In ELA classes this week, we have been focusing on the importance of developing a Growth Mindset. The concept of a Growth Mindset was developed by psychologist Carol Dweck, who wrote the book: Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Dweck explains that our Mindset is the set of fundamental beliefs we have about ourselves and our own intelligence. Those with a "fixed mindset" believe that their intelligence and talents are basically fixed traits over which they have little control, while those with a growth mindset recognize that talents and abilities can be developed and improved through dedication and hard work.
Growth Mindset is a crucial part of successful learning at school and in life as a whole. My hope is that as we emphasize growth mindset at home and at school, each student will come to recognize their own capacity for learning and progress. The following video provides an introduction to Growth Mindset vs. Fixed Mindset. I look forward to an amazing year of learning and progress with our MS students!
Your primary homework for ELA is 20 minutes of self-selected reading per night.
*Select "Goldilocks Books"– not too easy, not too hard, but JUST RIGHT!
*Read novels of interest to you.
*Visit the Book Recommendations page for reading ideas!
Hello! Welcome to the 2018-2019 school year! I am so happy that you are here, and I'm excited about all that we will read, write, discuss, explore, and learn together this year.
This blog will be updated weekly with current classwork, assignments, and announcements, so please check your class page regularly.
MS English Language Arts Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.


The album was originally going to send the band on tour again, but on Jan. 10, 1969, frustrations among the group led to George Harrison walking out of the recording sessions. Overtures from the record label and the band's other members eventually convinced Harrison to return, but not without the group agreeing to scrap the tour.
In place of going on the road, The Beatles decided that they would do a single, live performance of the songs for the new album and movie. When they hit an impasse on where that concert should occur, the decision was made to simply ascend to the roof of Apple recording studios' Saville Row offices and jam away at midday.
So it was that on Jan. 30, 1969, the Fab Four, along with legendary keyboardist Billy Preston, ascended to a cold London roof at lunchtime on a Thursday to perform together for the very last time. The set included nine takes — three of "Get Back," two of "Don't Let Me Down," two of "I've Got a Feeling" and one each of "One After 909" and "Dig a Pony." Twelve months later, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr would come together again to record "I Me Mine" and "Let it Be," and finish the album, but Lennon would not be present for that session. As a cohesive group, The Beatles were done as of January, 1969.
The official announcement of the band's demise would be held in order to avoid damaging the release of the movie and album in 1970, and was made only when McCartney began the press push for his self-titled first solo album. But, of course, this is a legal column, and so the law must make an appearance somewhere, and here, its appearance was swift and ugly.
Among other things, it involved McCartney throwing Starr out of his home following a shouting match, McCartney eventually suing for the dissolution of The Beatles as a legal entity, and Lennon, Harrison, and Starr delivering affidavits to the court detailing the sometimes unpleasant nature of their working relationship since 1966. McCartney's original affidavit that began the lawsuit sold last year at auction for $125,000.
During the trial, McCartney testified that The Beatles had not been a functioning band in the real sense of the term for several years, and the other members told the court, via their affidavits, that McCartney had been difficult, but that the band could certainly continue. The court ruled in McCartney's favor, but the joke was on him — the dissolution came with massive tax consequences which spurred more litigation, drawing the band's manager and Apple records into the legal fray as well. Finally, in 1974, the group drafted what came to be known as "The Beatles Agreement" and the legal entity that was 'The Beatles' was officially dissolved on Jan. 9, 1975.
Of course, one good thing did come from all that legal wrangling — in 1973 we got George Harrison's "Sue You, Sue Me Blues" from his Living in the Material World album. And let's be honest, there aren't a lot of songs about lawsuits by legendary recording artists!


text:
Q: FieldInterceptionHelper class not found I have two spring mvc application with similar code. In fact the second application is based on the first one only with different name. However during validation of entity (before insertion) I get the following error :
SEVERE: Servlet.service() for servlet [mvc-dispatcher] in context with path [/MyNewApp] threw exception [Handler processing failed; nested exception is java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: org/hibernate/intercept/FieldInterceptionHelper] with root cause
java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: org.hibernate.intercept.FieldInterceptionHelper
    at org.apache.catalina.loader.WebappClassLoader.loadClass(WebappClassLoader.java:1676)
    at org.apache.catalina.loader.WebappClassLoader.loadClass(WebappClassLoader.java:1521)
    at org.hibernate.ejb.util.PersistenceUtilHelper.isLoadedWithoutReference(PersistenceUtilHelper.java:47)
    at org.hibernate.ejb.HibernatePersistence$1.isLoadedWithoutReference(HibernatePersistence.java:89)
    at javax.persistence.Persistence$1.isLoaded(Persistence.java:93)
    at org.hibernate.validator.internal.engine.resolver.JPATraversableResolver.isReachable(JPATraversableResolver.java:57)
    at org.hibernate.validator.internal.engine.resolver.DefaultTraversableResolver.isReachable(DefaultTraversableResolver.java:130)
    at org.hibernate.validator.internal.engine.resolver.SingleThreadCachedTraversableResolver.isReachable(SingleThreadCachedTraversableResolver.java:46)
    at org.hibernate.validator.internal.engine.ValidatorImpl.isValidationRequired(ValidatorImpl.java:1221)
    at org.hibernate.validator.internal.engine.ValidatorImpl.validateConstraint(ValidatorImpl.java:438)
    at org.hibernate.validator.internal.engine.ValidatorImpl.validateConstraintsForDefaultGroup(ValidatorImpl.java:387)
    at org.hibernate.validator.internal.engine.ValidatorImpl.validateConstraintsForCurrentGroup(ValidatorImpl.java:351)
    at org.hibernate.validator.internal.engine.ValidatorImpl.validateInContext(ValidatorImpl.java:303)
    at org.hibernate.validator.internal.engine.ValidatorImpl.validate(ValidatorImpl.java:133)
    at org.springframework.validation.beanvalidation.SpringValidatorAdapter.validate(SpringValidatorAdapter.java:101)
    at org.springframework.validation.DataBinder.validate(DataBinder.java:722)
    at org.springframework.web.method.annotation.ModelAttributeMethodProcessor.validateIfApplicable(ModelAttributeMethodProcessor.java:155)
    at org.springframework.web.method.annotation.ModelAttributeMethodProcessor.resolveArgument(ModelAttributeMethodProcessor.java:108)
    at org.springframework.web.method.support.HandlerMethodArgumentResolverComposite.resolveArgument(HandlerMethodArgumentResolverComposite.java:75)
    at org.springframework.web.method.support.InvocableHandlerMethod.getMethodArgumentValues(InvocableHandlerMethod.java:156)
    at org.springframework.web.method.support.InvocableHandlerMethod.invokeForRequest(InvocableHandlerMethod.java:117)
    at org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.ServletInvocableHandlerMethod.invokeAndHandle(ServletInvocableHandlerMethod.java:96)
    at org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.RequestMappingHandlerAdapter.invokeHandlerMethod(RequestMappingHandlerAdapter.java:617)
    at org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.annotation.RequestMappingHandlerAdapter.handleInternal(RequestMappingHandlerAdapter.java:578)
    at org.springframework.web.servlet.mvc.method.AbstractHandlerMethodAdapter.handle(AbstractHandlerMethodAdapter.java:80)
    at org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet.doDispatch(DispatcherServlet.java:923)
    at org.springframework.web.servlet.DispatcherServlet.doService(DispatcherServlet.java:852)
    at org.springframework.web.servlet.FrameworkServlet.processRequest(FrameworkServlet.java:882)
    at org.springframework.web.servlet.FrameworkServlet.doPost(FrameworkServlet.java:789)
    at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:641)
    at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:722)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:304)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:210)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:330)
    at org.springframework.security.web.access.intercept.FilterSecurityInterceptor.invoke(FilterSecurityInterceptor.java:118)
    at org.springframework.security.web.access.intercept.FilterSecurityInterceptor.doFilter(FilterSecurityInterceptor.java:84)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.access.ExceptionTranslationFilter.doFilter(ExceptionTranslationFilter.java:113)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.session.SessionManagementFilter.doFilter(SessionManagementFilter.java:103)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.authentication.AnonymousAuthenticationFilter.doFilter(AnonymousAuthenticationFilter.java:113)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.servletapi.SecurityContextHolderAwareRequestFilter.doFilter(SecurityContextHolderAwareRequestFilter.java:54)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.savedrequest.RequestCacheAwareFilter.doFilter(RequestCacheAwareFilter.java:45)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.authentication.AbstractAuthenticationProcessingFilter.doFilter(AbstractAuthenticationProcessingFilter.java:183)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.authentication.logout.LogoutFilter.doFilter(LogoutFilter.java:105)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.context.SecurityContextPersistenceFilter.doFilter(SecurityContextPersistenceFilter.java:87)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.session.ConcurrentSessionFilter.doFilter(ConcurrentSessionFilter.java:125)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.access.channel.ChannelProcessingFilter.doFilter(ChannelProcessingFilter.java:144)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy$VirtualFilterChain.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:342)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy.doFilterInternal(FilterChainProxy.java:192)
    at org.springframework.security.web.FilterChainProxy.doFilter(FilterChainProxy.java:160)
    at org.springframework.web.filter.DelegatingFilterProxy.invokeDelegate(DelegatingFilterProxy.java:346)
    at org.springframework.web.filter.DelegatingFilterProxy.doFilter(DelegatingFilterProxy.java:259)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.internalDoFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:243)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.ApplicationFilterChain.doFilter(ApplicationFilterChain.java:210)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardWrapperValve.invoke(StandardWrapperValve.java:240)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardContextValve.invoke(StandardContextValve.java:164)
    at org.apache.catalina.authenticator.AuthenticatorBase.invoke(AuthenticatorBase.java:462)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardHostValve.invoke(StandardHostValve.java:164)
    at org.apache.catalina.valves.ErrorReportValve.invoke(ErrorReportValve.java:100)
    at org.apache.catalina.valves.AccessLogValve.invoke(AccessLogValve.java:562)
    at org.apache.catalina.core.StandardEngineValve.invoke(StandardEngineValve.java:118)
    at org.apache.catalina.connector.CoyoteAdapter.service(CoyoteAdapter.java:395)
    at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11Processor.process(Http11Processor.java:250)
    at org.apache.coyote.http11.Http11Protocol$Http11ConnectionHandler.process(Http11Protocol.java:188)
    at org.apache.tomcat.util.net.JIoEndpoint$SocketProcessor.run(JIoEndpoint.java:302)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor.runWorker(Unknown Source)
    at java.util.concurrent.ThreadPoolExecutor$Worker.run(Unknown Source)
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)

The above issue only exist on the second application. For both application I tried the following code during initalization:
System.out.println("Loading " + FieldInterceptionHelper.class.getName());

Printed result :
Loading org.hibernate.bytecode.instrumentation.internal.FieldInterceptionHelper
The loaded Class is different from the exception org.hibernate.intercept.FieldInterceptionHelper
UPDATED
The issues go away after I commented below dependency in my pom files on the second application. I checked on maven repository that the dependency depends on hibernate-core, do I have to remove my own hibernate-core dependency ? Or can I force the dependency refer to the current hibernate-core in my application ?
   <dependency>
        <groupId>org.broadleafcommerce</groupId>
        <artifactId>broadleaf-common</artifactId>
        <version>2.2.0-GA</version>
        <type>jar</type>
        <scope>compile</scope>
   </dependency>

A: The second application is not getting the Hibernate JAR correctly. Please check your WEB-INF/lib for the second application.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The scientific definition of a "crystal" is based on the microscopic arrangement of atoms inside it, called the crystal structure. A crystal is a solid where the atoms form a periodic arrangement. There shapes harness energy. Crystals grow in geometrical shapes. Examples, diamonds grow in Octahedrons.
This solid material whose constituents, such as atoms, molecules or ions, are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, which forms a crystal lattice that extends in all directions.
Do you remember geometry math class and drawing triangles, spheres, cubes, hectagons etc and scratching your head thinking "Why is this even important"? Geometrical shapes shape our world!! Our buildings, our homes, the shape of various objects we use every day. Shapes are math and math is the universal language of creation.


text:
VMware Executive Leadership
Jean-Pierre Brulard
Executive Vice President, Worldwide Sales
Jean-Pierre Brulard is Executive Vice President of Worldwide Sales for VMware, based in Palo Alto, California. Responsible for more than $10B in annual sales, he leads the company's go-to-market organization, including sales, field operations, and global channels and partnerships. As a sales leader, Jean-Pierre maintains a customer-first focus, helping them to simplify and transform their business with industry-leading multicloud and application architecture software. He leads a high-performing team accelerating VMware's business transformation to a hybrid SaaS and on prem model.
Jean-Pierre is an accomplished business leader with deep knowledge of the international markets. In his previous VMware role, based in London, he was the Senior Vice President and General Manager for Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA), where he led a team of over 6,000 employees across 40 countries and was responsible for the strategic planning, business operations, go-to-market strategy and management of VMware's EMEA business. During his tenure, Jean-Pierre transformed the EMEA go-to-market from channel-only to a multi-solution and enterprise-centric model, and substantially grew the emerging markets business across Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe.
Jean-Pierre has spent more than 30 years' leading global businesses across the largest technology companies in the world, including IBM, Sun Microsystems, and Unisys – navigating complex and competitive environments to scale multi-billion-dollar businesses across EMEA. Prior to joining VMware, as Senior Vice President, General Manager and key member of the Worldwide Executive Committee at Business Objects, he successfully developed the Business Objects market in Europe, transitioning to SAP after their acquisition.
As a people leader, Jean-Pierre is committed to diversity and inclusion, sponsoring the Women's Forum in EMEA, as well as a strong advocate for women leaders in technology. Throughout his career, and across multiple geographies, he has focused on attracting, developing and retaining talent by promoting inclusion and gender diversity.
Jean-Pierre holds a Master's in Business Studies from the Normandy Business School in France, completed by British and Spanish Chamber of Commerce graduation.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
· SPORTS
WORLD Flooding hits Kentucky, nearby states, kills 8
Flooding hits Kentucky, nearby states, kills 8
A rescue team from the Jackson Fire Department assists people out of floodwaters downtown on July 28, 2022 in Jackson, Kentucky. [Photo: Agencies]
CHICAGO - At least eight people were killed in Kentucky after heavy rain-caused flooding hit the eastern part of the US state.
The flooding also left more than 25,000 homes and businesses without power as of Thursday afternoon, local media quoted Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear as saying.
Expecting deaths to rise into the double digits, Beshear has declared a state of emergency for all of Kentucky and called in the National Guard to assist in the hardest-hit parts.
Beshear has requested the Federal Government to provide federal aid to eastern Kentucky. "The damage suffered is enormous and recovery will be a long-term effort," he tweeted Thursday night. "This assistance is critical to our efforts and essential for our people."
West Virginia Governor Jim Justice also declared a state of emergency for six counties.
More than 6 inches of rain fell overnight heading into Thursday morning, leaving streets underwater, local media reported Thursday. The National Weather Service warned heavy rains and flooding could continue throughout the weekend in parts of Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia.


text:
The Math Problems Given as Homework in Just Before I Go
There are two short math scenes in that movie. By the way, a film which is highly recommended. One knows Seann William Scott, of course from movies like American Pie (Stiffler), Oldschool (a brief scene as a farmer with the tranquilizer gun), or the MTV music awards (the spoof of the matrix is excellent, a shitload of stifles). Here, in this a bit darker but uplifting comedy, he brings great performance, similar to that of Steve Carell's exceptional performance in Little Miss Sunshine as one associated Carell, of course, with the "Office." The math scene which appears in "Just before I go" is a flashback. The scene is highly staged. Different kids have books from different areas (there seems to be an ancient history book on the table). The math problems are given as homework (questions 1–12) on the green board are hilariously un-imaginative.
Euclid's Notion in Lincoln
The Goldbach Conjecture in The Calculus of Love
The Imitation Game
The Angle in the Knack … and How to Get It
Arithmetic Problems in Jane Eyre
The Multiplication Question in "The Full Monty"
Some Mathematical Formulas Hackers
The Statistic Lesson on Hypothesis and p-Value in the Double
The Ten Problems in The Theory of Everything


DUKO is one of the new stars on the bass house scene. With support by Dyro, Habstrakt, Sikdope, Far too loud, Jvst say yes, Tommy Trash and more, it is easy to see there is something magical about his sound.
The sound of DUKO contains some killer construction kits to make some really heavy bass house. Everything you need to make the next bass house hit is in here: Screeching synths, bouncy basses, growling leads, earthshattering subs and slamming drums. All sounds are handcrafted by DUKO and carefully designed, layered and EQ'ed to perfection.
Influences for the sound of this pack: Jauz, Habstrakt, Skrillex, Jack U, Kill the Noise, Herobust, Ephwurd, Ghastly, JVST SAY YES, Seek N Destroy, Duko, Karetus, Oliver Heldens, Dustycloud, Autoerotique, We The People, Basstrick, Aaron Jackson, NGHTMRE, AC Slater, Sikdope, Borgore, Dyro.


text:
North Pacific Council Weighs in on MSA Reauthorization Bills
November 8, 2017 — SEAFOOD NEWS — In response to a request from Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan, the North Pacific Fisheries Management Council reviewed three bills related to the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act, comparing them to the current law and practices used to manage the nation's largest fisheries.
"The North Pacific Council believes that the current MSA already provides a very successful framework for sustainable fisheries management, and major changes are not necessary at this time," wrote NPFMC chair Dan Hull.
"Nevertheless, we also recognize the potential benefits of increased flexibility in some circumstances, and amending the Act to provide for such flexibility could provide all the regional councils additional opportunities to optimize their fishery management programs, with appropriate cautionary notes and limitations.
"In order for the Council to provide for the continued conservation of our resources, any changes to the law providing additional flexibility must continue to ensure that fundamental conservation and management tenets based on sound science are upheld, and should not create incentives or justifications to overlook them," Hull wrote.
Allowing more flexibility in fisheries management, particularly when stocks in a rebuilding phase, is a hot-button issue with many stakeholders, not just in the North Pacific but nationwide. Proponents of adding more flexibility to any new legislation say the current law is too protective of the resource at a cost to the fishery. They urge more flexibility so that each management council can optimize yield without jeopardizing the resource.
"Regarding potential changes and increased flexibility for stock rebuilding plans, the NPFMC believes that further flexibility, would appropriately increase the ability to maximize harvest opportunities while still effecting rebuilding of fish stocks," noted Hull, referring to HR 200, the bill introduced by Alaska Congressman Don Young.
"The arbitrary 10-year requirement may constrain the Councils management flexibility with overly restrictive management measures, with unnecessary, negative economic impacts, with little or no conservation gain," Hull wrote.
Another controversal issue is using annual catch limits (ACLs) to manage stocks, something opponents have said needlessly restricts a fishery. Hull defended the importance of ACLs as a foundational part of fisheries management.
"Annual catch limits (ACLs) have been used in the North Pacific for over 30 years, and such limits are a cornerstone of sustainable fisheries management. We also believe there are situations where some flexibility in the establishment of ACLs is warranted, particularly in the case of data poor stocks.
"Consideration of the economic needs of fishing communities is critical in the ACL setting process, and while the current MSA allows for such consideration, we recognize the desire for a more explicit allowance for these considerations.
"We must be careful however, not to jeopardize long term fisheries sustainability, and associated community vitality and resiliency, for the sake of short term preservation of all economic activity associated with a fishery," he wrote.
"Accounting for uncertainty, articulating policies for acceptable risk, and establishing the necessary precautionary buffers, are all explicit outcomes of the ACL process, and we believe that the [Scientific and Statistical Committees] SSCs are the appropriate gatekeepers to establish the upper limits of 'safe' fishing mortality. This limit, which is established as the Acceptable Biological Catch (ABC) level, appears to be consistent with the provisions of H.R.200," Hull added.
Speaking to Rep. Garrett Grave's (R-LA) S. 1520 Modernizing Recreational Fishing Management Act of 2017, Hull noted that "alternative measures" may not meet the standard in the current MSA.
"The bill provides the councils authority to use alternative measures in recreational fisheries including extraction rates, fishing mortality targets, harvest control rules, or traditional or cultural practices.
"The NPFMC notes that it is unclear if alternative fishery management measures replace the requirement for ACLs. Nevertheless, fisheries managed under alternative measures should be accountable to the conservation and management provisions of the MSA, including prevention of overfishing. ACL's serve as the primary conservation measure for fish stocks in the North Pacific, and have effectively prevented overharvesting in our fisheries. The NPFMC also notes that traditional or cultural practices are not normally considered as recreational fisheries," Hull wrote.
Hull also addressed the section in the bill related to rebuilding overfished stocks that would mandate a rebuilding term to be "as short as possible" but in any case not to exceed ten years.
"The NPFMC believes that the arbitrary 10-year time period can be harmful to resource users and fishing communities if it prohibits even limited fishing activity under a scientifically sound rebuilding plan. Replacing the term 'possible' with 'practicable' provides the councils with more flexibility to incorporate the needs of fishing communities in maintaining economic stability during a rebuilding period," Hull wrote.
The NPFMC took issue with sections of Rep. Jared Huffman's Discussion Draft (also called "Strengthening Fishing Communities Through Improving Science, Increasing Flexibility, and Modernizing Fisheries Management Act") in certain areas, while agreeing with others.
But a section requiring an assessment of conflict of interest of council members, triggered a lengthy comment on problems the NPFMC have faced and a solution they've offered to NMFS.
The current MSA conflict of interest language leaves a standard for recusal of a council member up for interpretation. The recusal provision in the current law requires full economic disclosure but also that an affected individual not be allowed to vote on council decisions that would have a significant and predictable effect on a member's financial interest.
"The MSA language left the issues of significant and predictable effect open for interpretation, so NMFS developed a regulation that set a 10% threshold for a significant effect, which is the basis for determining whether a recusal is required," explained Hull.
"The primary problem is the way in which NOAA calculates a member's financial interests in determining whether the 10% thresholds are exceeded. The NOAA and NMFS policy is to attribute all fishing activities of a company — even partially owned by an associated company — in calculating an individual Council member's interests. The North Pacific Council believes that this attribution policy is inconsistent with the intent of the conflict of interest statute and regulations.
"The following example helps to explain this issue: Joe Councilman works for Fishing Company A, which owns 50% of Fishing Company B, which in turn owns 3% of Fishing Company C. NOAA uses ALL harvesting and processing activity by ALL three of these companies in determining whether Joe Councilman exceeds any of the 10% thresholds," Hull explained.
"The North Pacific Council believes that this is an unfair and illogical interpretation of the recusal regulations, and results in unintended recusals of Council members. The North Pacific Council believes that NOAA should use only the amount of harvesting or processing activity equivalent to the Council member's percentage of ownership," Hull continued.
"Using this proportional share approach, NOAA GC would use 100% of the harvesting and processing activity of Fishing Company A, 50% of the harvesting and processing activity of Fishing Company B, and 1.5% of the harvesting and processing activity of Fishing Company C to determine whether Joe Councilman exceeds any of the thresholds.
"At our request, NOAA and NMFS revisited the attribution policy, but to date, have declined to make changes," Hull wrote.
Finally, on behalf of the NPFMC, Hull asked that any new legislation:
• Avoids across the board mandates which could negatively affect one region in order to address a problem in another region.
• Allows flexibility in achieving conservation objectives, but be specific enough to avoid lengthy, complex implementing regulations or 'guidelines'.
• Is in the form of intended outcomes, rather than prescriptive management or scientific parameters.
• Avoids unrealistic/expensive analytical mandates relative to implementing fishery closures or other management actions.
• Avoids constraints that limit the flexibility of Councils and NMFS to respond to changing climates and shifting ecosystems.
• Avoids unfunded mandates.
• Prioritizes the reservation and enhancement of stock assessments and surveys among the highest when considering any changes to the Act.
This story originally appeared on Seafoodnews.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.
Judge denies feds' motion for Carlos Rafael to forfeit more vessels, permits
October 26, 2017 — NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — Judge William Young didn't waste any time denying the United States' motion for reconsideration in the case of Carlos Rafael.
The government filed the reconsideration on Wednesday, the same day Young filed his judgment.
The government sought Young to reconsider the forfeitability of Rafael's vessels and permits.
Young ordered four vessels and the accompanying permits to be forfeited on Oct. 11. U.S. Marshals seized the vessels the Lady Patricia, Olivia & Rafaela and the Southern Crusader II on Oct. 18.
The reconsideration stated, "the court may correct a sentence that resulted from arithmetical, technical or other clerical error" within 14 days. The government, again, is seeking Rafael to forfeit all 13 vessels and permits associated with his guilty plea to 28 counts of falsifying fishing quota, bulk cash smuggling and tax evasion.
Read the full story at the New Bedford Standard-Times
Members of Congress Want Department of Justice to Penalize Carlos Rafael For Violations of MSA
October 27, 2017 — SEAFOOD NEWS — Commercial fishing mogul Carlos "The Codfather" Rafael pled guilty for violations of the Lacey Act, but now Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree want the Department of Justice to penalize him for violations of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA).
Grijalva and Pingree sent a letter on Thursday to Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross and Department of Justice Attorney General Jeff Sessions seeking for the forfeiture of assets and permits that are not "directly linked to a specific crime."
"We are writing today to follow up on a letter sent September 21, 2017 regarding Carlos Rafael, the leader of a massive illegal fishing operation in New England, reads the letter. "While Rafael pled guilty to violations of the Lacey Act and was recently sentenced to 46 months in prison, the judge bizarrely rejected the government's recommendation that Rafael forfeit all 13 vessels involved in the crimes, instead requiring the forfeiture of only four vessels and 34 permits and levying a much lower fine than the government had recommended. We want to thank the Justice Department for its recent motion asking the court to reconsider the ruling, including the level of the fines."
The letter goes on to state that it's "unacceptable" to allow Rafael to "maintain the ability to transfer or sell millions of dollars worth of assets." Although Rafael can no longer participate in the fishery, he still has a reported 27 fishing vessels, as well as an assortment of permits.
"Congress gave the Secretaries clear authority to completely remove bad actors from the fishing industry," Grijalva said in a press release. "If they don't use the authority here, it will send a clear signal to Codfather wannabees that the Magnuson Act is a joke. This administration claims to be all about law and order – this is a chance to prove it."
The letter comes just as William D. Weinreb, acting United States Attorney for the District of Massachussetts, filed a motion to reconsider the forfeiture of Rafael's vessels.
Feds seek dismissal of lawsuit over extended red snapper season
October 19, 2017 — WASHINGTON — U.S. officials accused of allowing red snapper to be overfished in the Gulf of Mexico have called on a federal judge to enter a summary judgement in their case, saying the environmental organizations suing them have a moot point.
The rule challenged by Ocean Conservancy and the Environmental Defense Fund to extend the recreational fishing season has already expired, said Jeffrey Wood, the acting assistant attorney general for the Environmental and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Wood also claims the federal court has no jurisdiction over the case.
"Even if the court were to find it has jurisdiction, the only appropriate course at this juncture is to remand to the agency for further action consistent with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act," Wood argued in a 13 October filing.
The two organizations filed suit against Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Marine Fisheries Service in July, a month after officials added 39 more days to the recreational fishing season.
Read the full story at Seafood Source
Small-Boat Fishing Groups Make Pleas to New Congress
March 7, 2017 — Local fishermen were in Washington, D.C. earlier this month to present their issues and concerns to the new Congress.
Cape Codders and other fishermen from across the nation with the Fishing Communities Coalition make the trip whenever a large number new representatives or senators are elected.
Cape Cod Fisherman's Alliance CEO John Pappalardo was among those who visited over 30 Congressional offices.
He said that securing funding for fisheries management, managing a sustainable industry, and providing a clearer financial path for new fishermen to join the career path were among the top talking points.
"Fisheries have been a bi-partisan issue, and I would expect that when we and other industry groups make the case for how important the jobs and the protein these fishermen provide are, it'll be a pretty easy sell," Pappalardo said.
He also said that there was some discussion over converting many of the species caught for export into a domestic product.
The importance of building on the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act was also touched on, he said.
Pappalardo said he advocated for the National Young Fishermen's Development Program, an initiative which would tackle the increasingly high cost of entry and limited growth opportunities young men and women face in the career path.
The trip took place before the announcement of a potential federal budget cut to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association. Pappalardo said he and his colleagues will keep an eye on that.
New England Fishery Managment Council Approves 2017 Management Priorities
December 16, 2016 — The following was released by the New England Fishery Managment Council:
The New England Fishery Management Council recently approved its 2017 management priorities, which will guide the Council's committees and working groups in the year ahead. The Council annually takes this step for two reasons: to focus its time on mutually agreed-upon issues of importance; and to give the public a snapshot of what to expect in the foreseeable future.
"Our priority-setting exercise helps us determine how to best allocate available resources," said Council Executive Director Tom Nies. "We always have more proposals on the table than we're able to handle each year, so by collectively deciding upfront which actions rank the highest, we're able to work much more efficiently on the Council's most pressing issues without getting sidetracked."
Setting annual catch limits and other fishery specifications – a requirement under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act – remains the Council's highest cross-cutting priority.
But for 2017, the Council also supported many high-priority items that fishermen and other stakeholders said were especially important. Here are a few of the highlights that were approved during the Council's mid-November meeting in Newport, Rhode Island:
Sea scallops: Consider regulatory changes to the Northern Gulf of Maine Management Area;
Groundfish: Revise Atlantic halibut management measures;
Groundfish: Review groundfish catches in "other" non-groundfish fisheries and assess implications;
Recreational fishing: Improve Gulf of Maine cod and haddock recreational management process;
Barndoor skates: Initiate action to allow landings of this rebuilt species;
Habitat: Coordinate wind power issues with other agencies over the long term, not just 2017; and
Council: Conduct a programmatic review of Council operations.
Atlantic herring – Continue work on Amendment 8 to address localized depletion and user conflicts in the fishery and develop a new acceptable biological catch control rule using a Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) process;
Habitat – Complete the Omnibus Deep-Sea Coral Amendment and a separate framework adjustment to address surf clam fishery access to pending Habitat Management Areas;
Whiting – Move forward with Amendment 22 to consider limited access for the Small-Mesh Multispecies Complex and consider changes to possession limits;
Skates – Prepare an amendment to consider limited access for both the skate bait and skate wing fisheries with provisions that may consider catch share alternatives; and
Ecosystem-Based Fishery Management – Continue work on the development of operating models and a draft example Georges Bank Fishery Ecosystem Plan and develop a MSE process to engage fishermen and other stakeholders while conducting testing and validation.
A table identifying all of the Council's 2017 management priorities is available at: http://s3.amazonaws.com/nefmc.org/161201_Approved_Priorities.pdf
See the full release at the NEFMC
Senators Murray, Cantwell Push to Declare Six Fisheries Disasters in Washington State
December 5th, 2016 — The following was released by the office of Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA):
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) sent a letter to Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker calling for a declaration of commercial fisheries failures for six pending fishery disaster requests.
Fishing communities up and down Washington's coast have suffered through several years of lower-than-expected catch. A federal fishery disaster declaration would make communities eligible for funding for projects such as fisheries recovery, job training, and infrastructure investments in the communities hardest hit.
Washington's maritime industry supports almost 60,000 jobs directly and contributes $30 billion in economic activity each year, not including the shipbuilders, hotels, restaurants, manufacturers, and outfitters that benefit indirectly. The fisheries are also of tremendous significance to the state's Tribal fishermen, who have been harvesting fish on Washington's coast for thousands of years.
"Commercial, recreational, charter and tribal fisheries are an integral part of Washington's maritime economy, as well as our culture and heritage," the Senators wrote. "Prompt declaration of these disasters will help meet the needs of communities struggling as a result of these disasters. We appreciate your full and fair consideration of these requests."
The outstanding requests currently before the Department of Commerce include:
2014 Fraser River sockeye salmon. Requested in January 2015 by Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Chairman Brian Cladoosby, Makah Tribal Council Chairman Timothy Greene, Sr., and Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Chairwoman Frances Charles.
2015 Grays Harbor coho salmon. Requested by Quinault Indian Nation President Fawn Sharp on November 23, 2015.
2015 South Puget Sound coho salmon. Requested by Squaxin Island Tribe Natural Resources Policy Representative Joseph Peters in May 2016, by Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe Chairman Jeromy Sullivan on June 22, 2016, and by Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe Chairman W. Ron Allen on July 5, 2016.
2015 Dungeness crab. Requested by Quileute Tribal Council Chairman Charles Woodruff on June 23, 2016.
2015 statewide coho salmon. Requested by Washington Governor Jay Inslee on September, 14, 2016.
Full text of the letter can be found below.
The Honorable Penny Pritzker
Secretary of Commerce
United States Department of Commerce
1401 Constitution Ave NW
Dear Secretary Pritzker:
We write to urge you to use your authority under Section 312 of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. § 1861a) to declare commercial fishery failures for six pending Washington state fishery disaster requests. The importance of these fisheries to the Pacific Northwest is enormous, and their failure has far reaching consequences for tribal, commercial and recreational fishermen across Washington state and the Pacific Northwest.
Commercial, recreational, charter and tribal fisheries are an integral part of Washington's maritime economy, as well as our culture and heritage. The maritime industry in Washington state alone directly employs 57,700 people and contributes $30 billion in economic activity annually. In turn, fisheries support industries such as shipbuilders, hotels, restaurants, gear manufacturers, and outfitters. However, several years of lower-than-expected returns have compounded the economic and cultural effects that local fishery disasters have had on coastal communities.
In addition to the economic impacts on the commercial maritime industry, fishery disasters limit the opportunity for Tribal subsistence and ceremonial harvests. Fishery disasters result in a significant nutritional, cultural and financial burden for Washington state tribes, adding to the importance of a swift response to fishery disasters. Tribes have been fishing the coastal waters of Washington state for thousands of years and the federal government has a responsibility to uphold their treaty fishing rights.
Given the vast impact that these disasters have had on communities across Washington state, we request an expedited review of the following requests, currently before the Department of Commerce:
· 2014 Fraser River sockeye salmon. Requested in January 2015 by Swinomish Indian Tribal Community Chairman Brian Cladoosby, Makah Tribal Council Chairman Timothy Greene, Sr., and Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe Chairwoman Frances Charles.
· 2015 Grays Harbor coho salmon. Requested by Quinault Indian Nation President Fawn Sharp on November 23, 2015.
· 2015 South Puget Sound coho salmon. Requested by Squaxin Island Tribe Natural Resources Policy Representative Joseph Peters in May 2016, by Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe Chairman Jeromy Sullivan on June 22, 2016, and by Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe Chairman W. Ron Allen on July 5, 2016.
· 2015 Dungeness crab. Requested by Quileute Tribal Council Chairman Charles Woodruff on June 23, 2016.
· 2015 statewide coho salmon. Requested by Washington Governor Jay Inslee on September, 14, 2016.
Prompt declaration of these disasters will help meet the needs of communities struggling as a result of these disasters. We appreciate your full and fair consideration of these requests
U.S. Senator
Maria Cantwell
NOAA proposes rule to protect deep sea coral off U.S. Atlantic coast
October 4th, 2016 — The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced a new proposed rule last week that would create a new protected area in the Mid-Atlantic region in order to conserve deep-sea coral.
The proposed rule, if finalized, would create the first protected area at the national level under the new deep sea coral provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, the primary law governing marine fisheries management in U.S. federal waters, first passed in 1976. When the law was reauthorized by Congress in 2006, it was amended to allow for the designation of zones to protect deep-sea corals from damage caused by bottom-tending commercial fishing gear.
The area proposed for protection by NOAA stretches along the continental shelf off the Mid-Atlantic coastline between New York and North Carolina and encompasses all of the area out to the boundary of the U.S.'s Exclusive Economic Zone, which extends 200 nautical miles (about 230 miles) out to sea. The proposed rule includes an exemption for American lobster and deep-sea red crab pots and traps from the gear prohibition.
John Bullard, regional administrator for NOAA Fisheries Greater Atlantic Region, said in a statement that 15 deep-sea canyons with a total area of about 24 million acres, which is about the size of Virginia or 20 times the size of Grand Canyon National Park, would be protected by the rule.
The Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council, which worked with NOAA on the proposed rule, recommended the new protected area be called the "Frank R. Lautenberg Deep-sea Coral Protection Area" in honor of the late U.S. Senator's contributions to the development and implementation of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act's coral protection provision.
The public comment period for the proposed rule lasts until November 1, 2016. Members of the American public can comment online or by mail.
Read the full story at Mongabay
Northern Pacific Fishery Management Council 40th Anniversary Celebration
September 12, 2016 — The following was released by the Northern Pacific Fishery Management Council:
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council will be celebrating 40 years of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act on Thursday, December 8, 2016 at the Captain Cook Hotel from 6 to 10 pm. Seating is limited. Registration opens October 10. More information will follow at the October Council meeting.
NILS STOLPE: When it comes to fish and fishing Huffington Post is all wet
August 30, 2016 — FISH NET USA — Last week Dana Ellis Hunnes, a Huffington Post blogger, managed to package in just 700 words more false, misleading, distorted and just plain wrong information about fish and seafood production than I've ever seen in works with far more words by professional anti-fishing activists. Addressing her inaccuracies on a point by point basis:
· Sustainable Fish Do Not Exist
Starting out with her title, the Merriam-Webster definition of sustainable is "able to be used without being completely used up or destroyed, involving methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources, able to last or continue for a long time." The concept of renewable resources revolves around the sustainable utilization of those resources.
In 2014, according to the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization, the United States was ranked number three in the production of its capture fisheries in the world (behind China and Indonesia). The federal fisheries management system, as set forth in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, has sustainability as its primary focus. Overfished fish stocks are those that are harvested at an unsustainable level and the Act demands that fishing effort on overfished stocks be reduced to the level of sustainability (also known as the maximum sustainable yield or MSY). In 2015 only nine percent of U.S. fish stocks were being fished at an unsustainable level –http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sfa/fisheries_eco/status_of_fisheries/.
Note that as defined in the Magnuson Act "overfished" does not necessarily mean too much fishing, it means that there are not as many fish in a stock as fishery scientist think should be there regardless of the cause
By any definition of sustainability that is used (except for Ms. Hunnes'), nine out of ten of our fisheries, and more than 90% of the fish that we harvest, are inarguably sustainable.
· In fact, the United Nations Environmental Programme and Food and Agriculture Organization, report that we are running out of fish. We have overfished or overexploited more than 80% of our fish stocks.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in its 2016 The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture reported "fully fished stocks accounted for 58.1 percent (of the world's capture fisheries) and underfished stocks 10.5 percent." (http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5555e.pdf on Pg. 5). Fully fished stocks are those that are being harvested at their MSY. So, in spite of what Ms. Hunnes wrote in the Huffington Post, almost 70% of the fish stocks in the world are being harvested sustainably. That is a far cry from "running out of fish." As the graph below (from Pg. 13 of the same FAO report cited above) demonstrates, the production of the world's capture fisheries has been level since the late 1980s. I could find nothing on the FAO website that even hinted that there was any indication that we were "running out of fish."
In fact, a number of the species have been declared as critically endangered and threatened with extinction by the International Union on the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
In spite of IUCN declarations, in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Environmental Conservation Online System, listing animal species that are Endangered or Threatened in the U.S. and abroad (http://preview.tinyurl.com/zl3qgk3), the only fish listed that support commercial fisheries are geographically distinct groups of salmon (threatened or endangered because of anthropogenic impacts on their spawning grounds, not fishing – see note above). None of those salmon species are considered endangered or threatened throughout their range. Some species of sturgeon are listed throughout their range as are some distinct population segments of others, but no commercial sturgeon fisheries are permitted in the U.S. The same for sawfish. The rest of the listed threatened or endangered species are species of no commercial interest.
· And, while we may believe that consuming farmed fish is a more sustainable and ecological choice….
Any definition of "sustainable" that I'm aware of indicates that it's an all or nothing term. Something is either utilized sustainably or it isn't. Ms. Hunnes' use of "more sustainable" is linguistically puzzling. "Ecological" relates to or is concerned with the study of organisms in relation to each other and to their living and non-living environment. The idea of applying the term to a dietary choice is even more linguistically puzzling than "more sustainable."
But, the niceties of effective communications aside, there are numerous ways to grow fish and to catch fish. Some are – or should be – unacceptable because of the damage they do to the environment. It's the role of government to insure that these are not permitted, and in the U.S. they aren't. Other methods of fish production in the U.S. and in much of the rest of the world are environmentally acceptable and are permitted, though highly regulated.
· It takes approximately five pounds of wild small fish such as herring, menhaden, or anchovies to create one pound of salmon, a predatory fish. The proportion of the healthy omega-3 fatty acids found in salmon is lower pound-for-pound than it would be simply in the smaller fish.
This is a generalization that, like many generalizations, doesn't hold up under scrutiny. The DHA and EPA (respectively docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid, fish-derived omega 3 fatty acids) content of the flesh of particular fish as determined by the US Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services are below.
Current statistical analyses and estimates indicate that in a "business as usual" world, we will run out of the fish we eat by 2048
In 2006 Canadian fisheries researcher Boris Worm and a group of scientists published a paper in the journal Science predicting that the continuation of present trends would mean that all of the big fish in the oceans would be gone by 2048. Needless to say, this prediction generated a media storm and much scientific controversy, which the media ignored. Unfortunately, a casual web search will provide links to the dire prediction that Ms. Hunnes focused on.
But she was off by at least a decade with what she refers to as "current statistical analyses." In fact, in 2009 Worm and University of Washington Fisheries Professor Ray Hilborn and a group of other researchers published a follow-up paper that soundly rejected the 2006 prediction of the imminent destruction of the world's fisheries. (http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090730/full/news.2009.751.html)
But the fact of the matter is, it's near impossible to grow or to take a fish in a sustainable way. In a way, nearly every fish humans eat is threatened with extinction.
It's hard to imagine in exactly what way that would be, and unfortunately Ms. Hunnes didn't share her insights on this with her readers. She could have just as easily written in a way, nearly every cow (or pig or goat or string bean or ear of corn) humans eat is threatened with extinction. The whole point of sustainable food production is to not eat more than is being produced. That covers a very large proportion of our seafood and that proportion increases every year.
Never order bluefin tuna. It would be akin to eating a rhinoceros.
According to the USFWS bluefin tuna are not classified as endangered or threatened – in spite of an ongoing campaign by anti-fishing zealots to have them listed as such. Accordingly, if it's legally caught and legally sold, ordering bluefin tuna is akin to ordering a beef steak, though the tuna is much healthier. But in keeping with the old adage "even a blind squirrel finds the occasional acorn," Ms Hunnes was right about rhinoceroses. They definitely shouldn't be eaten.
If you are going to eat fish, consume the small ones. The anchovies, the herring; the bottom of the food chain.
The bottom of the ocean food chain is composed of plants, almost exclusively algae and almost exclusively planktonic. The "small ones" Ms. Hunnes is referring to are a couple of steps up the food chain from there.
Skip that fish oil. You don't need it, there's no real benefit, and you can get those healthy oils from other foods including algal oils, flaxseed, seeds and nuts.
The pros and cons of dietary fish oil, or more precisely of omega 3 fatty acids, and of the relative health benefits of omega 3s produced by oceanic algae and found in oceanic fish vs the health benefits of omega 3s produced by terrestrial plants, has been going on for more than a decade. There's nothing approaching a scientific consensus as yet, except perhaps in Ms. Hunnes' mind. For the other side of the argument take a look at The Best Omega-3 Supplement: Flaxseed Oil vs. Fish Oil on the University Health News website at http://universityhealthnews.com/daily/nutrition/the-best-omega-3-supplement-flaxseed-oil-vs-fish-oil/.
And from the Tufts University Health and Nutrition Newsletter (January 2012 Issue)
Question: As a vegetarian, can I get enough omega-3 from walnuts, flax seed, canola oil and trace amounts in other foods?
Answer: The omega-3 fatty acids found in plant foods (ALA) have their own health benefits, but they are not the same as the omega-3s found in fish (DHA and EPA) that have been associated with heart-health benefits. According to Alice H. Lichtenstein, DSc, director of Tufts' HNRCA Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory, while your body does convert ALA into DHA/EPA, studies have found that this conversion is very inefficient. Only between 3% and 5% of the ALA gets converted into EPA and as little as 0.5% to 9% into DHA. If you're concerned about getting enough of the omega-3s found in fish, it is possible to buy vegetarian supplements that derive DHA from algae. (http://www.nutritionletter.tufts.edu/issues/8_1/ask-experts/ask-tufts-experts_1173-1.html)
Confirm that it is not an endangered species simply renamed for marketing purposes.
The federal Food and Drug Administration has a list of common and scientific names of fish and shellfish called the Seafood List, which is regularly updated. More properly the Guide to Acceptable Market Names for Seafood, it's available at http://preview.tinyurl.com/jaffa33, it's quite extensive, and reputable seafood dealers and restaurateurs adhere to its content. But above and beyond the Seafood List, the probability of an endangered – or a threatened – species making its way to any retail markets or restaurants which don't follow federal and state laws is remote. The probability of buying an endangered species of fish or shellfish from a fish market would be approaching the probability of buying a rhinoceros roast from a butcher.
There has been a problem with misidentified species, but this involves either mislabeling a less expensive product as a more expensive one or concealing where the seafood originated to circumvent import restrictions. Curtailing this misidentification was recently made a federal priority (see http://www.iuufishing.noaa.gov/) .
In sum it appears as if Ms. Hunnes is not a fan of seafood in the human diet. And she appears to have fully embraced every doom and gloom report she stumbled upon in researching this blog, selecting the worst of the worst. But by looking just the slightest bit behind the headlines she would have found that much of the worst that she has embraced is not justified. I would think that her readers deserve better.
With a world population of over seven billion no one who wasn't suffering from some level of misanthropy could have a problem with 60 percent of our fisheries being fully and sustainably exploited (though they might not look with favor at the 10 percent that aren't), but somehow Ms. Hunnes insists that there's no such thing as a sustainable fishery. Perhaps in another blog she'll explain how she arrived at that conclusion and set the world of fishing and fishery management straight, because an awful lot of people believe in, an awful lot more people depend on and even more people than that both enjoy and benefit from sustainably grown and sustainably harvested fish and shellfish.
"This significant growth in fish consumption has enhanced people's diets around the world through diversified and nutritious food. In 2013, fish accounted for about 17 percent of the global population's intake of animal protein and 6.7 percent of all protein consumed" (Pg. 4 of the FAO report cited above). This might be inconsequential to Ms Hunnes and the Huffington Post, but rest assured that to the people who depend on catching, processing, transporting, marketing and consuming these fish, it surely isn't, and no alternative animal protein sources are very likely. Maybe their plan, like Marie Antoinette's, is to let them eat cake instead.
This story originally appeared on FishNetUSA.com. It is reprinted with permission.


text:
Beyond the Mushroom Cloud
Commemoration, Religion, and Responsibility After Hiroshima.
By Yuki Miyamoto.
This monograph explores the ethics and religious sensibilities of a group of the hibakusha (survivors) of 1945's atomic bombings. Unfortunately, their ethic of "not retaliation, but reconciliation" has not been widely recognized, perhaps obscured by the mushroom cloud symbol of American weaponry, victory, and scientific achievement. However, it is worth examining the habakushas' philosophy, supported by their religious sensibilities, as it offers resources to reconcile contested issues of public memories in our contemporary world, especially in the post 9-11 era. Their determination not to let anyone further suffer from nuclear weaponry, coupled with critical self-reflection, does not encourage the imputation of responsibility for dropping the bombs; rather, hibakusha often consider themselves "sinners" (as with the Catholics in Nagasaki; or bonbu unenlightened persons in the context of True Pure Land Buddhism in Hiroshima). For example, Nagai Takashi in Nagasaki's Catholic community wrote, "How noble, how splendid was that holocaust of August 9, when flames soared up from the cathedral, dispelling the darkness of war and bringing the light of peace!" He even urges that we "give thanks that Nagasaki was chosen for the sacrifice." Meanwhile, Koji Shigenobu, a True Pure Land priest, says that the atomic bombing was the result of errors on the part of the Hiroshima citizens, the Japanese people, and the whole of human kind. Based on the idea of acknowledging one's own fault, or more broadly one's sinful nature, the hibakusha's ethic provides a step toward reconciliation, and challenges the foundation of ethics by obscuring the dichotomyies of right and the wrong, forgiver and forgiven, victim and victimizer.
To this end, the methodology Miyamoto employs is moral hermeneutics, interpreting testimonies, public speeches, and films as texts, with interlocutors such as Avishai Margalit (philosopher), Sueki Fumihiko (Buddhist philosopher), Nagai Takashi (lay Catholic thinker), and Shinran (the founder of True Pure Land Buddhism).
A fascinating case study in comparative religion, showing how the True Pure Land Buddhists of Hiroshima, the Roman Catholics of Nagasaki, and the city of Hiroshima (influenced by Japan's state Shinto) worked to create a bearable memory of the horrors of the atom bombing, one directed toward a positive goal.
Important for interdisciplinary memory studies as well as comparative religion.
Bones, Stones, and Buddhist Monks
Iron Chain to Golden Chain
Bodhisattvas Everywhere
Buddhism The Path of Enlightenment
Jodo Shinshu: A Guide
A Dharma Miscellany


It's smart. It is safe. It's ultralight. – What else would you need?
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Posted in knowledge, new products and tagged aluminium alloy, GOLD, highline, leash, leashring, ring.


There have been some screaming matches on Washington-bound flights between people coming for Trump's inauguration versus the Women's March the following day. A dozen years ago, I saw – well, maybe sparked – similar fracases on a flight from Washington to Dallas, Texas, two days after Bush's second inaugural speech whooped up forcibly spreading freedom & democracy all over the world.
The flight was stockful of Texans returning after attending Bush celebrations. One dowdy looking lady loudly gushed to an acquaintance in the next row: "Laura looked so wonderful with that designer dress at the ball." Her comment failed to fill me with remorse for not having been invited to that event.
I was stuck in a middle seat between a chubby little 14-year-old boy and a tripwire-tense Air Force enlisted man.
I smiled and said no, and asked if he had gone.
His eyes lit up, his face awoke, and he declared, "Yes!" He told me he was from Bush's hometown, Midland, Texas.
"What did you think of the speech?" I asked.
"Are you concerned about going to war to spread freedom?" I asked nonchalantly.
The Air Force dude erupted, "Don't listen to him! This guy hates America! This guy hates our president! Don't listen to a single thing he says!" Maybe he didn't like my beard.
This guy – early to mid 30ish, with a borderline jarhead hair cut – was adamant that the Bush administration had never made any false statements on the road to war.
"You people are going to proven all wrong next week!" he declaimed very fervently for someone practically sitting on my elbow.
"Who is 'you people'?" I asked.
The Bush administration and the U.S. military were doing a full-scale propaganda push, touting upcoming parliamentary elections as vindication for the invasion. But the vote – which was largely a charade – merely accelerated Iraq's descent into civil war. (I debunked that electoral fraud in a piece the following year for American Conservative.) The U.S. government had done everything possible to fix the election outcome except march Iraqis at gunpoint to the polls.
In this Air Force guy's defense – maybe he was edgy because he saw what I was editing on my flipdown tray – a couple printed out chapters for Attention Deficit Democracy. My hunch was that the torture chapter's sardonic humor flew over his head.
He gave me a blank look – "I don't know" – followed by a slight grimace as if just maybe he should have a better answer.
I nodded silently – this kid was definitely not in the league of Lyndon Johnson, another ambitious Texan.
My answer did nothing to placate his suspicions.
"What do you think the government should be doing? What is its main purpose?" I asked.
That was the new American vision of freedom that Bush sought to impose around the world, so that boy was backing the right politician.
H/t to Philip Crincoli Sr.
Will Trump's Immigration Order Ban Congressmen from U.S.?
Disappointing Mr. Bovard. I know there are lots of immature and inarticulate folks out there. Even some who are libertarians like me. Not to mention poorly educated children and extremist fruitcakes. They are not representative of thoughtful political views and should not be used as a basis for summarizing the nature of categories of people. It is unkind to those less thoughtful than you and there is plenty of appropriate evidence that some groups are populated by educated and shallow thinkers.
No harm done, however. I see and hear this error being made all the time. I just think you are more persuasive when you pick targets more worthy of your skills.
I thoroughly enjoy your work. You have been a pioneer for reason for many years and helped me start thinking about becoming a libertarian.
Mr. Oglesby – thanks for your kind words on my previous work.
I did not buttonhole those two on the street and nudge them to take a political literacy quiz. The fracas erupted not because I shouted that Bush was an evil dictator – it started because I calmly asked a question about bombing nations to spread freedom.
From the moment the Air Force guy started referring to "you people," he was fair game. And when the boy said he wanted to go into politics (but didn't even know his congressman's name) – ya, that made him fair game, too.
Those two were representative of the widespread docility and righteousness in the U.S. before people recognized that George W. Bush had dragged the nation into a quagmire in Iraq. If you checked the LRC link to the denunciations of my book 2004 Bush Betrayal, that contains a bushel of examples of people equally or more enraged with any criticism of Bush.
Perhaps some people who read the 2005 vignette will be reminded of people they encountered in that period who made similar claims and launched similar attacks on anyone who did not cheer the commander-in-chief. Unfortunately, we may see the same mindset become widespread again sooner than we expect.
Why should I have to name my Congressthings before going into politics? That'd be like having to name the members of the Donner Party before going to Burger King…..
Lawhobbit, your fellow Beaver State residents will likely find your quip hilarious.
Otherwise, not sure how many folks are familiar with the culinary record of the Donner crew.
A sad comment on the educational system these days, that is. Of course, every year more and more of my cultural references go whizzing over the heads of my students, leaving them with puzzled looks and no greater insight into the topic.


text:
The Himalayan Times > Nepal > 81 per cent COVID patients in Nepal asymptomatic
81 per cent COVID patients in Nepal asymptomatic
Published: April 21, 2020 8:25 am On: Nepal
Sabitri Dhakal
Kathmandu, April 20
About 81 per cent of COVID-19 patients admitted to hospitals across Nepal are asymptomatic, according to doctors.
Nepal has so far detected 31 patients infected with the novel coronavirus. Four of them have since recovered. According to the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, of the remaining 27 patients, three have fever and two others have cough. The division didn't disclose names of hospitals where patients with symptoms were undergoing treatment. Even these symptoms are mild and not worrisome, according to the EDCD.
COVID patients may or may not show symptoms and signs of the disease depending on the amount of virus that has entered the body, immunity and age of the person. In Nepal, only six out of 27 patients infected with coronavirus disease are above 50, with an 81-year-old female being the eldest.
But even the 81-year-old woman had not shown any symptom of infection when she was admitted to the hospital, her daughter in-law had said a few days ago. A 65-year-old female from Baglung, who was recently discharged from the hospital following recovery from the disease, too had not shown symptoms of the infection despite being a patient of asthma and hypertension.
"Coronavirus patients may not show symptoms because of eating habit and immunity. But we need to do a proper research on it," said Jagadish Joshi, specialist emergency physician and spokesperson for Seti Provincial Hospital.
Doctors like Joshi, however, consider asymptomatic coronavirus patients a bigger threat to the society. "These people may develop symptoms much later or may not develop any symptom at all. But despite being asymptomatic they can transmit the disease to others because of presence of virus inside the body," said Joshi.
Some of the COVID-19 patients show signs of the disease within 14 days and some develop symptoms after 21 days or even later. Older people and those with underlying medical problems, such as high blood pressure, heart problems or diabetes, are more likely to develop serious illness. But some may not show any symptom at all.
For example, all of the 13 COVID-19 patients admitted to coronavirus special hospital in Biratnagar last week have not developed any symptom so far.
"When infected people don't show symptoms, others around them are unlikely to take precautions," said EDCD Director Basudev Pandey.
"This is the reason why more tests should be conducted so that those infected could be identified and isolated," said Madan Kumar Upadhayaya, medical superintendent at Narayani Sub-regional Hospital.
Doctors like Upadhayaya and Pandey are of the view that tests should be ramped up in hotspots such as Udayapur, Birgunj and Sudurpaschim Province, where more COVID-19 cases have been detected.
As of today, the government has conducted 8,414 polymerase chain reaction tests and 25,148 rapid diagnostic tests.
"It is recommended that people who have undergone rapid diagnostic tests be made to take polymerase chain reaction tests, as results of rapid tests can be inaccurate and thus misleading," said Anup Subidee, consultant infectious disease and physician at HAMS Hospital.
A version of this article appears in print on April 21, 2020 of The Himalayan Times.


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Two teams finished the 2013 season without a win
The nation spent most of this season worrying about the possibility of having too many undefeated teams, and we in this space devoted much of that same time pondering whether or not we were headed towards an unprecedented number of winless seasons. In both cases, things worked themselves out.
Southern Miss and Hawaii won their first games on the season's final Saturday, a 62-27 blowout of UAB for the Golden Eagles and a 49-42 shootout win over Army for the Warriors. Congratulations are in order to both.
It just serves a reminder that - ridiculous as it seems - proves mathematically true every season: in major college football, it's harder to win zero games than to win every game.
Miami, Ohio (0-12) - The RedHawks lost to Ball State 55-14 on Friday, extending their losing skid to a now FBS-longest 16 games. But that's in the past now. The program can now turn its full attention to its ongoing coaching search and creating a new chapter in Miami (Ohio) football history.
Georgia State (0-12) - If there's any consolation for Georgia State, it's that they've got the right guy for the job. After finishing 0-12 and then 1-10 in his first two seasons at Indiana State, Trent Miles went 19-14 in his final three years at the school before departing for Atlanta. The bad news? Georgia State has now seen its win total drop in each season since its 2010 debut: from six to three to one to zero.


Alt title: Tennis no Ouji-sama: Best Games!!
The new anime will depict previously untold stories in the three months between the stories of the first Prince of Tennis and sequel, The New Prince of Tennis. It will cover story material that was not in either manga series.
Prince of Tennis: Best Games!! has no recommendations yet.


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History of the EDC of Elkhart County
The history of any economic development organization will often parallel other points of history in a community. In many cases, a sense of crisis pervades the community with a drastic loss of jobs and tax base. In some cases, it is a vision that has been established and needs a backbone to it in order for the goals to be accomplished. In other cases, it is a slow, miserable deterioration of the community over a period of time. Whatever the reason, usually community leaders collapse around some common themes and unite in an effort to improve the community.
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Interview With a Vampire Expert
Author Eric Nuzum surveys (and survives) the secret world of bloodsuckers
David Weigel | 10.29.2007 3:32 PM
Like most people who find themselves wrestling with vampires—Jonathan Harker, Robert Neville, Buffy—Eric Nuzum was leading a perfectly normal life until the monsters came along. He was an audiophile and pop culture journalist with an expertise in how the state and cultural watchdogs try and trammel creativity. In 2001 he published Public Advisory: Music Censorship in America, a civil libertarian's history of musical nannyism from the Beatles' "butcher baby" cover to the Gore family's war on the heavy metal band W.A.S.P. Nuzum's next project was going to be a history of the American burlesque show.
But vampires got in the way. As Nuzum crunched Count Chocula one morning in his Washington, D.C. home, he flipped on his TV and caught President Bush warning against the soft fascism of plugging in too many appliances and becoming an "energy vampire." Flipping through a magazine, Nuzum saw a model with fangs and a cape enticing him to buy some vodka and "drink in the night." He had his project. "If the vampire is ubiquitous," he wondered, "how did this happen? Why did this happen? I wanted insight."
The result was The Dead Travel Fast: Stalking Vampires from Nosferatu to Count Chocula. Nuzum encountered neither of those fiends, but his reporting ping-ponged him around the Western world, to a vampire bar tour in San Francisco, to a fetish night in New York, to Bram "Dracula" Stoker's old stomping grounds in the English town of Whitby. He accompanied sickly vegetarians and Munsters star Butch Patrick on a fact-challenged tour of Vlad the Impaler's Transylvania. He Netflixed more than 200 vampire movies, hating most of them. (Nuzum argues that the John Malkovich-Willem Defoe thesp-fest Shadow of the Vampire is the best the genre has to offer, and that 1994's Interview with the Vampire was the last to impact the culture in a real way.)
Two years and 240 pages later, what did Nuzum learn about the secret world of the vampyr? It was both weirder and less shocking than you'd imagine. The vampire myth itself is ancient, indelible, and didn't come out of Transylvania. Most civilizations actually have a fantasy creature who sucks blood, and Christendom's version started with Greek churches telling parisheners that their dead relatives would rise up and start drinking the red stuff if they misbehaved. And followers of that myth, the people who call themselves vampires, are generally sort of nice. Some are reclusive, some are younger than they say they are in chat rooms, and none of them will prove to a journalist that they actually drink blood. (Nuzum drank some of his own and got very sick.)
"All of the vampire folks I met," Nuzum writes, "are all at least marginally aware of the darkness in their own lives. The only difference between them and us is that they've styled their physical world to match their inner one."
reason spoke with Nuzum in a bar not far from his NPR office in Washington, D.C.
reason: This seems like a strange follow-up to your first book. What's the connectivity between music censorship and vampires?
Eric Nuzum: There's much more than you'd think, if you buy into my central premise. Vampires are the perfect metaphor. You use them to express things you fear, things you find exciting. Music plays the same role in some people's lives. When you look at some of the issues around music censorship, you're controlling what someone can and can't listen to, or what they can and can't say.
reason: And you write about some of the frenzy from parents who think vampire mythos are turning their kids weird.
Nuzum: It's the same situation that comes up with music—people will say "Ozzy Osbourne is responsible for my kid shooting his head off," or overdosing, or killing himself. Ozzy must be the problem! But the reality's that Ozzy is a symptom, not a cause. People who are of extreme emotions, who hold extreme views of the world, pick extreme music to represent that. I write in the book about "Vampire: The Masquerade," this full-on role-playing game that has been blamed for driving kids to violence. Well, no. That game did not turn otherwise good kids into bad kids. It was just another example of many things that were wrong with their lives.
reason: It doesn't change their behavior?
Nuzum: No. That argument is just like how Marilyn Manson is responsible for Columbine. It's silly. If you look back to Tipper Gore and the PMRC, everybody remembers three of their four areas of concern. They remember drugs, they remember violence, and they remember extreme sexuality. And there was a fourth category—the occult. Nobody remembers that, but at the time it was a commonly held belief that musicians were devil worshippers. If we look back now it seems unbelievably silly. So we've decided that one of those pillars was complete nonsense. What's that mean? Probably that all of those pillars were nonsense.
reason: You visited a fetish club called the Court of Lazarus, this darkly lit place that serves blood-colored cocktails, where people watch murder simulated onstage. Is their obsession is making those people more dangerous?
Nuzum: If it wasn't vampires it would be something else. They'd be running around in diapers whipping each other with a cat o' nine tails. Nefarious Wrath, the main guy in Court of Lazarus, kept saying over and over to me that "this is an archetype for us." And I totally believe that. Many of people who I spoke with really couldn't answer deep questions about why they liked to play this way. They'd say: I look at this, and it makes sense to me.
reason: But as you point out, there are surges in the amount of vampire literature or films when people are worried about disease. The last big spike was during the height of the American AIDS scare. Why would people choose this as their fantasy?
Nuzum: Because it's taboo. The ability to toy with something that can kill you isn't new: it's like playing Russian roulette in a much more safe way. And this is perfect because it's a very powerful taboo, but people can get involved in it without really doing anything.
reason: The lifestyle vampires don't seem to be drawing inspiration from the original Dracula. What's inspiring them? Are they Anne Rice fans?
Nuzum: My guess is that Lazarus people probably don't know about Stoker. Actually, I was shocked at how little all of these people knew about Stoker. The people who went on the Romania trip all sat and nodded their heads as our tour guide spouted off crazy talk. Like: Stoker was gay and wrote this gay book about Dracula's brother Radu, who was a gay character, but Radu wasn't a scary name so he never finished it. Total bullshit. But nobody on that trip questioned it at all. Several people knew things they were hearing weren't true, but people didn't care.
reason: Why not?
Nuzum: They were on vacation.
reason: Were they illustrative of vampire fans in general? How much do today's fans care about Bram Stoker's version of the monster?
Nuzum: Bram Stoker would never recognize Count Dracula the way we portray him, not even in the clichéd Bela Lugosi version, because it's so dramatically different. That suave, sophisticated count wasn't in Stoker's novel. His social skills weren't very good. All the sorts of little inventions, like vamps being sensitive to light, that started when other people took their own spins on this. The light thing started in Nosferatu. In some of the early novels vampires got their power from moon but could still walk around during the day. Biting on neck was a new invention, because the traditional vampires drink from the arm or the chest.
reason: So people—authors, adults who call themselves vampires—don't have a fealty to the original vampire stories?
Nuzum: Very few creators of vampire stories, including Bram Stoker, realize the power of what they're creating, especially in their time. Stoker was clueless about many things in his life, and the power of that book was one of them. It was only after he died that it became a commodity. I think that if you look at for examples, go to one of the worst vampire movies I saw, Club Vampire, about a strip club of vampires who continue to do their strip tease for anyone who sticks around after the club closes. And then, you know, they drink their blood and kill them. There was a price to be paid for this kind of sexual freedom. For that movie to come out in the early 90s when AIDS was an hourly conversation tells you how deeply this stuff is ingrained. This was a terrible movie and the filmmakers had no idea what they were doing. They figured out the metaphor completely unintentionally.
reason: Would you say vampires are sort of a monomyth, that people understand them and their metaphorical importance from culture to culture without being told?
Nuzum: They're just like folk tales. Folk tales don't come about when a guy says "I'm gonna capture the zeitgeist of this moment in little story about a rabbit and little girl." The stories with the most resonance survive. Someone didn't say "we don't understand the effects of disease so let's create a monster that sucks blood." It just kind of happened, and it stayed because it works for people.
reason: The first European vampire myths started as a way of keeping people in line and obeying their church, an opium-of-the-masses sort of thing. People would defy dogma and die and come back to suck the blood of the living.
Nuzum: Yeah: "Your uncle Phil, he's the one who's making you sick because he was excommunicated."
reason: Is it strange that completely secular people in an increasingly secular culture cling to a myth that was spread that way?
Nuzum: Some people use religion to teach morals and control people, and some use it to make sense of the world. In that sense a story about vampires or a story about talking pumpkins has the same effect.
reason: I have to say, you seem awfully cold and equivocal about Vlad the Impaler's career. You say "our view of looking at the world is just too different to pass clear judgment."
Nuzum: It's same type of argument that you have about Thomas Jefferson owning slaves. That's always a hot debate after the second beer. And Vlad was working in a very similar context. He liked to position himself as the champion of people, and he had two problems. One was the political system he was in, which could bring down the leader if he was unpopular. I mean, imagine if we had presidential elections whenever the people got mad at the president. His other problem was that he was caught, physically and intellectually, between the Christian world and the Ottoman Empire. He quickly learned that the way to keep his country safe was by being fucking crazy.
reason: You'd defend that?
Nuzum: Obviously it didn't seem like such a good system if you were the family of one of his victims. But there was very little crime. He'd have his men leave money in cups in public places just to prove that no one would touch them for fear of his secret police. It's difficult to look at that say "you are absolutely wrong." It totally worked! The Communists actually thought he was a hero until Communism fell and they met these Westerners who wanted to buy Dracula merchandise.
reason: And you encountered vampire obsessives or self-identified vampires who didn't meet your expectations at all. When you started this book, what were you expecting?
Nuzum: I was expecting to talk to somebody sitting in an apartment with velvet curtains behind him, who'd say crazy shit like "If you pull that curtain back I will turn into dust." Not once have I met somebody who really defined themselves like that and claims that they if they walk outside they'll burn. Lots of people who've said they'll get dizzy if they face the sun. Nobody who died in 1866 and returned to feed on the living. What I found is lots of people who say this lifestyle just kind of works for them.
reason: Are you glad that we live in a country that can produce somebody like Jonathon the Impaler, the Minnesota fringe politician who claims to be a "sanguinary vampire?" Is that generally good or bad for society?
Nuzum: I don't think I'd say it's one or the other. Nobody took Jonathan or any of his ideas seriously, not that he had many ideas to be taken seriously. While it's easy to dismiss that—hey, the guy thinks impalement is a good way to curb crime!—it's not much of a step from saying "that guy believes in vampires" to saying "that guy believes in Allah! That's weird." If you create a culture that just mocks those ideas or mocks the people who believe them then you're in dangerous territory.
David Weigel is an associate editor of reason.
NEXT: Doctor Paul Gets a Second Opinion
David Weigel is a contributing editor at Reason.
Counterculture Halloween
lunchstealer
OK, so Zombies replaced the passe' ninjas, who had replaced the appallingly stone-aged pirates. So does this mean that vampires are the new zombie? Is that what the tragically hip are dressing as this year?
I can't get over the fact that someone ran for office on the "impale evildoers" platform. Really, that is weird and worthy of ridicule.
That said, at least vampires have much flashier wardrobes than zombies.
Beware the Mahdi
"While it's easy to dismiss that-hey, the guy thinks impalement is a good way to curb crime!-it's not much of a step from saying "that guy believes in vampires" to saying "that guy believes in Allah! That's weird." If you create a culture that just mocks those ideas or mocks the people who believe them then you're in dangerous territory."
I'd say the opposite is true. Moral equivalency is far more dangerous! All beliefs are not created equal. Allah is not the God of Judaism or Christianity. There is nothing wrong with saying that someone is crazy for believing something or that they are wrong. Why should that form of disagreement be "dangerous territory"?
JasonL
Did the tragically hip ever actually dress as zombies?
J sub D
I hate vampires. Especially this one!
I love vampires. Especially this one!
Beware the Mahdi,
Yeah? Well my Level 37 Vampire Paladin would kick any god's ass!
Eric Hanneken
For a brief history of vampire mythology, I recommend Vampires: Restless Creatures of the Night, by Jean Mariony. It covers thousands of years, going back to ancient figures like Lilitu .
Well, your level 37 vampire paladin dresses like a girl. And you're stupid.
See everyone? I disagreed with AND insulted Taktix and the world did not end!
Jeez! Give me a minute. Armageddon take time, man…
Brian Sorgatz
I don't know about vampires, but zombies are crucial for certain philosophical thought experiments about how a material universe can form sentient (as opposed to merely intelligent and emotive) beings at all.
Those with a stake (no pun intended) in the debate over God's existence should pay especially close attention here.
BakedPenguin
Yes, but the real question is, do Vampires have any songs named after them as cool as this?
Mad Zombie Max
Am I the only one who didn't know this tidbit from the zombie article:
"George Romero, a Pittsburgh-based director of TV commercials and occasional segments for Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood . . ."
It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood
A beautiful day for a zombie
I want you alive
I'll devour your flesh, because it tastes good
Then I'll slurp your insides like spaghetti
And you'll die slowly
I always wanted to make a meal out . . . of . . . you
I always wanted to come to your neighborhood
And eat you
So . . . let's have some fun on this beautiful day
As I'm devouring you I will hear you say
Won't you please
Please, Zombie Rogers
Kill me quicker.
"If you create a culture that just mocks those ideas or mocks the people who believe them then you're in dangerous territory."
He was speaking of an entire culture here – I think he is talking more pervasive than the largely impotent or repressed "mockers" in America today. Of course having some of us be xenophobic is kind of a fact of life; in this way, we are balanced, having some uncomfortable things like Guantanamo, but knowing these are the exception to the rule. Yet soon we approach having a majority of the populace treating people with mockery, which quickly escalates into physical form ? la Spanish Inquisition or, you might argue, the War on Drugs.
dbust1
I think drawing a parallel between the Spanish Inquisition and the war on drugs is a bit much, but more power to you if you can make it stick. I'd like to hear your take on it.
What concerns me is this idea where it's all of a sudden dangerous to mock a person or group for their beliefs. There isn't anything wrong with thinking someone is crazy for believing something. When those thoughts are put into action in order to silence, oppress or harm someone then that's dangerous. But to assume that thoughts inevitably lead to action is ignorant. At least twice on my drive to and from work I want to kill someone who cuts me off or almost causes an accident. But even if I had a gun in my vehicle I wouldn't pull it out and try to kill them. Thoughts are not dangerous, speech is not dangerous. Actions can be, but are not inherently so.
QuietReaderGirl
There are plenty of politicians who would run on an "impale evildoers" platform if they thought it would bring in the votes. As it is, they cloak the same sentiment in being tough on crime, cleaning up the streets and protecting the country.