpectedAggregatesAgainstActuals();

        var deadLetters = await theSession.Query<DeadLetterEvent>().Where(x => x.ProjectionName == "Trip")
            .ToListAsync();

        var badEventCount = Streams.SelectMany(x => x.Events).OfType<FailingEvent>().Count();
        deadLetters.Count.ShouldBe(badEventCount);
    }
}

public class SometimesFailingTripProjection: TripAggregationWithCustomName
{
    public static bool FailingEventFails = false;

    public void Apply(FailingEvent e, Trip trip)
    {
        if (FailingEventFails) throw new InvalidOperationException("You shall not pass!");
    }
}

public class FailingEvent
{
    public static bool SerializationFails = false;

    public FailingEvent()
    {
        if (SerializationFails) throw new DivideByZeroException("Boom!");
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Tips to Improve the Health and Vigor of Newborn Calves
We know that disease causing agents are present in beef cattle herds, even if the most careful biosecurity procedures are observed. In general, basic management of calves and calving groups will play a greater role in whether or not calves get sick than the presence or absence of most disease causing pathogens.
In a webinar hosted by the BCRC last winter, Dr. Claire Windeyer, veterinarian, professor and researcher at the University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, discussed management during the calving season for healthier and more productive calves. During the webinar, she provided numerous tips on how to manage both cows and calves to reduce disease incidences and increase calf survival rate.
Here are three highlights from that webinar, followed by the full recording:
Use the calf recovery position to resuscitate calves
A recent study showed that over half of beef producers surveyed hung calves upside down to resuscitate them, a method that is not recommended. Hanging upside down causes a calf's stomach and intestines to press down on the diaphragm and compress the lungs, making it harder for the calf to breathe. Although fluid will come out, it is fluid from the stomach, not the lungs.
In the "calf recovery position", calves are placed with both legs tucked underneath which allows the lungs to expand with the least amount of pressure. Other techniques like poking straw in the nose, rubbing the calf vigorously, or dripping water into the ear are also effective. Watch the webinar (27:20-31:21) to learn more about these techniques.
Separate calves from pregnant cows
Pasture management during calving can be instrumental in reducing disease in calves. Cows often shed pathogens that are not harmful to them but can cause disease in calves with young, naive immune systems. A solution to this is to avoid calving on the same pastures that cows are overwintered on, and to move pairs into a nursing pasture shortly after birth (within the first 24 hours). It is also beneficial to fill the nursery pasture with calves as close in age possible, and then start a new pen with other similar aged calves, rather than rotate calves through pastures. This will help to reduce the pathogen exposure from older calves to younger ones. Another technique, called the "sandhills system", moves pregnant cows every couple of weeks, leaving the pairs behind. (22:20-24:23)
Ask your veterinarian about using a long-acting NSAID on calves after difficult births
A study in dairy cows has shown that calves that were given a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) after a difficult birth were more vigorous, had an improved suckle reflex, and were healthier than calves that didn't receive a NSAID. More research is needed to study the effects on beef calves, but some beef producers have reported similar results. (44:13– 47:14)
Like all past BCRC webinars, you can watch the full recording of this webinar at any time.
The sharing or reprinting of BCRC Blog articles is welcome and encouraged. Please provide acknowledgement to the Beef Cattle Research Council, list the website address, www.BeefResearch.ca, and let us know you chose to share the article by emailing us at info@beefresearch.ca.
Claire Windeyer DVSc


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text:
Cultural differences are Vodoo correlations: I beg to differ
Normally, I am delighted to read a new Ed Yong NERS blog post, and this article not only was published in New Scientist, but was also whole heartedly endorsed by Vaughan , again a person I admire the most. Yet, I cannot hide my dismay over the fallacies that Ed commits and the muddled and biased thinking he displays- I can admire the moralistic stand from which he tries to interpret the recent findings with the conclusion that "But instead of dividing the world along cultural lines, we might be better off recognising and cultivating our cognitive flexibility." and I whole heartedly agree with that conclusion, but one need not nullify cultural differences to achieve the same objective of more cultural/ethnic tolerance and proactive re-wiring of what may be 'human / individual/ cultural nature'.
So, instead of dwelling on the moralistic aspect of the whole debate, let me get to the science part directly. Some of it may seem nit-picking, but others have profound implications.
AS A SPECIES, we possess remarkably little genetic variation, yet we tend to overlook this homogeneity and focus instead on differences between groups and individuals.
The first fallacy Ed commits is to implicitly link any individual / group differences with genetic variation. Genetic variation need not be,and is not,the be-all and end-all of individual / group differences. Let us focus on an individual trait like intelligence or say the personality dimension of neuroticism for an individual for the rest of this article and we can easily extend the arguments to other individual/ group differences. It is standard practice nowadays,to admit the crucial role of epigenetics, development, social environment or Nurture along with Nature to explain any complex phenomenon like Intelligence or Neuroticism. Thus while my IQ or temperament may be partly inherited (inherited again does'nt mean genetics alone, it includes shared environment factors), it is also partly under the influence of non-shared environmental factors and partly expressed uniquely for each individual depending on idiosyncratic individual factors or random variation. Thus, some of the individual differences in two persons for intelligence/ neuroticism will be due to genetics, but most of it would be due to environmental influences(including social/ cultural factors) and some of it would be 'undetermined' by either genetics or environment, but be random/due to luck/chance/history factors.
Perhaps Ed chose a wrong opening line, but that doesn't negate his thesis, or does it? We'll get to that , but remember that Personality psychology based on studying both individual differences , as well as finding human universals, has a long tradition and is a worthy field of study- if only because personality is not a myth- individual differences exists , are consistent and can be reliably assessed and have profound implications for our day-to-day interaction, or in more clinical settings.
Before I proceed let me first list my points of agreements- I agree with Ed that media always sensationalizes findings and stereotypes the cultures involved, sometimes overextending or over interpreting the actual study findings, there is no such thing as an 'Eastern' and a 'Western' culture- I'll be more happy talking about nation-state based cultures like the Indian culture, the Chinese culture, the Japanese culture and the American culture; I agree that studies have only looked at China , Japan, Us and some western countries and generalized and caricatured it as Eastern and Western Culture; that there is an either-or dichotomy between Analytical and holistic thinking styles – but they are more on a continuum. Now to points of disagreements.
Psychologists have conducted a wealth of experiments that seem to support popular notions that easterners have a holistic world view, rooted in philosophical and religious traditions such as Taoism and Confucianism, while westerners tend to think more analytically, as befits their philosophical heritage of reductionism, utilitarianism and so on. However, the most recent research suggests that these popular stereotypes are far too simplistic. It is becoming apparent that we are all capable of thinking both holistically and analytically – and we are starting to understand what makes individuals flip between the two modes of thought.
A study that shows that we are capable of both analytical and holistic mods of though does not negate the fact that their could still be important and significant individual/group diffrences for the same. Consider Neuroticsm- if someone, in particular, and we in general, are capable of exhibiting behavior/ emotional states that are the opposite of characteristic neurotic traits, it doesn't negate the fact that one can still have persons who exhibit abnormally high levels of Neuroticism. Nowhere is it claimed that someone with high trait neuroticism cannot display flexibility under proper environmental conditions- or that the behavior is totally independent of the situation- we gain go back to Miscels debate of how much situation and how much traits are responsible for behavior- but the fact of cognitive flexibility does not negate the existence of stable traits or tendencies. Consider a low IQ person- he may display intelligence under some situations and not display intelligence under other situations – that cognitive flexibility would not negate the fact that he has low intelligence in general. We may also understand the factors that lead to more intelligent behaviors and be able to manipulate his behavior to display state intelligence- still that wont negate his low trait intelligence. So the assertion that cognitive flexibility means no individual/ cultural differences is pure wishful thinking. Similarly the fact that state differences can be easily created and manipulated does not lead to automatic negation of trait differences. I can easily create the state anxiety in Ed Yong as he sees his article criticized severally, but the fact that I can easily manipulate and understand a neurotic state, doesn't say anything about the existence or non-existence of a neurotic trait or tendency.
Time and again, studies like these seem to support the same basic, contrasting pattern of thought. Westerners appear to perceive the world in an analytic way, narrowing their focus onto prominent objects, lumping them into categories and examining them through logic. Easterners take a more holistic view: they are more likely to consider an object's context and analyse it through its changing relationships with its environment.
I wont generalize to Westerners or Easterners, but definitely this does say something about the existence of an anayltical and holistic thinking style trait, which exists on a continuum, is highly correlated to 'cultures' and is thus a group trait, and a dimension on which some cultures may display extreme values. If studies have consistently supported and found that US culture leads to extremes of analytical tendencies while Chinese/Japanese culture ingrained people lean towards holistic style of thinking, why deny the fact. Is it because of a misplaced notion that if groups/ cultures differ it means one is 'better' than other- what about Neuroticism- is low (trait) neuroticism always beneficial and high (trait) neurtocism always bad. Not anymore- Read 'Personality' by Nettle for a quick overview but the growing consensus is that the extremes of traits are good under particular environmental conditions and a little variation against a continuum foolproofs one against future unpredictable environmental catastrophes. Extremes of traits can also be a result of adaptation to different environmental niches. So case settled- group/cultural differences on at least one important dimension fo analyitcal/ holistic thinking do exist.
For a start, the simplistic notion of individualistic westerners and collectivist easterners is undermined by studies designed to assess how people see themselves, which suggest that there is a continuum of these traits across the globe. In terms of individualism, for example, western Europeans seem to lie about midway between people in the US and those in east Asia.
Ed, what are you getting to here. Individualistic 'US'ers and collectivist Chinese are perfectly compatible with existence of Europeans who do lie midway. To go back to Neuroticim, the fact that some are Neurotic, while others are calm is nowhere in contradiction to the existence of some people who lie midway on this dimension and do not show any extremes.If the point was that analytical/ holistic is not categorical but dimensional point well taken!
So it's not all that surprising, perhaps, that other studies find that local and current social factors rather than the broad sweeps of history or geography tend to shape the way a particular society thinks. For example, Nisbett's group recently compared three communities living in Turkey's Black Sea region who share the same language, ethnicity and geography but have different social lives: farmers and fishers live in fixed communities and their trades require extensive cooperation, while herders are more mobile and independent. He found that the farmers and fishers were more holistic in their psychology than herders, being more likely to group objects based on their relationships rather than their categories: they preferred to link gloves with hands rather than with scarves, for instance (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol 105, p 8552). A similar mosaic pattern of thought can be found in the east. "Hokkaido is seen as the Wild West of Japan," says Nisbett. "The citizens are regarded as cowboys – highly independent and individualistic – and sure enough, they're more analytic in their cognitive style than mainland Japanese."
Why has it always to be an either-or. Ed agrees that local and social factors are important, so at least he agrees that cultural/environmental factors are important and lead to group trait differences. His argument is that within-group variation is more than between-group variation (if one considers a culture as a group and the 'local groups, as individuals belonging to that bigger group) so it doesn't make sense of talking about differences in cultural mean values. I don't buy that. This argument has often been applied to ethnic/ racial IQ differences issues etc., and I believe that one should not deny facts based on their political or moral ramifications. Just like there are differences in average heights of chinese and americans, though the mean difference between chinese and american heights may be less than the variation exhibited in chinese or american society with respect to height, still it makes sense to say that on an average chinese are of lesser height than americans. This doesn't sound racist, it is a fact. Same holds true for other differences like IQ or in this case the average holistic/analytical thinking displayed by a culture.The fact that there is variation within the culture does not negate differences in mean values between cultures.
Is it time we moved beyond simplistic notions of eastern and western psychology? Daphna Oyserman from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor certainly thinks so. She is not happy invoking history to explain modern human behaviour. "We can't test if history mattered," she says. "But we can test how contexts can evoke one or other mindset."
Why not history- just based on the personal comfort factor? now that it is established that cultures differ in holistic/analytical dimension, one needs to find out why. Again, the effect may be inherited (and thus partly genetic) or it may be learned and due to non-shared environmental factors- different local and geographic conditions to which the cultures are currently exposed. To endorse one extreme of non-shared environmental influences(based n personal comfort levels) as paramount and to rubbish any suggestion of influence of shared environmental factors (which in this case is culture itself as it provides the cultural and social context in which the group develops)or even genetics is to me an extremely stupid and outdated stand. History (or the then non-shared environment like the intensive agriculture of chinese) has influenced the cognitive style and the cognitive style gets ingrained in cultural traditions. These cultural traditions in turn provide the shared environment in which the culture develops. Also , people who display more holistic/ analytical style in a particular culture, may be culturally selected for, and it would not be surprising, if the favored trait gets fixed in the genetic code by cultural selection of that trait as individuals having that trait will be more successful and this would get fixed in the population as a whole. Thus, the group differences on cognitive style trait could be inherited (due to genes and shared cultural traditions) and also may be learned a new (response to novel non-shared local conditions) .
This experiment suggests that while the psychology of westerners may be superficially distinct from easterners, when social isolation is an issue there is little difference between the two. In fact, Oyserman's analysis of 67 similar studies reveals just how easily social context can change the way people think. For example, psychologists have "primed" east Asian volunteers to adopt an individualistic mode of thought simply by getting them to imagine playing singles tennis, circling single-person pronouns or unscrambling sentences containing words such as "unique", "independence" and "solitude". In many of the experiments volunteers from a single cultural background – be it eastern or western – show differences in behaviour as large as those you normally get when comparing people from traditionally collectivist and individualist cultures
One has to pause and ask where does 'social isolation' arise from if not a cultural tradition. If Chinese culture makes one feel more socially isolated and thus constantly in need of reaffirming relationships, than is that not a cultural difference – maybe we have narrowed it down to one important cultural tradition that leads to inheritability of thinking style, but still the cultures are different in important ways. Also, Experiments showing that priming can cause a lean towards a tendency nowhere prove that there are no group differences. Priming experiments have shown that when primed with old age related terms people walk slowly- does this negate the fact that young people are young, old people are old and there is whale of a difference in the average energy or walking speed of an old person and a young person. Should we conclude that age is a myth and that age is irrelevant to the average energy or time taken to walk a particular stretch!
The ease with which priming can alter our modes of thought makes it very unlikely that a penchant for either analytic or holistic thinking stems from deep-seated differences in the brains of westerners and easterners. Instead, it seems that the cultural context in which we grow up simply gives us more practice in thinking about the world in a particular way. "Everyone can think both ways, but on average, people tend to do more of one than the other," says Oyserman.
Sorry again. We can all be primed to display more intelligent behavior and our modes of thinking (creative or detail oriented) can be altered and manipulated, still people are looking (and have found some lateralization differences) for brain differences in these modes of thinking and like every phenomenon there is bound to be brain differences involved.(No I'm not endorsing the right-brained/ left-brained myth, but saying that creative and detail oriented thinking have no neurological basis to me seems wrong. Also, I'm glad that at last it is acknowledged that cultural practices in which we grow up gives us more practice/ exposure to a particular thinking style and lead to differences. Why should learning not lead to brain differences(remember plasticty 101) but genetics do I fail to understand. Also, remember critical developmental periods. It may be that there is a critical period in which this holistic/analytical thinking style gets fixed and that causes a long-lasting effect. Consider language- what language, and any language at all, that the child learns is dependent on correct exposure during critical developmental time; one can learn foreign languages later also , but with considerable effort and not as naturally as a child does. The story with holistic/analytical thinking style may be the same. One may develop this trait duirng a critcial developmental window and although manipulable it may not be totally non-hardwired.
Brain imaging supports this. In an experiment that involved subjects looking at a series of squares with lines in them, Trey Hedden from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that in east Asians the areas of the brain involved in focusing attention worked harder if they had to identify lines of the same length regardless of the surrounding squares – an "absolute" task that requires you to focus on an object regardless of its context. But with Americans the same brain areas were working harder to identify lines whose sizes varied proportionally with their squares – a "relative" judgement where context is key (Psychological Sciences, vol 19, p 12). In other words, people had to think harder to perform tasks outside their cultural comfort zone. The brain uses the same mental machinery to solve complex tasks, but cultural differences can affect how well trained these areas are.
No it doesn't, Haven't read the original studies, but from your discussion the areas involved are those relating to focusing attention- I believe it is common sense that you would focus more attention on a task that is not ingrained and is novel.What about other brain areas specific to the task. Were there differences in brain activation related to holistic/ analytical thinking. Was there some lateralization effect?
What is clear is that the minds of east Asians, Americans or any other group are not wired differently. We are all capable of both analytic and holistic thought. "Different societies make one option seem to make the most sense at any given moment," says Oyserman. But instead of dividing the world along cultural lines, we might be better off recognising and cultivating our cognitive flexibility. "There are a lot of advantages to both holistic and analytic perception," says Nisbett. In our multicultural world it would benefit us all if we could learn to adopt the most appropriate mode of thought for the situation in which we find ourselves.
No It is not at all clear that the brains are not wired differently. I believe there should be small differences, but based on the flexibility shown by people in switching from one style to another one can use plasticity and practice to re-wire the brain. Whether that re-wiring is required, or cultural social engineering is required would depend on whether one considers extremes maladaptive or just adaptive responses occupying particular niches. To deny differences outright is to deny the truth and perhaps lead to the fallacy of thinking everyone thinks like oneself. To understand differences is a first step towards greater tolerance and understanding. Hope I make sense.
This entry was posted in culture, personality on March 6, 2009 by sandygautam.
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Can you guess the album cover?
This is a series of minimalist posters created by the designer Nicholas Barclay. Known for his distinctive style, Barclay deconstructed iconic album covers into simple colours and shapes. Barclay is the master minimalist design. We think these album covers are beautiful and rather nifty, don't you?


Compared to the randomized experiment (RE), the regression discontinuity design (RDD) has three main limitations: (1) in expectation, its results are unbiased only at the treatment cutoff and not for the entire study population; (2) it is less efficient than the RE and so requires more cases for the same statistical power; and (3) it requires correctly specifying the functional form that relates the assignment and outcome variables.
One way to overcome these limitations might be to add a no-treatment functional form to the basic RDD and including it in the outcome analysis as a comparison function rather than as a covariate to increase power (Wing & Cook, 2013). Doing this creates a comparative regression discontinuity design (CRD). It has three untreated regression lines. Two are in the untreated segment of the RDD -- the usual RDD one and the added untreated comparison function – while the third is in the treated RDD segment. Also observed is the treated regression line in the treated segment.
Our recent studies comparing RE, RDD and CRD causal estimates have found that CRD reduces imprecision compared to RDD and also produces valid causal estimates at the treatment cutoff and also along all the rest of the assignment variable.
Kisbu-Sakarya, Y., Cook, T.D., Tang, Y., & Clark (in press). Comparative Regression Discontinuity: A Stress Test with Small Samples. Evaluation Review.


The jury plays a crucial role in the courts of trial. They are an integral part in the Australian justice system. The jury system brings ordinary people into the courts everyday to judge whether a case is guilty or innocent. The role of the jury varies, depending on the different cases. In Australia, the court is ran by an adversary system. In this system "..individual litigants play a central part, initiating court action and largely determining the issues in dispute" (Ellis 2013, p. 133). In this essay I will be discussing the role of the jury system and how some believe the jury is one of the most important institutions in ensuring that Australia has an effective legal system, while others disagree. I will evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of a jury system.
A jury system inquires fairness in a court case. A jury is "A group of citizens called to hear a trial of a criminal prosecution of a lawsuit, decide the factual questions of guilt or innocence or determine the prevailing party (winner) in a lawsuit and the amount to be paid, if any, by the loser" (Law.com Legal Dictionary 2014). As a jury member they are obligated to tell the truth and give an honest response. The jury system randomly selects 12 people for each court case. Once you are 18 years old and registered you can be selected for jury service. There are two categories of people who cannot serve and that is people who are excluded from the jury roll and who are exempt from jury service (NSW Government 2014). Those who are excluded are people with criminal convictions and who hold high positions in public office. Those exempted are due to their employment (NSW Government 2014). As a jury member you are expected to dress appropriately, be honest, and give full attention to the case you are chose for. In the jury system there are many key concepts.
As a jury member you are obligated to understand the key concepts. Jury members need to "..consider the evidence presented to the trial without preconceived opinions about the defendant's guilt or innocence, to apply the governing law as instructed by the trial judge.." (Fitzpatrick 2013, p. 10-11). Meaning not to judge the defendant and have an open mind to the case. Also, needing to apply the instructions and regulations the court delivered before hand to jury members. Reading a judicial guide with detailed instructions before the case is also a key concept. In the USA the judicial directions are much shorter to the jury than in Australia (Barnett & Gray 2010). This is because Australia goes over the information more in-depth and with more instructions. As a jury member it is there role to secure and maintain public confidence in the justice system (Barnett & Gray 2010). This makes them a very important aspect to the courts. There are many advantages to the jury system that ensures Australia has an effective legal system.


text:
Two Kings in the Land?
You are here: Home» Theology» The Year of Matthew 2017 =>» Two Kings in the Land? - Matthew 21-1-11
Gospel: Matthew 21:1-11
When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2saying to them, 'Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 3If anyone says anything to you, just say this, "The Lord needs them." And he will send them immediately. ' [Or, The Lord needs them and will send them back immediately.] 4This took place to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,
5 'Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'
6The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8A very large crowd [Or, most of the crowd] spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,
'Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!'
10When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, 'Who is this?' 11The crowds were saying, 'This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.'
Two Kings? Who is our King?
You can listen to this sermon draft here.
Have you seen those big military parades in Russia and North Korea, and other places, that sometimes show up on the TV news— all the people stand and watch the might of the military going past? These are not just propaganda parades to tell the West how tough that country is. They tell the country's own people that resistance is useless. They keep the population in line.
Biblical scholars believe that each year there was a parade like that in Jerusalem. The Roman Army would march in from the west, with a big contingent, to make sure there was no trouble at Passover. The Festival of Passover celebrated the escape of Israel from Egypt, and Rome knew there would always be people there who wanted to begin the escape of Israel from Rome. So Rome had lots of troops on hand to make sure nobody caused any trouble. Resistance was useless.
Just before the Passover Matthew's Gospel writes about, Jesus had his own parade into town, from the east, from the Mount of Olives. The Mount of Olives was the place the prophet Zechariah had said the Lord would stand and begin the last battle to free Jerusalem from its oppressors. (Zechariah 14) We've just had the story of that parade read to us. It sounds very much like Jesus is doing some kind of street theatre that is giving the finger to the Roman Parade that happened at the same time on the other side of the city…
… especially when we hear that Jesus was riding on, not one, but on two donkeys, at once. Did you notice that? It says, "4This took place to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.' "
Matthew is deliberately misinterpreting the repetitive style of Hebrew poetry where the second line of a verse echoes the first line.
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey...
... does not mean two donkeys. Matthew knew that. He's making sure we ... notice the donkey. Jesus is not on a horse— specifically, Jesus is not on a war horse. Jesus is riding a donkey. Kings came into a city on a donkey as a sign of peace and good will. (Zechariah 9)
So Jesus is saying, the Kingdom of Heaven is not like the Kingdom or Empire of Rome, which was built on war and oppression. The Kingdom of Heaven is a Kingdom of Peace.
But the Kingdom Jesus was talking about was still a kingdom in opposition to Rome's Empire. And Rome, and its lackeys in the Temple killed Jesus, because you can't have two kings in the land. Rome wanted to make it clear that if you follow this man, you will be killed, too. Resistance is useless.
What do you think it means that today we Christians seem to live in peace with our government? Is it because Australia is such an enlightened, Christian kind of nation? Or is it because we Christians have fallen into line with Government policy? Who is our king? Most Christians don't sit in politician's offices and pray, or chain themselves to earthmoving equipment to protest new unnecessary coal mines that would destroy yet more land and air. Maybe we feel resistance is useless; the government makes up its own facts about refugees and climate change, and a whole lot of other injustices in the country. If we do protest beyond a certain point, we are arrested.
I'm not pointing this out to make us feel guilty or inadequate in our faith. I want to point out something that's happening in Matthew's Gospel, which we miss:
We live in an amazing moment in history where Christians have been able to live in relative peace and comfort, and privilege, in our country. I think that's rapidly changing; I find myself less and less comfortable with where we are going as a nation. But we do not live in Matthew's time, where brother delivered up brother to the authorities for the "crime" of being Christian. (Matthew 10:16-39)
This difference between our two cultures means we see any call to greater commitment to the gospel message, as a call that could result in us losing a great deal. Not so Matthew's readers. They heard the Palm Sunday story very differently to us. Matthew's readers did not see Palm Sunday as the beginning of an Easter faith where they might lose everything. They were living with that loss already. They were already living on the edges of their society.
Palm Sunday and Easter were, for Matthew's people, not a story of great challenge. They were a story of what was already happening to them. And they were a story of great promise.
Here's how it worked: We're in Matthew Chapter 26.
Now while Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, 7a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. 8But when the disciples saw it, they were angry and said, 'Why this waste? 9For this ointment could have been sold for a large sum, and the money given to the poor.'10But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, 'Why do you trouble the woman? She has performed a good service for me. 11For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. 12By pouring this ointment on my body she has prepared me for burial. 13Truly I tell you, wherever this good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.'
My friend Michael Trainor tells me that to anoint the head is to anoint the whole body. So Jesus says, "She has anointed my body for burial." And to anoint the head of the house, in that society, is to anoint the body of the whole household. So the woman has anointed not only Jesus the head, but his body the church.
And Matthew's readers may have thought, "Yes… just as well, because too many of us have died for our faith." She did anoint us for our burial!
But then look at the end of the Gospel— we are in Matthew Chapter 27, now.
50Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. 51At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.53After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. 54Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, 'Truly this man was God's Son!'
His dying leads to the tearing and shaking apart of how everything works. His dying leads to… the resurrection of the saints. Who are the saints? The saints are the faithful people of God. They include Matthew's congregation. They include us…. The story of Palm Sunday and Easter Morning is the climax of the Gospel. People have seen Jesus heading for Jerusalem. They see him enter Jerusalem in opposition to Rome— even if he is calling for a better Kingdom— and they see him die. And they see that his death is their resurrection.
Rev Professor Bill Loader says "The life of grace must dodge between the powers." (Loader) It has always been true. In Australia today, that dodging between the powers is becoming more difficult, and more dangerous. We may come to the attention of government or to the attention of mobs who will seek to crush us. Pray that it does not happen to us. But remember that if it should, Good Friday and Easter Day say that faith, even faith to death, leads to resurrection… to real life.
Andrew Prior (Palm Sunday 2017)
Previously on One Man's Web
Matt 21:1-11 - Palm Sunday Misgivings- This Sermon Draft was based on this page.
Matt 21:1-11 - The Palm Sunday Flash Mob
Matthew 21:1-11 - The Sermon Draft: Palm Sunday
Matthew 21:1-11 - Tell the Story
Kathy Donley 09-04-2017
I definitely appreciate your reflections about Christian resistance and what that could look like as a citizen of a country like Australia or the USA. I had a paragraph in an earlier Lenten sermon about how difficult the word "We" is. It is used by people in my congregation to mean We who have chosen to follow Jesus and to mean We who are citizens of the USA and sometimes, We who are Jesus' disciples who are also citizens of this country. But because the same word means all those things, at any time that it is used, it is easy to conflate US citizens and Christians, as if there is no conflict between those allegiances. That paragraph got cut from the sermon because of length, but because I went to the trouble to write it out, I articulated it more clearly for myself and now I try to be much more aware when I use that word "We". The section of your sermon that begins with "What do you think it means that today we Christians seem to live in peace with our government? Is it because Australia is such an enlightened, Christian kind of nation? Or is it because we Christians have fallen into line with Government policy? Who is our king?" was especially helpful to me.
re Resistance
Andrew Prior 09-04-2017
And then, of course, we are wanting to invite people to join us and not to exclude them. But we want at the same time we wish to separate ourselves from some of the other "We" we have been invited to join! No wonder we tie ourselves in knots! Thanks Kathy.
Living in a dying world? - Matthew 24:36-44
The Good News of Repentance - Matthew 3:1-12
Suffering the Extremes of Kingdom - Matthew 11:2-11, 12-15
John's Only Hope - Matthew 11:2-15
The Birth of Good News or Judgement? - Matthew 1:18-25
Keeping The Peace - Luke 2:1-20
Rachel - Matthew 2:1-23
There is always fire - Matthew 3
Coming Home - Matthew 3:13-17
Now is the time - John 1:29-42
Gasping for air in the kingdom - Matthew 4:12-23
The Sermon Draft: Don't hide from the light - Matthew 4:12-25
To be honourable is to be human - Matthew 5:1-12
Speaking as a Pharisee - Matthew 5:13-20
The agony and privilege of anger - Matthew 5:21-37
The Grace of Perfection - Matthew 5:38-48
There's a light upon the mountains - Matthew 17:1-13
No one but Jesus himself, alone - Matthew 17:1-13
The costly choice of freedom - Matthew 4:1-17
Wanderment - John 3:1-21
At Home - John 3:1-21
Still Thirsty - John 4:4-42
When Mud Gets in Your Eyes - John 9:1-42
Funerals in the face of death - John 11
Palm Sunday Misgivings - Matthew 21:1-11
Two Kings in the Land? - Matthew 21-1-11
No short cuts to resurrection
I will meet you - John 10:1-10
Just trust me... Notes and a Sermon Draft - John 14:1-14
Just love each other - John 14:15-21
The distillation of Mystery - John 17
Matthew, Trinity, and Me: Which song shall I sing? - Matthew 28:16-20
A Sermon: Singing Trinity - Matthew 28:16-20
Intimacy, Fear, and Forgiveness - Matthew 9:35-10:8, (9-23)
Fear or Freedom? - Matthew 10:24-39
The Absolute, and the absolute of love
The Impossible Burden of Jesus - Matthew 11
A Sermon: Lay your burdens down - Matthew 11_16-30
Pigsty or Paradise - Matthew 13:1-23
Wheat and Tares - Matthew 13:24-43
The scandal of the Kingdom of God - Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52, and more
Magic Jesus and the Real Feast - Matthew 14:13-21
Where lies the miracle - Matthew 14:13-21
Healed of the Crowd - Matthew 14:22-33
Walking above the flood - Matthew 14:22-33, Psalm 69
Blind Privilege and the Kingdom of Heaven - Matthew 15:10-28
The Hero Must Die - Matthew 16:13-27
Jonah and Jesus: A Sermon - Matthew 16:13-21
My self tells me whose I am - Matthew 16:13-28
Could you imagine? - Matthew 8:15-22
A wicked problem... and love - Matthew 18:15-22
The Story We Can't Believe - Matthew 18:21-35
It's not what you think, Peter - Matthew 20:1-16
Rich, but lost in the Vineyard - Matthew 20:1-19
When you don't have the numbers… and when you do
A Man Unlike God - Matthew 21:33-46
Is there love in Las Vegas? - Matthew 21:33-46
Ducks that won't line up - Matthew 22:1-14
But Everything Belongs to God - Matthew 22:15-22
Just Who is this Caesar? - Matthew 22:15-22
The Unlearning of Love - Matthew 22:34-46
The ending of Fences - Matthew 23:1-12 (13-39)
Matthew 25:31-46 - The Far Near Country
Matthew 25:31-46 - When are we going to have the party?


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text:
London 2012 and beyond: concluding reflections on peacemaking, sport and the Olympic movement
Spaaij, Ramon and Burleson, Cindy (2012) London 2012 and beyond: concluding reflections on peacemaking, sport and the Olympic movement. Sport in Society, 15 (6). pp. 905-913. ISSN 1743-0437 (print) 1743-0445 (online)
Sport-in-Society-2012-Spaaij-and-Burleson.pdf - Accepted Version
Official URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1743043...
The 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games have reinvigorated the debate on Olympic legacies for peace and development. Addressing this debate and building on the articles in this collection, this epilogue argues that the theoretical–conceptual understanding of peace and peacemaking remains poorly developed within the peacemaking discourse espoused by the Olympic movement. The authors draw upon insights from mainstream peace research to identify a series of key themes and questions across six dimensions of peacemaking – aim, means, time, actors, process/action and organization. These themes and questions can guide future research, policy and practice in peacemaking through sport.
Olympic legacies, Olympic movement, peacemaking, London Games, peaceful coexistence, human rights, philosophical, historical foundations
FOR Classification > 1608 Sociology
Faculty/School/Research Centre/Department > College of Sports and Exercise Science
https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2012.708290


text:
Q: A test for randomness of direction of vector data I want to test the hypothesis that a group of vectors in 3D space, say given by a long list of xyz coordinates from some experiment, have no preferred direction. Is it sufficient to pick some direction in space, say the x-axis, and calculate the cosine angle between each data vector and this direction, and look at the mean cosine angle?
Thanks,
-nuun

A: I presume that by "having no preferred direction" you mean that the distribution on the sphere is uniform - as it has just been pointed out by Gerry. Testing uniformity on the sphere is a classical statistical problem. There is A LOT about it: you may have a look at the book "Directional Statistics" by Mardia and Jupp (especially Chapters 9 and 10), or, for instance, at these more recent papers by Pycke and Bakshaev.

A: There is a notion of uniform distribution on spheres, and a notion of discrepancy on a sphere (which is a numerical measure of the distance from uniform distribution). That should give you some search terms. One paper on the topic (probably more theoretical than you want, but it should have or at least point to the relevant definitions) is Martin Blumlinger, Slice discrepancy and irregularities of distribution on spheres, Mathematika 38 (1991) 105-116.

A: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-246X.1956.tb05561.x/abstract

A: Here is one approach to consider.
Treating the data as points on the surface of the unit sphere, consider the collection of convex subsets on this surface that contain all of your observations. Then, define $S$ to be minimum area among such sets.  One way to interpret the idea of "having no preferred direction" is that this set $S$ should be almost as big as the entire surface; conversely a preferred direction would manifest as the data being tightly concentrated in a small area on the sphere.
This is just a rough idea -- figuring out how to operationalize "almost as big as the entire surface" would depend on your statistical needs.  Hope I haven't missed the mark too badly.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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The conditions in the Balkans are still endangering peace in Europe.
Another dark point on Europe's horizons is the tense relationship that has prevailed between France and [p. 121] Germany since the war of 1870-71. France cannot forget the loss of Alsace-Lorraine; it has elevated its military power to a higher level than ever before; Germany and the other major powers have done the same; they are all armed to the teeth and ready to face the impending events. In order to further secure the conquests and superiority of Germany in Europe, Fürst Bismarck formed an alliance with Austria in 1879, which was joined by Italy (King Victor Emanuel's son Umberto, and, after he was murdered by an anarchist, his then reigning son Victor Emanuel III.) later (1883). It is the mission of this Triple Alliance to secure the existing borders of their countries against the attacks of France or Russia. As a natural counterweight to the Triple Alliance France and Russia also formed an alliance.