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Timewaves: Jérôme Bonnell's Mermaid of Calais in Just a Sigh
Life is apparently a happy, easy and lively thing up there in the shadow of the mountains and in the monotony of this seclusion. Then the suggestion is thrown up that this kind of life is a life of shadows. No initiative, no fight for liberty. Only longings and desires. This is how life is lived in the brief summer. And afterwards — into the darkness... (But) a man or woman who has reached the top desires the secrets of the future, a share in the life of the future and communication with distant planets. (Yet) everywhere limitation. From this comes a melancholy like a subdued song of mourning over the whole of human existence and all the activities of mankind. One bright summer day with a great darkness thereafter — that is all.
— Henrik Ibsen, Note to The Lady from the Sea
Many a play is like a painted backdrop, something to be looked at from the front. An Ibsen play is like a black forest, something you can enter, something you can walk about in. There you can lose yourself: you can lose yourself. And once inside, you find such wonderful glades, such beautiful, sunlit places.
— Minnie Maddern Fiske, America's first "Nora" in The Doll's House
Just a Sigh opens as Alix is waiting in the wings to step onto the stage in The Lady from the Sea at a provincial theater in the port of Calais. Jérôme Bonnell's film is not exactly an adaptation of the play, but he catches the breath of Ibsen's "bright summer day," one day; it will end again in the dark theater the next night in Calais... Or will it?
Alix makes a quick trip home to Paris between the two performances for a movie casting call. It's the summer solstice and also World Music Day on the streets of Paris, so the city is vibrant and teeming with life, but these aren't the only reasons it's the longest day of the year for Alix.
Last night ended with moody ambivalence as she spoke on the phone with Antoine, her beau of eight years. "If you could, would you do it again with me?" she asked. He is affectionate, but far away. We will never see him, but beginning in the morning, Alix calls him all day long. And it isn't easy because she flew out the door with a dead phone battery and no charger. What's more, the ATM won't shell out because she's overdrawn.
A day without a cell phone and a bank card can feel like life on another planet, especially for someone commuting between jobs and cities. But it's even worse. The audition is bizarre. "Do it again, but be more moving this time," the casting agent insists after a brilliant interpretation, so she plays the role again with a different edge, a more urgent impact. It's a bit strange in another way: the scene is remarkably parallel to her situation at-hand. It's a telephone monologue in which she's locked herself out of her home and is pleading with her man to come to the rescue. Not only that, but the audition is stunningly theatrical: in a single take, we see her perform both roles, back-to-back, with an astonishing change of tone. As Alix, Emmanuelle Devos' acting is arresting, begging the question of what such an emotional exercise does to an actor. Repeatedly taking up a personae, a situation, a mood — can it be so easy to leave the "shadow world" and re-enter the "sunlight"? Isn't it difficult to find one's self again, to return to authentic form, whatever that is?
It may be that real life is the shadow for Alix, for there's another load she carries beside her acting roles and her domestic ambivalence — a secret she harbors — and maybe it takes more than the stage to escape that. They say the theatre's bigger than life, but for an actress, maybe nothing's bigger — and more terrifying — than life itself.
Utterly in tune with her emotional states if not in possession of her logistical needs, Alix is at loose ends with herself, and maybe ripe for distraction. But it appears to be more than that when she senses an intuitive attraction to a stranger on a train from Calais to Paris that morning. We've seen it before, but it's the way Bonnell lets it play that counts. If the part of Alix was written explicitly for Emmanuelle Devos, the same holds for Gabriel Byrne as the stranger, and more precisely, as someone from across the sea. The AutoStar, through a tunnel under the ocean, terrifies him. But a curious purpose has brought this Engishman to Paris (it's the reason he'd prefer to forget the French he once knew when he was teaching at the Sorbonne): the woman he fell for long ago died, because she was "a little too much in love with life," and he's there to bury her. He's not good at pain, he tells Alix, when we already begin to sense the funeral cortege as a mysterious counterpoint — almost a re-entry — to the passion for life that Alix stirs up in him and herself.
The irony of Just a Sigh is that while Jérôme Bonnell fills the screen with the clamor and color of, quite literally, "one bright summer day," his perhaps deeper talent is to place us, from dawn to dusk, in the sea of the unconscious. There a woman, Alix, swims in her longings and desires as she largely "loses herself" — from moment to moment bobbing to the surface of consciousness, but mostly testing the waters as a kind of psychological mermaid who ultimately washes up on her own shore taking her first breath as a fish out of water. Her "sea" is largely the streets of Paris, where that morning her destiny arrives to lure her into self-discovery, aspiration, conviction, zest for living. But of course all the while she flirts with that fate, it insists upon her free will. Life is hers to choose, to make, and Alix's hesitations, moves, retreats, and affirmations are a sight to behold.
The vibrant spaces of this city of love surround her as Bonnell opens the frame with the Latin and African beats of street parades and café dancing, and the long, ground-anchored horns of Alpine dwellers, and even the harmonies of a female "barbershop quartet"— the "Sea Girls"! Yet these celebrations are interspersed with off-screen orchestral and choral interludes of Vivaldi, Mozart, and Verdi, as if from the heavens above. Remote forces encroach upon Alix (she says she doesn't believe in God but "in gods — they're all over") in tension with relentless interruptions of the immediate (bystanders are forever intruding upon her attempts at intimacy with her "stranger"). A cacophony of tones and styles? Hardly. Rather they collide in amazingly fresh and witty ways to deliver a special character point of view as it shifts in real time like clouds, moods, or looks in the mirror.
Such a delicate task, then, for pursuing this new kind of "adventure" already veiled in romance. Indeed, the original name of the film is Le temp de l'aventure, the latter word in French suggesting a love affair, but the beginning of the title sets the emotional register as one of time. The clock is ticking for Alix, on more levels than one.
In a letter at the time of writing The Lady from the Sea, Henrik Ibsen reflected,
"We ought to avail ourselves to the sea, building floating cities on it so that we can move southward or northward according to the time of year. …Some such happy state will come one day, though we shall not live to see it."
Yet he did live to create, from local stories in 1888, a world in which a sailor, thought drowned, returned "home" years later to his first love, in which a Norwegian wife could be so compelled by the "troll-craft" in a stranger's eyes that she could leave her husband and children for him, and in which (like Ibsen's own mother-in-law in Jutland) a girl would run away to Norway from a disastrous love but continue to bathe in the sea every day.
In so doing, this "Father of Modern Drama," an angst-ridden social crusader, departed from the suffocating confinement within the walls of the bourgeois home to the open greenways of gardens and parks where the characters walk and talk with the arrival of ships from afar and tourists making merry in the fjords. The air is filled with the music of popular singing and band concerts, and the continually shifting scene of fishing rods and easels, of sun parasols and floral dresses under a changing sky, anticipates Chekhov. In French productions, the Impressionist Vuillard was hired as the scenic artist, employing the mode of Monet and Renoir. But beneath all this flows the undercurrent of mystery as a man who remains ambiguously named and even less known, free from the social responsibilities of the land, holds in tow the unconscious fascination of the lighthouse keeper's daughter, who is acclimatized only to the ebb and flow of the tides. She might as well have been hypnotized by the young Sigmund Freud, given her struggle between the psychic states of her libido and super-ego. And with that pendulum Ibsen injected a mythic play between the forces of Apollo and Dionysius, land and sea, sun and shadow, even as each division begins to dissolve at its meeting point. Water and air do wonders.
The marvel of The Lady form the Sea is its fluidity, the breathe-ability the play brings to conventional bonds, the mutability of the concept of inconclusiveness or irresolution — "half-heartedness" (in Norwegian, halvhed) — into the notion of balance or equilibrium, self-willed acceptance. Ibsen's protagonist Ellida searches the depths of her psyche as if her unconscious state is boundless as the sea. Bonnell's Alix, headed for the evening train back to Callais, learns the Stranger's name is Doug (call it "dug"). How can she go on stage that night, he wonders. "I have a good cervelet," she tells him. And we have seen its tug and sway between impulses of fear and pleasure as Alix wavered from moment to moment, phone booth to phone booth, suspending her commitments to boyfriend, lover, and job alike, and to one more choice, the crux of the film and the theme that complements the funeral cortege in which she first approached the Stranger.
Pure freedom, with neither plan nor purpose, attractive yet terrifying, put one woman in her grave. Alix has already rejected that woman's choice, but now she faces the free choice of a new life, and she must answer for more than herself. And to the man from across the sea — who has asked, "Why did you follow me?" — she says, "Because you looked sad. Because I wanted to. I didn't follow you. I went and found you. It's very different."
Jérôme Bonnell, Writer-Director of Just a Sigh
Just a Sigh
Director: Jérôme Bonnell; Producer: Edouard Weil; Screenplay: Jérôme Bonnell; Cinematographer: Pascal Lagriffoul - AFC; Editor: Julie Dupré; Sound: Laurent Benaïm; Production Design: Anna Bachala; Costumes: Carole Gérard.
Cast: Emmanuelle Devos, Gabriel Byrne, Gilles Privat, Aurélia Petit, Laurent Capelluto.
Color, HD, 105 min. In French and English with English subtitles.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Attorneys Capabilities Resources About Us
Brian Cromer elected to Kentucky Chamber Board of Directors
by Stites & Harbison, PLLC
LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce has elected Stites & Harbison, PLLC attorney Brian Cromer to its Board of Directors. Cromer will serve on the 70-member board, which represents a cross-section of key business and industry leaders from across Kentucky.
Cromer is a Member (Partner) of Stites & Harbison based in the Louisville, Ky., office. He serves as the Chair of the firm's Business & Finance Service Group, which provides legal services to large, middle market and new venture companies. His experience includes representing some of the largest U.S. and international companies through corporate transactions, legal disputes, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital and private equity investments, and corporate governance matters. His accolades include recognition in Chambers USA, The Best Lawyers in America® and Martindale-Hubbell® Law Directory.
Outside of the firm, Cromer is active in a variety of community organizations. He serves on the Board of Directors of Greater Louisville Inc. and has served on the board of the University of Louisville, Kentucky Wesleyan College, the Kentuckiana Minority Business Council and many other organizations.
Brian A. Cromer
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Q: WxPython App/Frame Goes to Background after ProgressDialog is closed I have a wx application & use a ProgressDialog to inform the user when some tasks are running.
This worked fine in Python2.7 under windows 10.
I am now using Python 3.7.9 & wxPython 4.1.1 and I have a strange behaviour I do not understand.
When the progress dialog is closed, the main application window seems to drop to the background in windows (i.e. underneath Folders or applications which were open at the same time.).
E.g. If I run the application from PyCharm, once the ProgressDialog is closed, the wx window goes behind PyCharm.
To restore it to the foreground, I have to select it from the windows taskbar again.
How do I keep the wx application window in the same position as it was before?
With the following code I see the same behaviour but I do not understand what I am doing wrong? (or why it worked fine in python27).
import wx
import time

class Application(wx.Frame):
    def __init__(self, parent, title):
        wx.Frame.__init__(self, parent, title=title)
        self.SetMinSize(wx.Size(1050, 580))
        self.Show()

        self.progress_dlg = wx.ProgressDialog("Update", "Updating SVN Folders...", maximum=100)
        # Update SVN
        for ctr in range (5):
            self.progress_dlg.Update(ctr+1, "SVN Updating:...")
            time.sleep(1)

        self.progress_dlg.Update(100)

app = wx.App(False)
frame = Application(None, "SVN Update")
app.MainLoop()

A: After some discussion on discuss.wxpython.com I have found a good solution to my problem.
The problem seems to come from the ProgressDialog style wx.PD_APP_MODAL.
If I explicitly define the style as style=wx.PD_AUTO_HIDE so that PD_APP_MODAL is not used, the behaviour is correct.
I still dont understand if there is a bug with the PD_APP_MODAL implementation but the solution seems OK to me & doesnt feel like a workaround.
Here is my working code.
import wx
import time

class Application(wx.Frame):
    def __init__(self, parent, title):
        self.filename = "ModelManager.py"

        wx.Frame.__init__(self, parent, title=title)
        self.SetMinSize(wx.Size(1050, 580))
        self.Show()

        self.progress_dlg = wx.ProgressDialog("Update", "Updating SVN Folders...", style=wx.PD_AUTO_HIDE, maximum=100)
        for ctr in range (5):
            self.progress_dlg.Update(ctr+1, "SVN Updating:...")
            time.sleep(1)

        time.sleep(3)
        self.progress_dlg.Update(100)

app = wx.App(False)
frame = Application(None, "SVN Update")
app.MainLoop()

The other thread can be found here.
https://discuss.wxpython.org/t/wxpython-app-frame-goes-to-background-after-progressdialog-is-closed/36022

A: Based on the comments from Rolf & from the DiscussPython forum, this is my final tested solution using parent=self & keeping the default ProgressDialog styles:
import wx
import time

class Application(wx.Frame):
    def __init__(self, parent, title):
        self.filename = "ModelManager.py"

        wx.Frame.__init__(self, parent, title=title)
        self.SetMinSize(wx.Size(1050, 580))
        self.Show()

        self.progress_dlg = wx.ProgressDialog("Update", "Updating SVN Folders...", parent=self, maximum=100)
        for ctr in range (5):
            self.progress_dlg.Update(ctr+1, "SVN Updating:...")
            time.sleep(1)

        time.sleep(3)
        self.progress_dlg.Update(100)

app = wx.App(False)
frame = Application(None, "SVN Update")
app.MainLoop()

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Leonard "Hub" Hubbard, longtime Roots bassist, dead at 62
Leonard "Hub" Hubbard, who played bass for Philadelphia hip-hop collective The Roots between 1992 and 2007, has died at the age of 62.
As the Philadelphia Inquirer reports, the news was confirmed by Hubbard's wife Stephanie, who said the musician's cause of death was multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer that Hubbard was diagnosed with in 2007.
She added that up until last month he had been in remission, and had continued to work on music in recent years. Hubbard was hospitalised on Wednesday night (December 15).
The Roots paid tribute to their former bandmate on social media earlier today (December 17), writing: "It's with the heaviest of hearts that we say goodbye to our brother Leonard Nelson Hubbard. May your transition bring peace to your family to your friends to your fans and all of those who loved you."
Hubbard joined the Roots in 1992, just prior to the group releasing their debut album 'Organix' in 1993.
Hubbard played bass on a slew of the band's early records, including 1996's 'Illadelph Halflife', 1999's 'Things Fall Apart' and 2004's 'The Tipping Point'. The last album Hubbard recorded with the band was 2006's 'Game Theory' – he left the group the following year.
Despite his departure, he made brief, occasional reunions with the collective, including at the annual Roots Picnic in 2008 and again in 2010, joining the band and John Legend onstage.
Stephanie Hubbard told the Inquirer that in recent years, Hubbard had been compiling an album of songs under his own name that he wrote music for, with artists include Jill Scott, Ben Harper and Vernon Reid. The album was completed last week, she said.
"He wanted to be known for the type of music he was composing," Hubbard's wife told the Inquirer. "And before he died, he was sitting there at night listening to the music, and he was so happy with it."
In 2016, Hubbard sued former bandmates Questlove and Black Thought, alleging that his contract with the band made him a co-owner, but that he wasn't compensated as such. The lawsuit has not yet been settled.
Hubbard is the second longtime Roots member who has died in recent years. In July 2020, founding member Malik B. died at the age of 47.
bassist
Man Utd legend Roy Keane leaves fans in stitches as he brutally wishes 'first wife' Theresa happy birthday on Instagram
Jose Mourinho's kids are branching out on their own, with daughter an award-winning jeweller & son an aspiring coach
BLACKPINK's Jisoo surprises 'Snowdrop' co-star Jung Hae-in on set of his new K-drama
ABBA settle lawsuit against "parasitic" tribute band
Years & Years Olly Alexander vows to be 'more sexy' despite BBC complaints
Iconic Brazilian singer Elza Soares has died, aged 91
My Bloody Valentine blast Spotify for showing "completely incorrect and insulting" lyrics
The Lazy Eyes saunter through new grooves in single 'Hippo'
"We've tried absolutely everything we can"
Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson on creating new album The Zealot Gene


text:
Zoe Wees
Andrea McLean is leaving Loose Women: 'I'm saying goodbye'
Andrea McLean is leaving 'Loose Women' to pursue other ventures, after spending 13 years on the ITV daytime talk show.
Andrea McLean
Andrea McLean is leaving 'Loose Women'.
The 51-year-old television star has been a co-presenter for the ITV daytime talk show since 2007, and on Monday (30.11.20), she announced she will be "saying goodbye" to the show as she moves on to pursue other interests.
Andrea said her decision was influenced by the "incredible feedback" she received after releasing her book, 'This Girl Is on Fire', in September this year, which details her journey from trauma, toxic relationships and divorce towards empowerment, happiness and healing.
Speaking through tears on Monday's episode of 'Loose Women', she confirmed: "I'm going to be leaving 'Loose Women'. I didn't mean to cry, I'm so sorry. I want to be brave, I really want to … all the incredible feedback I had from my book, and the support I was able to give them, I want to bring it to life and I want to … Oh gosh, I'm so sorry.
"It was a really big decision to jump and see if I fall or if I fly, and I just thought I will never know unless I try, so I'm saying goodbye to 'Loose Women'."
A post shared by Andrea McLean (@andreamclean1)
Andrea's co-hosts immediately gave the star their support, with Linda Robson praising her as a "real good friend".
She said: "We're going to miss you so much Andrea, honestly, you've been amazing and a real good friend to me when I was going through my depression. You were the one that was ringing all the time to see if I was okay, and I just know that we won't lose touch, we'll still be seeing each other."
And the TV star also insisted she isn't "leaving today", but wanted to have plenty of time to tell her co-stars and her viewers that her time on 'Loose Women' is coming to an end in the near future.
Andrea added: "I'm not leaving today, this is just my day to tell you guys."


Ever since BCCI CEO Rahul Johri was found 'not guilty' of charges of sexual harassment by an independent panel comprising Justice Rakesh Sharma (retired), former Delhi Commission for Women chief Barkha Singh and Lawyer/Activist Veena Gowda, there's been plenty of conjecture on how they reached their conclusions. Their findings that the charges against Johri were "mischievous and fabricated" has also caused widespread indignation.
To help us understand the matter better, it is important to provide background around the functioning of BCCI and its disregard for the protocol involved in dealing with such matters as per established law.
Sometime in March/April of 2018, a complaint of harassment by one BCCI employee was taken up by the Committee of Administrators (CoA) - Chairman Vinod Rai and Former India women's captain Diana Edulji. After an apology by Johri, the matter was "settled" and the complainant continued to work at the BCCI. The process followed in addressing this complaint was fundamentally flawed.
While the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 ("Act") mandatorily requires every organisation with more than 10 employees to constitute an Internal Complaints Committee (now Internal Committee) to hear all complaints regarding sexual harassment of women at the workplace, BCCI did not have an Internal Committee until April 2018.
The complainant never got an opportunity to approach the Internal Committee, in total contravention of what the law demands. This a gross violation of the statute and failure to follow due process and is a fit case for action against BCCI for non-compliance.
In October, an anonymous complaint of sexual harassment emerged in social media against Johri, during his earlier stint at Discovery Channel. Under the Act, an Internal Committee of an organization can hear only the complaints of women at workplace (defined under the Act), and if the incident has occurred or the last incident (if series of incidents) is not more than three months old. Three additional months are permitted if the Internal Committee believes that the complainant had valid reason for not filing her complaint within the three month limit.
Since more than six months had passed, and the incidents complained of were before Johri's employment with BCCI and outside of the definition of workplace, a probe committee was constituted to hear all allegations of sexual harassment against Johri. The probe committee along with BCCI also created an email address and called on any woman who had faced sexual harassment at the hands of Johri to appear, and all witnesses to depose.
Two complainants came forward to depose - a Singapore based media professional and a woman who worked with Johri in a previous organisation. Based on media reports, the lady who complained anonymously, and the BCCI colleague who had earlier complained of in March/April 2018, did not come forward.
It is pertinent to point here that the judicial system is based on the principles of natural justice - A) Not to be a judge in your own cause and B) Hear both sides. Further, a judicial body while conducting an investigation needs to delve into the allegations, narratives, and evidence. It is only on the basis of evidence so presented for every allegation made and on the basis of balance of probabilities that the judiciary comes to a conclusion as to whether the case of the complainant(s) is proved or not.
Since the entire process of the inquiry including depositions, cross examination, collection of evidence is confidential including the report barring the operative section of the report/order, it is not possible to comment on the investigation conducted by the probe committee. We would expect that a retired judge, a lawyer and a woman activist have complied with all the necessary requirements under the law while conducting the investigation and has come forth with a fair order.
Thus, without getting into the merits of the case/report, the constitution of the probe committee, and how the investigation was conducted, our focus can be on the order passed. After having examined the operative section of the report by each member of the probe committee, it is clear that none of the members have confirmed sexual harassment.
Although Sharma and Singh have clearly and unequivocally exonerated Johri of any wrong doing, the statement of Gowda stating that Johri's behaviour was "unprofessional and inappropriate" and her recommendation of gender sensitivity counselling referencing the photographs, has created a conflict.
"Unprofessional" means below or contrary to the standards expected in a particular profession. Examples- bullying, physical or verbal intimidation, or even using profanity.
"Inappropriate" means not suitable for a particular situation or purpose. Examples- wearing red suit during funeral, offensive or belittling behaviour.
Could inappropriate and unprofessional fall within the bucket of sexual harassment? Yes, it could. Could inappropriate and unprofessional conduct be asexual in nature? Yes, it could. Thus, with no knowledge of allegations narrated by the two victims who gave their statements to the probe committee, what eventually was observed by Gowda was inappropriate and unprofessional conduct, which could or could not have been sexual in nature.
"Gender sensitivity" means raising awareness of gender equality and training to respect everyone irrespective of gender difference. This includes understanding the perception that men and women have about each other, identify and break the stereotypes associated with men and women etc.
Can counselling for gender sensitivity be recommended only when the case of sexual harassment is proved? No. E.g. if a man believes that a woman's job is to only look after home, and comments on that on a regular basis, that is not sexual harassment. However, this still means that the man needs training on gender sensitivity.
Gowda further states that his conduct would adversely affect BCCI's reputation and the same has to be looked at by "concerned authorities." Due to the lack of information on the said conduct, and the fact that Gowda did not categorise the conduct as sexual in her order, the same could be asexual in nature. However, it is for these "concerned authorities" who have the detailed report to analyse whether the conduct was grave enough to affect BCCI's reputation.
Reminder, the probe committee was formed to investigate charges of "sexual harassment" brought against Johri. If allegations of sexual harassment were proved, Gowda's report would have categorically mentioned that instead of calling his conduct "unprofessional and inappropriate". Since Gowda did not state his conduct amounted to sexual harassment, it could very well mean conduct referenced was not sexual in nature, and thus, did not amount to sexual harassment.
Unless proven otherwise, if the probe committee while conducting the inquiry, weighed and examined all the evidence placed before it in regard to the allegations in the manner it should have been done, acted fairly and followed the principles of natural justice, then the findings and recommendations cannot be questioned. And on the basis of the report, which did not prove the case of sexual harassment against Johri, BCCI is within its rights to permit Johri to resume his duties.
While this is a highly emotive issue, if sexual harassment isn't established conclusively, a person cannot be punished for that offence. Yes, the result may have been significantly different had more women, especially the anonymous complainant and the BCCI employee, approached the probe committee. No matter how strong a case is, if the witnesses and complainants don't turn up, the accused goes scot free for the want of evidence to substantiate the alleged sexual harassment.
To conclude, while it is understandable that reliving the trauma of sexual harassment is hard, in the interest of justice it is equally important for women to come forward to present all possible evidence and testimony in front of a committee such as this.
Anonymous complaint(s) affect the credibility of the charges if the complainant does not come forward. While on the one hand Johri was absolved of all allegations of sexual harassment, on the other he continues to be perceived as a sexual harasser by the public at large. This has brought neither justice nor closure for the complainant or the accused.


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text:
Archive for the 'Education' Category
Something for Nothing
Posted: April 21, 2019 in Consumerism, Corporatism, Economics, Education, Industrial Collapse
Tags: Collapse, Economics, Education, Memes, Politics, Recent History
Renewed twin memes Universal Basic Income (UBI) and Debt Jubilees (DJ) have been in the news recently. I write renewed because the two ideas are quite literally ancient, unlearnt lessons that are enjoying revitalized interest in the 21st century. Both are capable of sophisticated support from historical and contemporary study, which I admit I haven't undertaken. However, others have done the work and make their recommendations with considerable authority. For instance, Andrew Yang, interviewed repeatedly as a 2020 U.S. presidential candidate, has made UBI the centerpiece of his policy proposals, whereas Michael Hudson has a new book out called … and forgive them their debts: Lending, Foreclosure and Redemption — From Bronze Age Finance to the Jubilee Year that offers a forgotten history of DJ.
Whenever UBI or DJ comes up in conversation, the most obvious, predicable response I hear (containing a kernel of truth) is that either proposal would reward the losers in today's capitalist regime: those who earn too little or those who carry too much debt (often a combination of both). Never mind that quality education and economic opportunities have been steadily withdrawn over the past half century. UBI and DJ would thus be giveaways, and I daresay nothing offends a sense of fairness more than others getting something for nothing. Typical resentment goes, "I worked hard, played by the rules, and met my responsibilities; why should others who slacked, failed, or cheated get the benefit of my hard work?" It's a commonplace "othering" response, failing to recognize that as societies we are completely interconnected and interdependent. Granting the winners in the capitalist contest a pass on fair play is also a major assumption. The most iconic supreme winners are all characterized by shark-like business practices: taking advantage of tax loopholes, devouring everything, and shrewdly understanding their predatory behavior not in terms of producing value but rather as gobbling or destroying competition to gain market share. More than a few companies these days are content to operate for years on venture capital, reporting one quarterly loss after another until rivals are vanquished. Amazon.com is the test case, though how many times its success can be repeated is unknown.
With my relative lack of economic study and sophistication, I take my lessons instead from the children's game Monopoly. As an oversimplification of the dynamics of capital formation and ownership, Monopoly even for children reaches its logical conclusion well before its actual end, where one person "wins" everything. The balancing point when the game is no longer worth playing is debatable, but some have found through experience the answer is "before it starts." It's just no fun destroying bankrupting other players utterly through rent seeking. The no-longer-fun point is analogous to late-stage capitalism, where the conclusion has not yet been fully reached but is nonetheless clear. The endgame is, in a word, monopoly — the significant element being "mono," as in there can be only one winner. (Be careful what you wish for: it's lonely and resentful at the top.) Others take a different, aspirational lesson from Monopoly, which is to figure out game dynamics, or game the game, so that the world can be taken by force. One's growing stranglehold on others disallows fair negotiation and cooperation (social rather than capitalist values) precisely because one party holds all the advantages, leading to exploitation of the many for the benefit of a few (or one).
Another unlearnt ancient lesson is that nothing corrupts so easily or so much as success, power, fame, wealth. Many accept that corruption willingly; few take the lesson to heart. (Disclosure: I've sometimes embarked on the easy path to wealth by buying lottery tickets. Haven't won, so I'm not corruptible yet corrupted. Another case of something for nearly nothing, or for those gambling away their rent and grocery money, nothing for something.) Considering that money makes the world go around, especially in the modern age, the dynamics of capitalism are inescapable and the internal contradictions of capitalism are well acknowledged. The ancient idea of DJ is essentially a reset button depressed before the endgame leads to rebellion and destruction of the ownership class. Franklin D. Roosevelt is credited in some accounts of history as having saved capitalism from that near endgame by transferring wealth back to the people through the New Deal and the war economy. Thus, progressives are calling for a Green New Deal, though it's not clear they are aware that propping up capitalism only delays its eventual collapse through another couple cycles (reversals) of capital flow. Availability of cheap, plentiful energy that allowed economies (and populations) to balloon over the past two and one-half centuries cannot continue for much longer, so even if we get UBI or DJ, the endgame remains unchanged.
What They Said vs. What We Heard
Posted: March 10, 2019 in Culture, Debate, Education, Idle Nonsense, Literacy, Media, Politics
Tags: Cinema, Communications, Culture, Education, Politics, Public Relations, Rhetoric
Everyone is familiar with the convention in entertainment media where characters speak without the use of recognizable language. (Not related really to the convention of talking animals.) The first instance I can recall (someone correct me if earlier examples are to be found) is the happy-go-lucky bird Woodstock from the old Peanuts cartoons (do kids still recognize that cast of characters?), whose dialog was shown graphically as a series of vertical lines:
When the cartoon made its way onto TV for holiday specials, its creator Charles Schultz used the same convention to depict adults, never shown onscreen but with dialogue voiced by a Harmon-muted trombone. Roughly a decade later, two characters from the Star Wars franchise "spoke" in languages only other Star Wars characters could understand, namely, Chebacca (Chewie) and R2D2. More recently, the character Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy (known to me only through the Marvel movie franchise, not through comic books) speaks only one line of dialogue, "I am Groot," which is understood as full speech by others Guardians characters. When behemoths larger than a school bus (King Kong, Godzilla, Jurassic dinosaurs, Cloverfield, Kaiju, etc.) appear, the characters are typically denied the power of speech beyond the equivalent of a lion's roar. (True villains talk little or not at all as they go about their machinations — no monologuing! unless it's a James Bond film. An exception notable for its failure to charm audiences is Ultron, who wouldn't STFU. You can decide for yourself which is the worse kind of villainy.)
This convention works well enough for storytelling and has the advantage of allowing the reader/viewer to project onto otherwise blank speech. However, when imported into the real world, especially in politics, the convention founders. There is no Babelfish universal translator inserted in the ear to transform nonsense into coherence. The obvious example of babblespeech is 45, whose speech when off the teleprompter is a series of rambling non sequiturs, free associations, slogans, and sales pitches. Transcripts of anyone's extemporaneous speech reveal lots of restarts and blind alleys; we all interrupt ourselves to redirect. However, word salad that substitutes for meaningful content in 45's case is tragicomic: alternately entirely frustrating or comically entertaining depending on one's objective. Satirical news shows fall into the second category.
45 is certainly not the first. Sarah Palin in her time as a media darling (driver of ratings and butt of jokes — sound familiar?) had a knack for crazy speech combinations that were utter horseshit yet oddly effective for some credulous voters. She was even a hero to some (nearly a heartbeat away from being the very first PILF). We've also now been treated to a series of public interrogations where a candidate for a cabinet post or an accused criminal offers testimony before a congressional panel. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos famously evaded simple yes/no questions during her confirmation hearing, and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh similarly refused to provide direct answers to direct questions. Unexpectedly, sacrificial lamb Michael Cohen does give direct answers to many questions, but his interlocutors then don't quite know how to respond considering their experience and expectation that no one answers appropriately.
What all this demonstrates is that there is often a wide gulf between what is said and what is heard. In the absence of what might be understood as effective communication (honest, truthful, and forthright), audiences and voters fill in the blanks. Ironically, we also can't handle hear too much truth when confronted by its awfulness. None of this is a problem in storytelling, but when found in politic narratives, it's emblematic of how dysfunctional our communications have become, and with them, the clear thought and principled activity of governance.
May Not End So Badly
Posted: February 3, 2019 in Culture, Debate, Education
Tags: Culture, Guns, Memes, Recent History
Have to admit, when I first saw this brief article about middle school kids being enrolled in mandatory firearms safety classes, my gut response was something sarcastic to the effect "No, this won't end badly at all …." Second thought (upon reading the headline alone) was that it had to be Texas. Now that I've calmed down some, both responses are no longer primary in my thinking.
I've written before about perception and function of guns of differing types. I daresay that little clarity has been achieved on the issue, especially because a gun is no longer understood as a tool (with all the manifold purposes that might entail) but is instead always a weapon (both offensive and defensive). The general assumption is that anyone brandishing a weapon (as in open carry) is preparing to use it imminently (so shoot first!). A corollary is that anyone merely owning a gun is similarly prepared but only in the early, hypothetical, or contingent stages. These are not entirely fair assumptions but demonstrate how our perception of the tool has frequently shifted over toward emotionalism.
My father's generation may be among the last without specialized training (e.g., hunters and those having served in the military) who retain the sense of a gun being a tool, both of which still account for quite a lot of people. Periodic chain e-mails sometimes point out that students (especially at rural and collar county schools) used to bring guns to school to stow in their lockers for after-school use with Gun Club. I'd say "imagine doing that now" except that Iowa is doing just that, though my guess is that the guns are stored more securely than a student locker. Thus, exposure to gun safety/handling and target practice may remove some of the stigma assigned to the tool as well as teach students respect for the tool.
Personally, I've had limited exposure to guns and tend to default (unthinkingly, reflexively) to what I regard as a liberal/progressive left opinion that I don't want to own a gun and that guns should be better regulated to stem gun violence. However, only a little circumspection is needed to puncture that one-size-fits-all bubble. And as with so many complicated issues of the day, it's a little hard to know what to wish for or to presume that I have the wisdom to know better than others. Maybe Iowa has it right and this may not end so badly.
Wind-Up Toys (redux)
Posted: January 28, 2019 in Culture, Debate, Education, Ethics, Free Speech, Mental Health, Nomenclature, Politics
Tags: Communications, Culture, Education, Free Speech, Human Nature, Memes, Politics, Rhetoric
As I reread what I wrote 2.5 years ago in my first blog on this topic, I surmise that the only update needed to my initial assessment is a growing pile of events that demonstrate my thesis: our corrupted information environment is too taxing on human cognition, with the result that a small but growing segment of society gets radicalized (wound up like a spring) and relatively random individuals inevitably pop, typically in a self-annihilating gush of violence. News reports bear this out periodically, as one lone-wolf kook after another takes it upon himself (are there any examples of females doing this?) to shoot or blow up some target, typically chosen irrationally or randomly though for symbolic effect. More journalists and bloggers are taking note of this activity and evolving or resurrecting nomenclature to describe it.
The earliest example I've found offering nomenclature for this phenomenon is a blog with a single post from 2011 (oddly, no follow-up) describing so-called stochastic terrorism. Other terms include syntactic violence, semantic violence, and epistemic violence, but they all revolve around the same point. Whether on the sending or receiving end of communications, some individuals are particularly adept at or sensitive to dog whistles that over time activate and exacerbate tendencies toward radical ideology and violence. Wired has a brief article from a few days ago discussing stochastic terrorism as jargon, which is basically what I'm doing here. Admittedly, the last of these terms, epistemic violence (alternative: epistemological violence), ranges farther afield from the end effect I'm calling wind-up toys. For instance, this article discussing structural violence is much more academic in character than when I blogged on the same term (one of a handful of "greatest hits" for this blog that return search-engine hits with some regularity). Indeed, just about any of my themes and topics can be given a dry, academic treatment. That's not my approach (I gather opinions differ on this account, but I insist that real academic work is fundamentally different from my armchair cultural criticism), but it's entirely valid despite being a bit remote for most readers. One can easily get lost down the rabbit hole of analysis.
If indeed it's mere words and rhetoric that transform otherwise normal people into criminals and mass murderers, then I suppose I can understand the distorted logic of the far Left that equates words and rhetoric themselves with violence, followed by the demand that they be provided with warnings and safe spaces lest they be triggered by what they hear, read, or learn. As I understand it, the fear is not so much that vulnerable, credulous folks will be magically turned into automatons wound up and set loose in public to enact violent agendas but instead that virulent ideas and knowledge (including many awful truths of history) might cause discomfort and psychological collapse akin to what happens to when targets of hate speech and death threats are reduced, say, to quivering agoraphobia. Desire for protection from harm is thus understandable. The problem with such logic, though, is that protections immediately run afoul of free speech, a hallowed but misunderstood American institution that preempts quite a few restrictions many would have placed on the public sphere. Protections also stall learning and truth-seeking straight out of the gate. And besides, preemption of preemption doesn't work.
In information theory, the notion of a caustic idea taking hold of an unwilling person and having its wicked way with him or her is what's called a mind virus or meme. The viral metaphor accounts for the infectious nature of ideas as they propagate through the culture. For instance, every once in a while, a charismatic cult emerges and inducts new members, a suicide cluster appears, or suburban housewives develop wildly disproportionate phobias about Muslims or immigrants (or worse, Muslim immigrants!) poised at their doorsteps with intentions of rape and murder. Inflaming these phobias, often done by pundits and politicians, is precisely the point of semantic violence. Everyone is targeted but only a few are affected to the extreme of acting out violently. Milder but still invalid responses include the usual bigotries: nationalism, racism, sexism, and all forms of tribalism, "othering," or xenophobia that seek to insulate oneself safely among like folks.
Extending the viral metaphor, to protect oneself from infectious ideas requires exposure, not insulation. Think of it as a healthy immune system built up gradually, typically early in life, through slow, steady exposure to harm. The alternative is hiding oneself away from germs and disease, which has the ironic result of weakening the immune system. For instance, I learned recently that peanut allergies can be overcome by gradual exposure — a desensitization process — but are exacerbated by removal of peanuts from one's environment and/or diet. This is what folks mean when they say the answer to hate speech is yet more (free) speech. The nasty stuff can't be dealt with properly when it's quarantined, hidden away, suppressed, or criminalized. Maybe there are exceptions. Science fiction entertains those dangers with some regularity, where minds are shunted aside to become hosts for invaders of some sort. That might be overstating the danger somewhat, but violent eruptions may provide some credence.
Rockwell's America
Posted: December 9, 2018 in Culture, Debate, Economics, Education, Fascism, History, Idealism, Outrage, Philosophy, Politics
Tags: Futurism, Lew Rockwell, Norman Rockwell, Politics, Recent History
From time to time, I admit that I'm in no position to referee disputes, usually out of my lack of technical expertise in the hard sciences. I also avoid the impossibility of policing the Internet, assiduously pointing out error where it occurs. Others concern themselves with correcting the record and/or reinterpreting argument with improved context and accuracy. However, once in a while, something crosses my desk that gets under my skin. An article by James Ostrowski entitled "What America Has Done To its Young People is Appalling," published at LewRockwell.com, is such a case. It's undoubtedly a coincidence that the most famous Rockwell is arguably Norman Rockwell, whose celebrated illustrations for the Saturday Evening Post in particular helped reinforce a charming midcentury American mythology. Lew Rockwell, OTOH, is described briefly at the website's About blurb:
The daily news and opinion site LewRockwell.com was founded in 1999 by anarcho-capitalists Lew Rockwell … and Burt Blumert to help carry on the anti-war, anti-state, pro-market work of Murray N. Rothbard.
Those political buzzwords probably deserve some unpacking. However, that project falls outside my scope. In short, they handily foist blame for what ills us in American culture on government planning, as distinguished from the comparative freedom of libertarianism. Government earns its share of blame, no doubt, especially with its enthusiastic prosecution of war (now a forever war); but as snapshots of competing political philosophies, these buzzwords are reductive almost to the point of meaninglessness. Ostrowski lays blame more specifically on feminism and progressive big government and harkens back to an idyllic 1950s nuclear family fully consonant with Norman Rockwell's illustrations, thus invoking the nostalgic frame.
… the idyllic norm of the 1950's, where the mother typically stayed home to take care of the kids until they reached school age and perhaps even long afterwards, has been destroyed. These days, in the typical American family, both parents work fulltime which means that a very large percentage of children are consigned to daycare … in the critical first five years of life, the vast majority of Americans are deprived of the obvious benefits of growing up in an intact family with the mother at home in the pre-school years. We baby boomers took this for granted. That world is gone with the wind. Why? Two main reasons: feminism and progressive big government. Feminism encouraged women to get out of the home and out from under the alleged control of husbands who allegedly controlled the family finances.
Problem is, 1950s social configurations in the U.S. were the product of a convergence of historical forces, not least of which were the end of WWII and newfound American geopolitical and economic prominence. More pointedly, an entire generation of young men and women who had deferred family life during perilous wartime were then able to marry, start families, and provide for them on a single income — typically that of the husband/father. That was the baby boom. Yet to enjoy the benefits of the era fully, one probably needed to be a WASPy middle-class male or the child of one. Women and people of color fared … differently. After all, the 1950s yielded to the sexual revolution and civil rights era one decade later, both of which aimed specifically to improve the lived experience of, well, women and people of color.
Since the 1950s were only roughly 60 years ago, it might be instructive to consider how life was another 60 years before then, or in the 1890s. If one lived in an eastern American city, life was often a Dickensian dystopia, complete with child labor, poorhouses, orphanages, asylums, and unhygienic conditions. If one lived in an agrarian setting, which was far more prevalent before the great 20th-century migration to cities, then life was frequently dirt-poor subsistence and/or pioneer homesteading requiring dawn-to-dusk labor. Neither mode yet enjoyed social planning and progressive support including, for example, sewers and other modern infrastructure, public education, and economic protections such as unionism and trust busting. Thus, 19th-century America might be characterized fairly as being closer to anarcho-capitalism than at any time since. One of its principal legacies, one must be reminded, was pretty brutal exploitation of (and violence against) labor, which can be understood by the emergence of political parties that sought to redress its worst scourges. Hindsight informs us now that reforms were slow, partial, and impermanent, leading to the observation that among all tried forms of self-governance, democratic capitalism can be characterized as perhaps the least awful.
So yeah, the U.S. came a long way from 1890 to 1950, especially in terms of standard of living, but may well be backsliding as the 21st-century middle class is hollowed out (a typical income — now termed household income — being rather challenging for a family), aspirations to rise economically above one's parents' level no longer function, and the culture disintegrates into tribal resentments and unrealistic fantasies about nearly everything. Ostrowski marshals a variety of demographic facts and figures to support his argument (with which I agree in large measure), but he fails to make a satisfactory causal connection with feminism and progressivism. Instead, he sounds like 45 selling his slogan Make America Great Again (MAGA), meaning let's turn back the clock to those nostalgic 1950s happy days. Interpretations of that sentiment run in all directions from innocent to virulent (but coded). By placing blame on feminism and progressivism, it's not difficult to hear anyone citing those putative causes as an accusation that, if only those feminists and progressives (and others) had stayed in their assigned lanes, we wouldn't be dealing now with cultural crises that threaten to undo us. What Ostrowski fails to acknowledge is that despite all sorts of government activity over the decades, no one in the U.S. is steering the culture nearly as actively as in centrally planned economies and cultures, current and historical, which in their worst instances are fascist and/or totalitarian. One point I'll agree on, however, just to be charitable, is that the mess we've made and will leave to youngsters is truly appalling.
Beyond Degradation, pt. 1
Posted: October 6, 2018 in Artistry, Classical Music, Culture, Education, Media, Music
Tags: Culture, Education, Music
Among the many complaints that cross my path in the ongoing shitshow that American culture has become is an article titled "The Tragic Decline of Music Literacy (and Quality)," authored by Jon Henschen. His authorship is a rather unexpected circumstance since he is described as a financial advisor rather than an authority on music, technology, or culture. Henschen's article reports on (without linking to it as I do) an analysis by Joan Serrà et al., a postdoctoral scholar at the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute. Curiously, the analysis is reported on and repackaged by quite a few news sites and blogs since its publication in 2012. For example, the YouTube video embedded below makes many of the same arguments and cites the so-called Millennial Whoop, a hook or gesture now ubiquitous in pop music that's kinda sorta effective until one recognizes it too manifestly and it begins to sound trite, then irritating.
I won't recount or summarize arguments except to say that neither the Henschen article nor the video discusses the underlying musical issues quite the way a trained musician would. Both are primarily quantitative rather than qualitative, equating an observed decrease in variety of timbre, loudness, and pitch/harmony as worse music (less is more worse). Lyrical (or poetical) complexity has also retreated. It's worth noting, too, that the musical subject is narrowed to recorded pop music from 1955 to 2010. There's obviously a lot to know about pop music, but it's not generally the subject of serious study among academic musicians. AFAIK, no accredited music school offers degrees in pop music. Berklee College of Music probably comes the closest. (How exactly does songwriting as a major differ from composition?) That standard may be relaxing.
Do quantitative arguments demonstrate degradation of pop music? Do reduced variety, range, and experimentation make pop music the equivalent of a paint-by-the-numbers image with the self-imposed limitation that allows only unmixed primary colors? Hard to say, especially if one (like me) has a traditional education in art music and already regards pop music as a rather severe degradation of better music traditions. Reduction of the artistic palette from the richness and variety of, say, 19th-century art music proceeded through the 20th century (i.e., musical composition is now understood by the lay public to mean songs, which is just one musical genre among many) to a highly refined hit-making formula that has been proven to work remarkably well. Musical refinements also make use of new technological tools (e.g., rhythm machines, autotune, digital soundfield processing), which is another whole discussion.
Musical quality isn't mere quantity (where more is clearly better), however, and some manage pretty well with limited resources. Still, a sameness or blandness is evident and growing within a genre that is already rather narrowly restricted to using drums, guitars, keyboards, vocals. The antidote Henschen suggests (incentivizing musical literacy and participation, especially in schools) might prove salutary, but such recommendations are ubiquitous throughout modern history. The magical combination of factors that actually catalyzes creativity, as opposed to degradation, is rather quixotic. Despite impassioned pleas not to allow quality to disappear, nothing could be more obvious than that culture drifts according to its own whims (to anthropomorphize) rather than being steered by well-meaning designs.
More to say in part 2 to follow.
Posted: July 8, 2018 in Culture, Debate, Education, Media, Narrative, Science
Tags: Communications, Culture, Education, Epistemology, Memes, Rhetoric, Sam Harris, Science
If the previous blog in this series was about how some ideas and beliefs become lodged or stuck in place (fixity bias), this one is about how other ideas are notoriously mutable (flexibility bias), especially the latest, loudest thing to turn one's head and divert attention. What makes any particular idea (or is it the person?) prone to one bias or another (see this list) is mysterious to me, but my suspicion is that a character disposition toward openness and adherence to authoritative evidence figure prominently in the case of shifting opinion. In fact, this is one of the primary problems with reason: if evidence can be deployed in favor of an idea, those who consider themselves "reasonable" and thus rely on accumulation of evidence and argumentation to sharpen their thinking are vulnerable to the latest "finding" or study demonstrating sumpinorutha. It's the intellectual's version of "New! Improved!"
Sam Harris exploits rationalism to argue against the existence of free will, saying that if sufficient evidence can be brought to bear, a disciplined thinker is compelled to subscribe to the conclusions of reasoned argument. Choice and personal agency (free will) are removed. I find that an odd way to frame the issue. Limitless examples of lack of choice are nonequivalent to the destruction of free will. For example, one can't decide not to believe in gravity and fly up into the air more than a few inches. One can't decide that time is an illusion (as theoretical physicists now instruct) and decide not to age. One can't decide that pooping is too disgusting and just hold it all in (as some children attempt). Counter-evidence doesn't even need to be argued because almost no one pretends to believe such nonsense. (Twisting one's mind around to believe in the nonexistence of time, free will, or the self seems to be the special province of hyper-analytical thinkers.) Yet other types of belief/denial — many of them conspiracy theories — are indeed choices: religion, flat Earth, evolution, the Holocaust, the moon landings, 9/11 truth, who really killed JFK, etc. Lots of evidence has been mustered on different sides (multiple facets, actually) of each of these issues, and while rationalists may be compelled by a preponderance of evidence in favor of one view, others are free to fly in the face of that evidence for reasons of their own or adopt by default the dominant narrative and not worry or bother so much.
The public struggles in its grasp of truthful information, as reported in a Pew Research Center study called "Distinguishing Between Factual and Opinion Statements in the News." Here's the snapshot:
The main portion of the study, which measured the public's ability to distinguish between five factual statements and five opinion statements, found that a majority of Americans correctly identified at least three of the five statements in each set. But this result is only a little better than random guesses. Far fewer Americans got all five correct, and roughly a quarter got most or all wrong.
Indiscriminate adoption by many Americans of a faulty viewpoint, or more pointedly, the propaganda and "fake news" on offer throughout the information environment, carries the implication that disciplined thinkers are less confused about truth or facts, taking instead a rational approach as the basis for belief. However, I suggest that reason suffers its own frailties not easily recognized or acknowledged. In short, we're all confused, though perhaps not hopelessly so. For several years now, I've sensed the outline of a much larger epistemological crisis where quintessential Enlightenment values have come under open attack. The irony is that the wicked stepchild of science and reason — runaway technology — is at least partially responsible for this epochal conflict. It's too big an idea to grok fully or describe in a paragraph or two, so I'll simply point to it an move on.
My own vulnerability to flexibility bias manifests specifically in response to appeals to authority. Although well educated, a lifelong autodidact, and an independent thinker, I'm careful not to succumb to the hubris of believing I've got it all figgered. Indeed, it's often said that as one gains expertise and experience in the world, the certainty of youth yields to caution precisely because the mountain of knowledge and understanding one lacks looms larger even as one accumulates wisdom. Bodies of thought become multifaceted and all arguments must be entertained. When an expert, researcher, or academic proposes something outside my wheelhouse, I'm a sitting duck: I latch onto the latest, greatest utterance as the best truth yet available. I don't fall for it nearly so readily with journalists, but I do recognize that some put in the effort and gain specialized knowledge and context well outside the bounds of normal life, such as war reporters. Various perverse incentives deeply embedded in the institutional model of journalism, especially those related to funding, make it nearly impossible to maintain one's integrity without becoming a pariah, so only a handful have kept my attention. John Pilger, Chris Hedges, and Matt Taibbe figure prominently.
By way of example, one of the topics that has been of supreme interest to me, though its historical remove renders it rather toothless now, is the cataclysm(s) that occurred at the conclusion of the last ice age roughly 12,000 years ago. At least three hypotheses (of which I'm aware) have been proposed to explain why glacial ice disappeared suddenly over the course of a few weeks, unleashing the Biblical Flood: Earth crust displacement, asteroidal impact(s), and coronal mass ejection(s). Like most hypotheses, evidence is both physical and conjectural, but a sizable body of evidence and argumentation for each is available. As I became familiar with each, my head turned and I became a believer, sorta. Rather than "last one is the rotten egg," however, the latest, most recent one typically displaces the previous one. No doubt another hypothesis will appear to turn my head and disorient me further. With some topics, especially politics, new information piling on top of old is truly dizzying. And as I've written about many topics, I simply lack the expertise to referee competing claims, so whatever beliefs I eventually adopt are permanently provisional.
Finally, my vulnerability to authoritative appeal also reacts to the calm, unflappable tones and complexity of construction of speakers such as Sam Harris, Steven Pinker, and Charles Murray. Their manner of speaking is sometimes described pejoratively as "academese," though only Pinker has a teaching position. Murray in particular relies heavily on psychometrics, which may not be outright lying with statistics but allows him to rationalize (literally) extraordinarily taboo subjects. In contrast, it's easy to disregard pundits and press agents foaming and fulminating over their pet narratives. Yet I also recognize that with academese, I'm being soothed more by style than by substance, a triumph of form over function. In truth, this communication style is an appeal to emotion masquerading as an appeal to authority. I still prefer it, just as I prefer a steady, explanatory style of journalism over the snarky, reinterpretive style of disquisition practiced by many popular media figures. What communicates most effectively to me and (ironically) pushes my emotional buttons also weakens my ability to discriminate and think properly.
Yet still more to come in part 5.
Posted: June 2, 2018 in Classical Music, Culture, Debate, Education, Media, Music, Narrative, Politics, Religion, Science
Tags: Communications, Culture, Education, Epistemology, Memes, Music, Musical Perspective, Science
Language acquisition in early childhood is aided by heavy doses of repetition and the memorable structure of nursery rhymes, songs, and stories that are repeated ad nauseum to eager children. Please, again! Again, again … Early in life, everything is novel, so repetition and fixity are positive attributes rather than causes for boredom. The music of one's adolescence is also the subject of endless repetition, typically through recordings (radio and Internet play, mp3s played over headphones or earbuds, dances and dance clubs, etc.). Indeed, most of us have mental archives of songs heard over and over to the point that the standard version becomes canonical: that's just the way the song goes. When someone covers a Beatles song, it's recognizably the same song, yet it's not the same and may even sound wrong somehow. (Is there any acceptable version of Love Shack besides that of the B52's?) Variations of familiar folk tales and folk songs, or different phrasing in The Lord's Prayer, imprinted in memory through sheer repetition, also possess discomfiting differences, sometimes being offensive enough to cause real conflict. (Not your Abrahamic deity, mine!)
Performing musicians traverse warhorses many times in rehearsal and public performance so that, after an undetermined point, how one performs a piece just becomes how it goes, admitting few alternatives. Casual joke-tellers may improvise over an outline, but as I understand it, the pros hone and craft material over time until very little is left to chance. Anyone who has listened to old comedy recordings of Bill Cosby, Steve Martin, Richard Pryor, and others has probably learned the jokes (and timing and intonation) by heart — again through repetition. It's strangely comforting to be able to go back to the very same performance again and again. Personally, I have a rather large catalogue of classical music recordings in my head. I continue to seek out new renditions, but often the first version I learned becomes the default version, the way something goes. Dislodging that version from its definitive status is nearly impossible, especially when it's the very first recording of a work (like a Beatles song). This is also why live performance often fails in comparison with the studio recording.
So it goes with a wide variety of phenomenon: what is first established as how something goes easily becomes canonical, dogmatic, and unquestioned. For instance, the origin of the universe in the big bang is one story of creation to which many still hold, while various religious creation myths hold sway with others. News that the big bang has been dislodged from its privileged position goes over just about as well as dismissing someone's religion. Talking someone out of a fixed belief is hardly worth the effort because some portion of one's identity is anchored to such beliefs. Thus, to question a cherished belief is to impeach a person's very self.
Political correctness is the doctrine that certain ideas and positions have been worked out effectively and need (or allow) no further consideration. Just subscribe and get with the program. Don't bother doing the mental work or examining the issue oneself; things have already been decided. In science, steady evidenciary work to break down a fixed understanding is often thankless, or thanks arrives posthumously. This is the main takeaway of Thomas Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions: paradigms are changed as much through attrition as through rational inquiry and accumulation of evidence.
One of the unanticipated effects of the Information and Communications Age is the tsunami of information to which people have ready access. Shaping that information into a cultural narrative (not unlike a creation myth) is either passive (one accepts the frequently shifting dominant paradigm without compunction) or active (one investigates for oneself as an attribute of the examined life, which with wizened folks never really arrives at a destination, since it's the journey that's the point). What's a principled rationalist to do in the face of a surfeit of alternatives available for or even demanding consideration? Indeed, with so many self-appointed authorities vying for control over cultural narratives like the editing wars on Wikipedia, how can one avoid the dizzying disorientation of gaslighting and mendacity so characteristic of the modern information environment?
Still more to come in part 4.


In October 1997, Klaff Realty, LP, together with joint venture partner J.E. Robert Companies and Federal Construction Inc. (Canada), acquired this 350,000 square foot office and research facility from the Eastman Kodak Company.
The partners renovated the common areas of the building and undertook an aggressive leasing program to lease the vacant space in the property. The property was sold in 2002.
Klaff Realty, LP was the asset manager and project/development manager for the project.


The Dellow was produced in limited numbers between 1949 and 1956 by Dellow Motors and up to 1959 by a re-formed company known as Dellow Engineering Ltd. The name derived from the company founders, Ken Delingpole and Ron Lowe, who were sports car tuners and trials racing enthusiasts. Early Dellows achieved considerable trial racing success, winning the Daily Express Rally outright in 1952 and the Circuit of Ireland Trial twice. The Dellow used an A-frame chassis with a framework of lightweight tubes welded to it and covered by an aluminum body. The chassis was made partly from government surplus chrome-moly rocket tubes. The design emphasis was on light weight, rearward weight bias and good ground clearance for muddy trials competition. This example was sold new through the official Dellow importer, London Motors of Long Island, NY to Dr. Steven Reaume of Bethesda, MD who raced it extensively in hillclimb, autocross and road course competition in the U.S. In the late 1950's, Dr. Reaume and two friends, including the Dellow's current owner, created an informal three-car racing team, Scuderia Confusion, that included a Renault 4CV nicknamed Bothered, a Crosley Super Sport dubbed Bewildered and the Dellow named Bewitched. With the current owner, this Dellow entered but failed to finish the 1969 VSCCA race at Watkins Glen, but did complete the same event in 1974.
Front-engine, rear-drive, 3-speed manual transmission, right-hand drive, mechanical front/rear drum brakes.


text:
Q: How do I add data from a model to a model with the same field? public class UserTBModel
{
    public int ID { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public virtual Role Role { get; set; }

}

public class UserViewModel
{
    public int ID { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }
}

How do I add data from a model to a model with the same field?
how to UserViewModel = UserTBModel ?
I want to put the data of the table, which is the output type of the first model, into the second model and return it

A: Since there is no inheritance relationship between the two classes, it's not something you can do out-of-the-box. You need to use refelection to solve it, and luckily there are several mappers that do that for you. One of them is AutoMapper.
Install AutoMapper and do this:
UserTBModel userTBModel;
var config = new MapperConfiguration(cfg => cfg.CreateMap<UserTBModel, UserViewModel>());
var mapper = config.CreateMapper();
UserViewModel model = mapper.Map<UserViewModel>(userTBModel);

A: You can create a constructor that takes UserTBModel as parameter:
 public class UserViewModel {
    public UserViewModel(UserTBModel userTBModel) {
        this.ID = userTBModel.ID;
        this.Name = userTBModel.Name;
    }

    public int ID { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }
 }

And then:
var userViewModel = new UserViewModel(userTBModel);

A: you can use implicit/explicit operators,
public class UserViewModel {
    public int ID { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }

    public static implicit operator UserViewModel(UserTBModel userTBModel){
       return new UserViewModel{
                 ID = userTBModel.ID,
                 Name = userTBModel.Name
       };
   }
 }
//example of use
UserViewModel userViewModel = userTBModel;

or
public class UserViewModel {
    public int ID { get; set; }
    public string Name { get; set; }
    public static explicit operator UserViewModel(UserTBModel userTBModel){
        return new UserViewModel{
               ID = userTBModel.ID,
               Name = userTBModel.Name
              };
    }
 }
//example of use
UserViewModel userViewModel = userTBModel as UserViewModel;


When thinking back on my business training (a few decades ago!), there are only a few books that stand out as classics and that have served me well in my management consulting.
One of those books was Peter Schwartz's, Art of the Long View, which documented "scenario planning" (based upon Shell's initial work). He even described scenarios at that point of "globalisation" — which seemed inevitable at that point — and resistances to such globalisation.
He challenged the notion of traditional strategic planning and instead brought a refreshing "big picture", long-term and "blue ocean" type of thinking — that got business leaders thinking "outside the box" in a planned and informed way.
Although the book was published in 1990 (reprint in 1996), various subsequent re-printings and updates have occurred (including a recent appendix with a "step-by-step" guide to scenario planning), and he has published a subsequent book, Learnings from the Long View (2011), where he candidly re-assesses his original book.
If your organisation has become complacent in their strategic planning or have "put it into the too hard basket", take a look at these books and tools. We can't "wish away" these uncertain times, but we can open our eyes to thinking through various scenarios — to prepare ourselves.
Ken's journey has been as a pathfinder who seeks out opportunities for making a real difference to global teams working together effectively and realising amazing business results. This covers his work as a Partner for a major management consulting company in multiple countries, as an entrepreneur with starting and selling various businesses, as a property developer and capital raiser and as head of various boutique consultancies.
This entry was posted in Business, Collaboration, Cultural values, Leadership, Personal journey, Planning, Portfolio Management, Strategy, Success, Uncategorized and tagged Business, Business planning, Cultural values, Leadership, Motivation, Project Portfolio Management, Strategy, Success. Bookmark the permalink.


Buying a home is an exhilarating process, yet one that is often fairly stressful. As one of the biggest investments you'll ever make, those mixed emotions are completely understandable, although they do not make it any easier to secure a great home purchase. When buying a home, use the tips for first-time homebuyers below and alleviate much of the stress during the homebuying process.
Credit is the primary factor in determining if you're approved for a mortgage, the mortgage payments you'll make, and the interest rates on the loan. The better your credit, the lower your mortgage payment and interest rates. Check your credit before you decide to buy a home. Resolve any credit issues and dispute errors that you notice in the report. Credit scores range from 350 – 850. A credit score of 700 or better is considered good credit, while anything below 600 is considered bad credit.
Purchasing a home is always complex and is best handled with the help of a real estate agent. Not only can the agent help close the deal, they'll help you locate the perfect home, in the perfect neighborhood with all of the perfect amenities, at the price perfect for your budget. Choose a well-experienced, trustworthy agent to help with every aspect of the homebuying process. Research the mortgage lenders and get approved for a loan. There are several steps involved in buying a home. Each step is as important to complete as the next if you want to live in the home that best suits your needs.
If you can afford a mortgage payment, you're on the right track to owning a home. One of our most important tips for first-time homebuyers is to be aware of additional costs. Before you rush to sign on the dotted line of any contract, understand that homeownership involves far more expenses than the mortgage. Insurance coverage, property taxes, homeowners association fees, and other miscellaneous costs can add quite a bit to what you originally thought was an affordable payment. Before rushing into the deal, make sure these fees together with the mortgage are still within your budget.
Once you're approved for a loan and your offer has been accepted on a house, you might be tempted to finance another purchase or two. After all, new living room furniture and a bedroom set are in order for the new home. Stop yourself from making this decision! Most lenders pull credit reports before closing on a home to determine if the borrower's financial standing has changed since the loan approval. Any change in financial status could send the deal spiraling downhill.
A home may appear flawless at first glance but don't let the first impression sway you from obtaining a home inspection. Trained home inspectors look past the aesthetic appeal of the property and report on any issues they find, both minor and major. A professional home inspector can find serious flaws and defects in the home (damaged roof, damaged plumbing system, foundation damage, etc.) that makes it easier to decide if the property is worth the investment.
Buying a home is a tedious process that's worth the effort once you sign the mortgage and settle into your new home. Use the tips for first-time homebuyers above to minimize the headaches of the homebuying process and you'll find it far more rewarding.
Cabal Inspection Services serves Southeast Florida with a wide range of inspection services, including mold inspections, termite inspections, wind mitigation inspections, and radon testing. View our services here and contact us!


text:
Ancestors of Howard Hickman
Person Page - 99
George Dewey Parson1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
M, b. 21 February 1899, d. 25 June 1973
George Dewey Parson was born on 21 February 1899 at Ryerson Station, Greene Co, PA.. He was the son of Vincent Parson and Emma Belle Anderson. He married Dorris Elsie Tharp, daughter of Thomas M. Tharp and Laura B. Wendell, on 29 April 1925. He was a tool dresser in the oil and gas fields in 1930 at Richhill Twp, Greene Co, PA.. He died on 25 June 1973 at Pine Bank, Greene Co, PA., at age 74.
Children of George Dewey Parson and Dorris Elsie Tharp
Carol Dene Parson
Donnis J. Parson
Dixie Parson
Lloyd A. Parson b. 7 Jul 1937, d. 8 Sep 2003
[S1182] Greene County, PA. Death Records.
[S1130] 1900 Greene Co, PA. Census, Springhill Twp.
[S1131] 1910 Greene Co, PA. Census, Richhill Twp.
[S553] 1920 Greene Co, PA. Census, Richhill Twp.
[S1035] W.W.I draft registration card.
[S1128] Greene County Birth Record.
[S1088] Obituary ,Waynesburg Republican, 29 Jun 1973.
Minnie E. Parson1,2,3,4
F, b. 15 February 1901, d. 3 February 1990
Minnie E. Parson was born on 15 February 1901 at Ryerson Station, Greene Co, PA.. She was the daughter of Vincent Parson and Emma Belle Anderson. She married David H. "Johnny" Johnson. She married Samuel B. Masters before 1973. She lived in 1973 at Cameron, Marshall Co, WV.. She died on 3 February 1990 at OH. at age 88.5
Children of Minnie E. Parson and David H. "Johnny" Johnson
David O. Johnson b. 25 Mar 1923, d. 30 Aug 1998
Helen L. Johnson b. 1926, d. b 1998
Robert Leon Johnson b. 1 Sep 1934, d. 3 Feb 1958
[S1041] Social Security Death Index.
Oscar J. Parson1,2,3
M, b. 29 September 1902, d. before 1957
Oscar J. Parson was born on 29 September 1902 at Richhill Twp, Greene Co, PA.. He was the son of Vincent Parson and Emma Belle Anderson. He was a field laborer in 1930 at Richhill Twp, Greene Co, PA.. He lived in 1943 at Portersville, PA.. He died before 1957.
Grace Pearl Parson1,2,3,4,5
F, b. 16 June 1889, d. 8 June 1942
Grace Pearl Parson was born on 16 June 1889 at Greene Co, PA.. She was the daughter of Vincent Parson and Emma Belle Anderson. She married Ralph Bowers on 18 April 1909. She died on 8 June 1942 at Graysville, Greene Co, PA., at age 52.6
Children of Grace Pearl Parson and Ralph Bowers
Georgia Bowers
Edward William Bowers b. 29 Apr 1907
Wilma Bowers b. 8 May 1911, d. Apr 1985
John Bowers b. 10 Sep 1915
Harold Bowers
Anna Bowers
Louise Bowers+ b. 15 Sep 1922, d. 5 Sep 1969
Freda Bowers+
Irma Bowers
[S553] 1920 Greene Co, PA. Census, Graysville.
[S1088] Obituary ,Democrat Messenger, 9 June 1942.
[S1088] Obituary ,Democratic Messenger 9 jun 1942.
Eura Bell Vandruff1,2,3,4,5,6,7
F, b. 12 November 1866, d. 27 July 1949
Eura Bell Vandruff was born on 12 November 1866 at Clark Co, MO.. She was the daughter of George Vandruff and Sarah Mariah Moore. She married Harry G. Ingram. She died on 27 July 1949 at Alameda Co, CA., at age 82.
Children of Eura Bell Vandruff and Harry G. Ingram
Deda Lucille Ingram+ b. 25 May 1891, d. 10 Jan 1973
Gladys W. Ingram+ b. 17 Aug 1896, d. 28 Apr 1974
Edna Opal Ingram b. 21 Jan 1901, d. 16 Mar 1936
[S95] Gerald D. Hobson, Descendants of Henry Vandruff of Greene Co, PA.
[S1357] 1870 Clark Co, MO. Census, Union Twp.
[S1336] 1880 Lewis Co, MO. Census.
[S1233] 1900 Scotland Co, MO. Census, Thomson Twp.
[S1412] 1930 Tooele Co, UT. Census, Tooele.
Lillie Ann Vandruff1,2,3,4
F, b. 21 August 1869, d. 21 August 1935
Lillian Ann Musetta
Lillie Ann Vandruff was born on 21 August 1869 at Clark Co, MO.. She was the daughter of George Vandruff and Sarah Mariah Moore. She married Lilburn William Mussetter Jr. on 7 February 1888 at Lewis Co, MO.. She was a teacher in 1900. She died on 21 August 1935 at Osage, IA., at age 66.
Children of Lillie Ann Vandruff and Lilburn William Mussetter Jr.
Harley Lilburn Mussetter b. 10 Mar 1889, d. 12 Jan 1962
Sarah Garland Mussetter+ b. 7 Jun 1892, d. 24 Nov 1956
Lillian Moore Mussetter+ b. 29 Jul 1896, d. 8 Jun 1981
Eveleen Lucy Mussetter b. 27 Sep 1898, d. c 1938
[S95] Gerald D. Hobson, Descendants of Henry Vandruff of Greene Co, PA., photograph.
William Henry Vandruff1,2,3,4,5
M, b. 18 March 1871, d. 3 July 1958
William Henry Vandruff was born on 18 March 1871 at Lewis Co, MO.. He was the son of George Vandruff and Sarah Mariah Moore. He was a proprietor of a Second-Hand Store in 1930 at Kahoka, Clark Co, MO.. He died on 3 July 1958 at Kahoka, MO., at age 87.
[S1358] 1900 Lewis Co, MO. Census, Williamstown.
[S1360] 1930 Clark Co, MO. Census, Kahoka.
Birdie Vandruff1,2,3,4
F, b. 8 May 1873, d. 9 August 1937
Birdie Vandruff was born on 8 May 1873 at Lewis Co, MO.. She was the daughter of George Vandruff and Sarah Mariah Moore. She married John David Blessing on 19 January 1892 at Lewis Co, MO.. She died on 9 August 1937 at Kahoka, Clark Co, MO., at age 64.
Children of Birdie Vandruff and John David Blessing
George Vandruff Blessing+ b. 12 Apr 1893, d. 15 Aug 1971
Guy Henry Blessing+ b. 6 Apr 1895, d. 21 Dec 1984
Marie Elizabeth Blessing+ b. 18 Oct 1898, d. 9 Jun 1974
Roy Blessing+ b. 14 Mar 1908, d. 3 Sep 1989
[S1432] 1910 Schuyler Co, MO. Census, Prarie Twp.
[S1236] 1930 Scotland Co, MO. Census, Jefferson Twp.
Florence Iona Vandruff
F, b. 7 August 1880, d. 24 October 1892
Florence Iona Vandruff was born on 7 August 1880 at Lewis Co, MO.. She was the daughter of George Vandruff and Sarah Mariah Moore. She died on 24 October 1892 at MO. at age 12.1
[S4919] Lewis County Journal ,28 oct 1892.
John Franklin Vandruff1,2
M, b. 24 October 1871, d. 28 September 1953
John Franklin Vandruff
John Franklin Vandruff was born on 24 October 1871 at Williamstown, MO.. He was the son of Miller Vandruff and Ellen Matilda Kelly. He married Louvena (---) Ison on 24 April 1898 at Butler, MO.. He was a farmer and house painter. He died on 28 September 1953 at Kansas City, MO., at age 81.
Children of John Franklin Vandruff and Louvena (---) Ison
Ruth Irene Vandruff+ b. 5 Nov 1900, d. 16 Jun 1993
Mabel Thelma Vandruff+ b. 25 Nov 1902, d. 10 Jan 2001
Wesley Frank Vandruff b. 25 May 1906, d. 30 Jul 1988
Dorothy Erline Vandruff b. 22 Jul 1912, d. 5 Apr 1979
Mary Lucille Vandruff+ b. 1 Jul 1914, d. 3 Dec 2009
Urey Arwilda Vandruff1,2,3,4
F, b. 10 October 1869, d. 17 May 1923
Urey Arwilda Vandruff
Urey Arwilda Vandruff was born on 10 October 1869 at Clark Co, MO.. She was the daughter of Miller Vandruff and Ellen Matilda Kelly. She married Joseph Adam Urig on 8 June 1896 at Stark Co, OH.. She died on 17 May 1923 at Alliance, OH., at age 53.
Children of Urey Arwilda Vandruff and Joseph Adam Urig
Joseph Logan Urig+ b. 15 May 1899, d. 4 May 1974
Helen Arwilda Urig+ b. 21 Nov 1901, d. Apr 1971
Flora Mildred Urig+ b. 18 Sep 1903, d. 9 Apr 1973
Dorothy B. Urig b. 29 Sep 1905, d. 5 Nov 1905
Dorothy Urig b. 1 Jul 1906, d. 7 Oct 1906
[S1428] 1920 Stark Co, OH. Census, Alliance.
[S4591] Pittsburgh Press ,13 Jul 1893.
Sarah Winfreda Vandruff1,2,3,4,5,6
F, b. 19 October 1881, d. 30 September 1951
Sarah Winfreda Vandruff
Sarah Winfreda Vandruff was born on 19 October 1881 at Clark Co, MO.. She was the daughter of Miller Vandruff and Ellen Matilda Kelly. She married Franklin A. Milligan on 3 June 1901. She married George Victor Drewior on 31 July 1917 at Toledo, Lucas Co, OH.. She was a member of St. Ann's Church. She died on 30 September 1951 at Toledo, OH., at age 69.
Children of Sarah Winfreda Vandruff and Franklin A. Milligan
Helen Elizabeth Milligan+ b. 4 Mar 1902, d. 6 May 1989
John Joseph Milligan+ b. 22 Jul 1903, d. 2 Aug 1979
Grant Franklin Milligan b. 6 Dec 1907, d. 7 May 1978
Child of Sarah Winfreda Vandruff and George Victor Drewior
Evelyn Mary Drewior b. 27 Dec 1919, d. 28 Dec 2013
[S1391] 1930 Lucas Co, OH. Census, Toledo.
Florence Edith Vandruff1,2,3
F, b. 22 October 1873, d. 13 November 1938
Florence Edith Vandruff
Florence Edith Vandruff was born on 22 October 1873 at Clark Co, MO.. She was the daughter of Miller Vandruff and Ellen Matilda Kelly. She married Robert Curtis Garrison on 12 September 1900 at Alliance, OH.. She died on 13 November 1938 at Cleveland, OH., at age 65.
Children of Florence Edith Vandruff and Robert Curtis Garrison
Frances Elizabeth Garrison+ b. 20 Sep 1901, d. 14 Feb 1945
Aline Arwilda Garrison b. 27 Sep 1903, d. 2 Apr 1976
Robert Van Garrison+ b. 19 Jan 1906, d. 24 Nov 1974
Winifred Dorothy Garrison+ b. 29 May 1908, d. 11 Jun 1980
Jean Edith Garrison+ b. 25 Jun 1914, d. 1 Apr 1979
Minnie Margaret Hickman
F, b. 30 September 1900, d. 29 August 1992
Minnie Plants
Minnie Margaret Hickman was born on 30 September 1900 at Greene Co, PA.. She was the daughter of Arch C. Hickman and Mary Matilda "Tillie" Funk. Minnie Margaret Hickman was also known as Plants. She married Harry Melvin Plants, son of William Jasper Plants and Francis Jane Sampson, on 4 January 1922 at Washington Co, PA..1 She died on 29 August 1992 at Washington, PA., at age 91.
Children of Minnie Margaret Hickman and Harry Melvin Plants
Mary Jane Plants+ b. 12 Oct 1922, d. 7 May 2002
Melvin Russell Plants+ b. 24 Dec 1923, d. 14 Feb 2004
Harold Walter Plants+ b. 3 Aug 1927, d. 25 Apr 2003
Albert Ray Plants+ b. 31 Mar 1929, d. 7 Dec 2006
Francis Marie Plants+ b. 14 Feb 1931, d. 7 Nov 2017
Charles Franklin Plants Sr.+
Harry Melvin Plants Jr.+ b. 26 Aug 1935, d. 15 Apr 1993
[S1366] PA Marriage Record.
Charles Benton Hickman1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9
M, b. 21 February 1904, d. 2 January 1968
Charles Benton Hickman
Charles Benton Hickman was born on 21 February 1904 at Greene Co, PA.. He was the son of Arch C. Hickman and Mary Matilda "Tillie" Funk. He was a glass worker at Washington, PA.. He married Mabel M. Skinner on 15 August 1931 at Washington, PA..10 He lived in 1961 at Cleveland, OH.. He died on 2 January 1968 at Cleveland, OH., at age 63.
[S1156] 1920 Washington Co, PA. Census.
[S1033] 1930 Washington Co, PA. Census, Washington.
[S2040] Donna Fisher, e-mail to Howard Hickman, Feb 2008, photograph.
[S1155] Ohio Death Record.
[S1131] 1910 Greene Co, PA. Census, Jefferson Twp.
[S1088] Obituary ,Cleveland Press, 4 Jan 1968.
[S2938] Washington, PA. Directory ,1922 to 1937/38.
[S3655] 1940 Washington Co, PA. Census, South Strabane Twp.
[S1289] W.W.II Draft Registration.
Elmer Vandruff
M, b. 7 May 1877, d. 24 October 1878
Elmer Vandruff was born on 7 May 1877 at Clark Co, MO.. He was the son of Miller Vandruff and Ellen Matilda Kelly. He died on 24 October 1878 at Clark Co, MO., at age 1.
Joseph Logan Urig1,2,3,4
M, b. 15 May 1899, d. 4 May 1974
Joseph Logan Urig was born on 15 May 1899 at Alliance, Stark Co, OH.. He was the son of Joseph Adam Urig and Urey Arwilda Vandruff. He married Charlotte (---) before 1936. He married Saylee Engle before 1941. He married Marietta Khittal. He died on 4 May 1974 at Clearwater, Pinellas Co, FL., at age 74.
Child of Joseph Logan Urig and Saylee Engle
Saylee May Urig
[S1088] Obituary ,Clearwater Sun, Clearwater, FL., 6 May 1974.
Helen Arwilda Urig1,2,3
F, b. 21 November 1901, d. April 1971
Helen Arwilda Urig was born on 21 November 1901 at Alliance, OH.. She was the daughter of Joseph Adam Urig and Urey Arwilda Vandruff. She married Curtis Clare Courtney on 1 January 1920 at Stark Co, OH.. She married L. L. Thompson. She married Stuart S. Dunlap. She died in April 1971 at age 69.
Children of Helen Arwilda Urig and Curtis Clare Courtney
June Courtney+ b. 13 Apr 1922, d. 15 Jun 2003
Robert T. Courtney
[S1428] 1920 Stark Co, OH. Census.
[S1027] 1930 Allegheny Co, PA. Census, Ross Twp.
Flora Mildred Urig1,2
F, b. 18 September 1903, d. 9 April 1973
Flora Mildred Urig was born on 18 September 1903 at Alliance, OH.. She was the daughter of Joseph Adam Urig and Urey Arwilda Vandruff. She married Anthony Cook on 17 December 1921 at Stark Co, OH.. She died on 9 April 1973 at Clearwater, Pinellas Co, FL., at age 69.
Children of Flora Mildred Urig and Anthony Cook
Robert Logan Cook+ b. 4 Jul 1922
Helen Lucille Cook+
Jane Rose Cook+ b. 29 Mar 1927, d. 18 Feb 2010
James Anthony Cook+ b. 30 Jul 1931, d. 8 Feb 1965
Jack Eugene Cook+
Dorothy Urig
F, b. 1 July 1906, d. 7 October 1906
Dorothy Urig was born on 1 July 1906 at Alliance, Stark Co, OH.. She was the daughter of Joseph Adam Urig and Urey Arwilda Vandruff. She died on 7 October 1906 at Stark Co, OH..
Click on any underlined bold name to go to that person's web page.
If you are related, please contact me.
Compiler: Howard Hickman
Site updated on 31 Dec 2020; 22,503 people


Home made vegetables no meat.
crab rangoon loaded imitation crab with cheese mixed.
Pork, shrimp, crispy pork, and egg.
Spicy and sour with pork, ground pork, liver, egg and fish ball.
Spicy and sour with chicken, liver, egg and fish ball.
Beef or pork with liver.
Fish or pork or beef ball.
Dry egg noodle with roasted duck, red pork, and crispy pork.
Red pork, shrimp and pork wonton.
Hot & sour instant noodle with shrimp, broiled egg and fresh mushroom.
Slice as dice with green onion and fried garlic.
Tender delicious white meat skewer with peanut sauce.
Onion, potato and white meat.
Shrimp wonton, red pork and vegetable.
House soup bean sprout with shrimp, red pork, ground pork, and pork ball.
Thai country style with short ribs.
Chili paste sweet & spicy with onion, bell pepper and carrot.
Serrano chili, onion, and carrot.
House with peas, carrots, onion, shrimp, chicken and crispy pork.
somtum thai with peanut and dried shrimp.
ground meat with lime, chili, onions, cilantro, and mint.
Deep fried ong choy on top of dressing mixed chili paste, lime, chili, onions with ground chicken and shrimp.
century egg, salted egg, preserved cabbage, chinese sausage, dried shrimp, and fried tofu.
Thai spicy dried curry seafood.
Potatoes, carrot and white onion. Doesn't come with rice.
Bamboo shoot, bell pepper and mint leaves. Doesn't come with rice.
Pea and carrot. Doesn't come with rice.
Potatoes, white onion and peanut.
Thai eggplant, bamboo, bell pepper, mint leaves and long bean. Doesn't come with rice.
Pineapple and cherry tomatoes. Doesn't come with rice.
Can with cup of ice.
Pan fried flour with condensed milk.
Mixed fruit in sweet milk.
Crispy Pork Gang serves authentic Thai food including Barbecue, seafood, and noodle dishes. We care about the quality of food we serve and the service we provide. We hope that you will enjoy your experience with Crispy Pork Gang, where you can order food 24/7, available for delivery or takeout. Check out our online menu and place an order from our site. Don't want to order now? Visit us at 5253 Hollywood Blvd.