text:
Q: how do I style this "input" like this "a" tag?
(The "input" is on the left and the "a" tag is on the right)
I need to style the "input" tag exactly like the "a" tag. I am just talking about the box surrounding it. Also, I can only use the "input" tag because I need to get data from this button
a,input {
    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);
    text-decoration: none;
    margin: 5px;
    font-size: 1.5rem;
    padding: 3px;
    border-radius: 5px;
}

A: Input and a elements have different native style, you can reset the style and apply a mutual class.
For position you can use align-items: stretch or align-items: center from flexbox
For exemple :

  <input type="text" value="foo" />
   bar

.inner {
  background-color: #ebebeb;
  height: 140px;
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
}

.inner input,
.inner a {
  background-color: #000;
  color: #fff;
  padding: 12px;
  margin: 12px;
  border: 0;
  font-family: Arial;
  font-size: 1em;
  text-decoration: none;
}

You can also replace .inner input, .inner a by .yourClass
and add class="yourClass" on input and a DOM element

A: Here I have provided a css attributes for the class inner and also added a style for the elements input and a.

.inner {
  background-color: #ebebeb;
  height: 140px;
  display: flex;
  align-items: center;
}

.inner input {
  background-color: blue;
  color: #fff;
  padding: 3px;
  border-radius:5px;
  margin: 12px;
  border: 0;
  width:45px;
  text-align:center;
  font-family: Arial;
  font-size: 1em;
  text-decoration: none;
}

.inner a {
  background-color: blue;
  color: #fff;
  padding: 3px;
  border-radius:5px;
  border: 0;
  font-family: Arial;
  font-size: 1em;
  text-decoration: none;
}

  <input type="text" value="save" />
   cancel

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Meet the 2010 Mickey Leland Congressional Interns
Jose Eduardo Sanchez, Bobby Ray Williams, Tonya Chissell-Williams, Janae Ladet, Shukri Aziz, Rachel Burnett, Kaine Hampton and Jeneba Haffner
UH Chancellor Renu Khator with the 2010 Leland Interns
Eight bright and eager students from the University of Houston, Texas Southern University and the University of Houston-Downtown are pursuing their public service dreams on Capitol Hill. Learn more about the distinguished group participating in the 2010 class.
And don't miss Marisa Ramirez's coverage of the Mickey Leland Congressional Internship Program including interviews with former Leland intern District Court Judge Al Bennett and 2010 intern Janae Ladet on a recent segment of UH Moment on KUHF.
Shukri Aziz is a Texas Southern University graduate student in urban planning and environmental policy with a concentration in community and housing development. Born and raised in a rough area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Shukri believes that he could have easily become a statistic. He overcame his challenges in part to his strong religious beliefs, community commitment, and resilient drive for an education. Shukri earned a bachelor of arts in history from Wiley College in 2008.
Shukri completed two internships researching the first African-American social work educators in Arkansas at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He also served as a precinct manager in Marshall, Texas during the 2008 primary election and was elected as a primary delegate.
Shukri plans to attend Thurgood Marshall School of Law in the fall of 2010. After completing law school, he hopes to continue his postgraduate education work at an Ivy League university. Shukri plans to continue serving his community and ultimately pursue a career in politics.
Shukri is working in the office of Congressman Al Green (TX).
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Rachel actively volunteers in her community. She spends time helping the less fortunate members of the community by providing food, clothing and house-cleaning services, and also contributes time at a shelter for troubled boys and girls.
Rachel is interested in numerous policy issues including education, immigration, energy, and tax policy. Upon her return from Washington, D.C., Rachel will graduate in the fall of 2010. She seeks to attend law school and is interested in pursuing a career in politics.
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Jeneba is working in the office of Congressman Ciro Rodriguez (TX).
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Kaine gained familiarity with local politics by working as a UH Hobby Center for Public Policy intern in the office of Council Member Ronald Green. He is most interested in policy issues such as education, health, and civil rights.
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Bobby Ray's political experience includes serving as a volunteer for Travis County as an elections clerk, as a campaign volunteer for the Mayor Lee P. Brown Re-Election Campaign in Houston, and as a field operations intern for the Mark Strama for State Representative Campaign. He is a life member of the National Eagle Scout Association, and is an active member of the Boy Scouts of America, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Prince Hall Free and Accepted Masons of Texas and Jurisdictions, and served as the Senate Chair of the Student Government Association at TSU during the 2008-09 academic year.
Bobby Ray's professional experience includes working for Prairie View City Treasurer Birdie Clark and as a Texas Legislative Intern in the office of State Representative Mark Strama of Austin. Most recently, he served as a district aide to State Senator Rodney Ellis of Houston.
Bobby Ray is interested in continuing his education by obtaining a law degree, and ultimately wants to blend a career in both music and public service.
Bobby Ray is working in the office of Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (TX).
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Tonya is active in public service, recently completing a UH Hobby Center for Public Policy internship in the office of Houston City Council Member Jarvis Johnson and currently serving as a women's ministry leader. She is also the 2009 recipient of the Beverly Kaufman scholarship awarded by Women Professionals in Government.
Upon the conclusion of her internship in D.C., Tonya's future goals include obtaining a master's degree in public administration or political science.
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or אָהֵב ; a primitive root; to have affection for (sexually or otherwise); (be-) love(-d, -ly, -r), like, friend.
or אַשֻּׁר; apparently from אָשַׁר (in the sense of successful); Ashshur, the second son of Shem; also his descendants and the country occupied by them (i.e. Assyria), its region and its empire; Asshur, Assur, Assyria, Assyrians. See אָשֻׁר.
a primitive root; to breathe after, i.e. to love (sensually); dote, lover.


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The University selected AVI-SPL as the primary integrator to help create a cohesive technology solution for the center. AVI-SPL worked closely with Haivision's video streaming and media management solutions to distribute HD video at the lowest possible latency throughout the facility.
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text:
Nicole bets on coffee shop in a horsebox | Western People
Nicole bets on coffee shop in a horsebox
A Mayo schoolteacher and freelance journalist has launched her new business by converting a horsebox into a coffee shop.
Melody's Brew is a coffee shop operating out of a converted horsebox. Pictured is Rachel Reed and business owner Nicole O'Malley.
Nicole O'Malley, from Louisburgh, is the founder of Melody's Brew, a coffee shop operating out of a converted 1970s horsebox.
Ms O'Malley told the Western People she got the idea for Melody's Brew just after the first Covid lockdown last year.
"I thought about buying a rice box to use for camping and planned to convert it into a coffee shop over the winter. The model is hard to get but a sustainable 1970s rice box in great condition came up at the end of the year and I went for it."
Ms O'Malley works as a freelance reporter for thatsfarming.com and as an agricultural science and biology teacher at St Joseph's Secondary School in Castlebar. In addition, she has worked in the cafe business during her time in school and college. She said her interests tie into the business she has set up.
"My interest in my subjects and talking to Irish food producers complement the idea and what I'm about as a person. I'd place an emphasis on sustainability
"I like baking and that would have brought on this idea but I have opted to go with local hand-picked suppliers to look after that for me.
"They all share similar values in terms of supporting Irish and sustainability. I can concentrate on running the business."
Ms O'Malley said the name 'Melody's Brew' came from a broodmare her late uncle Anthony owned named Melody. She thanked her brother Jason for his help in converting the horsebox and said the rest of her family has chipped in greatly to the project.
"Everyone has chipped in without ever being asked to and they've all been great. It'll be coffee on the house for them!
"We live in a beautiful area naturally full of activity – surfers, cyclists, walkers, runners – and I'm looking forward to being around this summer."
Filed under: Louisburgh, Mayo, Mayo newspaper, West Mayo
By Paul O'Malley


text:
[Previous] Freeze Discussion | Home | [Next] Vegan Debate
This post assumes familiarity with David Deutsch's (DD) original idea of static and rational memes in The Beginning of Infinity (BoI). (Summary.)
DD's theory says there are two types of memes with two different replication strategies. Static memes replicate by suppressing criticism of themselves (and sometimes also of other ideas). Rational memes replicate by being useful.
I propose instead that there are three types of memes.
Rational, useful memes.
Static memes that suppress criticism and creativity.
Static companion memes that do not suppress creativity or criticism themselves but are adapted to replicate in an environment where they are suppressed.
The additional category is a companion meme which requires criticism suppression but relies on other (static) memes doing it.
I think static companion memes have a variety of replication strategies rather than being defined by one. One possibility is being highly adapted to appear useful to people who aren't critically thinking.
In a fully static society, not all memes have to follow the replication strategy of suppressing criticism of themselves. The reason is the reach of knowledge (another concept explained in BoI). Some static memes do (partially or fully) general purpose criticism suppression rather than only suppressing criticism of themselves.
I think there is basically a core of some powerful static memes which are very effective at suppressing criticism in general. Once those exist, other memes don't need to suppress criticism of themselves because criticism isn't happening anyway. So they can evolve to compete for replication bandwidth in other ways.
A further complication, which blurs the categorization of memes into two or three types, is that ideas can be like code libraries from programming which provide callable APIs. In order to suppress criticism of itself, idea B can call a library function provided by idea A. However, if the host has idea B without having idea A, then that function call doesn't work and B fails to suppress criticism of itself. In this case, much of the knowledge of criticism suppression is outsourced, however idea B is able to actively suppress criticism of itself in the right environment.
Another complication is that there need not be a black and white dividing line between static memes and static companion memes. A meme can do some of each: it can be adapted partly to suppress criticism and partly adapted to do something else (such as appearing useful or good to non-critical thinkers). I'd guess that many memes are mixed because the core of criticism suppressing memes remove some but not all of the selection pressure on other memes to optimize for criticism suppression. That allows them to adapt for other purposes too, and some may entirely lose their criticism suppression. This other adaptation would be to better compete with other memes for replication bandwidth in a static society environment. Once criticism is largely suppressed, the amount the typical meme replicates won't have much to do with how well that memes suppresses criticism.
Memes replicate in two different ways. Within a mind and between minds.
Memes must replicate between minds to last over time.
Critical Rationalism says we learn by doing evolution of ideas within our mind.
Do static memes replicate within a mind? That sounds potentially bad because they'd make progress and change, not stay static. But it depends on what selection pressure they're being exposed to. If a static meme could control the selection then it could use within-mind replication to get more optimized. This would be different than suppressing criticism (DD's idea of static memes). It'd be changing the nature of the criticism instead.
If static memes simply suppress criticism, they can't get more adapted by within-mind evolution. But if they could instead control the types of criticism, then they can benefit from within-mind evolution.
So I'm thinking static memes do within-mind evolution in some cases while keeping control over the selection (criticism). I think that's a significant way static meme theory is incorrect.
>Static companion memes that do not suppress creativity or criticism themselves but are adapted to replicate in an environment where they are suppressed.
What would be a real world example of one?
Jorge at 5:52 PM on December 11, 2019 | #14799 | reply | quote
#14799 Don't know, it's a theoretical category, and there are the complications I mentioned, and precisely specifying any type of meme is hard.
curi at 5:59 PM on December 11, 2019 | #14800 | reply | quote
#14799 I can give a hypothetical example. Maybe horoscopes seem really great and useful to people full of static memes who don't think critically about anything, but the horoscope meme itself doesn't suppress criticism.
And you can insert anything else you think is bad instead of horoscopes to get another example that could at least hypothetically work.
Are they "neutral" memes that are false?
> Some static memes do (partially or fully) general purpose criticism suppression rather than only suppressing criticism of themselves.
How does this square with static memes evolving in the direction of only causing fine-grained damage to the holder's mind? If some static memes cause general purpose criticism suppression then how does the holder live long enough to be able to enact as much as possible the meme's behaviors?
#14803 Static societies live very inefficiently and ineffectively! They're bad at it!
I don't think it's fine-grained damage. I talk with people and find they are irrational about wide varieties of stuff, including ideas they'd never heard of before and which is pretty far removed from direct criticism of any static meme as far I can tell. And I'd expect powerful static memes to have reach, partly because of the importance of dealing with indirect criticism/threats (e.g. background knowledge that can lead to an argument against the meme, or even the first 6 steps in a 7 part argument against the meme – since those 6 steps don't constitute a direct criticism of the meme, suppression would indicate some reach to the suppression, and I think suppression of that kind of thing is crucial).
There's also the well known idea that people dislike criticism itself. There are some real issues behind that concept even if it's not fully correct in our mixed society.
And if static memes were leaving people with critical thinking in general, minus a bunch of exceptions, then I think static societies would have considerably more innovation than they do. There'd be some innovations invented that don't contradict the static memes.
People can live without critical thinking (at a high level) because the static memeplex dictates a lifestyle for them to live. This unfortunately has significant similarities to animals which also don't live by critical thinking.
Maybe critical thinking remains significantly active at a low, unconscious level. Could a static society member use critical thinking to e.g. resolve ambiguity in a sentence I say, not according to some preset cultural default expectation but by understanding what sort of thing I would mean? What sort of small scale problem solving could they do – is it like an animal relying on algorithms or can they deal to some extent with the situation going off script in a way that pre-existing knowledge doesn't address? I don't think anyone's figured out all the details.
curi at 2:21 AM on December 12, 2019 | #14804 | reply | quote
It makes sense that static memes can have reach so that they do general purpose criticism suppression and not just criticism suppression in regard to themselves. As you say, if this were not the case, then we should expect to see considerably more innovation than we do because the holders' minds would not have been disabled in all areas.
It also makes sense that people in static societies can live without high-level critical thinking and that they become not dissimilar to animals enacting algorithms.
But I think there is disagreement with Deutsch and your post doesn't mention that.
Just in case I misrepresented him, here is the exact quote from BoI that I was thinking of:
> The overarching selection pressure on memes is towards being faithfully replicated. But, within that, there is also pressure to do as little damage to the holder's mind as possible, because that mind is what the human uses to be long-lived enough to be able to enact the meme's behaviours as much as possible. This pushes memes in the direction of causing a *finely tuned* compulsion in the holder's mind: ideally, this would be just the inability to refrain from enacting that particular meme (or memeplex). Thus, for example, long-lived religions typically cause fear of specific supernatural entities, but they do not cause general fearfulness or gullibility, because that would both harm the holders in general and make them more susceptible to rival memes. So the evolutionary pressure is for the psychological damage to be confined to a relatively narrow area of the recipients' thinking, but to be deeply entrenched, so that the recipients find themselves facing a large emotional cost if they subsequently consider deviating from the meme's prescribed behaviours.
He mentions here that susceptibility to rival memes is another reason that a static meme limits the damage it does to the holder. But a static meme that can do general purpose criticism suppression has sophisticated adapted knowledge to prevent rivals getting a toe-hold. It is the product of generations of variants that had a slight edge doing this so it is going to be extremely difficult for a variant of itself or another meme to begin to compete.
Anonymous at 1:04 PM on December 12, 2019 | #14808 | reply | quote
> But a static meme that can do general purpose criticism suppression has sophisticated adapted knowledge to prevent rivals getting a toe-hold.
Yes but it need not have sophisticated knowledge to prevent *non-rivals* from getting a toe-hold.
So suppose some static companion meme gets in. Then what happens between it and its rivals? The environment is very low criticism so I don't think they would necessarily compete by being best able to suppress criticism of themselves. They could compete by e.g. seeming good in some way, as well as directly attacking each other.
You might say *all* memes are rivals because they compete for bandwidth to replicate. But if some important meme is replicating reliably, it might already be getting the bandwidth it needs and the memes that sometimes don't replicate due to limited bandwidth are other ones. The important meme doesn't need all the bandwidth so doesn't try to drive everything else out.
Also even if there was no space for new memes, an existing static meme could lose some or all of its criticism suppression knowledge over time if there was no longer selection pressure for that individual meme to suppress criticism because other memes were suppressing enough criticism.
Re inhibiting rivals, if a meme can inhibit all rivals (including the null hypothesis), so a person has no choice/alternatives, then that might be enough if the person isn't creative enough to create new rivals.
My big picture view, which I've had for a long time, is I think once there is a static society environment, some memes have advantages within that environment such as seeming good to that kind of person. I think there's selection pressure for that and actually it can be a big deal when there are ~zero dynamic memes anywhere to be found. Attacking rivals is another trait static memes can evolve for. It's like how an animal can have selection pressure on multiple traits like sharp claws, strong muscles, good eyesight, etc., and those can all evolve at the same time, and this disagrees with the concept of static memes being totally defined as memes that evolved to suppress criticism, to oppose reason, to be anti-rational.
I don't think this is a major innovation or change to DD's view but I think it's some ideas worth thinking about which DD didn't explain. I think meme theory has lots of room for additional development.
Basically I think BoI oversimplifies when it says:
> There are only two basic strategies of meme replication: to help prospective holders or to disable the holders' critical faculties.
And that *two basic strategies* point is a theme DD has emphasized. I think that's a crucial starting point for understanding what a static society as a whole is like, but I think some individual memes can do well in a static society with other traits, not all the selection pressure is related to that basic strategy (sometimes it may even be ~none).
re your quote:
> Thus, for example, long-lived religions typically cause fear of specific supernatural entities, but they do not cause general fearfulness or gullibility,
I think long-lived religions *do* cause substantial amounts of general gullibility and contribute to people being fooled by stuff outside their religion like cold reading, spoon bending, horoscopes, etc.
so yeah some disagreement with DD but just as refinements to static meme theory which i broadly think is great.
> They could compete by e.g. seeming good in some way, as well as directly attacking each other.
Would one way of seeming good be to actually be good? I guess this mostly doesn't happen because people's standards are so low. And I guess if it is actually good it would not persist long in that form because there is little error correction happening to maintain it.
> Would one way of seeming good be to actually be good?
Not necessarily. Depends how divorced from reality people's judgments in a static society are (I think a *lot*). So I was thinking more like whatever dumb standards of judgment people have, it evolves to fit that, so not very reality oriented evolution.
You say that static companion memes benefit from the core group of general criticism suppressing static memes. Is this relationship symbiotic? Do that core groups of memes gain any benefit from static companion memes?
#14813 I guess the benefit would be if the static companion memes had more than zero effectiveness at keeping the person alive.
The type of static meme that Deutsch described which suppresses criticism mostly in regard to itself would be rare right? Maybe they once weren't, but once the core group of general criticism-suppressing memes evolved the specialised memes would not have selection pressure on them to suppress criticism and so go extinct or become companion memes.
#14815 Yeah that's what I was thinking. Some core memes suppressing lots of criticism, and then most memes in a static society don't have selection pressure on them to do a lot of criticism suppression.
Though, mentioning again, this is a simplified model. E.g. the API issue in the OP blurs the issues.
Thanks for answering my questions. No more for the moment. I think your idea is worthwhile and a good refinement. Hope you get more discussion.
#14818 Thanks for the questions, I think they helped clarify things.
Updated the blog post with a new idea about static memes.
> Do static memes replicate within a mind?
When we recall to mind an idea from our memory do we replicate the idea in the act of thinking about it? I guess so, as recall is confabulation. That must mean static memes can replicate within a mind.
Anonymous at 10:06 PM on December 17, 2019 | #14891 | reply | quote
> If static memes simply suppress criticism, they can't get more adapted by within-mind evolution. But if they could instead control the types of criticism, then they can benefit from within-mind evolution.
The criticism would help to find errors in the replication strategy of the meme right? It would help the meme shut down criticism of its payload.
> Do static memes replicate within a mind? That sounds potentially bad because they'd make progress and change, not stay static. But it depends on what selection pressure they're being exposed to. If a static meme could control the selection then it could use within-mind replication to get more optimized. This would be different than suppressing criticism (DD's idea of static memes). It'd be changing the nature of the criticism instead.
Thinking about this further: When a recipient acquires a static meme there are lots of rounds of variation and criticism happening in the recipient's mind. There is evolution of ideas within a mind. The static meme has set up the environment so that the criticism is not directed towards finding errors in the meme's payload but is directed towards recreating the meme as faithfully as possible. It is controlling the types of criticism.
So how is what you are saying different to Deutsch?
>> This would be different than suppressing criticism (DD's idea of static memes).
> So how is what you are saying different to Deutsch?
>> This would be different than suppressing criticism
(DD's idea of static memes).
DD's idea is that a static meme suppresses criticism of its payload. It doesn't suppress other criticism and, in particular, within-mind criticism of how well the holder is conforming to it. So when you elaborate DD's idea it seems similar to the idea that the meme is controlling the types of criticism it receives.
Something went wrong with the quote. Sorry.
#14907 Where does DD say that? The word "payload" isn't even in BoI.
Memes evolving within a single mind
> Memes replicate in two different ways. Within a mind and between minds.
How does meme evolution work within a single mind? Is it due to memory changing details each time the idea is remembered, like #14891 suggested? In this usage, is meme synonymous with idea?
DD explains memes here as having to do with behaviour and spreading to other minds, but maybe this is too narrow a conception of a replicator?: https://twitter.com/DavidDeutschOxf/status/1191276695023751168?s=20
> Present in a mind, enacted as behaviour, consequently recreated in another mind, enacted as behaviour.
Freeze at 11:50 PM on December 18, 2019 | #14910 | reply | quote
> How does meme evolution work within a single mind? Is it due to memory changing details each time the idea is remembered
No, the primary way is *thinking consists of making copies of ideas with variations and doing criticism/selection*. Making a bunch of copies is a core part of thinking.
#14909 Payload is my term. DD says a static meme "disables the recipient's critical faculties in regard to itself". Which puts it a bit awkwardly I think.
"Bad" by what standard?
Elliot Temple wrote:
> Do static memes replicate within a mind? That sounds potentially bad because they'd make progress and change, not stay static.
"Bad" by what standard? I can think of two different interpretations that kinda make sense.
*If static memes made progress instead of staying static, it would be potentially bad for* ...
(1) **people**, because it might mean that static memes would get better at controlling people and keeping them static.
(2) **the theory of static memes**, because it might somehow contradict the theory.
Alisa at 10:05 PM on December 21, 2019 | #14925 | reply | quote
I meant it'd be bad for the meme's replication strategy (staticity).
curi at 10:53 PM on December 21, 2019 | #14926 | reply | quote
Within-mind static meme evolution
Here's how I now see the problem:
All memes have a *payload* and a *replication strategy*. The payload is the idea represented by the meme. In the case of a static meme, the payload does not need to have any truth content. The replication strategy is the knowledge that the meme uses to pass itself on. This must have truth content for the meme to be successful.
In a static meme, the replication strategy prevents criticism of the truth-content of the payload. The strategy pushes the recipient to replicate the payload faithfully. This requires creativity but not creativity directed at truth-seeking.
The knowledge in the replication-strategy must also be passed on to the recipient. There are two ways to do this. Either the replication-strategy prevents criticism of the knowledge it contains. Or it allows criticism of this knowledge.
Criticism would be beneficial to the truth content of the replication strategy. It would help to eliminate errors and improve the strategy. But, it carries a risk that progress would happen because new knowledge is being created. But if criticism about the replication strategy is suppressed, then a mechanism for detecting errors is not being used and the meme might be outcompeted by other variants that can somehow use that mechanism.
Is that an accurate summary of the problem?
static memes & staticity
My paraphrase of what curi wrote above:
*If static memes made progress instead of staying static, it would be potentially bad for their replication strategy (staticity).*
Staticity of what? The static meme, the host, both, or something else?
curi wrote in the main article above:
> Static memes replicate by suppressing criticism of themselves (and sometimes also of other ideas).
In what way would static memes making progress be bad for their replication strategy? It seems to me that making progress, for a static meme, could mean getting *better* at suppressing their hosts' criticism of them, or adapting so that they continue to be able to replicate in a slowly changing environment.
> Staticity of what?
First, static meme itself. Second, the environment that its adapted to (which includes traits of the host like the hosts other ideas)
> In what way would static memes making progress be bad for their replication strategy?
Depends on how they changed. Without a ton of control over the process, could change to be less adapted as a static meme, there could be innovation, etc.
#14930 I don't think separating payload and replication strategy makes sense. Why would a replicator have two parts like that? What is the selection pressure on the part which is separate from how it replicates? What creates that part or makes it matter? I think the replication strategy is the core of the meme (which is a replicator), that's what it is and does.
Do you have examples of what you have in mind re two part memes?
#14940 I wasn't thinking that the payload and replication strategy are independent. Among other things, the replication strategy has true knowledge about the payload. The payload is required by the replication strategy. Substitute a completely different payload and the meme won't work. But the payload doesn't necessarily have knowledge about the replication strategy. The payload may have no truth-content whatsoever. The replication strategy is the machinery that gets the meme (payload+replication strategy) replicated.
Example of a payload: when you learn the "Happy Birthday" meme, the payload is the overt content of the song.
In some memes, I imagine the distinction between payload and replication strategy is blurred. Perhaps that is the case with all memes and it doesn't make sense to make the distinction, as you say. ionno.
Question about static memes replicating when they pass from one mind to another
curi wrote in the original essay (with his comment #14926 spliced in):
> Do static memes replicate within a mind? That sounds potentially bad [for the meme's replication strategy (staticity)] because they'd make progress and change, not stay static.
IIUC, all memes -- including static memes -- replicate when they pass from one mind to another, a process which involves variation and selection, and therefore progress and change. Is that *also* potentially bad for the static meme's replication strategy?
Alisa at 12:53 AM on December 29, 2019 | #14967 | reply | quote
Some thoughts/questions about within-mind evolution.
When we do within-mind evolution of ideas, there is some population of ideas in flight. We select ideas by critically examining each idea for flaws. If no flaw is found in an idea, fine, that is a candidate solution to our problem. Typically, however, every idea in our initial population of ideas will have flaws. So we need to decide which ideas to carry forward and work on and which to leave behind. Whichever ideas we choose, they are not viable solutions to our problem, they are just works-in-progress.
In biological evolution, works-in-progress do not get carried forward. For genes to become adapted to a niche they must cause the construction of a viable phenotype which must survive long enough to reproduce. And they must succeed at doing this time and again. If an organism is not viable or cannot reproduce then the genes it carries die. So, in biological evolution, the population of genes always contains some true replicators (or the species dies).
So there is a different between within-mind evolution of ideas and biological evolution. During within-mind evolution, work-in-progress ideas can be all we have and these don't seem to cause their own replication. None can survive in the problem niche.
However, in the discussion of curi's map generator, self-replication was identified as an important feature of evolution.
Perhaps the work-in-progress ideas do cause their own replication by having certain features that other ideas lack? They might have more explanatory power, or be more concise, or something. This sounds like critical preferences, but that might be OK when dealing with intermediate ideas.
Perhaps we ask: given that no idea completely solves our problem what shall we do now? Then we attempt to solve that (simpler) problem. That would lead to more within-mind evolution, however, to solve the new problem. And to regress. Which is not good.
Anonymous at 3:04 AM on January 1, 2020 | #15002 | reply | quote
> When we do within-mind evolution of ideas, there is some population of ideas in flight. We select ideas by critically examining each idea for flaws. If no flaw is found in an idea, fine, that is a candidate solution to our problem. Typically, however, every idea in our initial population of ideas will have flaws. So we need to decide which ideas to carry forward and work on and which to leave behind.
Not necessarily. We could generate more ideas for the first generation.
Also for how to decide which to carry forward, if you do that: by decision criteria you don't have a criticism of. One way to do this is to carry forward ideas which solve some other problems besides target problem (especially less ambitious versions of the target problem).
> Perhaps the work-in-progress ideas do cause their own replication by having certain features that other ideas lack? They might have more explanatory power, or be more concise, or something.
sure, criteria along those lines can be considered and sometimes used.
> Perhaps we ask: given that no idea completely solves our problem what shall we do now? Then we attempt to solve that (simpler) problem. That would lead to more within-mind evolution, however, to solve the new problem. And to regress. Which is not good.
yes that's a good thing to do. *it is not a regress* because each time you iterate the problem gets easier, rather than harder or worse. same as with http://fallibleideas.com/avoiding-coercion
curi at 11:23 PM on January 3, 2020 | #15018 | reply | quote
#15018 Thanks for your reply. I'm not sure why I wrote the regress is not good after having stated the new problem is simpler than the original problem. The regress will bottom out and fairly quickly, as you explain in your link.
One thing this highlights is that when we do within-mind evolution of ideas we can switch to auxiliary problems to make progress. So when we end up solving our original problem we did so by also solving a succession of simpler problems whose solutions tell us how to proceed in solving the main problem.


US-based architectural, engineering and consulting firms HDR Architecture and CUH2A are set to merge by the end of this month.
The move will link more than 40 offices and 1,700 staff internationally.
Once the deal is completed, the science and technology groups of each company will merge into one business unit.
HDR Architecture has made its name through healthcare design, and employs around 1,300 people while CUH2A, which specialises in the design of science and technology facilities, employs around 400 people.
The merged businesses will focus on the emerging field of translational research, which converts scientific discoveries into practical solutions.
Merle Bachman, HDR architecture president, said: "CUH2A's science and technology portfolio provides immediate growth and diversity to HDR's practice, while allowing us to penetrate even further into the healthcare markets in the Northeastern and Southeastern US as well as the Middle East and other critical locations.
Both firms create sustainable facilities that allow researchers to discover cures, healthcare providers to deliver medical solutions, and government agencies to defend against bio-threats.
The combined science and technology unit will be led by Scott Butler.
Scott Butler, CUH2A president, said: "HDR adds internationally recognised specialisation in areas that round out our science and technology practice, and its extensive network of offices establish a platform to deliver our combined expertise around the world.


The top 10 fastest cars from Alfa Romeo are ranked from fastest to slowest based on their 0-60 times. We crunched the numbers from the best estimates of several premier resources, including Motor Trend, Road & Track, Car & Driver and more.
Pulling up at #14 in this class is the 1973 Alfa Romeo Montreal, which races 0-60 mph in 8 seconds. Sports cars with this rate of acceleration are generally classified as Tame Cars.
It lags behind the #13 ranked 1990 Alfa Romeo 164 S by 0.4 seconds and darts ahead of the #15 ranked 1986 Alfa Romeo GTV 6/2.5 by 0.2 seconds.
Whether you are behind the wheel of one of these cars or happen to spot one in the next lane over, think twice before you step on the gas pedal. In a race from 0-60 mph between 1973 Alfa Romeo Montreal vs. 1986 Alfa Romeo GTV 6/2.5, you would WIN by 0.2 seconds!
If you happen to roll up next to another Alfa Romeo, be sure you know what you're up against. Find out where your car stands among the top 10 fastest cars from 1973.
999 people have viewed this car.


text:
import configparser
from datetime import datetime
from decimal import Decimal
import os
import re
import sqlite3

import click
from pick import pick

from . import errors

DB_NAME = 'churn.db'

def get_config_dir():
    return click.get_app_dir('churn')

def get_config_path():
    return os.path.join(get_config_dir(), 'churn.ini')

def get_db_path():
    config = configparser.ConfigParser()
    try:
        config.read_file(open(get_config_path()))
    except FileNotFoundError:
        raise errors.MissingConfigError
    return config['database']['path']

def get_connection():
    connection = sqlite3.connect(get_db_path())
    connection.row_factory = sqlite3.Row
    return connection

def pick_with_cancel(title, choices):
    selection, index = pick(choices + ['(cancel)'], title)
    return None if index == len(choices) else (selection, index)

def initialize_message():
    click.secho('Please run the initialize command first.', fg='red')

def successful_update_message():
    click.secho('Successfully updated.', fg='green')

def prompt_for_date(text):
    value = None
    while not value:
        raw = click.prompt(text)
        try:
            value = datetime.strptime(raw, '%Y-%m-%d').isoformat()
        except ValueError:
            click.echo('Error: ' + raw + ' is not a valid date')
    return value

def prompt_for_money(text):
    value = None
    while not value:
        raw = click.prompt(text)
        if re.match(r'\d+(?:\.\d{1,2})?$', raw):
            value = int(Decimal(raw) * 100)
        else:
            click.echo('Error: ' + raw + ' is not a valid amount')
    return value

def format_money(value):
    return '${:.2f}'.format(value)

def format_percent(value):
    return '{:.2f}%'.format(value)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Osteocephalus helenae is a species of frog in the family Hylidae. It is widely distributed in the Amazon Basin and is known from the lowlands of Bolivia, Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, and French Guiana. The specific name helenae honors Helen Beulah Thompson Gaige, an American herpetologist. Common name Helena's  treefrog has been proposed for it.

Taxonomy
Osteocephalus helenae was described in 1919 by Alexander Grant Ruthven as Hyla helenae based on three recently metamorphosed specimens. The relationships of this species were unclear and it was considered incertae sedis within Hyla, until  and colleagues concluded in 2013 that Ruthven's Hyla helenae is the same species as Osteocephalus germani described by Ron and colleagues in 2012 and that the correct name for this taxon is Osteocephalus helenae.

Description
Based on the type series of Osteocephalus germani, adult males measure about  and adult females about  in snout–vent length. The snout is truncate but may sometimes be rounded in females. The tympanum is visible but partly concealed dorsally. The fingers and the toes bear large discs and are webbed, the toes more heavily so. Dorsal skin bears tubercles in males but is smooth in females. Coloration is variable, ranging dorsally from brown with dark brown marks to light gray with dark brown marks; the ventrum is light cream and may have dark brown flecks. There is a cream-colored suborbital mark. Males have a paired vocal sac.

Habitat
The region of the type locality of Osteocephalus helenae is lowland tropical rainforest. In Peru, this species (as Osteocephalus germani) has been collected from primary and secondary lowland forests and from premontane forest at elevations up to . All specimens were encountered by temporary pools, perching over broad leaves or on tree branches  above the ground.

Conservation status
The assessment of Osteocephalus helenae for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in 2004 predates the current delimitation of this species.

References

helenae
Amphibians of Bolivia
Amphibians of Brazil
Amphibians of Colombia
Amphibians of French Guiana
Amphibians of Guyana
Amphibians of Peru
Amphibians of Venezuela
Amphibians described in 1919
Taxa named by Alexander Grant Ruthven
Taxonomy articles created by Polbot

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Truck driver in Broncos crash pleads guilty
Jaskirat Singh Sidhu appeared in a court in Melfort, Sask., this morning
Jan. 8, 2019 7:40 a.m.
The driver of a transport truck involved in a deadly crash with the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team's bus pleaded guilty Tuesday to all charges against him.
"I plead guilty, your honour," Jaskirat Singh Sidhu said as he stood before a judge in a court in Melfort, Sask.
Sixteen people lost their lives and 13 players were injured when Sidhu's semi-unit loaded with peat moss and the Broncos bus collided in rural Saskatchewan last April.
Sidhu was charged with 16 counts of dangerous driving causing death and 13 charges of dangerous driving causing bodily harm.
"His position to me was, 'I just want to plead guilty. I don't want you to plea bargain. I don't want a trial,'" Sidhu's lawyer, Mark Brayford, said outside court, his client beside him with his head down.
"Mr. Sidhu advised me: 'I don't want to make things any worse. I can't make things any better, but I certainly don't want to make them worse by having a trial.'"
Brayford, who recently took on the case, said more evidence still needs to be handed over to the defence, but Sidhu wanted to avoid further delays.
"He wanted the families to know that he's devastated by the grief that he's caused them," Brayford said. "And he's overwhelmed by the expressions of sympathy and kindness that some of the families and players have expressed to him in spite of the fact their grief is entirely his fault."
Scott Thomas, whose 18-year-old son Evan died in the crash, sat near Sidhu in court and said the guilty plea meant a lot to him.
"All I've ever told my kids is speaking about accountability and responsibility and to hear him use his own words to plead guilty, it's powerful," Thomas said, fighting his emotions outside court. "Now we can more forward with the next part of this."
Crown lawyer Thomas Healey said he might need up to five days for a sentencing hearing, which is to begin Jan. 28, and would not be commenting until after that. The maximum penalty for dangerous driving causing death is 14 years. It's 10 years for dangerous driving causing bodily harm.
Michelle Straschnitzki, whose son Ryan was paralyzed in the crash, said she is worried the guilty plea will mean a lighter sentence.
"I'm glad he won't be putting everyone through a lengthy, exhaustive and heartbreaking trial," she told The Canadian Press. "However, I also hope that by doing so, he doesn't get an absurdly reduced sentence as per our justice system."
READ MORE: Firm says trees obstructing vision at Humboldt Broncos crash intersection
Thomas said he's not worried about the time Sidhu could serve.
"When he said, 'Guilty,' to me, I have my closure," he said.
"If he spends a day, if he spends 10 years, time is irrelevant. He was guilty. He acknowledged that. That's all I needed to hear.
"The rest of the sentence doesn't matter to me. It really doesn't. It is not going to bring Evan back. I've got to spend the rest of my life with it. He's got to spend the rest of his life with it."
The Broncos were on their way to a playoff game in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League when their bus and Sidhu's rig collided at an intersection not far from Tisdale, Sask.
READ MORE: Committee recommends how $15.2M in Humboldt Broncos donations should be divided
The bus was travelling north on Highway 35 and the semi was westbound on Highway 335, which has a stop sign.
A safety review of the rural crossroads done by a consulting firm for the Saskatchewan government was released last month. It said sight lines are a safety concern at the spot.
A stand of trees, mostly on private property, obstructs the view of drivers approaching from the south and east — the same directions the bus and semi-trailer were coming from when they collided, the review said.
It recommended negotiating with the landowner to remove the trees, and also suggested rumble strips, larger signs and painting "Stop" and "Stop Ahead" on the road.
The report's authors determined that six collisions had taken place at the intersection between 1990 and 2017 and another 14 happened on roads nearby.
One of those collisions was deadly. In 1997, six people were killed when a pickup truck heading east failed to stop on Highway 335 and was hit by a southbound tractor-trailer.
In December, the Saskatchewan government further introduced mandatory training for semi-truck drivers. Starting in March, drivers seeking a Class 1 commercial licence are to undergo at least 121.5 hours of training.
Previously, Saskatchewan Government Insurance accredited driving schools but training was not mandatory.
The owner of the Calgary trucking company that hired Singh was also charged after the crash.
Sukhmander Singh of Adesh Deol Trucking faces eight charges relating to non-compliance with federal and provincial safety regulations.
— With files from Bill Graveland in Calgary
Ryan McKenna, The Canadian Press
Travelling to the U.S.? Here is what you need to know
Chilliwack developer offers up 'free' heritage house downtown


text:
Find out more about our Asian projects (Helping Otters in Asia)
Asia is the home of five species of otter and more information is shown below:
Smooth-coated Otter (Lutrogale perspicillata)
Hairy-nosed Otter (Lutra sumatrana)
Species: Eurasian Otter
The status is poorly documented partly due to the country's turbulent history in recent decades. A review of the status of the Eurasian otter published by Ostrowski in 2016 which recommended that clarification of the current distribution, population trend and threats is necessary before applying appropriate conservation measures.
Legal Protection: On the list of Protected Wildlife Species in Afghanistan since 2010.
Threats: Hunting.
Species: Asian Small-clawed, Smooth-coated and Eurasian Otter
The Asian Small-clawed Otter is very rare but is found in the Sunderbans.
The Smooth-coated Otter is the most common species although numbers are shrinking. Some small communities still use these otters to help fish as the animals chase the fish into the nets.
The Eurasian otter has a sporadic small population recorded in the Chittagong and Chittagong hill tracts and in the wetlands of Mymensingh and Syhet but these are old reports.
In 2019 research was carried out by Zahid Shashoto of the Otter Project, Bangladesh, in the North Eastern part of the country (Haor Region). They found no signs of either Smooth-coated or Eurasian Otters except from interviews with local communities. One village confirmed that all three species were present and hunted about 20-30 years ago. Shashoto carried out a further study after seeing a photograph of two smooth-coated otters in a local newspaper in 2016 in Rajshahi, in the central Northwestern region, where there were no such formal records. Community surveys of fishermen and local people and identification of secondary signs of otters (spraint, footprint, damaged fishing nets, half eaten fish, slides or holts/resting places) confirm the existence of this species in Rajshahi. (Shashoto & Yoxon 2020, IOSF Journal Vol 6
In 2014 a workshop was held to train more people in otter research and education/public awareness. This was held in the Sunderbans, the largest area of mangrove forest in the world, which also extends into India. During the workshop we were fortunate enough to see wild Asian small-clawed otters but we also saw first-hand the pollution risk following an oil spill which covered the river banks. You can read the full report on the workshop here.
Legal Protection: Protected
Threats: Habitat destruction, pollution, illegal hunting, killed by fishermen.
IOSF supported projects
2006 – Support for Mohammed Feeroz in his care for two Smooth-coated Otters at the Wildlife Rescue Centre at Jahangirnagar University
2014 – Training workshop with Mohammed Feeroz of Jahangirnagar University. View the Report.
2018 to present – Support for Delip Bisharga Das for education work and formation of a Team Otter Club
Species: Asian Small-clawed, Smooth-coated and Eurasian Otter (No recent information is available)
Most seen in Punatshangchhu Basin (central) as far as Sunkosh.
Legal Protection: Not known.
Threats: Hydroelectric dams, illegal fishing, development, sand extraction.
Borneo is actually divided into three countries: Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. So please see these countries for further information.
Species: Asian Small-clawed, Smooth-coated and Hairy-nosed Otter?
The Asian Small-clawed Otter is common, while the Smooth-coated and Hairy-nosed otters are rare (de Silva 2006).
Threats: Not known.
See under Myanmar
Species: Smooth-coated , Eurasian, Hairy-nosed and Asian Small-clawed Otter Otter.IUCN 2007 Abstract
For a long time little was known about the otters in Cambodia and in 2009 a workshop was held to train more people in otter research and education/public awareness. You can read the full report on the workshop here.
Since then much more information has been obtained and in 2016 a report was published on field studies carried out between 2006 and 2013. This confirmed that Hairy-nosed Otters were present in four regions: Tonle Sap Lake, Cardamom Mountains, Bassac Marsh and the coastal areas in Kohn Kong province.
The report also shows that Hairy-nosed Otters and Smooth-coated Otters live in similar habitats in parts of their ranges. However, the former prefer areas sheltered by trees and vegetation whereas Smooth-coated Otters are more in open areas. Smooth-coated otters are also known from the Mekong river and its tributaries, including the Sre Pok River.
Asian small-clawed Otters are recorded from the Virachey National Park and the surrounding area.
(Heng S., Dong T., Hon N. & Olsson, A. (2016) The Hairy-nosed Otter Lutra sumatrana in Cambodia: distribution and notes on ecology and conservation. Cambodian Journal of Natural History, 2016, 102–110.)
Since 2008 IOSF has been supporting the work of Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre near Phnom Penh, Cambodia. They are the only facility which has ever cared for a hairy-nosed otter and they currently have a female called Neary, which is the polite word for a lady in Khmer. Hairy-nosed otters are very susceptible to poor water quality. As a result freshwater has to be brought 40 km from Phnom Penh to the Centre every day for Neary's pool. Fresh fish also has to be bought at a cost of about £4,000 per year.
They also have a group of smooth-coated otters.
Legal Protection: Eurasian and hairy-nosed otters protected by Forestry Law (2002). Asian small-clawed and smooth-coated not protected.
Threats: 30 year war destroyed vast areas of forest, pollution, hunting otter furs
2008 – Support for Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre in construction of a new enclosure for Dara, the only Hairy-nosed Otter in captivity in the world
2009 – Worked with Annette Olssen of Conservation International on a training workshop and subsequent research and education/public awareness programmes
2014 to present - Supporting otters in care at Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Centre and a new enclosure for Smooth-coated Otters
Species: Asian Small-clawed, Smooth-coated and Eurasian Otter.
Smooth-coated Otters are found in the southwest area of Yunnan province and the coastal area of Guandong. The Eurasian Otter is widespread with five sub-species. Asian Small-clawed Otters occur along the southern boundary of China.
Legal Protection: All three species protected by Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Wildlife (1989) – Class II.
Threats: Habitat destruction and illegal hunting have resulted in serious damage to the otter population.
Otters used to be widespread in China except for a few provinces in arid zones but now they are hardly ever observed in the wild. Spraints or footprints can be occasionally observed in only a few provinces near streams, reservoirs or protected areas. Based on the China National Wetlands Survey completed in 2003, otters could only be detected in 12 provinces and 3 autonomous regions, and are rare in 9 of the 15 provinces and regions. In the Changbaishan Mountain nature reserve numbers of otters declined by 99% between 1975 and 2010.
A Second National Wetlands Inventory was published in 2014 and this was more accurate than the first as it used standardised guidelines. When compared with the First Inventory, the data showed that the natural wetland had been reduced by 3,376,200 ha but the area of protected wetlands had risen to 5,259,400 ha including 25 Ramsar sites, 279 wetlands nature reserves and 468 wetland parks. The mammal survey in the Inventory focused on otters and was accompanied by interviews and literature reviews of the currently published papers. It did not record species of otter but it did show that otters are found in 24 provinces and autonomous regions. This apparent increase could be because of more protected wetlands and more legal enforcement of protection laws.
Tibet is an autonomous region of China. Both the Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) and Asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus) have been listed for Tibet in several authorities but all recorded otters in the plateau region are Eurasian, rather than Asian small-clawed.
This photo of otter footprints was taken at Nyanpo Yutse of Qinghai Province by He Bing, of the Nyanpo Yutse Environment Protection Society.
Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of China. Otters were thought to be extinct in the mid 1990s but they were spotted again in the Mai Po Nature Reserve in 1998. A PhD study of these otters was begun in 2016.
In September 2016 a workshop was held at Zhuhai in southern China and you can read the full report on the workshop here.
2016 – Training workshop at Zhuhai. View the Report
Species: Eurasian, Asian Small-clawed and Smooth-coated Otter.
All species are becoming rare outside the protected National Parks. The Asian Small-clawed is the rarest and is found on the foothills of the Himalayas. The Smooth-coated Otter is found throughout India and the Eurasian Otter occurs in the foothills of the western Himalayas and in the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Goa in the south. In recent times Eurasian Otters were also found in Lake Kribco near the city of Surat in South Gujarat, and the lake is now protected. At times the otters move to another lake, Lake Gaver, which is about 6km away and this lake has been adopted by a non-governmental organisation, Nature Club Surat, for the conservation of wetlands. This species has now also been found at the estuarine lagoon at Chilika, a Ramsar Site on the east coast (Adhya & Dey 2020, IOSF Journal Vol 6.
Legal Protection: All three species protected by The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 – Schedule I & II.
Threats: Habitat destruction, sand extraction, pollution, urbanisation, conflicts with fishermen, illegal hunting.
1999 – Support for a Smooth-coated Otter being cared for by CUPA (Compassion Unlimited Plus Action)
2012 – Support for Apoorva Kulkarni working with fishing communities in Karnataka
2013 – Support for Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation in their care of three Smooth-coated Otters
2020 – Support for Shaheen Shaik's study of Smooth-coated Otters in Hyderabad and Medak of Telangana
Wildlife Society of India
Nature Club Surat
Species: Eurasian, Asian Small-clawed, Smooth-coated and the Hairy-nosed Otter.
Hairy-nosed otters were found in 2003 in Sumba fresh waters, especially the Melolo river. In 2005 this picture was taken of a Hairy Nosed otter road kill from Sumatra. Since then more Hairy-Nosed otters have been reported in Sumatra and Kalimantan.
Otters are only found in the west of Indonesia and only on the islands of Borneo (Kalimantan), Java and Sumatra.
As far as we know there are no otters on Bali.
There is very little recent data on the Eurasian otter in Indonesia. During investigations into otters being traded as pets in north Sumatra it was reported that these were Eurasian otter cubs but the animals "disappeared" and so this could not be confirmed. However, in January 2020, two pet otters were taken to a rescue centre and one of these turned out to be Eurasian – the first record in 80 years.
Legal Protection: Eurasian and hairy-nosed otters have been protected for a long time by Government Regulation No 5/1990 on Conservation of Natural Resources & the Ecosystem, Government Regulation No 7/1999 on Preservation of Flora & Fauna. In 2018 The Ministry of Environment and Forestry signed a decree that means the smooth-coated otter is also now fully protected. However, the Asian small-clawed otter is still not unprotected and this is the species most involved in trade.
Threats: Pollution, habitat destruction, road mortality and taking from the wild as pets. At the beginning of 2013 at least 800 otter pet owners were known in the Jakarta alone.
In March 2013 a workshop was held in Java to train people to do more otter research and education/public awareness. The government requested recommendations for further action and these were presented at the end of the workshop. These included legal protection for Asian small-clawed and smooth coated otters. An Indonesian Otter Network has been formed with their own Facebook page and pet owners are starting to think about giving up their otters for care at a proper sanctuary.
You can read the full report on the workshop here.
Indonesia has had a demand for pet otters for a long time and this continues with the added pressures of other countries now interested in obtaining pet otters, such as Japan.
2009 – Support for Ruth Davidson in her care for Nessie, an orphaned Asian Small-clawed Otter in Jakarta
2012 – Support for Reza Lubis in his care of a Hairy-nosed Otter cub
2013 – Training workshop with Wetlands International Indonesia. View the Report
2018 – Support for Godit Adit in Jakarta, in his care for Poker the Asian Small-clawed Otter
2019 – Support for Scorpion for a survey of trade in otters
2019 – Support for Cikananga Wildlife Rescue for their care of Asian Small-clawed Otters
2020 – Support for SUMECO for the care of Asian Small-clawed Otters and one Eurasian Otter
Species: Eurasian otter? The Japanese otter is believed to have been a subspecies of the Eurasian otter, but it is also possible that it was a separate species altogether.
The Japanese otter was officially declared extinct in 2012, although it was actually believed to have died out in the 1990's with the last photo taken in the wild back in 1979.
Otters used to be found throughout Japan but were largely wiped out through trapping for fur. They hung on in the Kochi and Ehime prefectures on islands with little hunting but finally appeared to die out, possibly as a result of habitat destruction.
In 2014 the International Otter Survival Fund was invited to a workshop in Japan as part of a feasibility study into reintroducing otters to the Shiretoko National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Hokkaido. This is part of a long-term reforestation project called the Shiretoko 100 Square Meter Movement, which began in 1977. The aim of the project is to restore forest growth and biodiversity, within a time frame of 100 to 200 years, and includes the possible reintroduction of the river otter (Lutra lutra).
In August 2017, the Japanese Ministry announced that a video of an otter was taken in February 2017 on the island of Tsushima, in the Nagasaki prefecture, which is located between the Korean peninsula and Japan. The video was taken by Dr Izawa, from Ryukyu University, who was studying the Tsushima wildcat.
DNA analysis of two faecal samples revealed that one of them is from a Eurasian otter and it is similar to the Korean population. However, it has not yet been confirmed, whether this is a remnant individual of the "Japanese otter" or an individual from Korea (August 2017).
Legal Protection: Protected by Act on Conservation of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna & Flora (1992)
2014 – Invited to Japan as part of consultancy for proposed reintroduction programme on Hokkaido
2015 – Hosted Takahiro Murakami in his visit to UK to see otters in the wild and see IOSF education programme
2019 – IOSF represented by Mine Okamura at the Asian Otter Conservation Society of Japan meeting
Present but no more information
Found in Chon-Alay valley and upper tributaries of Kizil-Suu river. Believed to be extinct elsewhere.
Legal protection: Not known
Threats: Habitat loss, lack of prey, poaching, disturbance, dogs
Species: Eurasian, Asian Small-clawed, Smooth-coated and Hairy-nosed Otter. (de Silva 2006)
Found in Nakai District during IOSF training workshop in 2018. May also be present in Nam Et Phou Louey NP. Population unknown.
Click here for the full report on the IOSF training workshop.
Legal Protection: All four species protected by Wildlife & Aquatic Law (2007).
Threats: Habitat destruction.
2018 – Training workshop at the Nakai Nam Theun National Protected Area. View the Report
2019 – World Otter Day grant for an outreach meeting at Paksan Forestry College
2020 to present – Support for Kiengkai Khoonsrivong for the formation of a Team Otter Club
Species: Eurasian, Smooth-coated, Hairy-nosed and Asian Small-clawed Otter.
Only Small-clawed and Smooth-coated are found in peninsula Malaysia, while in eastern Malaysia all four species exist. The Hairy-nosed Otter population occurs in peat swamp forest near Nenasi.
In 2009 a research team working in Deramakot Forest Reserve, in the Malaysian state of Sabah, at the northern end of the island of Borneo, took a photo of a Hairy-nosed Otter with a camera trap. This was the first record in Sabah in more than a hundred years.
In 2013 Nick Baker, a wildlife enthusiast who runs www.ecologyasia.com, visited the western side of Taman Negara, Peninsular Malaysia, where he saw and photographed a hairy-nosed otter. Before this there had only been a couple of confirmed sightings of the species in Peninsular Malaysia in the last 50 years
A. Sebastian (1995) - The Hairy-Nosed Otter in Peninsular Malaysia
Legal Protection: All four species protected by Wildlife Conservation Act (2010), Wild Life Protection Ordinance (1998), Wildlife Conservation Enactment (1997). But the Eurasian otter is not listed as a protected species in Sabah, and so is only protected in wildlife sanctuaries with other wildlife.
Threats: Habitat destruction and pesticides.
2017 – Support for Farid in his care of an Asian Small-clawed Otter cub
2019 – World Otter Day grant to Leona Wai for a human-otter conflict workshop with fishermen in Batu Puteh, Kinabatangan, Sabah, Borneo
2020 - World Otter Day grant to Malaysian Nature Society for an event themed "Born to be WILD; Not caged; Live WILDLY".
Species: Eurasian Otter.
According to the IUCN Red List the Eurasian otter was "once widespread in the rivers of northern Mongolia (Mallon 1985), along the rivers of Mongol Altai Mountain Range, and along the Halh River in Ikh Hyangan Mountain Range (Bannikov 1954, Dulamtseren 1970, Sokolov and Orlov 1980). It has also been reported from downstream of the Tengis River in northern parts of Hövsgöl Mountain Range (Tsagaan 1975, 1977) and around the Eröö River Basin in western Hentii Mountain Range (Tsendjav 2005). It can also be found occasionally along the Tes River in northern Hangai."
A recent report on the current status of otters in Mongolia (Shar et al, 2018) shows that there are otters present in Northern, Eastern and Western Mongolia but not in the south where waterways are very limited. Survey revealed that otters seemed to be most prevalent in the east of the country and in particular the Numrug River and Khalkh River.
Legal Protection: Fully protected since 1930.
Threats: Poaching.
Myanmar (formerly Burma)
Species: Asian Small-clawed, Smooth-coated , Eurasian and Hairy-nosed.
Hairy-nosed otters were confirmed as being present in 2014 when a freshly killed animal was found in a market at Mong La. This is only the second record of this species for Myanmar and the first one was a skin collected in the north of the country in 1939.
The Smooth-coated Otter is widely distributed but no other information is available.
The Eurasian Otter is reported as being present but there is no further data.
Legal Protection: Eurasian, Asian small-clawed and smooth-coated otters protected by Protection of Wildlife & Wild Plants & Conservation of Natural Areas Law (1994) but not the hairy-nosed otter as it is not recognised as existing in the country.
2017 – Support for Ye Myint Lwin in his care of a Smooth-coated Otter cub
Species: Eurasian Otter, Smooth-coated otter and the Asian small-clawed otter
Eurasian otters dwell in mountain streams, rivers and lakes. They have been recorded from West Seti river and Rara Lake in the far west of Nepal, and also Rupa Lake and Begnas Lake of Pokhara valley in Central Nepal. However there are no recent records and most are over 30 years old. Smooth-coated otters have been reported in major river basins of Nepal: Koshi, Narayani, Karnali and Mahakali rivers. The presence of Asian Small-clawed otters has been recorded but the distribution of this species has not been recently reported.
Legal Protection: None.
Threats: Over-fishing, fishing conflicts, pollution, hydroelectric plants, habitat destruction and disturbance.
2002 – Support for Tej Bbahadur Thapa's study of Smooth-coated Otters in Bardia National Park
2006 – Support for a training workshop at the Royal Chitwan National Park
2010 – Support for Gandhiv Kafle's study of the otters in the Pokhara Valley
2012 – Support for Paras Acharya's study of Smooth-coated Otters in the Babai Valley of Bardia National Park
2016 – Support for the attendance of Mohan Bikram Shrestha and Purna Man Shrestha at the IOSF training workshop in China
2017 – World Otter Day grant to Balram Awasthi for an otter conservation rally
2018 – Support for Rohit Jha's study into factors affecting abundance and distribution of Smooth-coated Otters in the Karnali corridor
2020 – Support for Jyoti Bhandari for her education and public awareness programme
2020 – World Otter Day grant to Aarati Basnet and a group of otter conservationists for a webinar for 200 people to raise awareness of otters and the delicate ecosystem of which they are a vital part
2020 to present – Support for Aarati Basnet for Team Otter club in Shuklaphanta National Park
The Journal of Wetlands Ecology is a half-yearly online journal from the Wetland Friends of Nepal (WFN) dedicated to the exchange and dissemination of information related to wetland issues connecting wetlands, human and wildlife, including otters.
There is a very active Nepal Otter Network carrying out research and education/public awareness. Please contact enquiries@otter.org if you wish to know more about this.
Otters are protected in three reserves: Sinyang Otter Reserve, Daehung Otter Reserve and Popdong Otter Reserve. Otters also inhabit the upper reaches of all the major North Korean rivers.
Species: Smooth-coated and Eurasian Otter.
The Eurasian Otter is not common and occurs in the Northwest Frontier Province. The distribution of Smooth-coated otters in Pakistan is believed to be smaller than previously thought. Sightings and data suggest that the species is now only present in the Indus plains of the Sindh and Punjab provinces. There is a lack of recent records from the Khyber Pakhtun Khwa province so the presence of species is unknown within this area. There have been some unconfirmed reports of Smooth-coated otters in the Balochistan province but these are yet to be verified.
The Pakistan Wildlife Foundation was founded by Waseem Khan after attending the Cambodian Otter Workshop in 2007.
Legal Protection: Both species are fully protected.
Threats: Overhunting and damming of rivers.
2010 – Support for Waseem Khan in his attendance at the Cambodian training workshop. He went on to carry out survey work and establish the Pakistan Wildlife Foundation
2014 – Support for education work by Waseem Khan
2020 – Support for Zafeer Ahmed Shaikh's study of Smooth-coated Otters in selected wetlands of Thatta district, Sindh Province
Species: Asian Small-clawed Otter.
Occurs in estuaries, tidal areas and rivers but only on Palawan, the western island province of the Philippines and this is because of the Wallace Line. This was discovered in 1859 by the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace who realised that the fauna and flora in eastern Indonesia is different to that in the west. In fact, a distinct line can be drawn between Bali and Lombok with the species in the east being more Australasian and those in the west being more Asian. The Wallace Line was extended by Thomas Henry Huxley to show that the biodiversity of Palawan is different to the rest of the Philippines. This makes the population very important and it is vital that proper protocols and protection are set up for the otters, not just for the care of individual animals which may be found but for the protection of habitats to sustain wild populations. Diana Limjoco has been campaigning tirelessly for the protection of the natural habitat of Palawan. She has also cared for orphaned otters and worked to ensure proper steps are taken when such animals are found.
Legal Protection: Protected by Wildlife Resources Conservation & Protect Act RA9147 (2001).
Threats: Loss of habitat due to logging and mining.
2014 to present – Support for Diana Limjoco in her care of orphaned Asian Small-clawed Otters and a new enclosure
2017 – Support for Diana Limjoco in her campaign to protect the environment of Turtle and Binunsalian Bays on the island of Palawan
Species: Asian Small-clawed and Smooth-coated Otter. ( Thought to be extinct (de Silva 2006))
Single Asian Small-clawed family lives on Pulau Tekong Besar, an island north east of the main island. The Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, at the northern edge of the country, is also part of the East Asian Migratory Flyway in which countless birds migrate each year from Siberia and China to Australia and New Zealand, and back again, it is the home for a family of Smooth coated otters.
Smooth-coated otters are now regularly seen in Singapore and in 2016 there were reported to be 50 otters in the country. There are families in Bishan, Tanah Merah, Serangoon and Pulau Ubin and the Bishan 10 family were chosen to represent the country's 51st year. However there are some problems in Sentosa where they are taking fish out of ponds in residential homes or luxury hotels. An Otter Working Group has been set up to look into these issues and includes representatives from the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority, National Parks Board, Animal Concerns Research and Education Society, National University of Singapore, Wildlife Reserves Singapore and OtterWatch.
Legal Protection: Both species protected by Wild Animals & Birds Act (1965).
Threats: Disturbance of waterways and mining activity.
Were endangered and rare but now across much of the country as conservation and habitat improvement has increased. It is distributed in rivers, streams, lakes and reservoirs.
Legal Protection: Protected by Protection of Wild Fauna & Flora Act (2004).
Threats: Habitat fragmentation and destruction, human conflict
2007 – IOSF presented at the Otter Specialists Group colloquium
2007 – Support for Eurasian Otter cub in care of South Korea Otter Centre
2020 – Online presentation for Samsung on otters and the need for conservation
Was once widespread from sea level to the mountains but today very restricted. (de Silva 2006). Still rare but there are now regular sightings at Jetwing Vil Uyana in the central area, first reported by de Silva and Nugegoda (IOSF Journal Vol 4 LINK TO https://otter.org/Public/MediaAndResources_Resources_Journal.aspx). A very enthusiastic group of young conservationists had carried out habiat restoration work in abandoned paddy fields there and since then Chaminda Jayasekara has obtained excellent photos and videos with camera traps.
Legal Protection: Protected.
Threats: Habitat destruction, pesticide pollution and hydro-electric dams.
2016 – Support for the attendance of Wasana de Silva at the IOSF training workshop in China
2018 to present – Support for Chaminda Jayasekara at Jetwing Vil Uyana for his education and research work
Found on Kinimen island
Legal Protection: Protected by Wildlife Conservation Law (1989).
Threats: Habitat fragmentation, road kills, water extraction
2016 – Support for the attendance of Ling-Ling Lee at the IOSF training workshop in China
2018 – Invited to International Conference on Eurasian Otter Conservation and Re-introduction
Throughout country in low numbers. Present in floodplains of Vakhsh, Pyanj & Murghab rivers.
Threats: Habitat loss, conflicts with fishermen
Species: Eurasian, Asian Small-clawed, Smooth-coated and Hairy-nosed Otter.
The Hairy-nosed Otter was thought to be extinct in 1998 but a population was found in 1999 in the Toa Daeng peat swamp in southern Thailand.
The Eurasian Otter was thought to be extinct in 1990 but was found in Uthai Thani province in southern Thailand in 1994. Now thought to be mainly distributed in the north and west.
The Asian Small-clawed is found in many National Parks throughout Thailand with large numbers in the western forested areas. (de Silva 2006)
The Smooth-coated Otter occurs in western and southern areas and is common in the Mekong delta.
Legal Protection: All four species protected by Wild Animals Preservation & Protection Act (1992).
Threats: Habitat destruction, illegal killing, pollution to waterways.
2000-2017 - Support for Budsabong Kanchanasaka in her research into the Hairy-nosed Otter
2016 – Support for the attendance of Budsabong Kanchanasaka at the IOSF training workshop in China
2019 to present – Support for Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand for new facilities for confiscated Asian Small-clawed Otters and their care
Photo courtesy of Budsabong Kanchanasaka
Present but little information.
Threats: Not known
Present but no more information.
Species: Eurasian, Asian Small-clawed, Smooth-coated and Hairy-nosed Otter.(de Silva 2006)
Otters occur throughout the country in a variety of habitats, but all four species are threatened and need urgent conservation measures.
There is no information on Eurasian Otters and no records since 1990s and these cannot be verified. All other records from early to mid 20th century were genuine.
The Kien Giang biosphere reserve is included in the list of biospheres by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This 1.1 million hectare reserve consists of three core areas: U Minh Thuong National Park, Phu Quoc National Park, and Kien Luong–Kien Hai protected coastal forest. It has a varied ecology comprising tropical rainforests, Melaleuca forests, salt-marsh forests, submerged forests, savanna, coral reefs, and seagrass. It is also home to various endangered species, including the hairy-nosed otter (Lutra sumatrana).
Legal Protection: All four species protected by Decree No 32/2006/ND-CP, Decree No 59/2005/ND-CP, Decree 157/2013/ND-CP.
Threats: Habitat destruction due to Vietnam war - even now there are still effects from the use of Agent Orange. Illegal killing by fishermen, pollution to waterways.
2000 – Support for Nguyen Xuan Dang's study of the Hairy-nosed Otter in U Minh Thuoung Nature Reserve
2002-3 – Support for Nguyen Xuan Dang's study of the Hairy-nosed Otter in U Minh Ho Nature Reserve
2019 to present – Support for Save Vietnam's Wildlife care of otters rescued form the pet trade