Would you ever start a relationship with someone who is married?
I have never had such experience for myself but I know few people around who have ruined other relationship. By meaning "ruined" I don't always mean it in a bad way, sometimes relationships are on the line to end anyway, and you are just a one more reason for a woman or a man to understand that being married with this person doesn't make you happy. But could you date someone who is still married?
No..Never...Also I will not make any relatinship with married one in the future. It seems that you are disturbing anyone's happy married life.It may break the relation between a married couple.So I will never do that in my life..
Well if the person is still married and is still living with her spouse I would not dare. But if that person is married but has been long been separated from her spouse I might consider it given that I like the girl and I know that I was not the reason for the breakup.
No, definitely a bad move. You will just walk into a deep hole and be trapped. And the word is heartache. There is no other way but just to stay away from a married man if your a single lady. And for a single guy, stay away from a relationship with a married woman.
No.. definitely not.. My mom and dad separated because of a woman. I think it's being selfish.. I was very young then and that woman didnt even think of me.. I promised myself, i will never let myself fall for a married man or if i ever happen to fall in love with a married man, I would stay away from him.. I would think of others first than myself. if the relationship is about to end, at least i am not one of the reason why it ended..
No, I would definitely stay away from a married couple. That is just crossing the line too much, even if they are having problems. If I start a relationship with someone, I want to feel like I am the only woman in their life, I do not want to have to deal with all of his extra baggage from his marriage. There's many men/women out there for you, so you can pass it up and wait to meet someone else.


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A quarterly publication from Anythink Libraries Archive • Subscribe Digital edition • View magazine edition
Supporting science inclusion
A Q&A with 500 Women Scientists
Born out of a need to take action in supporting women in the sciences, 500 Women Scientists has a slightly misleading name. With an original goal of getting 500 signatures in response to an open letter, the Colorado-based organization now boasts more than 20,000 supporters and a network of small community chapters designed to mentor and support women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). We caught up with 500 Women Scientists founders Jane Zelikova and Beth Bartel to learn more about how what started as a text message among colleagues quickly turned into an international support network.
Q: Tell us a little bit about how 500 Women Scientists got its start.
500 Women Scientists: 500 Women Scientists started from a string of text messages among four women scientist friends immediately following the November 2016 U.S. election.The initial text messages turned to thinking about what we could do to push back against the normalization of sexism and racism and anti-science sentiments that became apparent during the election. We decided to write an open letter, from women scientists to women scientists, re-affirming our commitment to our shared values of inclusion and openness in science and beyond, emphasizing the integral role of science in a functioning democracy and our society as a whole, and standing up for minorities, immigrants, people with disabilities and LGBTQIA.
Q: How has the organization grown since then?
5WS: We grew quickly from five women who drafted the initial letter to 20 women who edited the letter. Our aspirations of 500 signatures – which gave us our organization's name – was reached within a few hours, and we stopped counting the number of people who signed our pledge at 20,000 signatures from more than 100 countries. We have placed a large emphasis on building both a global network of women scientists and local chapters we call pods, where women can come together in person, build a support system, plan activities that help get science into their communities and provide mentorship to other women scientists. We have more than 150 active pods across the world, each focused on a mission and activities that align with our organization's vision and goals.
Q: The organization's mission is to make science open, inclusive and accessible. How do you hope to achieve that goal?
5WS: We start by bringing women together to speak out against instances when science is not open and when people are discriminated against. Speaking out alone and being one voice can be scary, but speaking out in a chorus with other women scientists is powerful. To make science accessible at least in part means getting science to the communities where those resources do not exist today. We are planning an ambitious community outreach project, something akin to domestic science diplomacy, embedding teams of women scientists into communities where they can be a science resource.
Q: What advice do you have for young women interested in a career in science?
5WS: Find allies, form a pack with science friends, share ideas, stay curious and excited - science is first and foremost about observing the world with wonder and asking questions. And science is more fun when you are sciencing with friends. ■
Jane Zelikova
Field of work: Climate change scientist at the Center for Carbon Removal & University of Wyoming Department of Botany
What's the best piece of advice you were ever given? Be brave and stay curious.
What motivates you? My never-ending curiosity and insatiable FOMO (fear of missing out).
Beth Bartel
Field of work: Outreach specialist in geophysics
What's the best piece of advice you were ever given? Be true to yourself and you will never fall. (Courtesy of the Beastie Boys.)
What motivates you? The thought of how amazingly interesting and beautiful and raw and complex this planet is, and how understanding it helps us to better take care of ourselves and each other.
Send your questions or feedback to ithink@anythinklibraries.org or post in the comments below.
When sparks are created, they light up a room. They travel and flow, generating energy and inspiring creativity. In this same way, SPARK represents the energy and playfulness of the Anythink community – here in Adams County and across the globe – connecting readers with people, places, ideas and inspiration meant to educate and illuminate.
Published quarterly, SPARK is available at all Anythink libraries and online.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Even though most of the optical illusions may look exactly the same, I never posted the exact same image twice (except unknowingly). For those of you who still don't get what so special about the picture below, well it's just that all of the lines in it are perfectly straight and parallel to each other. I think this is one of the best examples to show the Bent Effect. Agree?


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by Shelby Conine | February 27, 2015 · 8:00 am
Unpopular Opinion: Jason Aldean Isn't Killing Country Music
I would like to express an unpopular opinion, so hear me out before you tear me down please.
Two weekends ago I was blessed with the opportunity to travel to Charleston, South Carolina to meet up with my twin brother who goes to West Point and had a long weekend. He had three requirements for where we would meet: it had to be warm, it had to be easy to access from New York and it had to have a country music concert. As it turned out, that weekend was a pretty slow weekend country music wise and our options were Philadelphia, Boston, and Charleston. Since Philly and Boston were both blanketed in snow, it was off to South Carolina for us. The only drawback? We were going to see the endlessly-maligned (at least by our class) Jason Aldean.
Naturally, going into the concert I was skeptical, especially after everything we've said in class about how he's "not really country" or is a representation of what's wrong with country music these days. But I was moderately excited for the two opening acts, Tyler Farr and Cole Swindell, since I'd never seen them live before and had only heard them on the radio.
Admittedly Tyler Farr left something to be desired after his performance. While he has a few big hits and a decent voice, he isn't the performer that I expected on such a big tour. I think he has a long way to go performance wise before he has any chance of making it big in country music.
However, Cole Swindell made up in a big way for Farr's shortcomings. Swindell came on to the country music scene originally as a songwriter. He's written hits for several big stars like Luke Bryan with hits like "Roller Coaster" and Florida Georgia Line's "This is How We Roll." However, last year Swindell recorded his debut album which included radio-friendly "Chillin' It," "You Ain't Worth the Whiskey" and "Hope You Get Lonely Tonight." Not only is his sound complimentary to Jason Aldean's "bro-country," but his stage presence is also closer to that of a real performer. He played his big songs, including those he wrote but that were recorded by Luke Bryan, and it seemed like he was much more in tune with what the crowd wanted.
After Swindell left the stage, I anxiously awaited Jason Aldean. I wondered if I was going to be totally repulsed by his music as it seems so many die-hard country fans are these days. The lights went down, his band began to play, and the strangest thing happened—I didn't hate it. As a matter of fact, I actually rather enjoyed it. He may have come out to a back drop of flames and electric guitar, but I think a lot of people only see that side of Aldean and forget where he came from. They forget songs like "Amarillo Sky," "Laughed Until We Cried," and "Big Green Tractor," just to name a few. He's got tons of hits that have endlessly topped charts and, if you listen to the lyrics, hold very closely to traditional country values.
So yeah, I can't hate Jason Aldean because his music goes beyond what it seems on the surface. I actually rather like his music. AND I sang along. So sorry if that offends you.
Filed under Live Music, Reflection, USA
by James Pruitt | February 26, 2015 · 8:00 am
Keeping Traditional Country Music Alive
This weekend I was able to go home to San Angelo with some friends and visit for a couple days, which is always refreshing and serves as a way to get away from school for a little bit. It was the last weekend of the San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo, and we didn't want to miss out on all the fun.
Unfortunately, since tickets sell out several weeks in advance, I wasn't able to attend the actual rodeo performance. As disappointing as that was, at least I was still able to take part in something rodeo-related. One of my best friends, Case Hardin, started a country music band after we graduated high school, and since then he has made a name for himself, playing shows at dance halls all over the state. The past two years he has played shows during rodeo season in what is collectively known as "the beer barn". Located directly next to the coliseum where the rodeo is held, the beer barn is where people go to, well, drink beer before and after the rodeo. It's a non-insulated wooden building, includes a stage and a dance floor, and it has no seats or tables. Instead, everyone packs in as tightly as possible and those remaining gather outside.
While it may sound like an unpleasant place, what makes it awesome is the music. What is usually a run-of-the-mill shack basically in the middle of nowhere comes to life as an authentic dance hall. Case played for three hours to an audience of hundreds of rodeo-goers, and the dance floor was filled during every song. Case, a bona fide fan of traditional/neotraditional country music, performed covers of singers like George Strait, Tracy Byrd, and Conway Twitty, and he mixed in some western swing with songs from Bob Wills. Backed by his band, which simply includes a guitar, bass guitar, steel guitar, and drums, Case keeps the spirit of traditional country music alive with his twang and his salutes to legends past. I knew when I saw him sing George Strait's "Heartland" in the 4th grade talent show that Case was destined to be a country music performer. Case's next show is March 14th at the London Dance Hall in London, Texas, which is considered to be the oldest dance hall in Texas. It's awesome to see one of my good friends experience some success, and it was great to be able to catch one of his shows.
Filed under Dancing, Honky Tonk, Live Music, New Traditionalism, Texas, Western Swing
by Courtney Gonzalez | February 25, 2015 · 8:00 am
Two Steppin'
This past weekend I had the chance to visit Austin's very own Midnight Rodeo. Not sticking to only traditional country music, Midnight Rodeo would switch up their two stepping to the wobble. While it was predominately country music so that I could practice my two stepping skills, I was able to take a break and get out on the dance floor with my gals and drop it like its hot because boy was it hot in there.
I got the privilege to go with a large group of my gal pals, which supported the old saying "the more the merrier." While as a group we had the most fun at the breaks when songs like "Uptown Funk" came on, individually we enjoyed the country songs better because, honestly, where else can you find that kind of entertainment? Either grabbing a free guy or one of our friends we danced in circles around the dance floor to every country song that played. Being such a social event, country dancing is hard not to enjoy even if you are sitting that song out and just watching.
Now please don't think that because we all own a pair of cowboy boots and live in Texas we are automatically great country dancers. My group and the dance floor ranged from first time dancers that had never laid a foot in a dance hall to pros who incorporated flips into their two-step. It truly was amazing to watch the expert dancers who made it look effortless. I fell right in the middle of those two being able to do the steps and a couple simple turns. I think we all enjoyed ourselves just the same no matter the skill level we were at. You could feel the energy and heat coming off of the dance floor from the people that were there to have a good time.
Now I challenge you to go and try it! This tutorial, excuse the woman's outfit, shows you the very simple basics of two stepping. However, I believe getting out there and doing it is the best way to learn! Starting with a slower paced song will help you get your footing and eventually you will be able to keep up with a faster paced beat!
Tim McGraw's "Just to See You Smile" is one of my favorite two stepping songs that you can try out at home with your cat, dog, cow or what ever else you have running around the house. I hope you try out you closest country dance hall and enjoy the experience as much as I did!
Filed under Austin, Dancing, Texas
by Taylor Campbell | February 24, 2015 · 8:00 am
"Country Chameleon"
Tim McGraw's recent performance at The Oscars on Sunday night reminded me of an article I read recently for my Country Sub-Genre project. A country blog titled The Boot did a feature article last week called "Country Chameleon: The Ever-Changing Music of Tim McGraw."
The article provides arguments from both critics and supporters of McGraw's changing style. Critics believe that Tim McGraw's newer songs are too automated and are not happy with the electronic sounds of his music. For example one of the critics stated, "LEAVE THE AUTOMATED STUFF TO POP AND HIPHOP!!! I can't be the only one that missed acoustic guitars and unautotuned voice." It is noted that Tim McGraw, at age 46, has gotten to the point when artists start to wash out; McGraw, however, is actively keeping his music, sound, and image current to fit with the time. "[Tim McGraw] has always been among the first big-name artists to embrace new changes. That keeps his music sounding fresh and new – even if it risks alienating some of his more traditional-minded listeners," states the author.
For these reasons I think Tim McGraw was the perfect person to perform the tribute to Glen Campbell. McGraw was able reach two different audiences thanks to his smart business tactics: those who like Glen Campbell and McGraw's older style of music, and his current fans who appreciate his modern sound.
Although critics of Tim McGraw tend to be harsh, one has to appreciate the barriers he's broken down to get to where he is now. McGraw has managed to stay a threat and country music power figure even with his growing age. This is especially difficult considering he has done all of this as a member of the country-pop sub-genre. Older fans criticize McGraw's changing sound and believe he has abandoned his roots, but as an artist if he's happy with his work and is successful at what he does then who are we to say that Tim McGraw isn't being true to himself? I've grown up listening to Tim McGraw and as a fan I think we should be commending him for keeping up with the fast-paced and always-changing modern music business, rather than tearing him down.
What do you think? How was Tim's performance on Sunday night? Is Tim selling himself out for modern fame and fortune? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
Filed under Awards, Country Pop, Countrypolitan, Live Music
by Julianne Staine | February 23, 2015 · 10:11 am
Tim McGraw Performs at the Oscars
Tonight, on Sunday, February 23, 2015, Tim McGraw performed at the Oscars, cowboy hat and all. He didn't belt out one of his classics, but instead performed an original song by Glen Campbell, from the movie, Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me.
The song, "I'm Not Going to Miss You" was sad and beautiful, describing the experience of getting Alzheimer's and losing your family and the experience that country singer Glen Campbell is going through. And Tim McGraw, without much production, let his performance speak for itself.
I am a huge Oscars person. I love all awards shows in general, but as a movie fanatic, this one takes the cake. I am also a Tim McGraw fan. (I have seen him at the Houston rodeo a ridiculous amount of times.) I absolutely loved seeing him perform, staying true to his roots with his country style simplicity up on that stage.
Watching McGraw's performance made me think about his evolution as a performer. Growing up in Houston where country music dominates half of the radio stations, I was very familiar with his dozens and dozens of chart topping hits, like "Live Like You Were Dying" or "Just to See You Smile." But as I grew older, McGraw's presence in popular culture continued to evolve and expand. He was no longer just known for his country twang, but instead for his acting chops. From Friday Night Lights to The Blindside, Tim McGraw was all of the sudden on my television more than on my radio.
What I found really interesting about this change in career path for McGraw is that he somehow still felt like the same country singer. While I do struggle to recognize him without his beard he sported for the better part of a decade, his personality and career decisions still line up with the Tim McGraw country star persona. He's not starring in action flicks or comic book movies, but instead he is playing roles pretty similar to himself or related to the roots of country music. Whether it's Sandra Bullock's husband hanging out in his native Tennessee in The Blindside, or playing a guy in the country music world in Country Strong, there's an element of Tim McGraw in every role he picks.
The song he performed tonight might not have been his own, but it certainly made me nostalgic for some McGraw hits and it also made me wonder what next movie he will be in. Hey, maybe next time he will be up on that stage accepting an Oscar! You never know!
Filed under Awards, Country Pop, Live Music, Uncategorized


Heel pain can seriously impact your daily routine. In particular, the plantar fascia (the ligament connecting your heel bone to your toes) is usually the cause of heel pain when it gets weak or strained. If left untreated, it can tear and get seriously painful. Thankfully our podiatrist, Dr. Daniel Drapacz, can alleviate this chronic heal pain if you happen to be experiencing it. You can visit Dr. Drapacz at the New York Foot Experts, located at 65 Broadway Suite 1103, New York, NY 10006, 360 West 125th St Suite 7, New York, NY 10027 or 469 7th Ave Suite 601, New York, NY 10018.
With each step, the plantar fascia and other foot muscles work to assist with forces on the arch. Plantar Fasciitis occurs when there is frequent stretching in this area causing inflammation at the base of the heel. Stretching, rest and shoe inserts can help alleviate the pain, but those who routinely stand all day for work end up with significant injuries because of the damage done to the heel. Stretching is by far the preeminent treatment for plantar fasciitis as it can help to alleviate weight off your foot until the original swelling dissipates. You can try applying ice to the swollen area for 30 minutes four times a day to reduce your symptoms. Prescriptions for anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen may also be called for; yet, exercises to stretch the plantar fascia are still the best of treatments.
As you can see, heel pain left undiagnosed can lead to severe foot injuries, especially for those who stand all day on their feet. If you are experiencing chronic heel pain, contact us online to make an appointment as soon as possible. Take the opportunity to get the very best treatment offered by Dr. Drapacz and you will notice a change for the better.


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Knock, knock! Who's there? George Washington! George Washington who? George Washington who? Didn't you learn anything in history class?
Q: What's the difference between a golfer and a fisherman?A: When a golfer lies he doesn't have to bring anything home to prove it!


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Q: WPF ColorAnimation for a Brush property I wonder if someone can help me - I've got a label which I need to be able to cross-fade between any 2 colors when a method is called in the code behind.
My best attempt so far:
Private OldColor as Color = Colors.White
Sub SetPulseColor(ByVal NewColor As Color)
    Dim F As New Animation.ColorAnimation(OldColor, NewColor, New Duration(TimeSpan.Parse("00:00:01")))
    OldColor = NewColor
    F.AutoReverse = False
    PulseLogo.BeginAnimation(Label.ForegroundProperty, F)

End Sub

The problem I have is that ColorAnimation returns a Media.Color and The property type for Foreground is Brush.
I know how to create the appropriate brush but not how to do it in an animation.
From Googling, it seems I need a converter:
<ValueConversion(GetType(SolidColorBrush), GetType(SolidColorBrush))> _
Public Class ColorConverter
    Implements IValueConverter

Public Function Convert(ByVal value As Object, ByVal targetType As Type, ByVal parameter As Object, ByVal culture As System.Globalization.CultureInfo) As Object Implements System.Windows.Data.IValueConverter.Convert
        Dim Color As Color = DirectCast(value, Color)
        Return New SolidColorBrush(Color)
    End Function

    Public Function ConvertBack(ByVal value As Object, ByVal targetType As Type, ByVal parameter As Object, ByVal culture As System.Globalization.CultureInfo) As Object Implements System.Windows.Data.IValueConverter.ConvertBack
        Return Nothing
    End Function

End Class

but all the examples I've seen bind it to the animation in XAML - And I'd like to do it in the code behind...
Can someone please point me in the right direction?
Thanks

A: The usual solution to this is not to use a converter, but instead to animate the Color of the Brush.  However, to do this you need a PropertyPath, which in turn means you need a storyboard:
Storyboard s = new Storyboard();
s.Duration = new Duration(new TimeSpan(0, 0, 1));
s.Children.Add(F);

Storyboard.SetTarget(F, PulseLogo);
Storyboard.SetTargetProperty(F, new PropertyPath("Foreground.Color"));

s.Begin();

(pardon C# syntax)
Note the property path in the SetTargetProperty call, which traverses down through the Foreground property and into the resulting brush's Color property.
You can also use this technique to animate individual gradient stops in a gradient brush, etc.

A:             ColorAnimation colorChangeAnimation = new ColorAnimation();
            colorChangeAnimation.From = VariableColour;
             colorChangeAnimation.To = BaseColour;
            colorChangeAnimation.Duration = timeSpan;

            PropertyPath colorTargetPath = new PropertyPath("(Panel.Background).(SolidColorBrush.Color)");
            Storyboard CellBackgroundChangeStory = new Storyboard();
            Storyboard.SetTarget(colorChangeAnimation, BackGroundCellGrid);
            Storyboard.SetTargetProperty(colorChangeAnimation, colorTargetPath);
            CellBackgroundChangeStory.Children.Add(colorChangeAnimation);
            CellBackgroundChangeStory.Begin();

//VariableColour & BaseColour are class of Color, timeSpan is Class of TimeSpan, BackGroundCellGrid is class of Grid;
//no need to create SolidColorBrush and binding to it in XAML;
//have fun!

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Video production. Capture, edition and share.


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UCL Research Collections
UCL Press »
UCL Press Meets Chinese Publishing Delegates from China Publishing Group
ucyllsp6 April 2017
On 22nd March I had the great pleasure of meeting a delegation of 15 Chinese publishers from the largest publisher in China, the China Publishing Group, and presented a two-hour session to them on academic publishing in the UK and, more specifically, the university-based open access publishing model forged by UCL Press.
CPG, which was ranked no.14 in the 2014 Top 50 Global Publishing Groups, has been in the Top 30 of Chinese Cultural Enterprises for six consecutive years, and owns 40 individual publishing companies and imprints which produce over 10,000 titles per year. Importantly, it concludes licensing agreements with overseas publishers for over 1,000 books and journals per year, and comprises China's biggest publications import and export enterprise, importing and exporting over 200,000 titles every year. CPG also owns 28 overseas publishing houses and bookshops.
The publishers I met reflected the wide range of publishing that takes place in the CPG family – scholarly, children's, poetry, encyclopedias, and art and architecture to name just a few. The delegates were in England as part of a three-week training programme during which they met publishers, wholesalers, PR agencies and others in the publishing industry, to gain greater insights into the possibilities for doing business with publishers in the UK, and their trip also included attendance at the London Book Fair, who had organized their training programme.
I was joined during the session by one of UCL Press's authors, Dr Gabriel Moshenska, Senior Lecturer in the UCL Institute of Archaeology, whose textbook, Key Concepts in Public Archaeology, has just been published by UCL Press. Gabe explained from an author's point of view why open access publishing is so important i.e. the ability to communicate his ideas to a wide global readership, and why open access textbooks in particular are increasingly important for supporting the student experience and for making UCL teaching resources available globally, thereby raising the profile of UCL teaching and research. We demonstrated UCL Press's online publishing platform, which features scholarly functionalities such as highlighting, making notes, saving personalised copies of books, sharing and citation. The CPG publisher for fine art books was particularly interested in the subject of public archaeology, a field that was pioneered at UCL and has been taught here for twenty years. There is growing international interest in public archaeology in countries such as the US, Australia, Italy, Sweden and China. We were able to tell the delegates about UCL's global standing, particularly in subjects such as archaeology, architecture and education.
The publishers asked a range of perceptive questions about the Press's model, for example, could a particularly successful OA book raise an author's profile to the extent that they decide to publish elsewhere with a commercial publisher, and how the endeavour is financed.
In China, open access does exist for journals but not yet for books. Print books are in any case sold at a very low price, between £2.50 and £3.50 typically, and, according to one of the publishers who works for CPG's academic imprint, scholarly monographs can sell in relatively large numbers ie 4000-5000 copies, so the scholarly publishing model in China does not suffer from the same degree of problems as the Western one. One particular barrier in China to open access for monographs is a culture in which free things are not trusted to be of good quality. And as in the UK and US, publisher brand prestige is hugely important.
In order for UCL Press to make its books available in China in Chinese, it will need to arrange licensing deals between a Chinese publisher and the author, for the Chinese publisher to translate and sell the work in China, which is the usual way books are licensed to foreign-language publishers. UCL Press has had expressions of interest in some of its books from Chinese publishers and as our publishing programme continues to expand, this interest is likely to grow. While we would ideally like our books to be published open access around the world, we recognize that the OA model for books is not yet widely enough developed and therefore we accept that a commercial model for making the books available in other languages can be the only available route. This is with the notable exception of books in our social media series, Why We Post, which the WWP project has undertaken to translate into all eight languages of the project. These will be published by UCL Press as open access, with the exception perhaps of the two Chinese titles, Social Media in Industrial China and Social Media in Rural China, for which there is strong interest from Chinese publishers who are unlikely to agree to publication of a simultaneous OA Chinese version.
UCL Press will of course always make the English language version of our books available as open access to a global audience, something the publishers from CPG did not think would be a barrier to Chinese publication. All in all, it was a fascinating couple of hours exchanging ideas and information about different publishing models. The Beijing Book Fair beckons!
Filed under Events, Open Access, Topical, UCL, University presses
Tags: Books, China, Open Access, Publishing, UCL Press
Talking to the BBC about social media in China
Alison Fox23 March 2017
Today's guest blog is by Tom McDonald of Assistant Professor at Hong Kong University. He is author of Social Media in Rural China
Earlier this month, I was very fortunate to be interviewed by the BBC on my research onto the use of technology in China. The article that was published as a result of the interview is a good example of 'public anthropology',
Photo: Gillian Bolsover
showing how the discipline's research can made relevant to a wider audience.
This commitment to engaging with the public through anthropology is something that is also mirrored in two books that I published last year: Social Media in Rural China and How the World Changed Social Media (the latter is co-authored with the rest of the Why We Post team). Both of these volumes tried to respond to the immense interest in social media from the general public, by writing in an accessible and open style. We chose to keep all citations and the discussion of wider academic issues to endnotes. Many readers seem to have enjoyed this style of easy-to-understand writing.
A central aim of the book Social Media in Rural China was to try and help non-Chinese audiences, who have limited experience of Chinese social media and find it hard to imagine what they are like, to understand the nature of these platforms and the kind of social effects they are bringing to a small rural community in China.
Given this, it's also been surprising to see how the book has been received in Hong Kong and Mainland China. I've gained a lot from discussing sections of the book with undergraduate and postgraduate students—most of whom are Chinese—in my Local Cultures, Global Markets and New Media and Digital Culture courses. Readers are often interested to understand a "foreigner's" reflections on contemporary rural China.
This feedback will be particularly useful as I put together articles for academic journals over the coming months. In this way, I am extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to balance two quite different forms of writing: academic writing aimed at fellow researchers in universities, and a more accessible writing for a general public which can also inspire articles such as the one that appeared on the BBC.
This post originally appeared on the Global Social Media Impact Study blog. It has been re-posted with permission.
Filed under Editorial, Guest Posts, Open Access, Topical
Tags: Books, China, Guest Post, Internet, Media, Media Coverage, Open Access, Popular Culture, Social Media, Society, Topical, UCL Press, Why We Post
An Excerpt for Valentines Day: Romantic relationships on social media
Alison Fox14 February 2017
Today's excerpt is from Social Media in Industrial China by Xinyuan Wang, UCL Deprtment of Anthropology.
Every day after work, a group of young female factory workers leaves the factory plant together, hand in hand. All of them are unmarried young women, and gossip about relationships is always the most popular topic. Girls chatter avidly on the 10-minute walk from factory to dormitories; everybody is trying to contribute something to the daily 'gossip time':
'Hey, did you hear that he just asked for her QQ number? I was surprised that he wanted to add her on QQ!'
'Really? I didn't know he was keen on her. Oh no – it is really bad news for his ex-girlfriend. A few days ago I just saw her new QQ status … sounds like she really regrets the break-up. Look, look … '
The girl then took out her smartphone, showing her friends the evidence she had spotted on QQ.
The very action of men and women adding each other on QQ can easily be interpreted as romance, since, in the words of one girl, 'QQ is not used for talking business or other things; QQ is for you to fall in love (tan lian ai)'. It has become almost a consensus among young people that one of the major functions of social media is to develop and maintain romantic relationships. Xiao Lin, a 20-year-old factory worker, sent me QQ messages explaining how QQ helped him to become a better lover:
I am much more bold and romantic on QQ … you just wouldn't say those sweet words face to face … And I used lots of cute stickers when we were chatting on QQ, which made her find me really funny.
Many young migrant workers, like Xiao Lin, think they can be a better lover on social media. Vivid stickers and emojis enrich people's expression; an element of time delay allows more scope for strategic communication. Behind the screens of their smartphones, people feel more empowered and confident. Rather than a diminished form of intimate interaction, romantic relationships on social media have become an efficient modality combining elements of voice, image and text, as well as emoji and stickers. There is another reason why social media is regarded a place for romantic love: a public display of love offline is usually frowned upon in GoodPath. Walking hand in hand was the most intimate interaction that one could spot on the street. When Xiao Yu, a 21-year-old hairdresser's apprentice, posted photos of herself kissing her boyfriend on QQ, she perceived QQ to be a romantic and liberating place where one can feel free to display intimacy as the 'public' was different:
In big cities people won't make a fuss [about kissing in public]. But here some traditional people would dislike it … but the good thing is they are not on my QQ!
Xiao Yu's kiss photographs elicited many comments. Rather than feeling embarrassed, she felt that was exactly what she was looking for: '… When you posted something like that, you just knew what people would comment. If I am not sure, then I won't post it,' Xiao Yu explained. To the question 'do you think about what kind of reaction you will receive when you post something on social media?', the majority of participants, both in GoodPath and in Shanghai, said yes. Moreover in many cases the imagined audience and presupposed reaction justify the posting. A few days later, Xiao Yu finally uttered the real reason why she posted the kiss photos – to warn another girl to stay away from her boyfriend as she assumed the girl had been stalking her.11 'It's so annoying, she is still flirting with him (Xiao Yu's boyfriend) on his Qzone. Is she blind? I am pretty sure she saw the kiss photo on my Qzone.'
In romantic relationships, surveillance on social media can lead to jealousy in various ways. For instance, a delayed reply to a WeChat message can make the romantic partner feel unimportant, especially when he or she can see on other social media platforms that their partner is online. Situations such as that described by Cai, a 22-year-old waitress in a restaurant, are very common: 'I sent him a message half hour ago; he didn't reply, but ten minutes ago, he updated his QQ status … that made me feel upset.' She was always online throughout the day when working at the restaurant; the multiple social media platforms her boyfriend used allowed her to connect with him constantly, but such an environment also made it more difficult for her boyfriend to hide anything from her. Many young people share similar insecurities about their romantic relationships, As Zhu, a factory worker aged 20, complained: 'She [his girlfriend] never mentioned our relationship on her QQ. My gut feeling is she is not that committed, or maybe she is hiding something from me?'
Because social media profiles are continuously subjected to scrutiny to a greater extent than most offline spaces, for many young people such as Zhu a romantic relationship gained its 'legitimacy' by a public announcement on social media. However, in practice, the attempt to make a public announcement may backfire. Lujia, a factory worker, set up a QQ group of 78 contacts in order to win the trust of his new girlfriend. He explained:
My girlfriend said she was not sure about my love, unless I showed it in public (gong kai); Once I set up the QQ group and show my love for her she will believe me.
On this QQ group, every few hours Lujia wrote something along the lines of ' … darling you are the most beautiful woman in my life and I love you so much'. Clearly not everybody thought Lujia's declaration of love quite as sweet as his partner did, and most people soon quit the group. As one former member complained, 'he thought QQ was his own place to do whatever he wanted … But why should I read screenfuls of such goosebump-arousing nonsense?' What was evident in Lujia's case was that 'audiences' felt extremely disturbed and offended. Unlike posting something on one's own social media profile, Lujia's QQ group messaging, which constantly tried to grab people's attention to witness something of little relevance for them, was way too aggressive and inappropriate.
However, in most cases some subtle strategies regarding the public display of love on QQ had been applied. It was very common to see a couple talk to each other in a way that others would not be able to understand without knowing the context of the dialogue. For example, a conversation between a young couple on Qzone that could be seen by all the online contacts was:
'Don't forget you promised me that you wouldn't tell her about that.'
'Yes I promised, and I didn't tell her about that at all, quite the opposite, I told her that you said those three words on my birthday, and she was so delightfully surprised. I told you she liked you.'
Even though substantial information from the above correspondence was very limited, everyone who read the dialogue got the message that these two people were close to each other and that their relationship was exclusive. That is exactly the reason why, rather than this taking place on the seemingly more convenient and private basis of one-to-one chatting, the couple chose to talk secretly 'in public'. Such 'coded' intimate talk on QQ between lovers skilfully displayed love in public without disturbing others too much.
The self-exposure of personal relationships on social media is not always about positive emotions. Having arguments on social media, for example, is regarded as a fatal hit to a romantic relationship. Huang Ling, a 19-year-old factory worker, explained the problem:
Each time, when we had some friction, he would update his QQ status immediately with things like 'please introduce girls to me, I need a girlfriend, blah blah … I really hated him for that!
Two weeks after their break-up, Huang Ling was still complaining about her ex's outrageous QQ usage, and every female friend of hers expressed the same resentment. As one of her close female friends remarked, 'How could he say so regardless of the place and the situation (chang he)?! He just wanted her to lose face'. Ling applied some 'media sanctions' to cope with the break-up's aftermath. First of all she locked her Qzone, which means nobody could view it except herself.
I need some space you know. I don't want people to gossip about my break-up. Even though they do it out of kindness, I still find it so annoying.
Huang Ling's elder cousin even called her very late at night to ask her what had happened when he saw her 'unusual' QQ status update. She felt embarrassed to explain the reason to her friends and relatives, and therefore locked the only channel (Qzone) from which most of her friends got news about her. After four days Huang Ling reopened her Qzone, having already deleted all her previous QQ status updates. Meanwhile Huang Ling's updates on WeChat were very remarkable, even dramatic. During the four 'non-QQ' days she uploaded a large number of emotional remarks on WeChat. One day she even uploaded a photo of her arm, carved by herself with a steel ruler (Fig. 4.3). The two 'bloody' Chinese characters she carved on her skin were hate (hen) and love (ai). It seems that only carving her own skin would fully express her strong feelings about the frustrating break-up. She told me:
Because some of my family members are on Qzone, I don't want to scare my relatives and other friends. Whereas the circle of friends on WeChat is much smaller; most of them are just colleagues at the factory, so it won't cause me too much trouble. And he [the ex-boyfriend] will see the photo either way as he is also my WeChat friend.
If we view Huang Ling's story together with the accounts of Xiao Yu's careless display of a kiss photo on Qzone and Lujia's less successful public display of love on QQ group, a more comprehensible picture emerges. First of all, we need to recognise that social media provides many possibilities; it enables people to practise romantic relationships online with much greater freedom than in offline situations. Social media has also become an essential arena in which romantic relationships take place in daily life. However, a more liberating place online does not equal fewer social norms. New norms about what is appropriate or inappropriate on social media dealing with romantic relationships emerged almost immediately. For instance, the release of private problems between couples on social media usually brought immense embarrassment, serving to trigger even worse consequences than in an offline situation. Sociologist Erving Goffman12 used the word 'frame' to explain how people's behaviour is cued by elements that constitute the context of action. In the frame of social media, people were not only aware of the private/public nature of social media, but also intentionally played around with it to express the exclusiveness and intimacy of relationships – even though not everyone was successful at first.
Also, from the frequently applied and highly valued public displays of love on social media, we see how on social media the perceived public gaze is just as strong as in the offline situation. Online, young rural migrants may be free from the disapproval and judgement of senior relatives and fellow villagers, yet their peers' opinions or those of even strangers were highly valued, and can also cause concern. Regardless of what kind of social rules one follows, as long as there are 'others' the risk of 'losing face' always exists, and sometimes the uncertainty of who is watching online exacerbates the anxiety.
Another point that emerged from the varied use of social media in romantic relationships is that, in order to make sense of sociality on social media, a whole range of available communication tools must be taken into account. As suggested by the concept of 'polymedia',13 it makes no sense to study only one particular media platform in isolation – the meaning and use of any one of them is relative to the others. As is clearly shown in Huang Ling's situation, her choice of WeChat only made sense in comparison with the role that QQ and mobile phones played in her social life. Furthermore, in a polymedia environment, once one has either the smartphone or a personal computer, the decision which media to use is no longer much affected by either access or cost; instead it becomes a social and moral choices. For instance, in Lujia's case, his choice of using QQ group messaging to declare his love for his girlfriend had been regarded as very inappropriate. The approach of polymedia, as well as the arguments put forward about new social norms on social media, are not confined to the analysis of romantic relationships on social media.
Filed under Excerpts, Guest Posts, Open Access, UCL
Tags: Anthropology, Books, China, Guest Post, Open Access, Popular Culture, Social Media, Topical, Urban Studies, Web Science, Why We Post
Taking Why We Post to China
Daniel Miller12 October 2016
Although the Why We Post project is primarily an attempt to study the use and consequences of social media, there were other broader aims. Particularly, the hope that the project would show that while the discipline of anthropology might have originally developed for the study of tribal peoples or ethnic minorities, it is also the most effective means of understanding a global, contemporary and highly dynamic phenomenon such as social media. This would be an especially important message for the largest population of the world, China, where anthropology retains a rather conservative position within the university systems and there is a real chance that it will not survive let alone take its proper position as an effective and vanguard approach to the contemporary world.
As it happens, it is hard to think of two more effective means of making this point than our two books on social media in China. In particular, Tom McDonald's study in rural China has a consistent narrative about how even such small rural towns are actually thoroughly imbued with digital transformations and tend to have better connectivity today than the village he comes from in Yorkshire. It is a still clearer point for Xinyuan Wang who effectively demolishes most stereotypes about Chinese society – for example the commitment to education and kin – by showing the distinctive nature of not some small exception, but the 250 million Chinese represented by her study of new factory workers. The comparison between these two books, Social Media in Rural China and Social Media in Industrial China, showcases the diversity of contemporary Chinese society and how can we better grasp the nuance and depth of a changing society through a contextualised understanding of the evolving nature of Chinese social media.
To share our findings we organised a trip to four major centres (Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Beijing, and Shanghai) and nine separate institutions. At a major anthropology and sociology department such as in Hong Kong University, Sun Ya-sen University in Guangzhou, and the Chinese Academy of Social Science in Beijing we could highlight our key point about this potential for anthropology itself in working with dynamic and shifting new media. But it was equally important to talk to Communication Departments such as at the Baptist University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Communication University of China in Beijing so that students in that discipline were exposed to the potentials of ethnographic fieldwork. Our audiences ranged from arts and humanities at NYU in Shanghai, to philosophy students in Fudan University of Shanghai. We also visited the People's Press who had published Xinyuan's translation of the Digital Anthropology book and where I realised that my fellow authors included both the present and all the past presidents of China.
We carried out a live online book launch from Hong Kong (which you can watch again here) and opened an exhibition about the project at Hong Kong University where Tom now teaches. We also made sure that all the films on the Chinese version of our website were stored on UCL servers, rather than on YouTube which is blocked in China, so that students in mainland China could access them. Our trip attracted interest from Chinese local media including two of the largest Chinese online news agents, PengPai news and Tencent News, as well as the most popular English TV channel in Shanghai, Shanghai ICS, helping our message to reach more than ten thousand Chinese people within a few days.
On a more personal level there were two striking responses. One was the delight of audiences when they realised that Tom would be lecturing in Chinese which was important to convince them that he could be an effective fieldworker in China. The other was the way young female students were clearly inspired by the elegant and articulate but also poignant presentation by Xinyuan and they made clear that they didn't just want to emulate our way of working, but saw her as a model for what women in China could become in the future.
This post, by Daniel Miller, originally appeared on the Global Social Media Impact Study blog and is reposted with permission.
Filed under Events, Guest Posts, Topical
Tags: Anthropology, Books, China, Events, Guest Post, Internet, Open Access, Popular Culture, Publishing, Social Media, Society, UCL Press, Urban Studies, Why We Post
Life Within Social Media: Stories from Social Media in Industrial China
Alison Fox30 September 2016
Today's guest blog is by Xinyuan Wang, author of Social Media in Industrial China
In recent decades China has witnessed the largest ever migration in human history. By 2015 the number of Chinese people who had left rural villages to work in factories and cities had risen to 277 million. If Chinese migrant workers were the population of a country, it would be the fourth largest in the world, and they are the human faces behind 'Made-in-China'. While 'Made-in-China' products have become pervasive in our daily life, the people who produce them remain mysterious; however, a new open access book Social Media in Industrial China, reveals that Chinese factory workers actually exhibit an unexpected and sophisticated use of social media to bridge the gap between their rural roots and their industrial lives.
Xinyuan Wang, the author of the book, is a digital anthropologist from UCL who spent 15 months undertaking fieldwork in a small factory town in southeast China, living in one of the factories and tracking the use of social media. By studying this marginalized population, who have, in many ways, embraced the potential of social media to the fullest, this in-depth study sheds light not just on Chinese social media usage, but also on the nature of contemporary China.
Homeland on social media
Hua, a factory worker in her early 30s, has a strong emotional attachment to the beautiful mountain that frames her home village. During her periods as a factory worker, she misses her home village terribly. Her account on the Chinese social media platform QQ is rich in images of her home village; she has uploaded a large number of photographs of her home village into an album called 'homeland' (jiaxiang).
Curiously, however, when asked whether she plans to move back to her home village, Hua's answer is always negative. As well as a lack of job opportunities there, she also feels that her exposure to modern China means that she can no longer go back to 'boring and backward' country life.
'Sometimes, when I felt sad or deflated, I will have a look at those photos … as if I visited my homeland,' Hua said.
The homeland album is very popular among Chinese migrant workers, and most of them admitted that, even though they miss their home village, they felt unable to return after their exposure to the realities of modern China.
These rural migrants are often referred to as a 'floating population' — the hukou (household registration) policy implemented by the government means that they are unable to create a permanent home in the city. A consequence of this is that they are constantly looking for temporary employment, unable to settle in a single place. Hukou policy divides the Chinese population into rural or urban residents dependent on their place of birth and allocates social resources accordingly, which means rural migrants are unable to enjoy the social welfare benefits that their counterparts in cities receive.
Even when faced with rural-urban divide and severe social discrimination, rural migrants, especially the younger generation, still regard migrating to urban areas as the only way to participate in modern life, and rural life is seen as 'backward' and 'boring'. In this situation, people's attitude towards their homeland is very ambiguous.
'Home village is a place you always miss, but not really a place you want to return to,' as Hua said. Like Hua, many rural migrants see their home village more as a spiritual comfort than a practical option. On social media, all the bad memories and negative associations of village life and homeland seemed to be expunged, leaving only ideal, purified images that give people comfort. They may not be physically in the villages of their origin but, wherever the floating rural migrants are, they take their homeland with them.
However, homeland is not the only place that is rebuilt on social media. To many, social media is also where they actually live, as Xinyuan argues in her book.
'Life outside the smartphone is unbearable'
Lily, a 19-year-old factory girl, spends almost every single waking hour on QQ when she is working on the factory assembly line. Lily's QQ profile is a stylish, curated space with lots of beautiful photos and pop music that she has collected online. Online, Lily is popular and she talks as if she were a princess who is waiting for true love: "In my life I have always dreamt about my true love. He will treat me very well, protect me from all the uncertainty, displacement, sadness, and loneliness. However, I always know that that person will never turn up." However, Lily never talks in this manner offline.
Lily lives with her parents and younger brother and sister in a small factory town. They live in two small single rooms without heating, hot water or air conditioning; they share the only toilet with two other rural migrant families. In summer, when indoor temperatures regularly pass 38°C, the family wash themselves in the shared bathroom; a plastic bucket and washbasin function as a shower. The walls are heavily stained, and there is soiled toilet paper and stagnant water on the floor. In winter, when temperatures fall below freezing, the family head to a nearby public bath to shower once a week.
One day after work Lily was 'working with' her QQ via a smartphone, a Huawei model that she had purchased for 1,850 RMB (US$308). Captivated and absorbed by her 'online world', she eventually looked up and saw Xinyuan.
'Life outside the mobile phone is unbearable, huh?' Lily observed.
Lily's insight forced Xinyuan to address the question that became central to her work in industrial China: where do people live? In this small factory town, Xinyuan has met many young rural migrants who have moved geographically closer to a modern China, but it appears that it is only online that they actually arrive there. For many migrant workers, social media has become the place where they can visualise and, in a way, achieve their aspiration towards modernity. On a wider scale, Xinyuan's study witnessed not just rural-urban migration, but also a parallel migration from offline to online.
The study demonstrates the need to understand where people live, without assuming that the offline is necessarily more 'real' or more material. Whilst people in the West have become concerned about the authenticity of social connections on social media, for some migrant workers the situation is the opposite — it is online where they have found the most genuine relationships, even with strangers. The story of Feige, a 37-year-old forklift truck driver, presents a typical example.
'Purer' relationships on social media
Feige is a member of 15 QQ groups, though he only actively participates in three. Members of these groups are, on the whole, factory workers with backgrounds similar to Feige's. Though he had never met the members of these groups offline, they seemed to know much more about him than his colleagues. Feige is extremely popular amongst his online friends. Members of the groups have great affection for him, finding him funny and smart, and always asking for his opinions on social events and news.
'They [online friends] like me and talk with me because they really like me, not because I am rich so that they can borrow money from me, or I am powerful so that they can get a job from me. Here everything is much purer, without power and money involved,' Feige explained.
Feige regards his online friendships as 'purer' (geng chun) than his offline relationships, as online there are no pragmatic concerns involved. That friendship on social media has been valued highly by Feige is not rare among rural migrants; for migrant workers such as him, who are often frustrated by their social status, social media provides new possibilities of sociality free from social hierarchy and discrimination.
It is on social media where Chinese migrant workers have experienced a real sense of 'friendship'; in offline situations, kinship and regional relationships, such as between fellow villagers, are dominant. It is interesting to note that, rather than being the threat to privacy that many in the Western world perceive, social media has actually increased the experience of privacy for most migrant workers. In an environment where offline private space is usually limited, and any effort of avoiding the public gaze can be misinterpreted and stigmatized as an attempt to cover something shameful, the online world offers people much needed personal space and freedom.
The stories of Lily and Feige are just two examples from Social Media in Industrial China; Xinyuan's field work provides many more absorbing accounts of how social media impacts the lives of rural migrants. Using these real-life tales as a basis, the book illustrates the social media landscape in China and explores the impact of social media on people's lives. From personal development, social relationships, gender and education, to commerce, privacy, ancestor and deity worshipping and political participation, many of Xinyuan's discoveries challenge the West's perception of both China and its inhabitants, explaining why it is time to reassess exactly what we think we know about China and the evolving role of social media.
About Xinyuan Wang
Xinyuan Wang is a PhD candidate at the Dept. of Anthropology at UCL. She obtained her MSc from the UCL's Digital Anthropology Programme. She is an artist in Chinese traditional painting and calligraphy. She translated (Horst and Miller Eds.) Digital Anthropology into Chinese and contributed a piece on Digital Anthropology in China. A fuller version of this piece appeared on Medium.
If you like what you've just read, then we'd recommend that you download Social Media in Industrial China by Xinyuan Wang which is available to download for free here.
Filed under Guest Posts, Open Access, Topical
Tags: Anthropology, Books, China, Guest Post, Internet, Open Access, Popular Culture, Social Media, Society, Topical, UCL Press, Urban Studies, Web Science, Why We Post
Why We Post Tour of Chinese Universities
Today's guest post is by Xinyuan Wang, author of Social Media in Industrial China.
Between 12th-24th September 2016, Professor Daniel Miller and two researchers on the Why We Post project, Tom McDonald and Xinyuan Wang, will give a series of talks about the findings of the project at nine top universities in HongKong, Guangzhou, Beijing, and Shanghai. This China tour also include the launch (13th September) of the two newly released open-access books: Social Media in Industrial China (Wang, 2016) and Social Media in Rural China(McDonald, 2016). If you can't be with us in Hong Kong, do join our live-streamed launch and put your questions to the authors.
China was the only country in the Why We Post project with two research sites. One of the reasons for this was because China maintains a greater degree of separation and autonomy in their use of popular digital media when compared to the rest of the world, therefore a global comparative study of social media required close scrutiny of particularly Chinese forms of social media such as QQ, WeChat, and Weibo.
The project includes a considerable amount of material on China such as the two newly released open-access books by UCL Press; one of the five weeks of the Anthropology of Social Media e-course; and a series of films set in the Chinese fieldsites. All of our short films (more than 100) about the uses of social media from our nine field sites have Chinese subtitles, and ourwebsite and e-course are both available in Chinese. Bringing an anthropological understanding of Chinese social media in the context of a comparative study back to China is a big commitment the project's ultimate goal of turning global research into free global education.
Despite there being Chinese universities that teach anthropology, they have tended to see anthropology as a discipline that deals mainly with minority populations. We believe that the more a population becomes modern and urban and indeed digital, the more we need anthropology. This is because most of life now happens in the private sphere. In a little village perhaps it's easier to see what's going on from a surface glance. In a modern city where everyone goes to their own private home after work it is much more difficult. So you need research that is not afraid to follow people into the places where they actually live, which may be inside their smartphones, their social media profiles, as well as inside their homes. Otherwise we will not understand the modern world at all. Asking people questions via superficial surveys is not enough. Anthropologists spend many months living with people in order to be sure they understand what is really going on.
We believe that digital technologies including social media may be more formative of life in China than in almost any other country. While China has great and honourable traditions, the development of what we think of as modern China is relatively recent and relatively fast, taking place at the exact same time that new digital technologies are becoming an integral part of people's lives. So whether we're talking about the infrastructure of new cities or the spread of inexpensive smartphones, digital technologies are ubiquitous to the new China, and this means it is particularly important to understand their use and their consequences from a deep and engaged anthropological approach.
We hope that this China tour will introduce digital anthropology as a research tool to the Chinese academy. It is also hoped that the debates and talks will help to formulate key questions for future study within Chinese anthropology. We hope that China will play a key role in these future studies commensurate with its importance as a modern population that is embracing every form of new digital technology, and hopefully also embracing anthropology as the best means for observing and understanding their consequences.
The table below contains details of the talks in this China tour. For further updated information (in Chinese) please see here: http://uclwhywepost.isitestar.vip
Xinyuan Wang is a PhD candidate at the Dept. of Anthropology at UCL. She obtained her MSc from the UCL's Digital Anthropology Programme. She is an artist in Chinese traditional painting and calligraphy. She translated (Horst and Miller Eds.) Digital Anthropology into Chinese and contributed a piece on Digital Anthropology in China.
Filed under Events, Forthcoming, Guest Posts, Open Access
Tags: Anthropology, Books, China, Events, Forthcoming, Guest Post, Open Access, Popular Culture, Publishing, Social Media, UCL Press, Web Science, Why We Post
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Protesters Gather Outside Brooklyn Jail as Inmates Stuck in Dark, Freezing Cells Bang on Walls for Help
by Elizabeth Tacher
Hundreds of inmates at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn have been in the cold and dark cells for nearly a week, prompting their attorneys, families and New York officials to gather outside the building on Saturday and demand the heat, electricity, hot water and meal for the inmates.
The New York Times first reported Friday that more than 1,600 inmates at the federal detention center experienced a sixth day of freezing temperatures largely without heat, light or the ability to communicate with their attorneys or families due to a partial power outage. Video posted to social media showed the prisoners banging the windows of the jail and flashing nightlights to onlookers on the street in a plea for help.
New York City Councilman Justin Brannan who filmed the scene and shared in on Twitter, said it was one of "the most harrowing sounds" he has ever known.
"Inmates are banging on S-O-S on windows to get our attention. This is surreal," Brannan wrote.
We're outside MDC. Inmates are banging on S-O-S on windows to get our attention. This is surreal. @anniecorreal @MylesMill @cmenchaca @bradlander @NydiaVelazquez pic.twitter.com/ij3HaO0Q1T
— Justin Brannan (@JustinBrannan) February 1, 2019
"In the past hour, I have gotten 11 calls," Rachel Bass, a paralegal at the Brooklyn office of the federal defenders told the New York Times. "People are frantic. They're really, really scared. They don't have extra blankets. They don't have access to the commissary to buy an extra sweatshirt."
New York Rep. Nydia Velázquez who visited the facility on Friday with other elected officials, said she was "alarmed by reports that inmates at the MDC are enduring these conditions, especially given the freezing weather this week" and demanded the Justice Department and Bureau of Prisons to take immediate action and fix it.
"The situation is really, really a nightmare," Velázquez saiid. "It is like living in a closet without lights."
"After visiting MDC again today it is clear the officials there have disregarded the basic human rights of inmates." the congresswoman tweeted. "This appalling situation needs to be fixed and I will continue pressuring BOP for immediate action."
She also noted that there "appeared" to be some heat restored at the facility, but it was still "dark and cold." She vowed to continue monitoring the situation closely.
"The inmates are very, very angry and complaining," Velazquez told the Associated Press. "We expressed our frustration that the warden is not approaching this with a sense of urgency,"
During a huge demonstration outside the building, protesters carried signs that read, "Turn on the heat", "Shut it down," and "Torture at the MDC."
Family members & activists are keeping their vigil outside the Sunset Park jail.
The prisoners reply by banging on their windows.
It is a chilling, appallingly unnecessary, and yet still beautiful form of solidarity. pic.twitter.com/8AnPP2N78m
— Brad Lander (@bradlander) February 3, 2019
According to CBS News, the Federal Bureau of Prisons issued a statement Saturday evening, saying that the jail experienced a partial power outage "due to a fire in the switch gear room". The agency said work to restore power to the jail will be completed by Monday and that the facility is "working to restore power as expeditiously as possible."
"Inmates have hot water for showers and hot water in the sinks in the cell," the statement read. "Essential personal hygiene items and medical services continue to be provided. New York City Emergency Services is providing blankets to MDC Brooklyn, and inmates will receive additional blankets and clothing today."
Bureau of Prisons, Justin Brannan, Metropolitan Detention Center, Nydia Velázquez, Rachel Bass
About the Author / Elizabeth Tacher
Elizabeth Tacher is an independent journalist and activist. She reports on social issues and politics for US Journal. Elizabeth Writes for many progressive websites. Now she is studying cultural studies in California University of Pennsylvania.
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Ahmed Abdulkareem Ali al Houthi is a Yemeni journalist lives in the capital Sana'a. He is Member of the U...
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The U.K. in the Post-Brexit Era
A Very Arabic Scandal
Eleven US Troops Were Injured in Iran's Air Strike despite Pentagon's Lie of Zero Casualty
Bibi in a Barrel (Part 2 – Consequences)
France-G5 Sahel Coalition Boosts Anti-Extremist Military Cooperation
Role of UAE in Sudan Coup
srael truly fears the existential threat coming from the side of Iranian resistance. His early stances regarding
Since 2014, France has employed 4500 army forces to attend the region. The country is going to increase the number of its troops
Hamdok further emphasized that he would never let "the UAE to enslave Sudan troops". Therefore Sudan's resistance
The U.K. in the Post-Brexit Era January 19, 2020
A Very Arabic Scandal January 19, 2020
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text:
package io.grpc.internal;

import io.grpc.NameResolver;
import java.net.URI;
import javax.annotation.Nullable;

/**
 * A wrapper class that overrides the authority of a NameResolver, while preserving all other
 * functionality.
 */
final class OverrideAuthorityNameResolverFactory extends NameResolver.Factory {
  private final NameResolver.Factory delegate;
  private final String authorityOverride;

  /**
   * Constructor for the {@link NameResolver.Factory}
   *
   * @param delegate The actual underlying factory that will produce the a {@link NameResolver}
   * @param authorityOverride The authority that will be returned by {@link
   *   NameResolver#getServiceAuthority()}
   */
  OverrideAuthorityNameResolverFactory(NameResolver.Factory delegate, String authorityOverride) {
    this.delegate = delegate;
    this.authorityOverride = authorityOverride;
  }

  @Nullable
  @Override
  public NameResolver newNameResolver(URI targetUri, NameResolver.Args args) {
    final NameResolver resolver = delegate.newNameResolver(targetUri, args);
    // Do not wrap null values. We do not want to impede error signaling.
    if (resolver == null) {
      return null;
    }
    return new ForwardingNameResolver(resolver) {
      @Override
      public String getServiceAuthority() {
        return authorityOverride;
      }
    };
  }

  @Override
  public String getDefaultScheme() {
    return delegate.getDefaultScheme();
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Martin v. Hunter's Lessee
U.S. Case Law
Legal Definition of Martin v. Hunter's Lessee
14 U.S. 304 (1816), affirmed the Supreme Court's right to appellate jurisdiction—that is, the right to review all state court judgments in cases arising under the federal Constitution or a law of the U.S. At issue was a Virginia superior court's refusal to obey an earlier Supreme Court judgment concerning title ownership in a property dispute. Justice Joseph Story's landmark opinion rejected the Virginia court's position and firmly established the Supreme Court as the ultimate authority in interpreting the Constitution.
Learn More About Martin v. Hunter's Lessee
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Dictionary Entries Near Martin v. Hunter's Lessee
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"Martin v. Hunter's Lessee." Merriam-Webster.com Legal Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/legal/Martin%20v.%20Hunter%27s%20Lessee. Accessed 22 Jan. 2022.


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text:
Tag: military
Ready or Not, Here We Come!
January 10, 2021 omfgtrumpblog
All hell breaks loose as The Don watches his insurrection on TV,
and marvels at his power.
All Couped Up and Nowhere to go
The Don contemplates a military coup with his new main-squeeze,
Sidney Powell.
The Don's persistent denial of reality places all of us in peril.
If the American people re-elect the man who called fallen
soldiers "suckers and losers", then we are truly the suckers.
In a battle for the soul of America, the devil-Don doubles down
by telling us that he is saving the world from…the devil.
Facing the prospects of defeat in the election (surprise, surprise!), The Don suggests it should be postponed.
The man with the world's most marvelous memory remembers Nixon's "Law and Order" strategy to sow chaos, hoping enough Americans will see him as a savior and re-elect him.
The Don's continual denial of the devastation of the virus, coupled with his doubling down on White Supremacy, will be the twin wrecking balls that bring down his presidency and prevent his re-election.
June 29, 2020 omfgtrumpblog
As the virus goes in for the kill, The Don puts his energy into killing Obamacare!
The Don, the astute historian, supports his claim that he has done "more for black people than any other president" by nixing the military's idea of changing the names of military bases of Confederate leaders.
The Don retreats to his bunker and builds a wall around the White House…finally, a wall all Americans can get behind!
All Is Well in the Lands of I
The only place that "all is well" is in the disturbed mind of The Don.
The Ballad of Lev and Rudy G
Who is "-1"? Only Rudy knows for sure.
What Are You Going To Tell Your Children?
As public testimony begins, the surround-sound sycophantic Republicans go full-throttle into chaos mode.
The one-man team called "The Don" takes on the impeachment team. Stay tuned to Fox, who will be airing the game!
A Beautiful Conversation
If the DNI doesn't give up the goods on whistleblower information, he should be held in contempt of Congress, and offered an orange jumpsuit on the spot.
The Don's Very, Very, Very Amazing Day
Before the photo-op, Melania asked Don to hold the baby. He said, "I don't do babies, and certainly not babies…like those".
Contemptible Them
Contempt runs rampant as The Don and his posse flout the constitution.
The Ignoble Peace Prize
The Don wins the first "Ignoble Peace Prize" ever awarded!
The Real National Security Crisis
February 4, 2019 omfgtrumpblog
What will it take for the Intelligence community to declare that The President is the greatest risk to our national security?
The WWF Goes To Washington
If the Don is afraid of Ann Coulter, he ain't seen nothing yet when it comes to a face-off with Nancy Pelosi, the strongest woman in America.
The Don has given the gift of world instability, and many others!
Thumbs Down and Middle Finger Up!
In death, McCain give The Don the Finger!
You Are All Just Stupid Losers
Scott Pruitt has been schooled well at Trump's School of Deceit and Cheat.
I Alone Can Fix It!
The Don's grandiosity will be his undoing!
Trains, Bridges, and Sex
The Don finally rolled out his long awaited vision for infrastructure as part of his 4.4 trillion dollar budget plan. I have to admit that
The Greatest Meeting On Earth
The "least racist man on earth" turns out to be talking out of his shit-hole.
The Comb Over and The C.O.M.A
As Republicans attempt to comb over the Russia investigation The Don is heading for a C.O.M.A
Twitter Mania or Size Matters
January 6, 2018 omfgtrumpblog
The Don and Kim Jong-Un are on a new reality show called: "Size Matters."
Schmucks On A Plane
Tom price nosedives in to the swamp.
Trump declares that being president during Harvey makes him even greater!
Hunker In The Bunker
Trump is scared of Mueller, so he moves west wing to West Virginia.
Let Them Eat Cake!
We are all familiar with Marie Antoinette's words to the peasants who had no bread: "Let Them eat Cake" or in its original French "
The Greatest Baby On Earth!
WAA, WAA ,WAA, WAA! The man who prevented blacks from living in his buildings when he worked with his daddy in the good old days,


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text:
Q: Quick way of finding a name of a variable with lowest component value I have a function fitting a distribution and returning a vector consisting of distribution name, mean, sd, etc.
I'm testing few distributions but I can't rely on gofstat() because it goes mad when there are too many zeros to consider.
Therefore I have to compare manually AIC for several variables, decide which ones are actually of "fitdist" class and return the name of the variable with the lowest AIC. Once I have that, I compute mean, sd, etc and return.
The code currently looks like this:
library(fitdistrplus)

fit_distr <- function(data){

fe <- tryCatch(fitdist(data, "exp"), error = function(e) FALSE )
flogis <- tryCatch(fitdist(data, "logis"), error = function(e) FALSE )
fn <- tryCatch(fitdist(data, "norm"), error = function(e) FALSE)
fp <- tryCatch(fitdist(data, "pois"), error = function(e) FALSE)
fg <- tryCatch(fitdist(data, "gamma"), error = function(e) FALSE)

classFitDist <- c(class(fe), class(flogis), class(fn), class(fp),class(fg))

distributions <- classFitDist == "fitdist"

AIC <- data.frame()
if(class(fe)=="fitdist") {AIC[1,ncol(AIC)+1] <- fe$aic}
if(class(flogis)=="fitdist") {AIC[1,ncol(AIC)+1] <- flogis$aic}
if(class(fn)=="fitdist") {AIC[1,ncol(AIC)+1] <- fn$aic}
if(class(fp)=="fitdist") {AIC[1,ncol(AIC)+1] <- fp$aic}
if(class(fg)=="fitdist") {AIC[1,ncol(AIC)+1] <- fg$aic}

names(AIC) <- c("exp", "logis", "norm", "pois", "gamma")[distributions]

fit <- names(AIC[which.min(AIC)])

mean <- switch (fit,
                          exp = 1/fe$estimate[[1]],
                          logis = flogis$estimate[[1]],
                          norm = fn$estimate[[1]],
                          pois = fp$estimate[[1]],
                          gamma = fg$estimate[[1]]/fg$estimate[[2]]
          )

sd <- switch (fit,
                        exp = mean,
                        logis = (flogis$estimate[[2]]*pi)/sqrt(3),
                        norm = fn$estimate[[2]],
                        pois = sqrt(mean),
                        gamma = sqrt(fg$estimate[[1]]/(fg$estimate[[2]]^2))
          )

return(c(fit,mean,sd))
}

It works, but on thousands of samples to consider is very slow. I would welcome any suggestions how to optimise it and make it 'cleaner' and faster.
Btw, this is what I had before, however like I mentioned - with samples consisting of too many zeros it was having a fit (pun unintentional!)
goodnessoffit <- gofstat(list(fe, flogis, fn, fp, fg)[distributions],  fitnames = c("exp", "logis", "norm", "pois","gamma")[distributions])
fit <- names(which(goodnessoffit$aic == min(goodnessoffit$aic)))

Error in ans[!test & ok] <- rep(no, length.out = length(ans))[!test &  :
    replacement has length zero

A: The problem with this approach is fitdist is inefficient. You need to come up with faster ways of finding the AIC by writing better algorithms. One way of doing that is fitting a glm.
AIC.fitdist <- function(x, ...) x$aic

x <- rnorm(100, mean=20)

AIC(fitdist(x, 'norm'))
AIC(glm(x ~ 1 , family=gaussian)) ## same

AIC(fitdist(x, 'gamma'))
AIC(glm(x ~ 1 , family=Gamma)) ## same

Some profiling shows that fitdist has the same computational time as glm. That's very bad news for fitdist because glm is just a bloated wrapper to glm.fit. Using glm.fit buys you substantial time. Lastly, if you really had to prune down time (for millions, not thousands) of models, you can use a one step estimator by
> benchmark(
+     fitdist(x, 'gamma'),
+     glm(x ~ 1, family=Gamma),
+     glm.fit(rep(1, length(x)), x, family=Gamma()),
+     glm.fit(rep(1, length(x)), x, family=Gamma(), control = glm.control(maxit=1))
+ )
                                                                               test replications elapsed relative user.self sys.self user.child
1                                                               fitdist(x, "gamma")          100    0.42    7.000      0.42        0         NA
2                                                        glm(x ~ 1, family = Gamma)          100    0.17    2.833      0.17        0         NA
3                                   glm.fit(rep(1, length(x)), x, family = Gamma())          100    0.06    1.000      0.07        0         NA
4 glm.fit(rep(1, length(x)), x, family = Gamma(), control = glm.control(maxit = 1))          100    0.06    1.000      0.06        0         NA
  sys.child
1        NA
2        NA
3        NA
4        NA

aic is a stored object in glm.fit output.
Exponential distribution fitting can be done with survreg in the survival package: survreg(rep(1,100), x, dist='exponential).
Lastly, since these are all regular exponential families, you can use the sufficient statistics to just come up with a probability distribution. For instance:
normaic <- function(x) {
  4 - 2*sum(dnorm(x, mean(x), sd(x), log=T))
}

> benchmark(normaic(x), glm.fit(rep(1, 100), x)$aic)
                         test replications elapsed relative user.self sys.self user.child sys.child
2 glm.fit(rep(1, 100), x)$aic          100    0.04       NA      0.05        0         NA        NA
1                  normaic(x)          100    0.00       NA      0.00        0         NA        NA


Celebrating a feast day today is Saint Dwywen, the patron saint of the broken-hearted, especially the Welsh broken-hearted. She may also be invoked to help sick animals.
Yesterday's story about the goat-toss reminded me of the old "WKRP in Cincinnati" episode about how, for a Thanksgiving promotion, the station decided it would be fun to throw a whole bunch of live turkeys out of a plane over a football field. Hundreds of happy families gathered below for the big event. Unfortunately, domestic turkeys don't fly any better alive than they do frozen: the hapless (but purely fictional) fowl dropped like boulders--or maybe more like big feathered water balloons, splatting nightmarishly on the ground below.
In the spring one of the merchants I always enjoyed visiting was Jiggs. He sold chicken feed, blocks of salt for our cattle, and bought cream from the farmers. Spring time was the most interesting as Jiggs always had a good supply of newly hatched baby chicks. It was always fun for the children to stick their fingers in the little vent holes on the boxes in which the farmers carried the chickens home.
And now they expect computers and video games. What the heck has happened to kids, anyway?
The event that by far was the most exciting occurred in the fall of the year. It was when the local Chamber of Commerce tossed live turkeys, geese, and an occasionally guinea hen off the four story Court House into a throng of people that had gathered on the Court House lawn below. Everyone would come to town in hopes of catching a treat for Thanksgiving dinner.
Many times a large turkey would end up in two or three peoples hands at the same time. Two separate people would have a leg and one would have the neck and all would be hollering and claiming the turkey was theirs. Many hours were spent sitting around pot belly stoves analyzing how they just about caught a prize. But with age of politically correctness and animal rights this rather barbaric tradition was discontinued.
Now, here is a newsy little bit from Yellville, Arkansas (yes there is such a place...the Saint Report does not lie). Incidentally, the web page that originally held this is now defunct.
"Yellville is famous for the Turkey Trot festival, held in October of each year. Here are some pictures I took in 1996. I have tried to get a picture of a turkey as it comes out of a plane, but couldn't with my old Agfa camera. (BTW, wild turkeys can fly, but not very well).
The National Enquirer ran an article some years ago about our "inhumane" treatment of wild turkeys, so the Chamber of Commerce agreed to stop allowing the "turkey drops", now the turkeys are still dropped, but it is unofficial :-) Turkey Trot was started in 1945 to reintroduce the wild turkey to Marion county, and with no government help, the wild turkey is now common in the area."
Yeah. Who says you need big govmint. Arkansas, incidentally, has only 41 dentists per 100,000 population, which puts it at number 49 nationally. Coincidence?
Saints o' the day include, but are not limited to, Dwyn, Praejectus, Ananias, and Poppo. Today is also the celebration of The Conversion of St. Paul.
Edwin Newman, author of several brainy books on language, gets 89 candles on his birthday cake today (2008).
Also born today was Robert Burns (1759-1796). If you feel like honoring his memory today, go put on something plaid and read May 23 - Haggis.