text:
Thirty Seconds to Mars Triumph in the Ziggo Dome, But Has This Become the Jared Leto Show?
Jack Parker March 21, 2018
LivePhoto Reports
By now, it's safe to assume that we all know who Jared Leto is. The actor, director, humanitarian and – perhaps most predominantly – face of alternative rockers Thirty Seconds to Mars is an ever present entity across our various different creative disciplines. This is something which we've all become accustomed to in recent years, simply because there seems to be no limit to his abilities. Although acting has taken up more of a key role in Leto's life of late (take his career peak Suicide Squad as a good example of this), he still manages to find time for pushing boundaries when it comes to the creative clusterfuck that is Thirty Seconds to Mars. So much so, that you'd be forgiven for assuming that Jared Leto is the band. Sure, their grittier and heavier beginnings outlined them as saviours of rock, but as time passes the focus seems to shift more and more from a three-piece to something which many critics have dubbed The Jared Leto Show.
The above isn't meant to be perceived negatively, but it does beg the question: how much of what we used to love about Thirty Seconds to Mars still exists, and how much of what the band (read: creative entity) do now is fuelled purely by Leto's egotistical creative offshoots. With a new studio album due in 2018, both questions will more likely than not be answered over the course of the group's current MONOLITH tour, which is trekking across Europe in all its LED screen-glory. Not that this tour has panned out exactly as fans would have hoped, though, as key member Tomo Milicevic is missing due to undisclosed personal reasons. This leaves Jared Leto (complete with Jesus hair) alongside his brother Shannon, with the duo together taking on a sparsely filled Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam tonight (20 March). Just as was the case last time the group stopped off at the Dutch arena, the upper seating ring finds itself empty. There are even empty seats scattered throughout the lower seating ring, one which looks out over a stage curiously stationed in the middle of the room. It allows the entire arena to experience the Leto brothers up close and personal, visible from all angles so that you'll never miss a beat. And not a beat was missed, not least thanks to the abundance of backing tracks and intricately placed samples which accompanied Leto and his drumming brother.
Set opener Up in the Air set the tone well, incorporating crowd interaction from the word go. This is one of the many things Jared Leto does well, as it allows him to extend his reach and open his arms to a world of fans who grew up closely attached to his band's music. The Ziggo Dome floor, which is made up of 6,000 enthusiastic fans, is a sweltering mass of bodies for the duration of the ninety minute show, not letting up for anything. The show reaches an early peak thanks to behemoth single Kings & Queens (which is paired up with the pummelling This Is War), which has been extended to encourage as much crowd participation as humanly possible. As becomes prevalent throughout the night, it seems to be the case that showman Leto is extremely reliant on crowd interaction (in his defence – what else did you expect from a Hollywood actor?). Some songs are interrupted and restarted in order to get the crowd going ("Hold on, hold on. Why are you guys still sitting on your seats?" asked Leto at one point), whereas others – such as the militant Search & Destroy and restrained Do Or Die – are drawn out to a point of no return. Whether you like it or not, Leto will go out of his way to put himself on a pedestal in order to satisfy the masses watching (in this case, 12,000 Dutch fans). Some may call it ego-feeding, and to an extent it is, but others may just put it down to his sheer passion for entertaining fans.
This continues over the course of some fourteen songs, including the first full performance of The Kill since 2011. The only thing missing here is Leto's guitar, which he has largely abandoned for tonight's show in favour of the aforementioned crowd interaction. There isn't a single moment during the show where Leto doesn't try to rile up the crowd or push them to the emotional edge (a cover of Rihanna's Stay takes care of this). He even introduces Kensington frontman Eloi Youssef to the stage for comeback single Walk on Water, which ensures that the crowd absolutely lose their shit (for those unaware: Kensington are huge in their home country). Competition winners (dubbed the 3fm Rock Gods) are introduced to the stage for rocky cut Conquistador, before a suitably powerful Closer to the Edge sees swathes of fans take to the stage to assist Leto in bringing his show to an end. Inviting fans onstage has become a staple in the band's live show over the years, so it definitely did not come as a surprise to see a selection of hand-picked fans join the prepaid VIP ticket holders for Closer to the Edge's grandiose, balloon and confetti-laden ending (because who doesn't love a good bit of confetti?).
Notice the deliberate use of his above, because a Thirty Seconds to Mars live experience anno 2018 really does revolve around Jared Leto. Sure, he's the frontman and it's something you'd expect from a man whose life revolves around public appearance, but at times you forget that Thirty Seconds to Mars consists of more than just one man. This may be the case in the studio, but live you probably wouldn't even notice if Shannon Leto was replaced by a backing track. The absence of Tomo Milicevic is due to personal reasons, but even if he were present there'd be no denying that Leto is the star of the show. No amount of backing tracks or accompanying live gimmicks (take the huge stage show as a prime example of this) can take away from the enormous impact Jared Leto has on a room, so much so that it's almost swallowed up everything which remains of the band. Thirty Seconds to Mars are well and truly able to deliver a powerful and emotional live show, and you have to respect that ability, but deep down it does feel as though the band are no longer what they used to be. The Jared Leto Show, anyone? Jack Parker.
Thirty Seconds to Marsziggo dome
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Jack Parker
Writer. Photographer. Love a good trip to the KFC.
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Jack Parker November 14, 2016
Gallery: Volbeat @ Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam
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text:
JONATHAN D. MAYO
The Law Office Of
ABOUT ATTORNEY MAYO
Attorney Jonathan Mayo, a 16th-generation Cape Codder, understands the various challenges people can face. Having come from humble beginnings, Attorney Mayo raised a family on Cape Cod, and educated himself while working full-time. He earned a Bachelor's Degree in Business and Accounting, a Master's Degree in Public Administration, and ultimately his Juris Doctor Degree from Suffolk University Law School. While at Suffolk Law Mr. Mayo immersed himself in legal writing and study, eventually earning a jurisprudence award.
Mr. Mayo has worked as an inventor, at industrial design, worked in the insurance industry as a licensed agent, and won a public interest fellowship at Suffolk University. Having exposure to matters in both the private and public sectors allows Attorney Mayo to see legal matters holistically, and think out-of-the box. Dedication to client causes is paramount.
The Law Office of Jonathan Mayo is ready to assist you in a diverse array of legal matters.
Call 508-771-1373 for a free consultation.
Attorney Mayo is licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
32 Pinewood Rd. West Yarmouth MA 02673 (Mailing Address)
jdmlaw.org
jdm@jdmlaw.org
Inquiries and information submitted through this link will be held confidential, but their submission is limited to purposes of initial consultation, and such submission alone does not create an attorney/client relationship between those who submit information here and the Law Office of Jonathan D. Mayo, or Jonathan D. Mayo, Esq.
© 2018 Jonathan Dean Mayo

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Select Regular or Flexi membership, start date, duration & no. of seat(s). PAY ONLINE using multiple payment methods & you are set. It's fast, easy & convenient.
a. on or before 15th of the month, membership will be charged prorate for that month.
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b. after 15th of the month, membership can be consumed till the end of next month.
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text:
The Entry Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone: A Framework for the Experience and Project
Elizabeth DeIuliis, OTD, OTR/L; Julie Bednarski, OTD, MHS, OTR/L
8.50 x 11.00 inches
Amazon KindleVitalSource
The purpose of The Entry Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone: A Framework for The Experience and Project is to provide a step-by-step guide for the development, planning, implementation and dissemination of the entry-level occupational therapy doctoral capstone experience and project.
The first entry-level occupational therapy doctorate program was established in 1999, but even now there is a scarcity of occupational therapy resources to guide faculty, prepare students and to socialize mentors to the capstone experience and project. The Entry Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone by Drs. Elizabeth DeIuliis and Julie Bednarski is the first available resource in the field of occupational therapy devoted to the doctoral capstone.
Each chapter provides sample resources and useful documents appropriate for use with occupational therapy doctoral students, faculty, capstone coordinators and site mentors.
Included Inside:
Templates to develop the MOU, individualized doctoral student objectives, and evaluations
Examples of how to structure capstone project proposals
Learning activities to guide the literature search and development of a problem statement
Strategies of how to approach sustainability and program evaluation of the capstone project
Recommendations for structure and formatting of the final written document
Additional scholarly products derived from the project
Other scholarly deliverables including formats for professional presentations and submissible papers
The Entry Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone: A Framework for The Experience and Project will be the first of its kind to serve as a textbook to provide recommendations that will benefit various stakeholders among the capstone team.
Part I: Development
Chapter 1: Roles, Responsibilities, and Expectations for the Capstone
Chapter 2: Understanding the ACOTE Areas of Focus for the Capstone
Chapter 3: Synthesizing the Evidence: A Process to Determine a Course of Action for the Capstone
Chapter 4: Capstone Site Development and Communication
Part II: Planning
Chapter 5: Practice-Ready Skills for the Capstone
Chapter 6: Finalizing the Planning Phase With the Capstone Team
Part III: Implementation
Chapter 7: Capstone Project Management
Chapter 8: Supporting Sustainability of the Capstone Project Through Program Evaluation
Chapter 9: Evaluation of the Capstone Experience
Part IV: Dissemination
Chapter 10: Suggested Components of the Final Capstone Report
Chapter 11: Scholarly Deliverables and Impact of the Capstone
"With over 100 academic programs in the application or development stage for the entry occupational therapy doctoral degree, this book is timely. It will soon be the go-to book for the capstone process."
© Doody's Review Service, 2020, Yvonne M. Randall, EdD, OTR/L, FAOTA
Elizabeth D. DeIuliis is a Clinical Associate Professor and the Assistant Department Chair, Director of Community/
Clinical Education and Academic Fieldwork Coordinator at Duquesne University, which maintains dual-entry occupational therapy programs at the entry level masters and doctoral degree level in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dr. DeIuliis attended Duquesne University and graduated with a master's degree in occupational therapy in 2004. In December 2009, she completed a post-professional doctorate of occupational therapy degree at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She continues to practice clinically on a per diem basis at UPMC Shadyside Hospital within Centers of Rehab Services. Dr. DeIuliis is an active member of the American Occupational Therapy Association and Pennsylvania Occupational Therapy Association, and a long-standing volunteer for the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT). Dr. DeIuliis completed the AOTA Academic Leadership Institute and earned the credential Certified Academic Leader (CLA) in 2018.
Julie A. Bednarski is currently a Clinical Associate Professor and the Associate Program Director in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Indiana University in Indianapolis, Indiana. Prior to joining the faculty at Indiana University, she was an Associate Professor, the Doctoral Capstone Coordinator, and Assistant Director of the School of Occupational Therapy at the University of Indianapolis. Dr. Bednarski graduated from Boston University in 1986 with her Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy. She went on to receive her master's in health science at the University of Indianapolis in 1996. In December 2010, she received her post-professional doctorate in Occupational Therapy at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dr. Bednarski has more than 30 years of clinical experience. She is an active volunteer for the NBCOT. It was through committee work at NBCOT that Dr. Bednarski and Dr. DeIuliis became friends and colleagues and began this book collaboration. Dr. Bednarski has presented at state and national conferences on topics including occupational justice, teaching methodologies, and community practice, among others. Dr. Bednarski is passionate about the doctoral capstone and the positive impact this experience has on students, clients, sites, and the profession.
Developing Clinical Competence: A Workbook for the OTA, Second Edition
Documentation Manual for Occupational Therapy: Writing SOAP Notes, Fourth Edition
Applied Theories in Occupational Therapy: A Practical Approach, Second Edition
Group Dynamics in Occupational Therapy: The Theoretical Basis and Practice Application of Group Intervention, Fifth Edition
Implementation Science in Nursing: A Framework for Education and Practice
Physical Agent Modalities: Theory and Application for the Occupational Therapist, Third Edition
Clinical Simulation for Healthcare Professionals
Kinesiology for Occupational Therapy, Third Edition


Edit: I went ahead and switched the new webserver in. Let me know in this thread or in PM if you find breakages.
"413 Request Entity Too Large"
when trying to upload an image >1MB on Sega Retro?
I uploaded a new avatar a few days ago, and it still hasn't updated outside of the User CP settings. Is this related?
Not sure. I see this one. It could possibly be a caching problem. If the one in my screenshot is wrong, tell me and I'll force a refresh for it, if it's correct on my screen and wrong on yours, it's stuck in your browser cache.
For what it's worth, I see her correct avatar.
Well, I see the old one. I'l point out that I had this exact issue when I changed my avatar to my current one. It took about a week for the old one to disappear, but I could see it fine in the User CP.
Decided to update it via an external URL, and it seems to have worked. Dunno what the issue is with straight-uploading avatars, but at least there's a temporary solution.
This has been happening since at least 7 hours ago.
I'm pretty confident the avatar-uploading issue is long-standing and related to overly aggressive CloudFlare cacheing.


text:
AERU AGRICULTURE & ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH UNIT
AERU
What is AERU?
Kathy Lewis
John Tzilivakis
Doug Warner
Avice Hall
AERU's impact
PhD opportunities
Agroecology, biodiversity and ecosystem services
Chemicals in food and feed
Climate change (greenhouse gas emissions/land carbon management)
Nutrients and crop nutrition
Pesticides and crop protection
Skills and services
Development of new environmental assessment techniques
Application of environmental assessment techniques
Policy impact assessment
Software, website and database development
Collation, review and analysis of data and literature
PPDB - Pesticide Properties DataBase
BBPD - Bio-Pesticides DataBase
VSDB - Veterinary Substances DataBase
EFA Calculator
IMPACCT
The toxicological and environmental risks from chemicals in food packaging
AERU have recently undertaken a few projects that have sought to collate and assess the latest evidence on the potential human health impacts of substances used in food packaging. These projects are outlined below.
2020-2021: Regulatory support for the risk assessment and re-evaluation of Bisphenol A as used in food packaging (Ref. GP/EFSA/FIP/2018/02 - Lot 3)
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical manufactured in significant quantities for use primarily in the production of polycarbonates and epoxy resins, and as an additive in plastics. Polycarbonate plastics have a wide range of applications including food and drink packaging, and food contact materials. BPA is authorised for use in plastic food contact materials, in accordance with Commission Regulation (EU) No 10/2011, and its subsequent revisions, on plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with foodstuffs. As there are concerns that BPA could leach into food or drink from food contact materials and so may have the potential to harm human health, BPA is currently subject to a specific migration limit (SML) of 0.05 mg kg-1 of food. The SML is the maximum permitted amount of a substance migrating from the packaging into food. This limit ensures that the food contact material does not pose a risk to human health and is an essential tool to help ensure that the health of all consumers, including the most sensitive populations, are protected. Periodically, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) revisits the science underpinning the establishment of the SML and undertakes a new comprehensive risk assessment and re-evaluation of BPA to ensure the SML is fit for purpose and is based on the latest scientific understanding. AERU, in collaboration with UH toxicologists, have been working with EFSA to undertake the groundwork for the latest re-evaluation process.
2019-2020: The toxicological and environmental risks from chemicals in food packaging (Ref. GP/EFSA/FIP/2018/01 – Lot 3)
It is widely recognised that chemicals from packaging and other food-contact materials can migrate into the food itself and thus be ingested by the consumer. Consequently, the monitoring of this migration has become an integral part of ensuring food safety. There are also concerns that some chemicals may leach from plastic packaging and pollute the environment and that, even at very low concentration levels, this may cause environmental problems particularly for wildlife. AERU are currently undertaking a number of projects for Governments and their Agencies to consider the extent of the risks based upon a critical review of existing knowledge.
Lewis, K.A. and Tzilivakis, J. (2019) Implementation of the evidence-based risk assessment for the re-evaluation of Bisphenol A: preparatory work on cross-sectional studies. European Food Safety Authority, Parma, Italy.
Prof. Kathy Lewis
©University of Hertfordshire, 2020.


text:
Reaction mass of Amines, C10-14-branched and linear alkyl, [2,4-dihydro-4-[(2-hydroxy- 4-nitrophenyl)azo]-5-methyl-2-phenyl-3H-pyrazol-3-onato(2-)][2,4-dihydro-4-[(2-hydroxy-5-nitrophenyl)azo]-5-methyl-2-phenyl-3H-pyrazol-3-onato(2-)]chromate(1-); Amines, C10-14-branched and linearalkyl, bis[2,4-dihydro-4-[(2-hydroxy-5-nitrophenyl)azo]-5-methyl-2-phenyl-3H-pyrazol-3-onato(2-)]chromate(1-) (1:1) and Amines, C10-14-branchedand linear alkyl, bis[2,4-dihydro-4-[(2-hydroxy-4-nitrophenyl)azo]-5-methyl-2-phenyl-3H-pyrazol-3-onato(2-)] chromate(1-)
Acute oral toxicity study (equivalent to OECD 401) with the constituent CAS 84961-40-0: LD50 1200.0 mg/kg bw. The effect level is not corrected for the relative composition as a conservative approach.
Acute oral toxicity study (equivalent to OECD 401) with the constituent CAS 85029-57-8: LD50 > 10000 mg/kg bw.
Acute toxicity: via oral route
Link to relevant study records
read-across from supporting substance (structural analogue or surrogate)
Please refer to the attached document for the read-across justification
Reason / purpose:
read-across source
1 200 mg/kg bw
other: Based on read-across from CAS 84961-40-0
No correction for the relative composition is applied on the effect level as a conservative approach.
> 10 000 mg/kg bw
Endpoint conclusion
Endpoint conclusion:
Acute toxicity: via inhalation route
Acute toxicity: via dermal route
No acute oral toxicity data is available on the substance itself. Therefore read-across is performed to the constituents with CAS 84961-40-0 and CAS 85029-57-8. No correction for the relative composition is applied on the effect level as a conservative approach.
CAS No. 84961-40-0
In a study equivalent to OECD Guideline 401, the acute toxicity of CAS No. 84961-40-0 was tested using male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. 5 animals/sex/dose were exposed to a single dose of 825, 1210, 1780, 2610 (only 4 males/dose) or 3830 mg/kg of test substance. Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) was used as vehicle. Animals were subjected to clinical observation during a period of 14 days. Clinical signs or mortality was noted at <15 min, 15 min, 30 min, 1 hour, 4 hours, 1 day, 2 days, 5 days, 6 days, 7 days, 8 days, 9 days, 12 days, 13 days and 14 days following exposure. Body weight was determined at 2-4, 7 and 13 days. All animals were subjected to pathological examination. No treatment-related effects were observed in the body weight changes. Diarrhoea and orange coloured faeces and/or urine was observed in all treated animals. Additionally, dyspnoea, apathy, stagger and a worse general condition was observed in the 2610 mg/kg dose group. No mortality was observed in the 825 mg/kg group. In the 1210 mg/kg group, 3 males and 3 females died after 7 days. In the 1780 mg/kg dose group, 1 male and 4 females died after 7 days. In the 2610 and 3830 mg/kg dose groups, all animals died after 7 days. Gross pathology only revealed findings in the animals that died during the study, which included acute dilation of the atria, acute hyperaemia and staining of the substance on organs/adipose tissue/musculature. Based on these data, an LD50 of 1600.0 and 1200.0 mg/kg was determined for males and females, respectively (BASF 1981).
In a study equivalent to OECD Guideline 401, the acute toxicity of CAS No. 85029-57-8 was tested using male and female Gassner rats. 5 animals/sex/dose were exposed to a single dose of 8000 and 10000 mg/kg bw test substance. Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) was used as vehicle and the substance was administered as a watery 30% suspension. Animals were observed during a period of 14 days after 1 hour, 24 hours, 48 hours, 7 days and 14 days and necropsy of survivors was performed. No mortality was observed. Fast breathing during the first 3 hours after application. Necropsy revealed mild red staining of organs in both dose groups and 3 or 2 animals (in the 8000 and 1000 mg/kg bw dose group, respectively) had a parasite infection of the caecum (Oxyuren). Based on these data the LD50 was determined to be above 10000 mg/kg bw (BASF 1972).
Based on the results of the available studies, the substance has to be classified as Acute Tox. 4, H302 (Harmful if swallowed), in accordance with EU Classification, Labelling and Packaging of Substances and Mixtures (CLP) Regulation No. (EC) 1272/2008.


text:
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Jean Noel Humbert was the Chief Executive Officer of the Mauritius Sugar Syndicate till his retirement in December 2014.
He was the General Secretary of the Mauritius Chamber of Agriculture from 1997 to 2015 and in this capacity, represented the private sector with the Government on different issues relating to the agricultural sector. He also previously occupied different posts at managerial level within the Food & Allied Group, (now Eclosia Group), and was the President of the National Productivity & Competitiveness Council.
He is presently Chief Corporate Affairs Officer at Food & Allied Group, (now Eclosia Group), and consultant to the Mauritius Sugar Syndicate with respect to sugar marketing and institutional issues. Jean Noel Humbert has a vast experience in institutional affairs more particularly in the field of international trade and in the marketing of sugar having a wide knowledge of sugar markets worldwide. He has also been closely involved in the strategy and process that have led to the change from raw to white refined sugar exports from Mauritius.


text:
package services

import (
	"github.com/gocms-io/gocms/context"
	"gopkg.in/gomail.v2"
	"log"
)

type IMailService interface {
	Send(*Mail) error
}

type MailService struct {
	Dialer *gomail.Dialer
	From   string
}

type Mail struct {
	To      string
	Subject string
	Body    string
}

func DefaultMailService() *MailService {
	mailService := &MailService{
		Dialer: gomail.NewDialer(context.Config.SMTPServer, int(context.Config.SMTPPort), context.Config.SMTPUser, context.Config.SMTPPassword),
		From:   context.Config.SMTPFromAddress,
	}

	return mailService

}

func (ms *MailService) Send(mail *Mail) error {

	m := gomail.NewMessage()
	m.SetHeader("From", ms.From)
	m.SetHeader("To", mail.To)
	m.SetHeader("Subject", mail.Subject)
	m.SetBody("text/plain", mail.Body)

	// Send the email
	if !context.Config.SMTPSimulate {
		err := ms.Dialer.DialAndSend(m)
		if err != nil {
			log.Print("Error sending mail: " + err.Error())
		}
	} else {
		log.Print("Email simulated: " + mail.Body)
	}

	return nil
}


This article offers a simple typology of different kinds of change. It was developed to help clients understand change in organisations and it helps to explain the specific nature of organisational change as the most fundamental of these. It also offers some thoughts on the nature of organisational change.
I usually refer to myself as an organisational consultant; indeed, my masters degree is in organisational consultancy. But most people don't know what that means (and nor did I until I started my MSc) so I often find myself trying to explain. Potential clients are not usually interested in abstract theory and the challenge is to find a reasonably accessible way of describing what I do. This article offers a typology of change in organisations, not as a theoretical abstraction, but as a way of helping people understand the nature of organisational change.
In what follows I will say a little more about each—much more than I would expect to say to a potential client, but still being far from exhaustive.
Hammer and Champney contrast the process way of thinking with a simple task focus, where each individual activity is viewed in isolation. Their work is thus a step towards a more holistic view of organisational life. Processes can cut right across structural boundaries such as departments, divisions or even firms; if the process can be managed and designed to operate as a seamless whole enormous efficiencies could follow.
Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) was sold as a radical form of organisational transformation. By re-ordering the processes to a more natural customer-focused way the hope was that organisations would undergo a step change and move to new ways of working and being. The reality was usually different.
This is not the place to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of BPR but the absence of any reference to people in the definition above is very significant. In fact, processes always involve interactions between people, usually on a one-to-one basis.
A better perspective on process comes, in my view, by considering the interactions between the people who actually interact with one another to deliver the process. Winograd & Flores' notion of commitments (1986) is worth exploring further in this context.
When most people in organisations speak of systems they are referring to sets of procedures. Increasingly these will be facilitated by networked computers; so much so that IT systems are now the first kind most managers will call to mind. But there are also HR systems: reward and recognition; recruitment and retention; appraisal and development; and so on. There are Health and Safety systems such as 'permit to work', payroll and finance systems, and so on. Many of these are codified into standards such as ISO 9000.
Books on change in organisations often spend chapter after chapter advising on how to change systems but although useful and essential, changing systems is unlikely to bring about fundamental change.
System change in organisations is often not systemic—that is it rarely takes account of the wider implications for the organisation as a whole. For instance I recently worked with an organisation which re-arranged its shift system for production workers from a six-shift to five-shift system. Production is continuous throughout the day and year and the new system requires fewer workers but means that each shift only spends one week in five on days.
The same organisation also introduced a new 'permit to work' system (safety is crucial) which gave more responsibility to the production workers. Each change was made for good reasons but the effect of the two together is that maintenance workers are having to wait hours for their permits, they get frustrated and demotivated and the state of maintenance at the plant is poor.
The temptation is to 'fix' one or other of the systems so that they gel together better. The chances are that this temptation should be resisted—unless we ask why this situation was allowed to occur, real change is unlikely.
Structure is the outward form of organisation; an indication of the regularities which arise when groups of people get together in pursuit of a common purpose. Structures will inevitably emerge from the interactions between individuals—these people will usually work together; this one will usually adopt a leadership role; these will perform some functions, those will perform others; this group will have more status and power than that; and so on.
Yet although structure will always emerge, in modern organisations it is usually imposed from 'outside'. A conscious decision is made: perhaps to move from a hierarchy to a matrix; or from functional divisions to process-focused work teams.
Traditional 'expert' consultants are often very skilled at suggesting appropriate structures for different kinds of organisation in particular environments. Vast sums were expended (and often still are) in creating new structures. How often these projects deliver value for money must be questioned—indeed, it can be argued that one of their primary functions is to provide a mechanism to help managers deal with anxiety in organisational life (Hirschhorn & Barnett 1993).
I use the word 'pattern' to indicate that although the way the networks of relationships occur is completely unpredictable at the micro level there are nevertheless some regularities and consistencies.
The metaphor of the whirlpool may help here. From the point of view of an individual water molecule all is change and progress—it enters the whirlpool at a specific place (the source), moves from outside to inside in a way which is sometimes orderly and sometimes turbulent and finally exits into another relatively calm environment (the sink). Technically, the whirlpool is a chaotic system and it is not possible to predict the trajectory of an individual molecule.
To the outside observer the whirlpool seems to present a relatively stable and recognisable pattern. Not only can we recognise a whirlpool if we see one but any particular whirlpool has features which persist over time (the Great Red Spot in Jupiter's atmosphere is a good example).
It is crucial to recognise that the patterns of relationship which make up organisation are not designed or imposed from 'above' or 'outside'; they are co-created by all the other conversations and interactions which are occurring. Patterns may have a degree of stability but they too are both influenced and influencing in this continuous dance of change.
Change in the patterns of organisation - 'culture change', as it is often called - is not a simple or predictable process. I believe that cultural patterns are emergent, the result of thousands of individual local-level interactions and that although they can be influenced, these patterns are remarkably resistant to change (for more on this see Culture and Complexity and Emergence in Organisations).
Culture is created and sustained by the daily conversations, negotiations and commitments which take place between members of an organisation (and its stakeholders).
Therefore, to change the culture, have different conversations.
But because culture is an emergent phenomenon it is patterned and this affects (co-creates) the pattern of conversational relationships.
So it is not easy to change the conversations. You need new connections, diverse thinking, new ways of behaving.
Change can be threatening—especially if organisational identity is threatened.
Changing the symbols and rituals may be essential for change but if done insensitively may feel like challenging identity.
A strong and secure sense of organisational identity will enable change to be tested and accepted.
Change can also challenge existing power structures. Therefore it may be (sometimes unconsciously) blocked by those with power.
Open acknowledgement of issues such as these can make the change process easier but are no guarantee of success.
A clear sense of the desired culture can be helpful. Ideally this should be generated by the organisation as a whole. Get everyone to draw the culture they want, or describe it in a series of metaphors or postulate a few key 'unwritten rules' (see Describing Culture for more information on Cultural Inquiry).
The leadership of the organisation then have a particular role as guardians and promoters of the vision.
A key way in which they can do this is to tell and share empowering stories about the organisation's strengths and its potential for the future.
It is also important to have some clear limits to what change is permissible.
Within these limits, and in pursuit of the vision, people should be encouraged and resourced to try new ways of working and relating (see A Model of Self-Organised Transformation).
It should also be possible to gently challenge the limits themselves. They will evolve over time.
Finally, and most importantly (and hardest of all) patience and faith in the process are required.
An awareness of the Kübler-Ross change curve is useful because many change initiatives are stopped when they are at the bottom of the curve.
'Emergent' processes such as Open Space (Owen 1997), World Café, Future Search (Weisbord & Janoff 2000), Whole Scale Change (Danemillar et al 2000), Liquid Café and so on are often best in encouraging emergent change.
An Appreciative framework, if not a full-scale Appreciative Inquiry approach (Watkins & Mohr 2001), will normally get the best results.
Can we create a sustainable change? There seems to be a notion of intentionality about the framing of this question which no longer seems entirely appropriate to me. Let me try to explain where I currently am.
It seems to me that the traditional OD perspectives are from outside the system. There is always some sense that the consultant or the management or even everybody in the organisation can *make* the organisation change into what they want it to be - the only trick is finding the right approach.
Of course, generally speaking, organisations do not change in this way but that has not been fatal to this paradigm. Instead, accepting it without challenge, people (mainly consultants) have rushed around trying to find new tricks for making things happen. This turns out to be quite a lucrative pastime for consultants and psychologically satisfying for their clients so there seems little reason to challenge the paradigm.
These approaches, however they are couched, usually take an external perspective, seeing the organisation as a thing to be operated upon. It is very hard to dispense with this view, which belongs to 19th century physics, and is mechanical in its approach.
My own current view (it's still in a state of flux—a nice oxymoron) is that we cannot make organisations do anything much. It is possible to destroy them (closure, bankruptcy, etc.) and to radically disrupt them (mergers & acquisitions, radical downsizing, etc.) but the effects of even these actions are quite unpredictable.
1) Help the organisation to discover some clear goals for change to which most people can aspire.
2) Help the people in the organisation become better connected with more diversity of inputs and interactions.
The second will help the organisation move closer to self-organised criticality; the first will help influence the direction of any emergences which occur.
The actual changes will not be created by this process. Instead, we are looking to help the organisation be ready to change when the stimulus comes. In the critical state it only needs a small stimulus to lead to a major effect. Since all organisations are open systems—even Trappist monasteries—sooner or later the right trigger stimulus will come along and the change will occur.
Of course, this is all pretty speculative—the work on complexity is still a long way from modelling human systems; in particular it tends to be based on large assemblages of simple agents (Bak's sandpiles, Kauffman's Boolean networks, Holland's genetic algorithms, etc.) whereas human organisations have complex systems as agents and these agents have intentionality, a quality which no-one has really been able to model yet.
Nevertheless, I believe that complexity approaches are giving us pointers which enable us to start thinking out of the box and offer some potentially interesting approaches to organisation consulting.
Bak, Per 1997, How Nature Works: The Science of Self-Organized Criticality, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Dannemiller, Kathleen et al 2000, Whole-Scale Change: Unleashing the Magic in Organizations, San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.
Hammer, Michael and Champney, James 1995, Reengineering the Corporation: A Manifesto for Business Revolution, revised edition, London: Nicholas Brealey.
Hirschhorn, Larry and Barnett, Carole K. 1993, The Psychodynamics of Organizations, Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
Holland, John H. 1998, Emergence: From Chaos to Order. Reading, Mass: Helix.
Kauffman, Stuart 1996, At Home in the Universe: The Search for Laws of Complexity. Harmondsworth: Penguin.
Kübler Ross, Elisabeth 1973, On Death and Dying: What the Dying Have to Teach Doctors, Nurses, Clergy, and Their Own Families, London: Tavistock.
Owen, Harrison 1997, Open Space Technology: A User's Guide, San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.
Seel, Richard 2000, "Complexity and Culture: New Perspectives on Organisational Change", Organisations & People, Vol. 7 No. 2, pp. 2-9.
, "Complexity and Culture: New Perspectives on Organisational Change", Organisations & People, Vol. 7 No. 2, pp. 2-9.


Special Counsel Robert Mueller's nearly two-year probe into Russian collusion in the 2016 presidential election wasn't just a cloud over the White House, but the entire Republican Party. And when it started to lift, GOP lawmakers wasted no time taking a victory lap.
One of the first lawmakers to receive Attorney General William Barr's summary of the Mueller report was Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is chairman of the Judiciary Committee. Graham, who is up for re-election in 2020 and had spent the day golfing with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, immediately declared the summary a vindication.
Democrats were quick to point out that Trump was not entirely exonerated; after all, only Barr's summary has been released, and Mueller took no stance on whether obstruction of justice had been committed, leaving that to Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who decided that it did not meet the legal standard.
But for Republicans it was more than enough.
The White House and the Republican National Committee, both of whom had remained virtually silent until Barr's summary was released, began circulating talking points to surrogates touting the report as a victory for them. "For years, Democrats and many in the media promised us there was collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Today, they were proven totally wrong and President Trump has been completely exonerated," read the talking points from the RNC, which were obtained by TIME.
Democrats had made clear the fight was just beginning; they plan to fight tooth and nail for all of the documents in Mueller's report, and will likely call in Barr — and possibly Mueller — to testify before Congress. For weeks, aides have also been pointing out that House Democrats, who now have the power of the gavel, are investigating a number of subjects much broader than what Mueller had been assigned to probe.
But after two years on defense, Republicans were ready to play offense.
Graham even argued that he would like a second special counsel — "someone like a Mr. Mueller" — to look into the origins of the Trump investigation, determine whether the FISA warrant process is being handled fairly and look into claims of bias at the FBI and the Department of Justice in the 2016 election.


text:
Q: How to print paragraphs and headings simultaneously while scraping in Python? I am a beginner in python. I am currently using Beautifulsoup to scrape a website.
str='' #my_url
source = urllib.request.urlopen(str);
soup = bs.BeautifulSoup(source,'lxml');
match=soup.find('article',class_='xyz');
for paragraph in match.find_all('p'):
    str+=paragraph.text+"\n"

My tag Structure -

dr

efkl

dr

efkl

dr

efkl

dr

efkl

I am getting output like this (as I am able to extract the paragraphs) -
 efkl
 efkl
 efkl
 efkl

Output I want ( I want the headings as well as the paragraphs) -
 dr
 efkl
 dr
 efkl
 dr
 efkl
 dr
 efkl

I want my output to also contains headings along with paragraphs.How to modify code in such a way that it contains header before paragraphs (Like in original HTML) .

A: You can peel the same apple in different ways to serve the purpose. Here are few of them:
Using .find_next():
from bs4 import BeautifulSoup

content="""

dr

efkl

dr

efkl

dr

efkl

dr

efkl

"""
soup = BeautifulSoup(content,"lxml")

for items in soup.find_all(class_="xyz"):
    data = '\n'.join(['\n'.join([item.text,item.find_next("p").text]) for item in items.find_all("h4")])
    print(data)

Using .find_previous_sibling():
for items in soup.find_all(class_="xyz"):
    data = '\n'.join(['\n'.join([item.find_previous_sibling("h4").text,item.text]) for item in items.find_all("p")])
    print(data)

Commonly used approach: multiple tags used within list:
for items in soup.find_all(class_="xyz"):
    data = '\n'.join([item.text for item in items.find_all(["h4","p"])])
    print(data)

All the three approaches produce the same result:
dr
efkl
dr
efkl
dr
efkl
dr
efkl

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Quill shuttlecock emerger, 2 sizes, 4 basic colours, however can be tied with any quill colour.
Very effective during upwing hatches when fish are feeding on emergers rather than imagos off the surface, along with the Quill BWO our best autumn grayling flies on the San river in Poland, tested with success on the river Eden in England, all the Slovenian rivers, in Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia and in.... Chile.
There is a man on this planet, an incredible angler and a fantastic person, a life changing friend of mine - sir Jeremy Lucas who will catch trout and grayling in any water puddle.
And with 95% probability I can tell you will feel humiliated after seeing him use this very fly.
If you ever heard about a PLUME TIP you have heard about a shuttlecock.


text:
The house "Porvoo cabin" in Kittilä is the home working space of Hugo Kalervo Palsa (born 1947, died 1987). Here under harsh conditions he grew up to be an artist known for his original depictions of the macabre, death and sexuality. Kalervo Palsa's mother, Hilja Kenttälä (b.1902, d.1978)was originally from Kittilä area, working as a maid in the main village of Kittilä, living in an area called Narikka. She had three illegitimate children before meeting Hugo Harald Palsa, a forest industry worker from Southern Finland arriving to Lapland, as many others before and after the second World War. They lived together in Narikka, an area inhabited by temporary working force, and altogether poor citizens of Kittilä.
During the Lapland war (1944-45) the German troops burned down most of the houses in Kittilä, only a few small cabins in Narikka and the main village's church remain from the destruction. In 1946 the family moved to one of the remaining cabins and after that is was known as the Porvoo house according to Hugo Palsa's nickname Porvoo. Hugo Kalervo Palsa, mostly known as Kalle was born March 12 1947 and was the last child of a family of six. Kalervo's half brothers Reino, Lassi and Martti were notably older than him. During the sixties mother Hilja used to sell illegal alcohol and young Kalervo was involved in the restless bootlegging, alcohol-fused life of the cabin from an early age. The lumberjacks used to come to the house drinking and playing cards until late hours. This was not atypical in the Narikka neighbourhood, infamous for its rough lifestyle. The family had relatives living close by and the community was compact, taking care of its own.
Father Hugo died in 1963 and stayed a distant figure in the artist's life. Alternatively mother Hilja was an important person throughout Kalervo Palsa's life, encouraging him on decision to become an artist. Palsa was interested in drawing and arts already as a child, receiving acclaim from his teachers of his talent. He did not enjoy going to school, having troubles adapting to strict rules and being with his classmates. He eventually graduated from high school in Kittilä –the first one in his family.
Kalervo Palsa started writing and drawing in a storage house next to the family's home. He started a journal at the age of fifteen, continuing the habit throughout his life, noting everyday events, ideas about numerous books he had read, art and life. He also wrote that general understanding for his art would have to wait after he had died and that he would face an early death. In 1966 he noted in his journal to make the storage his working space, later to become his studio. There he had the peace to work. In the studio he would deal with his dark thoughts: depression, suicidal intentions eventually leading to alcoholism. The living environment caused both anxiety and inspiration he used to transform into his art in the stillness of his studio.
There were already some famous artists in Kittilä before Kalervo Palsa. The first one, Einari Junttila gave Palsa some advice on art. Later Reidar Särestöniemi from the village of Kaukonen, was to become a close friend to the young artist. Both of them gave an example of living off one's art, implementing inspiration for Palsa as well.
Kalervo Palsa spent seven years studying in Helsinki where he started his studies in University of Industrial arts and design in 1971, continuing to the Academy of fine arts in 1973. His first group exhibition was held in Rovaniemi in 1969 after a private exhibition in the library of Kittilä a year earlier.
Throughout his career, Palsa struggled selling his art so he had to find other sources of income. During many years he worked as a letterer of translated comics for various employers. After his studies Palsa returned to live in Kittilä and named his working space Getsemane and the Cloud castle. The studio was very cold and during the wintertime materials froze and making it difficult to work. From 1982 Palsa lived alone in the cabin, painting in it yet sleeping in his Getsemane. He received some working grants meant for Lappish artists but remained poor.
During 1986 Palsa was working in Gerlesborg, Sweden as an artist in residence, later the same year he travelled to Copenhagen and Amsterdam, even New York. The following year he visited artistic events in Murmansk and the again the Netherlands. These were an inspiration and opened up the world to the Kittilä born artist. In October he caught a flu that developed to pneumonia. Kalervo Palsa died in his studio October 4th 1987. He was buried next to his mother in Kittilä cemetery. His colleague and friend, sculptor Pekka Pitkänen designed a monument for the grave named The burning bush.
The house and studio, as well as the artworks Palsa left to a dear friend, Maj-Lis Pitkänen who later donated the works, journals as well as other objects to Kiasma modern museum of art in 1999. In 2011 she sold the Porvoo cabin and Getsemane to Kauko Sorjonen foundation. The buildings were renovated and the paintings on the Getsemane walls restored the following year. Inauguration ceremony for Palsa museum was held 5.6.2013.
Text by Anne Koskamo
Sources and literature:
Kalervo Palsan arkisto Kuvataiteen keskusarkisto
Esillä olevat valokuvat: Kuvataiteen keskusarkisto
Onni Nikkisen haastattelu 20.6.2012 Kittilä. Haastattelija Anne Koskamo.
Kalervo Palsan päiväkirjat Merkintöjä vuosilta 1962–1987, toim. Maj-Lis Pitkänen
Kalervo Palsa toinen tuleminen resurrection 14.9.2002–5.1.2003 Nykytaiteen museo Kiasma


Can you believe it's already the first of October? This year has been an absolute whirlwind for me! After far too many years of sitting on the fence when it came to selling my jewelry, I finally opened an Etsy shop on January 28th of this year. The response, thankfully, has been overwhelmingly positive, so I am now in the process of formalizing my business structure and taking a more strategic approach to growing Door 44 Jewelry into my primary source of income.
A major part of my business strategy, of course, is a formal door44jewelry.com website, which I recently launched. As luck would have it, though, my current business cards reference beyonddoor44.com. So I can't simply pull the plug on this site. Not yet, anyway. For the time being, I'll be maintaining both sites. I'll probably still write some occasional blog posts here, but the blog at door44jewelry.com will be the primary location for all jewelry-specific blog posts for now.
Eventually, my goal is to let go of the beyonddoor44.com domain and move door44jewelry.com to a WordPress platform. I'll get there, but the transition will likely happen gradually over this coming year. Step by step, brick by brick, I'm inching closer every day to achieving my full vision for Door 44 Jewelry. And I'm thoroughly enjoying the process along the way.
Life is short. Do something you love!
"Egyptian Sun" pendant in silver featuring a Red Jasper focal stone and Carnelian accent beads.
Do stones have healing properties? I don't know for certain. It sounds implausible at first blush, yet people (mostly indigenous people) have believed in the healing power of stones for thousands of years.
I've always been drawn to stones for some reason, but I always assumed it was simply because I appreciated their natural beauty. I know people who say they can sense the energy of stones and crystals. I'm not one of those people–at least not consciously. I don't physically feel or sense energy in a way that I can clearly articulate, but I have come to realize through many years of dealing with emotionally incongruous people that I am extremely sensitive to emotional energy. I seem to be something of an empath in that regard. I pick up on the emotions of pretty much everyone around me, which certainly explains why I tend to prefer the company of animals.
Animals are masters of emotion. They move fluidly through a full emotional spectrum, and they're able to live in the moment. People, on the other hand, have a strong tendency to live in either the past or the future where they cling stubbornly to emotional extremes. This inability to live in the moment and process a healthy range of emotions fluidly results in emotional incongruity. We all have that one friend who smiles and jokes loudly (often inappropriately) to mask "negative" emotions like grief or anger that she simply doesn't want to acknowledge.
It's those masked emotions that I seem to absorb like a sponge. I actually don't have many emotionally incongruent people in my life anymore because I've spent the past ten years systematically eliminating them from my inner circle, but there was a time when I was completely surrounded by them; and they literally sucked the life out of me. For years I wondered how I could feel so emotionally drained while I was surrounded by other people yet I immediately felt better the moment I was alone. I blamed it on the fact that I was an introvert, and (naturally) I assumed that it was my fault that I felt so overwhelmingly sad or angry when I was surrounded by people who appeared to be happy, albeit superficially.
You might be wondering right now what any of this has to do with stones, and that is in fact the same question that I've been asking myself. For the past three years, I've managed to live inside a happy little isolation bubble. For the first time in my adult life, I'm not working outside of my home. I've had very little contact with anyone besides my husband and our daughter during that timeframe, so I've enjoyed the luxury of steering clear of most of the emotional pollution out there in the world.
"Desert Moon" pendant in copper featuring a Wood Jasper focal stone and Tiger Eye accent beads.
These three years have been a social sabbatical of sorts, but as my business grows, I'm finding it more and more necessary to interact with the outside world. I'm being invited to teach classes and to be a vendor at local craft shows. I'm getting more requests for custom work and private commissions, which involve a great deal of back and forth communication to hash out the details of the customer's jewelry design. I'm toying with the idea of writing tutorials or perhaps starting a YouTube channel to share my own jewelry making tips and tricks. Additionally, I'm starting to get involved with my daughter's school now that she's attending a unique little charter school. Her school is growing at an alarming rate due to the phenomenal academic achievements of its high school students, so the PSA is desperately in need of parent volunteers to help support the teaching staff.
Basically, I'm having to come to terms with the fact that, whether I fully understand how emotional energy works or not, I am an emotional empath. Avoiding prolonged contact with all but my closest friends and family members certainly made coping with this innate ability easier and more comfortable over the past three years, but it's become increasingly clear to me since I opened my Etsy shop that social avoidance is no longer practical. I'm going to have to learn how to function in a world of emotionally incongruent people in order to grow my business, so I'm looking to the energetic properties of stones to help me stay balanced in a decidedly imbalanced society.
Not surprisingly, then, my jewelry is starting to move away from the glass beads that I've always loved. I've recently found myself drawn more to gemstone beads in general and jasper beads in particular. About a month ago, I went on a bit of a shopping spree and splurged on more than a dozen strands of beautiful gemstone beads. It's the largest single supply purchase I've made since opening my Etsy shop in January.
Almost none of the strands I bought were marked with the actual gemstone name, so once I got all those gorgeous beads home, I set about working to identify them by name. I was somewhat surprised to discover that the vast majority of the stones I chose are various types of Jasper. Once I began researching the energetic properties of Jasper, though, I realized that I'd intuitively chosen precisely the kind of stones I need at this particular phase of Door 44 Jewelry's development.
Jasper, it seems, is widely regarded for its grounding and balancing characteristics. Deeply connected to the earth, and used for thousands of years in various cultures around the world, it's said to be a warm, nourishing, and protective stone that balances the feminine yin and masculine yang energies. These energies are unquestionably out of balance in our society presently. One only needs to turn on the news to see the latest antics of two of the most wildly inappropriate presidential candidates in our nation's history to see clear evidence of that fact.
"Egyptian Moon" pendant in silver featuring a Picture Jasper focal stone.
I don't know if stones really do have healing properties or not. What I do know is that I've been powerfully drawn to various forms of Jasper lately, and I've felt almost compelled to create Jasper jewelry over the past couple of months. I've also been wearing Jasper jewelry almost exclusively in that same period, and I've noticed that I feel generally calmer and more confident and grounded while wearing it.
Maybe my jewelry can help restore a healthier energetic balance in the world. Maybe not. I won't go so far as to claim that the stones I'm currently using in my jewelry have magical healing powers. They are pretty, though. Perhaps the simple act of wearing or gifting a piece of lovingly handcrafted jewelry made with a beautiful natural stone will do nothing more than make someone happy. And maybe more happiness in the world is ultimately the answer to restoring balance.
One of the things I'm enjoying most about making the transition to full-time jewelry maker is that I no longer feel guilty about the amount of time I spend following other artists to see what they are up to creatively. That used to be something of a guilty pleasure that I sneaked in whenever I took a break from my "real" job, but now that I'm focusing on jewelry full time, it's really more like market research. Another thing I never got to do very often was join in on the creative design challenges proposed by fellow artists because it seemed I never had the time (or the energy) to create a submission before the deadline.
Fortunately, things have changed. Not only do I get to follow the work of other artists without feeling guilty, I also get to join in the fun of a good design challenge; which brings me to the point of this blog post. If you've been following my work lately, you already know that I've been dabbling with jewelry cord and various cord techniques in addition to the wire wrapping and chain weaving I've been doing for years. One of the artists I discovered along my recent foray into cord jewelry is Sherri Stokey of Knot Just Macramé. If you're not familiar with Sherri's work, I highly recommend perusing her Etsy shop. You'll be astounded by what this woman does with jewelry cord and beads. I'm in awe of her stunning creations!
Anyway, Sherri recently proposed a design challenge based on the pretty palette of colors she's been using recently in her starfish jewelry collection. Having been in a bit of a creative slump lately, I decided to accept the challenge. My first thought was to create something with the beautiful beach glass my sister-in-law gave me a while back; but as I toyed with that glass, the inspiration failed to flow. Until I stumbled upon a sand-colored agate focal bead that's been languishing in my supply stash for years, that is. It's a large stone–the perfect size, as a matter of fact, to showcase a wire-wrapped starfish.
The following are a few photos of my submission as it's progressed from start to finish. I started with the wire-wrapped focal piece first, and then I pulled a few beads from my supplies that are similar to Sherri's starfish color palette.
Since Sherri's primary medium is cord and I've been dabbling with cord quite a bit myself, I decided to hang my starfish pendant on a multi-strand hand knotted cord necklace. I love using an abundance of beads in my knotted cord jewelry, so I went with five beaded and knotted strands for this piece.
Then I added a fun and frilly beaded tassel for a bit of movement and color to finish off the wire-wrapped pendant.
At this point, I faced a bit of a design conundrum. I want the length on this piece to be adjustable, so I planned all along to use a macramé slide knot clasp to finish off the necklace. The challenge was finding the right components to securely link the sliding clasp to the knotted cords.
I searched my local bead and hobby shops for some tasteful findings that would blend with my color palette, but I had no luck. I ultimately decided to make my own connectors, so I wrapped these pretty little infinity links using the same wire wrap pattern I used on the starfish.
Note the mirrored image of the two connectors. This is the beauty of making your own findings. It's difficult to achieve this level of detail with store bought components, which is why I like to make my own metal findings whenever I can.
Fabulous, isn't it? I'm so pleased with the way this necklace turned out, and I can't wait to see all the other wonderful submissions for Sherri's starfish design challenge! I'll share a link to that gallery here in this post as soon as it's published.
Edited (6/17/2016): The starfish design challenge gallery is fabulous! Well worth the wait, so go check it out!
My first attempt at making a braided cord necklace (waxed nylon jewelry cord with Czech glass and metal beads) . The leather monogram pendant was made by my good friend, Laura Hansen.
Every artist has a preferred medium—the go-to material that provides the foundation of their work. My favorite material is metal, and I'm not very particular about the type or alloy. I've worked with lead, copper, silver, bronze, gold, aluminum, titanium, stainless steel, iron and brass. Each one has unique characteristics and even a personality of its own, but something all metals have in common is that they are predictable.
Being a bit (okay, maybe a lot) of a control freak, I like the precision I can achieve with metal. I've dabbled with other media—wood, for instance—but I inevitably migrate back to metal when I can't achieve the level of precision and the clean lines that sooth my inner perfectionist.
Early in 2013 when I started dating my husband, I was happily making chain mail and wire-wrapped jewelry, and I was starting to explore increasingly more intricate styles of wire wrapping. I discovered amazing artists like Nicole Hanna, Ivona Posavi Pšak, Sarah Thompson, Kornelia Kubinowska, and Iza Malczyk. I dove into learning new techniques through Nicole's and Kornelia's tutorials, and I was immediately hooked.
This is my first attempt at the macrame bracelet technique taught by Sandra Younger, creator of the Knotty Do-It-All. See theknottydoitall.com for more info.
I spent every spare minute working with wire, and then life got in the way. I started spending more of my spare time with my husband and less learning new wire-wrapping techniques. Pretty soon, I stopped making jewelry altogether because it wasn't long after we started dating that we decided to get married. The next several months were a whirlwind of packing, moving, getting married, unpacking, merging two households, purging excess belongings, and adjusting to being a full-time stepmom.
Now that life is finally settling down into what has become my new normal, I've tried to pick up where I left off on wire-wrapping, and I've been horrified to discover that I apparently lost my edge. The precision that once came so easily seems unattainable now. I've started countless projects only to toss them into my scrap bin in disgust when it became painfully clear that the finished piece wouldn't meet my expectations.
This is a simple copper wire monogram I created out of scrap wire so I could experiment more with this macrame technique. I kinda like the way it turned out!
At some point amid all that frustration it finally occurred to me to try redirecting my creative energy down a new path. I wrote about that insight here, and I've been pleasantly surprised to see forward progress with something as simple as a change in medium.
Unlike metal, cord is not a material with which I can achieve perfection. In fact it's infuriatingly prone to imperfection in certain ways, but that imperfection has proved to be surprisingly liberating for this (formerly?) Type-A personality.
The past two years have softened me in ways I never would have imagined possible. I'm more flexible and less attached to perfection. I'm more open to allowing a piece to evolve organically and less determined to adhere to my original vision of the finished piece. I'm less attached to outcomes and more curious about the creative process.
Another quick and dirty wire focal piece that I made so I could master this cord technique. I'm a Leo, and I've always wanted to create an astrology collection. This concept has potential, I think.
This is uncharted territory for me. Historically, I've been a pretty driven and results-oriented individual, and those qualities are clearly reflected in my work. As I've explored various cord and macramé techniques, however, I've been surprised to discover that imperfection can be beautiful, too. I've included a few photos of my most recent experiments with cord techniques. Cord is still new to me, so these pieces aren't quite as refined as I'd like them to be. I'm very pleased with my early attempts, though. Perhaps I've finally found a happy medium.
Life is short. Don't waste time and energy pursuing perfection if it keeps you from loving what you do.


When you are into improving your lawn, there is a lot that can be done to respond to just about any type of soil or climate conditions. However, it sure does help when nature is on your side, and residents of Seattle, WA live in one of the wettest climates in the country, so they have the advantage of natural moisture that mitigates the risk of dehydration. When the grass is growing nicely in the summer, it requires a lot of maintenance, and many Seattle residents live busy lives without a lot of time to spare. If you fit that description, you may want to take a look at our list of WA lawn care services and contract an experienced Seattle landscaping professional to keep your turf healthy and beautiful.


Building links can prove to be quite a challenging process but it is usually worthwhile with great rewards in the long run. From the trends that emerged in 2012, it seems like people will have to put in more effort in 2013 to be successful. Below you will find 5 awesome link building strategies for 2013 that you can try out.
You should get ready for an even bigger penguin rollout where more links will be detected as spam. This means that you will have to review and analyze backlinks profiles often paying close attention to pages with old cache dates, irrelevant titles, little content and external links as well as domains that attract little traffic. Using links from top notch sites is the only way that you will benefit from link building in the New Year.
Guest posting is among the 5 awesome link building strategies for 2013. You should be however careful on the sites where you post as you should only look for the sites that have solid traffic. It also helps to look for blogs that have similar niches as yours as this will also help to collect a list of relevant and informative articles. Take time to look for high quality blogs and request to feature as a guest blogger. You can write at least one or two articles a month over a period of 5 or 6 months.
You might not like to watch the news but it is important to know what is going on around you and all over the globe. You can contact journalists and new sites who specialize in the topic you are dealing with. You can also take advantage of a Help A Reporter Out (HARO) account. This will send you alert every time a journalist is looking for content on a specific topic. If the niche you are working on comes out the better for you. Come up with high quality content and don't forget to add your name as you submit your thoughts.
Generating link baits is among the list of 5 awesome link building strategies for 2013. A link bait is when other sites will want to link to your content without you having to ask them. You can try and thank one of your partners or competitors by citing them and pray that they will also do the same when the time comes. Coming up with top notch and interesting content is a great link baiting trick. This means that you should try and include a "how to" tutorial or eBook that helps to solve problems in your niche.
Come up with a buzz word that will help you to attract links. You can set up Google alerts so as to capture any mentions of the phrase, make sure you come up with something catchy that will attract loads of links.


OCLife-DC is the Washington DC area chapter of Orthodox Christians for Life, the national Orthodox pro-life organization. The chapter focuses on prayer services and donation drives for local crisis pregnancy centers.
Washington DC area have taken part in pro-life activities as early as in the 1980's, most notably in 1989, when Mr. James Jatras, Esq of St. Katherine Greek Orthodox Church, Falls Church, VA, co-authored a brief that was submitted before the United States Supreme Court. The complete text explains why the Orthodox Church has opposed abortion since the time of the Apostles. It is available at http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles/OrthodoxAmicusBrief.htm.
Coffee hour discussions at SS Peter and Paul Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church, Potomac, MD created interest in a local Orthodox pro-life organization. The first step was to bring together as many interested DC area Orthodox as possible to consider various courses of action. When Fr. Milorad Milosevich of St. Luke Orthodox Church in McLean, VA offered to host the first organizational meeting, flyers announcing the place, date and time were mailed to every parish in the area.
At the first meeting, participants expressed a desire to establish a ministry offering alternatives to abortion, carried out along Orthodox principles. Several participants had been volunteering at local crisis pregnancy centers and realized that a ministry and Christian witness could connect with Orthodox Christianity, its sacraments and the Patristic teachings on chastity and family life.
As the months went by, more meetings took place at churches around the area. Meanwhile, a list of regular mail and email addresses of people expressing interest was assembled. Each meeting was announced by sending flyers and e-mail follow-ups to interested people and also to each parish. In addition, people who attended the meetings took responsibility for making sure OCLife-DC activities came to the attention of their own parish priest, the parish council and the parishioners.
- to educate the local community about what the Church has always taught about abortion.
Periodically special Vesper Services are held at area Orthodox churches. The services include intercessory prayer for mothers in crisis pregnancies, for babies at risk of abortion, and for guidance and strength to those who seek to protect the babies and minister to the mothers, as well as prayers for the unborn, in general. These services are usually weekday Vespers with petitions taken from the OCA Sanctity of Life Sunday texts. (Texts for the petitions are available on the OCA website: http://www.oca.org.) There have also been molieben and paraclesis services.
For the ill and the elderly that they may live out their days surrounded by care and attention.
The annual Dormition Fast Donation Drive (DFDD) is held each August when OCLife-DC members representing all Orthodox jurisdictions organize and publicize parish wide collections of baby and maternity items for donation to two DC area pregnancy care centers. The Drive also brings crisis pregnancy centers and their work to the attention of Orthodox Christians.
The centers, Shady Grove Pregnancy Center in Gaithersburg, MD and the Marih Center in Alexandria, VA offer free pregnancy tests to any woman who calls or walks in, followed by counseling that explains how abortion kills a living child. It offers practical support if the mother decides to have the child, e.g. low-cost prenatal medical care. Several Orthodox Christians volunteer at the Centers, and Fr. Miles Zdinak, pastor of Holy Resurrection Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Church, Potomac, MD serves on the board of the Shady Grove Pregnancy Center.
Mr. Michael Thompson of St. Mark Orthodox Church, Bethesda, MD, composed a presentation package known as the "Pro-Life Parish Challenge," a 20 minute talk explaining three important abortion issues in simple terms: "What really happens during an abortion," "What the Orthodox Church has always taught about abortion," and "What Orthodox Christians can do to live out their faith in this regard." Many Orthodox have never had a brief, yet comprehensive presentation on the Church's authoritative teachings on abortion, and thus, have not been able to realize that opposing abortion is fundamental to the Orthodox faith. A script of this presentation is available from the OCLife-DC contacts listed below.
Washington, DC the evening of January 21st, just prior to the Annual March for Life that thousands of marchers attend. Metropolitan Herman of the Orthodox Church in America has presided at this Vesper Service since his election as primate in 2002 and has walked in the March for nearly two decades.
The March for Life is held on January 22nd, unless that date falls on a weekend. Then it takes place on another designated day. It begins with a rally at Noon on the Ellipse near the White House. Hundreds of Orthodox hierarchs, clergy and laity from many states gather under the large banner with the icon of the Theotokos, Our Lady of the Sign. The March proceeds up Constitution Avenue, ending at the Supreme Court Building where a Memorial Service is offered by the Metropolitan and the bishops.
OCLife-DC continues to work to add new members, to educate more parishes, and to maintain the pro-life Vespers and the donation drives. An OCLife-DC pamphlet is available that offers practical ideas on how to get started on your own OCLife Chapter.
Abortion, Economia and the Hard Cases, Mat.Valerie Protopappas, pdf. Format, OCLifeHQ@aol.com.
Orthodox Christians for Life Pro-life Handbook, Fr. Dn. John and Mat.Valerie Protopappas, pdf. Format from http://www.oclife.org.
"Against Abortion but What Can We Do?" Becky Thurner, The Handmaiden. Conciliar Press, Vol. IV, No. 3, Summer 2000.
http://www.prolifeinfo.org These links take you to most of the major pro-life organizations.
Lisa Jones has been the OCLife-DC Coordinator since its inception. She is active in parish ministries at St. Mary Orthodox Church, Falls Church, VA.


text:
Contemporary Security Policy
At the nexus of proof and policy, we have published research on armed violence, intervention, and conflict resolution since 1980. Impact factor: 2.640 (rank #29/94 International Relations)
About CSP
Impact and ranking
The Bernard Brodie Prize
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The 2022 Bernard Brodie Prize
Contemporary Security Policy awards the Bernard Brodie Prize annually to the author(s) of an outstanding article published in the journal the previous year.
Changes to the editorial team and board
Myriam Dunn Cavelty, Nicole Jenne, and Yf Reykers will join the editorial team as new associate editors of Contemporary Security Policy from January 2022. The Editorial Board has furthermore been updated.
The Paradox of the Non-Proliferation Treaty
The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is often labelled as a cornerstone of non-proliferation and one of the main factors curbing the spread of nuclear weapons. Orion Noda, however, argues that the NPT is a nuclear proliferator; not of nuclear weapons per se, but of their symbolic value.
Externalizing EU Crisis Management: The EU, OSCE and Ukraine
The Lisbon Treaty should have turned the EU into a more efficient global crisis manager. Yet Maria Giulia Amadio Viceré finds that the EU has relied on third parties to achieve its crisis management objectives, essentially externalizing its activities to actors over which it has no control.
The Erosion of the Global Nuclear Order
Starting early in the atomic age, states developed international arrangements intended to reduce the danger of nuclear war. Jeffrey W. Knopf describes the international nuclear order, identifies signs of erosion in that order, and proposes some short-term measures to help arrest these adverse trends.
Shaping Public Risk Tolerance During Deterrence Crises
In a recent article, Jeffrey Berejikian and Zachary Zwald use seven survey experiments to analyse how the general public evaluates the risk of military options, such as the number of potential casualties, during an imminent deterrence crisis. Informed by prospect theory, they demonstrate that by simply reframing the language used to describe the possible outcome of military options, the public's willingness to accept risks changes.
The manipulation of public opinion can determine the likelihood of deterrence success in myriad ways. Surprisingly, neither the academic nor policy communities fully appreciate the importance of domestic politics in shaping deterrence bargaining dynamics—let alone how the public processes risks during immediate deterrence.
To the extent that scholars focus their attention on domestic politics during deterrence crises, they usually depict public opinion as a constraint that can either enhance or undermine deterrence stability—depending upon one's orientation. Consider, for instance, decades of research on "audience costs," which highlights the presumed difficulty of committing to escalatory military actions because such commitments may carry domestic political costs if they fail.
In the context of deterrence, we see a similar concern among some policymakers; that public opinion may constrain U.S. leaders at critical junctures during a crisis and subsequently prevent them from communicating credible threats to an adversary. However, the concept of domestically-imposed constraint also suggests that the public will serve as a check on the worst impulses of political leaders. Since the prospect of electoral punishment constrains elites if they fail—in democracies, at least—we may hope that the public serves as a mechanism to prevent our leaders from engaging long-shot gambles, escalating conflicts, or straying too far from the national interest.
By contrast, our research shows that the choice of language alone can shift the public's preferences in favor of risky military escalation during the opening stage of a deterrence crisis. It follows, therefore, that neither of these views on how the public affect bargaining dynamics is wholly correct.
In our study, we conducted seven survey experiments covering a range of potential deterrence crises, including when the stakes are high and nuclear use is on the table. In each experiment, we presented subjects with a vignette that describes a bourgeoning crisis where an adversary has taken some action that challenges a long-standing U.S. extended deterrent commitment to an ally. Each scenario contained a degree of uncertainty and risk–i.e., the adversary may be preparing to launch a military attack that results in the loss of American and allied lives, or it could be that they are posturing in an attempt to probe the strength of the U.S. commitment.
We utilized a Prospect Theory framework to evaluate how the language used to frame the potential outcome of two military options—one defensive and the other offensive—affects the public's willingness to support a risky offensive act that escalates the crisis.
We asked participants to choose between a conservative defensive course of action (e.g., bolster air and missile defenses in the region) and a riskier pre-emptive military escalation (e.g., deploying special forces to eliminate the specific military capability the adversary threatens to use). Each participant randomly received either the "gains frame" or "loss frame" treatment that only varied the language used to describe the potential outcomes from the two military options. For example, we presented a "Nuclear Blackmail" scenario by framing the possible deaths that may result in terms of either the number of "lives saved" or "lives lost."
Consistently, we found that simply reframing the exact same "facts on the ground" produces statistically and substantively significant shifts in favor of a riskier military escalation option as a preferred response to a deterrence crisis.
Going forward, these results raise concerns that have not yet received the serious consideration they deserve. First, over the last few years, commentators have downplayed President Trump's aggressive language toward North Korea as just "loose talk" with little, if any, real effect on the actual course of the crisis at hand. Yet, our research demonstrates how language alone can itself cause deterrence failure—even when a nuclear response by the adversary is on the table. A leader's bellicose rhetoric may inadvertently produce a loss frame for the public and, thus, create the domestic political incentives for unnecessary, or harmful, military escalation.
Second, U.S. policymakers must now consider the challenge posed by the vulnerability of the public's risk preferences to manipulation by an adversary in the lead up to, and during, a deterrence crisis. The growing trend towards employing cyber operations to weaponize information, in conjunction with our finding demonstrating the malleability of the public's risk preferences during a deterrence crisis, suggests that an adversary can manipulate the public's risk tolerance during immediate deterrence to create political incentives that dictate which options democratically elected leaders support. An effective 21st century U.S. deterrence strategy, therefore, must be able to identify points of public vulnerability and develop counter-framing strategies that stand to prevent foreign manipulation.
Jeffrey D. Berejikian is a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor at the University of Georgia. Zachary Zwald is in the Department of Political Science at the University of Houston. They are the authors of "Why language matters: Shaping public risk tolerance during deterrence crises", Contemporary Security Policy, which is available here.
Posted on March 5, 2020 Author cspCategories Nuclear weapons, Posts by authors, Strategy
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Home / International / Japan Airlines / Sustainability / Japan Airlines to recycle all food waste into fertilizer
Japan Airlines to recycle all food waste into fertilizer
Francis Dominic Tupue September 15, 2021 2021-09-15T06:53:20Z International, Japan Airlines, Sustainability
Aviation Updates Philippines – Japan Airlines (JAL) is planning to recycle all food waste into fertilizer as part of its efforts to reach its sustainability goals.
Photo by Alan Wilson
By 2025, JAL is aiming to recycle 100% of food and beverage waste from in-flight meals through composting, which will be used as fertilizer. JAL Royal Catering, a group company, will lead this initiative.
According to JAL Royal Catering, around 48 tons of vegetable waste was produced in 2019, but only 7.7 percent was recycled. As a solution, JAL will also begin taking a different approach to preparing food, and the number of meals prepared will be reduced.
Outside the kitchen, JAL hopes to address food loss by looking more closely into leftover meals and unused inventory. For instance, passengers who decide to cancel their in-flight meals before boarding will be given a free eye mask. JAL is hoping to implement this across all international flights by 2025.
In that same year, JAL is also hoping to eliminate single-use plastics in passenger cabins and airport lounges.
At present, the company has already taken steps to reduce the volume of packaging for in-flight meals and is now using recyclable material for its packaging.
Last year, JAL introduced its "JAL Ethical Choice - Meal Skip Option" for passengers on select flights who wish to sleep through the flight than wake up to eat. Passengers who choose to forego their meal would be given an upgraded amenity kit. This initiative was first introduced on flight JL34 — a red-eye flight from Bangkok to Tokyo-Haneda — in November of 2020 and has since been introduced on other flights to East and Southeast Asia, as well as Guam and Vladivostok.
READ: Japan Airlines offers option to skip inflight meals to reduce food waste


We have prepared some case studies to provide a better understanding of the students that can benefit from the individualized approach to learning offered at John Cardinal O'Connor.
These case studies do not represent actual students, parents or faculty members. They are composites based on persons and learned experiences from JCOS. Any resemblance to real persons, past or present, is purely coincidental.


Following up on November's bountiful community meeting, we will form committees and apply interest and abilities.
We will share about the program thus far, recruit community resources, and collectively plan a path forward for this exciting new offering. Come celebrate what we have accomplished and help create what is to come for the budding generation of Big Sur children.
Come connect, inquire, and beautify the park in preparation for the Fall Program. We will share information about the development of the program and invite conversation around personal needs and wishes for future of Big Sur Park School.
The Big Sur Fashion Show is a symbol of our celebration and freedom. It is here that every year we come together to support each other and celebrate our growth and survival through elegance, fierce beauty, invention and raw courage.
Upon the runway, beneath the stars, our children become the medicine people and leaders, while our elders express their inner child. Family and hermit join together for this fashionable salon, tech parts and scavenged heirlooms become wearable. Style, pomp and bravado are presented with unbiased romance and pure intention, here in "The Age Of Innocence".
This years theme "Age of Innocence" challenges designers to explore what innocence is, how is it personally or socially defined, protected, lost, rebirthed, denied. Has the world or environment itself ever held innocence? Designers use non-tradtional materials only (no cloth). SHOW STARTS with The Kids' Fashion Show theme" Oh The Places You Will Go!" followed by the MAIN EVENT!
The Big Sur Fashion Show is a fundraiser with net proceeds shared by Big Sur Fiddle Camp, Stage Kids, Apple Pie Pre-School, and the new Big Sur Park School.


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package org.auraframework.impl.http.cspinlining;

import org.auraframework.annotations.Annotations.ServiceComponent;
import org.auraframework.http.cspinlining.CSPInliningCriteria;
import org.auraframework.http.cspinlining.CSPInliningRule;
import org.auraframework.impl.util.BrowserInfo;
import org.auraframework.impl.util.UserAgent;
import org.springframework.core.annotation.Order;

import static org.auraframework.service.CSPInliningService.InlineScriptMode.UNSUPPORTED;

/**
 * Browser support matrix for browsers that do not support CSP2 headers
 */
@ServiceComponent
@Order(1)
public class CSPInliningBrowserRule implements CSPInliningRule {

    @Override
    public boolean isRelevant(CSPInliningCriteria criteria) {
        return criteria.getMode() != UNSUPPORTED;
    }

    @Override
    public void process(CSPInliningCriteria criteria) {
        String userAgent = criteria.getContext().getClient().getUserAgent();
        BrowserInfo bi = new BrowserInfo(userAgent);

        boolean isSupported = false;

        isSupported |= bi.isBrowser(UserAgent.CHROME, 40, true); //covers mobile and desktop
        isSupported |= bi.isBrowser(UserAgent.EDGE, 15, true);
        isSupported |= bi.isBrowser(UserAgent.FIREFOX, 31, true);
        isSupported |= bi.isBrowser(UserAgent.SAFARI, 10, true); //covers mobile and desktop
        isSupported |= bi.isBrowser(UserAgent.OPERA, 23, true);

        if (!isSupported){
            criteria.setMode(UNSUPPORTED);
        }
    }
}


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The Peace Pastor
Halo: The Story
By - on November 13, 2012 at 6:48 AM
Not feeling well, and completely exhausted last night (and a bit bored from the Texans game) I for the 1st time in my life became curiously curious about Halo. This ultra-violent first person shooter video game series has smashed records with every new release (Halo 4 is no exception, with $220 million on opening day November 6!!! Take that blockbuster film release records!).
Turns out the story is actually quite intriguing for a guy like me. Now, before you think I fell off my pacifist rocker, I have to say the whole concept of a wildly complex "STORY" still makes no sense to me in video game form. I'm not a gamer. I haven't played a video game since college, and it was mostly sports or Mario (a little Zelda when Nintendo first came out eons ago). So I think games go like this, "Level 1: Find and kill the bad guy hidden in this level…. Level 2: Find and Kill an even badder bad guy hidden in this level…" and repeat until you get to the end with the baddest guy of them all who you heroically slay.
But this, clearly, isn't Halo. And I don't know how it's not. But the story is rich and captivating, forcing you to think, discern, decide, remember, put things together, deduce, take risks, trust, etc…. I can see why gamers are such huge fans. I'm interested to know how this very cool sounding "story" gets played out by each individual gamer. And given how active games are compared to a quite passive film genre (and how much their graphic quality has improved since Zelda!), there is much to draw you in.
The story of Halo involves a future time when humanity has moved deep into the solar system for survival, and is at war with… Oh forget it, here's The Story of Halo in 5 minutes for those of you, like me, who are clueless regarding this cultural phenomenon.
Now, I say this from the outside looking in. If you're on the inside, help me see this with more clarity. But from where I sit there's a couple things I find disturbing. Here are three temptations I think Halo might put before it's players.
First, the "bad guys," no matter how complex and "thick" the characters in the Halo universe may be, still appear to be dehumanized and thus easily killable. The Covenant, The Flood, The Prophets…. these are all guys we can justify killing because they are not like us. Some of them very much so not like us, they are aliens. Doesn't this translate all too easily in to how we treat enemies in real life? Once we've found something that makes them less like us, it makes them more easily killable. Does playing a game like Halo tempt you to dehumanize real life enemies in the same way?
Second, the science of killology teaches us that we humans are actually quite awful at killing one another. In fact, we have to be trained to do it. From the First World War to the war in Afghanistan, our military scientists figured out some pretty incredible ways to get our soldiers to ACTUALLY FIRE THEIR WEAPONS. In other words, most didn't in WW1, and most now do. Not because we're eating our Wheaties either. Or because the bad guys are any more bad. It's because of a type of science called Killology, that refers to how scientifically learning and training to kill other human beings. And nearly every study done suggests that life-like practice in killing in genres such as video games increases the liklihood that a soldier will pull the trigger when in battle. Indeed, Halo (and other First Person Shooter games) takes a chapter directly from military trainers on this one.
Third, the glorification of the military is not inevitable. As Aaron O'Connell from the Naval Academy humbly says, "Eisenhower's least heeded warning — concerning the spiritual effects of permanent preparations for war — is more important now than ever. Our culture has militarized considerably since Eisenhower's era, and civilians, not the armed services, have been the principal cause. From lawmakers' constant use of "support our troops" to justify defense spending, to TV programs and video games like "NCIS," "Homeland" and "Call of Duty," to NBC's shameful and unreal reality show "Stars Earn Stripes," Americans are subjected to a daily diet of stories that valorize the military while the storytellers pursue their own opportunistic political and commercial agendas. Of course, veterans should be thanked for serving their country, as should police officers, emergency workers and teachers. But no institution — particularly one financed by the taxpayers — should be immune from thoughtful criticism."
Doesn't Halo play directly in to this immunity to thoughtful criticism? Are you tempted to turn an uncritical eye towards the military Industrial Complex President Eisenhower warned us of over 50 years ago?
These are just some thoughts I'm putting out there, about a world that opened up to me last night that I became curious and interested in. I'm not going to run out and buy the game. Less because of any moral reason than because I'm not now and never have been a gamer. I'd be interested to hear from you why you like the game, and how you experience the three temptations I as an outsider see. Thanks.
Marty Troyer's life is not as exciting as Master Chief. However, pastoring Houston Mennonite Church provides it's own thrill. You can join us anytime in Spring Branch or visit us online at houstonmennonite.org. Follow Marty on Twitter and Facebook.
The Hunger Games: Indicting Violence
War rhetoric steps outside Christian tradition
Was Jesus an Idiot? God's response to evil
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