Scott Wilker, the founder and CEO of Sonic Blocks, has been a very close friend of mine for almost 20 years. Our beginnings go back to the early days of the DVD format when AIX Media Group was among the first DVD authoring and compression houses. Scott worked for Sonopress, a Bertelsmann company involved in replicating optical discs…including DVDs. We were introduced at a DVD conference and have done business and remained friends ever since.
It was a call from Scott in late 2007 that ultimately gave me a taste of megabuck, start up, mania in the formation of Yoostar, a New York-based game company. I won't go into the gory details but this was the first "corporate" V.P. position I ever held…while still maintaining my teaching and label responsibilities. I was there at the founding of the company and rode it through to the bitter end when one day, after Scott had long since departed the company, the NY head of human resources came to California for "discussions". She had me fire my entire production team in the morning before turning to me with a severance package after lunch. So it goes.
Scott and his son Jordan have come up with a very interesting concept for a "modular" music system complete with wireless connectivity, replaceable speaker drivers, articulating arms, extensibility, and a whole lot more. Their ideas (it's much more than just a music system – think technology hub & IoT)) and the resulting design (refined over the course the last two years) is just about ready for its debut…via the crowdsourcing site Indiegogo. Later this month, Scott and his team (which includes myself) are planning to launch a crowdsourcing campaign to bring Sonic Blocks to reality. Please take a look at sonicblocks.com for a sneak preview, add your name to the VIP list, and read about the features of this unique system.
So why would an audiophile like me be interested in a project like Sonic Blocks? Because I think it's an affordable, high-fidelity, way to incrementally move from good sound to great sound…and because it's really cool to look at. The era of disposable, dedicated, one size fits all, wireless audio boxes is pretty much saturated. Sonic Blocks lets you seamlessly upgrade every component of the system to meet evolving needs and trends. Want more fidelity from your music system? Simply swap out a Sonic Blocks driver or add another one. You simply snap off the existing driver (no tools required) and snap on a replacement.
The base unit or "brain" of the system is built on the DTS "Play-Fi" engine and can handle a wide variety of formats…including high-res analog and digital. Sonic Blocks is a terrific way to step into higher quality sound and know that you can continue to improve your system without replacing everything.
I've spent a lot of time consulting with Scott and his family about Sonic Blocks (yes, the whole family is involved) and am convinced that while it may never be a true audiophile system, it takes a very innovative approach to better sound. Visit the website (Sonic Blocks) and let me know what you think. If you agree with me that it has merit, I would urge you to leave your contact information, and help spread the word.
Check out: Sonic Blocks or stop by the Facebook page at: facebook.com/SonicBlocks.
I wanted to thank everyone for the sentiments and comments expressed concerning my recent health issues. Life has its way of setting priorities.
Also note that I will not be going to Washington DC for the Capital Audio Fest as originally planned this weekend. Our family has had a loss and will be gathering in Madison, Wisconsin for a memorial.
Thanks. Yes, it's a pathway to bigger and better.
Mick, wait a minute. Analog tape recording and analog LPs are not high-resolution audio. But connecting high-resolution sources to via analog cables is perfectly fine.
What analog cannot do in high resolution is to store musical signal and then recover it from the stored format. Of *course* live analog signals can be high-res, otherwise no DAC could be high-res, no microphone live feed could be high-res, etc.
Sorry – I thought I had understood (through reading these blogs) that 'analog' is sound – nothing else, no more, no less.
If sound is captured/digitized using an ADC capable of e.g. 24/96, the digital stream can be called highres…..
…..provided that microphones, preamps etc did support frequenzies up to 48kHz.
No, 'analog' is meant in these blogs, and essentially all 'music electronics' discussions, to mean one particular way of representing sound in an electronic medium. You can't say 'analog is sound': the former is electronics, the latter is air pressure.
And you can't say 'air pressure is analog', because air pressure is simply reality. Something has to be 'analogous to something else' before it is an analog. Here 'analog electronics' is given that title because its signal voltage oscillates in amplitude and time an an analogous (but non-identical) way to air pressure.
Ok, Thank you for the clairification.
Just FYI, here is a link to the post you wrote that prompted my statement of Analog is not Hi-Res.
And a quote from this blog post on Sonicblocks that ties the two post together and hence the statement.
I probably could have worded that phrase better. Sonic blocks doesn't have high-resolution digital conversion.
It looks like one of those boxes magicians use. Can you close it up, wave a wand, and have a gorgeous woman come out of it? Can it turn a frog into a princess? What can you get out of it, wots and wots of wabbits?


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THE CW LAUNCHES NEW, NONPARTISAN INITIATIVE TO SUPPORT AND PROTECT THE FREEDOM TO VOTE
Filed Under:CW, cw network, cw11 seattle, kstw, the cw, Vote Actually
Nonprofit Partners Include The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Vote.org
Building on Network's "Vote Actually" Campaign in 2020, "Freedom to Vote" Will Include PSAs and Social Content Featuring Actors from The CW's Primetime Series
READ MORE: 'LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga' Game Debuts
August 6, 2021 (Burbank, CA) ─ On the 56th anniversary of the monumental Voting Rights Act of 1965, The CW is launching a new, nonpartisan initiative entitled "Freedom to Vote," to help promote eligible voter protection and remove barriers to voting, it was announced today by Mark Pedowitz, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The CW. The effort builds on the network's 2020 "Vote Actually" campaign that helped to encourage millions of young people to be ready to vote and make their voices heard.
The new CW campaign is being developed in partnership with nonpartisan, nonprofit organizations including the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, dedicated to securing equal justice for all through the rule of law; and Vote.org, the largest voting registration and get-out-the-vote technology platform in America.
Among The CW talent featured in the multiplatform campaign, which kicks off today, include Sam Adegoke ("Dynasty"), Tala Ashe ("DC's Legends of Tomorrow"), Brec Bassinger ("Stargirl"), Coby Bell ("Walker"), Kaylee Bryant ("Legacies"), Melonie Diaz ("Charmed"), Liz Gillies ("Dynasty"), Grant Gustin ("The Flash"), Camrus Johnson ("Batwoman"), Olivia Liang ("Kung Fu"), Nicole Kang ("Batwoman"), Nicole Maines ("Supergirl"), Jeanine Mason ("Roswell, New Mexico"), Perry Mattfeld ("In The Dark"), Kennedy McMann ("Nancy Drew"), Candice Patton ("The Flash"), Danielle Rose Russell ("Legacies"), Azie Tesfai ("Supergirl"), Elizabeth Tulloch ("Superman & Lois"), Anjelika Washington ("DC's Stargirl"), and Karimah Westbrook ("All American"). The new "Freedom to Vote" PSAs — which encourages viewers to get involved at Vote.org/TheCW — will be broadcast during the network's primetime line up, across its digital platforms and apps, as well as on its social media outlets.
"Voting is the very foundation of our democracy. We all deserve the right to vote, and the right to fair access to cast those votes safely and securely. The CW has an opportunity and a responsibility to engage our multi-platform audience in the efforts of our esteemed partners to encourage leaders in Washington and around the country to protect and strengthen the freedom to vote," said Pedowitz. "Last year, we were so incredibly proud to have contributed in some way to getting more young people than ever to vote in the 2020 presidential election through our 'Vote Actually' campaign. Now, through our 'Freedom to Vote' initiative, we want to make sure that those young voters, and every one of the 240 million eligible voters, can continue to be able to make their voices heard in future national, state and local elections."
"Our democracy works best when people can participate freely, but measures that make it harder for some people to vote undermine the core of this great American principle," said Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. "That is why access to the ballot is one of the country's most pressing civil rights issues. This collaboration The CW will help to spread the message that all people of conscience should call for an end to voter suppression tactics and that Congress should pass comprehensive legislation to protect the sacred and fundamental right to vote."
"Vote.org was proud to have partnered with The CW on their 2020 Vote Actually Campaign, and we are excited to be partnering again in 2021 at this critical moment for our democracy," said Andrea Hailey, CEO. "This is an all hands on deck moment, and we need everyone, including companies, influencers, artists, and advocates to stand up for the freedom to vote. We applaud The CW for using its platform and leveraging its talent and voice to protect our democracy."
READ MORE: Thomas Rhett Is Hitting The Road With A 30 City Tour
About The CW
THE CW TELEVISION NETWORK launched in 2006 as America's fifth broadcast network, with programming targeting younger viewers, a demographic highly sought after by advertisers. The CW, a joint venture between Warner Bros. Entertainment and CBS Corporation, and now broadcasts across the week, offering fourteen-hours of primetime programming, Monday through Sunday, beginning in Fall 2021. The CW's primetime programming is also available to stream for free, without authentication, on the ad-supported CWTV.com and The CW app, now available on every major OTT platform. Additionally, The CW broadcasts a three-hour Saturday morning kids block. The CW's digital network CW Seed launched in 2013 and offers original short-form digital content as well as past seasons of fan-favorite television series.
About the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
The Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers' Committee), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. The principal mission of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice for all, particularly in the areas of voting rights, criminal justice, fair housing and community development, economic justice, educational opportunities, and hate crimes. For more information, please visit https://lawyerscommittee.org.
About Vote.org
MORE NEWS: Priyanka Chopra And Nick Jonas Welcome Their First Child
Vote.org is the largest 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan voting registration and get-out-the-vote (GOTV) technology platform in America, with the goal of reaching historically underserved voters of color and underrepresented young voters. Vote.org leverages innovative solutions that meet underserved voters where they engage and get their information, and has established its brand as the most trusted and accessible online resource for registering to vote and understanding how to cast your ballot.
Naomi - 'Unidentified Flying Object'

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Comics, I know I'm a Nerd, Movies, Television
Building a Comic Book Universe
May 20, 2015 May 20, 2015 CJ Dawn
One of the things you may have noticed while visiting this blog is that I love Superheroes. In just about any shape or size. I'll watch any film or TV show about them, and though I haven't had the opportunity to do a lot of comic book reading, I am currently working my way through quite a bit of Marvel's back catalog via their Unlimited service (which I highly recommend if you're interested in reading a lot of the older comics).
One of the things I love most about Marvel films is the joined Marvel Cinematic Universe. When I first started realizing it was happening, I was so excited about the originality of the idea. To take so many different franchises and combine them into one universe – it was unheard of, yet made so much sense. I loved watching the films and picking out all the Easter Egg-type references to the other characters and movies. It also amazed me how long Marvel must have been planning this in order for it to work.
The world building within the MCU is one of the reasons large team movies like The Avengers are able to work. The audience has already been introduced to most of the characters in their separate movies (except for Hawkeye and Black Widow; when is that happening Marvel?) so there isn't a lot of time needed to explain who these people are and where they're coming from. Under normal circumstances putting that many stars and that many characters together shouldn't have worked so well, but it did.
This is also one of the reasons I'm so nervous about the DC Universe films. They're attempting to build their Cinematic Universe the exact opposite way and throw as many characters as they can into Batman v Superman and see what happens; the cinematic version of throwing spaghetti on the wall to see what sticks. Even Suicide Squad could benefit from having a few of those characters show up in other films before all coming together at once. That's a lot of stories to explain in just a two-hour period. I have some definite concerns about how it'll all balance out.
However, while I have concerns about DC's big screen universe, they're small screen universe on the CW has been expanding and appears to be doing everything correctly. While the MCU is definitely winning at the Box Office (in my opinion) I think they could learn a thing or two from DC as far as television goes. Don't get me wrong – I love Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter, but I love them in a completely different way from the way I love The Flash and Arrow. S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter, while good shows, don't necessarily feel like comic book shows at all while The Flash and Arrow are terrific examples of a comic book show done right. With the introduction of Daredevil on Netflix, I think Marvel is finally starting to learn what makes a good comic book show, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the rest of the Netflix shows fit together, and how they interact within the larger MCU.
I love The Flash and Arrow, because they understand the concept of how building the stories separately makes it that much better when the heroes do come together. One of my favorite aspects of these shows is how connected they are – and I'm looking forward to seeing the overlap with Legends of Tomorrow next year as well. So often when a show is spun off from a series you can easily forget that they're technically still a part of the same world. I think there was one three-way crossover between CSI, CSI:NY and CSI: Miami in the entire time they were all on the air together. That's boring. I want to see these characters talking to each other once in a while, consulting on cases, etc.
The team behind CW's DC Universe understands this. There's frequent reference to each other, and frequent crossover, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. I also loved the episode of The Flash when Joe and Cisco went to Starling City. That rarely happens in other crossovers. In the CSI franchise, on CSI the Miami team would come to Vegas and then on the next episode of CSI: Miami, just Grissom would go to Miami. I've never seen any of the Chicago shows, but I suspect they have a much better understanding of the crossover than CSI did as well. When shows are from the same world, you want to see them interacting and living in that same world, not just going through the motions.
With the introduction of Legends of Tomorrow, they will probably be going in reverse and taking already existing characters to create a new show, but that's okay. Because those characters have already been introduced individually elsewhere, so like Avengers the show will most likely be focused on te team coming together. I suspect we'll be seeing even more groundwork laid for the show throughout next fall, before the series premieres midseason.
I haven't heard anything yet about crossover potential for Supergirl and the CW DC shows, but since they're all DC and produced by Greg Berlanti you have to consider the possibility (also, CBS and CW are owned by the same company). I think it would be fun to see Barry Allen show up in Supergirl, or vice versa. I'm also extremely disappointed we'll never see that Arrow/Constantine crossover that was supposedly being discussed by producers and writers. I think Gotham should remain it's own entity, however. Partly because I was extremely disappointed in that show and felt it didn't live up to it's potential. It's probably the weakest of the DC properties on television, in my opinion.
If DC took it's time and built their Cinematic Universe more like they're building the television universe, I would be a lot more excited about their upcoming slate of movies.
Tagged Agent Carter, Agents of SHIELD, Arrow, Avengers, DC, Legends of Tomorrow, Marvel, MCU, The Flash
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3 thoughts on "Building a Comic Book Universe"
swanpride says:
I am not really convinced of DC's TV-verse. Like with the movies, Marvel has a clear plan. ABC for family friendly shows which play in the "big league", Netflix for the gritty, street-level heroes. Or, ABC for Shield and Netflix for the defenders. DC is kind of a mess. The CW verse is coming along nicely (even though the "CW-ness" of those shows is putting me off) but then there is Gotham which is apparently not connected to anything, Supergirl which might or might not be connected…it is confusing. I am also not convinced that the CW concept will work with the common CBS audience.
This is why I focused mainly on the CW shows, because they're the ones that are connected and what they have done so far with that has worked very well. I don't think the shows are too "CW." In fact, with the exception of Supernatural, Arrow is probably one of the most mature shows on the channel. While both have good-looking casts, I think they do justice to the stories they tell without catering too much to CW's stereotypical audience. As for Supergirl, I'm not sure there will be a direct crossover, but since Berlanti is producing it I'm sure there may at least be a few easter eggs to suggest it's in the same universe as the CW shows.
Don't get me started on Gotham. It was a mess and I was extremely disappointed it did not live up to it's potential. I still haven't decided if I'm even giving it a second chance next year. Though with Fish gone, I might since hers was the storyline that seemed the most random and disconnected from the rest of the show.
After the pilot I suddenly realized that I don't even want to know more about the batman villains.
When I say "CW-ness" I mean love-triangles (in Arrow the love triangles have love-triangles), melodrama and at least one useless characters who is just there as love interest. Smallville had Lana Lang, Arrow had Laurel, Flash has Iris. Flash has waited longer for a lover-triangly scene than I thought they would, but that's mostly because Barry isn't the type for sleeping around. But Arrow? In this show the love triangles have love triangles. Oliver has a love triangle with everyone on the show with the exception of relatives and Diggle.


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Yucca es un género de plantas suculentas compuesto por 55 especies de la subfamilia Agavoideae nativas de Norte y Centroamérica, caracterizadas por sus rosetas de hojas con forma de espada y por sus racimos de flores blancas. No debe confundirse con el nombre común yuca de la especie Manihot esculenta.

Descripción

Ecología
Las yucas tienen un sistema mutualista muy especializado, siendo polinizadas por polillas de la yuca (familia Prodoxidae); el insecto transfiere el polen de los estambres de una planta al estigma de otra, y al mismo tiempo pone un huevo en la flor; la larva de la polilla luego se alimenta de algunas de las semillas en desarrollo, dejando siempre suficientes semillas para perpetuar la especie. Ciertas especies de la polilla de la yuca han desarrollado características antagónicas contra la planta y no ayudan en los esfuerzos de polinización de la planta mientras continúan poniendo sus huevos en la planta para su protección.

Las especies de yuca son las plantas hospedantes de las orugas del saltamontes gigante de la yuca (Megathymus yuccae), saltador gigante osino (Megathymus ursus), y el patrón gigante de Strecker (Megathymus streckeri).

 Los escarabajos herbívoros incluyen los gorgojos de la yuca, en los Curculionidae.

Usos

Su atractivo aspecto y rusticidad —al ser nativas de regiones áridas y aptas para la conservación del agua, requieren poco riego— hace que las yuccas se cultiven ampliamente como ornamentales; aunque los tallos y frutos de muchas especies sean comestibles, es raro su uso en ese sentido.

Particularmente notable es el sistema de polinización de la yucca; están adaptadas a mantener una relación de mutualismo con varias especies de lepidópteros de la familia Prodoxidae (conocidas como "mariposa de la yucca"), en que el insecto se encarga de transportar el polen desde los estambres de la flor masculina hasta el estigma de la femenina, pero a la vez deposita sus huevos en el ovario de la flor. La oruga, al nacer, se alimenta de las semillas de la planta, pero deja las suficientes para que ésta se reproduzca.

Numerosas especies anteriormente clasificadas como parte de Yucca hoy se han trasladado a los géneros Dasylirion, Furcraea, Hesperaloe y Nolina.

En los años 1960, las investigaciones del químico mexicano Alfonso Romo de Vivar descubrieron otra utilidad para esta planta del desierto, como fuente económica de esteroides de uso farmacéutico.

Taxonomía
El género fue descrito por Carlos Linneo y publicado en Species Plantarum 1: 307. 1753.

Etimología
Los primeros informes de las especies fueron confundidos con la yuca (Manihot esculenta). En consecuencia, Linnaeus deriva por error el nombre genérico de la palabra taína para estos últimos, yuca (que escribe con una sola "c"). Es también conocido coloquialmente en la parte baja del Medio Oeste de Estados Unidos como "fantasmas en el cementerio", ya que se encuentra comúnmente en crecimiento en los cementerios rurales y cuando está en flor el racimo de flores (generalmente pálidas) en un delgado tallo parecen como apariciones flotantes.

Especies
 Yucca aloifolia L.
 Yucca angustissima Engelm. ex Trel.
 Yucca arkansana Trel.
 Yucca baccata Torr.
 Yucca baileyi Woot. et Standl.
 Yucca brevifolia Engelm.
 Yucca campestris McKelvey
 Yucca capensis
 Yucca carnerosana
 Yucca cernua E.L.Keith
 Yucca coahuilensis Matuda & I.L.Pina
 Yucca constricta Buckl
 Yucca desmetiana Baker
 Yucca decipiens Trel.
 Yucca declinata Laferr.
 Yucca elata (Engelm.) Engelm.
 Yucca elephantipes Regel
 Yucca endlichiana Trel.
 Yucca faxoniana (Trel.) Sarg.
 Yucca filamentosa L.
 Yucca filifera Chabaud (= Yucca australis)
 Yucca flaccida Haw.
 Yucca gigantea
 Yucca glauca Nutt.
 Yucca gloriosa L.,
 Yucca grandiflora Gentry
 Yucca guatemalensis Baker
 Yucca harrimaniae Trel.
 Yucca intermedia McKelvey
 Yucca jaliscensis (Trel.) Trel.
 Yucca lacandonica Gómez Pompa & J.Valdés
 Yucca linearifolia Clary
 Yucca louisianensis Trel.
 Yucca madrensis Gentry
 Yucca mixtecana García-Mend.
 Yucca necopina Shinners
 Yucca neomexicana Wooton & Standl.
 Yucca pallida McKelvey
 Yucca periculosa Baker
 Yucca potosina Rzed.
 Yucca queretaroensis Piña Luján
 Yucca reverchonii Trel.
 Yucca rostrata Engelm. ex Trel.
 Yucca rupicola Scheele
 Yucca schidigera Roezl ex Ortgies
 Yucca schottii Engelm.
 Yucca sterilis (Neese & S.L.Welsh) S.L.Welsh & L.C.Higgins
 Yucca tenuistyla Trel.
 Yucca thompsoniana Trel. (= Yucca rostrata)
 Yucca torreyi Shafer
 Yucca treculeana Carr.
 Yucca utahensis McKelvey
 Yucca valida Brandegee

Véase también
 Descripción de las asparagáceas

Referencias

Bibliografía
 M. & G. Irish, Agaves, Yuccas, and Related Plants: a Gardener's Guide (Timber Press, 2000). ISBN 0-88192-442-3

Enlaces externos

Polinizadores
Plantas descritas por Linnaeus
Plantas descritas en 1753

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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WikiLeaks Sudbury
WikiLeaks Sudbury Legal Defense Fund
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Better scrutiny leads to reduced corruption and stronger democracies in all society's institutions, including government, corporations and other organizations.
Released on October 23, 2018 at 21:40 EDT
Election Rigged: Bigger's re-election was 'A Tragedy'
Brian Bigger (incumbent mayor) has been voted (defrauded) in for a second term as Greater Sudbury's mayor.
However, 71.68% Sudbury taxpayers are voted against Bigger and his fiscal policy.
Election rigged…
City clerk and solicitor Labelle accountable for election fraud
Ed Archer (CAO) left and Eric Labelle (City Solicitor) right
City clerk and solicitor Eric Labelle must be held accountable for voter fraud and should be fired immediately. This is an ideal example of incompetence, a culture of corruption and manipulation at Tom Davies Square that involves politicians and management. They are immoral and unethical.
After several hours of technical difficulties with the electronic voting system, the system crashed around 5:22 pm. The City had to extend voting for another day, until Tuesday October 23 at 8 pm.
It seems that the data has been compromised.
Sudbury Citizens are demanding a full explanation by bureaucrats who put this process in place and why there was no backup plan.
Sudbury is not ready to accept a corrupt bureaucrat City solicitor, Labelle's explanation and Bigger administration must provide answers to taxpayers. We must not forget that Bigger denied public access to Labelle's employment contract.
This well-coordinated election fraud orchestrated by powerful groups in the City hall, who refused to answer corruption allegations.
Democracy will prevail.
Released on October 21, 2018 at 7:00 EDT
Patricia Mills leading mayoral race
Forecast popular vote: 21.2% - 23.6%
Six-in-10 registered voters said the deficit, wasteful spending and KED are the factors in the poll taken between Oct 15-19, 37% who pledged to oppose Brian Bigger (incumbent mayor) and 23% who'll be voting to support him.
Fact Checker:
In 2014, the city of Greater Sudbury ran $7 million over budget; in 2015, $5 million over budget; in 2016, $3 million over budget; and in 2017, the budget deficit was over $17 million.
New hotel partners are a publicity stunt and not available as reported. Hilton franchise fee cost between $ 30-100 million.
Predicting Methodology
This poll was conducted from October 15-19, 2018, among a sample of 1859 Registered Voters. The interviews were conducted online and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of Registered Voters based on age, race/ethnicity, gender, educational attainment, and ward. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.
Please read here details of adapted methodology.
Bigger's political troubles deepen
Brian Bigger seeking second mandate as approval rating continually dropping
Cody Cacciotti (left) and Dan Melanson (right) gaining ground
Secret Contracts Raise Eyebrows
Privacy Commissioner Investigates Access to Employment Contracts
With reference to leaked documents from legal services division, WikiLeaks Sudbury confirms that Sudbury mayor Brian Bigger has full knowledge of General Manager Corporate Services Kevin Fowke and City Solicitor Eric Labelle's employment contracts.
The Bigger administration has denied public access to the contracts, prompting a complaint to Ontario's Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner.
Leaked document from Legal services division (click here)
The secret contacts have raised eyebrows among concerned citizens about the operation of City Hall. Critics worry the scandal demonstrates Bigger's unwillingness or inability to control his administration and is just the latest example of a civic government in disarray.
Fowke: Incompetent and negligence
Open Data Policy?
Sudbury taxpayers have the absolute right to know how City officials spend and receive public funds. There can be no more pertinent example of public spending than the employment contract of a municipal official.
Transparency and accountability for public funds is a hallmark of open government.
For too long now, Sudbury's municipal government has been bogged down by a corporate culture of opacity over how tax dollars are spent. Brian Bigger's mayoralty campaign (2014) ran on a platform of open and transparent government, but he has yet to deliver on this promise. The inner workings at City Hall are as opaque as ever. Mismanagement in the Bigger administration has had a ripple effect on Sudbury residents whose taxes pay for City services. Bigger needs to take to full responsibility for the secret dealings of municipal bureaucrats.
Investigation moved to adjudication stage
The Information and Privacy Commissioner's investigation into the employment contract controversy has now moved to the adjudication stage. WikiLeaks Sudbury will reveal the details of Fowkes' and Labelle's secret contracts as soon as they become available. Sudbury taxpayers have the right to know how their tax dollars are spent.
Political uncertainty and a dark cloud over Greater Sudbury
Greater Sudbury's confidence in its elected officials can only be alleviated in the face of rising poverty and unemployment levels if there is strong, sustained progress toward accountability and transparency in public administration. Bigger's administration must lower administrative costs and reduce its dependency on high property tax revenue if it wants to balance its budget. Even increased property taxes will not make much of a dent in the fiscal gap if administrative expenditures remain high.
Fowke's already generous package was just increased by 26%. Sudbury taxpayers have no any other options: if Brian Bigger cannot control his wasteful and secret administration, they and he should be kicked of City hall. The clock is ticking.
-----End----
Released on October 05 , 2018 @ 16:10 EDT
Can salaries and re-election prevent political corruption? An empirical evidence
This paper mainly focuses on decisions taken by politicians that may affect the level of municipal corruption. Specifically, we study whether local politicians' incentives to be corrupt are influenced by the wages they receive and/or their intention to run for next elections. This issue has hardly been empirically tackled before at local level.
A major problem in every political system is that politicians in office may use their power to pursue their own interests, rather than those of citizens. Politicians are in a position that allows them to divert public funds into their own pockets. In fact, it has been claimed that policymakers seek power, ego-rents and even bribes. Transparency International defines corruption as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. Corruption generally comprises illegal activities, which mainly come to light only through scandals, investigations or prosecutions. Although previous studies have explored several factors of corruption, most of them have been conducted at national levels. In fact, the European Commission considers that no comprehensive approach of corruption has been developed at regional and local levels.
The evaluation of corruption is more complex at the regional and local level. There are three principal approaches to measure corruption at the macro level: (1) general or target-group perception (2) incidence of corruptive activities and (3) bribes reported, the number of prosecutions brought or court cases directly linked to corruption. The first kind of measures reflects the feeling of the public or a specific group of respondents about corruption. The second approach is based on surveys among those who potentially bribe and those whom bribes are offered. The third kind of measures groups more objective variables that are also used as indicators of corruption levels. However, at local level, the difficulty of measuring corruption levels through any of these approaches has become a major obstacle due mainly to the limited availability of surveys and database needed to measure corruption in a proper way. For this reason, as stated above, while numerous have examined the determinants of corruption in an international comparative approach, municipal research on this issue is more scarce.
According to researchers as in all organizational contexts, an agency problem exists between elected officials and voters. Voters, principals, elect a politician, agent. The interests of politicians and voters are not perfectly aligned, so politicians in office may use their power to pursue their own interests, rather than those of the citizens. Researchers model this political agency problem as one of rent extraction. Voters pay taxes to fund public goods that are provided by politicians with uncertain costs. Given that politicians know these costs, they take advantage of this information asymmetry by extracting rents from the tax collected for personal benefit, which reduces the funds available for supplying public goods. Therefore, voters' utility decreases as the amount of rents extracted increases.
Although all of the ways of obtaining political rents can be seen as unethical, only some of them actually are illegal. According to Transparency International, corruption is defined as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain through illegal activities. This abuse of entrusted power by politicians through corruption is a threat to many modern democracies. However, while the pervasive effects of corruption have been well documented, the root causes are poorly understood.
Some recent empirical studies have explored the determinants of corruption, most of them at national levels. Furthermore, several of these factors have not been analyzed in depth. For example, while there are convincing theoretical arguments why political decisions affect corruption, the empirical evidence is rather scarce. Below, we present the literature on two main decisions taken by municipal politicians that may affect the level of corruption: politicians' wages and their intention to run for next elections.
Efficiency wage theories posit that higher levels of pay induce higher productivity. This effect can be explained by three different efficiency models. First, sociological models postulate that employees who believe they are overpaid (comparing their wages with those of comparable employees) are more likely to work harder and be more. Second, the shirking model suggests that employees overpaid exert effort and avoid improper behaviour so as to retain their jobs and continue earning above-market rents. While the first two arguments are due to motivation reasons, the third argument is based on the selection model. This model argues that firms have imperfect information about worker abilities, thus they may attract higher quality employees by offering higher wages.
All these models support the idea that a wage increase fosters employees' productivity. Reseachers complement the efficiency wages theories by examining the impact of relative wages on employee theft. Thus, they predict that relatively higher wages will discourage employee theft for two reasons: first, employees receiving relatively higher wages are less inclined to commit theft as they attempt to reciprocate positively to their employers and/or to retain their high-paying jobs (motivation mechanism); second, firms that offer relatively higher wages may attract a higher proportion of honest workers (selection mechanism). Researchers also contribute to the management control literature that examines the effects of control mechanisms on employee behavior. Thus, higher wages can provide an alternative mechanism to deter fraudulent behaviour, beyond other honesty inducing control mechanisms studied in the accounting and control literature.
However, not all politicians respond in the same way to the same incentives. Thus, regardless of the wage level, some politicians might be corrupt because of their own psychological or moral makeup, or because some of the bribes offered may be too large for some politicians to resist. In this sense, the fight against corruption pursued exclusively on the basis of wage increases can be very costly to the budget of a municipality, which may not be welcomed by citizens, and can achieve only part of the objective, since despite high wages, some individuals may continue to engage in corrupt practices
Extending efficiency wage theories to the public sector, state that paying politicians more could also improve their performance (productivity) for different reasons. First, politicians' morale could increase as their wages rise (sociological models). Second, paying politicians better may increase their performance because of their need to hold office (shirking model) Finally, higher wages will attract more quality citizens into politics (selection model).
Note: This article originally published on Spanish Accounting Review 21 (1) (2018) 19–27. Brief overview and excerpts of the articles and concepts are noted above.
Benito at al (2018). Can salaries and re-election prevent political corruption? An empirical evidence, Spanish Accounting Review 21 (1) (2018) 19–27.
Can salaries and re-election prevent political corruption?
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HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
Founded in 1919, Michuda Brothers was two immigrant brothers from Czechoslovakia in pursuit of the American Dream. After escaping harsh working conditions that took advantage of immigrants in rural Wisconsin, brothers Tony and Leo Michuda began their construction careers as carpenters for Pullman Railcars. Facing persecution from anti-immigration project managers, the two brothers began their business doing general carpentry for the Chicago Public Schools.
With work sparse in the public sector, much of Michuda Brothers' construction work dried up. Schools were budgeting to the bare minimum and with it went the reliable work Leo Michuda Sr had relied upon to support his family and their business. While many businesses lost everything, Michuda relied on innovative thinking and sheer determination to survive and with it came its new name - Leo Michuda & Son Co. With public sewage projects still receiving funding from the city of Chicago, Michuda saw the light at the end of the tunnel and entered a new sector.
With the United States preparing to enter World War 2, all industry focus nationwide went toward defeating the Axis powers. As public works and education projects shifted to war priorities, Leo Michuda & Son was enlisted to develop the Studebaker battle tank proving grounds in Indiana. Here tanks and other military vehicles were developed and tested to prepare for war.
THE POST WAR ERA
With the fall of the Third Reich and its allies, the United States quickly focused on job creation for the troops returning from war. With the City of Chicago ramping up public works projects, Leo Michuda & Son was instrumental in the design and construction of many of the bridges still in use today across Chicago's iconic river and skyline.
PUBLIC WORKS & THE DEPT OF DEFENSE
After surviving the Great Depression, Leo Michuda & Son found it had a knack for larger public sector work. With a culture deeply rooted in "thinking differently," Leo Michuda Jr, fresh out of Notre Dame, jumpstarted his involvement in the business' 3rd generation and began engineering new ways to service wastewater and larger road works projects across major highways. The year 1969 capped off The Lincoln Oasis service plaza project, for which Leo Michuda & Son was recognized with "The Architectural Design Award" for outstanding engineering feats in structural design.
Photographed Leo Michuda III his first year out of the University of Notre Dame
The 1970s brought expanded heavy construction, bridges, and roadworks projects to Leo Michuda & Son's portfolio. Leo Michuda Jr took over the business from his father Leo Michuda Sr and continued to grow the business into its third generation.
A NEW GENERATION
Mark (pictured left) and his brother Josef (right) joined their dad Leo in the mid-1980s out of college to take the family business into its 4th generation. With both his sons on board, Leo Michuda and Son Co became Michuda Construction Inc.
The 1990s brought both landmark projects and a bold new strategy to the Michuda Family. Michuda Construction completed a project on Chicago's famous Navy Pier. That same year, Michuda was awarded Family Business of the Year in 1999. With their sights set on the new millennia ahead, Mark and Joe made a bold decision to pivot out of nearly 90 years in the public work sector and began to blaze a new trail into the healthcare sector.
Michuda's name quickly gained respect and market share in healthcare. Joe and Mark's bold strategy paid off, as Michuda Construction began delivering quality and complicated projects for major healthcare systems throughout the Midwest.
With Michuda's healthcare sector continuing to expand throughout the Midwest, our culture of innovation brought new ideas and an ambitious project to this decade. Evergreen Senior Living was Michuda's first commercial healthcare development as a design-build, owner, and operator. This 116 bed senior living and memory care building in Orland Park is a state-of-the-art assisted living facility that offers unrivaled care and luxury to seniors in Chicago's south suburbs.
A STORY BEING WRITTEN
The COVID-19 pandemic started 2020 off on its back foot and Michuda Construction was honored to help its healthcare clients respond to the best of their abilities. As cases nationwide surged, Michuda quickly brought its occupied space experience and converted many sections of hospitals to temporary ICUs and Emergency Rooms. As the pandemic seems to be behind us, Michuda Construction has exciting things in the works toward expanding its footprint, its business, and most importantly, its family.


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Justin Gray
Atlanta Hawks Putting Together Impressive Resume
By: Justin Gray
The Atlanta Hawks are known as a good franchise, they've just never won much of anything as far as trophies go, while they have stacked many accolades. The Hawks have had plenty of success in the past, but have struggled to finish as they have only played in one NBA Finals (1958). The Hawks believe this is the team that can break that curse. Like other professional sports teams in Atlanta, they are built for success for many years to come. The Hawks are overflowing with young talent and some veteran pieces to complete the puzzle. The Hawks got hot two years ago and made a playoff run that was stopped just short in the Eatern Conference Finals. This year, they are poised to finish the job with superstar Point Guard Trae Young and first-year Hawk Dejounte Murray leading the way. The rest of the players rounding out the starters are De'Andre Hunter, John Collins, and Clint Capela. The bench has been a big part of their success as well with the new found talent of AJ Griffin. Veteran Bogdan Bogdanovic is injured, but a big key too. The Hawks hoist an 11-9 record through the first 20 games, while shooting the worst percentage from three. We all know if they turn that around it's going to be a great finish. The Hawks currently sit fifth in the Eastern Conference standings with 62 games still left to play. The Hawks have three games this week, Monday, November 28 they play in Philadelphia against the 76ers. On Wednesday, November 30, they go play the Orlando Magic and on Friday, December 2, they come home to play the Denver Nuggets. The Hawks will really get into the season right after Christmas. They are a very fun team to watch because they play hard and have a lot of talent. You can tune into these games on Bally Sports on your local TV Station.
David Durden Makes All-American Team
Swainsboro Bass Fishing Team Makes History in Regional Qualifier
Swainsboro Girl's Basketball Rolling Through Region Play


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Free Shows | 21+
9 - Twin Oaks
9:40 - Bandie
10:20 - Wax Charmer
11 - Magic Bronson
Free Show!
The Satellite & Buzzbands.LA Present SATELLITE NIGHTS
Magic Bronson
What makes Magic Bronson unique is that the duo - Matt Lieberman (bass, synths, most lyrics) and Michael Nicastro (vocals, synths, drum programming, production) - are constitutionally unable to write the same song twice. There's a wry, slacker-cool and slightly stoned thread running through everything, but beyond that they never know quite what will come out of the pot once they've thrown in and stirred the ingredients. The only constants are fat bass, sumptuous choruses and lyrics that range from artful absurdism to plain old pure emotion, as expressed by two guys who've had a long day and need to vent.
Wax Charmer
Wax Charmer is a series of contradictions, a Los Angeles-based rock band whose three members wield widely contrasting tastes and musical styles. The trio's diverse collection of influences ultimately makes its members more informed and nuanced musicians. It's this blend of sonic perspectives that culminates in a brand of rock music that is truly organic.
Bandie
Bandie is a fuzzy garage pop project started by drummer/guitarist Brian Hill in Los Angeles, CA. With a growing collection of energetically sincere songs, including a freshly released debut EP, Bandie is here to hum along to. Bandie is also Brian's dog's name. 🐾
Digging deep between the realms of deconstruction and self-realization, Twin Oaks put forth their sophomore release 'See You When I See You' with no limitations. Following the band's shoegaze-driven 2017 'Collapse EP' and patient intimacy of 2018 'Living Rooms EP', Brown continues to present deeply personal observations on isolation, societal pressure, death, and failed expectations. The emotional depths are elevated (this time) by the band's ability to navigate between haunting soundscape, driven dynamics, and quiet contemplation. "SEE YOU WHEN I SEE YOU is a process of diving into the most unsettling moments of life in order to find a better sense of self", states Brown. The writing spanned throughout the end of 2017 into 2018 and included the collaborations of drummer/percussionist Marilyn Beltran and bassist Aroldo Rios to bring the songs to full completion. Keeping to their DIY roots, Twin Oaks self-recorded and produced the album in October 2018 between Brass Plate Records and Domingo's home studio in Southern California. Twin Oaks has recently performed as a support act for The Joy Formidable, Mt. Joy, Emma Ruth Rundle, Flora Cash, Angelo DeAugustine, AKW, & Navvi. SEE YOU WHEN I SEE YOU released on June 14th, 2019.


Accidents always occur when you least expect it. If you live in Fauquier County, you are no doubt aware of the ever-present danger posed by our surrounding wildlife. When drivers are confronted with animals bounding into their path, there is rarely enough time to react.
When Mathew's Ford Expedition swerved to miss an oncoming deer, his vehicle struck a nearby fence. Needless to say, it wasn't a good scene, but it could have been far worse. Nobody was hurt and the deer survived unscathed; however, the truck wasn't as lucky. Having dealt with Warrenton Auto Services in the past, Mathew knew immediately where to have his vehicle towed. All jobs begin with a thorough appraisal. Our auto body shop has seen it all, but that doesn't make the work any less challenging. In this case, the damage was significant. The front of the vehicle, that bore the brunt of the damage, required obvious repairs to the fender, headlamps and hood. Even the iconic Ford emblem got badly scuffed up. In addition to the front end work, our team discovered additional damage along the quarter panel, running across the truck's side. Under the hood we noted a damaged sight shield and a bent upper tie bar. With our job clearly identified, and the go-ahead in place, we began tearing down the front of the vehicle.
Collisions like this can take a toll on the people involved, especially in the days and weeks following. Any collision can be a stressful event. As a busy business owner, Mathew didn't have time to waste in getting his truck back, and in good repair. We helped him out by handling the back-and-forth interactions with his insurance company. With over $5,000 in damage, it took our team approximately two weeks to finish the work. When Mathew arrived to pick up his truck, we're proud to report, it was like the accident never happened. Impeccable work and customer satisfaction is what we strive for with every vehicle that rolls into the shop.


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Elizabeth Warren Drank the "Club Soda of Beers" on Instagram
She celebrated her big announcement with an ice cold Michelob Ultra.
By Spencer Buell·	 1/2/2019, 5:06 p.m.
Get a compelling long read and must-have lifestyle tips in your inbox every Sunday morning — great with coffee!
Screenshots via Instagram Live
When Elizabeth Warren more or less launched her 2020 campaign on New Year's Eve, the world was watching. So plenty tuned in to watch as the Senator flipped on an Instagram Live stream from the kitchen of her Cambridge home later that evening, and, in a totally natural and cool way, cracked open an ice cold brew.
"I'm gonna get me, um, a beer," Warren said into the camera before retrieving a glass bottle from a fridge, as viewers pelted her with questions and pounded the Insta button that makes hearts show up on the screen. The video—reminiscent of the popular livestreams hosted by a certain soon-to-be-inaugurated Millennial—also featured cameos from her husband, Bruce Mann, and their dog, Bailey (who will supposedly be a fixture of the campaign).
As you might have imagined, not everyone was exactly buying the cracking-a-cold-one shtick (see: the Herald's front page, et cetera). The tweets, as they often are, were unkind. And in a moment where top Democrats and pundits seem fixated (fairly or not) on the question of whether she's likable enough to be president, there were plenty of people primed to get an insincere vibe from a live video of an allegedly chill night in.
Still, asked about the video by reporters on Wednesday, Warren suggested there may be some more Instagram-side chats in the future as the campaign gets underway. "It's one more way to be able just to invite people into your home," Warren said. "I wish I could just open the door and let lots of folks in, but this is a way to do it so that we get a chance just to kind of talk about whats going on. What matters to me is that everything in this campaign is about the people who are out there every single day, work hard, play by the rules and just want a government that's on their side."
WARREN TO IOWA: Sen. Warren emerges from state House chamber to talk to reporters, responds to questions about Iowa, Instagramming her beer#mapolihttps://t.co/pOWUwzakSm
— Gintautas Dumcius (@gintautasd) January 2, 2019
She also revealed that her brew of choice is a Michelob Ultra, which she dubbed "the club soda of beers." Which in case you were wondering is not a phrase in wide use, but is frankly a not bad way to describe the low calorie, low flavor stuff.
It's an open question whether the Instagram beer is a good or bad thing in terms of likability and so on. These things are an art, not a science. Donating her salary during the partial government shutdown, as she has pledged to do, might also help. But for what it's worth, she has been on record as a beer drinker before, telling us last year that her "go-to order" at Paddy's Lunch in Cambridge is "a light beer and a bag of Doritos." So, checks out.
Elizabeth Warren 2020
Spencer Buell	Staff Writer at Boston Magazine @spencerbuell
sbuell@bostonmagazine.com
Kitchens Guide 2018
A Minimalist Kitchen in the South End
Your Ultimate Guide to Boston Running Routes


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Senators are outraged over the police's killing of a 17-year-old student in Caloocan City who allegedly had drugs in his possession.
In a series of tweets, Senator JV Ejercito, a member of the Senate majority bloc, described the killing of Kian Loyd Delos Santos as "very, very disturbing," as he stressed that footages gave a clear picture that the victim was murdered.
"The killing of 17 year-old Kian Lloyd Delos Santos in the latest on war against drugs is very very disturbing," Ejercito said over Twitter, unedited.
"Seventeen year-old Kian Delos Santos is age of my eldest son. I feel for the father while watching the video. Sakit nito (This is painful)!" he added.
Delos Santos, a Grade 11 student, died after he was shot during a police operation in Barangay (village) 160 on Wednesdaynight. Police claimed he resisted authorities and allegedly fired at them. But witnesses and security footages obtained by the media depict a different scenario.
They said two policemen in plain clothes suddenly grabbed Delos Santos, blindfolded him, before they shot the minor. Witnesses said they saw the unarmed Delos Santos crying and pleading to the police not to shoot him.
Later the police said they found two sachets of "shabu" (methamphetamine hydrochloride) and a caliber .45 in his possession. Delos Santos' family vehemently denied that the victim was a drug user or a pusher.
Ejercito said the policemen involved in the killing should face charges. "Those policemen should be charged. Nakakagalit panoorin," he said.
"Saw this video report and what appears to be a lousy and terrible police operation. Again, WE CANNOT ALLOW LAWLESSNESS in this country #vigilance," Villanueva also posted on Twitter.
Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero, meanwhile, shared the same observation that the incident was a clear case of murder.
"The CCTV footage and eyewitness account clearly show that the boy was killed. The police officers involved are not only abusive, they are killers and criminals," he said.
"People lost faith in justice system because of its snail pace, possibility of money-buying justice. This is the problem but EJKs (extrajudicial killings) is not a solution," Angara said.
"To the many who condemn EJKs let's not stop there; let's work towards reforming our justice system. No to vigilante justice and killings and yes to reforms of police, courts, prosecution," he said.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said he will call for a Senate probe into Delos Santos' killing.
"Based on the video evidence presented so far in the media, it is quite possible that he was murdered by the policemen who accosted him. A Senate investigation is therefore necessary to establish the true facts, and to ensure that the integrity of the PNP remains intact," Gatchalian said in a statement.
"While I continue to support the government's campaign against drugs, it is imperative that we take all necessary steps to ensure that police impunity will never become the status quo in the Philippines," he said.
Senator Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, chair of the Senate committee on public order, said if the PNP's Internal Affairs Service (IAS) would "cover up (the incident) as in the case of Supt. Marcos," the Senate will exercise its oversight authority and conduct a separate inquiry.
"Having said that, I wonder why he's not hitting hard on the Customs people responsible, directly or indirectly for the apparent free flow into the country of tons of high grade meth coming from China? That, for the life of me, I can't understand," Lacson said.
Senator Richard Gordon, who chairs the powerful blue ribbon committee, said he would call for an investigation on the incident.
"We must be fair. You cannot fight the drug menace by just killing. You must go to the source," he said in an interview.
Gordon also advised President Duterte, "as a friend, to restrain himself" as it puts pressure on the police to carry out more killings in the name of the government's drug war.
"Even in war there are rules. Kaya nga 'pag ang sundalo qualified na o hindi makalaban, you don't just kill him. Drugs is the enemy and this is war but do it within the rules," he said.
Duterte's staunch critic Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, on the other hand, said he would request for an all-Senators caucus on Tuesday next week to bring the issue to the fore.
"Sobra na. Maling mali na talaga to (This is too much. This is really wrong). I cannot, in conscience, let this pass. The Senators should have a united stand to stop this," Trillanes said.
Another minority senator, Risa Hontiveros also condemned the killing.
"This butchery does not deserve a pat-on-the-back from the President. It deserves an investigation", she said. "Duterte commending 32 deaths and dismissing innocent lives lost as collateral damage reinforce impunity among our state forces," she added.
Senator Loren Legarda also said that while she supports the administration's drug war, the government should protect its people.
"We must protect our children and the citizenry from acts of impunity waged by some police and vigilantes," Legarda said.


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Archive for the 'egalitarianism' Category
Turchin on Human Sacrifice and Society
[by Mark Safranski / "zen"]
Last week I posted on Human Sacrifice and State-Building, which focused on research findings published in Nature regarding the role of human sacrifice in establishing hierarchical societies. My interest was primarily in the way the gory practices of ISIS today seem to mirror this dynamic from prehistoric, ancient and chiefdom societies. Bogfriend T. Greer helpfully alerted me to the fact that noted scholar and cultural evolutionist, Peter Turchin also blogged regarding this research and took a critical posture. Turchin, also addressed human sacrifice to some degree in his latest book, Ultrasociety, which has been on my list to read for his take on the role of warfare but which I have yet to do.
Turchin's reasons for blogging this article are different from mine, so I suggest that you read him in full as I intend to comment only on selected excerpts:
Is Human Sacrifice Functional at the Society Level?
An article published this week by Nature is generating a lot of press. Using a sample of 93 Austronesian cultures Watts et al. explore the possible relationship between human sacrifice (HS) and the evolution of hierarchical societies. Specifically, they test the "social control" hypothesis, according to which human sacrifice legitimizes, and thus stabilizes political authority in stratified class societies.
Their statistical analyses suggest that human sacrifice stabilizes mild (non-hereditary) forms of social stratification, and promotes a shift to strict (hereditary) forms of stratification. They conclude that "ritual killing helped humans transition from the small egalitarian groups of our ancestors to the large stratified societies we live in today." In other words, while HS obviously creates winners (rulers and elites) and losers (sacrifice victims and, more generally, commoners), Watts et all argue that it is a functional feature—in the evolutionary sense of the word—at the level of whole societies, because it makes them more durable.
There are two problems with this conclusion. First, Watts et al. do not test their hypothesis against an explicit theoretical alternative (which I will provide in a moment). Second, and more important, their data span a very narrow range of societies, omitting the great majority of complex societies—indeed all truly large-scale societies. Let's take these two points in order.
Turchin is correct that study focuses on Austronesian islanders in clan and tribal settings and that's a pretty narrow of a base from which to extrapolate. OTOH, the pre-Cortez estimated population of the Aztec empire begins at five million on the low end. Estimates of the population of Carthage proper, range from 150,000 to 700,000. That's sufficiently complex that the Mexica and Carthaginians each established sophisticated imperial polities and yet both societies remained extremely robust practitioners of human sacrifice at the time they were conquered and destroyed.
Maybe a more useful approach than simply expanding the data set would be to ask why human sacrifice disappears earlier in some societies than in others or continues to be retained at high levels of complexity?
An alternative theory on the rise of human sacrifice and other extreme forms of structural inequality is explained in my recent book Ultrasociety ….
….Briefly, my argument in Ultrasociety is that large and complex human societies evolved under the selection pressures of war. To win in military competition societies had to become large (so that they could bring a lot of warriors to battle) and to be organized hierarchically (because chains of command help to win battles). Unfortunately, hierarchical organization gave too much power to military leaders and their warrior retinues, who abused it ("power corrupts"). The result was that early centralized societies (chiefdoms and archaic states) were hugely unequal. As I say in Ultrasociety, alpha males set themselves up as god-kings.
Again, I have not read Ultrasociety, but the idea that war would be a major driver of human cultural evolution is one to which I'm inclined to be strongly sympathetic. I'm not familiar enough with Turchin to know if he means war is"the driver" or "a major driver among several" in the evolution of human society.
Human sacrifice was perhaps instrumental for the god-kings and the nobles in keeping the lower orders down, as Watts et al. (and social control hypothesis) argue. But I disagree with them that it was functional in making early centralized societies more stable and durable. In fact, any inequality is corrosive of cooperation, and its extreme forms doubly so. Lack of cooperation between the rulers and ruled made early archaic states highly unstable, and liable to collapse as a result of internal rebellion or conquest by external enemies. Thus, according to this "God-Kings hypothesis," HS was a dysfunctional side-effect of the early phases of the evolution of hierarchical societies. As warfare continued to push societies to ever larger sizes, extreme forms of structural inequality became an ever greater liability and were selected out. Simply put, societies that evolved less inegalitarian social norms and institutions won over and replaced archaic despotisms.
The question here is if human sacrifice was primarily functional – as a cynically wielded political weapon of terror by elites – or if that solidification of hierarchical stratification was a long term byproduct of religious drivers. It also depends on what evidence you count as "human sacrifice". In the upper Paleolithic period, burial practices involving grave goods shifted to include additional human remains along with the primary corpse. Whether these additional remains, likely slaves, concubines or prisoners slain in the burial ritual count as human sacrifices in the same sense as on Aztec or Sumerian altars tens of thousands of years later may be reasonably disputed. What is not disputed is that humans being killed by other humans not by random violence or war but purposefully for the larger needs of a community goes back to the earliest and most primitive reckoning of what we call "society" and endured in (ever diminishing) places even into the modern period.
This also begs the question if burial sacrifices, public executions of prisoners and other ritualistic killings on other pretexts conducted by societies of all levels of complexity are fundamentally different in nature from human sacrifices or if they are all subsets of the same atavistic phenomena binding a group through shared participation in violence.
….The most complex society in their sample is Hawaii, which is not complex at all when looked in the global context. I am, right now, analyzing the Seshat Databank for social complexity (finally, we have the data! I will be reporting on our progress soon, and manuscripts are being prepared for publication). And Hawaii is way down on the scale of social complexity. Just to give one measure (out of >50 that I am analyzing), polity population. The social scale of Hawaiian chiefdoms measures in the 10,000s of population, at most 100,000 (and that achieved after the arrival of the Europeans). In Afroeurasia (the Old World), you don't count as a megaempire unless you have tens of millions of subjects—that's three orders of magnitude larger than Hawaii!
Why is this important? Because it is only by tracing the trajectories of societies that go beyond the social scale seen in Austronesia that we can test the social control hypothesis against the God-Kings theory. If HS helps to stabilize hierarchical societies, it should do so for societies of thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions, tens of millions, and so on. So we should see it persist as societies grow in size.
Well, human sacrifice persisted into the classical period of Greece and Rome, though becoming infrequent and eventually outlawed, though only during the last century of the Roman republic. That's a significant level of complexity, Rome having become the dominant power in the Mediterranean world a century earlier. Certainly human sacrifice did not destabilize the Greeks and Romans, though the argument could be made that it did harm Sparta, if we count Spartan practices of infanticide for eugenic reasons as human sacrifice.
What muddies the waters here is the prevalence of available substitutes for human sacrifice – usually animal sacrifice initially – that competed and co-existed with human sacrifice in many early societies for extremely long periods of time. Sometimes this readily available alternative was sufficient to eventually extinguish human sacrifice, as happened with the Romans but other times it was not, as with the Aztecs. The latter kept their maniacal pace of human sacrifice up to the end, sacrificing captured Spanish conquistadors and their horses to the bloody Sun god. Human sacrifice did not destabilize the Aztecs and it weakened their tributary vassals but the religious primacy they placed on human sacrifice and the need to capture prisoners in large numbers rather than kill them in battle hobbled the Aztec response to Spanish military assaults.
Posted in analytic, ancient history, anthropology, Archaeology, blog-friends, ceremonial, complex systems, complexity, cooperation, counterpoint, culture, debate, egalitarianism, history, ideas, intellectuals, ISIS, magic, Musings, myth, politics, population, power, prayer, Prehistoric, psychology, Religion, sacrament, sacred, sacrifice, social science, society, sociobiology, symbolism, T Greer, Theology, theory, tribes, war | 1 Comment »
"We Hold these Truths to be Self-Evident…."
In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.
-Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
Posted in 18th century, America, democracy, egalitarianism, freedom, government, history, Human Rights, ideas, liberty, politics, Republic, revolution, symbolism | 1 Comment »
Kesler on R2P Hypocrisy
Nice catch by Bruce Kesler who goes en fuego on the weirdly discordant note Anne-Marie Slaughter strikes in her latest New York Times op-ed:
Majority Rule Over Minorities: Ironic R2P Hypocrisy
The extremism of R2P's leading proponent is exhibited in Anne-Marie Slaughter's op-ed in today's New York Times. Slaughter likens the Wall Street protesters to those demonstrating against oppressive regimes in the Middle East and recommends removal of the US system of checks and balances that protect minority views and avoid poorly developed political stampedes. (Slaughter doesn't mention or give credence to the more numerous, mature citizenry participating in or supporting the Tea Parties more peaceful protests for more limited government intrusions into Americans' private lives and earnings.)
R2P's leading proponent, Anne-Marie Slaughter of Harvard, believes that US foreign policies and military interventions should prioritize the Right To Protect severely repressed peoples through US obeisance to liberal internationalist elites' sentiments in favor of some they like regardless of the US Constitution or laws or national or security interests.
In today's New York Times, Slaughter takes her R2P home to the US, advocating that majorities rule regardless of the formal and informal checks and balances of our political system and overriding the rights of political minorities. Again, it is the majorities that liberals like who should be given more powers.
Without any sense of proportionality or of core differences between the US and Middle East satrapies, Slaughter says, "Indeed, the twin drivers of America's nascent protest movement against the financial sector are injustice and invisibility, the very grievances that drove the Arab Spring." Slaughter then concludes, "The only effective response is a political response, of a nature and magnitude that convinces protesters on the streets that they can in fact secure the change they seek within, rather than outside, the system."
Slaughter's system, however, would reduce the ability of permanent or transitory political minorities to protect their interests. They would, also, further factionalize the US and make compromises more difficult as the power of centrists is reduced….
Good grief. Anne Marie Slaughter opining on the need for greater democracy and accountability to the people is somewhat akin to Ayn Rand calling for more welfare programs.
My suspicion here, since this rhetoric runs counter to Slaughter's most influential ideas, is that Slaughter is just carrying water as part of the current Democratic political strategy of trying to co-opt the Occupy Wall Street movement. Perhaps the Axelrods and Podestas see that open-source protest movement to potentially be "their tea party". Whatever. I will take her op-ed more seriously when she is marching against the Hedge fundies and Wall Streeters who are top donors to her Party, her administration and her university.
You can put a three corned hat on a Princeton theorist of global governance by transnational "governmental networks" but even if you adjust the hat at a suitably jaunty angle for maximum populist effect, the agenda underneath is still neither democratic nor popular.
Posted in 21st century, academia, America, analytic, Arab Spring, democracy, democratic party, dystopia, economics, egalitarianism, elections, extremists, fisking, foreign policy, government, ideas, intellectuals, kesler, Liberalism, logic, networks, non-state actors, Oligarchy, politics, R2P, reform, Republic, rule-sets, Slaughter, society | 7 Comments »
2083 Graphics — a first look
[ by Charles Cameron — index of graphics, first 800 or so pages of the "2083 European Declaration of Independence", with some analysis ]
A great deal of work needs to be done on the 2083 European Declaration of Independence, and I thought a useful place to start would be a catalog of images.
The document opens with a graphical title:
— title page —
That's probably the largest single graphic in the entire work, and it puts the work squarely in the context of the Knights Templar — with e Templar cross and the full name of the order, "Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Solomonic" or Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon. The Templars were a Western Christian chivalric order strongly associated with the Crusades — and the topic more recently of much historical, occult and fictional speculation.
The date 2083 is a date SFE (in the Science Fictional Era) as was 1984 before it — but it was almost certainly chosen for its echo of the 1683 Battle of Vienna, which is commonly taken to represent the turning back of the Ottomans by the Habsburgs, and thus the victory of Christendom over Islam. Two maps show the Umayyad Conquests:
— p 228 —
and the Second Islamic Wave, turned back in Spain and at the gates of Vienna:
These can fruitfully be contrasted with a map of "tomorrow":
it being the author's contention that France will be the first European country to fall to Islamic dhimmitude. I suspect much the same is implied in this version of the French tricolore:
There are some pointed attacks on leftist intellectuals:
— p 33 —
and on media perceived as left-leaning, notably the BBC:
— p 384
— that's the Saudi flag mashed up with the BBC logo and star and crescent — and:
giving both "ancient" and "modern" variants on the theme…
There are some strange items which I'll drop in here for a breath of fresh air…
which appears to be a commentary on the respective attractions of Venus and Mars, since it's situated in a commentary on Feminism…
this really is a strangely mythic document… and…
with its reference to "mind control agents" — and those whose minds have been controlled are clearly sheep:
which may be the right moment to mention that the British, too, come in for a measure of contempt, via a quotation from none other than Osama bin Laden:
"When people see a strong horse and a weak horse, by nature they will like the strong horse". Perhaps its unsurprising that the author is something of an admirer of bin Laden's means, if not his ends.
Of course, that's largely the fault of the Labour party:
But that's probably enough for one post — in my next, I'll consider how weak we are, what the jihadist strategy against us is, and how the new Templars hope to turn the tide…
the worst threats to mankind.
Posted in al qaida, britain, Charles Cameron, christianity, Communism, culture, defense, egalitarianism, europe, extremists, fiction, framing, futurism, geopolitics, globalization, Hipbone Analysis, history, maps of war, military history, myth, nazis, non-state actors, philosophy, politics, propaganda, psychology, science fiction, security, soviet union, terrorism, thoughts illustrated, Uncategorized, warriors | 12 Comments »
"Law stands mute in the midst of arms. " – Marcus Tullius Cicero
"Bad laws are the worst form of tyranny" – Edmund Burke
"Make them bow their heads under the yoke of the law" – Russian proverb
Frequent commenter Schmedlap, who has a fine blog of his own, asked his readers a very important question:
Today a smart, well-traveled, experienced, knowledgeable guy was telling me that "rule of law" is a concept that we need to stop worrying about. Strongly disagreeing, I asked why. After he explained why, it became clear that he was working with a significantly different definition of "rule of law" than I knew of. It reminded me of recent discussions here and elsewhere over definitions of culture, torture, and terrorism. Given his definition of "rule of law" I agreed that it is not something that we need to worry about. If "rule of law" = his definition, then rule of law is not important. If "rule of law" = my definition, then rule of law is important.
Just curious, what is your understanding of what "rule of law" means?
I attempted to leave a comment, using a Google Chrome browser, but it failed to "stick", so I will pontificate in my usual, windy, fashion here instead.
The Anglo-American tradition of "rule of law" is distinct from that of continental Europe or Confucianist traditions in A sia, both of which are primarily concerned in different ways with the health of the state. Anglo-American "rule of law" has been an evolutionary – and sometimes revolutionary – march to constrain the exercise of arbitrary power and, eventually, assure an egalitarian access to justice. When Norman French-speaking King John of England bitterly complained at Runnymede that the English barons might as well demand his crown, he was right. The Magna Carta was intended to curb John's capricious tyranny with formal rules governing how and when the King could exercise power against whom.
As national monarchies coalesced out of bastard feudalism's kingdoms and medieval principalities in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the Kings propagated a theory of divine right absolutism, which to our ears seems despotic, but to a sophisticated and wealthy, emerging, European bourgeoisie at that time, sounded like music. Better living under predictable, "national" laws and a King far away than a patchwork of greedy, grasping and unpredictable nobles who were ever close at hand. That same, rational, middle-class political sentiment though, soon found fault with even Enlightened absolutism.
Lord Chief Justice Sir Edward Coke, a great man to whom much is owed, but who today is largely forgotten, was the great theorist and defender of judicial independence and common law from the whims of a sovereign. Without judicial independence, the rule of law is hardly possible because it is ultimately inseparable from the executive power; Coke was instrumental in moving elite Englishmen's minds from accepting "Rex lex" ("The King is Law") to demanding "Lex rex" ("The Law is king").
The matter was not formally settled with the English Civil War, which came not long after Coke's death, or even the Glorious Revolution of 1688; nor the American Revolution of 1776 or even at Appomattox Courthouse. "The rule of law" is an ongoing struggle that must be constantly renewed by an active and vigilant citizenry if it is to be sustained.
Posted in 16th century, America, anglo-saxons, anglosphere, britain, egalitarianism, europe, Evolution, freedom, government, history, ideas, legal, legitimacy, liberty, logic, politics, Republic, revolution, rule-sets, society, theory | 17 Comments »
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text:
Electric cars remove tailpipe emissions and may even strengthen the power grid
A Tesla Model S at a charging station in New York.
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
Millions more electric vehicles on the road could make the US power grid more resilient.
An innovation called vehicle-to-grid technology, or V2G, lets EVs supply electricity to the grid in times of need, but it's still in early stages.
Someday, EVs could store large amounts of energy and help the US shift to renewable energy sources.
As the US speeds toward a future filled with electric vehicles, it's reasonable to wonder how much more demand the power grid can take. After all, during a recent heatwave, California's grid operator urged customers to limit charging their cars to avoid blackouts.
However, energy and transportation experts say that with some planning, utilities are fully capable of handling more clean cars plugging in. Better yet, electric SUVs, trucks, and buses can strengthen the grid if deployed smartly.
EVs can store energy for when it's needed most
There's a long road ahead
EVs are already helping out the grid on a small scale
When electric cars are parked (which is most of the time), their batteries can collectively become a valuable asset to the greater grid, experts say.
Someday, millions of vehicles could use special bidirectional chargers to absorb energy when it's plentiful and release it back to the grid as needed, helping utilities manage heatwaves and other spikes in demand. This vision rests on something called vehicle-to-grid technology, or V2G.
Experts like Matthias Preindl, an electrical engineering professor at Columbia University, also anticipate that V2G could help wean the country off dirty energy sources. Solar and wind power are intermittent, so turning the lights on when the sun isn't shining or the wind isn't blowing requires storing energy for later. Electric cars could do just that, he said.
"If we want to go to 100% renewables, which is now the target of many states, that requires a lot of batteries," Preindl told Insider. "And cars seem to be the only really viable solution at the moment."
If much of the US fleet goes electric, the amount of battery storage available is enormous: The National Resources Defense Council estimates that the 14 million EVs expected to be on California's roads by 2035 could power all the state's homes for three days.
Although V2G is already being implemented in limited ways (mainly through pilot programs), there are hurdles to the technology going mainstream.
For regular EV owners to supply energy to the grid on a large scale, automakers, charging firms, and utilities will need to standardize the process, Andrew Meintz, a chief engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, told Insider. Participants will also need to get paid by utilities for their contributions, he said.
A more feasible use case for V2G in the short term could be with large fleets, Meintz said. Amazon, for example, has the money and sway to work with utilities, vehicle makers, and charging companies to iron out the kinks.
Highland Electric Fleets, which provides electric buses and charging infrastructure to school districts, has experimented with V2G as another revenue source since 2021. This summer, its two V2G-enabled school buses in Massachusetts pushed power to the grid almost daily to help the local utility handle periods of high energy consumption, Sean Leach, the firm's director of technology, told Insider. It's planning more extensive V2G projects in Vermont, Maryland, and elsewhere.
One of Highland Electric Fleets' school buses plugged into a charger in Beverly, MA.
Highland Electric Fleets
"At the end of the day, let's use these buses for what they can do. These batteries are huge. They spend a lot of time not doing anything because the routes are very predictable for schools," Leach said. Right now, the firm gets emailed requests to offload energy, but it's working to automate things.
It'll take a lot of work before we see millions of EVs seamlessly assisting the larger grid. But some vehicles can already share energy locally in useful and interesting ways. Ford's F-150 Lightning pickup can provide emergency backup power to customers' homes, so long as they have the right at-home charger. Upcoming trucks from General Motors promise to do the same.
Edward J. Klock-McCook, a principal at the sustainability think tank RMI, told Insider that if it becomes popular enough, this sort of capability could benefit the grid much in the same way that a full-blown V2G future would. Armed with the big batteries in their Lightnings and Chevrolet Silverado EVs, homeowners could supply their own electricity during blackouts or when the grid is stressed.
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Sale Arts Trail – Weeks of organising and its finally here. The Sale Arts Trail starts Friday 11th July with a preview evening at the Waterside Arts Centre 6pm-9pm and continues over the weekend at several venues around Sale. Love to see you there!


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