text:
Media Ethics Initiative
Interested Faculty
Past Research Scholars
About Research Scholars
Art & Aesthetics
Promoting Reflection on Media Ethics
Reality TV and Real Ethics
December 6, 2019 3:43 am / Leave a comment
CASE STUDY: Love Island and the Ethics of Relationships
Case Study PDF| Additional Case Studies
Chris Roome/CC BY-NC-ND 4.0/Modified
For those who don't tune into reality TV, a compelling new series has been attracting attention and provoking debate about the ethics of televised relationships. The hit series, Love Island, focuses on a group of attractive, young singles who are flown to an isolated villa in Mallorca to find love. In just a matter of weeks, contestants will seek a significant other among their cohort. If that wasn't challenging enough, the contestants must compete to stay in the game. If they successfully get through the series without being dumped or voted off, contestants are scrutinized by the audience who votes for their favorite couple at the end of the show (Martin, 2019). Some might find this show to be a recipe for disaster while others might find this to be nothing but a net gain for everyone involved—for both contestants and for viewers.
Many would argue that this show is ripe with demonstrable benefits for those who are daring enough to compete. Who wouldn't enjoy a free holiday at a booze-filled villa in the Mediterranean surrounded by beautiful singles? It is basically a month-long slumber party for adults with a chance to win a £50,000 prize. More than that, many contestants reap the long-term benefits of massive social media followings that allow them to make a living off of sponsoring brands. As noted writer Jenny Éclair of The Independent affirms, "This could potentially be your magic golden Willy Wonka ticket to Lamborghini land" (Eclair, 2019). Without question, being a Love Island contestant is a sure-fire way to get your day in the spotlight and benefit financially to boot.
Fans of the hit series also contend that Love Island invites open discussion about what it means to be in a healthy relationship. As audiences get to know the contestants, they can begin to relate to them and see commonalities in their relationships. By watching the dramas on the show, audiences can self-reflect and explore questions about relationships that may not have occurred to them outside this medium. In fact, in a recent blog post, famed actress Lena Dunham shared her experience of indulging in the show. In doing so, she explored important questions about the complexities of romantic relationships. Like many of the contestants on the show, she found herself asking, "Can you love again after the hurt? What does partnership mean? And what does it mean to know someone if you don't know yourself?" (Dunham, 2019). Raising such questions are valuable for coming to a better understanding of ourselves in our relationships.
Importantly, this show is an effective way to promote a national dialogue about relationships. RAZZ Magazine writer, Charlotte Foster, explains that viewers can "point at the screen while saying 'they should not treat another human being like this'" when they see psychological abuse" (RAZZ, 2018). By recognizing abuse, we're in a better position to address it where it exists off-screen. Just as Lena Dunham was able to see the shortcomings of her relationships portrayed in the show, so too will millions of other Love Island viewers.
Even so, many would argue that Love Island may not be the most legitimate foundation for cultivating real-life healthy relationships. The show presents unhealthy examples of relationships and so cannot inform audiences about what is necessary to develop healthy ones. Since most viewers live such radically different lives from participants on the show, it is unlikely that they could come away from watching it with applicable lessons for their lives. As a case in point, the contestants are all incredibly fit, tan, and beautiful socialites in their twenties. The relationships that are represented are heteronormative and masculine-centric ones. Moreover, as Luanna de Abreu Coelho from RAZZ Magazine points out, "contestants are chosen and rejected by other islanders based almost entirely on appearance" (RAZZ, 2018). Of course, healthy relationships are not primarily motivated by physical attraction.
Another reason that many have found this show problematic is due to its unhealthy effects on the show's contestants. The show achieves its supreme drama by effectively cutting them off from the outside world. The extreme isolation and the competitive nature of that social dynamic creates a unique and unnatural social environment. The show's provocation of contestants under the watchful eye of cameras has recently led to serious public concerns about the contestants' mental health. Following the suicides of two ex-contestants of Love Island, the English Parliament began an inquiry into the "production companies' duty of care to participants, [asking] whether enough support is offered both during and after filming, and whether there is a need for further regulatory oversight in this area" ("Committee Announces," 2019). After finishing their two-month stint in Mallorca, Love Island contestants come back to the real world as celebrities. However, that celebrity status quickly fades when the next stirring season of Love Island comes out. Contestants go from relative obscurity to fame and back again within a year. This instability would certainly be taxing on anyone's mental health.
Love Island has captured the attention of millions of viewers in recent years. The show could spark much-needed discussion about relationships. At the same time, it is questionable whether this or any reality TV show can serve as a pedagogical tool for guiding viewers to cultivate healthy relationships.
Are creators of reality TV shows morally responsible for the psychological effects on their on-screen participants? Why or why not?
What are the ethical problems with reality TV? What values are in conflict in this case study?
Do the possible benefits of sparking a conversation about healthy relationships outweigh its possible harms for contestants? Explain your reasoning.
What principles would you suggest to someone who wanted to make an ethical reality TV series about relationships?
"Bafta TV Awards: Britain's Got Talent, Love Island and Blue Planet II win." BBC News, May 2018, Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-44102374
"Committee Announces Inquiry into Reality TV." UK Parliament Website, May 2019, Available at: www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/digital-culture-media-and-sport-committee/news/reality-tv-inquiry-launch-17-19/
Dunham, Lena, "Lena Dunham on Love Island: 'I'm Asking the Same Question They Do – Can You Love after Hurt?'" The Guardian, July 2019, Available at: www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/jul/27/lena-dunham-love-island-can-you-love-after-hurt
Forrester, Charlotte, and Coelho, Luanna de Abreu. "It's Debatable: The Ethics of Love Island." RAZZ, July 2018, Available at: https://razzmag.com/2018/07/11/its-debatable-the-ethics-of-love-island/
Eclair, Jenny. "If You're Thinking of Applying for Love Island, the Reality TV Suicide Rate Should Make You Think Again." Independent, March 2019, Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/love-island-mike-thalassitis-sophie-gradon-suicide-reality-tv-a8838491.html
Martin, Laura. "When Is the Love Island 2019 Final Tonight? Start Time, How Long the Final Episode Is and Prize Money Explained." INEWS, July 2019, Available at: https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/love-island-2019-final-prize-when-date-how-many-episodes-634661
Nicholas Aufiero & Alicia Armijo
The UT Ethics Project/Media Ethics Initiative
Center for Media Engagement
Cases produced by the Media Ethics Initiative remain the intellectual property of the Media Ethics Initiative and the Center for Media Engagement. They can be used in unmodified PDF form without permission for classroom or educational uses. Please email us and let us know if you found them useful! For use in publications such as textbooks, readers, and other works, please contact the Media Ethics Initiative.
Beer Cans and Cancel Culture
December 4, 2019 3:39 pm / Leave a comment
CASE STUDY: The Ethics of the Carson King Case
George Hodan / CC0 1.0 Universal / Modified
On ESPN's "College GameDay" program, a 24-year-old's sign requesting beer money went viral and raised more than a million dollars from amused fans. The football fan and beer-lover, Carson King, purchased just one case of beer with the funds and donated the rest to the Stead Family Children's Hospital. Anheuser-Busch and Venmo matched the final sum, tripling the total donation (Ta, 2019). Initially, King was hailed as an "Iowa Legend" for his philanthropy. However, Des Moises Register reporter Aaron Calvin eventually uncovered and published two racist tweets that King wrote as a high school student, quickly sparking controversy. Calvin's article ultimately led Anheuser-Busch to withdraw their public support for King, and although he retained some of his supporters, his previously glowing reputation was tarnished.
King's story is an exemplary case of a rising phenomenon of public shaming known as cancel culture. After an accusation of problematic speech or action, an individual is "cancelled" from a social group by being boycotted and ostracized. John Hirschauer argued that Calvin intended to cancel King by publishing his tweets. Hirschauer declared that Calvin's "decision to highlight two obscure, inflammatory tweets from a man's adolescence of a sentiment that Calvin admits are 'not representative artifacts of' the man being profiled, is the sort of spiteful 'gotcha' thinking devoid of proportion that fuels 'cancel culture' writ large" (Hirschauer, 2019). In Hirschauer's opinion, publishing the tweets was a malicious choice that disregarded King's good deeds and personal growth.
The Des Moines Register's executive editor, Carol Hunter, disagrees. She believes that Calvin acted ethically by providing comprehensive information about a public figure of interest. She explains that "The jokes were highly inappropriate and were public posts. Shouldn't that be acknowledged to all the people who had donated money to King's cause or were planning to do so?" (Andrew and Zdanowicz, 2019). Hunter argues that donors have the right to know about the man asking for their money. After all, if donors know that their donations could be associated with racism, they might choose to give their money to other charities that share their values. She maintains that Calvin's choice informed and empowered donors to make a better moral decision.
Calvin's decision to publish King's tweets could also be viewed as an effort to morally educate the public. A virtue of cancel culture is that it effectively signals that speech or behavior like King's is unacceptable. It draws attention to problematic speech and punishes it, demonstrating to observers that they too should avoid such speech. On the other hand, the immediate "cancellation" of those who have made mistakes may not be the best way to educate them. By being shamed and isolated, they are cut off from informed and moderating influences. As a result, cancel culture may play a role in radicalizing individuals with problematic views and may actually discourage ethical growth.
Former President Barack Obama takes the latter view, explaining that cancel culture isn't a way to effect change in others' behavior. Shortly after King's rise to fame and fall from glory, Obama argued that, "if all you're doing is casting stones, you're probably not going to get that far. That's easy to do" (Reub & Taylor, 2019). In essence, merely shaming people for their moral errors isn't enough to get someone to do better or to participate in the community in acceptable ways. According to Obama, "That's not activism. That's not bringing about change" (Reub & Taylor, 2019). By this view, Calvin's publication of King's tweets was not a noble act. Rather, it distracted attention from meaningful action—the hospital fundraising—to a more petty controversy about past mistakes.
Cancel culture—for better or worse—is changing how people engage with one another. In fact, shortly after Calvin released his profile on King, readers dug up a few of Calvin's own old, offensive tweets (Shepherd, 2019). The Des Moines Register fired Calvin and he found himself cancelled along with King. This ironic twist of events leaves many to wonder: is this how the story should have played out?
Is there an ethical problem with cancel culture? What values are in conflict in this case study?
Is cancel culture socially just? Can an apology or remorse by the wrongdoer suffice to excuse them from being "cancelled"?
Communicating true information is an important goal of journalism. Even so, would it have been morally permissible for Calvin to leave the racist tweets out of his profile on King if additional donation opportunities for sick children could have followed?
How is cancel culture and its punishments like or unlike the judgments and punishments prevalent in the court system?
Andrew, Scottie, and Zdanowicz, Christina, "He raised a million dollars for a hospital through beer money. Then his old racist tweets surfaced." CNN, September 2019. Available at: https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/26/us/carson-king-busch-cuts-ties-beer-posts-trnd/index.html
Hirschauer, John, "On the Firing of Aaron Calvin." National Review, October 2019. Available at: https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/on-the-firing-of-aaron-calvin/
Reinstein, Julia, "The Reporter Fired In The 'Busch Light Guy' Scandal Said He Feels 'Abandoned' By The Des Moines Register." BuzzFeed News, September 2019. Available at: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/juliareinstein/des-moines-register-iowa-reporter-fired-aaron-calvin-carson
Reub, Emily S., and Taylor, Derrick Bryson, "Obama on Call-Out Culture: 'That's Not Activism.'" The New York Times, October 2019. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/31/us/politics/obama-woke-cancel-culture.html
Shepherd, Katie, "Iowa reporter who found a viral star's racist tweets slammed when critics find his own offensive posts." Washington Post, September 2019. Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/09/25/carson-king-viral-busch-light-star-old-iowa-reporter-tweets/
Ta, Linh, "Carson King reflects on new fame, the future after fundraiser for Iowa children's hospital hits nearly $3M." USA Today, October 2019. Available at: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2019/10/02/carson-king-fundraiser-ends-iowa-childrens-hospital/3840146002/
Grace Leake, Alicia Armijo, & Scott R. Stroud, Ph.D.
The Ethics of Anonymous Criticism in Political Journalism
CASE STUDY: The New York Times and the Unknown Trump Official
Photo: Twelve Books
In September 2018 The New York Times made the decision to publish an anonymous op-ed from a senior official from President Donald Trump's administration. The official, who ideologically identifies as conservative, wrote about the struggle to uphold and further Republican legislation and ideals while "thwarting Mr. Trump's more misguided impulses until he is out of office." A blatant critique of Trump's leadership style, the piece serves as a warning to the American public as it also attempts to comfort them: "Americans should know that there are adults in the room. We fully recognize what is happening. And we are trying to do what's right even when Donald Trump won't" ("I Am Part of the Resistance," 2018).
The op-ed was immediately met with criticism. President Trump called the unsigned op-ed "gutless," news reporters from The Times expressed bewilderment at the editorial department's decision to release an anonymous opinion piece, and social media bustled with chatter trying to decipher the writer's identity. In the past, The Times op-ed department has granted anonymity to writers. However, these instances were when the writers were an undocumented immigrant or a Syrian refugee — people whose identity needed to be protected for their own safety (Calderon & Schwartz, 2018).
Criticism of the author reappeared when it was announced that the same senior Trump official would be releasing a 259-page book, titled A Warning. The book's author is listed as "anonymous," and the work is described as "an unprecedented behind-the-scenes portrait of the Trump presidency" (Rucker, 2019a). The Washington Post obtained the book ahead of its release, detailing revealing excerpts. In the book the anonymous author writes, "I have decided to publish this anonymously because this debate is not about me. It is about us. It is about how we want the presidency to reflect our country, and that is where the discussion should center. Some will call this 'cowardice.' My feelings are not hurt by the accusation. Nor am I unprepared to attach my name to criticism of President Trump. I may do so, in due course." The Post also revealed the book does not go into detail about specific events within the administration, in an effort to protect the author's identity. The book preview also reveals that the author does not hold back on his transparent criticisms of Trump, arguing "that Trump is incapable of leading the United States through a monumental international crisis" and "foreign adversaries see him as 'a simplistic pushover' who is susceptible to flattery and easily manipulated" (Rucker, 2019b).
After the announcement of the book's release, arguments against the anonymous official again arose: journalists and media professionals questioned the ethics of granting a government official anonymity — not only for an op-ed piece but for a highly publicized book— and worried about how readers can judge the trustworthiness and veracity of the author if their identity is unknown. In response to the 2018 op-ed Ari Fleischer, press secretary for President George W. Bush, tweeted the following: "It's impossible to evaluate how important it is without knowing how high up the author is. There are hundreds of people at the [White House] who think they're 'senior' officials" (McBride, 2018). The suppression of specific details to protect the author's identity also render such political criticisms difficult to confirm or argue against. There is also uncertainty over the status of information that the anonymous author could or should reveal. The United States Department of Justice sent a letter to the author's publishing house, asking if the author had signed "any nondisclosure agreements while working for the government" (Stelter, 2019). The publishing house, however, said the Justice Department's request was merely an attempt to out the identity of the author.
Journalists granting anonymity to protect a source's identity within a news article is not a novel concept. However, news departments and opinion departments operate separately in their functions and goals. Op-ed pages of newspapers are where writers are allowed to employ their personal opinion complemented with heavy analysis of a topic and usually the weight of anonymity there doesn't carry over the same as it would in a news story. Kelly McBride, a media ethics commentator who writes for the Poynter Institute, said about the anonymous op-ed, "If this had been a news story, we would have insisted on more details" (McBride, 2018).
Some see the senior Trump official's anonymity as justified. When answering readers' questions as to why The Times decided to publish the piece, op-ed editor James Dao said it was to give readers a unique perspective on the Trump presidency "of a conservative explaining why they felt that even if working for the Trump administration meant compromising some principles, it ultimately served the country if they could achieve some of the president's policy objectives while helping resist some of his worst impulses" ("How the Anonymous Op-Ed Came to Be," 2018). Representatives involved in the author's book project have remained protective of the author's identity (Rucker, 2019a). Matt Latimer, co-founder of the literary agency publishing the anonymous author's book, said the book "was not written by the author lightly, or for the purpose of financial enrichment. It has been written as an act of conscience and duty" (Tapper, 2019).
Some have even made remarks that the op-ed author's newest work will do more to help confirm unsubstantiated revelations from the Trump White House. Jack Shafer, senior media writer at POLITICO, gave the example of how the author's op-ed spoke about the possibility of a group within the Trump cabinet invoking the 25th Amendment to invoke removal of the President. A couple of weeks later, reporters with The Times confirmed the formation of the group (Shafer, 2019). Shafer said, "This steady confirmation of the op-ed's key points by the best journalists covering the Trump administration makes it easy to award A Warning a four-star, prepublication review and predict that it will serve as a revelatory text" (Shafer, 2019).
Despite such lauding of A Warning and explanations in defense of the author's anonymity, ethical questions still remain: is it ethical for a person unwilling to share their identity to solicit attention from the public, and should media and literary gatekeepers grant anonymity to a senior Trump official about their function within the administration?
How might this situation have been different if The New York Times decided to do a news story on this Trump official, granting them anonymity, rather than letting the official write an op-ed?
What are the pros and cons of the author remaining anonymous? Does their anonymity take away from or add more to their validity? Why or why not?
What ethical role does The New York Times and the literary agency Javelin, representing the anonymous author, in this situation? In other words, what are their ethical responsibilities?
If the author were to reveal their identity, how might the impact of their words change or stay the same?
How might this situation further affect how the general public consumes political communication?
Alter, A. "Anonymous Trump Official Behind Times Op-Ed Is Writing a Book." The New York Times, October 22, 2019. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/22/books/anonymous-op-ed-trump-book.html
Calderon, M. & Schwartz, J. "With anonymous op-ed, it's Times vs. Times." POLITICO, September 5, 2018. Available at: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/05/trump-anonymous-new-york-times-oped-809111
"How the Anonymous Op-Ed Came to Be." The New York Times, September 8, 2018. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/08/reader-center/anonymous-op-ed-trump.html
"I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration." The New York Times, September 5, 2018. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/05/opinion/trump-white-house-anonymous-resistance.html
McBride, K. "How the NYTimes' anonymous op-ed may change journalism." Poynter Institute, September 6, 2018. Available at: https://www.poynter.org/newsletters/2018/how-the-nytimes-anonymous-op-ed-may-change-journalism/
Rucker, P. "Anonymous author of Trump 'resistance' op-ed to publish a tell-all book." The Washington Post, October 22, 2019a. Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/anonymous-author-of-trump-resistance-op-ed-to-publish-a-tell-all-book/2019/10/22/b9ea2f42-f45a-11e9-ad8b-85e2aa00b5ce_story.html
Rucker, P. "Book by 'Anonymous' describes Trump as cruel, inept and a danger to the nation." The Washington Post, November 7, 2019b. Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/book-by-anonymous-describes-trump-as-cruel-inept-and-a-danger-to-the-nation/2019/11/07/b6b6c6f2-0150-11ea-8bab-0fc209e065a8_story.html
Shafer, J. "Why You're Wrong to Hate the 'Anonymous' Book." POLITICO, October 23, 2019. Available at: https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2019/10/23/anonymous-book-trump-official-read-229878
Stelter, B. "Anonymous anti-Trump book is already a hit and it's not on shelves until next week." CNN, November 12, 2019. Available at: https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/12/media/a-warning-anti-trump-preorder-sales/index.html
Tapper, J. "Anonymous Trump official who wrote New York Times op-ed has a book coming out." CNN, October 22, 2019. Available at: https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/22/politics/anonymous-trump-official-book/index.html
Allyson Waller & Scott R. Stroud, Ph.D.
Image: Twelve Books
Secret Facebook Groups and the Ethics of Democracy
CASE STUDY: Are Secret Facebook Groups Good for Democracy?
Glen Carrie / Unsplash
In an era where increased partisanship is easily palpable through society's inundated media landscape, social media users are taking advantage of a corner of the internet where they can cultivate a like-minded community— secret Facebook groups. Unlike a "closed" Facebook group, a user can only gain access to a secret or privately hidden group by invitation. The invitation-only caveat for secret groups means these groups are not easy to find through simple searches. Some groups are small in size, composed of only a handful of members, while other groups have accumulated millions of members. Examination of secret groups seemed to take off leading up to and in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election.
In October 2016, Maine voter Libby Chamberlain founded "Pantsuit Nation," a secret Facebook group created to celebrate presidential nominee Hillary Clinton. According to The New York Times, the page reached over two million members in just three short weeks. Chamberlain described to the Times the make-up of the Facebook group: "We have lifelong Republicans who are voting for Hillary, lefty liberals and everything in between. People are chiming in from around the world" (Correal, 2016). Users of the group see it as a way for people to escape the possibility of pushback and rush of judgement for their political and social opinions. Unification also plays an important role. According to the Times, the group received a plethora of posts from members posed in pantsuits on Election Day 2016 while casting their vote for who would have been the first woman president.
David Weinberger, a researcher at Harvard University, said private corners of the internet such as secret Facebook groups may have a positive side: "Our ideas, our feelings, our values, develop primarily in the company of people who we trust, where we can speak frankly, where we don't have to make explicit our assumptions and our values, where we have the freedom to talk in small and big ways about things that really matter," (Dreyfuss, 2017).
Although these secret groups provide a virtual safe space, in the context of politics critics see them as also raising some red flags. Some may be concerned that these groups go against the democratic ideal of community among individuals who hold diverse views, and that they further contribute to community fragmentation through a retreat to echo chambers. For example, when reporting on the repercussions of secret political Facebook groups, Wired reporter Emily Dreyfuss was added to a secret group formed by pro-Clinton voters during the 2016 Democratic primaries. Clinton supporters formed the group to air their grievances about Bernie Sanders' supporters. However, even after the 2016 election, when it wasn't clear if Sanders would run again in 2020, the page continued to direct its ire at Sanders: "The people in the group get each other fired up, egg each other on to disown friends who support Sanders' initiatives in congress, and largely ignore posts that try to move the conversation away from this now tangential political figure" (Dreyfuss, 2017). One might worry that these secret Facebook groups, foster a sense of community only by shutting out conflicting opinions.
Another side effect of these secret groups is the potential of enabling misinformation. According to The Washington Post, "Misinformation experts have repeatedly pointed out that people in like-minded groups are less likely to flag one another's content as problematic" (Dwoskin, 2019). Because these groups are hard for the outside world to detect, they are not vulnerable to the same monitoring access as public groups, and they are not readily accessible to the everyday person who could provide facts and counterarguments to negate misinformation. These concerns are not hypothetical. In August 2019, Facebook announced an update to group privacy settings in conjunction with its Safe Communities Initiative to combat misinformation and secret groups that become "gathering places for racist, offensive activity" (Lee, 2019).
The outward benefits of social media are evident in the fact that they help to generate a sense of connectedness with often-distant others. However, in the context of secret Facebook groups, the question arises: should we find ways to interact with those who share our deepest political commitments, or should we seek out those with whom we strongly disagree?
What are some of the benefits of secret, or hidden, Facebook groups?
What are the ethical issues that arise from participating in a secret Facebook group?
How might a secret Facebook group be different from a physical in-person organization or club created to support like-minded individuals? Would the same ethical issues arise? Why or why not?
Would Facebook getting rid of the secret Facebook function be good for democracy? Why or why not?
Correal, Annie. "Pantsuit Nation, a 'Secret' Facebook Hub, Celebrates Clinton." The New York Times, November 8, 2016. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/09/us/politics/facebook-pantsuit-nation-clinton.html
Dreyfuss, Emily. "Secret Facebook Groups Are the Trump Era's Worst, Best Echo Chamber." Wired, January 20, 2017. Available at: https://www.wired.com/2017/01/secret-facebook-groups-trump-eras-worst-best-echo-chamber/
Dwoskin, Elizabeth. "'Facebook says private groups are its future. Some are hubs for misinformation and hate." The Washington Post, July 5, 2019. Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/07/05/facebook-says-private-groups-are-its-future-some-are-hubs-misinformation-hate/
Engel, Pamela. "'People want it to be true': Inside the growing influence of a mysterious anti-Trump website." Business Inisider, May 16, 2017. Available at: https://www.businessinsider.com/the-palmer-report-bill-louise-mensch-2017-5
Lee, Dami. "Facebook is simplifying group privacy settings and adding admin tools for safety." The Verge, August 14, 2019. Available at: https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/14/20805928/facebook-closed-secret-public-private-group-settings
Silverman, C., Lytvynenko, J., & Thuy Vo, L. "How Facebook Groups Are Being Exploited To Spread Misinformation, Plan Harassment, And Radicalize People." Buzzfeed News, March 19, 2018. Available at: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/craigsilverman/how-facebook-groups-are-being-exploited-to-spread
www.mediaengagement.org
Image: Glen Carrie / Unsplash
Fighting the Amazon Fires with Misinformation
CASE STUDY: The Ethics of Celebrity Activists and Environmental Change
Many are alarmed by the recent sensationalized news of the Amazon fires in Brazil, demonizing current President Jair Bolsonaro for his destruction of this vital ecological hub (Pecanha et al., 2019). Celebrities are posting and presidents are tweeting: "stop the Amazon fires!" Adding to the social media fires, graphic imagery has the potential to sway perceptions of and provide (mis)information to casual Instagram or Twitter users about the burning Amazon. What they don't know by looking at these posts, however, is that many may be geographically and factually inaccurate.
"The lungs of the earth are in flames," exclaims actor Leonardo DiCaprio on his Instagram account to a staggering 35.3 million followers. The striking image he posted, which he frames as a recent photograph of the Amazon, is actually over 20 years old. A self-proclaimed environmentalist, DiCaprio argues these ongoing fires are propagated by one man, President Bolsonaro, and are a direct result of climate change. According to the Washington Post, however, only the forest fringes are on fire, and have been for at least the last decade because of illegal logging and deforestation (Penanha et al., 2019). Humans, not nature, started the fires. Using the age-old technique of slash and burn, economically-motivated farmers are preparing already deforested areas for planting. The high European demand for products like soy drives farmers to burn these forest fringes illegally to expand Brazilian cropland (Symonds, 2019). Brazil's economy is based on such commodity exports, predominately from agriculture. With Brazilian unemployment at 12%, millions of people are struggling and "the country can ill-afford to back off one of its few thriving sectors" (Pecanha et al., 2019).
While bloggers and other humanitarians are worried about the destruction of the Amazon, some say they neglect the economic issues behind environmental concerns, such as the consumption habits that support illegal deforestation. Meanwhile, more and more people are going to social media for news (Suciu, 2019), finding celebrities like Cristiano Ronaldo, Madonna, and Ellen DeGeneres posting about Bolsonaro's Brazil. Celebrity engagement can draw vital attention to issues that have long gone unnoticed. However, celebrities rarely study problems in depth, and can scarcely be counted as experts in controversial environmental domains. Many celebrities frame the Amazon forest fires as an environmental catastrophe that is exclusively the result of climate change. Erratic environmental conditions increasing incidences of drought are linked to climate change, and an increase in droughts does lead to more fires; yet the Amazon is not experiencing unusually dry weather (Dunne, 2019). Thus, many say the evidence points to humans as the cause of these fires, and not simply or mostly climate change. The result of this conflict over information and environmental judgment is an angered Brazilian population and a potentially misinformed global social media public.
Ironically, this celebrity focus on the Amazon fires has resulted in increased public interest in both climate justice and land preservation. Despite potential misinformation and oversimplification, the mounting international pressure has led to concrete action in the Amazon. Demonstrators are marching and Europeans are boycotting trade agreements in an effort to effect change in the Amazon and on the global scene (Andreoni et al., 2019). In response, President Bolsonaro has sent an unprecedented number of Brazilian troops to extinguish the fires (Silva de Sousa, 2019). This seems to be a case where fake news, or at least hasty readings of a situation and its causes, are mobilizing the public and contributing to concrete change. Such pressure may be needed for other battles to save the Amazon, since funding for "Brazil's main environmental agency fell by 20 percent during the first six months of this year" (Symonds 2019).
At the same time, the continued risk of fires on the fringes of the Amazon is not mitigated by simply putting the current blazes out. The expansion of cropland by slash and burn techniques is at least partially a response to foreign demand, and the economic suffering of the farmers pursing this mode of income. As long as the demand for beef and land-intensive crops such as soy stays high, so will the flames. Social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter allow for the instantaneous dissemination of news, well-sourced or not, to billions of people who may be motivated to solve an important problem without addressing, or even knowing, all of its causes. What happens when popular voices on social media help us address a problem that they seem to be misreading?
Is fake news or misinformation that helps with recovery from or prevention of environmental harm always an ethical ill?
What ethical responsibilities, if any, do celebrities have to their followers when spreading information?
Should social media platforms be more closely monitored for incidences of fake news?
Should social media platforms monitor celebrity accounts and those with large followings differently than those without?
Andreoni, M., Casado, L., & Londoño, E., "With Amazon Rain Forest Ablaze, Brazil Faces Global Backlash." The New York Times, August 22, 2019. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/22/world/americas/brazil-amazon-fires-bolsonaro.html
Dunne, D., "Media Reaction: Amazon Fires and Climate Change." Carbon Brief, August 28, 2019. Available at: https://www.carbonbrief.org/media-reaction-amazon-fires-and-climate-change
Silva de Sousa, M., "Bolsonaro Sends Army To Fight Amazon Fires Amid Mounting International Pressure." The Huffington Post, August 24, 2019. Available at: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/amazon-rainforest-fires-bolsonaro-sends-army_n_5d61677fe4b0dfcbd48e3c96
Suciu, P., "More Americans Are Getting Their News From Social Media." Forbes, October 11, 2019. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/petersuciu/2019/10/11/more-americans-are-getting-their-news-from-social-media/
Symonds, A., "Amazon Rainforest Fires: Here's What's Really Happening." The New York Times, August 23, 2019. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/23/world/americas/amazon-fire-brazil-bolsonaro.html
Michaela Urban & Dakota Park-Ozee
Cases produced by the Media Ethics Initiative remain the intellectual property of the Media Ethics Initiative and the University of Texas at Austin. They can be used in unmodified PDF form without permission for classroom or educational uses. Please email us and let us know if you found them useful! For use in publications such as textbooks, readers, and other works, please contact the Media Ethics Initiative.
#MeToo and Journalism Leadership
September 19, 2019 3:47 am / Leave a comment
The Center for Media Engagement and Media Ethics Initiative Present:
Ethical Leadership in Newsrooms in the #MeToo Era:
October 29, 2019 (Tuesday) ¦ 2:00PM-3:00PM ¦ BMC 5.208
Wolfmann / CC-BY-4.0
How did sexual harassment persist for so long in journalism, and what difference has the #MeToo movement made for those that run the media? What does ethical and effective leadership look like in newsrooms during the #MeToo era? This panel discussion features scholars from various fields in communication and media reflecting on the extent of the #MeToo movement in journalism, as well as its intersections with leadership in the modern media environment. Confirmed participants include:
Kathleen McElroy (Journalism, UT Austin)
Meme Drumwright (Advertising, UT Austin)
Kate West (Journalism, UT Austin)
Scott R. Stroud (Communication Studies, UT Austin)
The Media Ethics Initiative is part of the Center for Media Engagement at the University of Texas at Austin. Follow Media Ethics Initiative and Center for Media Engagement on Facebook for more information. Media Ethics Initiative events are open and free to the public.
Co-Sponsored by the School of Journalism, University of Texas at Austin, and the UT Ethics Project
Debating Civil Rights
August 30, 2019 4:13 am / Leave a comment
Debating Civil Rights: James Baldwin, William F. Buckley Jr., and the Battle for the American Soul
Dr. Nicholas Buccola
Elizabeth and Morris Glicksman Chair in Political Science
Linfield College
November 21, 2019 (Thursday) ¦ 3:30PM-5:00PM ¦ BMC 5.208
In February 1965, James Baldwin – the poet of the civil rights revolution – and William F. Buckley Jr. – the Saint Paul of the conservative movement – met for an epic debate in Cambridge, England. Baldwin took the opportunity to deliver a jeremiad against white supremacy and Buckley did his best to warn an international audience of Baldwin's radical agenda. For the two decades prior to their clash at Cambridge, Baldwin and Buckley rose to fame as prolific authors and public intellectuals. Both men were – among other things – journalists. In the years prior to the debate, Baldwin and Buckley provide us with two very different visions of the vocation of the journalist as a witness and a storyteller. In this lecture, Professor Buccola will describe these visions and explore the implications they might have for our own time.
Dr. Nicholas Buccola is the Elizabeth and Morris Glicksman Chair in Political Science at Linfield College. He is the author of The Fire Is upon Us: James Baldwin, William F. Buckley Jr., and the Debate over Race in America (Princeton University Press), The Political Thought of Frederick Douglass (NYU Press), and the editor of The Essential Douglass and Abraham Lincoln and Liberal Democracy. His essays have appeared in numerous scholarly journals and popular outlets including The New York Times, Salon, Dissent, and the Claremont Review of Books.


Charles River Leather Loose-Leaf 3-Ring-bound Album - 10.5" x 12"
The magic of a sunny day sailing on Boston's Charles River may only last a day, but the memories will last a lifetime in this fine quality album. This beautiful 10 1/2" x 12" Ring-Bound Album features acid-free, archival plastic, stay-clear pages.
The gold-plated, 3-ring, open format binding makes it as perfect for weddings and babies, as it is for executives. Included in the book are 18 pages, holding up to 108, 4" x 6" prints. Additonal pages are available in your choice of 3-1/2" x 5", 4" x 6", 5" x 7", 8" x 10", 4" x 10" or 8-1/2" x 11" open sleeve for documents, 18 pages per refill package. Each page is two-sided.
Butter soft, French calf skin leather covers, complete the elegant look. Available in Wedding white, and an array of other colors.
Cream-white, acid-free paper with gilt edges, smyth sewn for strength and longevity.
Photo Albums - Italian Leather - 12" x 12"
Leather Photo Album - Loose-leaf - 7-3/4" x 9-3/8"
Pet Brag Books - tons of colors!


This impressive garden of indoor plants will be a warm welcome to any home or office. And you'll get glowing reviews for sending it. Arrives in a similar wicker basket with handle and usually with blooming plants or fresh cuts.


text:
Is it hunger, or pure greed and amorality, that leads Zimbabweans to betray and abandon the suffering majority?
by Tendai Ruben Mbofana
09 Aug 2021 at 12:46hrs | Views
One image has been haunting me this morning - which got me thinking long and hard on the apparent extremely troubling propensity for Zimbabweans to betray and abandon their fellow suffering countrymen, women, and children, to the caprices of a parasitic and cannibalistic ruling elite.
This was a well-known image portraying the late USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) dictator, Joseph Stalin, narrating how to make a hungry and subjugated population docile, and even obedient, to their tormentors.
He allegedly gave an illustration of a farmer who cold-heartedly plucked all the feathers off his live chicken, yet, in spite of this brazen cruelty and pain inflicted on these poor poultry, when he started scattering food on the ground, they lamely followed him around, happily pecking at the crumbs.
This, as disturbing as it is, aptly described the situation we find ourselves in this country called Zimbabwe - whereby, we find a brutalized, traumatized, and impoverished nation, not standing up or speaking out against their tormentors and abusers (who have callously and deliberately authored their misery and suffering, mainly through the wanton and unrestrained looting of our national resources - at despicable levels that border on vulgarity - leading to the demise of a once vibrant and prosperous economy).
Instead, we find ourselves seemingly all too happy, and willing, obediently (as if under some malevolent spell) following around those who cruelly "pluck off our feathers" - either singing their praises, or defending their criminal and thieving ways, or merely sitting idly without raising any objections and resistance to this evil.
As much as many who read this may say, "Well, what else are the hapless people of Zimbabwe supposed to do, considering that they are faced with a more powerful and barbaric regime - which, had already displayed, on countless occasions, its savage and evil ruthlessness towards an innocent population - and also, when one is hungry and impoverished, they will throw all principles out of the window, and do anything and everything to survive?"
It is all a matter of survival.
Well, that truly sounds plausible, and is a very good argument.
But, today (9 August 2021) is no ordinary day in Zimbabwe. It is Heroes Day.
As day that we commemorate and celebrate our gallant Sons and Daughters of the Soil - who sacrificed everything they had, in a devastating and brutal war against colonial rule, which was founded on savage racial segregation and subjugation.
The REAL heroes and heroines of this 1970s struggle had one thing in common with today's Zimbabweans - they were just as poor, and suffered just as much under a brutal regime that had no qualms massacring civilians - yet, that was never an impediment to their intrepid quest for freedom, democracy, and prosperity in their motherland.
Let me hasten to distinguish these REAL heroes and heroines from the opportunistic power-greedy parasites - who hijacked the people's cause in the late 1970s, clearly for their own personal glory and ambitions, as proven by how they readily turned against the very majority, whom they claimed to have been fighting for, and have since become their new oppressors.
The REAL heroes and heroines have never sought glory for themselves, have not yet published any self-serving and self-extolling biographies and autobiographies trumpeting and exaggerating some debatable heroics - as we have been witnessing lately.
No, in fact, the REAL heroes and heroines of this country are still wallowing in abject poverty, and largely surviving from the crumbs (as in Stalin's illustration) dolled out by the parasitic opportunistic ruling elite.
However, during the liberation struggle, these REAL Sons and Daughters of the Soil never allowed fear of a brutal regime to cripple them, neither did they betray the majority by hungrily settling for the crumbs from their tormentors.
They did not betray the majority because of some cash, or cars, diplomatic passports, gold and mineral claims, stands, farms, parliamentary seats, power-sharing, or handouts.
But, they valiantly stood up for a better life, and better future for their children, and grandchildren.
Did they accomplish this, some may be tempted to ask - since, those surviving heroes and heroines are probably worse off than they were under Rhodesia?
A struggle is seldom won by one battle - but, through a series of battles, leading to the final victory.
Just because the first Chimurenga/Imveko did not appear to have achieved the set objectives of vanquishing occupation and oppression, that did not deter the second Chimurenga - but, rather served as motivation and encouragement to carry on the struggle.
Therefore, today's generation needs to proceed with the next stage of the Chimurenga (in whatever form they may deem necessary under today's conditions) till true victory has been achieved for the people of Zimbabwe.
Hunger and suffering, nor fear of brutal repression, or despondence, NEVER deterred our heroes and heroines of the first or second Chimurenga - what justifiable reason do we have today?
© Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice activist, writer, author, and political commentator. Please feel free to contact him on WhatsApp/Call: +263715667700 / +263782283975, or Calls Only: +263788897936 / +263733399640, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com
Source - Tendai Ruben Mbofana
More on: #USSR, #Zimbabweans, #Hunger

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Flex-i-File "3 In 1" Set is a collection of 3 Anodized Aluminum Frames and an assortment of abrasive tapes for the precise model miniaturist. When secured on the lightweight Anodized Aluminum Frame, abrasive tapes will bend and conform to your work surface without breaking. The winning combination of abrasive tapes with the tailored frame tool provides a delicate touch for hairline accuracy. Removes flash from plastic or metal casting, smooth's, and polishes rough surfaces and seams. Tough yet flexible the refill abrasive tapes can be used on wet or dry applications.


WOW! WOW! WOW! Gorgeous brick home on nearly an acre fenced yard in sought after Unionville area! This home features a stunning salt water pool, hot tub hook up and detached garage with covered patio. Get ready to entertain! Inside you will find a large master suite on the main floor with tray ceilings and access to covered back patio, as well as an office on main floor. Upstairs, you will find two additional bedrooms AND a bonus room. This home also touts open concept living, breakfast bar, wood floors, 2-story great room, and fireplace. Additional detached garage has electric and water available. Upgrades include: new flooring upstairs (2017), new carpet in bedrooms (2017), new HVAC upstairs (2018), and new pool liner (2017). Be sure to book your showing today before this one gets away!
Offered by Loretta Realty Group. Copyright 2019 Carolina Multiple Listing Services. All rights reserved.


Q. What is does the term "member" mean in Organimi?
A. The term "member" refers to a person (incumbent) that is part of the organization. The person is listed in the organization's roster in Organimi and can be dragged from the roster to the role box, or the name of the member can be typed into the member field of the Edit Role dialog box. The term "role" is the position or job that the member (incumbent) holds. The "role" is described by the title of the job.
As an example: The member is "Jane Smith", and her role is "Vice President".


SOUTH BEND — St. Joseph County commissioners are pushing the assessor, Rosemary Mandrici, to cooperate with a property tax study, with one even threatening part of the funding for her office.
The conflict comes as only three months are left on the year-long, $125,000 taxpayer-funded study of property assessments led by enFocus, a South Bend consulting firm that specializes in data analysis.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.– Even though he has said, "Everything is on the table," when it comes to drawing up the city's 2017 operating budget, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett indicated Wednesday that higher taxes and fees are not likely to be part of his proposed spending plan.
A proposal requiring that landlords register their properties with the city on an annual basis is coming under fire from local real estate groups ahead of a planned vote on the measure scheduled for [Monday] tonight.
In a recent letter to the Common Council, the South Bend-Mishawaka Association of Realtors outlined five concerns about the proposal, which supporters say is necessary to hold landlords more accountable for the upkeep of their properties.
Among other things, the group believes the fines are too high and that much of the information required by the proposal is "irrelevant" to the task of identifying property owners and also available elsewhere in public records.
Brown County Schools will be allowed to add 8 cents per $100 of assessed value to the property tax rate.
Voters approved the school district's referendum by more than 1,000 votes May 3.
The new money to be raised will total about $1 million a year for seven years.
CHICAGO | Chicago's City Council easily approved a budget Wednesday with a massive property tax hike and other fees to help close a shortfall and improve the city's underfunded pension system.
Tax Transformers: The Age of Reassessment.


About 4 miles south of Linden, TN on highway 13, turn on to 128. This little rural road well maintained and gently weaves it's way though hills and valleys. Beside the beautiful scenery, there are a number of great curves that sweep up and around the hilly countryside. A great little 20 mile twister that ends at a picturesque little town, Clifton, TN, where you can stop and enjoy lunch or dinner beside the Tennessee River.
Great road, started riding it in 1970 on a Honda ct 70. Still riding today on a 2005 H-D FXDWG it has been repaved only two times that I can remember,the turns will sneak up on you.Great road! Just have experence before you try!


The not so Black-N-Bleu burger.
(We're always on the lookout for BOTMs. If you know of another D.C.-area joint that hooks up a monthly special burger, email us and let us know.) * You'll have to forgive us for the overall negativity of this post, it was written during Game 7. But we still think these BOTMs are lame.


text:
How to watch Falcons vs. Commanders via live stream in Week 12
We break down the schedule for Falcons vs. Commanders and how to watch in Week 12 of the 2022 NFL season.
By BenHall1@bhjournalist Nov 27, 2022, 9:00am PST
Share All sharing options for: How to watch Falcons vs. Commanders via live stream in Week 12
Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
FOX will be broadcasting Sunday's NFL game between the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Commanders. Kick off is set for 1 p.m. ET from FedEx Field in Prince George's County.
The Falcons have had their struggles this season, but nobody expected them to be good. They still have a shot at winning the NFC South with all the struggles the teams in the division have had. These next few games will be important to see whether or not they want to compete for a playoff spot. Marcus Mariota has been decent as he's thrown for 1,878 yards with 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions, but I think they would like one of the top two quarterbacks in the upcoming draft.
It's been a tough season for the Commanders, but they have played their best football over the past few weeks. Getting Chase Young back will be a major boost to this defense this week. Since Taylor Heinicke took over as the starting quarterback, the Commanders are 4-1. Head coach Ron Rivera recently came out and announced that Heinicke would be the starting quarterback moving forward.
The Commanders are set as a 4-point favorites to get the win on the road, priced at -200 on the moneyline at DraftKings Sportsbook. The Bears sit at +170 on the moneyline, while the total is set at 42.
Falcons vs. Commanders
Kickoff: 1 p.m. ET
TV channel: Fox
Live stream link: Fox Live, Sunday Ticket
NFL Sunday Ticket is available via live online stream even if you don't have a DirecTV account. The service offers a free one-week trial for both its regular and premium packages.
Additionally, if you are in the given broadcast zones for these teams, you can stream Sunday's matchup on Fox Live or through the Fox Now App on iOS or Google Play. However, it will require a cable login with access to Fox. If you don't have a cable log-in, you can get a trial from YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, AT&T TV Now, FuboTV, or Sling TV to stream the game.


text:
Q: rstan() should not run in #'@example? In package development, each example requires <5s. However, the pair of stan_model() and  rstan::sampling() take long  times more than 5s as follows:
    Examples with CPU or elapsed time > 5s
                     user system elapsed
   fit               1.25   0.11   32.47

So I put \donttest{} for each rstan::sampling() in roxygen comments #'@examples
In examples#'@examples, we should not run sampling() or  is there any treatment ?

I had tried to create my package based on the code rstan_package_skeleton(path = 'BayesianAAA') when I was taught from you (Thank you !!)  but, I do not understand many things about it.
Previously, rstan_package_skeleton(path = 'BayesianAAA')  launched the errors in my computer ( but now the error does not occur).
So, I made my package without the rstan_package_skeleton(), say BayesianAAA, and in my original making, I put the Model_A.stan,Model_B.stan,Model_C.stan,.... in the inst/extdata and I refer my stan files as follows;
  scr <- system.file("extdata", "Model_A.stan", package="BayesianAAA")

  scr <- rstan::stan_model(scr)

I have many questions about the code rstan_package_skeleton(path = 'BayesianAAA').
1) The first question is How to include my existing stan files and how to refer my .stan files for the rstan::stan_model() ?
  According to the page following page, it said that
If we had existing .stan files to include with the package we could use the optional stan_files argument to rstan_package_skeleton to include them.
So, I think I should execute, I am not sure but the following like manner is required;
`rstan_package_skeleton(path = 'BayesianAAA', stan_files = "Model_A.stan" )`.

But I do not know how to write the code for several stan files, say Model_A.stan,Model_B.stan,Model_C.stan in my existing package made without the rstan_package_skeleton(). I do not understand , but the following code is correct ? Since I do not where the files described in the variable stan_files is reflected in the new project created by the rstan_package_skeleton().
`rstan_package_skeleton(path = 'BayesianAAA', stan_files = c("Model_A.stan",`Model_B.stan`,`Model_C.stan` )`.

Here, the another question arise, that is,
2) The second question:   Where I execute the code rstan_package_skeleton(path = 'BayesianAAA', stan_files = "Model_A.stan" ) ? I execute it form the R studio console in my existing package project. Is it correct ? And then, the new project arise and it is contained the old existing project. What should I do ?
https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/rstantools/vignettes/minimal-rstan-package.html
3) I do not quite know about the packages  "rstanarm" , but I try to imitate it for my package, but I can not fined any .stan file in it, I am wrong ?
I am sorry for my poor English, and Lack of study about these things.
I would be grateful if you could tell me.

A: You generally should not be writing a package that calls stan_model at runtime, unless like brms or tmbstan you are generating a Stan program at runtime as opposed to writing it statically. There are dozens of packages on CRAN that provide compiled Stan programs basically by following the build process developed for rstanarm, which is facilitated by the rstantools::rstan_package.skeleton function, the step-by-step guide, and the developer guidelines which directly address your question

CRAN policy permits long installation times but imposes restrictions on the time consumed by examples and unit tests that are much shorter than the time that it takes to compile even a simple Stan program. Thus, it is only possible to adequately test your package if it has pre-compiled Stan programs.

Even then, it can be difficult to sample from a posterior distribution (adequately) in five seconds, so you often have to use small datasets, one chain, a small number of iterations, etc.
It is best to pass the names of your Stan programs (which should end in a .stan extension, not use a period otherwise, and only have ASCII letters, numbers, and the underscore in their names) to rstantools::rstan_package_skeleton(). If doing so from RStudio, I would call it while not in an existing project. Then

During installation, all Stan programs will be compiled and saved in the list stanmodels that can then be used by R function in the package. The rule is that the Stan program compiled from the model code in src/stan_files/foo.stan is stored as list element stanmodels$foo.

There are dozens of R packages that have Stan programs in their src/stan_files directory (although the locations of the Stan programs are going to move to inst/stan for the next rstantools release) that for the most part just followed the vignettes and did not have to do any additional steps except write more R functions.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


I wonder if anyone knows anything about the vase pictured below.
It is 56cm tall and 11cm at it's widest. There are inner layers of lemon yellow and blue and where these colours overlap, the effect is greenish. The outer layer seems to have been hand brushed in a whitish material. It has then been finished by hand grinding horizontal "tiger stripes" through the white layer to reveal the blue and yellow beneath. There is a thin partial ring around the neck about 5cm from the top, which looks like dirty glue but seems to be in the glass. The base is ground smooth with a pontil depression about 4cm wide. It is gorgeous in the right light.
I can't find anything similar. Thanks in anticipation.
It's beautifully decorative. It looks like new production to me.
Thanks Max. I wondered if the style was 1970s. Perhaps not. Would you call it a studio piece or mass produced?


text:
Q: Program that returns input \t as * The code is supposed to read an unidentified number of inputs from the keyboard and return any tabs as *. My program seems to work when I run it in eclipse and get no errors. When I turn in the code on the submission website, this is the error I get.
Exception in thread "main" java.util.NoSuchElementException: No line found  at java.util.Scanner.nextLine(Scanner.java:1589)    at replaceHW.main(replaceHW.java:9)
import java.util.Scanner;
public class replaceHW {
public static void main(String[] args) {
//write a program that converts all TABS in your code
//with STARS i.e. *
    Scanner in = new Scanner(System.in);
    String ans;
    while(!(ans = in.nextLine()).equals(""))
        System.out.println(ans.replace("\t","*"));
    }
}

A: Your problem is simple: nextLine() works in tandem with hasNextLine(): the correct code is:
try (Scanner in = new Scanner(System.in)) {
  while (in.hasNextLine()) {
    String line = in.nextLine();
    if (!"".equals(line)) {
        System.out.println(ans.replace("\t","*"));
    }
  }

*

*The try-with-resources is best practice. But be wary than with System.in, it will close it when done.

*hasNextLine() will try to read has much input is needed to find a line.


I admit to days when my home office is cluttered, there's no milk in the fridge, and there isn't a tidy room for receiving friends, yet alone someone in authority.
So, when Jesus paints this picture of servants or slaves who have done all their chores, and now, with everything in order wait quietly for their master to come home, I feel a twinge of guilt. How might this insight into first century domesticity speak to disciples 2,000 years later?
Today if we are going away, we often ask someone reliable to pick up the post and check all is well – we don't expect to return to chaos, and the master of this first Century house was just the same – as was Jesus. As lord and master, Jesus asked his friends to look after the place when he'd gone.
Cast your mind back to yesterday's reading, Jesus urged his friends to "strive for [God's] kingdom"; a message that hasn't changed over the centuries. Jesus still calls us in the twenty first Century to strive for God's kingdom; building a world of caring, hospitality, inclusivity, justice, compassion, forgiveness, serving and celebrating diversity.
Right now, God's kingdom feels a long way away, and the news as I write is filled with chaos and greed, division and hurt, yet as disciples, we are still called to share those kingdom values. It's up to us to keep trying – Jesus didn't say it was going to be easy.
Eventually the world will be turned upside down; the master turned servant in this passage reminds us of Jesus washing the feet of his friends. Thieves will be foiled because we're alert and awake.
Today, Jesus trusts us, his disciples to look after the world, to strive for the kingdom, loving, serving and ready for the unexpected.
that we are always ready to receive you.
to care for each other.


Retail Management for Mefroz, Abu Dhabi.
April 08, 2013- Zesty Labs has successfully completed First phase of OpenERP implementation for Mefroz, a leading retail & wholesale shop in Abu Dhabi. First phase of implementation majorly concentrated on customizing the touch based Point of Sale in order to cater their business needs. The implementation has gone live and the system is being effectively utilized. Other functionalities that are implemented includes Purchase management, Warehouse management etc.


text:
The Modern Novel
The world-wide literary novel from early 20th Century onwards
Other Africa
Other Americas
Other Asia
My Book Lists
Their book lists
Literary Movements
I haven't read a book
The Death of the Novel
Home » Romania » Dan Lungu » Raiul găinilor [Chicken Heaven]
Dan Lungu: Raiul găinilor [Chicken Heaven]
This novel is set on Acacia Street in Bucharest, during the post-Nicolae Ceaușescu era. Everyone knows everyone else and they regularly meet and gossip, particularly at the local bar called The Rundown Tractor. Most of them are retired. There are two families that are a bit separate from the others. The Colonel has the largest house, surrounded by a high wall. He is the only person on the street to have a car and one of three to have a telephone. No-one on the street has ever been into his house, till the beginning of the novel. The Socoliuc family have a sick person in the house so only talk in whispers and keep themselves to themselves.
However, at the start of the novel, Milica manages to enter the colonel's house. She has a sick child and needs to telephone the emergency services and calls on the colonel to help. While waiting in the hallway for him to phone, she looks around. Once her sick child is taken care of, people are keen to invite her to tell them about what she saw in the colonel's house. She has never been so popular so is happy to oblige. At each house she visits, she embellishes the story somewhat, adding a few details. He has a thick pile carpet. You can walk on top of the pile. It was apparently a gift from Ceaușescu.He has lots of paintings on the wall and these are reputed to be ones the Germans stole during the war, which were meant to be returned to their rightful owners but never were returned.
She makes the rounds but then, after ten days, no-one is interested. In the The Rundown Tractor, Mr Petrica has criticised her. Why did she go to the colonel when there are two phones nearer? Yes, the occupants were away but she did not know that. If she had been worried about a sick child, she surely would not have noticed all those details. Her husband hears this and berates her. She defends herself and is ready to challenge Mr. Perica but never gets round to it. More important;y, there is another bit of gossip. It seems that Veronica (Fanica) Geambașu had been on holiday with her parents and come back pregnant. Who was the father? Inevitably, it turns out to be complicated.
The Rundown Tractor is owned and managed by Ticu Zidaru, a colourful character who likes nothing better than chatting with friends. We get a story from the past, told by Mitu. This was in the Ceaușescu era. He often arrived late for his job but as he was accompanied by a friend who had a senior position, he got away with it. However, when the friend was promoted and got his own car, Mitu went on his own. The first day he was late, he was punished. He blames the trams which often ran late. One day,he is so fed up he decides to complain to Ceaușescu. He sets off to his office, knocks on the door and is received by an official. The official knows he is a Moldavian and only explains much later how he knew. He is eventually admitted and has to pass through a host of doctors who do all kinds of tests, before being admitted to the Great Man's office. Ceaușescu is playing dice, deciding for example whether he will go to Zimbabwe or plead illness, On such a throw, he decides to give Mitu a car – not a new one but a one year old one, which he had won, playing a game called 321.
He wants to know what people are complaining about. He wants to know if Mitu has children. Mitu says not but it turns out that Ceaușescu not only knows that he has two children, he knows their names and what they like (he gives him presents for them). He even gives Mitu a cigar he had received from Castro, which makes Mitu sick. The car is waiting for him when he gets home.
We follow the earlier story of the street, with the murky ravine, full of rubbish and sewage which the local authority eventually fills in. The colonel's house is now built on this filled-in ravine but, at the time, there were plans to extend the railway station and all the residents were to be thrown out of their houses. In good Romanian Communist fashion, they were given little notice of the imminent arrival of the bulldozers to knock down their houses and nor were they informed when the whole plan was cancelled and their houses spared.
The novel continues in the same vein, with the rabid dogs arriving en masse and Hleanda, a resident, managing not only to control them but to unite them in a religious crusade. It does not work out well. We learn about Mitu, the man who may (or may not) have visited Ceaușescu. Mitu had had seven wives. He did not mind the various wives so much but was not happy having seven mothers-in-law. He feels that Ceaușescu would have survived if only he had not banned yoga (because it was spiritual). We meet Vera Socoliuc, mentioned above, who marries the Socoliucs' son and then, after living with them for a while, decides she is dying, meticulously prepares for her death, takes to her bed – and does not die. We meet Aurora, the obsessive knitter (and talker) who is on local TV for her knitting. There is Costel Spătaru, the most disagreeable person in the whole street. There is Relu Covalciuc, obsessed with his chickens and wonders whether there is a chicken heaven. He has to deal with a plague of earthworms.
Unusually, for a Romanian novel, at least the ones I have read, this is light-hearted and very funny. Even Ceaușescu comes across as something of a bumbling idiot rather than the evil dictator we know him to have been. There is no Securitate and if people are arrested, it is for criminal rather than political reasons. Unpleasant things do happen – the plan to destroy all the houses, for example – but the people – mainly retired, mainly not very well-off – manage to survive. They drink (a lot), they gossip, they quarrel, they mock and … well they do not seem to do much else. The social centre of the street is the The Rundown Tractor, though it is mainly men that go there, with the women left to gossip in the street and deal with their often drunken husbands back home. It is a thoroughly enjoyable novel but, sadly, available in six other languages but not English
First published 2004 by Polirom
No English translation
First published in French as Le paradis des poulesby Jacqueline Chambon in 2005
Translated by Laure Hinckel
First published in German as Das Hühnerparadiesby Residenz in 2007
Translated by Aranca Munteanu.
First published in Italian as Il paradiso delle galline by Manni in 2010
Translated byAnita Natascia Bernacchia
First published in Spanish as El Paraíso de las gallinas by Icaria Intermón Oxfam in 2011
Translated by Francisco Javier Marina Bravo
Also translated into Hungarian and Slovenian
Copyright © The Modern Novel 2015-2021 | WordPress website design by Applegreen


text:
Cricket News Daily Cricket News
A quick look-up at the PCB Awards 2021
ByShivanshu Chauhan
Jan 10, 2022 Pakistan Cricket Team, PCB
Mohammad Rizwan : won the PCB's Most Valuable Cricketer of the Year in PCB Awards 2021
Mohammad Rizwan rules the roast in PCB Awards 2021
Mohammad Rizwan named as the most valuable player of the year in the PCB awards 2021. The year belonged to Rizwan. He scored 1336 runs in T20s ,135 runs in ODIs and 455 in Test cricket this year. He inflicted 54 dismissals behind the stumps across all formats this year. He became the first man on the planet to score 1000 T20 runs in a calendar year.
Hasan Ali was the pick of the bowlers in Test Cricket for Pakistan this year. Henceforth, the PCB Test Cricketer of the Year 2021 is Hasan Ali
Hasan Ali named as the Test Cricketer of the year. He picked up 41 wickets in 8 games including a ten-for and five fifer. Pakistani captain Babar Azam was named as the ODI cricketer of the year. He played six games and scored 455 runs including 2 centuries. Nida Dar grabbed the Women's cricketer of the year award . He scored 458 runs and picked up 11 wickets in the limited over formats.
Babar Azam was named as ODI Cricketer of the year
Shaheen Shah Afridi bagged the award for the Impactful Performance of the Year for his 3 wickets against India at the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. His performance helped Pakistan defeat India for the first time at the T20 World Cup.
At the ICC T20 World Cup, the Pakistan players visited the Namibia dressing room to congratulate them on their qualification for their maiden T20 World Cup and reaching the Super-12 stage won them the Spirit of Cricket award.
Subsribe To Our Official YouTube
Mohammad Wasim Junior won the Emerging Cricketer of the Year award . He took 45 wickets in 2021, including 15 wickets in his first year of international cricket.
Sahibzada Farhan won the Domestic Cricketer of the Year award . He scored 935 runs in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, 487 runs in the Pakistan Cup and 447 runs in the National T20 Cup.
Asif Yaqoob won the Umpire of the year award . Voting was done PCB's ellte match officials. He won the award for the second consecutive year.
BBL New Rules for COVID-19, set to be used the same in PSL as well
BBL introduces replacement players pool to fill the void in teams who are hit by Covid-19 cases
Hardik Pandya in line to be the captain of Ahmedabad Franchise for IPL-2022
By Shivanshu Chauhan
A Professional Cricketer for past 4 Years for the teams of Lucknow and CISCE. He keeps an eye on all the Cricket insights which sometimes professional journos lack. He Keeps the wicket on the 22 Yards and takes care of the board meetings over here. No Official Statements go off from the website because of him. He keeps you updated by breaking News both in English and Hindi.
"No one was watching us playing"… New Zealand all-rounder said this after the match
Cricket News Watch
Tristan Stubbs smashed an amazing six, the ball disappeared in the sky- WATCH
Steve Smith scored 15 runs in 1 ball, amazing feat in BBL, watch video


The Central MN Farm Show committee is commited to giving $5000 in scholarship dollars in 2019. They will match dollar for dollar the first $5000 in sponsored scholarship dollars.
Donations to the scholarship program are tax deductible as a charitible donation.
Committee members and Chamber staff will be in the registration booth located in the lobby area of the River's Edge Convention Center.
Volunteers will be wearing blaze orange volunteer vests.
River's Edge Convention Center business office is located on the second floor, head towards the river.


text:
Ajmer è una città dell'India di 485.197 abitanti, capoluogo del distretto di Ajmer e della divisione di Ajmer, nello stato federato del Rajasthan. In base al numero di abitanti la città rientra nella classe I (da 100.000 persone in su).

Tra il 1178 e il 1192 fu capitale del regno Rajput di Prithviraj Chauhan - raja della maggior parte del Rajasthan, Haryana e Delhi; e di alcune parti del Punjab, del Madhya Pradesh e dell'Uttar Pradesh - sconfitto e ucciso nella Seconda battaglia di Tarain dal suo avversario Muhammad di Ghur, che s'impadronì dei suoi domini.

Nella città è ospitata la dargah del grande "santo" sufi Mo'inoddin Cishti (XII secolo), fondatore dell'ordine mistico della Cishtiyya, presso il quale convengono annualmente poco meno di mezzo milioni di pellegrini, che qui festeggiano il suo Urs.

Geografia fisica
La città è situata a 26° 26' 60 N e 74° 37' 60 E e ha un'altitudine di 471 .

Società

Evoluzione demografica
Al censimento del 2001 la popolazione di Ajmer assommava a 485.197 persone, delle quali 253.854 maschi e 231.343 femmine. I bambini di età inferiore o uguale ai sei anni assommavano a 57.510, dei quali 30.095 maschi e 27.415 femmine. Infine, coloro che erano in grado di saper almeno leggere e scrivere erano 359.499, dei quali 202.229 maschi e 157.270 femmine.

Note

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


All eyes are on the UK this weekend and it's not regarding brexit which is a welcomed change. The 2019 BAFTA's have arrived with some Irish nominations taking center stage.
Irish production company Element Pictures have 'The Favourite' with an incredible 12 nominations. Northern Irish cinematographer Robbie Ryan has also been nominated for his work on 'The Favourite', which has also received craft nominations for Best Production Design, Best Hair & Make-up, Best Editing and Best Costume Design.
Another great talent is Chris Kelly a Northern Irish documentarian who has been nominated for a BAFTA in the category of 'Best Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer' for his work on his documentary 'A Cambodian Spring'. Chris is credited as writer, producer and director on the project which was years in the making.
Not only do we have some Irish nominated behind the camera but we also have two Irish actors nominated for the EE Rising Star Award. An award that where previous nominees were the likes of Tom Hardy, Kristen Stewart & Daniel Kaluuya. From the films 'Beast' and 'Wild Rose' Jessie Buckley is nominated along with Barry Keoghan from 'American Animals' and 'The Killing of a Sacred Deer'.
As always we're delighted to see Irish talent doing so well and receiving the recognition it deserves. Wishing all those nominated the best of luck and we look forward to seeing what the future holds for them all!
The ceremony will take place on Sunday 10 February, with the action kicking off on BBC One at 9.00pm hosted by Joanna Lumley. I've just mentioned the Irish nominations, because, well, they're deadly, yet of course there's a lot more where they came from. So if you'd like to see what has been nominated in each category check out the list below!


PERTH, AUSTRALIA and GREER, SC--(Marketwired - Oct 14, 2015) - Alexium International Group Limited (Alexium) (ASX: AJX) (OTCQX: AXXIY) is pleased to announce their successful exhibition at the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) Expo October 6-9 -- representing the global specialty fabrics market. Click to view original PR detailing the event.
The Alexium team had a very successful show bringing in more than 40 leads from a variety of markets which include: military, home furnishings, medical, outdoor, workwear and the non-woven sectors worldwide. We expect to begin receiving fabrics and requirements to proceed into the developmental stages from these leads for new revenues. In addition to generating solid leads, the Alexium team also met with several existing partners and customers further solidifying existing relationships.
"We are very pleased with the turnout and success of this show. Even more importantly, we realize that Alexium is becoming even more well-known with key decision makers in the industry. A recognizable number of significant companies came to seek Alexium out. This indicates that our branding/marketing efforts and reputation are beginning to take route." -Alexium President, Dirk Van Hyning.
We will keep the market informed as these leads progress.
Alexium International Group Limited (ASX: AJX) (OTCQX: AXXIY) holds proprietary patent applications for a process developed initially by the U.S. Department of Defense, which allows for the surface modification and attachment of nano-particles or multiple chemical functional groups to surfaces or substrates to provide functions such as fire retardancy, water proofing, oil proofing, and anti-microbial treatments. Applications under development include but are not limited to textiles, paints, and packaging, glass and building materials. Alexium's fire retardant chemical treatment are currently marketed for different fabric markets under the Ascalon™, Nycolon™, Nuvalon™, and Polytron™, Omnitron™ and Bactron™ trademarks.


Former History and AP Psychology teacher; BA Political Science with teaching license in Social Studies. Completing MSEd Educational Leadership. Able to tutor all regular, honors and AP Social Studies courses including Psychology, Philosophy, Sociology, Government, US History, World History, European History and Human Geography; K-12 English, Reading and Writing; K-8 Science, Earth Science and Oceanography; K-8 Math, Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II. High-stakes testing: ACT, PSAT, SAT, Praxis I. Paper Editing: MLA, APA and Turabian format College History and Political Science, Algebra, English, Literature.
I've been tutoring Math, History and English since 1996. Tutoring, researching and editing is how I supported myself while earning my teaching degree. I taught US History, World History I and II, VA/US Government, AP Psychology and Law and Economics. I trained with AP exams and SAT/ACT test preparation since 2000. I love working with people and helping to shed a little light on subjects they may not understand.


text:
HOME / About Us / Who We Are
"Traveler, there is no path. Paths are made by walking."
Pathfinder is driven by the conviction that all people, regardless of where they live, have the right to decide whether and when to have children, to exist free from fear and stigma, and to lead the lives they choose.
Since 1957, we have worked to increase access to sexual and reproductive health and rights and promote healthy pregnancies. We are committed to expanding access to quality sexual and reproductive health services that offer each woman the chance to make an informed choice about whether she wishes to use contraception, and the method best suited to her needs. We collaborate closely with our partners around the world to offer life-saving maternal and newborn care, integrate health and environment work to address the holistic needs of communities, and reach the most vulnerable populations, including those who have been displaced due to conflict and natural disaster. Taken together, our programs empower millions of women, men, and young people to choose their own paths forward. Join us in providing new possibilities for the future.
Pathfinder International is a remarkably successful organization…Its model of funding and working through local partners helps ensure the sustainability of programs…Despite all the barriers, Pathfinder finds ways to serve marginalized populations, including the poorest." —Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations
Pathfinder envisions a world where everyone has access to contraception, where there are zero new HIV infections, where no woman dies from preventable pregnancy-related complications, and where everyone leads a healthy sexual and reproductive life.
We champion sexual and reproductive health and rights worldwide, mobilizing communities most in need to break through barriers and forge their own path to a healthier future.
Respect: Everything we do is built on a foundation of understanding and respect for the values, beliefs, knowledge, and capabilities of our staff, our local partners, and the people we serve.
Courage: We go where others often won't—among the most marginalized populations, in the most challenging environments, and in the hardest-to-reach regions—and do what others often don't—confronting obstacles head-on and challenging the status quo—to achieve our mission.
Collaboration: We embrace diverse perspectives and disciplines, joining with partners at the local, national, and global levels towards a common vision and the realization of transformational change.
Innovation: Our staff and partners seek out the most effective solutions, piloting new approaches and adapting current practices to respond to the ever-evolving nature of our work and the communities we serve.
Integrity: We earn the trust of donors, partners, governments, and the people we serve by rigorously measuring performance, sharing our results, and holding ourselves accountable.
Nearly 90% of our 1,100+ employees worldwide come from & serve the very communities where we work.
Join Pathfinder in advocating for women and girls everywhere.
Your gift can make a world of difference in advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights for women, men, and young people around the world.
Pathfinder's work began in which decade:
Answer another question >>
Pathfinder's work only focuses on contraception.
Which country has the highest fertility rate in the world?


text:
Q: PHP validate integer is not functioning I'm trying to make an error box pop up when theres letters inside of the textbox, however it is not working and I'm not sure what I need to do.
Here is  the code for the section

      Weight:
    <input type="text" name="weight"  value="<?php echo $weight?>" onblur="validateinteger(Diamonds.weight,'weight')" <?php if($formmode==1) echo 'disabled';?> size="15" />

I'm new to this website so I'm not sure how to post all the codes here therefore I uploaded everything to pastebin.
For complete code please click. http://pastebin.com/ZfUe6GWq
Thanks in advance

A: Suppose you should modify your validateinger function.
First, take a look at parseInt specification. You should remember that it will return a number even if parameter is not completely a number. For instance:
parseInt("12px")  will return 12. Because of that, you should better simply test value with isNaN (which will return true in case if value is "12px"):
function validateinteger(whichcontrol, controlname){
   if(whichcontrol.value.length==0)
     return true;
   else if(isNaN(whichcontrol.value))
     alert(controlname + " must be a number!");
   else
     return true;
  }

But above code will only check if string is a number, not integer (like function name says).
To check if value is exactly integer, you may do next (using regexp):
function validateinteger(whichcontrol, controlname){
   if(whichcontrol.value.length==0)
     return true;
   else if(!(/^[\d]+$/.test(whichcontrol.value)))
     alert(controlname + " must be a number!");
   else
     return true;
}

(based on this  answer)
Note:
Instead of onblur="validateinteger(Diamonds.weight,'weight')"you may do onblur="validateinteger(this,'weight')". Where this points to an element where event happens.


KEM Advertising is an independently owned outdoor advertising agency with headquarters in San Antonio, Texas. We work with a variety of clientele ranging from small businesses with little advertising experience to large corporate accounts. We have been in the billboard business since 1998.
Currently we have over 600 billboard faces to offer in many cities as well as locations along the interstate and national highway systems. We have extensive coverage throughout South Texas along the US and Mexico border including all major highways, and we also handle locations in Louisiana, Nevada, Indiana, Maryland, Kansas and California.
Most of our billboards are size: 14' x 48' and a few are size: 10'6" x 36'.
Please see our listings on DOmedia for specific locations, planning rates, and demographic information.


Some flirty green frogs spare no effort to show how much in love they are!
A flirty green frog normally has shiny and greener skin, very big eyes, generous smile and, of course, a red heart floating above its head. Green frog smiling, raising a leg and waving enthusiastically while falling in love and making eyes at its beloved one.


text:
import Ember from 'ember';
import layout from "./template";

export default Ember.Component.extend({
	layout: layout,

	// Bubble up actions.
	target: Ember.computed.alias("targetObject"),

  model: null,

	allowUpdate: true,
	allowDelete: true,

	// Format:
	// [{
	//  action: "actionName",
	//  label: "",
	//  icon: "",
	//  btnClass: ""
	// }]

	extraActions: [],
});

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Gibsonville aldermen look at four land purchases; decide to pursue three
Cities and TownsGibsonville
Gibsonville's board of aldermen has directed town staff to move forward on seeking three parcels of land after a closed session held during a special meeting last week.
Town manager Ben Baxley told The Alamance News this week that the aldermen, who were presented with information on the parcels during the closed session, have instructed staff to make initial offers on the properties. Though considered a long-term move, the manager said that the sites are being considered for the following uses:
· A new police headquarters at 1220 Springwood Church Road, a nearly 21-acre property owned by Howard and Bonnie Ingle. The land is valued at $313,800, according to Guilford County's Register of Deeds office.
· A new library and recreation extension at 534 and 564 Minneola Street, a 2.8-acre tract located behind the Gibsonville Community Center and owned by Dwight Herbin. The land is valued at $148,900, according to Guilford County's Register of Deeds office.
· An adjoining, 2.8-acre segment also along Minneola Street, at 502 and 532, that is owned by Betty Henderson and would also be used as space for the new library and recreation area.
The land is also valued at $148,900, according to Guilford County's Register of Deeds office.
A fourth parcel, the only located within Alamance County, on Piedmont Avenue, had been considered for a public safety training area. However, Baxley told the newspaper that the board decided not to pursue the 27-acre property, owned by Charles and Ann Neill.
[Story continues below.]
Use this special to get the rest of December 2021 FREE when you subscribe for one- or two-year subscription ($50 or $79, respectively).
Though the town has 216 acres of vacantsurplus property, Baxley said that these specific parcels were eyed because of their central location in the town. If purchased, they will also be on hold rather than immediately used, the manager said, with staff and the board simply seeking to act on the land before it's secured by other buyers.
Also covered during the special meeting, though not in closed session, was the approval of a resolution to complete the sale of the Travis Creek pump station to the town of Elon for about $2 million. Both governing boards settled a deal at the end of 2019 in which Elon would purchase the pump station in exchange for the placement of an "annexation line of agreement" from just west of University Drive northward to Guilford County Farm Road.
Being part of the water and sewer budget, Gibsonville's proceeds from the sale are prohibited from being used to purchase the aforementioned three parcels. This because all funds from the water and sewer budget are legally required by the state to be used only for water and sewer purchases.
Town staff rescinds closed session invitation to aldermen-elect
While town staff initially invited aldermen-elect Bryant Crisp and Paul Thompson to attend the closed session, under the notion that any land purchases would soon affect them as board members, the invitation was rescinded after Alamance News publisher Tom Boney, Jr. raised questions about the legality of allowing the men to sit in on the proceedings before they're sworn into office.
Alert deputy notices suspicious car leaving break-in
What's land being cleared for along Hanford Road?
Alderwoman tells board: married over holidays, plans to move to Virginia
Gibsonville aldermen approve 5-room addition to town's fire station
The Public Asks: Why was Gibsonville alderman protesting at Graham council meeting?
The Public Asks: Why was Gibsonville alderman protesting at Graham council...


The Bad Sleep Well, Akira Kurosawa's 1960 Hamlet adaptation, is a sharp sendup of the rise of corporatism in the second half of the twentieth century. In this picture, Toshiro Mifune stars as Nishi, a young organization man, and our Prince Hamlet, determined to bring justice to the men responsible for his father's death.
Nishi follows a string of mysterious deaths and cover-ups through the hierarchy of his company, eventually facing off with the powerful and delightfully villainous President Iwabuchi (Mayasuki Mori). This corruption scandal and cover-up advances the Hamlet plotline, leaving a surprising number of violent deaths in the wake (There are shotgun attacks and a deadly volcano).
One of the most interesting aspects of the film is the intersection between traditional Japanese values, notably the notion of honor code and suicide, and the demands of a new corporate power structure. In this regard, Kurosawa gives us a fascinating critique of Modernism in the Japanese context. If Drunken Angel (1948) was about broken people living in a broken city, and Stray Dog (1949) delved into Japan's lost generation, The Bad Sleep Well turns the focus towards an economy on the mend, and the implications that a rapidly modernizing corporate culture has on traditional society.
This unease with the effects of Modernism was a central tenant of art across the globe at the mid-century mark, and The Bad Sleep Well, echoes William Whyte's 1956 novel The Organization Man, Sloan Wilson's Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956), and Michelangelo Antonioni's Roman trilogy, especially L'Eclisse (1962).
As the technology of production became increasingly advanced, efficiency defined the system of corporate morality. Kurosawa turns his elegant and distinctive lens on this system, showing the violence that necessarily lurks on the other side of technological rationality. Like Fritz Lang and his hidden subterranean laborers in Metropolis (1927), he shows the essentially dissonant priorities of corporations and workers: while the advance of Modernity appears beautiful, it does not concern the dreams and aspirations of the worker. More often than not, life within the organization can be a strange, bewildering, and violent experience.
And while the tragic excesses of Hamlet are extreme, their trueness reaches a level of Jungian fundamentality. (Carl Sandburg wrote: They all want to play Hamlet/ They have not exactly seen their father's killed/ Nor their mother's in a frame-up to kill/ Nor an Ophelia dying in the dust/… To stand by an open grave with a joker's skull in the hand and then to say over slow and say over slow wise, keen, beautiful words masking a heart that's breaking, breaking / This is something that calls and calls to their blood/ They are acting when they talk about it/ And they know it is acting to be particular about it/ And yet they all want to play Hamlet). Like any true Shakespearean, Kurosawa holds up a joker's skull and displays the two-sided Janus head of the Modern world.


Great hunting and recreation property. Newer home with full poured basement, hard wired propane generator and /or rechargeable 12 volt battery system, propane and wood stove heat, clean and ready to move in. 2 car garage with concrete floor, room for all your toys. Mowed trails, planted food plots, apple orchards and seasonal stream. Quiet wild area full of wildlife, surrounded by farm land. Close to Little Falls, snowmobile trails, ski areas, Adirondacks, historical sites...could be year round home, OFF GRID..Easy access to electric if you wish. At one time was a Christmas tree farm in part of the area as you can see on map. Owner shows tremendous pride in this property and has gone to great links to make it a favorable hunting and recreation area.
From st rt 20, north on st rt 80, left onto Jordanville Road, Right onto Puskarenko Road, Left onto Travis Road, Right onto Cook Road. Cabin at end of road. Use 100 Cook Road for GPS directions, can not see from Travis Road.


Dunlop 462P114 Tortex III 1.14mm Picks (12 pack Purple) merge the tone and feel of Tortex with the speed and precision of Jazz III.
Available in standard. Gauges (MM): .50 .60 .73 .88 1.0 1.14MM.
This item is a twelve pack of 1.14mm purple picks.
If you have any questions, give us a call or stop by to check out our huge selection of guitar accessories at Ken Stanton Music and save today.


so as someone who doesn't have children of her own be under no illusion that I enjoy adventure playgrounds just as much as the next.
So on Sunday I went, along with a friend and her small person to Brimstage Maze near Birkenhead.
This place has it all for ages 0-99, bouncing pillows, bouncy castle, space hoppers, swings, laser tag, obstacle course, zip line and 2 mazes.
There are 2 mazes, a small one and a large one. As we had small person I tow we chose the small one. To celebrate 150th anniversary of Alice in Wonderland the themes were related. The larger one to find quotes from the story and the smaller one the find the mad hatters teapots.
Good fun, even if we did only find 7 of the 10!
To recover and regather our wits we broke for tea, sandwiches and cakes at the onsite eatery.


text:
Iliad – francuski koncern telekomunikacyjny, kontrolowany przez Xaviera Niela.

Początki

Przedsiębiorstwo zostało założone w 1987 roku przez przedsiębiorcę branży telekomunikacyjnej Xaviera Niela. W początkowym etapie działalności Iliad dostarczał usługi telekomunikacyjne za pomocą tradycyjnych łączy przewodowych. Dekadę później w 1999 roku Iliad stworzył markę Free – pod którą dostarczał internet za pośrednictwem modemu bez opłat. Dziś operator jest liderem na rynku szerokopasmowego internetu we Francji.

Telefonia komórkowa

Francja
W 2012 Iliad zaangażował się w rynek w telefonii mobilnej, startując we Francji z ofertą pod nazwą Free Mobile. Choć rynek był już podzielony pomiędzy Orange, SFR i Bouygues Telecom, sukces Iliada wynikał z oferty prostych pakietów telefoniczno-internetowych, z których można było korzystać bez konieczności podpisywania długoterminowych umów, w bardzo atrakcyjnych jak na ówczesne czasy cenach. Obecnie sieć Free Mobile należąca do Iliada ma 13,4 miliona abonentów, co daje jej 4. miejsce wśród największych operatorów we Francji. Sieć Free Mobile działa również na ponad 800-tysięcznej wyspie Reunion na Oceanie Indyjskim, będącej terytorium zamorskim Francji. Uwzględniając lokalne warunki życia, Free Mobile zaoferował mieszkańcom wyspy usługi o połowę tańsze niż we Francji kontynentalnej.

Maroko
Iliad prowadzi sieć Free również w Maroku. W 2016 roku zarzucono sieci zablokowanie najpopularniejszych wśród marokańskich opozycjonistów komunikatorów internetowych pod wpływem nacisków lokalnego rządu, który obawiał się wpływu łatwej i bezpłatnej komunikacji na potencjalne protesty, jak w przypadku tzw. twitterowej rewolucji na przełomie dekad w krajach regionu (tzw. "arabska wiosna"). W 2017 roku w lokalnych call center sieci doszło do strajku na tle warunków pracy i niskich płac. Sprawę we Francji nagłośnił reportaż telewizji France 2.

Włochy
W 2018 roku Iliad rozpoczął działalność we Włoszech tworząc Iliad Italia. Zyskawszy rozgłos jako rewolucyjny operator, który przełamał wieloletni oligopol trzech firm we Francji, szybko pozyskał klientów również we Włoszech. Po 50 dniach od premiery operator miał już milion abonentów. W 2018 roku Iliad otrzymał koncesję na świadczenie usług w standardzie 5G we Włoszech.

Polska
W Polsce we wrześniu 2020 roku Iliad kupił sieć Play, o której planach sprzedaży media branżowe informowały już od 2017 roku. Wraz z nabyciem Play, francuski koncern stał się posiadaczem największego wirtualnego operatora telefonii komórkowej – Virgin Mobile Polska, którego Play przejął w kwietniu 2020 roku oraz w lipcu 2019 operatora usług dla biznesu - 3S S.A. Według Bloomberga Iliad kupił Play za około 9 miliardów złotych. Grupa Iliad obecna jest w Polsce również przez firmę Scaleway – dostawcę usług w chmurze. Jesienią 2020 roku firma otworzyła w Warszawie centrum obliczeniowe – WAW1, obecnie jedno z czterech w Europie, a drugie poza Francją. W 2022 roku, za pośrednictwem P4, Iliad nabył UPC Polska, dostawcę usług telewizji cyfrowej oraz szerokopasmowego dostępu do internetu za około 7 miliardów złotych.

Przypisy

Francuskie przedsiębiorstwa telekomunikacyjne
Telekomunikacja w Polsce
Usługi telekomunikacyjne
Przedsiębiorstwa międzynarodowe