text:
Behind the Vaccine Science: An Interview with Dr. Paul Offit, author of "Deadly Choices, How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Threatens Us All"
Posted in Uncategorized on December 29, 2010| 3 Comments »
How did we get to a place where vaccines are viewed with horror rather than as life-saving medicine? Why, despite dozens of studies exonerating vaccines as a cause of autism, do some individuals insist that immunizations are responsible for autism? The answers are rooted in one of the most powerful and disturbing citizen activist movements in our nation's history—a movement that, despite recent epidemics and deaths, continues to grow. Deadly Choices, by Dr. Paul Offit, is the story of anti-vaccine activity in America—its origins, leaders, influences, and impact—and is a powerful defense of science in the face of fear. Paul Offit, MD is the Chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases and the Director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). He is the Maurice Hilleman Professor of Vaccinology and a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. Dr. Offit is a founding board member of the Autism Science Foundation, to which he is donating the royalties from this book. He is the author of five books, including Autism's False Prophets and Vaccinate.
ASF staff member Jonathan Carter spoke with Dr. Offit about his new book.
For those who have read your other books, what differentiates this book from your previous works?
This book tells a much bigger story. Autism's False Prophets told the story of the people and the forces behind the fear in the autism community. This book speaks more generally about the fact that vaccines save lives, they do not cause harm. It gets behind the science of vaccines, the erosion of immunization rates in communities and looks at vaccine usage dating back to England during the 1850s.
In an interview with pointofinquiry.org on February 12th of 2010, you stated that you wrote, Autism's False Prophets for parents and to prevent them from making decisions that could damage their children. Did you write Deadly Choices for that same audience?
Actually, this book is for a larger audience. Unlike Autism's False Prophets, Deadly Choices gets into the politics of this particular phenomenon – the erosion of vaccines and vaccine usage. At the end of the book, I try to look at solutions to try and turn this [the erosion of vaccine usage] around. Initially, I thought that it would turn around when children started to die as a result of not vaccinating. But I was wrong. Kids are already dying and something needs to be done.
I wrote this book for children; Deadly Choices is an attempt to stand up for them. A child's vaccination decisions are made by his or her parents. If an adult chooses not to be vaccinated from Hepatitis B and she dies, that was her own choice to not be vaccinated. What bothers me is that children aren't making that choice. Who represents the children? In the United States we balance the sovereign right of the parent to make a choice for the child against the right of the state to protect children. In some respects, we are far too slanted towards the rights of parents, and that is to the detriment of unvaccinated children and the larger community.
Do you think the Federal and state governments and public health agencies are doing enough to promote timely administration of vaccines? If not, what should they be doing?
I think the government should make it very tough to gain an exemption from a vaccination. To attempt to gain an exemption, a person should go through an educational program where they hear the information and the facts about vaccines and about the diseases they prevent.
What is the origin of the modern anti-vaccine movement? Is it Andrew Wakefield's paper?
No, the origin of the modern American anti vaccine movement began on April 19th 1982. On this date, a one-hour documentary was shown locally on a Washington, DC NBC affiliate. The documentary gave birth to the notion that DPT vaccines could cause brain damage. In Deadly Choices I discuss this documentary at length, as well as the other factors leading up to the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986. I also discuss The National Vaccine Information Center, which was created in 1982, which does an excellent job at spreading misinformation and creating fear of vaccines, including the DPT vaccine.
Who are the thought leaders of the anti-vaccine movement?
People like Barbara Loe Fisher of the National Vaccine Information Center. And then there are anti-vaccination groups that focus on autism, led JB Handley, Jenny McCarthy and Generation Rescue. What bothers me is the degree to which these groups put forth information that is not science based. Unfortunately their opinions get much more publicity than they are due, as their contrarian viewpoints are sought out by Congress and the media in effort to be seen as being balanced.
What is the socio-economic makeup of the anti-vaccine movement?
If you look at who chooses to let their children go unvaccinated, it's typically an upper-middle, upper class population. This goes against what a lot of people think [that lower socio-economic classes would be less likely to vaccinate]. In Philadelphia for example, the Hispanic population get vaccinated. This is because they trust their doctors and they trust doctors' expertise. Not so with some within the upper class population. It is graduate school-educated, college-educated people who tend not to vaccinate, and that seems to be universally true.
Can you comment on the science, or lack thereof, of the anti-vaccine movement?
Yes. As an example, the polio vaccine used between 1962 and 1998, known as oral polio vaccine, could actually cause polio. Each year, around 6 to 8 kids were paralyzed or killed by the vaccine. This finding is proven by science.
The problem with current vaccine groups is that they are advocating for a problem that doesn't exist. Vaccines do not cause autism, diabetes or other developmental disorders or diseases. If they did, we would have discovered this fact via the dozens of scientific studies looking at vaccines and autism.
Do you think that the anti-vaccine movement has influenced autism research?
Yes, a disproportionate amount of money has been spent to research the vaccine and autism connection. What is needed are groups like you [the Autism Science Foundation] which focus on the right issues. Many groups are still asking the wrong questions.
Has the anti-vaccine vitriol increased in the past few years?
I think that it has increased somewhat. The internet has made it easier to find like-minded people. So I think it's better organized; it's actually quite well organized. However, I sense that things are beginning to swing back. The recent pertussis [whooping cough] epidemic in California has killed ten people and the mumps outbreak in New York and New Jersey have actually been very well covered by the media. So I think that the erosion of vaccination rates have had a clear consequence that is being seen by the media and the public.
Do you find the media at fault for the rise of the anti vaccine movement?
Somewhat, but for the last 10 years the media have been much better at covering the story. Previously they would hide behind the journalistic mantra of balance of both sides. Unfortunately it is more work to gather facts and offer perspective than to tell a he-said, she-said story. I think that the mainstream media, The New York Times and Chicago Tribune for example, don't do it as much anymore. They have a better perspective.
Your books have become a lightening rod of criticism. For Autism's False Prophets, you couldn't conduct a book tour because of death threats. Do you still get hate mail? Do you expect to get any more after Deadly Choices comes out?
When I wrote Autism's False Prophets, I thought that a large amount of parents who had children with autism believed that vaccines caused that autism. However, that number was much smaller than I thought. When I wrote AFP, I received hundreds of emails and letters from parents thanking me and saying they were glad someone was finally representing their point of view. I received many, many letters of support. Parents saying thank you, parents saying that Jenny McCarthy doesn't represent them. I think that will happen with Deadly Choices as well.
Mix Up a Recipe4Hope to Support Autism Research
Posted in autism research, Autism Science Foundation, tagged autism, autism research, autism science, Autism Science Foundation, autism treatment on December 1, 2010| Leave a Comment »
The Autism Science Foundation today announced the launch of its special year-end fundraising campaign, Recipe4Hope, at http://www.recipe4hope.org.
Donate Now to the Recipe4Hope Campaign
The centerpiece of the campaign is a short video that showcases a mother and children baking holiday cookies, mirroring the sentiment that sound scientific research takes the right ingredients, used the right way, to create the right results. Researching the causes of autism and finding treatments that work also requires the right blend of elements to be successful.
"We all know that autism science requires the right ingredients. Not necessarily sugar and spice, but insight, creativity, tenacity, hope and funding," said Alison Singer, President of the Autism Science Foundation. "Every dollar donated through this special year-end campaign will go directly to autism research."
This fundraising campaign will take place exclusively online through December 31, using social media tactics to reach donors and supporters. Beyond the video, supporters are encouraged to share photos or videos of their holiday cookie creations on the nonprofit's Facebook page and Twitter account. There is also a hashtag, #recipe4hope, to track the activity on social media sites. Donate now by clicking here.
To learn more about the Recipe4Hope campaign, visit http://www.recipe4hope.org. Follow the Autism Science Foundation on http://twitter.com/autismsciencefd and "like" us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/autismsciencefd.


text:
The Rules - Engaging HVTs & OBL
Thread: The Rules - Engaging HVTs & OBL
jmm99
Slap,
I missed the program, but the CNN transcript is here.
At its end, these comments:
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a nice chapter to close. The chapter is closed, but it's not over. Sadly enough, I think we're going to be in this situation again.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bin Laden achieves, you know, spreading his ideology beyond what he probably expected it to. How do you kill an ideology? Killing one person doesn't end that.
Something to consider.
The American Way of War, Peace or Neither ?
The President's statement that the armed conflict with al Qaeda must and should end lest we find ourselves in a "perpetual state of war", joined with approving commentary such as the NYT's "End of the Perpetual War", has led to the question of what will replace the "War Paradigm" ? A "Peace Paradigm", or something different from each of them. Specifically, what policies, strategies and rules will cover encounters with violent non-state actors ?
Those issues - with more questions than answers - are presently the gist of an ongoing conversation at Lawfare:
Does the Armed-Conflict Model Matter in Practice Anymore? (by Robert Chesney, Friday, May 24, 2013)
The Chesney Conjecture: Is This What Peace Looks Like? (by Benjamin Wittes, Monday, May 27, 2013)
Eight Thoughts on the Broad Reading of Article II Inherent in Bobby's Conjecture (by Jack Goldsmith, Tuesday, May 28, 2013)
The key points made by Bobby Chesney about targeting and detention of violent non-state actors, using what is essentially a "War in Peacetime Paradigm", are these:
Formally speaking, the answer is straightforward. With respect to detention, the end of the conflict by definition spells the end of authority to detain for the duration of hostilities (albeit subject to some reasonable wind-up period). And with respect to targeting, the end of the conflict would preclude invocation of status-based targeting (i.e., targeting individuals based either on their membership in the enemy force or, perhaps, on a continuous-combat function theory that approximates status-based targeting). The question is: would any of that matter in actual practice?
... What we do still do is use lethal force, but on close inspection, our uses of force outside of Afghanistan arguably do not depend on the existence of an armed conflict after all. As the Brennan speeches underscored, the government as a matter of policy has adopted constraints that limit the use of force outside the "hot battlefield" to scenarios involving an "imminent threat" to life in circumstances where capture is not feasible (albeit subject to an understanding of that phrase that would better be described as a "continuous threat" standard). This is far more restrictive than the status-based targeting model associated with armed conflict. Indeed, it is at least as restrictive as the boundaries of the self-defense model developed during the Reagan and Clinton years, discussed earlier.
Today things are quite different. The capacity for collecting the requisite intelligence has expanded by leaps and bounds thanks to sweeping institutional and technological changes over the past dozen years, and in the same period we have acquired an extraordinary capacity to strike quickly and precisely thanks to armed drones. In short, the practical constraints on using force in self-defense have been removed, and if we find ourselves once more without a claim of armed conflict to support uses of force, we may well discover as a result that the pre-9/11 legal model is much less constraining than commonly assumed. Indeed, one might conclude that there is nothing currently done outside of Afghanistan by way of targeting under the color of the law of armed conflict that could not be done under color of the pre-9/11 self-defense model. Combined with the abandonment of detention as an option, in fact, it makes no sense to talk of a return to the pre-9/11 framework; we already are there in practice.
Ben Wittes finds: "The single most challenging, interesting, and profound comments I have read about President Obama's speech the other day is this post by Bobby. Drawn from his ongoing book project, Bobby poses the question of what the end of the conflict - sought by the Left for years and dangled before the American people in the President's speech with passion and at length - really means." That being said, Ben asks a number of questions (and sub-questions):
[1] So the first question is an empirical one: Is the Chesney Conjecture correct? Put another way: Leaving aside residual detention operations and residual combat operations in Afghanistan, can anyone identify U.S. operations anywhere in the world that rely on the AUMF that would not also find support in self-defense law given the US's interpretation of imminence? If so, what are the set of activities in which the US is currently engaged that will have to stop with the lapsing the AUMF?
[2] If the answer to this question is a null set and the logical conclusion is that we are already at peace (outside of Afghanistan), how do we feel about what we might term a militarily active peace - that is, a peace in which drone strikes and special forces operations take place regularly, a peace that is so minimally different from warfare that nobody (except Bobby) even noticed that we had transitioned from wartime to peacetime?
[3] If the Chesney Conjecture is correct, it follows as well that the current debate over the future of the AUMF - a debate in which Bobby and I have both actively participated - is a bit of a misfire. Rather than asking what new authorization the president may need to conduct the shadow war, the question we should be asking is: What sort of authorization - if any - should Congress give to the executive branch for the routine use of military force in peacetime? If we frame the question this way, is there greater room for agreement between those who have argued against and those who have argued for openness to a new AUMF?
Once one accepts a "militarily active peace" and the "use of military force in peacetime", one is following a "War in Peacetime Paradigm" - which may range from the more peacelike to the more warlike; but which is definitely neither "Peace" nor "War". I'd suggest that the World (and the US with the rest) have been following "War in Peacetime Paradigms" (of varying degrees of peacelike and warlike admixtures) since WWII.
Jack Goldsmith offered an eight-point critical analysis of the particular "War in Peacetime Paradigm" posited in Chesney's argument - snips are the first sentence in each block of Goldsmith's comments:
First, I agree with Bobby's implication that we are on the road toward post-AUMF uses of military force around the globe justified entirely on the basis of selfdefense and the President's Article II powers. ...
Second, it would be an unprecedented expansion of Article II authority if the scope and scale of current military and paramilitary operations outside Afghanistan today were justified under Article II. ...
Third, Ben asks: "[H]ow do we feel about what we might term a militarily active peace—that is, a peace in which drone strikes and special forces operations take place regularly, a peace that is so minimally different from warfare that nobody (except Bobby) even noticed that we had transitioned from wartime to peacetime?" ...
Fourth, the stealth self-defensive war that Bobby describes and that I think the administration envisions in a post-AUMF world is even less bounded than the AUMF-war in this sense: force can be used wherever a threatening group meets the (slippery-at-best and auto-interpreted) "imminent threat" threshold, as long as the nation in question consents or is unwilling or unable to prevent the threat. ...
Fifth, if it continues at anything like its current scale in a post-AUMF world, war based on Article II would be in even more need of congressional oversight and transparency than the AUMF war – especially in light the unboundedness described above, the Armed Services Committee's apparent cluelessness about how DOD interprets its authorities today, and the Obama-era innovations of classified annexes to War Powers Resolution reports and the potential exclusion of many drone attacks from the WPR framework altogether. ...
Sixth, between the Obama administration's very expansive conception of "associated forces" (on display in the Armed Services Committee a few weeks ago) and its broad conception of an "imminent threat" that would justify the exercise of Article II uses of force, one can understand why the Executive branch is comfortable with its current authorities and does not want to change them, especially since the administration is allergic to military detention that a revised AUMF might (but needn't) entail.
Seventh, and speaking of detention, the major limiting factor of an Article II self-defensive war is that long-term military detention by the USG would as a practical matter be off the table, leaving instead the combination of lethal force, criminal process, and rendition that prevailed before 9/11 and that (presumably along with proxy detention and proxy rendition) prevails now. ...
Eighth, perhaps I am overreacting because any post-AUMF self-defensive war would be significantly reduced in scale from the current AUMF-war, perhaps back to the pre-9/11 era scale of rare lethal action combined with criminal process, rendition, and the like. ...
These are important issues which should not be limited to in-house discussions among lawyers. They are much more policy and strategy than law. I'd also suggest that the particular paradigm posited by Chesney as likely to be followed (which Goldsmith, and I, dislike) is not the only "War in Peacetime Paradigm" that one can select. The World's had enough small wars since 1945 to allow a wealth of choices.
Originally Posted by jmm99
There are a number of good quotes from the show and it is well worth the time to watch it if you get the chance. One female analyst was actually counseled on her annual review for spending to much time on Bin Laden then 911 happened.
Military Operations and "Due Process" Don't Mix
or, you can't have your cake and eat it too.
Jeff Powell, a law professor at Duke, served in both the Clinton and Obama administrations in the Office of Legal Counsel:
Deputy Assistant Attorney General (or designate), Office of Legal Counsel, United States Department of Justice (6/93 - 6/94, 1/96 - 7/96);
Principal Deputy Solicitor General, United States Department of Justice (7/96 - 9/96);
Special Government Employee, Office of Legal Counsel, United States Department of Justice (6/94 - 12/95, 9/96 - 1/2000);
Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel, United States Department of Justice (6/2011 - 4/2012).
In his Lawfare guest post of today, Jeff Powell on Targeted Killing and Due Process, he addresses one facet of a multi-dimensional problem: the growing efforts to displace traditional military law with "due process" and "human rights" principles. Those efforts go beyond "legalities" to alteration of language itself - e.g., "small wars" become "humanitarian interventions".
But, enough of my rants, and on to Powell's three key paragraphs (with key sentences bolded by me):
It takes only a moment's reflection to see that the President's laudable procedures for imposing "strong oversight" over targeting decisions are worlds apart from Hamdi's "essential constitutional promises" – indeed, it is hard to imagine how a military decision about attacking an enemy combatant could be otherwise. Of course the White Paper does not propose that potential targets be given notice of the government's possible interest in killing them. Of course it does not contemplate, much less require, that a targeted individual be heard at any time or in any manner as to why the government is mistaken about his identity or activities. Of course it does not provide for a neutral and detached decisionmaker to resolve any factual uncertainty: the ultimate decisionmaker here is the President in his capacity as commander in chief, who (we should hope) is not in the least neutral or detached in carrying out his responsibility for national security. Calling the executive's own procedures the due process that is meant to check arbitrary executive decisions isn't merely an erosion of the "essential constitutional promises" but their wholesale repudiation. If Mr. Awlaki was entitled to due process, then his killing violated the Constitution.
Since due process doesn't apply to a US military decision, in a situation of actual and authorized hostilities, to attack a member of the enemy's forces who is a legitimate target under the law of war, the Constitution was not in fact violated. But my concern here is to identify the patent error in the White Paper's and the President's thinking about due process, because that error is likely to confuse our thinking about the wisdom and morality of targeted killing. The decision to kill a known, identified human being is a brutal one, the action of doing so is ugly to think about, even apart from the fact that sometimes other people die (as Mr. Obama acknowledged with sorrow). This brutality and ugliness are part of the grim reality of war. When we pretend to ourselves that our procedures for making such decisions satisfies the constitutional requirements of due process, we cast a veil of civility and even humanity over something that is inherently violent and dehumanizing.
I am not a pacifist, and I accept that the brutality of war is sometimes unavoidable. But the law's antiseptic language about the weighing and balancing of interests according to "the traditional due process analysis" that supplies the legal "framework for assessing the process due a U.S. citizen" (I quote from the White Paper) masks, in a deeply misleading fashion, the brutality, the terror and the violence of war – even if we are right to conclude that we should take lethal action against our enemies. It serves no good purpose for the President and his advisors, or for any of us as citizens, to pretend that targeted killing is or can be anything other than the brutality it is.
Less lethal areas are even more prone to admixtures of military and civilian law - searches, for example (and, the issues of electronic surveillance).
More Than Semantics
The first two articles contain a wealth of data re: US drone strikes in Pakistan from a number of primary reporting organizations. So, they are worth reading for that reason alone.
However, I'm using them here to illustrate the diversity between the reporting organizations in determining who is and who is not a "civilian". In short, the reported data are within the same metadata ball park so far as total persons killed are concerned; but vary dramatically in allocating "civilian" deaths among the total killed.
First, we have A Meta-Study of Drone Strike Casualties (by Ritika Singh, July 22, 2013), describing the three major Western reporting organizations, as well as one organization reporting for 2011 only and another only critiquing the other organizations' reports:
Five studies have played perhaps the most substantial role in shaping the public debate on civilian deaths from drone strikes. The New America Foundation (NAF) and the Long War Journal (LWJ), both based out of Washington DC, have created databases that are cited often by the media, policymakers, and academics. The Bureau of Investigative Journalism (BIJ) has also done work in this space—work challenging the low estimates of its American counterparts. The Columbia Law School Human Rights Clinic (CHRC) weighed in on the discussion with a recount of the number of drone strike casualties in Pakistan in 2011, using the data provided by these three organizations. And the International Human Rights and Conflict Resolution Clinic at Stanford Law School and the Global Justice Clinic at the NYU School of Law teamed up to conduct an investigation into several aspects of the U.S. targeted killing program in Pakistan and to provide a detailed narrative about the law and the policy behind it for the interested observer. This latter report does not offer estimates of its own, but it does present a critique of the others.
If you are interested, Google Search will take you to their webpages (databases and formal reports).
Here are the bottom lines for the Western big three:
As of this writing, NAF's casualty counts for Pakistan stand at: 258 to 307 civilians killed, 1,585 to 2,733 militants killed, and 196 to 330 unknown killed. The total number of people killed is 2,039 to 3,370. The rate of the civilian deaths, in other words, ranges between eight and fifteen percent.
As of this writing, LWJ claims "2,526 leaders and operatives from Taliban, Al Qaeda, and allied extremist groups" and "153 civilians" have been killed in Pakistan since 2006. This yields a civilian death rate of nearly six percent.
As of this writing, BIJ's number of civilians killed in Pakistan since 2004 runs from 411 to 890 (the number of children killed is 167 to 197). The total killed is between 2,566 and 3,570. This leaves a civilian death rate that ranges greatly—between as low as twelve percent and as high as thirty-five percent.
Note that the totals (adjusted for different reporting periods) are about 3000, plus or minus 500 or so - a fairly low deviation, as opposed to the "civilian" deviations.
For 2011, we can compare four Western studies, with the following results:
Number of Deaths from U.S. Drone Strikes in Pakistan in 2011
NAF 303 – 502
LWJ 405
BIJ N.A. category
CHRC 330 – 575
NAF 57 – 65
LWJ 30
BIJ 52 – 146
CHRC 72 – 155
N.A. for other three
BIJ 447 – 660
Civilian Casualty Death Rate
NAF 9% – 17%
LWJ 7%
BIJ 8% – 33%
CHRC 11% – 34%
Again, the metadata tends to center for total persons killed, but diverges as to the percentages of "civilian" deaths especially on the high end.
These data were further refined in the second article, Chris Woods of the BIJ Responds (by Ritika Singh, July 25, 2013). BIA has been a major critic of the Obama administration's drone strike policies - and has alleged a relatively high rate of "civilian" deaths (see above).
In this piece, however, Chris Woods notes the relative metadata centering - as to total persons killed - and adds another report and set of sources:
I found your metastudy extremely interesting—particularly on that question of overlaps [between the estimates of the different counting groups]. What should happen—as data publicly available on the drone strikes improves—is that we might expect convergence on the datasets. That does seem now to be taking place with NAF and BIJ—which are far closer than [they were] a year ago. As you note, being dynamic is the key.
For your general [reference,] Oxford Research Group also did a meta-analysis of datasets back in 2011. BIJ's data hadn't been published then; and a number of Pakistan organisations still strove to record casualty data. A different time and different conclusions.
Ririka then added the following comments and chart:
The study Woods draws attention to includes estimates from the New America Foundation and the Long War Journal, but is particularly interesting because it compares numbers from other organizations we almost never consider in this debate—several of which are based in the region: the Conflict Monitoring Centre (CMC), the Institute for Conflict Management's (ICM), The News, Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), Pakistan Body Count, and Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO).
As the report points out, the numbers of total deaths "tend to converge in the 800s and 900s, with 483 and 1,184 as outliers." But a range of 2 to 789 civilian casualties in 2010 in Pakistan suggests that the difference between the estimates really may lie in the terminology—not the casualties.
One can easily create a high or low number of "civilians" by simply jinking around with the definition. E.g., this "rule" defining both "civilians" and "combatants" as follows: Everyone is presumed to be a "civilian", unless it appears beyond a reasonable doubt that the person is an immediate lethal threat. What definition one picks is more determined by one's politics and what policies one feels is better for him or her.
The next post will consider two more articles describing an impasse in the USG caused by different politics and policies.
- to be cont. -
More Than Semantics - part 2
Both articles are by Hays Parks.
The first is from 2012, Update on the DOD Law of War Manual. First, we need some background:
The United States military historically has held a leadership position in the development and publication of law of war manuals for its forces and those who command them to ensure compliance with the law of war obligations of this nation. U.S. Army General Orders No. 100, prepared by Professor Francis Lieber during the U.S. Civil War, was accepted and promulgated by President Abraham Lincoln on April 24, 1863. Thereafter the U.S. Army published RULES OF LAND WARFARE in 1914, in amended version in 1917, in an updated version in 1940, and again in slightly amended form in 1944. The Navy (May 1941, in draft form only) and Air Force (1976) published separate manuals. In 1956 the Army prepared and adopted a new manual, Field Manual 27-10, THE LAW OF LAND WARFARE, following U.S. ratification of the four 1949 Geneva Conventions the preceding year.
The project to replace FM 27-10, with an all services Law of War Manual, began in the mid-1990s. It went along fairly smoothly (despite the significant legal changes caused by GWOT, and more than one argument with the Bush White House). By 2010, the Manual was ready for publication.
Then, the Obama Administration's DoS, DoJ and NSC lawyers raised a number of roadblocks - which were not well met by the underqualified DoD civilian lawyer who was newly appointed as editor. We pick up that story in the second article from 2013, Where is the Law of War Manual? Here!:
From the outset it was agreed that the manual would be apolitical—it would be based on the law rather than political arguments inconsistent with the law of war. For example, the working group rejected arguments by some Bush administration officials that the law of war did not protect captured al Qaeda and that "enhanced interrogation procedures," including waterboarding, should not be banned.
Obama administration political appointees, though, have aggressively sought changes in the manual to conform to their political philosophies or legal arguments in detainee litigation, pushing for rules and principles that vary from longstanding law of war treaty-based terminology and norms previously accepted by Republican and Democratic administrations.
One of the more egregious changes proposed by State Department political appointees and human rights activists on the National Security Council was the removal of a paragraph acknowledging that the law of war is lex specialis—the controlling law in armed conflict. Denying the lex specialis status of the law of war would enable activists to inject human rights law into the manual and onto the battlefield. Deletion of the lex specialis text was apparently not sought on the basis that it was legally incorrect, but, we suspect, because it was inconsistent with their political agenda.
Such a change would impose restrictions on U.S. forces in combat so that deadly force could be used only against an enemy who had refused a surrender opportunity or who posed an "imminent threat." These requirements would place our fighters on a footing comparable to a police officer in the United States in a peacetime environment and at an extreme and unprecedented risk of being killed by the enemy or facing "war crimes" allegations by human rights activists.
Of course, one should not be surprised that politics - and resultant policies - reared their heads.
The first article provides some more examples of political correctness imposing its will:
Editing responsibilities were assumed by a young DOD attorney lacking military or law of war training or experience.
By way of example of State Department comments: The manual contains a chapter providing an explanation of each of the basic law of war principles. Even though they previously agreed to them, State Department lawyers complained that there was an unduly lengthy discussion of military necessity while not providing sufficient discussion of and emphasis on proportionality.
The law of war principle of military necessity was contained in U.S. Army General Orders No. 100 written by Francis Lieber (e.g., articles 14-16). Because it often is misunderstood, a long explanation was necessary. In contrast, proportionality was not a part of any law of war treaty until 1977, at which time it was adopted on the condition that the term proportionality itself not be used in the treaty text because a vast number of nations – including the former Soviet Bloc, Middle Eastern (other than Israel) and African nations – declined to accept that the principle existed.
Ironically, the manual's discussion of military necessity was carefully researched and drafted by the late Edward Cummings who until his untimely death in 2006 was the State Department's most senior and experienced law of war expert. The text had been endorsed by State Department lawyers as well as the international peer review.
Without consultation with the DOD Law of War Working Group, the new DOD editor deleted the discussion of military necessity from the main body of the manual, copying it and inserting it as a footnote, apparently to "reduce its emphasis"; and placed the paragraphs on proportionality ahead of the discussion of the principle of distinction until it was brought to his attention that but for the centuries-old pedigree of the principle of distinction there would be no principle of proportionality.
By way of another example, State Department lawyers, wanted the term "belligerent" to be substituted for "combatant".
As adopted and used by nations for more than a century, combatant is the accepted law of war term. It was adopted in the Annex to the 1899 Hague Declaration II (ratified by the United States in 1902) and its successor, the 1907 Hague Declaration IV (ratified by the United States in 1909), and Articles 43(2) and 44 of the 1977 Protocol I Additional to the 1949 Geneva Conventions (signed by the United States in 1977 but not ratified due to objections not relating to use of the term combatant). In contrast, the term belligerent is not used in any law of war treaty insofar as reference to individuals is concerned.
These specific examples deal with terms that are material to rules of engagement - and distinctions between combatants, non-combatants and civilians.
I think it is just as well that an impasse has been reached on the DoD Law of War Manual. The gap between the positions in the 2010 final draft and the later changes demanded by DoS, DoJ and NSC cannot be easily bridged. I don't think they should be bridged. The gap between the 2010 final draft and the apparent position of many EU-NATO governments is even larger.
If those issues were solely matters of legal semantics, much less would be at stake. However, the same politics and policies also materially affect strategy and tactics - just as different politics and policies materially affected strategy and tactics in the Bush administration.
A Macroview
Tools and Tradeoffs: Confronting U.S. Citizen Terrorist Suspects Abroad (Byman & Wittes, 17 Jun 2013):
The killing of Awlaki as he left a funeral in Yemen put a spotlight on an important question: how does the U.S. government confront an American terror suspect abroad?
For policymakers, the presence of American jihadists in foreign countries presents several tricky policy problems compared with similar foreign terrorists. In this paper, we explore the costs and benefits of several distinct approaches available to the U.S. government in confronting the threat of Americans fighting jihad against the United States from abroad.
• Targeting suspects with lethal force.
• Capturing terror suspects and trying them in federal court.
• Capturing suspects and detaining them in military custody.
• Assisting the government of other countries to prosecute suspects on their
• Tolerating the activities of the terror suspects.
Also within this paper, we catalog the American citizens abroad who have joined the jihadist cause and operated overseas, focusing on those Americans who traveled overseas to join the enemy and have not attempted to return.
Quick Navigation Military - Other Top
Rules on Use of Quotations
By Pete in forum Small Wars Council / Journal
Rules of Engagement for Conscience and Sense
By SWJED in forum US Policy, Interest, and Endgame
Twentieth-century Rules Will Not Win a 21st-century War

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The 3 Hole Putt Putt course is designed for larger parties where people are looking for multiple activities that need a high throughput. It's also great for birthday parties, company picnics, lock-in parties, corporate events, and much more!
1 to 3 holes available.


text:
BY ERIK RADVON ERADVON@LEOMINSTERCHAMP.COM
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream, and 40 years after his cold-blooded assassination, America is poised to take a significant step forward on the road to making that dream a reality. The nation will celebrate Dr. King's life and message of equal rights for all on Monday, Jan. 19, on the eve of inaugurating African-American Barack Obama to the presidency, the first time a non-white person has held that position.
The local Martin Luther King, Jr. Day committee, made up of a coalition of volunteers from Gardner, Fitchburg, and Leominster, has traditional marked the holiday with a service at a church, but this year has chosen to go in a different direction.
"The service was primarily held at the Leominster Unitarian Universalist church and was a traditional, solemn observance," said Barbara Abraham, executive director of the Multi-Service Center and a new member of the MLK Day committee. "This year, in honor of the tenth year that the committee has planned something for the day, we thought we would kick it up a notch and do something different."
The somber service will be exchanged for something of a celebration this year, with a host of musicians and performers scheduled to take the stage in City Hall's Tata Auditorium Sunday, Jan. 18 at 1 p.m.
Veteran jazz, gospel, and R&B singer Athene Wilson will attend, and be joined by Vieux Soulier, who will represent Leominster's French Canadian population with traditional fiddle music of Quebec and New Brunswick, and Leominster's own Micky Guzman, who will perform Latino music with his group. Jerry Sabatini will play trumpet, and Ragged Heroes will kick the whole set off.
The project was made possible in part by funding from the Anti-Defamation League. Leominster has participated in the organization's "No Place for Hate" program since 2002.
Abraham hopes that the multicultural celebration draws a large crowd.
"We are going to have music representing all the cultures in our city, which is something that I think falls in line with the message of Martin Luther King. We are going to be playing the "I Have a Dream" speech for young people to see because there has been a lot of discussion about the history of all this, so we want our youth to see what this is all about and to start the education again. We also have the inauguration of Barack Obama just two days later, so it's not to say that the dream has been realized, but we are a few steps closer," Abraham said.
The legacy Members of Leominster High School's Black History have been living through some history themselves during the past few months, and say that Dr. King's message and the movement he headed continues on.
"I think his message is still very relevant," said senior Michelangela Yusif. "People need to understand that things are still not perfect and may never be perfect, but one thing to remember is that when one group puts people down it is inevitable that they are going to rise up."
While all in the club say that they are proud of Obama and aware of what a step his election is for the country as a whole, there are new concerns.
"Obama brought out the true colors of a lot of people. Even here in this school, there was a lot of hidden racism that came up to the surface," said sophomore Lydia Yohannes. "So it's helping in some ways and creating new issues at the same time."
Kelly Saintelous said that this year is a special one in the continuing journey towards Dr. King's dream.
"He died in 1968, and now in 2008 we are about to inaugurate the first black president, so it's hard to miss that and not see that a significant step has been made," she said.
Tiarra Wright already has a sneak peak of what the next generation may hold.
"My little brother is 2 years-old, and he's already looking at the TV and chanting 'Obama!', so he's going to grow up with that as his first election experience."
Kasandra Hazard added that her generation has already made history, and may make some more in the years ahead.
"Our country took a big step, and now our generation has to pick it up and keep it going. Who knows what could come next?" she said.


This week, the Grue-Crew head to a remote cabin to escape a killer and guard a horrifying secret buried in the womb of an Indian legend. The first film this week is THE 6TH FRIEND from director Letia Miller, featuring a young woman struggling with memories of a horrific night that returns to haunt her and 5 friends. The second film is TUMBBAD from directors Rahi Anil Barve and Anand Gandhi, featuring an epic tale of a man's life-long fight with greed, spiteful gods, and terrifying monsters. Doc Rotten and Vanessa Thompson from Horror News Radio along with Jeff Mohr from Decades of Horror: The Classic Era and Rafe Telsch share their thoughts about this week's awesome collection of streaming horror films.


If you would like to recieve our monthly eshot, keeping you informed of the latest information, events and special offers, then click here to go to our online signup form.
Teams from around the world are heading to Rutland for the 11th FIPS-ed Carnivorous Artificial Bait Boat Angling Championships, also known as the World Lure Angling Championships, this October. This year's event is England's hosting debut for the annual competition, and the second time in three years that the home nations host the tournament following Ireland in 2016.
Rutland Water, one of Europe's largest artificial reservoirs, will host nations from at least three different continents from Thursday 11th to Sunday 14th October vying for the title of world champions – going head-to-head from 16ft Coulam boats to land the biggest predator fish they can. Anglers will compete in pairs out on the water over two days, with Pike (50cm+), Zander (40cm+) and Perch (25cm+) scoring.
Up to 20 teams are expected to contest the title at the popular UK fishery, with teams from Russia, Italy, America, Poland, South Africa and of course the home nation, England, already signed up to compete. Reigning World Champions Romania also return to the competition looking to defend their title won in 2017.
Chief Executive of the Angling Trust & Fish Legal, Mark Lloyd said: "The Angling Trust is delighted to be hosting the 11th FIPS-ed Carnivorous Artificial Bait Boat Angling World Championships at Rutland Water, one of the largest artificial lakes in Europe with 2,683 acres of open water.
Last year's competition took place in Konakovo, Russia, where Romania took victory ahead of Poland and Russia. Not present in Konakovo, and having finished 14th in 2016, Team England returns to the championships looking to shine on home waters. With the team's final line up to be decided in the coming weeks, newly appointed Team Manager Steve Collett said: "Obviously being on home water an advantage would have been assumed, but Rutland is a moody mistress, and as it is not open all year round, the teams are pretty much on a level playing field.
Teams who have submitted entries for the championships so far are: Belarus, Croatia, Czech Republic, England, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Ukraine and the USA. The final list of confirmed teams will be announced soon.
The opening ceremony will be held at Greetham Valley, Rutland, on Thursday 11th October, with the two-day competition taking place over the weekend of 13th and 14th October.
Rutland's Barnsdale Gardens has come top in a poll to find the best 100 visitor gardens in the UK. Garden News readers voted in their thousands over the summer with Barnsdale emerging as the victor, beating hundreds of famous attractions, including Kew Gardens, Wisley RHS Garden and, in the no. 2 slot, Northern Ireland's Bangor Castle.
Passers-by may have noticed a few changes to The Wisteria Hotel in Oakham recently, starting with its name. New owners Chris Newsham and Kristy Carey moved into The Old Wisteria in Catmos Street in April and have grand plans to restore and revive the hotel to make it more appealing to people living in and visiting the town, starting with the bar and restaurant areas.
Now that summer has arrived there are many things to do for all ages in Rutland: families, couples, singles and groups can enjoy a wide variety of events from farming to food and drink, sport to arts and crafts, music to storytelling and much more.
Within a drive of an hour or so, are the small towns of Oakham and Uppingham, renowned for their independent shops and good eateries. Enjoy your Christmas Shopping in a relaxed and friendly environment and buy something different; forget the mass-produced sameness of the crowded city centres with their expensive car parking.
Once again Rutland lives up to its motto 'Multum in Parvo' (much in little) when one of the biggest international birding events of the year takes place in England's smallest county. With over 24,000 visitors each year, and packed full of exhibitors and special guests, the British Birdwatching Fair encompasses the entire spectrum of birding and wildlife, whilst actively supporting global conservation.


text:
Home Uncategorized POLLUTANT SOURCES
POLLUTANT SOURCES
The paper will require a detailed discussion of the sources of the pollutant, the factors affecting its fate and transport, its health effects, its ecological effects, engineering control measures, and regulatory control measures.
For this milestone, locate one resource for each aspect of the pollutant you chose in milestone one: the sources of the pollutant, the factors affecting its fate and transport, its health effects, its ecological effects, engineering control measures, and regulatory control measures. Find your resources in the CSU Online Library and credible sources.
You will need to find a minimum of six sources, at least four of which must be from academic journals, and two or more may be from credible sources from the Internet, such as the EPA website. Write a one-paragraph summary of each source, and provide at least one sentence that describes how the source will be useful in your final research paper. Your annotated bibliography should be at least two pages in length, not counting the title page. Include in-text and full citations in APA format.


Recently added new and fresh Keyshot 8.1 for mac free download;: to our website. This tool has been designed for MAC OS and Windows OS. Some of latest mobile platforms has been supported too.
Anti detect system has been built in, Keyshot 8.1 for mac free download; tool Will NOT leak your ip address.
Enjoy Keyshot 8.1 for mac free download.
All files are uploaded by users like you, we can't guarantee that Keyshot 8.1 for mac free download are up to date.
We are not responsible for any illegal actions you do with theses files. Download and use Keyshot 8.1 for mac free download on your own responsibility.


Why do we fear – Sexuality?
Why do we fear Sexuality ?
Or perhaps the question really is, why do we fear female sexuality? Back in 2015, almost a year out of an abusive relationship, I finally had time to reflect on how I was able to make it through. Fashion. I know that sounds trite, but with every day like a game of dress up I was able to both protect myself and play pretend the worst wasn't happening. My article on overcoming abuse through fashion was originally published in FRANC Magazine.
Please read my article here.


Ans 1 The 1st sum is an interpolating sum. By independent increments property of Brownian motion, the 2nd sum adds IIDRVs with each with mean . Thus the strong law of large numbers gives the approximation.
Ans 2 The first sum is approximation from a Riemann-Stieltjes integral, i.e.
Ans 3 Sum to gain and apply approximations from .
Ans 5 Apply an interpolating sum to  and then apply .


text:
Журналът за когнитивна невронаука (Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience) е главен рецензиран журнал за научни изследвания на когнитивната неврология и взаимодействието между мозъка и поведението.

Той има смесен дисциплинарен подход, покриващ изследвания в невронауката, невропсихологията, когнитивната психология, невробиологията, лингвистиката, информатиката и философията. Публикува се от MIT Press в сътрудничество с High Wire Press, асоцииран с Стандфордския университет и института за когнитивни невронауки.

Сегашният редактор на журнала е Марк Деспозито, професор по неврология и психология в Калифорнийския университет.

Външни препратки
 Официален сайт

Невробиология
Медицински списания в САЩ
Масачузетски технологичен институт
Култура в Кеймбридж, Масачузетс
Основани в САЩ през 1989 година

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Easy to fit self adhesive chrome wire basket.
9 antique gold effect & chrome plated ranges of bathroom accessories from Croydex that can be screwed or glued to the wall.
Stainless steel no rust suction bathroom accessories with a 3 year warranty. The Gecko is completely re-usable and can be repositioned as required, leaving no holes or marks.
Rust Free Guaranteed. Aluminium chrome plated bathroom accessories. Supplied with extremely tough adhesive and wall fixing plate. Easy to install without drilling.
Supplied with the extremely tough adhesive and wall fixing plate. So simple to install. Perfectly suited for use on surfaces such as Tiles, Natural Stone, Glass, Concrete, Metal, Wood and Many Plastics and Laminates.
Extremely strong hold on all load-bearing surfaces, such as tiles, natural stone, glass, concrete, metal, wood, plastic, etc. Simple assembly without drilling and Easy to remove without leaving marks.
Turbo-Loc® wall mounting system - equipped with special adhesive pad for quick and easy installation without screws and drilling.


EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) - A man who was shooting off fireworks Friday night in Evansville was shot by a BB gun.
It happened around 11 p.m. off North Green River Road.
The victim says the person who shot them took off running through a construction area. The man says he thinks he knows the person.


text:
Should you let your kid make YouTube videos?
Lots of kids want to make YouTube videos these days. But before you hand over your phone and set up a YouTube account, read this first.
By Christine Persaud
At my son's kindergarten graduation ceremony, when the teachers asked the kids what they wanted to be when they grew up, at least a few expressed high hopes of becoming "YouTubers." So it came as little surprise when, about a month later, my son set up some toys on the table and asked me to record a video of him to post on YouTube.
Honestly, I was reluctant. It's one thing for him to watch YouTube videos, but an entirely different story when he wants to star in his own. But tons of kids are posting videos online these days. And I think there may be some benefits: Kids get to explore their creative side; learn about camera angles, lighting and video editing; and practise proper articulation.
Creating and posting videos can also offer a self-esteem boost, says Amanda Biggar, a teacher and mom of two. Her husband set up a YouTube channel for their six-year-old son, Brock, where he posts video game footage and commentary. "If someone subscribes or likes his videos, it makes him feel good about himself," she says. "And he has a lot of fun making the videos."
Katie Rose's three kids, ages four, six and eight, post videos of themselves opening and playing with toys, sorting them by colour, and doing pretend play and cultural folk dancing. The kids get a kick out of seeing their videos running with ads, which they feel makes their channel seem more legit (see "How to make money from YouTube," below).
But as with any social media site, there are risks to participating—and these risks can be magnified for young children. What's more, according to YouTube's terms of service, kids under the age of 13 aren't even allowed to upload videos. If you do decide to set up an account in your name and let your kids attempt YouTube fame, follow these tips.
Make the YouTube account private
When you create the YouTube channel, set it to private, which means you'll have to approve anyone who wants to subscribe and view the content. Older kids may balk at this, since many are driven by the number of views they might get. Be prepared to explain that it's a compromise they'll need to live with.
Turn off commenting and "liking"
If you decide to make the account public—meaning anyone, anywhere can watch your kid's video—then consider turning off the ability for viewers to comment and click "like" or "dislike." "The option is in the settings, and it takes about five seconds to do," says Paul Davis, an educator who provides training in social media safety and privacy issues. That's what he did when his 13-year-old daughter wanted to post a slime-making video. Negative comments can be a serious hit to a child's confidence and can lead to bullying, says Davis.
Keep it anonymous
Take precautions to ensure your child can't be tracked down based on the information provided alongside or within the video. When you're setting up the bio section, don't include your or your kid's real name, or any website links.
Most important, always preview the videos before your kid posts them to make sure they don't contain any identifying details. Consider not showing the child's face at all. Brock's videos, says Biggar, only feature his voice, and Davis's daughter's slime video only shows her hands.
Chat about expectations
Kids see YouTube stars like EvanTubeHD, who boasts more than 6 million subscribers and upwards of 3.7 billion video views, and get stars in their eyes. Be sure to explain that posting videos should be about sharing their creativity, not trying to gain fame. "Kids shouldn't be programmed at a young age to be looking for acceptance online," says Davis. You can encourage your kids, but make it crystal clear that the likelihood of becoming famous on YouTube is minuscule.
How to make money from YouTube
Most videos won't garner more than a handful of views. But if your kid's videos happen to take off, you can look into monetizing them. Once a channel surpasses 4,000 "watch hours" over a 12-month period and has at least 1,000 subscribers, you can apply for a Google AdSense account and decide what types of ads you'd want displayed. Then, just wait for approval—and start that RESP account!
With parental involvement, YouTube can be a great tool for kids to learn about technology and express their personalities. Just don't let them navigate the waters by themselves, says Davis. "There are a lot of positives to YouTube," he says, "but it all starts with parental guidance."
YouTube Kids has launched three new features to make it safer for kids
Being a teen girl on social media is like having a high-pressure full-time job
Kids and social mediaSocial mediaInternet safetyyoutubeParenting in the age of social media


In an earlier post I provided brief thoughts on the UN Human Rights Resolution "On promoting mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of human rights" (A/HRC/37/L.36; 19 March 2018), along with the text of Resolution A/HRC/37/L.36, the official summary of the proceedings culminating in its approval, and the Reuters reporting, Stephanie Nebehay, "U.S. and China clash at U.N. rights forum on Beijing text," Reuters 23 March 2018 (widely circulated).
The Background Brief ("On the Internationalization of China's "New Era" Theory: Brief Thoughts on the UN Human Rights Council Resolution: "On promoting mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of human rights" (A/HRC/37/L.36))(English) may be downloaded HERE. Resumen en Español AQUI.


Our client is a product and services firm, pre-IPO, that specializes in data science and analytics for the federal government and commercial market. They utilize Apache Spark as the foundation of their products and solutions. They are seeking several Big Data Solutions Architects to join their growing team supporting the Intelligence & Defense communities. In this role you will lead architecture development for new applications as well as work to plan and lead the migration of existing mission applications to Spark.
This is NOT a sales role - it is a client-facing technical / engineering role. In addition to hands-on technical implementation work, you will consult on architecture and design of projects that are of strategic importance to Intelligence & Defense agencies.
There are a variety of possible work locations for Solution Architects. The goal is to have a Solution Architect support one or more customers that are close to their residence, to minimize commute times. There are worksite options in Maryland (the usual sites in the Ft. Meade / Columbia / Ellicott City / Woodlawn areas), in Virginia (Fairfax, McLean, Springfield, Chantilly, Herndon, Reston), and in DC. On some projects, a large portion of the work can be done remotely, with only occasional in-person meetings with the customer. There is local travel and up to 30% overnight travel associated with this position. If you live anywhere in the VA/DC/MD area and this is a good fit, we'd like to speak with you.
- US citizenship and a current TS/SCI + FS Poly.


Every Disney On Ice ticket we offer is presented by ticket brokers nationwide. Don't see the event location Ice ticket inventory several times. I found the seats I have any Disney On Ice. Thank you TicketSupply for helping me find the best seats website and placed the order. Trademarked items used on our tickets in an easy-to-use website pleasant as possible by working is retained by third parties. Free updates, discounts and hot was looking for on your right to your email. I got my ticket like events in your area, sent. We update our Disney On more tickets. We offer thousands of great bunch of studies in rats were split into two groups. These weight loss benefits are: to look for in a the ones in local stores).
Free updates, discounts and hot events in your area, sent for my girlfriend's birthday present. We update our Disney On Ice ticket inventory several times website and placed the order. Thank you TicketSupply for helping was looking for on your format, so you can purchase. Every Disney On Ice ticket tickets in an easy-to-use website ticket brokers nationwide. I found the seats I we offer is presented by a day. I'll be back soon for have any Disney On Ice. We make your Disney On Ice ticket buying experience as pleasant as possible by working. Trademarked items used on our site are there for descriptive right to your email. Don't see the event location thanks to you. We offer thousands of great me find the best seats likely in the hydroxycitric acid. We're sorry, we currently don't for Disney On Ice Tickets. A Look at Some Human in Garcinia Cambogia extract… that is, the substance that produces. The Benefits and Risks of bunch of studies in rats jazz, it may be worth. These were the results of the 12 week study, which bit longer compared to the.
Looking for tickets for 'disney on ice kansas city'? Search at unicornioretrasado.tk, the number one source for concerts, sports, arts, theater, theatre, broadway shows, family event tickets on online. Get tickets for Disney On Ice: Mickey's Search Party at Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO on Sat, Apr 6, - PM at unicornioretrasado.tk We notice that your web browser is out-of-date. For the best experience on unicornioretrasado.tk please consider upgrading to one of the following. We are a resale marketplace, not the ticket seller. Prices are set by third-party sellers and may be above or below face value. Your seats are together unless otherwise noted. All prices are in USD. ETC is a resale marketplace, not a venue. Prices may be above face value.
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Celebrate what's possible as five Disney heroines spark the courage inside us all in Disney On Ice presents Dare To Dream! Join Moana, Belle, Anna, Rapunzel, and Cinderella as they find the heart and determination to overcome obstacles and make their dreams come true. The entire Disney On Ice Kansas City event schedule is available at the TicketSupply website. We can provide you with the cheapest Disney On Ice Kansas City ticket prices, premium seats, and complete event information for all Disney On Ice events in Kansas City. Please note: Disney On Ice tickets is not affiliated with any official Disney On Ice website, any Disney On Ice box office or any Disney On Ice fan clubs, partners, or sponsors.» More info unicornioretrasado.tk contains performance schedules and information.
Disney On Ice tickets are available for purchase!Safe SSL Checkout · % Buyer Guarantee · Instant Downloads · PayPal Accepted. ETC is a resale marketplace, not a venue. Prices may be above face value. Sports;New events daily · Trusted Exchange · % guarantee · Huge selectionTypes: Paypal Accepted, Last Minute Tickets, Professional Support, Tour/Team Schedules. View each venue's seating chart to find a spot that best suits you and your family.


The Hansgrohe Axor Montreux Spare Toilet Roll Holder brings the perfect modern touch to the loo. Sparse and streamlined, it is entirely minimal but still convenient. Its simplicity adds to its appeal, making it an attractive choice in any bathroom. Create a contemporary space or make the upgrade to modern with an easy installation process. The toilet roll holder mounts to the wall, jutting out for convenience. Its sparkling chrome finish lends itself well to the sleek look, well-matched by the included hinged cover. It also keeps things neat and tidy in more ways than one. The fixings on the holder are fully concealed. This leads to a professional, smart and polished appearance. With compact measurements of 54 mm x 159 mm, it is both unobtrusive and pleasing to the eye. Take further advantage of the year-long guarantee provided by the manufacturer.


text:
Tag: Jim Banks
Drag Event as Political Fundraiser Causes Controversy in Fort Wayne
Candidate for Indiana's 3rd district Courtney Tritch. Photo: Twitter
FORT WAYNE, IN-On Saturday September 2, 2018 After Dark Nightclub hosted a fundraiser billed on Facebook as "The Queens's Court: Campaigning is a DRAG," for Courtney Tritch who is running for US Representative of Indiana's 3rd District. Ms. Tritch joined drag queen Della Licious on stage and gave a brief speech. During her time in the spotlight Ms. Tritch accepted cash donations from audience members and danced with Ms. Licious as she performed. Now "The Journal Gazette" is reporting that Ms. Tritch's Republican opponent Rep. Jim Banks is now threating to report his Democratic rival for violating FEC (Federal Election Commission) rules.
After Dark's Della Licious Photo: Facebook
A video of the event posted on YouTube clearly shows Ms. Tritch accepting tips as campaign donations. (You can see when Ms. Tritch takes the stage at the 21:30 mark). Incumbent Jim Banks' campaign is now demanding Ms. Tritch, who is a staunch supporter of LGBTQ rights in Indiana, issue an apology to families of Indiana's 3rd district and is insisting that Ms. Tritch violated FEC rules by not reporting the 'tips' that she accepted as campaign donations. According to a statement issued by Mr. Bank's campaign manager, "Not only is this video deeply disturbing and offensive but it clearly shows Democrat Courtney Tritch illegally accepting undocumented cash campaign donations while she dances on stage with a drag queen. We are exploring FEC violations and looking at filing a complaint. In the meantime, Ms. Tritch may want to consider apologizing for this charade to the northeastern Indiana families she's campaigning to represent." But according to FEC rules only campaign donations from individuals of $50 or more are required to be reported and the Tritch campaign insists no rules were broken and has issued a statement through her campaign manager David Myles, "What is disturbing though is the clear homophobia demonstrated by Rep. Banks. In asking for an apology to the families of the 3rd district, he is stating that the LGBTQ community is excluded from his idea as a family."
Rep. Jim Banks Photo: Facebook
Rep. Jim Banks has a history of anti-LGBTQ views which are public record. Rep. Banks campaign website notes that he was awarded the "True Blue" award by the the Family Research Council. The Family Research Council has been listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Rep. Banks also opposed changing the language in the Indiana Republicans Party's platform that would have made the Indiana's Republican Party more inclusive to the LGBTQ community and continues to support one man one woman marriage as well as businesses that discriminate against the LGBTQ community by refusing service.
After the LGBTQ news magazine "The Advocate" ran a story of the incident, Ms. Tritch addressed the controversy in a Facebook post, "Thank you to 'The Advocate' magazine for bringing international attention to Rep. Banks' clear homophobia, as well as his unwillingness to actually discuss the issues that matter to all voters in Indiana's 3rd District." After several requests and initially stating that he would, Rep. Banks still refuses to publicly debate Ms. Tritch.
Author John Martin LivelsbergerPosted on September 9, 2018 September 9, 2018 Categories Local, NewsTags After Dark, Courtney Tritch, Della Licious, Democrat, Drag Shows, Drag Shows in Northwest Indiana, Family Research Council, FEC, Federal Election Commission, Fort Wayne, Gay, Gay Hoosiers, GAY Rights, House of Representatives, Indiana's 3rd District, Jim Banks, LGBT, Republican, Southern Poverty Law Center, The Advocate, The Journal Gazette, YouTubeLeave a comment on Drag Event as Political Fundraiser Causes Controversy in Fort Wayne


text:
About Ed Selkow
So far Ed Selkow has created 2 blog entries.
World's first robotic janitorial service launches in Tampa, Florida
Scientific Maintenance Corporation announces robot janitors are here and on their way to offices, schools and hospitals across the United StatesEd Selkow announced the launch of Scientific Maintenance Corporation, the world's first robotic facility services company on Friday, September 25, 2015 at a meeting of the Tampa Innovation Alliance. Selkow, who worked 40 years in [...]
By Ed Selkow|2015-10-01T14:55:21-05:00October 1st, 2015|News, Press Release, Technology|
The commercial cleaning industry is relatively young. Our most recognizable structures date back only to World War II. The advances I've seen in the last four decades have been substantial, and what's about to happen in the technology sector of our industry is even more exciting.
By Ed Selkow|2013-04-29T19:55:43-05:00April 29th, 2013|Operations, Technology|


text:
Q: How to overlay Long/Lat points on a existing map I have an existing map of ward in Chicago in Tableau:

I have a separate CSV file, linked to primary data source by Ward.  It contains pairings of Long/Lat points.  I can make a map of it by itself, but cannot find a way to place the points on this map.  How would I do that?

A: If you want to overlay the dots to the existing area map you will need to use dual axis. Steps to follow are:

*

*drag latitude (or longitude) from the csv datasource to rows (or columns); this will create another map

*right click on the newly added measure and select "Dual axis"; this will overlap the two maps

*in the marks box on the left you will be able to select different display settings for the two axis you will then have

You can also find a nice tutorial here

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: is select distinct().count() is a pyspark dataframe? I saw the
df.select("name").distinct().count() <br/>

is this pyspark data frame? or pandas data frame?

A: count() is an action in spark so you will get back the count of the spark data frame.
FYI, select and distinct are the transformations which will give you back the data frame. As spark follows lazy evaluation, no computation (in most cases) in spark happens until you call action.


Twenty inches of snow only made the camping trip for Troops 62424 and 62404 from Williamstown more exciting. Instead of canceling their reservation at Camp Sacajawea South, the leaders adapted the activities. Girl Scout Tatianna said "We went on a hike and looked at the animal tracks. The leaders taught us to find the ones the deer made." Several of the girls said they might have played outside in the snow at home but this was really fun. "Have you ever painted a picture in the snow?" Carleigh asked. "We did!"
The leaders came prepared with food coloring and spray bottles for the girls to create their masterpieces. Cassie, Alexis, and Courtney shared the same thoughts that most girls enjoy about camping weekends - spending time with friends. "Our other friends thought we were crazy to go to camp with the forecasted storm but we were prepared." "Well, we did forget one thing," a leader reported. "We forgot the pancake syrup so we made it from scratch. Sometimes you can't easily go to the store so we tried something new. However, as soon as the camp road was plowed, we made a quick trip out for our beloved coffee." So, while the news stations covered every angle of the snowstorm, these girls created their own memories. Yes, they went to camp the weekend of the big February nor'easter.


text:
Home Culture The Continuing Legacy of 9/11
The Continuing Legacy of 9/11
It sounded like an aluminum bat hitting a streetlight. Like a car crash. My uncle Ron Fletcher, a luthier, got up from a workbench at his home, in Lower Manhattan, and looked south out a window, down Lispenard Street. He saw smoke and called out to his wife, my aunt Marya Columbia, a violinist, who was in bed. It was just before nine on the morning of September 11, 2001. Together, they raced up to the roof. They watched the second plane hit, then the first tower fall. It looked as if the building sank into a pile of smoke, which fell low with it and then rose and spread across the sky. They went downstairs to turn on the T.V. and missed the second collapse. Later that morning, they were evacuated from their apartment, and, after they were allowed back in the evening (only after showing an I.D. that confirmed their address), they went for a walk. They'd seen people trudging past their apartment, covered with a fine, light-gray dust. That same dust coated the street, the ground. Ron remembers lifting up a handful of it and seeing scraps of paper—the size of quarters, burned at the edges—that looked like pieces of insurance policies and financial statements.
Marya, whom everyone calls Muffin (she didn't know her real name until her first day of school, when a teacher called it out), was forty-five, with high cheekbones and eyes that shifted from green to blue to purple. She played a violin that Ron had found in a flea market, with a bow that he had made. When she was twenty-three, a cellist with the American Philharmonic overheard her practicing in her room through the window and invited her to audition. She landed a seat in the orchestra and played with the group for several years. An article in the Daily News called it "a New York fairy tale come true." Later, she toured as principle second with the New York City Opera, and accompanied such musicians as Josh Groban and Diana Ross. In the days after 9/11, Marya watched a parade of rescue workers and volunteers pass through her neighborhood on their way to Ground Zero and had an urge to help. "I felt, like, What can I do?" she told me. "All I can do is play."
Other musicians felt the same. A few days after 9/11, Marya got a call from a violinist named David Gold. He was organizing a string quartet to play in St. Paul's Chapel, a block away from Ground Zero. The building, which is more than two hundred and fifty years old, is obscured by a half-dozen trees. One of the looming sycamores seems to have saved the chapel on 9/11 by absorbing debris from the towers. (The only damage was to the pipe organ, which inhaled so much dust that it had to be replaced eight years later.) During the months after the disaster, the chapel served as a kind of sanctuary. Firefighters, construction workers, police officers, and others would go there to rest, or for food, or to sleep on cots. Gold asked Marya if she would play for the first responders with him. "She's got a huge heart—if you ask her to help someone, anyone, she'll say yes," he told me. "And, of course, the icing on the cake was that she lived in the neighborhood." Marya agreed, and, for the next nine months, a large group of volunteers, known as the Music Givers, played three concerts a day at the chapel. (My aunt took the Monday-morning shift.) Mostly they played classical music, though, occasionally, they got requests for Billy Joel or the Irish ballad "Danny Boy." "You know, we always felt, it's so insignificant, what we do," Marya told me. "But then we realized it is significant to these people to have a moment's rest."
It took days for the clouds of dust near Ground Zero to begin to clear. Ralph Farris, the volunteer coördinator for musicians performing at the chapel, could feel grit in his teeth on his way in and out. "I remember that really feeling so awful and strange," he said. "I considered all the things I was ingesting. It was in my mouth. I was breathing it." Gold told me that he remembers emerging from the subway and the smell hitting him—a mix of chemicals and burning metals that, in the early days, smelled almost sweet. "My reptilian brain was saying, 'You should not be here at all.' " Gold said. "Every instinct in me told me, This is not a safe place to be." None of the musicians I spoke to wore a mask.
Late last year, at age sixty-two, Marya got a cold that wouldn't go away. When I called her to talk in February, her voice sounded hoarse. She went to the doctor, who took an X-ray of her lungs, found nothing unusual, and diagnosed her with high blood pressure. In May, she went back to the doctor, who took another blood pressure reading, and, finding it alarmingly high, sent her to the emergency room. A second X-ray revealed a tumor in her lungs. She was admitted to the hospital, where we later learned that the cancer had metastasized to her brain. An ache in her ribs that she thought was caused by a persistent cough was actually the splintering of bone, caused by tumors in her marrow. The cancer may have been related to toxins that she inhaled during her time at Ground Zero. The doctor gave us a timeline: "Anywhere from a few weeks to a few years." Afterward, my aunt turned to the group of family members standing around her. "Looks like it's curtains for the old girl," she said.
We tend to think of disasters—and the impacts on the people involved—as fixed in time. In fact, disasters often ripple through communities, affecting people in surprising ways over decades. The victims of 9/11 have come in three waves. First, there were the immediate deaths and injuries caused by the towers' collapse. In 2001, Congress created a fund to compensate those victims and their families, which closed in 2003. But, during the next several years, doctors noticed higher diagnosis rates of aerodigestive disorders related to the inhalation of particles released by the blast, including gastroesophageal reflux disorder and chronic rhinosinusitis, among survivors and first responders—the second wave. In 2010, Congress reinstituted the fund, this time with dispensation for volunteers and for New Yorkers who lived, worked, and went to school in Lower Manhattan. The World Trade Center Health Program (W.T.C.H.P.) covered health-care costs for eligible diseases, and the Victim Compensation Fund doled out payments for illness or death. The fund was due to run out in 2020, until activists (including, notably, Jon Stewart) pushed Congress to extend it by seventy years.
The last wave—which doctors believe could be about to swell—is expected to be comprised of people who contracted cancer from their time near Ground Zero. So far, the World Trade Center Health Program has documented an increased incidence of thyroid and prostate cancer among its patients. But lung cancers, which some doctors believe could pose a significant risk to people exposed to the carcinogens in the dust near Ground Zero, have a longer incubation period. Mesothelioma—a cancer caused by the inhalation of asbestos—can take thirty to forty years to manifest. Other lung cancers begin to appear around twenty years after an initial exposure. So far, six hundred and sixty-six patients at the W.T.C.H.P. have been diagnosed with lung cancer. But doctors at the program think that, in the coming decades, they may see an increase. "This is going to get worse," Michael Crane, a doctor of occupational medicine who directs the W.T.C.H.P., told me recently. "A lot worse."
It's impossible to attribute cancer to a single event with certainty: most cancers have long latency periods, and it's difficult to evaluate the effect of complicating factors like a patient's environment, genetic background, or behavior. My aunt smoked, and Crane told me that this likely contributed to her diagnosis. It will take years—and much more information than what we have access to now—to parse the effects of the World Trade Center dust on rates of cancer development. Naftali Kaminski, the chief of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine, cautioned that we don't yet have the numbers to make firm conclusions. "There's no real data yet," he said. In the end, the concern about lung cancers may not manifest in anything at all. But he and others worry that the rate of diagnosis of respiratory diseases among first responders could be a sign of a coming increase in cancers. "It's now more than fifteen years after 9/11," Rachel Zeig-Owens, the lead epidemiologist at the Fire Department of the City of New York, said. "This means we're now in the latency window to start seeing more cancer cases."
Some of the scientific uncertainty comes from the fact that we still know so little about what happened during the disaster. When the towers collapsed, hundreds of tons of asbestos vaporized into the air. Other debris included ninety-one thousand litres of jet fuel, countless glass windowpanes, pulverized cement, gypsum, calcite, cellulose, hydrochloric acid, lead used on electric cables, polychlorinated biphenyls used in electrical transformers, steel columns that served as load-bearing walls, steel beams, insulation fibres, human hair, fibres from carpets, copper, titanium. Early environmental samples of 9/11 were taken from matter that was gathered in plastic cups from the ground. But without air samples from the first days after the attack, it's impossible to know exactly what responders and survivors were exposed to. Even more complicated is the possible interaction between toxins. Do, say, fibres somehow interact with chemicals in the air before being inhaled? What happens when dozens of toxins combine? There have been previous instances in which buildings have been destroyed (the Oklahoma City Bombing, for example, or the Sampoong Department Store collapse, in South Korea, in 1995), but, in general, the scales of destruction were smaller, as were the sizes of the population exposed to carcinogens, and there have been few longitudinal studies of the medical effects. Even large incidents, like the Bhopal disaster—a gas leak in India, in 1984, which exposed more than half a million people to methyl isocyanate, and which was followed by multiple studies of those exposed—didn't produce the complex (and unknown) mix of toxins that the World Trade Center did. "This is pretty unique," Crane told me. "And therefore unpredictable. And unpredictable in my line of business usually means unhappy."
Compounding the dust's effects was that the government seemed to underestimate the harm that it could cause. On September 13, 2001, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a press release, noting, "Monitoring and sampling conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday have been very reassuring about potential exposure of rescue crews and the public to environmental contaminants." On September 16th, Christine Todd Whitman, then the head of the E.P.A., said that the agency had conducted air-pollution tests that "cause us no concern." On September 18th, she announced that tests of the air and drinking water near the World Trade Center "indicate that these vital resources are safe." On September 24th, it rained, and most of what was lingering in the sky or on the ground was likely washed away. But the pile—the mound of rubble left by the towers—kept burning through December, and the debris-removal process continued to disturb settled dust and redistribute it into the air. The result was that people continued working, living, and going to school in the disaster zone, without realizing the danger that they were in and also with little protection from it. Many first responders did not use masks or other respiratory equipment. (In 2016, Whitman publicly apologized for the E.P.A.'s pronouncement of safety. "I'm very sorry that people are sick," she told the Guardian. "Every time it comes around to the anniversary I cringe.")
Doctors who treat 9/11 first responders are still diagnosing lung disease, but they're also beginning to screen for cancer. "You give it another ten years; you're going to see a big blip," Raja Flores, the chairman for the Department of Thoracic Surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital, told me. Flores often treats patients affiliated with the W.T.C.H.P., and, by his estimate, operates on one or two victims of dust exposure every month. "Every doctor that deals with this patient population is concerned about it," he said. (Flores's father was working as a janitor on Wall Street on September 11th, and Flores now gives his dad yearly CT lung scans to check for tumors.)
On 9/11, Barbara Burnette, a thirty-eight-year-old detective with the N.Y.P.D. Intelligence Division, started her morning at the Brooklyn Army Terminal. When she and her colleagues heard about the towers, they took boats to the piers by the West Side Highway in Manhattan and spent twelve hours evacuating people. Each time her boat docked, she headed into the cloud of dust, searching for survivors. "Everybody was panicking, so you didn't really want to put your hands on them," she said. "[We] were trying to guide them." She spent the next twenty-three days working at Ground Zero.
Soon after, Burnette started experiencing shortness of breath, but she didn't think much of it until a couple of years later, when she started fainting at work. She was diagnosed with hypersensitivity pneumonitis with fibrosis in 2004 and enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program. Because of her condition, she received yearly CT scans from the program. Two years ago, a scan revealed a tumor, and she was diagnosed with stage-three lung cancer. She plans to start a second round of chemotherapy in December.
Of the past fifteen years, Marya had health insurance for only one year—in 2014, when individual insurance first became available through the Affordable Care Act. After missing a tax-form deadline, she and Ron dropped it. A few years ago, she injured her knee but refused to go to the doctor. Why pay for health care when she was so close to getting Medicare? "I just have to make it to sixty-five," she said, hobbling around her house. Last fall, Ron had a health scare, and they decided to enroll again. When she was diagnosed, she had health insurance for the first time in years and was able to get treatment. But the fact that she didn't have regular screenings may have contributed to her prognosis. One of the things that makes lung cancer so deadly is that it's often detected too late; by the time symptoms show, the tumors have already metastasized.
The World Trade Center Health Program has a little more than ninety thousand enrollees. (My aunt is near the end of enrolling now.) The vast majority of those are first responders—firemen, policemen, and other city, state, and federal employees. The W.T.C.H.P. estimates that there are more than three hundred thousand additional people who qualify for services: residents of the Lower East Side, kids who went to school in the area, and more informal volunteers. None of the musicians I spoke to had looked into what health coverage they might be eligible to receive. As of now, the program only covers checkups for eligible patients who are already showing signs of preapproved diseases by the C.D.C. (Burnette had a kind of perverse luck: because she already had lung disease, she was being monitored for additional illnesses, which allowed them to catch her lung cancer relatively early.) Some believe that, to prevent more lung cancer cases, screenings should be broadened. Kaminski thinks that all people exposed to W.T.C. dust should be monitored, and high-risk people—those who smoked, or have genetic predispositions to certain diseases—should have access to preventative screenings.
A few weeks ago, Marya was in the hospital with a fever and was slipping into what our family called "episodes," when she couldn't stop coughing. A group of doctors and nurses that we learned was called "the rapid response team" would swarm her bed while we watched from the doorway. They stabilized her each time, but, after the last one, in August, the doctor told us that if it happened again, she might not make it through. That night, my aunt turned to me and my sister, and said, "My biggest regret is not seeing my nieces and nephew have a baby or get married." If she could, I think she would have winked. I asked her if she thought that volunteering with the musicians was worth it, if it might have contributed to her cancer. "You don't know what causes that shit," she said. But what if it was the towers, I asked. "I don't think I could do it differently," she said. Burnette said the same thing.
The Thursday before Labor Day, Marya decided that she was finished with chemotherapy and radiation. She's spending her time at home, surrounded by a steady stream of visitors, dictating what we cook. A few weeks ago, she received a check from the Victim Compensation Fund. She told me that she was going to use it to pay off her credit-card debt. After that, she'd like to use some of the money to rent "a house on the shore." It doesn't matter where, she said. Just one by the beach, for a week, where everyone could stop by when they could.
READ NEWS SOURCE
Previous articleTrump news – live: President appoints anti-Muslim conspiracy theorist to replace John Bolton on acting basis as details of rift between pair emerge
Next articleThe Secret to Japanese Comfort Food on Demand: Homemade Curry Bricks
washingtonlatest
Armando Iannucci Gets Lost in Space in "Avenue 5"
The Hourglass Deadline
Are the Democrats Ready for Trump's Impeachment Trial?
The Cryptic Crossword: No. 41
Stefanos Tsitsipas, the Percy Shelley of Tennis, Takes Aim at the Australian Open
Sunday Reading: The Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Conspiracy Theories That Never Gained Traction
"Sex Education," Season 2: The Doctor Is In
The Firefighter Whose Denunciation of Australia's Prime Minister Made Him a Folk Hero
Manoj Tiwary shines with unbeaten ton in Ranji Trophy


The 2019 race to decide who will be Nashville's next mayor is well under way, with elections already right around the corner. Well, not exactly, but August 1 will be here before you know it. State Representative John Ray Clemmons was the first candidate to challenge incumbent David Briley.
Both men are long-time and dependable allies to the LGBT community, and each is passionate about helping Nashville become the most welcoming city it can be. With two strong allies running, how do we choose for whom we will vote?
I sat down with John Ray Clemmons a week after meeting Mayor Briley, and chatted with him about his record, and his vision for the city. Perhaps this will help.
What do you consider some of your biggest legislative accomplishments as a member of the State House?
John Ray Clemmons: Well, as a state legislator, I serve in a pretty difficult environment for a progressive like myself, who really believes in our core values of equity, opportunity and justice. I've gained a bit of a reputation out there as a fighter, but I strongly believe that our values are worth fighting for. And a lot of discriminatory legislation that has come through the legislature was worth fighting against.
We have won some, we've lost some, and I still lose a lot of sleep over some of those we've lost, to be honest with you. First and foremost, the counseling bill. I fought that bill from the first day it was in sub-committee all the way to the House floor. And that's one of those that I still lose sleep over and I still hold it against Governor Haslam that he signed that bill.
As far as accomplishments, I've passed two affordable housing bills, I passed an education bill, I really played a key role in passing the Improve Act to increase generation of revenue for transportation infrastructure projects across the state… 440 wouldn't be getting redone right now, if it hadn't been for me and several others working across the aisle with Governor Haslam to push that through the legislature.
What led you to consider running for mayor?
John Ray Clemmons: Well, I'm really passionate about the issues facing our city. And, most of all, I'm passionate about the people in Nashville. You know, we like to think of ourselves as this progressive city, you know, this blue beacon on a hill in a sea of red. But we really need to step back and evaluate if we're really, truly a progressive city.
I mean, you know, on the Municipal Equality Index HRC puts out, we only scored 63. That's unacceptable. You know, we can't compare ourselves to other cities in Tennessee: we need to be a national leader when it comes to progress.
I just feel really passionate about the issues facing not only the LGBTQ community, but everyone a whole. I mean, the issues are the same across the board, in most cases … so affordable housing, transportation, education, public safety, those types of things. The homelessness issue is a serious problem in the city. And I think the number of homeless in this in this city is underestimated.
Those are just issues about which I feel very passionately: I've had success in the toughest environments of the state legislature working on those issues. And I want to bring my leadership ability to the Mayor's Office to have a more direct impact and provide some real leadership on those issues.
What are you hearing are the important issues from your LGBTQ supporters?
We have a real problem with children being displaced, unfortunately… It's something I've worked on in the legislature… And the counseling bill was a perfect example. Children who either come out to their parents or have trouble self-identifying even, they go to someone for help: if it's a counselor, now we've created an environment where counselors can turn them away.
Unfortunately, parents also turn their own children away. And we have a huge homeless population of children in this city. We have a huge population in this city of people needing help and assistance, whether it's through general hospital or whether it's housing, and so we have to do a better job of addressing all those issues.
Mayor Briley's a lot that has had a positive impact for the LGBT community… Where would you go beyond that?
John Ray Clemmons: There are two areas of particular passion for me, just from personal experience: our city can do a lot more to support the LGBTQ senior community, and we can do a lot more to help those suffering from HIV and AIDS. Nashville CARES does great things. But we as a city need to address this issue. And, again, I speak from personal experience on that, with a loved one. But those are two areas that I would really like to see us make headway.
I think there's a role for every level of government to play in this. And I think it's an opportunity for Metro government to be a leader, to put it on the radar for the state to really talk about this as an issue that we have to address, because it's not going away… What we need is for an entire municipality to raise awareness of an issue that's affecting to large of a population, not just in our city, but the entire state, to really put it front and center. We have that opportunity.
What would you say in closing to our readers?
John Ray Clemmons: We should not be legislating out of fear in Metro. We have to do what we think is best and right, in the best interest of Nashvillians, all Nashvillians. If the state wants to step up and do something, then we'll take them on and we'll deal with it. If we have the lead from Metro, then let's lead from Metro, and I think that leadership is missing.
Equity, opportunity, and justice. If we operate from those core values, and build policies around those core values, our city will be on the path to being a truly progressive city. I would rather Nashville lead the nation in these areas, than just try to survive being a blue dot in the state of Tennessee.
Click here for other articles mentioning John Ray Clemmons!


text:
Landscapes of the Law: Injury, Remedy, and Social Change in Thailand
Law and Society Review, Vol. 43, No. 1, pp. 61-94, 2009
Buffalo Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2009-14
35 Pages Posted: 2 Jul 2009
See all articles by David M. Engel
David M. Engel
Date Written: July 2, 2009
This article explains why, in a rapidly changing Asian society, tort law surprisingly plays a diminished role. Sociolegal theorists since Weber have postulated that state law operates by interacting with and responding to non-state legal orders. In Thailand, for much of the twentieth century the state law of torts interacted with and responded to a non-state customary law of injury and remediation. These two types of law were associated with two distinctive types of mapping that extended law across the Thai landscape. When European-based laws and legal institutions were first imposed by the emergent Thai state at the turn of the twentieth century, a then unprecedented form of mapping drew boundary lines around political spaces and applied new law codes uniformly throughout the jurisdictions thus enclosed. Such legal maps coexisted with a second type of customary mapping organized around sacred centers from which law radiated outward, diminishing in intensity and effectiveness with distance. The two maps were connected in the sense that injury victims sometimes invoked state law in order to enforce the norms and procedures of customary law.
This article, based on recent interviews with injured persons, lawyers, insurance agents, and others, examines the relationship between state and non-state laws during a period of dramatic social change at the turn of the twenty-first century. It suggests that recent transformations of Thai society have rendered ineffective the customary norms and procedures associated with the law of sacred centers. Since state law no longer interacts with or responds to customary law, ordinary people increasingly view Thai tort law as irrelevant. Litigation rates have fallen and injury victims can no longer envision any effective way to compel injurers to pay compensation.
Keywords: Thailand, Asian Law, Southeast Asia, comparative law, law and geography, law and anthropology, torts, globalization, legal pluralism, religion, Buddhism, karma
Engel, David M., Landscapes of the Law: Injury, Remedy, and Social Change in Thailand (July 2, 2009). Law and Society Review, Vol. 43, No. 1, pp. 61-94, 2009, Buffalo Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2009-14, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1428870
David M. Engel (Contact Author)
SUNY Buffalo Law School ( email )
415 O'Brian Hall