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Volume 7, Archives
The Crises of Human Identity in the 1960s
Content Editors · April 6, 2017
By David deHaas
On the night of June 28th, 1966, a variety of powerful and frustrated women secretly met in the hotel room of Betty Friedan[1] to discuss the federal government's efforts to elevate the economic and social status of women.[2] The Third National Conference of Commissions on the Status of Women was underway, and the women who gathered in Betty Friedan's hotel room were all attending this conference. [3] Most of these women were employed by the federal government, thus representing a collective of prominent female figures that held influential positions normally held by males.[4] They had faith that the government was the best medium for addressing these social and economic issues, but the secrecy behind this midnight rendezvous hints at the magnitude of the problems facing women in the 1960s. The meeting lead to the decision to present a proposal on the floor of the convention the following morning.[5] This proposal, however, was blocked from even being considered.[6]
This incident lead to the founding of the National Organization for Women, a means in which the interests and concerns pertaining with women could be addressed in the same sense that the NAACP represented the issues and concerns of African Americans.[7] As important as these events would be for the betterment of the practical lives of both women and men, the essence of these events pertains to an issue far more critical.
The 1960s were a time of many social and political movements representing the diverse voices and concerns amongst the fragmented American populous. The particular causes of these movements consisted of clashes between standard cultural norms that characterized American society, and communities that resisted this standard. However, I will argue that the social and political unrest that occurred in the 1960s does not simply stem from the differing concerns and causes of these movements, but, further, that a substantial causal factor is a general crises of human identity.
My argument will proceed by explaining the nature of the identity crises, which begins with a critical examination on Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique. Friedan provides sufficient justification to make the claim that femininity has developed unnaturally by virtue of the cultures values and expectations, and this unnatural development lays the foundation for the identity crises. After, I will show how this crisis affected the social and political unrest of the 1960s.
The Nature of the Human Identity Crises
In order to fully grasp this crises of human identity and to establish a foundation for my argument, it is necessary to briefly discuss the nature of human life. My analysis begins by begging the question, how can human beings authentically achieve happiness and flourish? This question has been addressed by many different theories and interpretations, and many have even proposed that such an inquiry characterizes the goals and aims of human life. However, happiness, and the activities associated with it, have always been defined under a shroud of subjectivity. My examination begins with Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique, who expertly shows us that American culture in the 1960s rested upon a clear cut contradiction consisting of a mystique surrounding femininity. This mystique dictates that women could only be happy and fulfilled by getting married and having children. Friedan uses a critical analysis of the media, advertising, and the psychological assumptions about females that permeated in American society.[8] The immediate concern with the mystique is that women were not feeling fulfilled as simply mothers and wives, and Friedan was one of the few voices that exemplified this dissatisfaction. Her writings in The Feminine Mystique sparked an outcry of mothers and wives who felt as though their lives were unfulfilling.[9]
Friedan's claim that female flourishing and happiness was thwarted by American cultural standards is just as powerful as it is terrifying. Her postulation illustrates that American culture has assumingly elevated the existence of women to the peak of happiness and human flourishing, when clearly, it was far from the case. Friedan even comments on the difficulty of determining that there are any problems at all with American culture. She writes, "How can any woman see the whole truth within the bounds of her own life? How can she believe that voice inside herself, when it denies the conventional, accepted truths by which she has been living?"[10] The worries that beckoned amidst the depths of the female psyche had no proper outlet to be expressed because of the fear of going against cultural expectations.
The crises of human identity stems from the assumption that men and women are fundamentally different. One clear difference is biological, but are the biological distinctions sufficient justification for the psychological and cultural distinctions that characterize masculinity and femininity? Friedan discusses the writings of Helene Deutsch on this matter. Deutsch associates masculinity with activity and femininity with passivity.[11] According to this view, men are naturally active and women passively support the active endeavors of their husbands and male children. Friedan interprets this perspective by stating that femininity can only be achieved by renouncing one's own active pursuits and attempts to express oneself, resulting in the conformity of the role as mother and wife.[12] A female who actively pursues her own goals and intellectual desires is suffering from, what Deutsch terms, a masculinity complex.[13] According to this perspective, human flourishing is essentially a male endeavor, but again, what sufficient justification is there to say that men and women are so fundamentally different? Despite any potential differences on the subject, what is essentially illuminated by the work of Friedan is a distinct disconnect between happiness and the reality of female existence. This disconnect can be fully expressed as the dichotomy between masculinity and femininity.
Despite other potential features of one's identity, being a male or female is essential. The dysfunctional dichotomy of gender is critical for understanding the identity crises. The writings of Shulamith Firestone elaborate upon the consequences of gender's unnatural development. Firestone's book, entitled The Dialectic of Sex, associates the dichotomy of gender with a schism in human culture. She writes, "The sex role system divides human experience; men and women live in these different halves of reality; and culture reflects this."[14] Firestone's main argument is that the single human psyche is split between masculinity and femininity, and she considers this schism with our culture. She associates femininity with intuition and the aesthetic, and masculinity with rationality and a technological way of thinking.[15] Firestone argues that both femininity and masculinity and the human powers associated with them constitute a single human psyche, but the gender dichotomy has split the individual psyche, resulting in schizoid cultural standards and expectations. This rift in the culture is the source of the human identity crises, and from this division of the human psyche, men and women are conditioned to be a certain way without ever realizing the fullest potential of human life.
The Human Identity Crises and its effect on the 1960s
The 1960s was a time when people from all strata of American society were becoming more aware of injustice in the world, but what of the psychological injustice occurring within themselves? On account of the human identity crises, the state of humanity suffered from a conflict between the status quo and freedom from the status quo. All the social and political unrest could be viewed as humanity attempting to break free from cultural norms and expectations, with the ultimate aim of reaching true human potential. This aim unified the many different causes and movements of the 1960s, effectively inspiring a grand attempt to optimize society's potential; yet even today we find much resistance against cultural standards. The struggle to realize human potential is just as prevalent today as it was in the 1960s, and a critical examination of American values and the state of the economy in the 1960s will not only illuminate upon the schizoid state of American culture, it will also show why this struggle between the standard cultural values and freedom from these standards continues to dominate life in America.
Many of the counter-culture movements resisted the emphasis American culture placed on materialism and consumerism. However, through their efforts of resisting these cultural ideals, the communities could not escape the necessity of purchasing goods in order to survive. Another problem was that the ideals propounded by these counter-culture movements spread through the American populous by virtue of consumer goods and commercialism. Anthony Ashbolt writes, "The crucial role of the market in this suggests not only possible limitations to the hippie critique of Establishment culture but also the very real seriousness with which community set about building a potential alternative society."[16] The principles of the free market constituted the American economy and were in themselves American ideals. Although these movements attempted to resist American ideals they could not resist the economic environment. The ideals of love, peace, and communal living became products for purchase.[17] Ashbolt suggests that by the end of the 1960s, "…'the fight against organizations of the Establishment has suddenly turned into an Established Organization'."[18] The counter-culture movements could not escape the economic environment they were resisting, but this inability to completely resist American culture simultaneously points to the change these movements desperately wanted.
Through the same means materialism and consumerism gained its economic and cultural power, the ideals of the counter-culture movements could have had an even greater impact on society. The counter-culture aimed to replace the American cultural standards, which included consumerism and commercialism, with standards and values they believed to be more just. But the only way to influence culture with the ideals represented by the counter-culture would be through the same methods the American cultural standards achieved dominance. Leslie M. Dawson fully illuminates upon this relationship. Dawson writes, "The marketing discipline today constitutes a great paradox. The nation stands deeply troubled. It seeks solutions to grave problems both within and without its own society. Marketing and marketers are in integral part of this picture, either as a dimension of the problems or as a source of their solutions."[19]
According to Dawson, marketing is not only a tool for business and advertising, but the same techniques and methods used by marketers are the same methods and techniques used for spreading new ideas amongst a populous.
Analyzing the marketing paradox in relation with the 1960s provides an interesting insight on the nature of the human identity crises. The marketing paradox evidently shows that marketing itself is not good or bad, it is merely a study of the methods and techniques for spreading goods, services, and ideas through a populous. Despite American culture's reliance on marketing, the American culture does not consist of marketing. Commercialism is an emphasis on purchasing products for consumption, and this American ideal simply uses marketing to sell these products. By recognizing that the techniques associated with marketing are essential for spreading any idea, the movements that had occurred in the 1960s might have met greater success.
The inherent sexism that rests as the foundation of American culture has not only segregated people, but has also split the human psyche: effectively corrupting the way individuals think. The sense of inequality and injustice that permeated the populous was very strong and called many different groups of people to action. However, there was not a full understanding of the nature of these issues. Emotional and intellectual capacities were not united in the individual, but fragmented due to various cultural expectations and biases. One's race, gender, economic standing, sexuality, etc. played its role in fragmenting human potential. However, the 1960s should be viewed as a period that elevated human consciousness unto a greater awareness of reality. Recognizing problems with culture and the world's political affairs might have sparked a flame in human beings, i.e. a call to action. But the failures that resulted from this initial spark should not be simply viewed as the failures of a decade filled with angst and passion, but they should be viewed as the beginnings of an elevated way of both thinking and living a human life. The problems in the world are not going to be solved overnight, but any real solution must first begin with each individual recognizing the injustice occurring within themselves.
[1] Champion of the Women's Movement and author of The Feminine Mystique.
[2] National Women's Organization. "Founding." http://now.org/about/history/founding-2/.
[3] Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600-2000, "Third National Conference of Commissions on the Status of Women."
[4] Betty Friedan. Life so Far: A Memoir. (New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2000), 173.
[8] Betty Friedan. The Feminine Mystique. (New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 1963), 1-2, 10.
[9] Betty Friedan. The Feminine Mystique. (New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 1963), 7.
"Display Ad 180 -- no Title." New York Times (1923-Current File), Apr 30, 1963. The ad recurred multiple times throughout 1963: 07 June; 10 Apr; 02 May. This emphasizes the popularity of the book when it was first published.
[10] Betty Friedan. The Feminine Mystique. (New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 1963), 21.
[11] Betty Friedan. The Feminine Mystique. (New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 1963), 132-133.
[12] Betty Friedan. The Feminine Mystique. (New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 1963), 133.
[14] Shulamith Firestone. The Dialectic of Sex. (New York, NY: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1970), 148.
[15] Shulamith Firestone. The Dialectic of Sex. (New York, NY: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1970), 156-157.
[16] Anthony Ashbolt, "Go Ask Alice: Remembering the Summer of Love Forty Years On," Australasian Journal of American Studies 26, no. 2 (December 2007): 42.
[17] "Display Ad 76 -- no Title." 1969. The Hartford Courant (1923-1990), Sep 04, 44. This is an advertisement of a mug expressing the idea of the Age of Aquarius. It is one example of hippie ideals becoming commercialized and available for purchase.
[19] Leslie M. Dawson, "Marketing Science in the Age of Aquarius," Journal of Marketing 35, no. 3 (July 1971): 68.
Ashbolt, Anthony. "Go Ask Alice: Remembering the Summer of Love Forty Years On." Australasian Journal of American Studies 26, no. 2 (December 2007): 35-47.
Cleaver, Eldridge. Soul on Ice. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1968.
Dawson, Leslie M. "Marketing Science in the Age of Aquarius." Journal of Marketing 35, no. 3 (July 1971): 66-72.
"Display Ad 76 -- no Title." 1969. The Hartford Courant (1923-1990), Sep 04, 44.
"Display Ad 180 -- no Title." New York Times (1923-Current File), Apr 30, 1963. http://0-search.proquest.com.www.consuls.org/docview/116389804?accountid=9970.
Firestone, Shulamith. The Dialectic of Sex. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1970.
Friedan, Betty. The Feminine Mystique. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 1963.
Friedan, Betty. Life so Far: A Memoir. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2000.
The Port Huron Statement. Chicago, IL: Charles H. Kerr Publishing Company, 1990.
National Women's Organization. "Founding." http://now.org/about/history/founding-2/.
Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600-2000. "Third National Conference of Commissions on the Status of Women." http://0-asp6new.alexanderstreet.com.www.consuls.org/was2/was2.object.details.aspx?dorpid=1004475352.
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Home Press Release Expanding the Global Market, GWM TANK Holds the Brand Conference in Saudi Arabia
Expanding the Global Market, GWM TANK Holds the Brand Conference in Saudi Arabia
Press Release admin — July 5, 2022 Comments off
BAODING, China, July 5, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — On July 3, the GWM TANK held a brand conference in Saudi Arabia with its two star models, GWM TANK300 and GWM TANK500, which were officially unveiled to global customers.
The conference was held under the theme of "Limitless Experience". The TANK brand has created a new SUV category for global buyers. The brand also presented the audience with the brand attributes, including luxury, off-road mobility and intelligence.
"The TANK products will cover all commuting needs and satisfy users of different levels." said David Xu, General Manager of GWM Middle East Region.
"This being the first launch outside of China. It shows the acceptance of the Saudi market and the confidence GWM has in the success of this brand, " Mr. Faisal AI Quraishi, a senior representative of the local dealership, said.
At the same time, GWM TANK300 was officially opened for pre-order and another heavyweight model, GWM TANK500, was also unveiled to the public.
GWM TANK places a premium on luxury and comfort. Both models on the show adopt several sound insulation and noise reduction design schemes, which can allow users to enjoy a high quality of silence even in noisy environments. The seats also feature different user-friendly designs, such as the soft and delicate leather used for the seats in the high-end version of GWM TANK300.
The models of this brand also boast solid off-road capabilities. Both displayed models are equipped with a host of specialist off-road devices, such as electronically controlled mechanical differential lock for front and rear axles. When the vehicle is stuck on a potholed road and one of the wheels slips, the driver can use the electric button to lock the differential and get out shortly.
Intelligent off-road is another outstanding performance of this brand. Its products are manufactured based on the "GWM TANK Platform". The platform has three features, including powerful, intelligent off-road and highly reliable. Regarding off-road intelligence feature, both models are equipped with a Crawl Control System, which could give drivers an easier and safer driving experience. When the system is activated, the vehicle can automatically perform power control and braking. The driver only needs to control the direction of driving to pass the road safely and smoothly.
Currently, the GWM TANK has already been a popular choice in the Chinese market since its launch. According to the sales report released by GWM, the GWM TANK SUV already has a penetration rate of over 50% in the off-road segment in China after being launched about one year.
GWM plans to launch the GWM TANK500 in Saudi Arabia later this year. Both TANK models, GWM TANK300 and GWM TANK500 will be released successively in other global markets, such as Australia, South Africa, ASEAN, South America, to stir up continuous waves of "TANK Trend" worldwide.
Video – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1853422/Tank300_Final_B_2.mp4
Han Yuchen Oil on Canvas Collection was held in the National Art Museum of China
Han Yuchen's exhibition in the National Art Museum of China Received Great Response and Reviews
"طاقة" تتم صفقة الاستحواذ على 100٪ من شركة المنصوري للخدمات البترولية للتوسع في منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال إفريقيا وآسيا الوسطى وشرق أوروبا
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Does Commuting Count as an Easy Day?
Question: Ever since a bad bout with overtraining, I alternate hard and easy days. I also commute to work, 30 miles per day. Does my commute count as an easy day?
Also, would it be okay to do a variety of training (endurance, sprints, power) each week, or should I separate my training into "blocks" and work on only one skill at a time? — Bill P.
Coach Fred Matheny Replies: Commuting 30 miles is almost certainly too much riding for your rest day.
Because you have a history of overtraining, I urge you to err on the side of caution. On rest days, either don't ride at all or just spin gently for no more than an hour. There's too much temptation to go fast in a commute, especially if you're behind schedule.
As for your second question, there has been a long debate about it in sports science circles. At issue is whether it's better to mix different kinds of training or do only one kind for several weeks and then switch to a different kind. Both approaches have their fervent supporters.
I generally prefer doing different workouts every couple of days, with rest/easy days separating them. Cycling demands strength, speed, endurance and power, so I think itmakes sense to work on all these skills at fairly frequent intervals.


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The National Videogame Arcade
With no offence intended, your first thought might be "Why Nottingham?" The city has held an annual festival of videogames named GameCity since 2006, and the National Videogame Arcade is an off-shoot of that: a permanent celebration of gaming in the city's creative quarter. GameCity's angle is that videogames are an artform; the NVA naturally adopts this too.
All the floors of the building have either working arcade machines from yesteryear (including Point Blank, Track & Field, Ms. Pacman and Donkey Kong), consoles/computers set up with a decent mix of retro and modern hits or exhibits. The first of the latter when I visited was a party game called Dash and Bash that took up a whole wall. Four screens were matched with four buttons and players had to hit the button under the screen on which their pre-selected symbol appeared. It played like a board game more than anything else, and would take some rejigging before you could see it working in the home.
One of the many working consoles in the National Videogame Arcade. It's a visual feast for the eyes!
That floor was quite creative all told, in fact. Mario Paint was on display - first time I'd ever used the SNES mouse! - whilst a whole room was devoted to Minecraft. Most intriguingly of all was a room-filling game called Mission Control, which had players designing enemies to take on in the game, a simple shoot-'em-up. This creativity spilled into the Jump! exhibition, which started with a lovely room filled with screens of various gaming characters, each one equipped with a button that made him/her - yes! - jump.
Before the floor opened out to reveal various platform games, there was a crazy-looking contraption set up on which you jumped, and an on-screen character would copy you. By altering the in-game settings, you could make the avatar jump as high as you liked. There was an impressive collection of platformers inside: everything from Jet Set Willy (or its sequel; it was hard to tell) to PS4 Rayman Legends. Amongst these was a lovely exhibit showcasing jumps, double jumps and wall jumps, with each jump type having its own level. The wall jump one was too hard, though, and I had to give up to save embarrassment!
The same floor held a feature I'd like to see developed: something called a 'Game Inspector', which showed the first level of MD Sonic The Hedgehog. You shift the camera's position rather than Sonic's, meaning you could see the whole level in less than a minute. Très cool!
First Time Playing... The DK Bongos! I was sort of not rubbish. Almost.
Up a further set of stairs - past the original Donkey Kong arcade machine (!) - was the History Of Videogames In 100 Objects (but not before a quick bash on Donkey Konga). Inevitably there was all kinds of retro goodies in there, including a Super Scope and the first issue of EDGE magazine, sitting not entirely awkwardly next to a Kirby amiibo. It was fascinating to see what had made the cut, and you can tell that this will evolve over time as gaming marches ever onwards.
Final Verdict: (seriously? - Ed) (always wanted to do an 'Ed' joke! - Zero) Part museum and part (yes!) arcade, the National Videogame Arcade is clearly a project in development. It is well worth a visit, particularly if you are a fan of retro gaming. Although fans of more modern fare may struggle to see the appeal, we feel it's a venture that all gamers should be supporting.
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Meet the Cast of Uncharted 2
Matt Litten
– October 2, 2009Posted in: News, PlayStation 3, Sony, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Uncharted 2 is only 11 days away, can you feel the anticipation? I know I get giddy just thinking about cracking the case open, breathing in that new game smell, and popping the game into my PS3 for the first time (which will hopefully be soon)!
As the momentous October 13th launch date approaches, Sony has released a detailed list of character bios for all of Uncharted 2's major players. One of the best things about the original Uncharted was the likability of the characters and how they interacted and quipped with each other as you played the game, and by all early accounts the sequel takes things a step further as familiar faces like Elena, Sully and of course Nathan meet up with fresh ones, such as Nathan's new love interest Chloe Frazer, a Tibetan village leader named Tenzin, and the ruthless new antagonist Zoran Lazarevic.
Read on to acquaint yourself with the stars of Uncharted 2.
Nathan Drake:
As a modern-day fortune-hunter, Drake operates within a rough, lawless world occupied by treasure-seekers, antiquities smugglers, con men and thieves. Unlike his associates, Drake is driven more by the historical intrigue and thrill of the hunt, than the promise of the treasure itself. He may or may not be a descendant of Sir Francis Drake, the great 16th-century explorer and privateer – but regardless of his lineage, Drake is gifted with a remarkable historical imagination and an uncanny ability to unravel mysteries from only the barest clues.
Although he's smart and self-educated, Drake tends to conceal his intellectual side when dealing with the rogues gallery of dangerous individuals who haunt the gray-market underworld of the illegal antiquities trade. In his dubious line of work, Drake finds himself confronting everything from guerillas to drug traffickers, modern-day pirates, rival salvage companies, and frequently the law – so he's had to learn how to handle himself in tight situations, whether it means guns, fists, charm, or the occasional hasty exit. In the end, Drake survives by his wits, tenacity and resourcefulness – and a dash of good old-fashioned luck.
Elena Fisher:
Drake's former companion, Elena has since graduated from tabloid reporter to a legitimate investigative journalist, and now tracks stories in some of the most dangerous and war-torn corners of the world. She's as stubborn and tenacious as Drake is, and determined to such a degree that it is both her greatest virtue and her greatest fault.
Chloe Frazer:
Drake's current partner and romantic interest, Chloe is as tough and capable as she is beautiful. She's equally comfortable in a gunfight or a fistfight – whatever the occasion demands. Chloe's a good ally, but her moral compass is uncertain, and her reckless and impulsive nature makes her somewhat unpredictable.
Harry Flynn:
A longtime friend and associate of Drake's, Flynn operates within the same shady underworld of fortune hunters, smugglers and thieves that Drake inhabits. Flynn possesses a certain roguish charm, but he's far more unscrupulous than Drake, and will take just about any job if the profit's good – regardless of any moral or legal implications.
Victor Sullivan:
A larger-than-life Hemingwayesque character, Sullivan is Drake's partner, mentor and the closest thing he's got to a father figure. He's a seasoned adventurer, explorer and treasure hunter – the consummate con man in a world of con men – and knows just about everyone connected to the illicit antiquities trade.
Zoran Lazarevic:
A rogue paramilitary leader and fugitive war criminal, notorious for committing unspeakable massacres and atrocities. Believed to have been killed in a bombing raid, Lazarevic survived (though he bears the scars of the attack), and now operates in the shadows as the leader of a secret terrorist society. Ice-cold and relentlessly ambitious, Lazarevic is an imposing figure with a ruthless intensity and a dark magnetism that's both terrifying and hypnotic.
Karl Schäfer:
The sole survivor of a failed expedition to the Himalayas in 1938, Schäfer has been living among the locals of a remote Tibetan village for seventy years. As a fellow explorer, Schäfer is able to provide critical information and guidance at a time when Drake needs it most.
Tenzin:
A leader in his remote Tibetan village, Tenzin joins Drake halfway through his perilous journey. Their partnership is made awkward by the language barrier – Tenzin speaks only Tibetan, and Drake only English – forcing them to communicate largely through gesture. Despite this obstacle, Tenzin becomes one of Drake's most trusted allies.
Tags: Naughty Dog, PS3, Sony, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Matt Litten is the full-time editor and owner of VGBlogger.com. He is responsible for maintaining the day to day operation of the site, editing all staff content before it is published, and contributing regular news, reviews, previews and other articles. Matt landed his first gig in the video game review business writing for the now-defunct website BonusStage.com. After the sad and untimely close of BonusStage, the former staff went on to found VGBlogger.com. After a short stint as US Site Manager for AceGamez, Matt assumed full ownership over VGBlogger, and to this day he is dedicated to making it one of the top video game blogs in all the blogosphere. Matt is a fair-minded reviewer and lover of games of all platforms and types, big or small, hyped or niche, big-budget or indie. But that doesn't mean he will let poor games slide without a good thrashing when necessary!
Tenzin is the best person in all game 🙂 xD
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Community / Culture
"Don't be afraid of your inner child"
Kamran Rehmat Published on December 03, 2017 | 09:59 PM
CANDID: u201c(To quote American graphic designer and painter Paula Scher) I'm driven by the hope that I haven't done my best work yet,u201d emphasises Mobeen Ansari. Photo by Jayaram
For someone, who is, strictly speaking, not a qualified photographer to become one of his country's ace photojournalists speaks volumes about his dedication, adaptability and skill. As you talk to Mobeen Ansari, it becomes obvious that the gift of observation apart, he is imbued with a sound temperament and the kind of patience that is imperative for great art.
A graduate of the National College of Arts, where he majored in painting (whilst also pursuing printmaking and sculpting), Ansari found the Midas touch in photography thanks to an innate ability to reflect on life and explore the hidden.
Based in Islamabad, Ansari, 31, likes to focus on places off the beaten path and passionately, pursued the unseen side of Pakistan as well as getting up, close and personal with both national icons and unsung heroes for the world to see — a result, he says, of a mission to change the negative portrayal of his country.
He has brought out two books — the third is in the works — and also produced an award-winning short film. But it is the subject matter that merits closer attention. Dharkan: The Heartbeat of a Nation, his first, is a collection of stunning portraits and landscapes. His second work entitled White in the Flag is an intimate look at the minorities of Pakistan. The third is a continuation of the Dharkan series. Hellhole, the short film he directed and produced, is an ode to the sanitary workers who go to work at great risk to their lives so that the citizenry could breathe easier.
Ansari, who, was in Doha last week as part of a bilateral photography exhibition with Haya al-Thani entitled Beautiful Pakistan, Amazing Qatar, has also exhibited his work in the US, Italy, China, India and Iraq.
Clad in a green tee, the two-time TED talk giver, who, has also produced work for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and featured in Newsweek to mention a few reputed names, opened up on his calling and the full gamut of photography during a special sitting with Gulf Times.
Tell us about your initiation into serious photography.
Art has always been an innate part of me; it has always been my passion. Since a very young age I've been very observant of my surroundings — mostly because of my hearing impairment. They say when God takes away something, He gives something in return and I believe that is something that has happened with me also. This observation has catapulted into my photography and sculpture.
It all began in 1998 when my family went to the Khunjerab Pass near the Pakistan-China border; I saw my father, who was an IT engineer, take pictures which he later stitched to form a panoramic view. This fascinated me and got me interested in photography. It must have been in the genes — both my grandmother and grandfather also did photography in the pre-Partition era. Part of the inspiration came from their work.
In my school days, my father bought a digital camera, which I would also take to school and take lots of pictures. This became an unsuspecting opportunity to bring out my inner passion for photography.
One day, a classmate of mine got into a fight over a girl and lost; he then retreated to the basketball court to vent his humiliation. Incidentally, I was at the court with my camera and thought to myself — I could either let the moment pass or give respond to the urge to capture the raw emotion. Impulsively, I did the latter and, in hindsight, developed a very strong connection with human nature.
What equipment is your first love? What are the essentials of photography as refined as yours?
Actually, all tools complement each other, but I have a liking for two lenses; one is the wide angle lens which I use extensively everywhere I go now and zoom as well. I got my first DSLR in 2005 and still use the same lens.
Having said that, let me say that it doesn't matter how much you upgrade your equipment. What matters is how much you improve your aesthetics, and practice.
About essentials, well, this is something I keep asking myself. Every once in a while, I like to reinvent my style to break the monotony. There's no one template I adhere to.
What particular genre appeals to you the most? How do you figure out the colour and black and white choices?
All of them have a different appeal; portrait because it allows me to understand the subject better — you need to follow the body language. It is like a silent communication. Landscape, on the other hand, is something you can never fall out of love. It has a charm of its own. You can't really choose between the two; I have tried to, but really can't!
As for choosing between colour and black and white, I'd have to quote Ted Grant, a veteran Canadian photojournalist, who famously said: "When you photograph people in colour, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in black and white, you photograph their souls!"
Having said that, there are of course, technical aspects involved. For me, the best time would be late afternoon when the light is good for a portrait. I like to use the iconic Rembrandt's lighting techniques to give my portraits a painterly feel.
I love black and white and would prefer my subject to be near a window with light seeping in so that I have more control. It enables to hide flaws as well.
When did you first make a mark of your potential?
It was back in 2007 — my first year at the National College of Arts — when I did this portrait of a Bedouin on the outskirts of Islamabad for the Blue Chip magazine, which made it to the cover.
Difficult as it may be for an artist to pick, what would you reckon is your favourite image?
You know what the famous American graphic designer and painter Paula Scher said about "best work"? Well, she might have been marking out the guiding philosophy for me when she said: "I'm driven by the hope that I haven't done my best work yet". Am not shying away from picking, but that's where I pretty much rest my case at the moment!
Give us an insight into your most famous work todate — Dharkan: The Heartbeat of a Nation.
I was in my final year at NCA and in the midst of this self-inquiry; questioning the very purpose of my being. I'd wish I could contribute to making my part of the world a better place. I thought of doing these images, which could hopefully, change the negative narrative about Pakistan. At the time, the security situation wasn't so good. So I thought to myself — I must find the inspiration amongst her resilient people. I wanted to put Pakistanis from all shades into one spectrum and so got into photographing both the renowned and the unsung heroes. It wasn't planned as a book, but eventually, it did take shape into one. It is a continuing series. There were portraits of 98 individuals in Dharkan-1 and so far, I've done 74 in Dharkan-2.
Talking of portraits, which is your forte, what kind of emotion do you think makes the close-up talk? Is there a template to make this work every single time?
The basic principle is respect; you've got to respect your subject, your craft. There is a general tendency to be commercially driven, but I think apart from the element of design and bringing harmony to the proceedings, it is about respecting the art.
You have made outstanding portraits of the who's who of Pakistan. Who was the most intense, the most fun and the most difficult?
It was all pretty engaging though Shahid Afridi seemed a hard catch at the time with much toing and froing in a madcap race to catch him courtesy third party sources. Finally, when we did manage to get through to him directly, we were given just 4 minutes to get it over with! That was challenging to say the least. But he was busy as you would expect from someone of his stature.
As for fun, Behroze Sabzwari nailed it. Comical in an inimitable way, he reprised his famous character as Qabacha in that much followed mid-80s TV serial Tanhaiyaan. Another standout, for me, was (the folk musician) Arif Lohar, who brought out a very colourful visage in what was actually a black and white portrait!
There were others, who took a very long time to be persuaded to come forward for Dharkan — (the famous Vital Signs member and Coke Studio founder) Rohail Hyatt and (premier filmmaker) Shoaib Mansoor, for instance. I explained to them that this was not a commercial venture; rather, it was a celebration of iconic Pakistanis, and which would serve as a historic reference material for future generations.
During the course of your work, you must have met tens of dozens of people and trekked the country up and down. Who and what inspired you the most?
I have five favourite Pakistanis. (World renowned philanthropist) Abdul Sattar Edhi is on top of that list. No words I say can do justice to the kind of service he rendered for humankind.
Journalist Ardeshir Cowasjee was one of our bravest people. He abhorred privilege and would write on sensitive issues with uncompromising might. He was always on the right side of the common man. A gentleman, he would extend loans to students privately to help them and not take back when the time came.
Documentary filmmaker and rights activist Samar Minallah is another favourite. She is incredible. She has made taken up and documented issues related to the tribal areas, which is not everyone's cup of tea. She has dealt with subjects like swara and vani — tribal customs that subjugate girls and women — with such compelling force that it led to the official banning of those anti-social practices.
Sayed Gul Kalash is an archaeologist, who is pursuing PhD in Kalasha — an indigenous and the smallest ethnoreligious community of Pakistan. She is working to preserve their identity, heritage and culture with such dedication.
Bapsi Sidwa, our accomplished novelist of Parsi descent, rounds up the list. Sidwa brings the country such honour. She is also my 'adopted' grandmother!
How was White in The Flag conceived? How much of an impact did it make compared to Dharkan?
Actually, the idea was conceived even before Dharkan during my forays into Karachi as a final year NCA student. It was done parallel to my work for Dharkan; sometimes I would do 15 shoots at a time to make it!
The response to both the works was more or less the same, but paradoxically, different too, because the audience was different. Dharkan was more personality based. White in the Flag has more insight in that it covers Pakistan's rich minority landscape.
You have also directed and produced the short film Hellhole. How did it come about? Will you be doing more such fare in the near future?
It was a chance encounter with a sanitary worker (Akram Masih) whom I happened to see from a distance bob up and down a dirty manhole in Karachi back in 2010. There was dirt all over him as he went about his paces with muddy water splashing up and down and gas fumes renting the air. I'd never seen anything like it. For a paltry sum, he would undertake such a risky path to earn his bread so that people like us could move on with our lives. Later, I learnt that their life expectancy is 42-45 years. It all impacted me greatly.
Hellhole is a silent film; there are no dialogues in it, but it has this universal theme. Am currently, engaged in another short film, but on a different subject. It's about birds.
Who has inspired you the most? Amongst your contemporaries, which one would you mark as noteworthy?
American photojournalists Steve McCurry — famous for his 1984 "Afghan Girl" portrait for the National Geographic — and Esther Bubley, who specialised in photography of ordinary people, in the era of illustrated magazines long before even our parents were born. Their art of portraiture is something I've tried to follow. Esther's use of light and images of railway stations were incredible. She did intimate work on the black community.
Amongst contemporaries, photojournalists Haseeb Amjad, Danial Shah, who is also a filmmaker, and Khaula Jamil (best known for her work for the 'Humans of Karachi') are doing fantastic work. It's a coincidence that all of them belong to Karachi.
Has it all become too convenient to live by smartphone photography? Do you think with all its user friendly tools, it is eating into the art?
We have to remember it is the age of social media, where a certain culture of 'likes' dominates, which sort of prevents critique. Yes, the tools are better today, but I think what is lacking is constructive criticism in terms of feedback. I, too, upload pictures to even flickr — which once upon a time was the go-to platform — for feedback. I still talk to my seniors, asking them if, and where, I'm going wrong and how to improve.
There are still people who do photography the old-fashioned way and there is still a line between professionals and hobbyists. Having said that, I wouldn't really blame smartphone photography, for, there are enthusiasts who do a great job of it, too — sometimes even better than us. Even I do it, but very occasionally. Sometimes it just depends on circumstances where you have to capture a fleeting moment — at a moment's notice. Smartphone photography, that way, gives you that flexibility.
What advice would you give aspiring photographers — to 'real' photographers, not their smartphone cousins?
(Laughs) to everybody, really. Passion is the key. Always think you still have to create your best work. Always. Because that keeps you driven. The moment you think your best work is done, you lose motivation — as is true of life itself. Keep an open eye and an open mind; do not be afraid to express yourself. Most important of all — this is something I've learnt in the last two months or so — Don't be afraid of your inner child. Always be curious; you know how a child keeps raising questions. You have to keep asking these questions!


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text:
QUANTITY LEADS TO QUALITY SONGWRITING
When I got my first songwriting deal, my publisher and our other songwriter, would write 2-3 times a day. Every day. The volume of out put from our office was crazy. We were cranking out between 30 and 45 songs per week between the three of us. I had nothing to compare it to, so I didn't think much of it. I thought every writer in town was working that hard and writing that many songs. As time went by, I discovered that most writers were NOT writing that much. I asked the other writers from our team why they wrote so much. They told me that they wrote a lot because they wanted to increase their chances of getting a cut AND because they wanted to have songs to pitch to every artist. And, they believed that writing more improved your writing exponentially.
My publisher explained it this way. He said that he estimated that he got 1 out of every 20 songs he wrote cut. He generally got 1 single for every 12 cuts he got. If you do the math, that's approximately 240 songs written for every single. And this is from someone at the top of his game. Most of us don't even have those numbers. To survive, writers have to get singles in today's market. So, you can see that there is power in quantity. Just as you don't start playing golf and make the PGA tour the first year you play, it takes a lot of repetitions. It takes a lot of practice to get to a pro level at anything you try.
So, when people tell me they have written 25 songs and still don't have any cuts, I tell them to write more. A LOT more. Writing a lot more songs is probably the best way to move forward toward a career as a writer. Those songs are your practice swings.
The more you practice, the better you get. That's the way the world works. So, if you want to get cuts, start writing more. Challenge yourself to double your output by the end of the year. Write. Then write some more.
Hangi Tavakoli is our in-house established and professional music producer with more than 15 years of experience in music production, mix and mastering, recording engineering, live sound designing/engineering, lyrics writing and music arrangement. He has produced more than 800 and written more than 2000 published songs to-date, including some major hits in international scale.


text:
"ethics" a new woman to hate antifeminism evil fat fatties facebook misogyny MRA paul elam reddit TROOOLLLL!!
The Curious Case of the Disappearing A Voice for Men Facebook Page
171 Comments on The Curious Case of the Disappearing A Voice for Men Facebook Page
Wanted for questioning
Something weird is going on.
Yesterday, A Voice for Men's Facebook page was temporarily suspended. I'm not sure how long it was down, but by the time I discovered Paul Elam's announcement of the suspension late last night, it had been restored.
Elam — who apparently decided to come out of retirement for the occasion — declared that the suspension
appears to be the work of censorious feminist ideologues working in a modern Facebook environment that favors their agenda.
Mike Buchanan — the head of the UK's ludicrously unsuccessful Justice for Men & Boys party and a longtime AVFM pal — declared in a comment on AVFM and in a post on his site that the censorious feminist ideologue responsible for this dastardly deed was a woman named Rose S Garston, a self-described "thorn in the side of MRAs" who had taken credit for the suspension in a post on her own Facebook page.
As proof, she posted a screenshot of the note she got from Facebook informing her that her complaint had led to AVFM's suspension. Garston also took credit for getting the Exposing Feminism Facebook page taken down.
So, case closed then, right? Well, not exactly.
Because "Rose S Garston" does not seem to exist.
True, a Google search of the name shows there was a woman of that name born in 1903 in New Haven, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this almost certainly dead person is not the one posting on Facebook.
The rest of the Google results link to "Garston's" Facebook page, to several comments "she" made elsewhere using "her" Facebook account, and to and assortment of MRA and Alt-Right sites that picked up Buchanan's post.
"Garston" scrubbed "her" Facebook page of most of its contents sometime last night, but an archived version of the page — linked to in Buchanan's post — raises even more red flags.
The page portrays "Garston" as a "fat acceptance" activist as well as a feminist. But to my eyes it doesn't look like the page of a real feminist or fat acceptance activist. It looks like the work of a troll.
For one thing, there's the matter of the picture purportedly of Garston that sits atop the page — showing a young woman holding a sign explaining why she supports fat acceptance. I don't doubt that the person in the photo is a real fat acceptance activist; a Google image search shows that the photo was originally posted two years ago on a Tumblr blog devoted to fat acceptance.
But it's also appeared on a zillion other pages since then, including a number mocking fat acceptance. It's on Know Your Meme. It was used in a Youtube video called "The Fat Acceptance Movement is Bullshit." Internet-famous fat-shamer (and fat person) Matt Forney used it in a post on "Fat Acceptance, Cultural Marxism and Identity Politics."
It's literally the first image that shows up if you do a Google image search for "fat acceptance" — making it the obvious pick for a lazy troll looking for a picture of a fat activist to pretend to be.
Then there's the Facebook post from "Garston" in which "she" sets forth "her" views on the subject.
Stop the fat shaming. Fat is beautiful. Fat is healthy. It is the patriarchy that has dictated women must all be skinny as rakes for the viewing pleasure of men. Fuck that. You want that donut? That chicken burger and fries? That 15inch pizza? Then, go for it. Get it down you. Enjoy 🙂
Word of advice though. Being fat wont stop men catcalling you. At my heaviest I was 717lb and men would still catcall me when I was in my mobility scooter buying groceries.
Really? Really? If this was written by anyone other than a troll, I will eat my cats.
Assuming "Garston" is not the honest-to-goodness feminist fat acceptance activist "she" purports to be, then who is behind the account?
Could it be Elam himself or some other AVFMer trying to gin up some attention and sympathy?
I doubt it. Not that Elam wouldn't stoop this low. He would. But I don't think that Elam has the imagination to come up with something like this. And I doubt he would risk getting his Facebook page permanently banned in order to stir up a fake controversy.
No, I suspect it's the work of someone who doesn't much like feminism, or fat acceptance, or AVFM.
Could it be the work of some longtime fat-shamer like Forney or Roosh? In addition to using the same picture that Forney used for his post dissing fat acceptance, "Garston" also posted a screenshot from a Dr. Oz show about a 700-pound woman. As you may recall, Roosh made a bit of a spectacle of himself during an appearance on Dr. Oz to discuss his own fat-shaming campaign.
So … maybe? Probably not, though.
Regardless of who did it, if the point of this apparent trollery was to cause a headache for AVFM and to stir up animus towards feminists, well, it's succeeded at both.
Over on the Men's Rights subreddt, the regulars worked themselves into a self-righteous frenzy over what proved to be a very short-lived suspension.
Someone called NixonForBreadsident got 97 net upvotes for a comment decrying what he saw as
a co-ordinated effort to render anything against feminism on Google, Facebook and other social media. As in they've literally had meetings to push this agenda.
This is a major fuckup on their side though, the world has been steadily getting pissed off by feminism and the one thing that unites people is when you censor content.
NOTHING is too big to fall. Remember that.
Our old friend ThePigmanAgain declared that
this is very bad news. The hammer is starting to fall all over the place and one has to wonder how long it will be before the PC fascists who run FB start to ban ordinary members who also happen to be MRAs.
r4ks4k was a bit more succinct, saying only
Well then f**k facebook.
The original comment did not contain the asterisks, of course.
I have no idea how this whole thing is going to shake out.
Your move, troll. I guess?
Tags a voice for men, anti-feminism, antifeminism, censorship, men's rights, misogyny, MRA, trolls
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@PoM
already gave that to you. Scroll up.
Ah, so you did. Apologies.
doubt it will change your mind about what? Whether there is a deterrent effect? One has been found – a small but measurable one. If a peer-reviewed study can't change your mind about the existence of the effect, that gets a hard side-eye from me.
Whether the death penalty is a good idea? It's not meant to change your mind about that. The authors didn't make that argument, or any normative argument at all, and I gave you a good reason why it should not make you start to think that the death penalty is A-OK. So I'm not sure what you're referring to.
I was referring to the morality of the death penalty. I didn't mean to imply you were trying to change my mind on it, I was just sort of 'speaking' out loud. Again, I apologize.
ETA: Thr name of the study is 'Getting off Death Row: Commuted Sentences and the Deterrent Effect of Capital Punishment' for anyone interested.
weirwoodtreehugger
POM,
I guess I still don't get it. It looks like it's just detailed correlation and doesn't get into causation. And I'm still not seeing anything to suggest that having the death penalty at all is preferable to not having one at all, just that if you have the death penalty you should carry out the sentence.
It annoys me that this stuff is always behind a paywall. Laypeople are sneered at by scientists and academics for getting all their knowledge from lazy scientific reporting from the media, but then they make all their knowledge expensive or time consuming to access, so where else are people supposed to get their information? I think any study that was at all funded by institute that gets public money should be accessible to the public. But that's another issue.
I've got access past the paywall and am finding it rather unconvincing. In particular, it's got a graph showing executions, overall homicide rate, and homicide rate in states where the death penalty is legal, and both homicide rates do look inversely correlated to the number of executions with the rate consistently higher in states where the death penalty is legal. Also they're counting commutations twice:
Using the average of the coefficients estimated, we found that each additional execution or commutation results in a reduction or increase of about five murders The impact of total removals is smaller: each removal from death row other than execution and death yields about one additional homicide.
Plus, that's from 2003; number of executions has fallen drastically since while violent crime rates have continued to decline.
Policy of Madness
I guess I still don't get it. It looks like it's just detailed correlation and doesn't get into causation.
Economic legal theory is similar to other kinds of economic theory, namely that people are rational actors that base their plans on expected outcomes. The definition of an "expected outcome" is the price of that outcome x the probability of obtaining that outcome (as opposed to others). So if you put money into an office pool and there are 20 people in it, with $100 at stake, your expected outcome is 1/20 x $100, or $5. This is the average outcome that you would get per trial if a sufficiently high number of trials took place.
It's good theory, economically. For instance, large companies absolutely choose to settle vs. insist on a trial on the expected outcome. Large companies experience enough lawsuits that the averaging-out effect is relevant for them. They base their estimates of how much they could reasonably expect to lose, and their likelihood of losing, on data collected from past lawsuits, both their own and those of other, similarly-situated companies. Large companies usually settle because the settlement amount is less than the expected cost of the suit, so averaged over time they are spending less on frequent settlements than they would spend on infrequent but very large jury awards.
So therein lies the whole concept of deterrence. I mean, what does deterrence mean? It means that someone sees another murderer punished for murder, and chooses to avoid that punishment by avoiding the crime.
In economic terms, the idea behind deterrence is that a potential criminal (who is a rational actor in this scenario) will weigh the expected cost (the probability of being caught, convicted, and assigned the death penalty) verses the expected benefit of the murder. This theoretical person is called the "rational criminal" in this field. Increasing the probability of being caught/convicted/assigned the death penalty (or the perceived probability thereof) and the expected cost goes up. If the cost gets high enough, it outweighs the expected benefit, and the crime does not take place.
Obviously there are problems here. Even if we stick entirely within our framework and don't bring in outside factors like racism, we have the problem that tons of criminals do not behave rationally. Many are teenagers whose brains are not yet fully developed. Others are poor at managing their emotions and they act without thinking things through.
However, even if only a small fraction of potential murderers are rational criminals, that is potentially a small fraction of murders that can be prevented.
You won't get an argument from me there. Journals have overhead and that overhead needs to be covered, but what they charge, especially the top-quality ones, far exceeds their costs. There's no justification for it than to keep knowledge from the public.
Also they're counting commutations twice:
No, they aren't. They're using a variant of economic language, that of marginal returns. They looked at total removals from death row, with each one yielding 1 additional homicide above the base rate. Commutations, when considered alone, resulted in 5 additional homicides above the base rate.
They're not saying you get 1 additional homicide for the removal and an extra 5 for the fact that it's a commutation, for a total of 6.
In particular, it's got a graph showing executions, overall homicide rate, and homicide rate in states where the death penalty is legal, and both homicide rates do look inversely correlated to the number of executions with the rate consistently higher in states where the death penalty is legal.
Yeah, it's really common for people to claim that, because homicide rates are higher in states with the death penalty, that must mean the death penalty isn't working, but logic alone doesn't prove that, and I haven't seen anything to indicate that the causation arrow points that direction. There are other potential reasons that correlation might occur. For instance, the causation arrow might go the opposite direction, with a high murder rate (because of whatever reason) causing a state to implement or retain a death penalty. It might also be a spurious correlation, with both things caused by one or more other factors. Maybe states that have a cultural disregard for the value of human life (because of whatever reason) both view the death penalty as OK, and generate a populace that is more likely to commit murder due to that disregard.
That doesn't rule out the possibility that even fewer murders would have taken place if executions had been carried out. Also: this isn't concerned with the "violent crime rate" as a whole. Crimes other than homicide weren't found to be affected.
Freemage –
"The action itself was still dangerously risky, and could've easily destroyed her, which is why we have statutory rape laws in the first place. And I agree with those who say he changed, having realized he did get lucky and how close he came to triggering a real tragedy."
It sounds like it DID trigger a real tragedy, though, because it triggered her "relationship" (captivity) with Jimmy Paige, who (according to Maddox) basically sent for her the day after Bowie raped her because he'd heard about it and considered her exploitable.
Thanks for explaining further. I've got to say that it sounds like they're making quite a few assumptions. As you said, that the criminals are rational and also it sounds it like it's assuming a potential murderer knows about it when a death sentence is commuted. I suppose I could see a rational criminal with prior knowledge of commuted death penalties acting accordingly though. Overall, it's definitely not enough to convince me that the death penalty is a net good. Not that you're trying to convince us of that or anything 🙂
Yeah, it's really common for people to claim that, because homicide rates are higher in states with the death penalty, that must mean the death penalty isn't working, but logic alone doesn't prove that, and I haven't seen anything to indicate that the causation arrow points that direction.
What it implies is that executions do not appear to have any impact on the murder rate. If they did, it would be expected that executions would only cause the murder rate to fall in states where the death penalty was a factor. Which would manifest as the murder rate falling noticeably faster in those states rather than at approximately the same rate as the average. The correlation appears spurious.
Thanks for explaining further. I've got to say that it sounds like they're making quite a few assumptions. As you said, that the criminals are rational and also it sounds it like it's assuming a potential murderer knows about it when a death sentence is commuted. I suppose I could see a rational criminal with prior knowledge of commuted death penalties acting accordingly though.
People usually don't hear about commuted sentences, but they hear about executions quite a lot. That would have the same effect.
And the effect is pretty small. 5 murders? That's not nothing – that's a hell of a lot different from nothing for the victims – but it's 5 out of thousands of murders every year. In 2012, the most recent year for which I can find data, there were 14,827 murders in the US. That's almost 15,000 murders that were not deterred by anything.
Not that you're trying to convince us of that or anything
No. My whole objective is to make sure that folks know the literature and are prepared for it if someone brings up this topic. We know that MRAs operate fact-free, and I want WHTM to work differently.
What you're saying is the equivalent of "I have an umbrella but I'm getting wet anyway. Some other person threw their umbrella away and they are dry. So umbrellas are clearly useless." This ignores numerous scenarios in which your umbrella is working fine and that you would be a hell of a lot more wet if you threw it away. Maybe the other person is sitting under an awning, or in a different area where it is not raining. Maybe you're getting upsplash from the pavement. You being more wet with an umbrella than someone else is without one is not proof that umbrellas don't work because there is no reason to think that the two situations are exactly identical.
Let me repeat myself:
Logic alone doesn't prove that, and I haven't seen anything to indicate that the causation arrow points that direction. There are other potential reasons that correlation might occur. For instance, the causation arrow might go the opposite direction, with a high murder rate (because of whatever reason) causing a state to implement or retain a death penalty. It might also be a spurious correlation, with both things caused by one or more other factors. Maybe states that have a cultural disregard for the value of human life (because of whatever reason) both view the death penalty as OK, and generate a populace that is more likely to commit murder due to that disregard.
Alan Robertshaw
Re: deterrence
It's quite a while since I did 'penal policy' so things might have changed in the meantime; but all the stuff we looked at suggested that whilst deterrence was a factor on 'acquisitive crime' it had little effect on sexual and violent offending.
Some studies looked at sentencing, but the key ones were based on situations where law enforcement had been suspended for various reasons (withdrawal of police, breakdown of civil government etc).
In those cases things like theft shot up but the number of murders and assaults stayed pretty constant. The theory was that in the case of assaults rationality isn't really an issue. Most assaults/murders are spontaneous and driven by things like anger or rage. People will commit violence even if the police are present, whereas thieves will be deterred at even the thought of police presence (just putting up pictures of the police can bring thefts down)
As to sentencing for rational criminals it seems that fear of detection and capture is more of a factor than severity of sentence. Very few people have an accurate understanding of likely sentence anyway.
That of course is about deterrence generally rather than the death penalty specifically. It does seem to be borne out by the UK experience though. The abolition of the death penalty had no measurable effect on the murder rate here.
Nick Gotts
Laypeople are sneered at by scientists and academics for getting all their knowledge from lazy scientific reporting from the media, but then they make all their knowledge expensive or time consuming to access – weirwoodtreehugger
No, they don't. Journal publishers do. Scientists and academics want their work to have the widest possible visibility. They do not profit in the least from it being behind paywalls – they do not, indeed, get paid by any reputable journals I'm aware of for publishing in them. They get kudos for publishing in good journals – where "good" means "journals where high-quality work is published" – and that helps them in their careers; but they are, largely, "captives" of those journals with good reputations – if you don't publish in those journals, your career suffers. There are, in fact an increasing number of open-access journals, and places like arxiv where "preprints" are made available – but most open access journals charge the academic or their institution to publish their work, and many journals refuse to accept papers that have been made available in advance for free, and insist on the authors transferring copyright to the journal.
History Nerd
@Alan Yeah, I don't think murder and sex crimes are deterred by the severity of the sentence. With sex crimes there's usually a pattern of behavior starting in adolescence that people seem to act on regardless of how severe the penalties are. Sex offender treatment is based on the idea that you can't really change desires but you can make motivated people averse to acting out. I'd guess people need more motivation than not wanting to be punished.
Any brain scientist-types in the house (not picky – neurology, psychiatry, whateves) who know if there've been studies on lizard brain impulse control issues vs old mammal brain impulse control issues?
In asking, I'm assuming that explosive anger = cerebellum (mostly based on the fact that a half-assed Bing search [don't judge – I'm playing into their desperation and getting points for stuff] turned up that damage to it results in marked increases in irritability and impulsivity…at least according to the abstracts ;p ) and that the acquisitional crimes (or at least their germ) = more of a limbic system thing.
From way back (*waves to high school human anatomy and physiology course taken* -soft sobbing- *nearly 20 years ago*), I remember that cerebrum / frontal lobe damage can do a number on impulse control, but I was wondering why (neurologically) there'd be a variation in a population (or, hell, person) in the efficacy of the threat of punishment (that is, in the ability of a subject or subjects to exhibit impulse control) for different types of action.
Impulse control is just one out of several things that might go wrong. Murderers often don't have a particularly high level of frustration or anger. They've let go of the "breaks" that keep most people from acting out in that way. Fear of punishment and impulse control are only two "breaks." There's also morality, shame and guilt, not wanting to disappoint your family, etc.
@ history nerd et al
This is from a UK perspective obviously but generally over here most murders are pretty spontaneous.
In fact, in the UK, in 60% of murders it's the murderer who calls the police.
I could see there being a slight increase in murders due to prisoners not being executed for the simple reason that, if they're not being kept in solitary confinement, there's someone who has been convicted of a very serious offence in prison instead of in the ground. So there's a higher chance of them murdering a fellow prisoner or them being murdered by another prisoner.
Regardless of whether or not there is a significant deterrent effect, I really don't agree with the death penalty. There are enough innocent people who are executed to give me pause, not to mention the racial issues facing the USA prison system.
Leaving aside that, http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/costs-death-penalty says that the annual costs of the present death penalty system in the states is about $137 million per year. (Costs of the present system with reforms recommended by the Commission to ensure a fair process would be $232.7 million per year.)
Alternatively, the cost of a system which imposes a maximum penalty of lifetime incarceration instead of the death penalty would be $11.5 million per year. That's $125.5 million dollars of difference, on the conservative side of things. The cost of a human life, according to a couple sources, like the environmental protection agency and the department of transportation, is estimated to be between $6-9.1 million. Rounding up to 10 million, that's the value of 12.5 human lives, which is more than double the 5 murders that are deterred by this measure. Funnelling the budget from the death penalty system into healthcare, welfare, safety standards or infrastructure would be far more likely to prevent loss of human life than the deterrent effect of the death penalty, from a purely economic perspective.
Freemage
Catalpa: Yes, but that would help the… *drop voice to whisper, furtive look around* undeserving poor, and we can't have that, now can we? [Switch off GOP mode]
PoM's analysis of the study seems to indicate that the deterrent effect is best in a Cardassian-style legal system:
Under the articles, an officer would caution the individual being arrested that, "You have the right to refuse to answer questions, but such refusal may be construed as a sign of guilt." The document also allows the arrest of a suspect without informing him of the crime he is accused of.
It also provided for spouses of the accused to disassociate themselves from the accused by testifying against them. Cardassian trials were for show, as the verdict and sentence had already been determined in advance. There was no appeals process.
http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/Cardassian_Articles_of_Jurisprudence
nparker
These 'AARG! We're being Censored!!' things by MRAs are starting to become really repetitive. However, I imagine that there's more to this fledgling saga yet…
sparkalipoo
@paradoxical intentions
what annoys me about people who complain about trigger warnings is that if you're dealing with a work that needs the trigger warnings is that you kind of need to acknowledge the thing in that work that would make it necessary for it to have a trigger warning. I've been in an English classes where we were reading works that dealt with sexism and rape and racism and other societal issues and in the classes were the teacher didn't acknowledge that the book was about difficult subject, the discussion was so much more awkward than in the classes that did. Also, there's a lot of literature where the author's purpose is to express what it's like to experience something awful so not acknowledging the author's purpose in writing is misguided, to put it mildly, or are works like Huckleberry Finn where there's controversy around it that you can't just ignore
@Alan Robertshaw
I also think that sometimes there's a lot of pressure on victims to forgive; which I see as unfair.
I agree. I feel like when people say victims should forgive, (at least most of the time) it's not because they think the victim would benefit from forgiveness but because they don't want to deal with the issue and if the victim forgives the perpetrator then they don't have to deal with the issue and when you're dealing with a situation where the perpetrator might go on to victimize someone else, even if the victim has forgiven them, the general public doesn't because I think society has a responsibility to ensure public safety that the victim doesn't.
Overall, I feel like people rush to assume that an abuser has changed because it means that they don't have to deal with the issue so I'm suspicious when people go "yeah but they changed" because I've heard that so many times when the person hadn't actually changed, it was just easier for the third party person to assume that they had changed. As someone who has been abused, when I hear "but they changed" it usually means the person saying that is denying/excusing what happened (it means that they are basically saying that they don't care about what happened to me and can't pay me the courtesy of being honest) so when people say that about celebrities it just annoys me
Dalillama on The Great Disappointment: Can QAnon survive the inauguration of Joe Biden?
Alan Robertshaw on The Great Disappointment: Can QAnon survive the inauguration of Joe Biden?
Skiriki on He's gone, he's really gone: Inauguration Open Thread


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Counter Strike Global Offensive Free Download October 10, 2015 Action , FPS 55 Comments Download Counter Strike Global Offensive (CS GO) for FREE on PC � Learn how to CSGO Free download in this article and be sure to share this site with your friends.


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AN investigation has been launched at a school after an angry parent told how his 12-year-old daughter was shown an F-word filled scene from a cult film.
The father of the year seven pupil, who attends Southchurch High School in Southchurch Boulevard, Southend, claimed her history class was shown a scene from Eight Mile, based on the young life of hip-hop legend, Eminem.
The scene complained of was a rap battle with lyrics the dad said were inappropriate for a child of 12 to listen to.
The sing-off included references to guns, inappropriate comments about women and the word 'f***' is said 16 times.
The parent, who asked not to be named, said: "With what we read about crime happening in Southend currently, these young children could be influenced badly by scenes like this, especially the boys who think it is cool to listen to this music that degrades women and assault people, it is just not acceptable. The language that was used when I read them I could not believe.
The father of the child said that although parents may not be able to stop their children from seeing scenes and hearing music such as what was in the film, he did not feel a school classroom was the appropriate place for them to come in contact with it.
He added: "There are other methods of putting things across as this just encourages the children.
"We often hear things from my daughter when she comes home from school, we don't mind those things too much but when they come home and tell us about things such as this, it does not give me a huge amount of confidence in the school.
"It should at least contact parents to make us aware the teacher is planning something like this.
The school told the Echo it had been made aware of the father's complaint.


The SAFEGUARDING POLICY below was adopted by the Parochial Church Council in April 2016.
It has been renewed annually and the next review will be in April 2019.
church officers using the following links .
Further diocesan information on safeguarding policy and procedure can be found here.


Last week, The New York Times featured agents Steve Snider and Lisa Blumencranz's listing at 166 West 18th Street, 4B in its "On the Market" column. The one-bedroom, one-and-a-half bathroom Chelsea condo was highlighted for its floor-to-ceiling windows, open kitchen and more. Click below to see more of this home in Yves Chelsea.


AR - SB622 AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF RURAL SERVICES GENERAL IMPROVEMENT APPROPRIATION.
AR - SB1033 CONCERNING THE RENTING OR LEASING OF PROPERTY WITHIN THE STATE CAPITOL BUILDING, THE CAPITOL HILL BUILDING, AND ADJACENT PARKING AREAS.
AR - SB1099 TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE PROCEDURES FOR CONDUCTING A MEETING OF THE STATE BOARD OF ELECTION COMMISSIONERS.
AR - SB548 AN ACT FOR THE ARKANSAS TECH UNIVERSITY - OZARK CAMPUS CONSTRUCTION, MAINTENANCE, EQUIPMENT AND LIBRARY RESOURCES GENERAL IMPROVEMENT APPROPRIATION.
AR - SB898 TO AMEND THE LAW REGARDING INITIATIVES AND REFERENDUMS; AND TO AMEND THE PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS CONCERNING PETITIONS FOR INITIATIVES AND REFERENDUMS.
AR - SB559 AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION - DISBURSING OFFICER - PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT GRANTS GENERAL IMPROVEMENT APPROPRIATION.
AR - SB945 TO PERMIT ENTRY UPON PRIVATE PROPERTY FOR THE LIMITED PURPOSE TO RETRIEVE HUNTING DOGS.
AR - SB1032 TO PROVIDE FOR AN ENHANCED PENALTY FOR IMPERSONATING A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL WHEN THE IMPERSONATION LEADS TO THE SEIZURE OF AN ANIMAL.
AR - SB894 TO AMEND ARKANSAS LAW CONCERNING THE RIGHT TO ENGAGE IN A LAWFUL OCCUPATION.
AR - SB1017 CONCERNING THE STUDY OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION AND FOUNDING DOCUMENTS.
AR - SB200 TO REVISE THE NUMBER OF FLAGS PROVIDED BY THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S OFFICE.
AR - SB251 TO CLARIFY THE PROCEDURES FOR REMITTING FUNDS ASSOCIATED WITH UNIFORM COMMERCIAL CODE ACTIVITY; AND TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY.
AR - SB14 CREATING THE OFFENSE OF INTERFERENCE WITH A LIVESTOCK OR POULTRY OPERATION.
AR - SB547 AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES - DIVISION OF AGING AND ADULT SERVICES - SENIOR CITIZEN CENTER GRANTS GENERAL IMPROVEMENT APPROPRIATION.
AR - SB549 AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION - SCHOOL DISTRICT FISCAL DISTRESS GRANTS GENERAL IMPROVEMENT APPROPRIATION.
AR - SB661 AN ACT FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS - FORT SMITH GENERAL IMPROVEMENT APPROPRIATION.
AR - SB1016 TO PROHIBIT THE OUT-OF-STATE TRANSFER OF ANIMALS SEIZED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT IN A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION.
AR - SB550 AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES - DIVISION OF YOUTH SERVICES - YOUTH SHELTER GRANTS GENERAL IMPROVEMENT APPROPRIATION.
AR - SB621 AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS' AFFAIRS GENERAL IMPROVEMENT APPROPRIATION.
AR - SB13 PROVIDING LEGAL PROTECTION TO ANIMAL OWNERS AND THEIR ANIMALS AND TO ENSURE THAT ONLY LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES INVESTIGATE CHARGES OF ANIMAL CRUELTY.
AR - SB133 TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS FOR THE PURCHASE OF VOTING SYSTEMS.
AR - SB526 AN ACT FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS - FORT SMITH - FINE ARTS BUILDING GENERAL IMPROVEMENT APPROPRIATION.
AR - SB546 AN ACT FOR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION - CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT GRANTS FOR MUSEUMS GENERAL IMPROVEMENT APPROPRIATION.
AR - SB1140 TO USE REVENUE FROM A WINE EXCISE TAX TO PROMOTE RESEARCH CONCERNING THE PRODUCTION OF ARKANSAS WINE AND ARKANSAS WINE GRAPES; AND TO PROMOTE AGRITOURISM.
AR - HCR1005 RECOGNIZING THE ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SUBIACO ACADEMY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION.
AR - SB620 AN ACT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND TOURISM - U.S. MARSHAL MUSEUM GENERAL IMPROVEMENT APPROPRIATION.
AR - SB1061 TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE TRANSPORT OF SPARKLING WINE IN ARKANSAS.
AR - SB906 TO CLARIFY THE DEFINITION OF A FENCE; AND TO MAKE THE REMOVAL OF A POSTED SIGN OR OF A FENCE A CLASS B MISDEMEANOR.
AR - HB1330 AN ACT FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS - FORT SMITH AND THE BOREHAM LIBRARY GENERAL IMPROVEMENT APPROPRIATION.
AR - HB1895 TO ALLOW CERTAIN EMPLOYEES TO DONATE ACCRUED SICK LEAVE OR ACCRUED ANNUAL LEAVE TO ANOTHER EMPLOYEE WHO IS EMPLOYED BY THE SAME STATE EMPLOYER AND HAS A SEVERE ILLNESS OR HAS AN IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBER WHO IS SEVERELY ILL.
AR - HB2084 TO CLARIFY THE PROCEDURES FOR EARLY VOTING.
AR - SB1165 TO PERMIT A SMALL FARM WINERY TO SHIP WINES DIRECTLY TO ARKANSAS RESIDENTS.
AR - HB2283 TO ALLOW LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS TO USE AN ALTERNATIVE OR SECONDARY ADDRESS TO RECEIVE LETTERS AND COMMUNICATIONS FROM STATE AGENCIES.
AR - HB1175 TO PROMOTE INTERSTATE RELATIONS BETWEEN LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS OF DIFFERENT LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES; AND TO ALLOW A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER TO TRAVEL OUT OF STATE IN HIS OR HER EMERGENCY VEHICLE.
AR - HB1017 TO ALLOW SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO ADOPT CURRICULUM STANDARDS FOR AN ACADEMIC STUDY OF THE BIBLE COURSE AS DIRECTED BY THIS ACT.
AR - HB1864 CONCERNING PUBLIC SCHOOL EMPLOYEE MEMBERSHIP IN LABOR ORGANIZATIONS.
AR - HB1266 TO CREATE A SALES AND USE TAX EXEMPTION FOR CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS PURCHASED TO CONSTRUCT, REPAIR, OR REMODEL A FACILITY TO BE USED BY AN EXEMPT ENTITY.
AR - HB1239 TO CREATE A NEW BENEFIT PROGRAM UNDER THE ARKANSAS LOCAL POLICE AND FIRE RETIREMENT SYSTEM.
AR - HB1227 TO ALLOW A MEMBER OF THE ARKANSAS TEACHER RETIREMENT SYSTEM WHO IS A CLASSIFIED EMPLOYEE OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL THE SAME RIGHT TO PURCHASE PREVIOUS PRIVATE SCHOOL SERVICE AS PERMITTED FOR CERTIFIED TEACHERS OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL.
AR - SB335 THE ARKANSAS CLOSE TO HOME ACT.


These can be easily made from the comfort of your ovenless dorm room. They are easy, vegan, bakeless, and delectable.
Mix your desired amount of peanut butter and sunflower seeds together in a bowl. Spread out some powdered sugar or cookie mix (I used Ghirardelli chocolate chip cookie mix, it is vegan and if you have an oven, soy margarine and egg substitute can yield you delicious Ghirardelli cookies) if desired, you could just refrigerate balls of peanut butter and sunflower seeds if that's your thing. However I prefer to roll spoonfuls of this nutty mixture in the cookie mix so it is no longer so sticky, then put it on a plate or whatever and refrigerate it for a few hours. Then melt your vegan chocolate in your microwave, or a friend's microwave, and roll the balls until they are saturated with gooey chocolate secretions. Pop them on a plate and refrigerate until hard.
Yum. No seriously they're so good guys, you can even bite them like normal chocolate, they are moist and malleable inside, crisp and chocolate outside. Chocolate salty balls. For real.
Sorry about having no amounts but I don't even have any measuring cups and seriously it doesn't matter how much peanut butter, chocolate, or sunflower seeds you use - whatever looks good to you.
This isn't a review, this is just me posting a response to let you know that I can't stop laughing at this.
Was there intended to be innuendo in this recipe, or am I just immature?
im thinking innuendo.. especially since there really isnt anything particularly salty in the recipe.. maybe sweet seedy balls doesnt sound as fun?


text:
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Embrace contemporary designs inside and outside the structure with Vanilla Oro marble tiles. These luxurious tiles have a white to ivory predominant color that's tinted with touches of grey. They may also have gold and yellow veining adding interest to the tile. They're the perfect choice for contemporary designs and are a must-have for any contractor working on high-end projects.
Marbles tiles aren't just for interior use. They can also be used in the exterior landscape as stepping stones. Nestled into the ground, they will shine and add a wonderful contrast through both texture and color. They can also be settled in among gravel for a modern entrance that makes a powerful statement. The marble tiles can also be used in outdoor kitchens, as backsplashes for outdoor cooking areas and even around open patios.
Modern art features patterns and colors, and you can work this into any custom dream home. While Vanilla Oro tiles make a statement by themselves, they can leave a more powerful mark on any room by combining them with other tiles to form an impressive pattern. Use rectangular gray tiles that pick up the highlighting shades in the marble to form a woven pattern on the flooring. The rectangular tiles will weave across the open space represented by the luxurious marble. The moving lines will trick the eye and make your customers look twice at the floor. They'll be impressed with the pattern and your creativity. You can also use this same pattern on shower walls, kitchen backsplashes and other areas that need more visual interest.
The only limit to the patterns you can form is your own creativity. Mix the Vanilla Oro marble tiles with blue, gray, black, or even brown tiles to form checkerboard patterns or create borders. The use of contrasting colors will pull more attention to the floor and ensure that people notice the beautiful marble. However, you can also create more subdued patterns by choosing colors that are closer together for a monochromatic look that's still unique and welcoming.
Vanilla Oro tiles are commonly used in modern décor because of their pure coloring and luxurious look. However, they aren't just for modern designs. If you have clients who love the rustic but don't want to feel like they're stepped back in time, then you can use this marble to balance the equation. Use it on the countertop or kitchen backsplash to add a touch of the contemporary without changing the overall rustic feeling.
Due to the weight, marble is usually used in horizontal applications like flooring and counters. However, you aren't limited to laying the marble flat. You can also use it in vertical applications including backsplashes, shower walls, and fireplace surrounds. The marble will need a greater level of support, but it can easily be mounted on walls with the proper adhesive. It can become the perfect finishing touch to any room, and potential customers will love how elegant the space looks when white marble tiles grace the walls and reflect more light around the space. You can draw more attention to the marble by angling spot lights to reflect off the surface, or paint surrounding trim in a contrasting color to make it stand out more. In the powder room, finish off the shower with glass walls or doors to further highlight the marble and enlarge the room visually. If you've installed a relaxing whirlpool tub, use the marble tiles to finish off the apron in an elegant fashion. This is also a fantastic choice if the flooring in the bathroom is Vanilla Oro marble and you want the bathtub to blend as much as possible.
As a designer, you shouldn't be afraid to mix materials. Marble and wood have long been paired together in quality, elegant furnishings. Bring that same mixture to your customer's home by adding marble counters over wood cabinets. Use a combination of marble and wood on the fireplace mantle. Even a very traditional home can benefit from the addition of sophisticated marble to keep the space feeling modern and attractive. Marble tiles create a clean look that's appropriate for any room, and your customers are sure to love the upscale touches.
Large marble tiles make a statement on the floor, but smaller Vanilla Oro tiles can become perfect accents in the most delicate. Tie everything together in the bathroom by using marble tile as a border for the mirror. Install marble tiles behind the stove for easy cleaning. Put a row of marble above the fireplace mantle to highlight the marble hearth below. There are countless ways to incorporate marble into your design plans, and they'll all make a great impression on your clients.
The beauty of marble is that it works with every design theme. Found in ancient Greek temples, it has a traditional feeling that your customers will appreciate. The true colors and light reflection also make it ideal for modern décor that focuses on clean lines and simple patterns. Marble can fit with traditional houses, modern lofts and everything in between. It's an upscale option that people recognize and appreciate, and it will help you make a great impression on new clients.
Once you start working with Vanilla Oro, you'll find that the options are truly unlimited. You'll start working it into more and more projects as you discover how much customers appreciate the look and adore the luxurious feeling. It's important to work with a supplier that can send you bulk orders whenever you need to replenish your stock. Nalboor Tiles proudly maintain the most stable inventories and attractive prices. With our help, you can be confident that the tiles you need will be available for re-order whenever you start to run low.Whether you're a home builder or interior designer, consider adding Vanilla Oro tiles to your custom plans. Your clients will love the look, and you'll discover that it's one of the most versatile marble options available. Available from Nalboor, professional marble wholesaler in Florida, marble tiles can help set you apart from the competition. Contact us today to learn more about our available stock and place your order for attractive Vanilla Oro marble tiles.


Objective: Salivary constituents such as lysozyme and lactoferrin have anti-candidal activity on oral Candida. Candida dubliniensis is associated with recurrent oral candidiasis. Such Candida-associated infections could be managed with drugs with anti-candidal properties such as nystatin, amphotericin B, caspofungin, ketoconazole, fluconazole and chlorhexidine. Candida undergo to a brief exposure to therapeutic agents in the mouth, due to the diluent effect of saliva and the cleansing effect of the oral musculature. There is no evidence on the influence of limited exposure to these drugs with anti-candidal properties on the sensitivity of C. dubliniensis isolates to lactoferrin and lysozymes. Hence, this study observed the changes in the sensitivity of C. dubliniensis isolates to anti-candidal action of lactoferrin and lysozyme after transitory exposure to sub-lethal concentrations of aforesaid antifungals. Materials and Methods: After determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), twenty C. dubliniensis isolates were exposed to sub-lethal concentrations (×2MIC) of nystatin, amphotericin B, caspofungin, ketoconazole, fluconazole and chlorhexidine for 1 hour. Drugs were removed by dilution and thereafter the susceptibility of these isolates to lysozyme and lactoferrin was determined by a colony forming unit quantification in-vitro assay. C. dubliniensis CD36 and C. albicans ATCC 90028 were used as reference strains. Results: Exposure of C. dubliniensis isolates to nystatin, amphotericin B, caspofungin, ketoconazole, fluconazole and chlorhexidine resulted in an increase of susceptibility to lysozyme by 9.45%, 30.82%, 30.04%, 50.64%, 55.60% and 50.18%, respectively (p < 0.05 to p< 0.001). Exposure of C. dubliniensis isolates to nystatin, amphotericin B, caspofungin, ketoconazole, fluconazole and chlorhexidine resulted in an increase of susceptibility to lactoferrin by 13.54%, 16.43%, 17.58%, 19.60%, 21.32% and 18.73%, respectively (p < 0.05 to p< 0.001). Conclusion: Brief exposure to nystatin, amphotericin B, caspofungin, ketoconazole, fluconazole and chlorhexidine, a scenario all too familiar in the niches of the oral cavity, could enhance the antifungal effect of lysozyme and lactoferrin on C. dubliniensis isolates in vitro, thereby possibly implicating a synergistic effect, when interacting together. Acknowledgments: The work was supported by Kuwait University Research Grant No. DB 01/16.


text:
The controversy behind PrEP: Part 3 of our four-part series
Is PrEP's promise too good to be true?
By Frank Prendergast Feb 05, 2014, 12:00 PM EST
In the third of a four-part Daily Xtra series, Nicolas Kazamia looks at the controversy surrounding PrEP. Is it too early to call this drug a game-changer? Or is too much caution costing lives?
In the third part of our series on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), Daily Xtra looks at the controversy surrounding the HIV prevention drug. While many people are heralding a new chapter in the fight against HIV, others say it's much too early to claim victory.
In the above video, Nicolas Kazamia speaks with Robert Grant, a senior researcher at the Gladstone Institutes; Alan McCord, from Project Inform; HIV/AIDS prevention workers Tim Ryan and Steve Gibson, from Magnet, a sexual health clinic in San Francisco; and Dale Gluth, the San Francisco Bay area director of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.
Check back to Daily Xtra for our comprehensive online coverage of PrEP. And follow the conversation on our Facebook page and on Twitter.
In the series
Part 1: Can a pill a day keep HIV away?
Part 2: A condom-free future?
Part 4: If gay man can avoid HIV with a pill, why aren't they taking it?
This story is filed under Health, HIV/AIDS, PrEP, Video, News
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BC government drags feet on HIV-prevention drug coverage
Niko Bell Sep 18, 2017
Inside the second wave of the HIV epidemic in the Philippines
Arvin Joaquin Aug 26, 2020
It's time to stop comparing COVID-19 to HIV
Sam Moore Jul 29, 2020