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Rethinking Knowledge in the Internet Age
May 2, 2016 • By David Weinberger
The Internet of Us: Knowing More and Understanding Less in the Age of Big Data
Michael P. Lynch
THE INTERNET started out as the Information Highway, the Great Emancipator of knowledge, and as an assured tool for generating a well-informed citizenry. But, over the past 15 years, that optimism has given way to cynicism and fear — we have taught our children that the net is a swamp of lies spun by idiots and true believers, and, worse still, polluted by commercial entities whose sole aim is to have us click to the next ad-riddled page.
Perhaps our attitude to the net has changed because we now see how bad it is for knowledge. Or perhaps the net has so utterly transformed knowledge that we don't recognize knowledge when we see it.
For philosopher Michael P. Lynch, our fears are warranted — the internet is a wrong turn in the history of knowledge. "Information technology," Professor Lynch argues in his new book, The Internet of Us, "while expanding our ability to know in one way, is actually impeding our ability to know in other, more complex ways." He pursues his argument with commendable seriousness, clarity, and attunement to historical context — and yet he misses where knowledge actually lives on the net, focusing instead on just one aspect of the phenomenon of knowledge. He is far from alone in this.
The net in fact exposes problems that have long lurked in our epistemology, problems that come into stark relief when knowledge is freed of paper, and we freely connect with it and through it across all boundaries of time and place. There's something about how we've been thinking about knowledge — something inherent in traditional epistemology — that blinds Lynch and many others to the knowledge-enhancing aspects of what's happening on the screens in front of us.
Knowing Beyond Google
The rhetoric of internet criticism often follows a typical pattern, such as, "Yes, but," as in: "The internet does many wonderful things, but …," followed by a long list of everything that's wrong with the net. Lynch is far more thoughtful than most, but his arguments nonetheless suffer from the flaws that typically bedevil this type of criticism. His idea of what the net gets right — the "Yes" before the "but" — is itself qualified, and a good place to start. He characterizes knowing on the net as "Google-knowing," or what we might otherwise call "looking something up." He acknowledges that having instantaneous access to facts via Google-knowing ranges from handy to lifesaving, but his conception misses the full picture in two important ways.
First, we should include in Google-knowing more than just factual look-ups. If, in the 19th century, almanacs commoditized facts, then the net has taken the process one big step further, commoditizing the encyclopedia article. Not only can we look up when Thomas Jefferson was the United States minister to France (May 1785-September 1789), we can also get some quick context about what that meant to the Colonies, to France, and even to him. (To his credit, Lynch does not engage in the usual Wikipedia bashing.)
More important, to focus a discussion of internet knowledge on people looking things up on Google, or even in Wikipedia, is like describing libraries as places where people use the encyclopedia. Far more typically, when we're on the net, someone or some service links us to a bit of news that's interesting to us. It might be politics, quantum physics, or the Kardashians. Whatever it is, let's say we want to know more. Before the era of the net, the reader's curiosity was bounded by the physical rectangle in the newspaper within which the article sat. On the net, if the source of the tidbit — a tweet, a Facebook post, an email — doesn't itself contain links to additional information, then we can pop some terms into a search engine and find more avenues to explore; push a comment or question back into the social medium through which we first learned of the topic; hop it over to a different social network; or, even reach out to the thinker or writer who stimulated the discussion in the first place.
This is the phenomenon of knowing these days. Surprisingly, it does not figure much in Lynch's book except in examples of how knowledge goes wrong. "Sometimes we need to know more than the facts; sometimes we want to understand," he asserts, before concluding that "it is our capacity to understand that our digital form of life often undersells, and which more data alone can't give us." That's a trenchant criticism of the net, but only if we assume that on the net, all knowing is Google-knowing.
In fact, knowledge is now networked: made up of loose-edged groups of people who discuss and spread ideas, creating a web of links among different viewpoints. That's how scholars in virtually every discipline do their work — from their initial research, to the conversations that forge research into ideas, to carrying ideas into public discourse. Scholar or not, whatever topic initially piques our interest, the net encourages us to learn more. Perhaps we follow links, or are involved in multiyear conversations on stable mailing lists, or throw ideas out onto Twitter, or post first drafts at arXiv.org, or set up Facebook pages, or pose and answer questions at Quora or Stack Overflow, or do "post-publication peer review" at PubPeer.com. There has never been a better time to be curious, and that's not only because there are so many facts available — it's because there are so many people with whom we can interact.
While The Internet of Us mentions many of these new formations, it is usually to dismiss them: "Social media and the blogosphere are filled with 'reasoning'" that's either "blatant marketing or aimed only at supporting what people already believe," writes Lynch. He deals with MOOCs, or massive open online courses, as if they've already found their final form and as if MOOCs are all the net has done for education. There is only a single mention of the Open Access movement late in the book. Although Lynch concedes that data analysis in the digital humanities can sometimes yield interesting results, that admission comes only after he has spent several pages demonstrating in detail the flaws in the sole digital humanities article he uses as his example.
Why does Lynch miss so much? He has written an intelligent book that struggles honestly with important questions: Is the net turning us into passive knowers? Is it degrading our ability to reason? What can we do about this?
As our friends on Reddit might put it: He misses it because classic epistemology.
Setting the Rules of the Knowledge Game
Lynch acknowledges from the start that he's writing as a philosophy professor embedded in the classical tradition: "My aim is to examine the philosophical foundations of what I'll call our digital form of life," he declares, using an apt Wittgensteinian phrase.
He thus does not claim to be breaking new ground in epistemology so much as applying the wisdom of "The Tradition" to our digital world. He writes for an undergrad rather than specialized level, and introduces concepts as they become relevant. For instance, he nicely explains the Socratic distinction between right opinion and knowledge: knowledge entails justifying one's opinions. This throws him straight into the question that has long occupied traditional epistemology: what constitutes justification?
His answer is also traditional. He starts with the lowest level of knowledge: the type of knowing that we share with other animals. This "receptive knowledge" springs straight from sensation: "if our visual system, for example, is working as it should, and our representation of the world is accurate — if we see things as they are — then we come to know" in this basic way. True, like so many others, he modernizes the vocabulary, using phrases like "downloading" information, but his description nonetheless constitutes straightforward empiricism.
He then climbs the empiricist's ladder. How about knowledge that is more abstract or general — the knowledge that can, for instance, be found on the net? He dismisses the idea of the heroic single knower, acknowledging that "reflective" knowers — a term he pairs with "responsible" — need to rely on others. This reliance requires learning and applying the rules of reason in public spaces, where, heeding Kant, we must think for ourselves and treat others as equally autonomous agents. But, suppose at bottom, all chains of reasons end with mere belief?
In a rigorous and frank chapter, Lynch faces this question, which has dogged epistemology from its origin, and which he believes the internet is making "even more pressing." Invoking Wittgenstein again, he writes that, in order to be reasonable, we have "to be willing to play the game of giving and asking for reasons …" This edges him dangerously close to the postmodern world in which such games cannot confidently assert their privilege over other games. Or, if you call this a "paradigm" instead of a game, then you are taken to the territory of Thomas S. Kuhn's 1962 The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Or to a Heideggerian critique of rational scientific knowing as one way of disclosing the world, which needs to be grounded in a more basic analysis of disclosure itself. Or, perhaps, to a Foucauldian examination of knowledge as a historical expression of power. Or to Bruno Latour's explication of the dependence of knowledge on its instruments and the networks in which they reside. Or to the "embodied mind" theory put forward by Francisco J. Varela, Eleanor Rosch, and others that takes the mind to include the body acting in the world.
None of these are necessary paths to take. Some may be silly. But Lynch takes none of them, declaring that "the game of giving and asking for reasons" is to be played "by rules most of us could accept were we to stop to think about it." He stays on the Enlightenment side of the divide, well clear of the postmodern epistemic world.
Indeed, that thoughtful people would come up with the same rules remains the great hope of the democracies spawned by the Enlightenment. It buttressed Barack Obama's patient insistence that opposing sides can find common ground. It is at the heart of Al Gore's The Assault on Reason, an assault he believes the internet can help counter, although it was published in 2007, before the current internet backlash had taken over the discourse.
But if the internet has taught nothing else, it has taught us that we will never agree about anything. For every fact on the internet, there is an equal and opposite fact. It doesn't help that not every purported fact is in fact a fact, or that facts tend to have multiple layers of truth. Facts simply are not going to play the role in building consensus that we had hoped.
This would be a source of pure despair if the internet were not also enabling us to see that before it existed we never agreed about anything either. Before the net, what we read and saw was so tightly controlled by cartels of well-intentioned professionals that dissenting voices were barely heard. True, many of those dissenting voices were wrong and sometimes they were spouting lunacy, but we marginalized all but the one percent of the epistemically privileged. We achieved great science but at a high price throughout the rest of the cultural landscape, and sometimes within science, too.
This fragmentation of knowledge is a fact that knowledge cannot overcome. How, then, do we best live with it? How do we flourish now that we can't reason ourselves back together?
The Sound of One Echo Chamber Clapping
First, there is little cause for panic or despair. Knowledge has always been a local product. Now, with our localities connected globally, we are more clearly seeing what has always been the truth of our condition.
And it's not as if we are oblivious to this issue. Handling the challenges posed by networked knowing is at the core of almost every website and internet service. Each site or service takes steps to establish the rules of engagement so that users can come to appropriate levels of trust about the claims made by the site and by other users. For Uber, it's a ratings and comments system for drivers and passengers. For Public Library of Science (PLOS), it's a peer review process and post-publication comments. For Reddit, it's the up- and down-voting of vigorous and extended discussion threads. None is perfect, but then knowledge has never been perfect. Each is, however, appropriate for its domain.
But, instead of flawed, domain-specific ways of knowing on the net, Lynch sees in-grown, hermetic clusters of people who simply confirm each other's baseless beliefs and drive themselves to extremes. In short: He sees echo chambers, which Cass Sunstein notably discussed in his 2001 book, Republic.com.
Echo chambers are indeed a problem. Large commercial sites abet them, making money by getting us to click on links to yet more ad-laced pages. And, of course, these sites exploit the fact that we're more likely to click on a link to an idea with which we agree than one we hate. Even respectable news organizations have learned that clickbait headlines work best if they play into our existing beliefs. "Filter bubbles," as Eli Pariser calls them, pay.
But thinking of the net as a set of echo chambers is just bad phenomenology. If you're using email, Twitter, or Facebook, or if you do your Google-knowing via a search engine, you are inevitably face to face with at least some ideas and links that don't come from your particular echo chamber. Plato's Cave is now shot through with holes that transmit light, sounds, and smells that you can follow just by clicking your finger.
Do we have to follow them? Of course not. We tend to follow those that make sense to us. Our interests turn out to be distressingly parochial and local in most cases, as Ethan Zuckerman demonstrates in Digital Cosmopolitans. But, since epistemologists like Lynch insist echo chambers have degraded knowledge, we have to ask what our media diet consisted of before the net.
The answer isn't pretty: Three channels of nightly news; a small handful of newspapers in major cities; a nice spread of national magazines, each one its own echo chamber; a Great Books series launched in 1952 that consisted of works by 130 authors, not one of whom was a woman or black, and almost all of whom were within the European tradition.
Of course, the decades after the 1950s offered a greater diversity of voices, but the basic mechanisms of knowledge continued to do the work of echo chambers: identify and publish the work of experts, vet knowledge to exclude what does not fit, and create a coherent body of knowledge that becomes harder and harder to challenge precisely because of its curated cohesion. Certainly the content was incomparably better than what comes out of toxic internet echo chambers. But the problem with echo chambers has to do with their structure, and traditional knowledge comes from that same structure.
The net is making clear how important "echo chambers" are to knowledge and even more so to understanding. If you care about molecular gastronomy and hear about a new technique, you'll go to your favorite molecular gastronomy sites to learn more. If you're a supporter of Net Neutrality and there's a court ruling you don't understand, you'll go to a site that shares your values to get the explanation. If you are a feminist and a new pay equity law passes, you're not going to go to a male supremacy site to find out what it means for you. Knowledge and culture depend on like-minded individuals joining together and iterating over tiny differences. This is how the net works. This is also how traditional knowing works. We did not like to acknowledge that. Now we can't avoid it.
The Medium is the Knowledge
Perhaps our chief epistemic avoidance mechanism was turning knowing into the production of a type of content — knowledge — that we convinced ourselves had to be independent of the knower in two senses.
First, we devised methodologies that try to keep the vagaries of the individual out of the process of creating knowledge. The scientific method works. Journalistic objectivity continues to be reevaluated. (I should note that on the question of objectivity Professor Lynch contrasts his views explicitly with mine, as he does when he considers networked knowledge. He does so without animus, and I certainly respect and appreciate his criticism.)
Second, we physically separated knowledge from individuals by externalizing it (e.g., books). What started in Greece as a particular class of belief became a body of printed statements that could be called knowledge even if there was no one left to believe them. Obviously, this has been wildly successful for our species, but it also meant that the medium of externalization — paper — has shaped knowledge to fit its peculiarities. Knowledge is settled belief because ink settles into paper. Knowledge divides into topics because books can only be so big. Our most revered form of knowledge consists of long chains of reasoning because books are sequential and not suitable for optional digressions. Knowledge is something most of us read passively because books are inert — just as Socrates had opined in the Phaedrus. Knowledge is a type of content independent of believers because books are physical objects that outlast their authors and readers.
There is nothing natural about knowledge, so it is not surprising that it shaped itself to its medium of storage and communication. But now we have a new medium, and knowledge is taking on its properties. That is why looking for traditional knowledge on the net leads us to miss the phenomenon of knowledge there. It's also why the idea of knowledge is not much discussed on the net. It's possible that, in the next generation, the noun "knowledge" will become old-fashioned and, in the generation after that, archaic.
That wouldn't mean that we have given up on the project of knowing our world. Instead, it would mean that that project has changed shape — from content to networks that mix ideas and sociality. That's already happening. Knowledge is becoming what happens when links connect differences and people.
This is new but it should also sound quite familiar, for it is very close to how scholarship works in the traditional world: people who care about a topic argue about it among themselves. Networked knowledge opens up the discussion and the participants remain linked and engaged, not always expecting final resolution. Knowledge exists in the linkages of difference and disagreement.
The net is demonstrating the weakness of knowledge as finished, settled, and static content. It's doing so by plunging us deeper into knowing.
The Networking of Knowledge
Lynch disagrees. He sees more misinformation than knowledge on the net, and he believes most of us are abdicating our responsibility for sorting the one from the other. Google-knowing is, for him, akin to consulting an unreliable almanac. That may be an inevitable consequence of scaling up almanacs to include answers to just about every question imaginable, although I suspect that Google does quite well with questions concerning information literally in almanacs. Curated sites such as WolframAlpha.com undoubtedly do even better.
But let's grant Lynch his concerns. They are real even if they are not the whole story. So, what do we do about them?
Once again Lynch's answer relies on a traditional assumption that our experience of the net calls into question: agreeing on our "epistemic principles" because if we're not playing by the same rules, then it's "game over," as he puts it. But which rules? Lynch tells us that no matter what we believe in our private lives — "the Bible, or the Koran, or Dianetics" — we should "support institutions like the National Science Foundation or the National Endowment for the Humanities …" for they are "doing the work of democracy." (Emphasis in the original.)
Like everyone else I know who packs their Whole Foods groceries into NPR tote bags, I, too, like those institutions. But if I am a committed Christian, Muslim, or Scientologist, those religious beliefs are at the heart of what I know. Telling me to put those beliefs aside so I can engage in a reasonable discussion is to ask me to play by someone else's rules. And the problem is repeated if we accept that it's not just religious people who disagree about the rules of engagement for developing knowledge. Arguments over what constitutes acceptable evidence are common in just about every field. (Lynch's condescension about religion might be overcome if he were able to engage with the faithful on their own terms.)
I do agree that when it comes to making public policy, we want evidence-based discussions whose rules do not require private access to sources of truth. Likewise, I want the scientific method to settle questions of science and the jurisprudence system to settle questions of criminal culpability. But the net has proven what philosophers, historians, neurologists, and sociologists have already told us: it's not that simple. Science is deeply embedded in systems of instruments, power, economics, gender, psychology — in short, in all the different facets of being human.
Although we agree that it's good to "promote institutions that encourage cooperation, and even face-to-face contact with people who have very different views," perhaps the way forward seems clearer to Lynch than it does to me for the following reason: beneath his traditional epistemology is a traditional ontology that takes the world as that real stuff that is outside our heads. Citing John Locke and the internet philosopher, Luciano Floridi, he argues that digital objects are more abstract than real things because they are purely formal — they are copies without originals — and thus, he implies, they are less real. He warns us that we shouldn't let the digital world "blind us to the world that is not constructed, to the world that predates our digital selves," the world of things that are found and not made, as he puts it. But where is the found thing that we don't make by taking it in one way or another? In taking the clock as a time-piece and the bullet as a way to create unasked-for holes at a distance, we are relying on a contextualizing world that has been constructed even before we got here.
Lynch is able to treat the net as a simulacrum because he thinks knowing is something we do in our heads. We build up to meaning by starting with sensation. But the net, in his view, is sensation without a real referent. It is a representation of a representation. It is therefore too bad that he dismisses Andy Clark and David Chalmer's "extended mind" idea by saying, "it might be right but we don't have to go that far" because the mind is already extended, by which Lynch means that we rely on the testimony of others to justify our beliefs. But the extended mind concept says something more: we think with tools. The physicist cannot think about a problem without using a white board. An accountant needs a calculator. The philosopher needs books and writing materials and perhaps a fire and a glass of sherry. We think with tools. We think out in the world, not in inner representations of the world. And now we have new tools for thought. These tools include not just search engines, but everything from web pages to complex multi-modal networks of experts and amateurs. That is where thinking and knowing is now happening.
More to Lynch's point, it is where understanding is happening. Lynch acknowledges that we are "cognitively interconnected" by the internet, but, he writes, it's our Google-knowing that's becoming networked, and, as he notes, understanding needs more than that. When he explores the idea of networked knowledge, he uses as his examples the wisdom of crowds as expounded by James Surowiecki, as well as prediction markets. These are important and interesting network phenomena, but they are online crowds in which knowledge is generated by averaging the contributions of individuals. This leads Lynch to his summary dismissal of networked knowledge: "You can't take the individual out of the equation."
No, you can't, and the most important new form of networked knowledge does not. A network in our new age is a set of individuals who maintain their individuality while in relation to one another — that is, while maintaining their differences. The knowledge exists in their individual expressions and, most importantly, in their links to one another. This is knowledge that is not an averaging of inputs, but a maintenance of differences-in-connection.
I suspect that Lynch misses all those places where understanding is happening on the net because he is looking for traditional knowledge that arrives at a definite conclusion, is written down, and serves as a reliable authority. But networks are conducive to a type of knowing that paper makes difficult. Networked, collaborative understanding happens in posts, blogs, messages, tweets, and discussion threads. It even happens in exchanges that occur over the course of 20 years in a closed forum like a mailing list — an echo chamber if you want, or a tiny Republic of Letters if you prefer. It just doesn't have the earmarks of traditional paper-based knowledge.
Lynch sees these new locales of knowledge, but thinks networked knowledge is never resolved because it can't agree on what grounds a chain of reasoning. Lynch counters with the primacy of "the objective world itself," which we can know reliably through the senses. So we are back to empiricism. This leads Lynch to advise us to literally get "up off the couch" and plunge "into the whirlpool of actual experience." "To escape your circle of justification, do what you do with any circle: step outside its borders and breathe in the environment on the outside."
But when you do so, your every perception will further confirm your existing assumptions about how the world works — because understanding is, fundamentally, the act of assimilating the new to an existing context. The inside of your skull is an echo chamber.
There's tremendous value in consulting existing bodies of well-vetted beliefs, and, to their credit, teachers like Professor Lynch expose us to that value. But there is also value in the networking of knowledge in which ideas are linked in their differences. We can go wrong in those networks, but we can also go very right, achieving a new sense of how knowledge goes together even if it never fully coheres.
The networking of knowledge does not achieve the aims traditional knowing has set for itself. It is settled only within a community of believers — and not all communities of believers are right. It is inextricable from its social context. It inevitably contains differences, but those differences are now linked. It is as discursive as the net itself. It often comes in small bites, but those bites are linked out to a world larger than all the libraries that ever existed. Everyone gets to speak, even stupid, evil people. Authority generally has to be earned, not declared. The rules of reasoning vary not only within domains but within each conversational forum. Knowledge is being replaced by knowing, and knowing is now a free-for-all. At its best, this knowing does what Lynch recommends: it thinks explicitly about its rules of justification. At its worst, it's a howling mob.
There is endless evidence to support pessimistic or optimistic views, for both are true. This is the greatest time to be a curious person who wants to learn, and it is the greatest time to be a complete idiot. The net is revealing both the power of our traditional ways of knowing and the fact that traditional knowing has always been a product of flawed humans going wrong and going right together. Knowledge cannot liberate itself from this. Ultimately, knowledge's only hope is for more and better humanity.
David Weinberger is a senior researcher at Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society who writes about how the internet is changing our ideas.
David Weinberger is a senior researcher at Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society who writes about how the internet is changing our ideas. He was co-director of the Harvard Library Innovation Lab, has been a Franklin Fellow at the US State Dept. and a Harvard Shorenstein Fellow. His latest book is Too Big to Know. He has a PhD in philosophy from the University of Toronto.
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PETA says New Castle County deer hunt is cruel
Xerxes Wilson
The News Journal
A government-supervised deer hunt in northern New Castle County is being criticized by animal rights activists.
Kent Stein, of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, on Tuesday sent a letter to County Executive Tom Gordon calling for organizers to rethink the use of bows or call off the hunt altogether. He called bow-hunting "among the cruelest and ineffective forms of wildlife control."
The hunt is scheduled April 8 and 9 in Woodley Park in Rockland near the Edenridge development and Mt. Lebanon United Methodist Church. The hunt is being coordinated by New Castle County and state authorities.
Certified master hunters will sweep the park targeting female deer with bows in an effort to control the animal's population, according to a letter sent to neighbors of the park signed by Senate Minority Whip Greg Lavelle, R-Sharpley; local county Councilman Bob Weiner; and Gordon.
The hunt was organized at the request of Lavelle, who has fielded complaints from neighbors and had deer encroach upon his yard across from the park.
"We see anywhere from two to six to eight or 12 deer out there on a regular basis," Lavelle said writing off criticisms over the hunt. "I think PETA would object no matter what is being done."
Stein's letter said there are "routine reports" of deer wandering with arrows protruding from its body and wounded deer "careening wildly into busy roadways" or through residential windows. Woodley Park is about a mile from U.S. 202.
"Bowhunters often spend hours tracking the blood trails of wounded animals. Many victims are lost, and their deaths are slow and agonizing; it can take weeks for some to perish," Stein wrote.
"Even the use of sharpshooters (using firearms) would be far less cruel," the letter states.
Jon Husband, manager for engineering and environmental compliance for the county, noted the effort to cull deer population is not new for the county or state. The county hosts similar hunts with shotguns at Middle Run Valley Park near Newark twice annually. There are regularly similar efforts on state property, like Brandywine Creek State Park adjacent to the much smaller Woodley Park, he said.
"I want to talk to the senator and see if we can reevaluate it," Gordon said noting a frosty reception to the hunt from others. "The purpose of putting out the letter was testing the temperature of it. From the sound of it, it could be a problem."
The government notice to neighbors says the county has experienced increased conflicts between people and deer due to deer overpopulation.
"If there was an appropriate amount of deer, they wouldn't be going into neighborhoods on a regular basis. They are reaching further and further into the neighborhoods because of a lack of food," Lavelle said.
The letter cites a 2005 survey by state authorities that found New Castle County north of the C&D Canal to have 145.4 deer per square mile of deer habitat, the highest concentration in the state. It describes the conflicts as increased incidence of Lyme disease, damage to ornamental trees, shrubs and flowers and vehicle collisions. This overpopulation also leads to a unhealthy deer population due to "unnatural" breeding, food shortages and stress.
The hunt falls outside the state's hunting season during a period when does are likely to be pregnant. Lavelle noted the effort has been discussed since last year when attempts to organize the hunt due to the weather and other circumstances. State authorities permit such harvests between August 15 and May 15 through the severe deer damage program, according to a statement from Rob Hossler, DNREC Wildlife Section administrator.
Though the letter to residents does not justify the use of arrows over bullets, it argues there are no acceptable drugs to reduce or prevent deer pregnancy.
Husband said he saw no fewer than 30 deer on a recent recent trip to the park as well as an illegal deer stand.
He said the reason bows are being used instead of bullets has to do with the small area of the park and laws banning discharge of firearms in close proximity to homes.
"We are sensitive to the neighborhood and the last thing we want to do is have shotguns going off in a neighborhood," Husband said. "Archery is a legitimate way to harvest deer."
The hunt will be conducted by pre-selected certified master hunters, which means they have been trained in hunting techniques, safety and had a criminal background check. Carcasses will be donated to the Delaware Sportsman Against Hunger Program, which distributes venison to more than 30 charitable organizations throughout the state, according to the letter.
Staff writer Molly Murray and contributed to this report.
Contact Staff Writer Xerxes Wilson at (302) 324-2787 or xwilson@delawareonline.com. Follow @Ber_Xerxes on Twitter.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Wow what a fabulous selection of cards for the males in our lives. I've found it really hard to choose just 3 as they were all fantastic.
Congratulations to you all and thank you all and everyone else who joined in our challenge #94. Pop back tomorrow for the new Team B challenge.
Hello Jackie here. On behalf of Jessie I have chosen the top three for the Bugs Challenge. You certainly didn't make it easy for me to choose. There were so many wonderful creations that fitted the theme wonderfully.
Thank you for joining us for the Bugs Challenge. Tomorrow morning there will be a new challenge so be sure to check back then.
Hello welcome to our challenge this time Jessie has chosen the theme of BUGS. As you can see from the gorgeous Design Team samples Butterflies and Dragonflies count too.
Here are the Design Team makes.
This challenge is open until 6 pm on Wednesday 27th March.
Wendy L here stepping in for Christine as she has moved over to Team B.
Here are my Top 3 from this challenge.
We had some wonderful entries and I want to thank every one of you for entering our challenges.
Wendy L here to host this challenge. The theme was chosen by Christine before she moved to the other team.
We want to see the Sentiment as the main focal point on your creations.
Penny is offering an Amazon.com voucher for 25$ for a randomly picked winner.


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Nostro accounts
Offices 8 800 755-00-05
News for Investors
FATCA\CRS
Vozrozhdenie Bank acts in compliance with all the requirements of the Russian legislation as well as extraterritorial requirements and laws concerning the financial institutions activity in Russia.
On July 1, 2014 Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) issued by the US authorities came into legal force for individuals, FATCA for legal entities came into legal force on January 1, 2015. Vozrozhdenie Bank has registered in the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) with a status of FATCA Participating FFI.
Our Global Intermediary Identification Number (GIIN) is 3FZXN5.00052.ME.643.
The bank appointed a FATCA Responsible Officer. It also has approved the FATCA Identification Rules for individuals and FATCA Identification Rules for corporates ("Rules").
CRS (Common Reporting Standard) – Standard for automatic exchange of information on financial accounts developed by the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development).
CRS is an international analogue of FATCA aimed at prevention from global tax evasion including with application of offshore jurisdictions, ensuring transparency of tax information.
On May 12, 2016, the Federal Tax Service of the Russian Federation signed a multilateral Agreement of competent authorities on automatic exchange of financial information dated October 29, 2014 The Russian Federation joined international exchange of financial information in 2018
Self-Certification Questionnaire for Identification of Tax Residents of Foreign States for Customers who are Individuals and Entrepreneurs, their Beneficiaries and (or) Persons Controlling them Directly or Indirectly461 KB
Self-Certification Questionnaire for Identification of Tax Residents of Foreign States for Customers which are Legal Entities not Acting as Financial Institutions, their Beneficiaries and (or) Persons Controlling them Directly or Indirectly570 KB
Self-Certification Questionnaire for Identification of Tax Residents of Foreign States for Customers which are Financial Institutions469 KB
What is FATCA?
FATCA is the Foreign Accounts Tax Compliance Act that has been adopted as a part of Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act of 2010.
FATCA is aimed at prevention of tax evasion by the US residents. Therefore, it stipulates several requirements to the foreign financial institutions on information disclosure and identification of US taxpayers to reveal persons avoiding US taxation by concealment of assets from the US tax authorities.
Details on FATCA are available at the IRS official website http://www.irs.gov.
What are the obligations of financial institutions for the purposes of FATCA?
For the purposes of FATCA financial institutions identify US tax residents among their clients and report information on their financial accounts on the annual basis.
When does FATCA come into force?
For individuals, individual entrepreneurs and persons engaged in private practice identification procedures for the purposes of FATCA came into force on July 1, 2014. For legal entities identification procedures will come into force on January 1, 2015.
What impact will FATCA have on US tax non-residents?
For the purposes of identification a client being US tax non-resident should mark off the relevant box of the Questionnaire or the Agreement. If necessary, a bank's representative may provide a client with the Self-certification form for the purposes of FATCA identification to be filled in with underlining that the client is not a US tax resident.
FATCA does not imply any obligations for financial institutions to inform the Internal Revenue Service about persons being US tax non-residents. Therefore, if a client is not a US tax resident, FATCA will have no impact on her/him/it.
What documents should be provided by a US tax resident?
For the purposes of identification of US tax residents, clients should mark off the relevant box of the Questionnaire or the Agreement. Persons, who has confirmed their US tax residency, are offered to fill in the Self-certification form for the purposes of FATCA identification in which they should indicate a Social Security Number (SSN) or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN).
Moreover, US tax residents should give their consent to provide their personal data and information on financial accounts, balances, and turnovers to the Internal Revenue Service. In accordance with the Federal Law № 173-FZ dated June 28, 2014, the consent to provide the information to the Internal Revenue Service implies the simultaneous consent to provide such information to the Bank of Russia, to the federal executive body authorized to fulfill functions on combating money laundering and financing of terrorism, and the federal executive authorized body on taxes and levies control.
The bank has a right to request a client for additional documents to be provided within fifteen business days from the date of sending of the request.
What consequences are to follow after the refusal of a US taxpayer to provide the information on her/his/it tax residence and after the refusal to give consent for provision of the information to the Internal Revenue Service?
In accordance with the Article 4 of the Federal Law № 173-FZ dated June 28, 2014 "On peculiarities of financial operations with foreign residents, on introducing changes to the Administrative violations Code of the Russian Federation and on revocation of particular provisions of the legal acts of the Russian Federation":
in case of failure to provide information being necessary for identification of a client as a client-foreign taxpayer, by a client concluding an agreement in respect of which a credit institution has a reasonable, document supported assumption that a client is a foreign taxpayer, and (or) in case of failure to provide the consent (refusal to provide the consent) to transfer the information to a foreign tax authority by a client-foreign taxpayer within fifteen business days from the date of sending the request by a credit organization, the credit organization has a right to deny conclusion of a bank account (deposit) agreement or any other agreement for provision of financial services to the client.
in case of failure to provide information being necessary for identification of a client as a client-foreign taxpayer, by a client-foreign taxpayer in fifteen business days from the date of making decision to decline transactions, and (or) in case of failure to provide the consent (refusal to provide the consent) to transfer the information to a foreign tax authority by a client-foreign taxpayer, the credit organization has a right to terminate a bank account (deposit) agreement or any other agreement for provision of financial services to the client, with prior written notification of the client-foreign taxpayer not earlier than thirty business days before the termination date.
in case of receipt of money on the bank account (deposit) of the foreign taxpayer after the credit institution's decision to decline the operations, such credit institution should return the payments on the payer's accounts in the sender's banks.
What are the features of identification of legal entities for the purposes of FATCA?
Procedures of identification of corporates for the purposes of FATCA came into force on January 1, 2015.
Self-certification Form should be submitted to the bank in the following cases:
Your company is a financial institution;
Your company is registered/ established in the USA or on the US territories;
There is an individual — USA taxpayer or a legal entity registered / established in the USA among controlling persons who directly or indirectly own more than 10% share in your company.
© 2000–2022 Vozrozhdenie Bank


text:
Моултхюн Ли (род. 20 ноября 1991) — австралийский шахматист, гроссмейстер (2016).

В составе сборной Австралии участник 2-х Олимпиад (2012—2014).

Спортивные достижения

Изменения рейтинга

Примечания

Ссылки

Шахматисты Австралии

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


We collect photos of how people use Optimus mini three and publish some of them here.
Mike Sandler from Epiphan systems integrates mini threes into Projector Twin devices.
Another Epiphan systems' device — VGA Recorder — comes in a Bond-style case with mini three inside.
Marcel Houweling turned mini three into a climate controller.
Hans-Peter Lüthi uses mini three to control his three-monitor environment.
Peter J. Stolmeier added mini three to the impressive pile of audio equipment.
Scott Hanselman hacked mini three to play some videos.
Yana Frank entertains her cat.


Hi I have a 2014 precedent 11.5 hp motor. Stock the cart does 14mph. I've adjusted the governor just a small amount and can get the speed up to 19 mph. Problem is the cart constantly bounces off the rev limiter. Now, I like speed and as far as I'm concerned the more the better! BUT... I could live with 19 mph if it wasn't constantly bouncing off the limiter. I've done some research and figured out these carts have the limiter built into the coil itself. Is there anything I can do to eliminate it? Do they have a coil without the limiter in it? I would buy a tach and monitor rpms. Or any other ideas on getting more speed would be great. Thanks for any input, it is greatly appreciated.
Can i just replace the ignition coil with an older one that doesn't have limiter?
I've actually read that you can't swap coils. Just looking a little insight as to why.
I have swapped different coils.
I guess new ones have different flywheels?
What is the rev limiter set at?
Idk...its not adjustable. I don't have a tach. About 19 mph is all I can get.
Just curious what cc limits the rpm at.


text:
Missing man's family speaks after warrants say he was a drug dealer, fed to hogs
By Tim Pulliam
DURHAM, N.C. -- The family of Charleston Goodman wants to set the record straight about some of the information coming out about their son's kidnapping and presumed killing.
Nearly a year after his abduction, he is still missing.
They also want answers from those responsible.
"I'm not too proud to beg. So I'm begging you in the name of Jesus. Tell where my child is," Tammie Goodman, Charleston's mother said.
This is the one gift Tammie and Charlie Goodman Sr. want this Christmas.
Outside their apartment on January 28, 2018, their son Charleston was walking toward his BMW when he was kidnapped and thrown into a mini-van.
Tammie witnessed the attack and getaway.
"I was trying to pull him out by his legs because he had kicked the door open on the van."
"What happened to him? Where he at? How bad it is? I won't allow my mind to go there because it rips me up," Mr. Goodman Sr., stated.
Eleven months later, two men are in custody as persons of interest in the kidnapping-turned homicide investigation.
Jamaal Lowery and Marquaseo Andrews, who are suspected of being tied to a crip gang, may have information on what went down that evening, according to police.
Warrants suggest the kidnapping may have been in retaliation, and that his body may have been fed to hogs.
A source listed in the warrant says Charleston allegedly stole two bricks of cocaine from a person associated with Andrews.
"My son was not involved in that breaking in to his house. Like I said I have the proof," Mrs. Goodman stated. "I know where my child was that night."
Mrs. Goodman says her son was not a drug dealer. "If my son was a drug dealer my car wouldn't be about to be repossessed. I would be able to afford food, my doctor's appointments, I wouldn't be in the position that I'm in right now. Because my son wouldn't have allowed me to be that way."
The family of Charleston Goodman coming forward to set the record straight about their son's kidnapping and presumed death. Warrants suggest he was a drug dealer and his body was possibly fed to hogs. The family says he was not a drug dealer. They pray he is still alive. #ABC11 pic.twitter.com/0OTLtEuTSP
— Tim Pulliam (@TimABC11) December 24, 2018
Durham Police say the case remains active but there are no new developments.
The Goodman family and Charleston's daughter are now preparing to spend their first Christmas without him.
"How do you explain that to a 6-year-old child?" Mrs. Goodman said. "I just want my child and it's not right. It's not fair that it's been this long."
Andrews and Lowery are suspects in another homicide case.
north carolinamurderhomicideu.s. & worldmissing persondurham county news
Where is Jack Ma, China's e-commerce billionaire?
Charges filed in Michaela Garecht case bring relief to Hayward
Arraignment postponed for suspect in Michaela Garecht case
Reaction pours in after charges filed in Michaela Garecht case
Pence calls Harris to offer congratulations
'MLK/FBI' explores government's attempts to undermine Dr. King


One half-priced item can be purchased for every $50 retail order.
This offer is valid at home shows held between July 1st and July 31st 2018.
Home Show orders must be submitted / processed before 11:59pm Eastern on August 5th, 2018.
Customer Specials are available exclusively from independent Consultants and are not available online.


Hi all: Due to Novell dropping support for OES and ZCM, we now run our ZCM primary server on SLES11 SP3. This runs well enough, but it is forcing me to f&%$ for SAMBA to gain access to the SLES server in order to move files to/from it. I have a basic SAMBA share set up using a local (to SLES) user. I would rather set up SAMBA to be a bit more eloquent and have it actually leverage eDirectory for authentication. I have come across MANY how-tos, some old, some new, but they confuse the heck out of me. What I need is "SAMBA - eDirectory for Dummies". Anyone know of a good publication?
And as a rant - I must say I have been rather disappointed in the whole ZCM - OES issue.


text:
Opinion | Central Gardens shows preservation is progress
How the 1990's battle over Central Gardens affects today's struggles to maintain the historic nature, charm, livability of Cooper-Young.
Opinion | Central Gardens shows preservation is progress How the 1990's battle over Central Gardens affects today's struggles to maintain the historic nature, charm, livability of Cooper-Young. Check out this story on commercialappeal.com: https://memne.ws/2IqvWgb
Guest columnist Published 9:00 a.m. CT May 17, 2018 | Updated 12:40 p.m. CT May 18, 2018
2101 Carr then (single-family home) and now (split into two properties) near Cooper-Young. Granting the Cooper-Young neighborhood historic district status would prevent this sort of rebuild/infill.(Photo: Mark Fleischer)
"I'm trying to meet you halfway," the council member told the jammed-packed audience.
"I think all developers would still like to get us out of their way," the Landmarks commission member said later.
It's a dialogue that could have taken place earlier this month, when the Memphis City Council authorized a subcommittee to revise a draft ordinance that could diminish the Memphis Landmarks Commission (MLC) by giving the council more authority over historic district design decisions.
It brings to mind a debate that is as old as the preservation movement itself: Whether historic district landmarking is an obstacle to growth and development.
But the dialogue above did not occur this month; it occurred in 1992. The council member was prominent Memphis architect Tom Marshall. The Landmarks commission member was the late Jack Tucker Jr., the architect and preservation advocate known as a "Downtown residential pioneer."
In recent weeks we have witnessed two Midtown neighborhoods caught in the middle of a similar tug-of-war between the City Council and the MLC: Cooper-Young and Speedway Terrace. To its credit, City Council voted to approve both neighborhoods' respective applications for historic zoning.
However, the approvals came with a condition: That the authority of the Landmarks Commission be amended to grant City Council more authority over historic home demolitions, design and site review, and final say to neighborhoods seeking to begin application proceedings for historic districting.
The condition is a significant amendment for the future of existing historic districts, as well as other neighborhoods historically important to Memphis that have met the 50-year eligibility for similar landmark protections.
In 1992, the Central Gardens neighborhood faced a similar scenario. In a conflict that lasted 10 months, the ensuing debate by a subcommittee put into question whether or not the neighborhood would ever be approved for historic zoning protections.
The issue that angered developers then was the Landmarks Commission's authority over the designs of more than 200 homes along an empty corridor west of Overton Park -- the corridor that had been bulldozed a generation earlier for the proposed route of the I-240.
The commission also had come under scrutiny for placing restrictions on home renovations by the architectural firm owned by Marshall, who was said to have felt unfairly treated by Landmarks supporters.
For preservationists, even more discouraging were the prevailing attitudes of many city officials: the suggestion by representatives of Mayor W. W. Herenton administration that Landmarks was hindering development; and the position of 1992 council members such as Marshall and Shep Wilbun, who spoke in favor of either revamping or completely abolishing the Landmarks Commission.
"I think we just have been put in a bad light by a very few developers who have influenced the council and influenced the administration," Tucker, Landmarks vice chairman, said at the time. "We have no desire to usurp the council's authority. We just want to preserve the city's heritage and encourage development."
Through 10 months and a half-dozen council delays, Central Gardens waited in limbo. The delays outraged Midtown citizens and cost the neighborhood two more bungalows on LeMaster after having lost numerous homes to apartment and condo developments in the 1980's, and the historic Fuller-Norfleet mansion to demolition in late 1990.
Into the spring of 1993, council members reviewed several proposals, including changes to broaden Landmarks' membership and make its actions appealable without going to court.
Of course there were -- and still are -- legislative and regulatory concerns with such proposals. Memphis is a state CLG (Certified Local Government), which by authority of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and Tennessee, authorizes Memphis to create historic zoning districts and calls for ongoing review authority by our Landmarks Commission.
Under the Tennessee guidelines of a CLG, Memphis must have historic zoning ordinances, enforce the ordinance by a 5- to 9-member commission, maintain a historic inventory, provide for public participation in local preservation, and maintain responsibilities under the NHPA.
In 1993 City Attorney Allan Wade -- the same Mr. Wade who presides today -- recognized the legal challenges inherent to gutting Landmarks authority, and advised council accordingly.
The late Council member Kenneth Whalum Sr., then chairman of the subcommittee and a longtime critic of the Landmarks Committee, finally conceded that many of the complaints against Landmarks were misunderstandings.
Ultimately, Whalum sided with Landmarks supporters. And after the committee's findings were approved by council vote, Central Gardens' landmarks application finally received a unanimous vote of approval in April 1993.
Thrilled, Central Gardens residents knew that the landmarks designation would give them another layer of protection in preventing historic home demolition and in retaining the neighborhood's historic integrity, a designation that has allowed the neighborhood to thrive through 25 years of economic ups and downs.
The 1992-93 council determined that the basic duties and responsibilities of the Landmarks Commission remain the same, and moreover, recommended that commission guidelines be strengthened to further guide property owners in meeting historic standards.
"Essentially, the Landmarks Commission does what it is designed to do," Whalum said then. "The mechanics from time to time might get slightly out of whack, but overall it does its job."
It's a job that has shown its worth, proven by 25 years of studies that show the long-term economic benefits of historic preservation.
The council is concerned that Landmarks is putting too many restrictions on development; Landmarks supporters believe the commission is doing what it is mandated to do.
A council subcommittee is working on a way to satisfy preservationists as well as developers, maintain our CLG status, and give all existing and future historic neighborhoods the full protections they deserve.
Mark Fleischer is the publisher of StoryBoard Memphis and serves on the Midtown Development Corporation, Central Gardens and Protect Our Aquifer boards.
Mark Fleischer (Photo: Mark Fleischer)
Read or Share this story: https://memne.ws/2IqvWgb


text:
Norwalk employee accused of drug charges
By Sandy Mazza | sandymazza@hotmail.com |
PUBLISHED: December 26, 2006 at 12:00 a.m. | UPDATED: August 29, 2017 at 2:40 a.m.
NORWALK – Detectives were continuing an investigation Tuesday into a Norwalk city employee arrested for alleged narcotics possession, and officials said additional charges might be sought against the suspect.
Jeffrey Robert King, 35, a Norwalk recreation and park services department employee, was arrested Dec. 18 by sheriff's narcotics detectives and is charged with possessing narcotics, petty theft and being under the influence of a controlled substance, according to court records.
As part of their investigation, deputies also arrested Michael Ralph Bechard, 26, who is charged with receiving stolen property.
Bechard does not work for the city of Norwalk, officials said.
At his Dec. 20 arraignment in Bellflower Court, King pleaded not guilty and was scheduled to return to court on Jan. 12 for a pretrial hearing.
Sheriff's Lt. Jim Bitetto, who oversees the narcotics section at the sheriff's Norwalk Station, said additional charges might be filed in the case, but he declined to discuss details.
City officials said King remains a Norwalk employee, but his employment is being reviewed.
"It is an administrative review of him as an employee because of the acts he was arrested for," said Carlos Ramos, the city's director of public safety.
King has worked for the city for about five years, Ramos said.
He said investigators informed the city about King's arrest.
"They had suspicions of a variety of things," he added.
sandy.mazza@sgvn.com
Sandy Mazza | Freelancer
Sandy Mazza is a freelancer. She previously worked for Southern California News Group as a city reporter covering Carson and Hawthorne and specializing in features about Los Angeles' growing Silicon Beach tech, bioscience, and aerospace sectors.
sandymazza@hotmail.com
Follow Sandy Mazza	@SandyMazza


MATS H?KAN H?KANSSON worked in company IKANO FINANCIAL SERVICES LIMITED	as MANAGING DIRECTOR.
MATS H?KAN H?KANSSON was from 2010.03.17 to 2011.02.24 at IKANO FINANCIAL SERVICES LIMITED employed as Director (MANAGING DIRECTOR).
MATS H?KAN H?KANSSON Score for MATS H?KAN H?KANSSON is 4 stars.


NEW! A lightweight bag with three pockets to keep literature neat and tidy. One 7" inside pocket is specially designed for magazines. Another inside pocket is 4" and is just the right size for tracts. A 6" outside pocket can hold items such as campaign invitations, house-to-house record holder or a small electronic tablet. The interior can hold softcover books measuring 7" x 9" such as Lessons You Can Learn From The Bible, a standard size New World Translation and other items. The open top allows for quick and easy access to all compartments. The 1" wide strap can be adjusted up to 46". 100% cotton duck. Size: 8" x 10" x 2-1/2".


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layout: post
title: "Vet School at the Cambridge Science Festival"
author: "Bethany Dearlove"
tags: [Cambridge Science Festival,outreach]
image: sci-fest-header.jpg
---

This year [Anaid Diaz](https://twitter.com/AnaidDiazP), [Jackie Brearley](https://www.vet.cam.ac.uk/directory/jcb78@cam.ac.uk) and I co-organised the [Department of Veterinary Medicine](https://www.vet.cam.ac.uk/)'s contribution to the [Cambridge Science festival](https://www.sciencefestival.cam.ac.uk/). It was a huge team effort - thank you to everyone to everyone who got involved and made it such a success! The theme of the day was One Health, showing how, by studying animal and human health side-by-side, we can use the latest technology and methods to treat patients, quantify the risk of infection and predict epidemics. During the day, we created a disease outbreak map, marking where people had travelled from. Had some of the bacteria models being made been real, we could have spread a lot of disease around Cambridgeshire, but also as far as the Netherlands, Spain, Turkey and even Japan!

The Senior Common Room was filled with hands on activities representing the diverse research in the department, including:

* Bats and Bugs

Bat colonies (well, soft toy ones) temporarily moved into the trees outside the Vet School. Some of the colonies housed radio-tagged bats, and visitors were invited to try and find them, to show how bat movements can be tracked to better understand disease transmission.

* Build your own bacteria!

What might the perfect bacteria look like? In this activity, children got to design and build their own model bacteria, thinking about what genetic features (glowing in the dark? antibiotic resistance? being able to communicate?) would make a good microbe living in different types of environments.

* Edible DNA models and hidden message bracelets

How better to learn about the structure of DNA than by using sweets?! A couple of strawberry lances, some gummy bears and cocktail sticks later, and visitors had their very own edible DNA helix to take home. Visitors then learnt about how DNA holds the recipes for making proteins by creating secret message beaded bracelets.

* Eye to eye with a dog

What does a dog see? What does the inside of its eye look like? Participants got to examine a model eye, and then used a video opthalmoscope to look into the eyes of one of our resident greyhounds.

* Lego genetic epidemiology

How can the recent revolution in genetics help us understand the spread of infectious diseases better? In this activity, visitors first assembled a viral Lego 'genome' and then used it forensically who track gave the virus to whom. A game of Plague Inc. was also on hand, with several members of the public defeating the game, wiping out all of humanity by successfully mutating their pathogen of choice.

* Natural selection: building animals by random chance

How do different forms of live evolve? This activity explained how different types of animals have arisen by using dice to simulate natural variation in insect body parts. A number of colourful and exciting insect combinations were obtained!

* Building the dog skeleton

At this activity, visitors were given the opportunity to learn how bone fractures can be surgically repaired. Most exciting were the 3D printed plastic bones, which can be used to design better tools to guide surgeons when operating.

* Disease spillover and zoonosis

How rare is it for an infectious disease to spread from animals into humans? In this activity, balls representing various viruses were rolled at gates representing different levels of transmission. Getting to the first gate, human-wildlife interaction, with relatively easy for all the viruses, but, just like in real life, sustained human-to-human transmission resulting in an epidemic was much harder.

* What microbes do for us: the science of composting and food recycling

Using a microscope, visitors discovered some of the diverse microorganisms living in compost and their importance to 'macroscopic' life (plants, animals and humans).

Meanwhile, a series of talks was hosted in the nearby Lecture Theatre 2 with exciting and often interactive presentations given by Mark Holmes, Matthew Allen, Kate Hughes, Andrea Strakova and Andrew Conlan.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Interview with Doug Johnstone
Part of Scottish Literature Week: Writer, musician, journalist and…umm…ex-nuclear physicist (no, really), Doug Johnstone, talks to RosyB.
*Photo by Katie Cooke
You will know, by now, how here at Vulpes we love to play around with new ways of interviewing for the net. Crazy instant messager chats, long email interviews that take virtual place in airport departure lounges across the world. So how about this for way-out: cup of coffee and a dictaphone in a local cafe.
Ok, so it's not high-tech. But it does give me the chance to describe the author entering the building: complete with Armani suit, dark shades and posse of cool bodyguards. "Oh he is so much richer-looking in real life!" I gasp.
Not impressed?
Well, I've never been any good at describing clothes. So let's scrap the descriptions and let the words do the talking. Doug Johnstone is friendly, unpretentious and I greatly enjoyed this interview (in fact, you can hardly hear the poor fella for my drain-like laughter on the tape.) Less good, is the fact that we are both incredibly fast-talkers, rather tangential, and interrupt ourselves a lot – add to this an old dictaphone as crackly as a gramophone record and you'll understand why transcribing this tape has been a nightmare. But here it is, finally, in all its informal, interrupting glory.
So, tell me about your new novel, The Ossians. It's about an indie band traveling around the Highlands. It sounds a bit picaresque or road movieish.
It is! Well I don't know if "Picaresque" is quite the word I'd use. It is a road-trip. Structurally it's a plus and a minus. It's a two-week tour around the north of Scotland – which gives you your plot basically. You know what's happening the next day because you know they're going to be in such-and-such. That's good because it's got a certain momentum but it's something to watch and not make it too repetitive.
It sounds like a lot of potential for comedy – is it comedic?
The book is black comedy I would say. One of the scenes I quite like doing at readings is where they arrive in Ullapool and there is a broken down nuclear sub and its docked there and basically the town's being ravaged by hundreds of Russian sub-mariners who come along to the gig and have a riot.
I find it quite hard to take books that take themselves very seriously. I don't like first person narratives. Both books have been third person but very close in to the main characters and all of them have a self-awareness of how ridiculous the situation is. I am keen to burst the bubble of taking things so very seriously – I'm kind of like that in life anyway.
I think that must be quite a tough structure, the road trip, because it's quite broken, isn't it? It must be hard to get a build going.
Well yeah and that's one of the things that I added. I had one sort of plot thread running through it but I added another two. One's not enough: put in three!
The main character, Connor, gets more and more delusional through drug and drink intake and lack of sleep and stuff and he starts to think he's got a stalker – but because he's not in such a great state he doesn't know if it's real or if he is imagining it or if it's like actually human. At one point he thinks it is his guardian angel looking after him.
He occasionally meets this enigmatic character when noone else is around – he just turns up at gigs, but no one else ever sees him so he starts to really freak out – so I put that in and that seems to work really well.
Which brings me neatly to my next question: How much is based on personal experience?
(lots of tape crackling as interviewer tries to recover from big fit of the giggles)
Inevitably I'm going to get asked this in every interview!
Umm.. Well…ermm…no. Not directly no. Actually, I've never been on a tour like that. Although I have plenty of experience of bad gigs.
That sub-culture of indie music isn't really examined much in fiction, it's a fascinating world and I used a lot of my experience because I've been in bands for about twenty years in Scotland so I know plenty about being a struggling indie kid playing "the toilet circuit", as they call it.
My band, The Northern Alliance is a very different beast to The Ossians. We're fifteen years older and suitably less angry. Interestingly we've put out four records as The Northern Alliance and we've done pretty well. But we put together a mini album of The Ossians' music. Interesting it seems to be going down really well – better than The Northern Alliance stuff!
All sounds very Spinal Tap.
I should have brought you a copy!
You should!
[To listen to 3 Ossians tracks from the CD, visit The Ossians' Myspace page here.]
SMALL TOWN LIFE
Your first novel, Tombstoning is a thriller, set in small-town Arbroath, where you were brought up. I was reading on the internet how you are always saying Scottish literature is always set in big urban cities or is totally rural and there's nothing in between.
And yet the vast majority of people in Scotland probably live in small towns. there is a real dearth of fiction addressing that. It's not like it hasn't been written about – something like Alan Warner's Morvern Callar*, for example – it's called "Port" but it's really Oban – so it's done. But I get tired of reading Scottish novels that are either gritty urban realism or idealistic set in a dreamy croft in the Highlands.
*[Please go to Vulpes' review of Morvern Callar here]
What about the activity of tombstoning itself – is that symbolic? [Note: "Tombstoning" is an activity where youngsters jump off the cliffs into the sea for kicks. Ed.]
I don't want to get bogged down too much in the symbolic. I think a lot of that is intuitive when you are writing.
I suppose you can't help thinking – particularly with the news' coverage of the Bridgend suicides – about the theme of small town life and teenagers not having such a value of their lives….There is a sense of the trap of the past in Tombstoning, with David not wanting to go back into that mindset.
I was reluctant to paint it as a relentless miserable small-town life. I don't think it is like that at all. But it's a weird sort of place to grow up in, I suppose. Inevitably a lot of people at that age see it as a prison and can't wait to get away. But I know people at school who, when they turned eighteen, swore they would never go back and now they are back there raising kids and living in the same street they grew up in themselves and there's nothing wrong with that.
The Arbroath Herald reviewed the book very well but included a list of people who shouldn't read it and it said "Anyone who likes Arbroath" and I was like, "No, you're missing the point!". David's not a hero because he left. He never found anything better anyway. There are plenty of heroes who stayed and are bringing up families and Arbroath is a perfectly great place.
So, the Tombstoning thing is not symbolic so much as dramatic. The cliffs are fantastically dramatic. When I was researching there was this article in the local paper about these kids that had been jumping in – it's fucking scary – they take it really seriously. These guys are in wetsuits! I mean they're dropping like a hundred feet. It's mental.
There's a changed mindset from when I was a kid. When you're small you do daft things like jumping into rivers and building sites and stuff. Or we'd go the park and drink cider. But these days kids are doing like extreme sports. It's like drink or drugs.
Maybe extreme sports is better for you…if you survive.
Yeah – it'll keep you fit. It's just psychotically dangerous!
(Much laughter and crackling)
When I was looking you up online, there are loads of comments from people who really liked your book along the lines of: "This is like my life", "This is like my friends", "I know someone like that". The book seems to have a big recognition factor that is really pleasing to people.
I was really happy with that. You know, no-one sets out to write a clichéd book but I was really glad that people really seemed to recognise their own lives.
I was glad about the comments from women about the character – Nicola – because I always found that, and this is not exclusive by any means, but male writers do not tend to write women very well and that annoyed me. Because it's not that hard, really, if you've ever spoken to women, had girlfriends…
I deliberately wanted Nicola in Tombstoning to be the strong one. In the end she saves the day and that is deliberate.
David's a slightly weaker character isn't he?
He is! Which has always been my experience in life – shambolic slacker blokes and organised women. There is a similar dynamic in The Ossians. There are two women in the band – his girlfriend and his sister who are stronger and more together than Connor is, who is a basket-case basically.
But then that can be romanticised in men too, can't it? That they get to be the basket-cases.
Ye-ah. I know – I don't want to play too heavily on that. I don't want people to read these books and think "How did these blokes get these amazing women?"
I think David's quite an engaging character
He's just at the stage where he hasn't really bothered to get a life. He's just drifting. And that was me – ten years ago. Doing a job I hated and not arsed about it. And I think it is very easy to get into that situation without even trying.
MEMORY, THE PAST AND SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES
Tell me about Facebook and Friends Reunited and stuff.
That was one of the impetuses for Tombstoning.
Friends Reunited gives me The Fear! You know there was a spate of stories that came up about people divorcing and getting back together with their childhood sweethearts and stuff. People are kidding themselves. You're not happy and you've got this idealised version of some relationship you had when you were 16 or 17 or something and it's not going to be like that. Ridiculous. It just strikes me as unhealthy – you know, always looking backwards. One of the things about Tombstoning was about the past and how it affects who you are today.
It strikes me that it is something that happens at a particular stage of life – you know, people push outwards and try and get away from their parents and suddenly you start romanticising all that and begin to turn into them again, and it's at a particular age you do it too – like thirties.
That's obviously what David does in Tombstoning – he doesn't want to think about the past at all and wants to forget all about it and to a certain extent I did a lot of that and I don't have any family there [in Arbroath] so I never go back. I never go back there.
Does it make you uncomfortable to go back there?
It just makes me feel really weird. I think I put it in Tombstoning – if you go away and come back, every corner you go round has a memory. Everything is laced with memories. But if you never left you don't realise that. I mean I have lived in Edinburgh as long as I lived in Arbroath, but it doesn't feel the same, because I'm still here.
How did you first get published?
I wrote a version of The Ossians first. And I didn't know anyone in the publishing world, any writers or anyone so I just sent it off to every publisher I could think of who might be interested and every agent and everyone politely rejected it – like they do. Which was fine. But a couple of publishers said "We like this but for whatever reason we can't publish it, get marketing interested or whatever…And then when I wrote Tombstoning I sent it to the two publishers who were interested and they both offered on it.
More than one publisher said to me "Oh we can't sell books about music". The fact that there's four or five out now is neither here nor there. But I think in one way it was a hard sell for a first novel. I think they saw it as – you know – it didn't fit in any genre or whatever, whereas Tombstoning is a more conventional thriller really.
How has Tombstoning done in Scotland? And is it available in England?
There was a hot spot of sales in Arbroath and Dundee! My family live in Dundee and they were always going to Borders and Waterstones and harassing them to put copies in the window and stuff. It did ok, though, it's had a couple of reprints. It has sold a bit in England but not huge amounts, you know – it's not about middle-class graduates living in Knightsbridge…
(Much merriment and tape crackling.)
No prejudice there then!
…It's not about lecturers sitting having their dinner party in London…
(Rosy chokes on coffee in hilarity)
Maybe you should write one of them – you should write about Scottish lecturers, that'd be good.
Hmmm. Maybe. Campus novel. Dunno.
We always ask for five favourite books – don't say War and Peace.
I don't have the high-brow literary tastes – me and the Booker prize are going our fucking separate ways I tell you!
You just decided to part company – it's not working out.
Me and the Booker – it's all over. I've had it with that lot.
Literary fiction is a genre like anything else – people write literary books with no plot and upper middle class characters. It's an excuse not to have a plot, that's what it is.
You're one of these down-to-earth "books should have a good story"?
Well yes, I have less and less time for meandering high-faluting stuff. I want a fucking good story – a good page-turner. There's nothing wrong with that – there's no shame involved with that.
[The following speech sees Rosy getting a bit carried away and forgetting who is the interviewer and who is the interviewee]
I keep thinking that the big popular successes of the past are now re-evaluated to be good literary books when they weren't necessarily thought to be so at the time. Maybe it's something to do with seeing something as representative. Rather than saying, "it's a good book, I like this book", it's always got to symbolise something and maybe that can even be representing the time it was written, itself. Like pop music. As soon as pop music becomes OLD suddenly there's people make all these documentaries about it and start going on about the cultural significance. Nobody ever goes on like that about new pop music.
You think of what the noughties or whatever you call them you think in ten years' time how's this decade going to be viewed. The nineties has become the Britpop decade.
It's like a sort of cultural amnesia, isn't it? People forget all the shit. Like Ashes for Ashes – now they're fucking raving about boobtubes.
Anyway….favourite books…
Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh. It opened my eyes. I knew people who had drug problems. And I knew working class Edinburgh people. That book was like a fucking punch in the stomach. I was totally blown away by it.
The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks. Set in Fife. It was – again – written about places that I recognised, about people that I recognised. Also it had a teenage boy who was horrific and there was animal torture in it and stuff which is always appealing. It was incredible the reception it got – all the broadsheets reviewed it and some of them were saying this is the best literary novel in twenty years and others were ripping it up outraged at how vile it was. The absolute stroke of genius when they put all the bad reviews on the inside cover saying "This is a repulsive pile of filth" and it went flying off the shelves.
Collected Raymond Carver Stories. My Dad got me that. He is a former English teacher. I didn't have a very good relationship with my own English teachers at school who just foisted Shakespeare and poetry on me, but my Dad always knew I liked writing – it was just finding me the right things to read. When he gave me that book, I couldn't believe how skillful the stories were, how simple but effective. It's about what you don't write. What you leave out is more important than what you put in. It's a real oblique skill.
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. So far ahead of its time. It seems as though it could have been written yesterday. It taps into something that everybody recognises. 100 pages: Short, snappy but beautifully done.
Preston Falls by Dave Gates. It's the best example of getting inside a character's head that I've ever read. Basically it is about this guy, Doug Willis, who has a mid-life crisis and a nervous breakdown which doesn't sound like a laugh. But it's incredibly funny. The character's voice is unbelievable. You know the million of thoughts that run through your head every minute – he just nails that without it being a mess and you know that American thing where it's post-post-post-post-everything, where you can't stop thinking something without it seeming ironic and then that's ironic and it drives you nuts: this, in the main character Doug Willis, is just unbelievable.
The Ossian's MySpace Page
(Doug's real band) The Northern Alliance MySpace Page
www.lowfidelity.com
www.fencerecords.com
The Rest of Scottish Literature Week:
Ron Butlin's "Belonging"
Maggie Haggith's "The Last Bear"
J.A. Henderson's "Crash"
Alan Warner's "Morvern Callar"
16 comments on "Interview with Doug Johnstone"
Great interview, Rosy and Doug.
I'm reading The Ossians and the moment, so having a good (literary) dose of sex, drugs and rock n roll.
I thought this was near on incredible:
"when I wrote Tombstoning I sent it to the two publishers who were interested and they both offered on it."
Hardly ever hear stories like that. Nice to know it can happen 🙂
"I always found that, and this is not exclusive by any means, but male writers do not tend to write women very well…"
I found myself nodding. We must all argue about this. Which male writers are good at writing women? Do women write men well? A Thursday Soapbox piece could be in order…(want to write it for us, Doug? 500 words on Male Writers Who Can't Write Women? 😉 )
The small town element of Tombstoning interests me. As does the idea of literary fiction having to be about middle-class academics having dinner parties. Can't think of anything worse. I think I am of the gutter school of literary fiction.
"500 words on Male Writers Who Can't Write Women?"
I think Kirsty's identified a few. 🙂
Lol. And P.S. kindly leave Mr Thomas Hardy out of it. No mentioning my beloved Lawrence either.. 😉
marygm
Great interview, both of you. So down to earth! I have to go away and think more about this idea of men being hopeless at writing women.
Anne Brooke
And I sooooo get that bit about the Booker!! In complete agreement here in the dark corner.
Doug J
Great piece, Rosy, nice one.
Lisa, as for this bit:
…yeah, I was pretty shocked. I didn't have an agent at that time either. Having said that, it's fair to say that the ice had been broken with that first version of The Ossians I sent round. I really got in people's faces with that, and even the ones that didn't like it or think they could publish it at least knew my name, knew that I could kind of write, and that I wasn't just a "one novel johnny". I honestly think getting published is mostly perseverance and large whack of luck – for the ms to land on the right desk at the right time, and for the editor to be in the right mood. I just got lucky I guess, but I do have a theory that you can make your own luck to a certain extent, that is, you can make yourself more open to lucky things happening and taking advantage of them.
What a blether.
And also – that thing about men not writing good women characters, I realise it's a MASSIVE generalisation, there are plenty of exceptions, but I was tired of reading blokey fiction where women were just like bit players in a 70s cop show or something. Hookers and barmaids, blah blah. Just didn't ring true with my own experiences of life, and annoyed the fuck out of me, to be honest.
Anyway, no WAY am I writing a piece on that – I've gotten in enough trouble talking about that at book events and interviews already!
And seriously, don't get me started on the Booker. Jesus H.
All the best, people.
p.s. One more favourite book to add – The Road by Cormac McCarthy – simply awesome and the most brutally powerful narrative I think I've ever read.
No, no, Doug! Get started on the Booker – we could go on all day about the pain and pity of it. I'm sure. And the enormous waste of reading time. My vote is to ditch it entirely and let's get some real books into the mix. Ones with … um … story and without boring family tragedies. Hush my mouth.
And I'm looking forward to the kick-ass piece on cliched (sorry, no darn accent that I can see) women characters. Rosy? Are you there? Book it now!
See, our Rosy tells me that it's good for writers to come out fighting! Bring on the controversy and kicking of arse, I say! 🙂
Anne, you start an alternative to the Booker and we'll call it The Brooker. Inspired.
…people write literary books with no plot and upper middle class characters. It's an excuse not to have a plot, that's what it is.
If he doesn't read them, how does he know this? Anyway, I think it would be hard to write a satisfying piece of fiction without a plot as that tends to be what drives the reader through the book. Just because a piece of literature doesn't contain an oh-so-[boring/predictable/unimaginative] schlocky narrative doesn't mean it has no plot. They can be abstracted, after all. Or emotional plots, gently brewing page after page with little action at all – still a plot, though.
But it's always funny to imagine, and nice to see it perpetuated, that these so called writers waking up, cracking the fingers, and sitting down with a coffee, saying, "I know, today I'll write a literary book." Although Iain (M.) Banks might do the reverse, and write some sci-fi.
Sad to see that Booker books get dismissed as being "high-brow literary" when there's books amongst the prize's longlist that have ended up in that most high-brow book club that is Richard & Judy. Some, rightly, are complete twaddle and after reading through all thirteen of last year's longlist I only enjoyed a handful of them. But high-brow? Nikita Lalwani's Gifted: high-brow? Lloyd Jones' Mister Pip: high-brow? Mohsin Hamid's The Reluctant Fundamentalist: high-brow? No, on all counts. In fact, of the thirteen, only two could be considered approaching on that: stuffy old A.N. Wilson's Winnie And Wolf and Anne Enright's eventual winner, The Gathering.
Nothing much wrong with the Booker at all. It's a fine prize. It's just that they can rarely get the winner right.
This was a humorously irreverent interview. Points to Mr. Johnstone for his determination to correct women characters in his books and the challenge issued to other male writers. I hope he starts a trend.
The comments on symbolism was timely, as I've been wondering lately how much of it is intentional by authors. It's nice to see that a lot of it is organic. I also found Mr. Johnstone's comments on memory and the past intriguing. What an unsual selection of faves; did he like the film of "Trainspotting"?
I can't diss the Booker myself, as they gave it to "Oscar and Lucinda", my all time favorite.
Thanks to both of you for this enjoyable interview.
Pingback: Belonging by Ron Butlin « Vulpes Libris
…for anyone swithering about this whole The Ossians thing, how about a taster? You can now download the first chapter of the novel FREE from:
http://www.penguin.co.uk/tasters
…can't say fairier than that. Suck it and see, people.
Pingback: The Ossians by Doug Johnstone « Vulpes Libris
Great interview. It really makes me want to read your books Doug and I totally agree with your comments about women characters in a lot of novels. A fantastic book that includes a brilliant piece of characterisation is "Killer Inside Me" by Jim Thompson. Well worth a read. Thanks for the interview. Cheers.
D.Blyth
Do you have a direct e.mail address for Doug Johnstone
Yours aye
Pingback: The rise and rise of the band novel
This entry was posted on April 16, 2008 by rosyb in Entries by Rosy, Interviews: authors and tagged Arbroath, Doug Johnstone, music books, Scottish Literature, The Northern Alliance, The Ossians, Tombstoning.
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text:
John Douglas "Jack" Hobbs (born November 11, 1956) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Minnesota Twins in . He played in the minor leagues from 1978 to 1983.  Hobbs is also a radio broadcasting industry executive.

Jack Hobbs is a graduate of Lynchburg College, where he majored in Political Science / Pre Law. While at Lynchburg, Hobbs was named All-American in 1978 - and subsequently drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 7th round of the 1978 amateur draft.

Hobbs was Drafted by the Minnesota Twins from the Mariners in December 8, 1980 in the rule 5 draft.  Hobbs was 24 years old when he broke into the big leagues on August 31, 1981, with the Twins. His uniform number was 40.

Hobbs later entered the radio broadcasting industry and became Executive Vice President / Chief Marketing Officer of Spanish-language radio broadcaster Univision Radio, a division of Univision Communications Inc.

Hobbs has received recognition within the media, entertainment and marketing industries for his leadership and expertise related to the understanding of Hispanic consumer behavior in the United States. Throughout his successful career, Hobbs has received several distinguished accolades including recognition as one of the most influential executives in Hispanic Media. Jack Hobbs was honored by his peers in receiving the 2007 HispanicAd.com 'Media Executive of the Year' award at the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies bi-annual conference in San Antonio, Texas on Thursday April 17, 2008.

References

External links

Retrosheet
Venezuelan Professional Baseball League

1956 births
Alexandria Dukes players
Baseball players from Pennsylvania
Bellingham Mariners players
Leones del Caracas players
American expatriate baseball players in Venezuela
Living people
Lynchburg Hornets baseball players
Lynn Sailors players
Major League Baseball pitchers
Minnesota Twins players
Orlando Twins players
San Jose Missions players
Santa Clara Padres players
Cherry Hill High School West alumni


This story has been updated. Find our most recent coverage here.
Just months after winning an Olympic gold medal, Alaska cross-country skier Kikkan Randall found two pea-sized lumps in her breast. Medical tests confirmed she had cancer. She began chemotherapy in Anchorage this week.
"It's been a roller coaster," Randall, 35, said Wednesday after announcing her diagnosis on social media.
"Just like getting any tough news, you go through all the stages of denial and disbelief and frustration, but I always come back to the same skills I've used in my athletic career," she said. "I need to focus on what I can control. I need to be positive and optimistic."
Doctors caught Randall's breast cancer in its early stages, she said. They told her the prognosis was good. But she will have to undergo six rounds of chemotherapy, one infusion every three weeks. Then she will have surgery.
"It's tough for sure," she said, "especially coming off winning an Olympic gold medal. To go from that high, to barely two months into retirement, and then you find out about this, which just changes everything."
Randall made history at the Olympics this year in Pyeongchang, winning the women's team sprint race with Minnesota's Jessie Diggins. She and Diggins became the first American women to ever win a medal in cross-country skiing, and they won gold. It was Randall's fifth and final Olympics, and she had achieved what she worked toward for 20 years. It didn't feel real, she told reporters at the time.
In photographs of her celebrating in South Korea, her trademark pink highlights in her hair peeked out of a headband. She wrote on social media Wednesday that pink "had taken on a new chapter" in her life. She had long used the color as a way to stand out and attract attention to her sport. Over the years, it became a good luck charm.
"It's given me strength in the past," she said. "It's just so ironic that pink has been such a part of my life and now it takes on this whole new meaning."
Randall said she plans to continue her treatment in Anchorage, the city where she grew up. She starred in skiing and running at East High School and is a longtime member of Alaska Pacific University's nordic ski program. She went on to compete for years internationally on the World Cup circuit, becoming America's most decorated cross-country skier.
In April, Randall moved to Penticton, British Columbia, with her husband and their 2-year-old son. That's where she found the lumps in her breast. It was Mother's Day.
"I had this great day with my husband and my son. We're in our new location, we went out and explored," she said. "I was getting ready for bed that night and I just happened to brush past it and thought it was my rib bone at first, just kind of a hard spot. Then I realized it felt more like a pea in there, or a marble. I already had an uneasy feeling about it."
Randall said she's not aware of a history of breast cancer in her family. She has worked on many breast cancer awareness projects in Anchorage, she said, so she knew to go straight to the doctor if something didn't feel right.
"We hear it time and time again, but the early detection is so crucial," she said.
Randall said she hoped to eventually return to British Columbia between her rounds of chemotherapy. She said she promised herself she'd stay active, positive and determined during treatment.
"I am going to bring as much tenacity, strength, and energy toward this challenge as I have throughout my entire career," she wrote on social media.
On Monday, she rode her bicycle to and from Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage. She wore her rainbow-colored "happy shoes."
She said she's already brainstorming projects to share her journey to recovery, in hopes it will help others, including selling rainbow-colored socks and donating the proceeds.
While she has let her pink highlights fade over the past few weeks, she said, she planned to have her high school friends help her reintroduce the color over the weekend before she loses her hair.
"Then," she said, "I'm taking great suggestions for any pink wigs."


People and places – that sums up one's life experiences. It sounds like a little thing but it is the opposite. The journey is the real wealth we accumulate and these images are reminders of just how valuable these experiences are – if you take a moment to appreciate the bounty.


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Posted inPolitical Animal
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Undergoes Cancer Surgery
Ruth Bader Ginsburg just had two malignant nodes removed from her lungs.
by Martin Longman December 21, 2018 January 9, 2022
Credit: European University Institute/Flickr
I have good news and I have bad news. The bad news is that Ruth Bader Ginsburg just underwent surgery at Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. The good news is that the surgery went well.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had two cancerous nodules removed from her left lung Friday at a New York hospital, the Supreme Court announced.
There is no evidence of any remaining disease, says a court spokesperson, nor is there evidence of disease elsewhere in the body.
The 85-year-old justice was hospitalized last month after a fall in her office, in which she fractured three ribs.
In 1999, Ginsburg underwent surgery for colorectal cancer, and 10 years later she was treated for early stages of pancreatic cancer.
Apparently, the disease was detected early and fortuitously as a result of scans taken after she fractured her ribs. Since there is no current evidence of metastasis, it's possible that she will make a full recovery.
At times like this, it's always somewhat crass to talk politically, but everyone hearing this news is thinking the same thing, which is that it could have a very lasting impact on the makeup of the Supreme Court if Donald Trump (or Mike Pence) gets to pick Ginsburg's replacement.
There will be time to discuss that nightmare scenario some other time. For now, we should just be grateful that the cancer was detected at an early stage and that the surgery went well.
Ginsburg hospitalized with pancreatic cancer
Remembering Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Removing all doubt
Tagged: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, SCOTUS
Martin Longman
Martin Longman is the web editor for the Washington Monthly. See all his writing at ProgressPond.com
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