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President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden leads Trump by 36 points nationally among Latinos: poll Trump dismisses climate change role in fires, says Newsom needs to manage forest better Jimmy Kimmel hits Trump for rallies while hosting Emmy Awards MORE’s State of the Union address will undoubtedly be full of bragging and superlatives, which most folks have learned to brush off with a smile. But his vision for infrastructure, expected to be previewed during the speech, should be heeded by Congress, governors, and mayors with extreme caution. When looked at beyond Trump’s rhetoric, this supposed “$1 trillion dollar plan” is just a bait and switch to lure votes, while delivering serious profits to his political cronies. It’s a scam that would roll back the federal government’s historic role building up this country’s infrastructure, and instead hit working- and middle-class families with higher taxes, tolls, and fewer jobs. According to expert analysis, the president’s approach to infrastructure would actually cut $1.69 for every $1 of proposed expenditure. That’s right — Trump’s approach would lead to a net cut in jobs, perhaps in the hundreds of thousands. ADVERTISEMENT Of course, that won’t stop Trump from using fuzzy numbers and quack math. After boxing himself in with a campaign promise to spend $1 trillion on infrastructure, the Trump proposal only dedicates $200 billion in federal funding. But even that $200 billion is phony money — late last week, Trump infrastructure advisor DJ Gribbin told a group of mayors that there will be “no new revenue,” but that the $200 billion pot will come from cuts to Amtrak, TIGER and other existing infrastructure programs. No wonder Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has called the proposal “fairy dust.” Meanwhile, the Trump budget would let one of the most important infrastructure funding vehicles, the Highway Trust Fund, wither and die. That would mean a $138 billion cut — hence the net decrease in federal spending. How would any infrastructure ever get built or repaired under this plan? Only if states and cities will have to go it alone. Currently, the average highway project gets 80 percent federal funding and 20 percent state or local. Under Trump’s plan, that formula would get flipped on its head — 80 percent or more from states and localities, and a maximum of 20 percnet from the federal government. It’s classic Trump: he’ll take credit for building it, but you pay. For many states and cities, there’s only one way to raise that kind of money — selling off public assets to private investors looking to make a profit. Trump’s political cronies may love that, but it comes at a huge price. Investors typically aren’t interested in a project that doesn’t reap profits and for that reason they’re only interested in big projects in affluent areas. Because of this, equity financing is typically three to five times more expensive than municipal bond debt and federal loans. But, the real need is smaller repair and rehabilitation projects, many in rural communities, which private investors won’t see as lucrative and leave behind. And the high costs of the projects they do choose to finance will, in turn, result in exorbitant user fees to pay off their cost — meaning higher tolls, parking rates, and water fees. It also allows private corporations to sidestep public health and environmental protections — leading to dirtier air and water, which is not only dangerous, but deeply unpopular. The Trump plan will propose additional and more detrimental changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and other bedrock environmental laws, making it easier for project developers to secure permits despite potential impacts on air, water and wildlife. Americans don’t buy the false choice that we need to sacrifice our clean air, clean water, and wildlife to fix our bridges and roads. Polling by the Center for American Progress shows that 94 percent of American voters, including 92 percent of Trump voters, reject the idea that we have to make a choice between the two. But the Trump proposal all but makes the choice for us, cutting environmental corners to not only risk key health and public safety safeguards, but leading to higher costs later on. Deregulation tactics on risk-laden infrastructure projects that aren’t properly vetted — including pipelines, drilling projects, and new mines — have proven time and again to cripple communities that are then left to clean up an otherwise preventable mess. Look no further than 2017, a year in which natural disasters caused $306 billion in total damage. We can’t make those same mistakes, and take those same shortcuts that threaten the safety of our communities when that infrastructure is rebuilt. Instead, we must rebuild with resilient projects that employ the best standards for protecting and strengthening our environment. This is the same story we’ve seen from Trump time and time again. He promised a compassionate health care bill and a tax plan that would work for the middle class. Instead, the biggest corporations, private jet owners, and K street lobbyists got their wish lists fulfilled, while working class families were handed the bill. Over and over again, he employs populist rhetoric to paper over plans that are simply giveaways to the rich. Real improvements to America’s infrastructure can be made but the federal government must pull its weight, and Congress must not blindly trust Trump’s claims of a grandiose infrastructure plan as anything but a snake-oil fallacy. The only acceptable solution is robust, comprehensive investments in equitable and sustainable projects that leave no community behind. We won’t be fooled by yet another Trump scam, we won’t allow the cost of Trump’s plan to be passed off from Wall Street, and we won’t settle for anything less than a fully funded infrastructure plan that builds a better America for the 21st century. Tate Hausman is the co-director of the Millions of Jobs campaign, a national coalition of labor unions, environmental organizations, racial justice groups and grassroots powerhouses who are fighting for robust, sustainable investment in America's infrastructure.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
When we sat down to create the Tandemly mark, the first question we asked ourselves was, “What is our mission?” We setup a sprint to…	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
This post is also available in: Français Deutsch Português Русский The Trust Protectors election will be held in March for the Dash DAO Irrevocable Trust, which was originally formed in July 2017 to ensure that the Dash Core Group (DCG), the biggest organization responsible for Dash’s development, is held accountable to the Dash network. Update on Trust Protectors election: -Dash Watch will audit -Approval voting system Aspirants can submit their candidacies until Feb 24th.#dash #governance #blockchain #fintech https://t.co/NQIfwPWdYe — DASH (@Dashpay) February 3, 2019 The trust is structured so the Dash network is the beneficiary, the trust owns 100% of the shares in the Dash Core Group, and the trustee ensures that the everyday work of DCG is following the best interests of the network. The Trust Protectors serve as a check and balance system to ensure the trustee and DCG are doing their jobs and have the ability to replace any members if they are not satisfactorily servicing the best interests of the network. The Dash masternode network then reelects the six Trust Protectors every year to ensure they also have the best interests of the network in mind. Dash Core Group will be working with Dash Watch as an objective third party to audit the nomination process and ensure that nominees meet proper prerequisites. Dash Watch will be taking applications at [email protected] up until February 24th. Nominees will have to submit “valid ID and proof of residence, since the trustee will need to perform KYC checks before confirming the appointment of any elected trust protector” along with other criteria. Of legal age Mental capacity Not a felon No conflict of interest with the position Not citizens of Iran, North Korea, Syria, Sudan or Cuba, and not in the list of Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) maintained by the US Department of the Treasury. The election will be an approval voting system and “the software will be open source so anyone can check the process”. Contract systems create foundation for decentralized systems Cryptocurrency was created out of an anti-state philosophy to maximize utility and prosperity to consumers seeking financial and monetary independence. However, free markets highly value, respect, and enforce the rule of voluntary contracts, which ensures that all parties fulfill their end of the bargain. These contracts become even more important in cryptocurrency since work is often dispersed throughout the world and often require the delegation of responsibility to a handful of individuals with specialized knowledge and skills. Dash’s structure is ensuring that this delegation of responsibility does not diverge from its obligation to serve the network by setting up a system of checks and balances. Currently, Dash Core Group is funded from the DAO Treasury funds (10% of monthly block rewards) by a masternode vote, whom each have a 1,000 Dash vested financial interest. Under this system, the Dash Core Group can be defunded, but this is often seen as a nuclear option since it is “all-or-nothing”. However, the Dash DAO Irrevocable Trust and the Trust Protectors will enable surgical precision to adjust or remove whomever/whatever is deemed to be problematic leadership, workers, and/or projects. The KYC checks and prevention of participants from certain countries has raised concern within the community that aims for decentralization. It was clarified this is because the Dash Core Group is incorporated as a United States company and having a Trust Protector from these countries would create additional compliance headaches for the cryptocurrency company that already has many. However, this specification only affects Dash Core Group and not Dash, which is borderless. A potential future solution is to reorganize DCG across multiple jurisdictions, but DCG could not pursue this option in the present due to time and money restraints. Innovating on old legal systems This method of contract enforcement is not new since it currently exists around the world in the form of laws and court systems. However, this system has often invoked the ‘stick’ of the ‘carrot and stick’ motivation theory to encourage individuals to follow the rulings and agreements of voluntarily agreed contracts. Dash innovates by leveraging the ‘carrot’ through multiple financial incentives to maintain peaceful and productive relations. The Dash Trust Protectors will be another check and balance in the new system to help ensure a Decentralized Autonomous Organization can function at least as well as the old legal system. The Trust Protectors can best be compared to a board in a company that oversees major actions and simply intervenes when leadership goes astray to keep the company on course for the best interest of the shareholders. This better enables Dash to self-regulate without the need for government intervention, while also ensuring that the network can stay decentralized, maintain consensus, and develop new innovations. *Update: A previous version of this article incorrectly wrote the Dash Watch email for Trust Protectors election inquiries. The correct email is [email protected] and the article has been updated appropriately.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
A Promising Candidate for Most Dangerously Dishonest Public Health News Release of the Year Cigarette smoking is incredibly dangerous. It ranks high on any reasonable list of preventable causes of mortality and morbidity. So preventing or reducing cigarette smoking, especially among the young, rightly ranks high on the agenda of any responsible public health agency. (I get it that it’s possible to disagree on the grounds that public health agencies simply shouldn’t be spending tax dollars trying to affect people’s voluntary self-damaging behavior. Second-hand smoke exposure isn’t voluntary, but it’s also significantly less hazardous than smoking itself.) What’s dangerous about smoking is overwhelmingly the tar produced when tobacco is burned. It’s the nicotine in tobacco that makes smoking addictive, but it’s mostly the tar that makes smoking deadly. There are risks associated with nicotine too, and risks associated with various tobacco additives. But they are tiny in comparison. Most smoking-related health effects are from the smoke. Nicotine addiction drives people to keep smoking, but it’s mainly the tar in the smoke that makes them sick. E-cigarettes are a delivery vehicle for nicotine-containing vapor. E-cigs do not burn tobacco and do not release tar. The addictiveness of e-cigs is comparable to the addictiveness of real cigs. The risk to health, however, is not comparable. There are some known hazards associated with vaping electronic cigarettes; there are other hypothesized hazards that seem likely or at least possible. But the total known and credibly hypothesized risk of vaping is at least a couple of orders of magnitude smaller than the known risk of smoking. Even CDC head Tom Frieden, whose fervid opposition to e-cigs is unquestioned, concedes that “stick to stick” e-cigs are safer than real cigs. Since e-cigs haven’t been popular for decades yet, it is theoretically possible that there is some huge, unexpected, long-latency, devastating health surprise lurking in the futures of vapers. But for e-cigs to turn out anywhere near as dangerous as real cigs would be a shock, as unlikely as discovering (as per the 1973 Woody Allen film “Sleeper”) that chocolate is a cure for cancer. It follows that the most important health question about e-cigs, by far, is how vaping affects smoking, and therefore smoking risk. It is possible that vaping increases smoking risk. E-cigs could turn out to be a gateway to real cigs. A nonsmoker, perhaps an adolescent, who would have forever resisted the temptation to start smoking (knowing it to be very dangerous) might be less resistant to the temptation to start vaping – perhaps precisely because vaping is much less dangerous. Then the pleasures of vaping might start to pall and the vaper might move on to cigarettes instead (or as well). It is possible that vaping decreases smoking risk. E-cigs could turn out to be a replacement for real cigs. A smoker who feels unable to quit cold turkey might switch to e-cigs, in whole or in part – and might then quit entirely (or keep vaping forever). Or a nonsmoker who would otherwise have started smoking, perhaps an adolescent seeking the pleasures of nicotine and the security of a cigarette-like prop, might start vaping instead, and might keep vaping forever (or quit vaping eventually), never moving on to cigarettes. Since vaping is much less hazardous than smoking, the health effects of vaping itself (though still worth considering) are much less important than the degree to which vaping leads to smoking versus the degree to which it replaces smoking. Thus: Insofar as vaping leads to smoking – that is, if nonsmokers who would otherwise have eschewed tobacco altogether decide to vape and then later decide to smoke – then e-cigs do major public health harm. Call that the big bad effect. Insofar as vaping replaces no tobacco use – that is, if smokers switch to vaping instead of quitting entirely, or if nonsmokers decide to vape instead of avoiding all sources of nicotine – then e-cigs do comparatively minor public health harm. Call that the small bad effect. Insofar as vaping replaces smoking – that is, if smokers switch to vaping instead of continuing to smoke, or if prospective smokers decide to vape instead of starting to smoke, or if smokers vape some of the time when they would otherwise have smoked – then e-cigs do major public health good. Call that the big good effect. We have more and more data about the comparative size of these three effects – the big bad effect, the small bad effect, and the big good effect. But there aren’t that many good studies yet, especially long-term studies. There isn’t a solid basis for a consensus scientific judgment. I suspect the third effect – the big good effect – outweighs the other two. But I’m guessing, and there are certainly people whose guesses go the other way. This is one case where “Further research is needed” is the God’s honest truth. Further research is badly needed. We really need to know ASAP whether vaping does mostly harm or mostly good, so we can work on public policies to discourage or encourage it. We need to know this overall, and we need to know it for specific target groups such as adolescents. Arguably in the meantime, when we don’t know whether vaping does mostly harm or mostly good, we should neither discourage nor encourage it. But not necessarily. You could make a case that any possible threat to health, especially an addictive one, needs to be stopped (at least in adolescents) before it becomes too rooted to stop, that we have no business permitting – far less encouraging – e-cigs unless we have convincing evidence that the good outweighs the harm. Or you could make a case that any source of pleasure and voluntary economic activity deserves the benefit of the doubt, that we have no business regulating e-cigs without convincing evidence that the harm outweighs the good. Adolescents ideally should not have access to any nicotine delivery product. The longer we can postpone their decisions about tobacco use, the wiser those decisions are likely to be – and the less damage they will do to their health if they decide unwisely. But despite strenuous prevention efforts, American teenagers have long had easy access to combustible tobacco, and now have easy access to e-cigs as well. A policy of equal opposition to all tobacco products makes less public health sense than a policy that takes the comparative risk of different tobacco products into consideration. This is compatible with the public health principle of harm reduction. Why don’t we know yet whether e-cigs are likelier to lead to smoking or to replace smoking? One problem is that the research so far doesn’t yield clear conclusions, even clear tentative conclusions. Many of the studies contradict each other; many are hard to interpret. Another problem is that the studies can’t necessarily be trusted. Or at least the “Introduction,” “Discussion,” and “Conclusions” sections of the studies can’t necessarily be trusted. Maybe the “Results” sections are trustworthy; I have no way to know. Studies done or sponsored by the e-cig industry are by definition untrustworthy, no matter how accurate or misleading they may actually be, simply because the industry has an obvious stake in the outcome. But in an ideal world we would have reason to trust studies done or sponsored by public health agencies. After all, reducing smoking risk is a top priority for these agencies. So they should want to find out – objectively – whether e-cigarettes are a dangerous step backwards or a useful tool. They should want to find out – but they seem to think they already know. Many if not most public health agencies have decided on ideological grounds that e-cigs are a dangerous step backwards. They may design their studies to validate that predetermined position. They frequently interpret their studies to do so. Which brings me to my candidate for the most dangerously dishonest public health news release of the year. I’ll start with the survey report on which the release was based. The MMWR report “Tobacco Use Among Middle and High School Students – United States, 2011–2014” appeared in the April 17, 2015 issue of the CDC’s flagship publication, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report ( MMWR ). Its 12 authors are all affiliated with the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health or the Center for Tobacco Products of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The report analyzes data from the 2011–2014 National Youth Tobacco Surveys. These annual surveys ask a sample of public school students whether they have used each of various tobacco products at least once in the previous month. There is no measure in this particular instrument of how often or how long students used each of the products, just whether or not they cop to at least one recent use. Nine products are currently covered. Five produce smoke: cigarettes, cigars, hookahs (water pipes), ordinary pipes, and bidis (thin, hand-rolled cigarettes from South Asia). The other four are smokeless tobacco (chewing tobacco, dipping tobacco, snuff, etc.), snus (like dipping tobacco but you don’t need to spit), dissolvable tobacco (melts in your mouth), and e-cigarettes. (I’m not getting into the debate over whether e-cigs should count as a kind of tobacco product. There is no tobacco in e-cigarettes. But the nicotine in e-cigs is often – not always – made from tobacco. It’s arguable either way, and except when trying to interpret broadly written laws and regulations it’s not what matters.) The entire report runs just nine paragraphs. If you read those nine paragraphs carefully and objectively, the big news is that between 2011 and 2014 teenagers’ e-cigarette use went up while their real cigarette use went down – so much so that in 2014 more middle and high school kids reported recently using e-cigs than real cigs. Kids’ overall tobacco use didn’t change significantly during the past three years. But the kinds of tobacco kids used did change, and the main change was from smoking to vaping. Not just from real cigarettes to e-cigarettes. From smoking to vaping. That is, it’s not just kids’ cigarette use that went down. Total smoking (hookahs, cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and bidis) went down too between 2011 and 2014, even though hookah use – part of the total – rose precipitously. Here are the relevant high school smoking numbers: Hookahs 4.1% to 9.4% +5.3% Cigarettes 15.8% to 9.2% -6.6% Cigars 11.6% to 8.2% -3.4% Pipes 4.0% to 1.5% -2.5% Bidis 2.0% to 0.9% -1.1% Between 2011 and 2014, while high school e-cig use soared from 1.5% to 13.4%, high school smoking declined. The middle school numbers show the same pattern: hookah use up from 2011 to 2014, every other kind of smoking down, total smoking down. You can’t simply add up the five kinds of smoking numbers to calculate how much teenage smoking declined, since a lot of kids reported using more than one combustible product. In some previous years, the MMWR reports on the National Youth Tobacco Surveys included data on the percentage of middle and high school students who used any combustible tobacco product, allowing direct quantitative comparisons: change in total smoking from year to year, and total smoking versus total vaping versus total use of other tobacco products. This key number – how many kids in 2014 said they had smoked some kind of tobacco in the previous month – has not yet been released. But it’s clear from the numbers we do have that total smoking is down. When the 2014 total smoking number is eventually released, it will be interesting to see whether or not the CDC makes a big deal out of the “Teen Smoking Down” story, the way it made a big deal out of the “Teen Vaping Up” story in April 2015. The rate of decline in youth cigarette smoking over time is also worth noting. From 2000 to 2011, the number of high school students who smoked cigarettes declined by an average of 1.1% per year. From 2011 to 2014, the decrease averaged 2.2% per year. The middle school average annual decline hasn’t accelerated this way; it averages a steady 0.6% per year throughout. With these facts in mind – overall teen smoking down, teen cigarette smoking down at a faster rate than the previous decade – now consider the focus of the MMWR report. The report’s first paragraph summarizes what the authors consider most important in the rest of the text. Here it is, with references and a sentence on methodology omitted: Tobacco use and addiction most often begin during youth and young adulthood. Youth use of tobacco in any form is unsafe…. In 2014, e-cigarettes were the most commonly used tobacco product among middle (3.9%) and high (13.4%) school students. Between 2011 and 2014, statistically significant increases were observed among these students for current use of both e-cigarettes and hookahs (p<0.05), while decreases were observed for current use of more traditional products, such as cigarettes and cigars, resulting in no change in overall tobacco use. Consequently, 4.6 million middle and high school students continue to be exposed to harmful tobacco product constituents, including nicotine. Nicotine exposure during adolescence, a critical window for brain development, might have lasting adverse consequences for brain development, causes addiction, and might lead to sustained tobacco use. For this reason, comprehensive and sustained strategies are needed to prevent and reduce the use of all tobacco products among youths in the United States. The paragraph stresses that teenage e-cig and hookah use increased from 2011 to 2014, while total tobacco use didn’t change. It acknowledges that “current use of more traditional products, such as cigarettes and cigars” decreased. It doesn’t bother to point out that overall teenage smoking decreased too. In fact, some of the numbers I needed to draw the conclusion that overall teenage smoking decreased aren’t in the April 2015 report. I had to get them from an earlier report. All these numbers together still don’t prove that vaping has replaced smoking for a lot of teenagers. The annual surveys can’t tell us how many vapers will “progress” to smoking in the next few years. And they can’t tell us whether teenage cigarette (cigar, etc.) use would have gone down between 2011 and 2014 even if e-cigs had never been invented. Teen smoking started declining well before teen vaping started rising. So maybe the last three years’ rise in vaping isn’t contributing to the last three years’ decline in smoking. Maybe smoking would have declined just as much – or more – if nobody were vaping. Maybe vaping is just a new, somewhat bad habit that is completely unconnected to the old, much worse bad habit (smoking) that’s in overall decline despite the increased popularity of hookahs. Chart) (Sources: Data E-Cigarette and Real Cigarette Use Among High School Students, 2011–2014 But for sure teenage smoking is down. That’s wonderful news, made only a little less wonderful by the fact that teenage vaping is up. And insofar as the MMWR report yields evidence about whether vaping is a gateway to smoking (the big bad effect) or a replacement for smoking (the big good effect), it suggests that in adolescents, at least so far, the replacement hypothesis is the likelier of the two. The report doesn’t address this question, not in this first paragraph and not elsewhere in the report either. The summary paragraph neatly avoids the gateway-versus-replacement question by focusing instead on the fact that overall tobacco use is unchanged, as if the kind of tobacco use made no difference. “Youth use of tobacco in any form is unsafe…. 4.6 million middle and high school students continue to be exposed to harmful tobacco product constituents…. Comprehensive and sustained strategies are needed to prevent and reduce the use of all tobacco products among youths in the United States.” Consider these comparisons: Imagine that teenage pregnancy was down and oral sex was up, and the U.S. government stressed that there was no change in overall teen sexuality and all sexual activity has risks. Imagine that sales of energy-wasting appliances were down and sales of energy-saving appliances were up, and the U.S. government pointed out that overall appliance sales were flat and all appliances use energy. Imagine that motorcycle riding without helmets was down and motorcycle riding with helmets was up, and a U.S. government report on the trend focused on no change in overall motorcycle riding. Imagine that gun battles were down and fisticuffs were up, and the U.S. government stayed steadfastly fixated on no change in overall violent behavior. If it’s hard to come up with a comparison that isn’t laughable, maybe that’s because the failure to distinguish between smoking risk and vaping risk is itself so laughable. At least it would be laughable if it weren’t deadly. The sentence in this first paragraph on the health effects of nicotine is worth reading slowly. Remember, smoking kills chiefly because of the tar produced when you burn tobacco; e-cigs don’t burn tobacco and don’t expose users to tar. Both smoking and vaping expose users to nicotine. Here’s the sentence: “Nicotine exposure during adolescence, a critical window for brain development, might have lasting adverse consequences for brain development, causes addiction, and might lead to sustained tobacco use.” The addiction is unquestionable. The rest of the sentence is two “mights.” Smoking kills. Vaping, the report implies, is just as bad as smoking because it might affect brain development and might lead to smoking. Or perhaps just to more vaping; that would count as sustained tobacco use too – but without the smoke, without the tar, and without the lung cancer, emphysema, etc. Both smoking and vaping might affect brain development, but only smoking does all that other damage as well. Further down, the report provides additional evidence relating to the gateway-versus-replacement question in the data on respondents’ use of more than one tobacco product over the previous month. In 2014, 24.6% of high school students reported using at least one tobacco product, including 12.7% (a little over half) who said they used more than one. In 2011, 24.2% reported using at least one tobacco product, including 12.5% who used more than one. Statistically, there was no change in high-schoolers’ overall tobacco use and no change in their use of multiple tobacco products. For middle school students, the number using more than one tobacco product in the previous month went down from 3.8% to 3.1%, a statistically significant decline. In other words, kids didn’t just add e-cigarettes to their tobacco use repertoire. If a lot of kids who already smoked had started experimenting with e-cigs while also continuing to smoke at least once a month, the number using more than one tobacco product should have increased. It didn’t. Kids’ use of e-cigs and hookahs went up. Their use of real cigs, cigars, pipes, bidis, and snus all went down. (There was no statistically significant change for smokeless tobacco and dissolvable tobacco.) The evidence is far from ironclad, but it certainly points to the replacement hypothesis, not the gateway hypothesis. The discussion section of the report – the last four of its nine paragraphs – pays no attention to the gateway-versus-replacement debate, or to the debate over the comparative risk of e-cigs versus real cigs. In fact, it works hard to distract attention from both debates. Consider this sentence: The increases in current use of e-cigarettes and hookahs offset the decreases in current use of other tobacco products, resulting in no change in overall current tobacco use among middle and high school students. In other words, the increase in a maybe-a-little-dangerous activity (vaping) is seen as offsetting the decrease in a for-sure-incredibly-dangerous activity (smoking), “resulting in no change”! Imagine if that sentence had been followed by these two, written by me: However, the absence of any change in overall current use of tobacco products should not obscure the substantial decline in overall current use of tar-producing combustible tobacco products. Even with the growing popularity of hookahs, fewer kids are smoking tobacco in 2014 than in 2011. Can you see the headlines? “Teen Tobacco Smoking Down Despite Steep Rise in Hookah Use.” “Kids May Be Vaping Instead of Smoking.” Apparently those are not the headlines the CDC wanted. Here’s what the report actually says: Youth use of tobacco in any form, whether it be combustible, noncombustible, or electronic, is unsafe…. Because use of emerging tobacco products (e-cigarettes and hookahs) is increasing among middle and high school students, it is critical that comprehensive tobacco control and prevention strategies for youths should address all tobacco products and not just cigarettes. For the record, I agree that it’s wise to try to keep kids from getting hooked on any tobacco product. But a tobacco policy that ignores the comparative risk of vaping versus smoking cannot be considered a serious health-based policy. And a tobacco-related survey report that papers over the comparative risk of vaping versus smoking should have no place in a serious public health journal like MMWR . What might lead 12 public health experts to coauthor a report that papers over the comparative risk of vaping versus smoking? I don’t know. Something deeply ideological, I think. Something puritan and fundamentalist. All tobacco use is (equally) evil because it all enriches the tobacco industry? All tobacco use is (equally) disgusting because it all enables users to get illicit pleasure? Or maybe it’s a kind of public health expansionism – the anti-smoking establishment poaching on adjacent turf. I don’t actually think the public health profession is so outraged at tobacco users that it wants to discourage a comparatively safe product like e-cigs in order to force those who are stupid or weak enough to use tobacco at all to use it in its most dangerous forms and die. Nor do I suppose that the public health profession is in thrall to the big pharmaceutical companies that make millions every year from the sale of patches, gums, and other nicotine-delivery systems that compete with e-cigs in the smoking cessation market. A likelier possibility is that public health experts and officials are so frustrated and so outraged that another generation of children is becoming addicted to nicotine that they have allowed themselves to dismiss as if it were irrelevant the much lower health risk of nicotine delivered in vapor compared to nicotine delivered in smoke. Or maybe, despite the paucity of evidence, the experts and officials have a hunch that e-cigs will turn out to be a gateway to real cigs or just as dangerous as real cigs … or both. That hunch might even turn out right. But they write as if they were self-evidently right, as if the case didn’t have to be made, as if any idiot should know that when teenage vaping goes up and teenage smoking goes down, that’s not good news. The news release The April 16 CDC news release about the MMWR report does what news releases are supposed to do: It simplifies the report and highlights its most newsworthy angle, while remaining faithful to its main thrust. So insofar as the report obscures the good news in the National Youth Tobacco Use surveys – that teenage smoking keeps going down – the release obscures it even more. The news release headline tells the tale. It focuses on a fact plucked from the middle of the fifth paragraph of the MMWR report: that kids’ e-cig use tripled from 2013 to 2014. E-cigarette use triples among middle and high school students in just one year Hookah use doubles; no decline seen in overall tobacco use among middle or high school students So kids’ use of e-cigs and hookahs is way up, and there’s no decline in their overall tobacco use. Bad news and then more bad news. What didn’t make the headline, obviously, is the good news – that kids’ real cigarette use is down (down at a faster rate than previously), that kids’ total smoking is also down, and that it even looks like vaping might be replacing adolescent smoking instead of leading to it. The body of the news release runs 11 short paragraphs. The first two grafs do what news “ledes” should do. They summarize the main thrust of the release: that the annual survey found a huge increase in students’ e-cig use from 2013 to 2014, and that in 2014 for the first time students’ e-cig use surpassed their use of any other tobacco product, even real cigarettes. The third graf features CDC Director Tom Frieden explaining why e-cigs are dangerous – implicitly as dangerous as real cigs – and why the news is therefore bad news: “We want parents to know that nicotine is dangerous for kids at any age, whether it’s an e-cigarette, hookah, cigarette or cigar,” said CDC Director Tom Frieden, M.D., M.P.H. “Adolescence is a critical time for brain development. Nicotine exposure at a young age may cause lasting harm to brain development, promote addiction, and lead to sustained tobacco use.” The MMWR report says that nicotine “might” harm brain development and “might” lead to sustained tobacco use. The Frieden quote in the release is still tentative but a little more confident; “might” has become “may.” As for Frieden’s first sentence, in what other arena does a public health official emphasize that two different risks are both risky, without pointing out that one is much riskier than the other? Compare: Frieden: “We want parents to know that nicotine is dangerous for kids at any age, whether it’s an e-cigarette, hookah, cigarette or cigar.” Sandman: “We want parents to know that the polio virus is dangerous for kids at any age, whether it’s an oral polio vaccine virus or a wild polio virus.” Yes, my comparison sentence is even more misleading than Frieden’s original. The wild polio virus is vastly more dangerous than the live-but-attenuated virus in the oral polio vaccine (not used in the U.S. anymore). Almost certainly the comparative risk analysis yields a bigger gap for oral vaccine versus wild polio than for e-cig versus real cig. And there’s unequivocal science to prove that the oral polio vaccine protects against the wild polio virus, whereas it’s anybody’s guess to what extent e-cigs might help keep kids from using real cigs. But Frieden’s sentence is misleading enough: choosing to obscure the difference between the two risks and ignoring the possibility that the smaller risk (vaping) might be replacing the bigger one (smoking). You’d almost think that “harm reduction” wasn’t a fundamental public health concept. In other contexts, Frieden has long been a strong supporter of harm reduction. When he ran New York City’s health department, for example, he spoke out strongly in favor of needle exchange programs. “People may think we’re condoning immoral behavior,” he said in 2005, “but our perspective is you take the world as it is and try to make it a better, safer place.” He clearly does not believe the same rationale should be applied to electronic cigarettes. The fourth graf of the news release finally finds a way to sneak in the fact that students’ use of real cigarettes went down. That fact couldn’t be left out entirely. But the release writer apparently felt it could be relegated to a clause hidden in the middle of the fourth paragraph, which focuses on the increased use of hookahs. I’ve italicized the buried clause so you won’t miss it. (All the statistics in this graf refer to changes from 2013 to 2014, not to the longer 2011–2014 period.) Hookah smoking roughly doubled for middle and high school students, while cigarette use declined among high school students and remained unchanged for middle school students. Among high school students, current hookah use rose from 5.2 percent in 2013 (about 770,000 students) to 9.4 percent in 2014 (about 1.3 million students). Among middle school students, current hookah use rose from 1.1 percent in 2013 (120,000 students) to 2.5 percent in 2014 (280,000 students). The fifth graf does mention again that cigarette (and cigar) use declined. It puts that decline in the most discouraging context possible: as something that was “offset” by increases in e-cigarette and hookah use. As you read the paragraph quoted below, note that the comparison it makes is between “traditional” tobacco products (cigarettes, cigars, etc.) and newly popular products (e-cigs and hookahs) – not the far more important comparison between tobacco products that burn and produce tar and tobacco products that don’t. The traditional-versus-new frame enables the writer to put dangerous hookah use in the same category as much-less-dangerous e-cig use, thus sustaining the claim that one trend (hookahs plus e-cigs) has “offset” the other (cigarettes, cigars, etc.). Note also that the size of the decline in cigarette use isn’t specified; in a news release full of statistics, that’s one statistic the writer thought worth leaving out. Also tellingly missing from this graf and from the entire release, as it is missing from the MMWR report itself: the fact that total teenage smoking is down too. The increases in e-cigarette and hookah use offset declines in use of more traditional products such as cigarettes and cigars. There was no decline in overall tobacco use between 2011 and 2014. Overall rates of any tobacco product use were 24.6 percent for high school students and 7.7 percent for middle school students in 2014. The next two grafs (not quoted here) provide more statistics and regulatory background, setting up the following stunning quotation in Paragraph 8: “In today’s rapidly evolving tobacco marketplace, the surge in youth use of novel products like e-cigarettes forces us to confront the reality that the progress we have made in reducing youth cigarette smoking rates is being threatened,” said Mitch Zeller, J.D., director of FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products. “These staggering increases in such a short time underscore why FDA intends to regulate these additional products to protect public health.” There is a reasonably strong case to be made for regulating e-cigarette use, especially among adolescents and at least until we learn more about the health effects of e-cigs and their relationship to smoking. But on what basis does Zeller see the surge in e-cig use as evidence that progress in reducing youth cigarette smoking is “threatened”? The survey data show that progress in reducing youth cigarette smoking is continuing and has even accelerated, and suggest (albeit tentatively) that e-cigs may be contributing to that progress. Most of the news release obscures these facts, as does the MMWR report. The Zeller quote flat-out denies them. The rest of the news release is pretty much boilerplate about what the U.S. government is doing to fight tobacco use, how the National Youth Tobacco Surveys are conducted, and where smokers can get more information about quitting. It does pause to remind readers of the key point (as the CDC sees it): “The report also concludes that because the use of e-cigarettes and hookahs is on the rise among high and middle school students, it is critical that comprehensive tobacco control and prevention strategies for youth focus on all tobacco products, and not just cigarettes.” The press briefing On the afternoon of April 16, CDC Director Frieden held a press briefing about the MMWR report, accompanied by Brian King of the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health. It was a small affair. Only six reporters asked questions, fewer than at most CDC press briefings I have analyzed. The whole thing lasted only 23 minutes. As is often the case, not much from the press briefing made it into the subsequent media coverage. Although the press briefing seemed to have little impact on media coverage, the transcript is worth analyzing for the way the briefing exaggerated the findings in the already misleading MMWR report. Frieden had the report and the news release to guide him, and maybe a list of talking points as well. But without a script, and without time and staff to revise his remarks, he went further in a misleading direction than the report or the release had gone. And in response to questions (and even in anticipation of questions), Frieden and King had to address the gateway-versus-replacement controversy that the report and the release had dodged. Though I am sure Frieden would have wanted it otherwise, gateway-versus-replacement became the dominant topic of the briefing. The MMWR report and the news release about the report seem carefully crafted to convey the “right” messages without actually misstating facts. But the press briefing was a looser format, and Frieden ended up going further in a deceptive direction on three topics. On kids’ overall use of tobacco products Frieden’s introductory remarks began with the same lede angle as the news release: “The MMWR report we’re releasing today outlines tobacco use among middle and high school students. It contains a very alarming finding. There are now 2.5 million kids using e-cigarettes and 1.5 million using hookah. In just one year, the number of kids using hookah doubled, and the number of kids using e-cigarettes appears to have tripled.” Frieden didn’t mention the continuing decline in adolescent use of cigarettes, cigars, and pipes. Instead, his next sentence pulled out of the report a fact that the report’s authors hadn’t discussed at all. “Furthermore,” he went on, “these increases are driving an uptick in the total number of our children who are using tobacco products for the first time in a generation. There’s been an increase of 400,000 in the number of middle and high school kids who are using one or more tobacco product.” There’s a reason why the MMWR report doesn’t address this “uptick” in kids’ overall tobacco use. It was too small to pass the test of statistical significance; that is, the chances were greater than one-in-twenty that the uptick was illusory, an accident of sampling rather than a real finding. The authors of the report and the news release therefore followed the standard protocol for reporting scientific results, treating adolescent overall tobacco use as unchanged. But Frieden decided to emphasize the uptick. Even though the uptick isn’t solid enough to lean on as a scientific finding, it is more than likely real. Frieden was entitled to discuss it if he wanted, but only if he pointed out that it isn’t statistically significant. I suspect someone may have passed him a note to that effect, because later in the press briefing he went back to correct the record … sort of: I would like to say one more thing about the previous question that was asked. What we saw from 2013 to 2014 was an expansion by 400,000, which is large, although it’s only a one-year trend. We don’t know that it’s statistically significant. But it’s the first uptick we’ve seen in a generation. So if the argument was that they’re [e-cigs] replacing the use [of combustible tobacco], we wouldn’t see the total expansion in the number of kids smoking. The reason I say Frieden only sort-of corrected the record isn’t because he misspoke at the end and called the uptick in total tobacco use an “expansion in the number of kids smoking.” That was pretty clearly just a slip, saying “smoking” when he meant to say “using tobacco.” What’s more revealing is that he couldn’t bring himself to say he knew the uptick was not statistically significant; the closest he would come was to say “we don’t know that it’s statistically significant.” Frieden’s clarification also tells us why he wanted to talk about the uptick in the first place. He saw it as a rationale to argue that vaping wasn’t replacing smoking but rather supplementing it. To make this case he ignored not just the small size of the uptick in the number of kids using any tobacco product, but also the absence of any uptick at all in the number of kids using more than one tobacco product, the decline in the number of kids smoking cigarettes, and the decline in the number of kids smoking anything. The real issue here isn’t Frieden’s decision to lean on a statistically insignificant increase in kids’ overall tobacco use to argue against the replacement hypothesis. The real issue is adding apples and oranges. Combining e-cig use, real cig use, and the use of seven other tobacco products into one overall number (the percentage of kids using any tobacco product) means treating the distinction between vaping and smoking as if it were unrelated to health. This is especially deceptive in the absence of any discussion of the decline in total teen smoking between 2011 and 2014. In that, of course, the press briefing was merely following in the footsteps of the MMWR report and the news release. On the health effects of nicotine Frieden’s introductory remarks at the press briefing also went further than the MMWR report and the news release in addressing the emerging evidence (largely from animal studies) that nicotine might do damage to young people’s developing brains. The report had used the same word I am using to describe the level of confidence the authors attached to this evidence: “might.” The news release switched from “might” to “may.” There is far less tentativeness in Frieden’s introductory remarks: It’s important that everyone, parents and kids, understand that nicotine is dangerous for kids at any age, whether it’s an e-cigarette, hookah, cigarette, or a cigar. In fact, these trends are particularly worrisome because human brain development is still in process in these years…. Smoking cigarettes during adolescence has been associated with lasting cognitive impairments, including memory and attention, and although accurate quantification in humans is difficult, animal studies have compelling additional evidence that nicotine exposure causes both long-term structural and functional changes to the brain. These are substantial and in many different parts of the brain. Frieden came back to nicotine-induced brain damage several times in the press briefing. Sometimes he said it was “likely.” Sometimes he just said it was true: “In the case of kids, e-cigarettes are harmful all by themselves because of the effects of nicotine on children’s brains.” “We know that nicotine is harmful to the developing brain and we could be seeing another generation getting hooked.” “…we do know that an increase in the number of kids using an addictive substance that’s likely to harm their brains is not a good thing.” “And the fact that kids in increasing numbers are using an addictive product that is harmful to their brains is a real problem.” “…and regardless of whether they then progress to using other combustible products, they’re using the products that likely damage their brain….” I am not qualified to assess the health significance of research findings that suggest the possibility of nicotine-induced brain damage in adolescent humans. But there are two points I am qualified to assert. First, the press briefing is a great deal more expansive and confident about these findings than the MMWR report or the news release. And second, it is extremely difficult to find any discussion of nicotine-induced brain damage in prior or current public education materials on the health effects of smoking. When the CDC and other agencies are telling kids not to smoke, they list lots of health effects, but this is rarely if ever one of them. If nicotine-induced brain damage is a paramount reason to oppose adolescent e-cig use, and if e-cig risks are comparable to real cig risks, then why can’t I find references to nicotine-induced brain damage in anti-smoking literature? Here are a few of the many U.S. government online sources of tobacco risk information that do not mention nicotine-induced brain damage as of May 26, 2015: But the Surgeon General’s 2014 report on “The Health Consequences of Smoking” does discuss nicotine-induced brain damage. The report grades the evidence for each possible health effect it covers as either “sufficient,” “suggestive” or “insufficient.” Its judgment of the quality of the evidence on behalf of nicotine-induced brain damage: suggestive. The 2014 Surgeon General’s Report also states unequivocally: “The burden of death and disease from tobacco use in the United States is overwhelmingly caused by cigarettes and other combusted tobacco products.” Smoking, in other words. Not vaping. It is hard to imagine why the CDC could be so worried about nicotine’s effects on the brains of vapers and so unworried about nicotine’s effects on the brains of smokers. But it is all too easy to imagine CDC officials needing a scientific, health-related rationale for their opposition to electronic cigarettes (other than addiction itself), scrounging around in the research literature for something to lean on, and coming up with suggestive evidence about the possibility of nicotine-induced brain damage. The MMWR report was tentative about this possibility. CDC Director Frieden’s press briefing was not. In thinking about the comparative risk of vaping and smoking, it is important to remember that the correct comparison isn’t nicotine risk versus tar risk. It is nicotine risk (vaping) versus tar plus nicotine risk (smoking). I would have liked a reporter to ask: “But which is worse, a product that might harm kids’ brains and certainly harms their lungs, hearts, and other organs, or a product that might harm kids’ brains while sparing their lungs, hearts, etc.?” Kathleen O’Brien of the Newark Star-Ledger came close, asking if there’s any survey data showing whether adolescents believe e-cigs are safer than real cigs. Brian King gave an interesting answer: “There’s advertising claims by a lot of companies essentially alluding to the fact that these [e-cigs] are potentially more safe than conventional products. So the studies that have been released to date do demonstrate that youth as well as adults perceive them as less harmful and this isn’t surprising considering there’s marked advertising by several companies that are alluding to this.” What King (and Frieden) didn’t say is that the vast majority of experts also “perceive” e-cigarettes as less harmful than real cigarettes. King and Frieden couldn’t quite bring themselves to say this perception is mistaken. They just kept finding ways to imply it’s mistaken. As we will see in the next section, reporters gave Frieden other chances to say something they all knew is almost certainly true: that vaping is safer than smoking. He wouldn’t say it. On the gateway-versus-replacement debate At least the press briefing paid explicit attention to the crucial debate over the extent to which e-cigs increase or decrease real cigarette use – a debate the MMWR report and the news release mostly evaded. Frieden concluded his introductory remarks by staking out the CDC’s position in the debate: “It would be a mistake to suggest there is a causal relationship between the increase in e-cigarette use and the decrease in child tobacco use.” An interesting slip of the tongue. I assume he meant smoking here, or cigarette smoking; overall child tobacco use didn’t decrease. “That child tobacco use [again he meant child smoking or child cigarette smoking] decrease preceded the big increase in e-cigarette use….” Most of the handful of questions Frieden got focused on the decline in teenage smoking and the gateway-versus-replacement debate. The first question, from Mike Stobbe of the Associated Press, asked whether the e-cigarette boom might be “at least partly a factor” in the smoking decline. Frieden didn’t seize the chance to discuss the smoking decline and the possible role of e-cigs. He seemed to wish he hadn’t raised the issue in the first place, and answered in a single, dismissive sentence: “[T]here’s no evidence in teens that suggests that e-cigarettes are in any way necessary to or are actually protecting kids from tobacco use.” The debate came back in a follow-up question from Toni Clarke of Reuters: “But what evidence do you have to sort of declaratively rule it out? You’ve got between 2013 and 2014 the biggest ever – as far as I can see, the biggest ever year-on-year decline in smoking. Do you attribute that entirely to conventional tobacco control measures?” This time both Frieden and King responded: TOM FRIEDEN: Well, we know that conventional tobacco control measures worked. We know that the FDA youth-directed tobacco campaign was released and really – there’s a lot that we don’t know. We don’t have certainty about aspects of the trends, but we do know that an increase in the number of kids using an addictive substance that’s likely to harm their brains is not a good thing. And we do know that with addiction the possibility of progression to other forms of tobacco is significant. We further know that although there was a great deal of hope that most adults who use e-cigarettes would be able to quit regular cigarettes, that is not what we’ve seen at this point. Brian, would you like to add to that? BRIAN KING: I would like to reiterate that we really reject the notion we need to protect kids from cigarettes by allowing them to use a product like e-cigarette which is addictive and could harm their brain. The standard really should be that you should not be using any tobacco products because we know that it’s unsafe, irrespective of [whether] it’s combustible, non-combustible, or electronic. Neither Frieden nor King cited any evidence that kids’ growing use of e-cigarettes wasn’t (or was) part of the reason for their declining use of real cigarettes. Neither claimed such evidence existed. Instead, both bridged to a different topic about which they had at least “suggestive” evidence: nicotine-induced brain damage. Both seemed to imply that they’d be opposed to e-cigs even if e-cigs did reduce teen smoking. Bridging is what PR people teach their clients to do when asked a question they don’t want to answer. But Clarke didn’t let it go. She bridged too, to the comparative risk of vaping and smoking and the fundamental public health standard of harm reduction: TONI CLARKE: Okay. So you don’t see any benefit basically in getting toward 30 percent reduction in smoking. You see that the equivalent – an equivalent risk for kids smoking e-cigarettes as they would smoke traditional cigarettes – you don’t buy any kind of reduced harm argument in all of this? TOM FRIEDEN: I think you have to look at the broader picture here. The question of reduced harm is a question of are more people going to be smoking dangerous products in the future? And the fact that kids in increasing numbers are using an addictive product that is harmful to their brains is a real problem. And I think if you look at the long history of tobacco products, filters, and low tar, there’s the hope we’re going to be able to figure out a way to make an addictive substance less harmful. And while it’s likely the case with someone who only uses e-cigarettes compared to someone who uses conventional cigarettes. You have to reduce risk. For the life of the individual and the group of people at risk when that resulted in actual increase in the number of people who are using combustible products. It’s something that is a major risk and certainly not something that we should count on not happening. This isn’t exactly coherent, but I think I get Frieden’s drift. In the past, public health was seduced into being hopeful that filter cigarettes and low-tar cigarettes might be a less harmful form of tobacco addiction than ordinary cigarettes. That hope was dashed. So now public health will be damned if it’s going to get hopeful again that maybe vaping could be a less harmful form of tobacco addiction than smoking. Instead, we should all worry that vaping might lead to smoking, and stay focused on the evidence that e-cigs damage kids’ brains. Frieden did succeed in not giving Clarke anything on gateway-versus-replacement that she could use in her story. Like most of the coverage I looked at, her story made no use at all of the press briefing. She leaned on other sources to justify the last clause in her lede: “Electronic cigarette use among U.S. middle and high school students tripled in 2014 while cigarette use fell to record lows, according to provocative new data that is likely to intensify debate over whether e-cigarettes are a boon or bane to public health.” The two key debates regarding adolescent e-cig use – comparative risk and gateway-versus-replacement – were intertwined through much of the press briefing Q&A. The comparative risk debate is entirely about kids’ current behavior: Stick for stick, are they safer vaping than smoking? The gateway-versus-replacement debate is mostly about kids’ future behavior: If they vape now, are they more or less likely to smoke later? Frieden and King are worried that vaping might lead to long-term future smoking. Reporters are interested in that question too, but they’re also interested in the stick-for-stick current risk of an e-cig now versus a real cig now. It would have been wise as well as honest for Frieden to acknowledge candidly that of course e-cigs are safer than real cigs (or any other combustible tobacco product), even though there is suggestive evidence that they might not be as safe as people think. That would have cleared the decks for him to make his case – a debatable case, but not a foolish case – that increased vaping now might lead to increased smoking later. Kimberly Leonard of U.S. News & World Report took one more shot at the gateway-versus-replacement debate: “Are you saying that e-cigarettes are a gateway to smoking or can be?” To his credit, Frieden was unwilling to claim that the gateway possibility is more than a possibility. Instead, he returned to his main points – that e-cigarette use (and hookah use) is soaring, that it’s addictive, that it’s “likely” to cause brain damage, and that it “may” lead to smoking: There are more studies underway that will help elucidate with what is happening with teens who use e-cigarettes. And in some sense, time will tell because the numbers are so unprecedented. We’re now seeing 2.5 million kids using e-cigarettes and 1.5 million using hookah, and regardless of whether they then progress to using other combustible products, they're using the products that likely damage their brain and is highly addictive and it may route [“result”?] in combustible tobacco use in the future. The coverage The publication of the MMWR report was a newsworthy event. But it wasn’t a big story – not big enough to justify a lot of reportorial digging. Not surprisingly, some of the coverage settled for the information and quotable quotes in the news release, perhaps supplemented with a couple of additional quotes from the press briefing or additional statistics from the report itself. But a gratifying number of journalists went further. In some cases the CDC did succeed in its efforts to control the story. I found coverage that slavishly stressed the tripling of teenage e-cig use from 2013 to 2014, coverage that accepted at face value the CDC’s implication that e-cigs are as dangerous as real cigs, and coverage that ignored the possibility that the smoking decline that accompanied the vaping increase might suggest that e-cigs are replacing real cigs in the hearts and habits of teenagers. But mostly what I found, especially in the longer stories, was coverage that started that way but ended quite differently. In short, the CDC did successfully control the headlines and ledes of most of the stories written about the report. But plenty of reporters went elsewhere in the bodies of their stories. Some read the MMWR report carefully and decided the decrease in real cigarette use deserved to be highlighted, not deemphasized. And more than a few found the time – and the sources – to cover one or both of the two crucial debates that surround any comparison of electronic cigarettes with real cigarettes: the comparative risk debate and the gateway-versus-replacement debate. The NPR story, for example, was headlined “Use of E-Cigarettes Triples Among U.S. Teens.” The first two-thirds of the story follows the storyline emphasized in the news release, including the Frieden quote from the release. But the last third gets to some of the controversy that the release and the MMWR report didn’t address: “The release of this survey couldn't be better timed,” said Nancy Brown of the American Heart Association in a written statement. “The take-away message is loud and clear: Tobacco regulations need to be finalized now. We cannot stand by while more and more youth put themselves at risk for heart disease, stroke or even an early death.” But the makers of e-cigarettes argue that the devices may be helping drive down the rate of regular cigarette use among teens. “While the use of vapor products by teens should be discouraged, the data is clear that as teen experimentation with vaping has grown over the last three years, youth smoking has experienced the largest decline in the history of the … survey,” Gregory Conley, of the American Vaping Association, told Shots in an email. “This dramatic fall in teen smoking should be part of the discussion,” Conley said, “but the CDC deemed this finding to not be worthy of a single line in their press release. That is not surprising, as it would interfere with the CDC’s evidence-free attempts to paint e-cigarettes as a potential gateway to traditional cigarettes.” The USA Today story also stuck with the news release for its headline and lede: Teen e-cigarette use tripled in the past year The percentage of teens using e-cigarettes tripled from 2013 to 2014, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Two million teens, 13.4% of high school students, used e-cigarettes in 2014, up from 4.5% in 2013 and 1.5% in 2011. Among middle-schoolers, e-cigarette use rose from 1.1% in 2013 to 3.9% in 2014, representing about 450,000 students, the report says. But a few paragraphs later, reporter Liz Szabo turned to outside sources to get into some other aspects of the story: an anti-smoking advocacy group head who expressed both a high level of worry about the increase in teens’ e-cig use and a high level of gratification about the decrease in teens’ real cig use; an e-cigarette industry spokesman who said that maybe the former was contributing to the latter but nonetheless asserted that kids shouldn’t be allowed to vape; and an FDA official who explained the agency’s efforts to get e-cigs regulated. Similarly, the New York Times story has the “right” headline, and gives the lede angle an attractive feature treatment – but then (according to what I assume is the CDC’s perspective) goes off the rails: Use of E-Cigarettes Rises Sharply Among Teenagers, Report Says Kenny, a high school senior in Weston, Fla., likes to puff e-cigarettes during study sessions with friends after school. James, a senior in Fauquier County, Va., uses them outside at lunch with friends who do smoke tricks. Tom, a sophomore from Westchester County, uses them while hiking with friends. E-cigarettes have arrived in the life of the American teenager. Use of the devices among middle- and high school students tripled from 2013 to 2014, according to federal data released on Thursday, bringing the share of high school students who use them to 13 percent – more than smoke traditional cigarettes. About a quarter of all high school students and 8 percent of middle school students – 4.6 million young people altogether – used tobacco in some form last year. The sharp rise of e-cigarettes, together with a substantial increase in the use of hookah pipes, led to 400,000 additional young people using a tobacco product in 2014, the first increase in years, though researchers pointed out the percentage of the rise fell within the report’s margin of error. But the report also told another story. From 2011 to 2014, the share of high school students who smoked traditional cigarettes declined substantially, to 9 percent from 16 percent, and use of cigars and pipes ebbed too. The shift suggested that some teenage smokers may be using e-cigarettes to quit. Smoking is still the single-biggest cause of preventable death in the United States, killing more than 480,000 Americans a year, and most scientists agree that e-cigarettes, which deliver the nicotine but not the dangerous tar and other chemicals, are likely to be far less harmful than traditional cigarettes. The numbers came as a surprise and seemed to put policy makers into uncharted territory…. Conclusion Bottom line: The MMWR report, the CDC news release accompanying the report, and the CDC press briefing about the report are all seriously misleading about the findings of the annual National Youth Tobacco Surveys. The press briefing is the most explicitly misleading of the three, but the news release almost certainly had the most influence on coverage and thus on what the public learned. All three go out of their way to distort the study results and the underlying facts on four key points: They highlight the bad news (potentially, maybe, somewhat bad news) that teenage e-cigarette use has soared. They obscure the good news (definitely, wondrously good news) that teenage real cigarette use and overall smoking are continuing to decline, despite an increase in the use of hookahs. They assert that e-cigarettes are dangerous, imply that e-cigarettes are as dangerous as real cigarettes, and hide that virtually all experts agree e-cigarettes are significantly safer than real cigarettes. They ignore or deny the suggestive evidence (suggestive but far from conclusive) that teenage vaping might be replacing smoking, not leading to it. I stand by the judgment in my title that the news release is a promising candidate for most dangerously dishonest public health news release of the year. I have amply documented why I think the MMWR report, the news release, and the press briefing are dishonest. It’s not a moustache-twirling sort of dishonesty. I assume that the public health professionals and public health communicators associated with the attack on e-cigs genuinely believe that e-cigs are bad. Not just bad; bad enough that they feel justified in attacking e-cig use in less-than-honest ways. Bad enough, even, that they stop noticing the ways in which their attack is less than honest. But why do I insist on “dangerous”? Over the years, I have periodically commented that over-dramatization and even exaggeration are more acceptable in warnings than in reassurances – that is, more acceptable in precaution advocacy than in outrage management. I went even further in a 2010 Guestbook entry on “Prospects for persuading activists and public health officials to be more honest,” writing: “Dishonesty – or at least exaggeration – is genuinely more acceptable when trying to warn people than when trying to reassure them.” The CDC is arguably following my playbook when it over-dramatizes / exaggerates / misrepresents the risk of electronic cigarettes. So why am I so critical? My wife and colleague Jody Lanard has long disagreed with what she sees as my excessively tolerant near-endorsements of dishonest warnings by activists. Have I changed my mind and come to see things her way? To some extent I have. But there are also two differences that make me more critical of the way the CDC misrepresented the results of the National Youth Tobacco Surveys than I am of most other cases of exaggerated precaution advocacy. The first difference is simply that the CDC isn’t an activist group. It is a U.S. government agency – and not just any U.S. government agency, but an agency that claims to be guided by scientific evidence. The CDC has more credibility than activist groups. And the CDC needs more credibility than activist groups, especially when its task isn’t to warn but to reassure. When the CDC asserts that a particular vaccine is safe, for example, its credibility is crucial to public acceptance of that vaccine. Most people figure it’s part of an activist’s job to exaggerate risks – so activists can exaggerate without losing a lot of credibility even when they’re “caught.” But if the CDC is caught exaggerating the risk of e-cigs, the damage to its reputation is likely to be greater, and the resulting damage to public health is likely to be more consequential. The other difference is that the CDC isn’t just exaggerating the risk of e-cigs. It is misrepresenting the comparative risk of e-cigs and real cigs. And it is denying the possibility that vaping might help woo some teenagers from smoking or keep them from starting to smoke in the first place. I frankly don’t care much if the public ends up believing that electronic cigarettes are more dangerous than they really are. But I care enormously if the public – and especially the teenage public – ends up believing that vaping is just as dangerous as smoking so they might as well smoke. Several surveys have shown that while most Americans and most American teenagers still believe that vaping is safer than smoking, the number who believe that vaping and smoking are equally dangerous has climbed substantially. Making that number continue to climb is a key goal of the public health “education” campaign against electronic cigarettes, one small recent piece of which I have discussed in this column. Frieden’s hope is that the campaign will convince adolescents and others that since e-cigs are no safer than real cigs they should avoid tobacco products altogether. My worry is that the campaign will convince adolescents and others that since e-cigs are no safer than real cigs they might as well smoke the real thing. (My other worry is that the campaign will convince adolescents and others that public health education campaigns are not to be trusted.) Nobody knows yet which effect will turn out more common. But we do know with near-certainty which effect will turn out more harmful. A kid who vapes instead of having nothing to do with tobacco is addicting herself to a habit that might have a deleterious effect on her cognitive development. A kid who smokes instead of vaping is addicting himself to a habit that is very likely to kill him, and also might have a deleterious effect on his cognitive development. Thus, even if the four distortions I have documented in this column often have the effect Frieden is hoping for and only occasionally have the effect I am worried about, the combined impact of the two effects on public health will be negative. Successfully persuading kids that vaping is no safer than smoking will presumably reduce the number of vapers and increase the number of smokers. If the evidence continues to show that vaping is a lot safer than smoking, this is a bad tradeoff. That’s my case for “dangerous.” But at least with regard to this April 2015 example, I am encouraged and somewhat surprised that much of the media coverage mitigated the danger posed by these four distortions. If you read or watched or listened to some of the shorter news stories, or just the first part of virtually any of the news stories, you probably got the misimpressions the CDC intended you to get. For you, the CDC’s much-vaunted “SOCO” – its “Single Overriding Communication Objective” – was achieved. But if you read or watched or listened to some of the longer and better stories, and stayed with them till the end, you got much closer to the truth – no thanks to the CDC. My wife and colleague Jody Lanard provided additional research for this column and some of the text. Copyright © 2015 by Peter M. Sandman	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
It is believed that the new nose required four attempts before it passed the test, but the Red Bull team principal says that was just normal practice as the team explored the limits. “I think that's fairly usual for something as different as that,” Horner told Motorsport.com. “You can see by the aggressively short nature of it that it's been quite a technical challenge. It's a great credit to the guys that actually did it to get it through. "It's not a negative at all - it's an engineering masterpiece that they've managed to achieve.” The nose was run by Daniil Kvyat in Friday practice, but problems for Daniel Ricciardo – who was running the previous specification of nose – made it hard for the team to make fair comparisons between the two iterations and judge the aerodynamic benefits. “We haven't really done a laps so we've got a bit more comparison work to do," continued Horner, "but the initial signs are encouraging. "But let's see what the results look like, because it has quite a big effect on the rest of the car."	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
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Hi crawlers! Crawl 0.15 has entered the beta phase; it is now playable on CBRO, CSZO, and CAO, and should be available on other servers soon. Local beta binaries should also be available in the immediate future. See also the 0.15 changelog. The tournament will be announced… soon!	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
This is just what NBA debate circles need: two vague MVP awards. Only a couple of days removed from Houston Rockets star James Harden being named NBA MVP, Boston Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving didn't quite answer if Harden was his choice for the award, instead delineating between two ways he looks at the who's most valuable. "MVP, it's hard to gauge nowadays, because now you have the people's MVP and you have, like, the NBA's MVP," Irving said while guesting on radio station Hot 97 in New York, via ESPN. "I think the people's MVP was definitely James [Harden], but the NBA MVP is definitely LeBron [James]." Harden was named MVP in a landslide vote, receiving 86 of the 101 first-place votes. James, who finished in second place, received the remaining 15. "If we're talking strictly based off stats, like, [LeBron] checks every mark...He's incredible," Irving said. "He's incredible." Harden averaged 30.4 points, 8.8 assists and 5.4 rebounds this past season, helping the Rockets to 65 regular-season wins. They eventually lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Golden State Warriors, whom they took to seven games. James averaged 27.5 points to go with career highs in both rebounds, 8.6, and assists, 9.1, though his Cleveland Cavaliers disappointed during the regular season, winning 50 games, fourth-best in the Eastern Conference, before heading to another NBA Finals appearance. Irving, who was on the Cavaliers from 2011 to 2017, played with James in Cleveland from 2014 until the Celtics traded for him this past August. They went to the Finals during each of those seasons, winning a title together in 2016. The Cavaliers topped the Celtics in this year's Eastern Conference Finals for a second consecutive year. Irving did not play in that series because of a season-ending knee injury he suffered in March. -- Fred Katz covers the Celtics for MassLive.com. Follow him on Twitter: @FredKatz.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Last Updated on June 7, 2019 by haveclotheswilltravel Meet Allison! She’s this month’s Featured Fashionista and the brilliant creator of the unique and beautiful blog, “A Renaissance Woman.” Allison is a woman of many talents, which shines in her blog and on her Instagram. She’s a scientist by day but also has an amazing knack for fashion, writing and photography! Following Allison’s adventures is such a treat. Not only are her photographs and fashion sense fantastic, I do believe she’s one of the most well-traveled ladies I’ve come across! And did I mention, she’s a scientist? If I haven’t sold you on what a fabulous fashionista Allison is, I’m sure her Q&A, below, will! And be sure to click here to check out her blog. Q&A With Allison Tell me a little about yourself. Allison: I’m a Montanan-born-and-raised, east coast-living scientist with a passion for fashion and writing (both non-fiction and fiction!). My husband, our kitty Kiwi, and I moved to DC a year ago and we love it here. We live in a tiny condo with one wall devoted floor-to-ceiling to our books! Besides science, writing, and fashion, I also love traveling and British television shows! How would you describe your blog, “A Renaissance Woman?” Allison: I would say it’s is an intersection of my passion for science, writing, photography, and fashion. How did you start blogging? And what inspired your fabulous name, A Renaissance Woman? Allison: I’ve had my blog/website since my graduate student days, and originally, I would blog about field work and other biology-related topics. I originally started this site, because as the title suggests, I have diverse interests beyond research. Grad school is all about specialization, but I wanted to recognize the importance of celebrating who we are beyond our very specific academic interests. After a hiatus while during the final push of finishing my PhD, I decided to give it a makeover this spring and focus on other interests of mine as well. This is where the title comes in: a renaissance woman is a someone who has broad intellectual interests and is accomplished in areas of both the arts and the sciences, which I felt like described me perfectly! People always claim “jack of all trades, master of none,” but I wanted to put a positive spin on having diverse interests and passions. What would you say your favorite blog post you’ve published so far is, and why? Allison: My favorite post is probably my one on some of the murals in Washington, DC. Whenever I would post mural photos on Instagram, I would get a lot of questions about where they were, so I wanted to do a comprehensive post of a bunch of the murals I had come across, with google map links to their location and some other details about the outfits I chose for the different locations and info about the artists. Of course, there are way too many murals in DC to include in one post, so I called this one Part 1 and will write up other mural posts in the future! You’ve recently completed your PhD in evolutionary biology! That’s amazing! Could you tell us a little more about this? Allison: I knew I was going to get my PhD in biology since my high school AP biology class! However, what I want to do with that degree has definitely evolved. I originally thought that I wanted to be a professor but now I am trying to get into the field of scientific communication. Doing a PhD was definitely a challenge at times. It is a long road that feels endless at points, but I was so proud of myself when I completed it. The focus of my work was looking at the changes in genes and behaviors of zebra finches (which you might have seen in pet stores!) due to domestication and speciation! So, I spent a lot of time recording and analyzing bird song and comparing genomes that we sequenced! Do you find it difficult to embrace your love of fashion and also be a scientist? Or is the field quite accepting? Allison: I actually wrote a blog post about just this! Sometimes when as a woman in STEM you feel as though you exist in a weird limbo regarding how to dress. It’s almost as if you are expected to toe the line of dressy/without being too dressy and boring/without being sloppy. If you’re perceived to care too much about appearances, then it’s thought you clearly aren’t focused enough on your work. Unlike certain other jobs, academia, in general, seems to be fairly lax about a dress code; all departments have slightly different guidelines, but in the sciences especially, it tends to be pretty casual. But as women especially, there is pressure to walk the fine line between trying too hard and not trying hard enough. This brings me to my own reality of being a scientist who loves fashion. I like expressing myself with fun clothes and I enjoy fashion. I took advantage of the looser guidelines (maybe nonexistent) of dress-code as a chance to express myself. I still kept it professional, but my outfits tend to include a lot of color and statement pieces and are on the dressier end of the spectrum. Therefore, during grad school, I received nearly daily comments about how I was dressed. “Why are you dressed up?” “My, don’t you look fancy today,” and on and on and on. Most of the time it felt like these questions were said either bemusedly or almost accusatorially, as though my seriousness was being questioned. But caring about my clothes does in no way detract from my science or how serious I am about my work. And I, along with everyone else, deserve to be judged for achievements and who we are as people and not for what we choose to put on our bodies. It is possible to be a scientist and a fashionista or whatever else your passions and interests are. What is your go-to daily outfit? Allison: I like to mix it up between jeans, and jumpsuits, and dresses, but I think my most classic look would be a pair of cropped wide leg pants, a button down top, and a bandana or a hat! If you had to choose, what would you say your favorite clothing store is? Allison: I think it would be a tie between Madewell and Anthropologie! Wow! And you have done some serious traveling. If I counted correctly, you’ve visited all 7 continents? Allison: Yes! I’ve been extremely fortunate to get to do a fair amount of traveling. A lot of it was from study abroad trips in high school and college. The last continent I made it to was Asia when I visited my husband in Japan when he was deployed there! How was Antarctica? I’m so curious to hear a little about your experience, as this is a place not many have visited! Allison: I had the opportunity to go during a study abroad trip in undergrad actually. It was an environmental literature course during the month of January. We left from Ushuaia, Argentina on a ship, crossed the Drake Passage, and then spent a week traveling around the Antarctic peninsula making 2-3 landings a day on the continent or islands offshore at penguin colonies, research stations, historic sites, and more. I have always loved penguins, so it was a dream come true. We also got to talk to a number of scientists at a couple research stations, which was one of my favorite experiences. It was surreal and I am beyond grateful to have done it. However, that’s not to say I don’t have slightly conflicting emotions about it. I wrote a paper on ecotourism in Antarctica after returning, and there are definite negative impacts that increased tourism has on the continent. While the incredible opportunity to experience these exceptionally special places often leads to people being strong advocates for protecting them, that is intertwined with having a roll in potentially negatively impacting these places as well. I think it’s so important to be mindful of both sides of the coin whenever and wherever you travel. Out of all of your travels, what would you say your top 3 favorite places you’ve visited have been and why? Allison: This has to be the hardest question! Number one would be Antarctica because it was definitely the most unique and other-worldly place I’ve been in my life. Number two is probably Edinburgh; it is such a gorgeous city full of history and so walkable too! And third, I would say New Zealand. I spent a semester there in high school traveling both islands, and for such a small country it has some of the most spectacular scenery. You’re also an incredibly talented photographer. Could you share a couple of your favorite shots with us? Allison: That’s so kind! Although I don’t get the opportunity anymore to shoot as much nature photography as I wish, here are a few of my favorite shots from over the years. The Gentoo penguin is from Antarctica—as you can tell, it was a gorgeous day! And the bighorn sheep is from just outside Yellowstone National Park, an hour and a half from where I grew up! I love that he appears to be smiling for the camera. What one piece of advice would you give to an aspiring blogger? Allison: Don’t let the fact that there are so many other fantastic bloggers out there intimidate you into not doing it. Yours will be unique because you’re unique! Make sure to do it because you love it, and try not to compare yourself to others along the way. Comparison is the thief of joy! And last but not least, where can my readers find you? Allison: Blog Instagram I appreciate each & every share. Thank you! 222 shares Share Tweet Pin	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Drafted just a year apart, Carr and Mariota have both enjoyed strong starts to their respective NFL careers, and are the faces of their franchises. Not only that, they each lead dynamic offensive units; granted, their styles of quarterbacking are a little different. While Carr has no issue taking off and running, showing off his athleticism in the process, No. 4 is lethal from the pocket, picking apart opposing defenses with his cannon of an arm. Mariota, on the other hand, is the prototypical dual-threat quarterback, which adds another dimension that Defensive Coordinator Ken Norton, Jr.'s group needs to prepare for. "Everybody knows he [Mariota] is mobile," said cornerback David Amerson. "Anybody that can throw and run has some type of value to them; it makes them a threat. People change their whole defenses around running quarterbacks and stuff, but not only can he run, he's a pretty good thrower too. You really have a two-headed monster. He's perfect for that offense." Carr is 2-0 in his professional career against Mariota – while at Fresno State, he did lose to Mariota and Oregon in 2012 – and whichever signal-caller can put together a better day will likely put their team in good position to win Sunday. Linebacker Marquel Lee vs. Running Back DeMarco Murray Less than a year ago, Marquel Lee was game planning for the likes of Virginia Tech, Duke, and Boston College. Now, fast forward to September 2017, and the rookie linebacker is not only listed as the starting middle linebacker on the Raiders depth chart, he'll also be tasked with helping stop All-Pro running back DeMarco Murray Sunday afternoon.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Two of the hottest gaming franchises today are Grand Theft Auto and Saint’s Row. These two open world games have many things in common besides massive followings from gamers everywhere. Both take place in the city during the modern age, unlike many games out there set in fantasy or quasi-historical realms. Both are filled with less than savory heroes and have us going on some quests that may not be for the faint of heart. Saint’s Row: The Third has already been released. Talk of GTA V grows as we inch closer towards a release date. Everywhere people speculate as to what may be, could be, and should be in GTA V. Though Rockstar is definitely still a king in the open world gaming world, GTA V could still take a page or two from Saint’s Row: The Third to improve over GTA IV. Here’s a list of some things that GTA V may want to look at how Saint’s Row did and adapt for their own game. Less Serious – More Fun Yes, not all of the GTA titles were as serious as Grand Theft Auto IV, but lets face it. No matter how much you may have loved the game, loved the series, or prefer RPGs over action-adventure open world crime titles, there’s still a time and a place for everything. GTA V should take a lesson from Saint’s Row: The Third and go back to it’s previous, more fun, less serious tone. The story may have been good and the game was still great, but fans everywhere would appreciate it if GTA V went the way of Saint’s Row and stayed more fun than dark. Keeping Its Identity We’ve all seen this far too often in video games. A great franchise or publishing company tries to do something different, unique, or groundbreaking with its next best title. Most of the time these fall short of the mark, ending up disappointing or confusing. GTA IV, sadly, suffered from this disease. Between running over pedestrians and crashing into anything that was and wasn’t rooted to the ground we heard deep monologues from the protagonist. While they would have been great in another game, these RPG elements felt rather out of place. Saint’s Row, on the other hand, knows exactly what it is and keeps true to that identity throughout. The fun, over the top antics don’t stop or try to be anything that it isn’t. This is something that GTA V should remember. It’s an open world crime game, not a deep, introspective RPG. Go back to the GTA III days and do what you do best – entertain. Playability There are an aweful lot of pedestrians that get run over in GTA. It isn’t always because we enjoy running people over or are necessarily going out of our way to run them over. Most of the time it’s just because controlling your car is a tad difficult. However, no one’s thought of making driving any less frustrating in the GTA series. In Saint’s Row, however, nothing feels overwhelmingly difficult or overly frustrating. If you can’t do something it’s your own fault, not because the controls are only geared towards hard core gamers who’ve been playing video games before they could walk. A tiered difficulty in the drivability in the cars may be a good thing. Certainly there needs to be some kind of streamlining of controls and moves that will make overall gameplay smoother and less frustrating. Make It Special Overall, there are more ‘Oh man, remember when’ moments in Saint’s Row than in GTA. This is something that GTA V should definitely adapt from our friends over at Saint’s Row: The Third. One of the biggest things that keep players hooked is because awesome things keep happening. In an RPG it may be the amazing storyline. In a racing game it may be the awesome abilities that you can do mid race. But in a game centered around crime, the list is pretty much endless. Everyone remembers the Bank Robbery, but there should be more incentive to keep playing than just one mission. GTA V should have more than just one similar fantastic mission, however, something that Saint’s Row has always done well with. More Than Just The Main Mission One of the blessings of having an open world environment is that you can spend an entire game playing and never touch the main quest line. Saint’s Row knows and embraces this. While GTA does to an extent, it could utilize the benefits of open world gaming much more. In GTA V we want to see more amazing missions, more heists, more bank robberies and anything else they can possibly come up with. Surprise us. Entertain us. Give us more reasons to keep coming back to GTA V. Give us a reason explore outside of getting lost or having to go to a certain area because we must for the main quest. GTA V is set to be another amazing game in a franchise that has proven itself time and time again. But even great things can stand for a little improvement and tweaking now and again. Saint’s Row: The Third provides great examples of what is possible time and time again. If only GTA V would adapt some things from Saint’s Row it could push GTA V from great to fantastic. Also Read: Things We Expect in Grand Theft Auto V	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
33 Cool Ideas How To Recycle Wine Bottles Wine bottles come in many different shapes, sizes, and colors, and they are made by many varied qualities such things that are versatile in regards to upcycling or repurposing. I was rather taken aback when I came to understand just how many creative and fascinating ways you can use these Wine bottles that were empty, be it for pure décor or something practical. An empty wine bottle makes an excellent vase or ornamentation piece by itself, so here are a few excellent suggestions for decorating the bottle itself. Pretty and how straight forward is this? Choose wine bottles or recycled beer of contour, size, and similar color, place a little light inside each onewasand hang them in the ceiling. This distinguishing appearance would be an excellent improvement into a beach or cottage house. Wonderful Lace This kind of difference can be made by lovely Lace. Adding a little lace to the bottom of your bottle! And I simply adore the appearance of the paint that is dripping inside, also. this kind of ideas looks beautiful on the wedding table. Outdoor Lighting Ideas How does one enjoy this clever use for a vintage bottle? Clamp empty wine bottles to wall or a fence near your outside deck or veranda. Outfit the bottle -established light if not a candle for a lively outside light that can cast a nice glow. Citronella Tiki Torche when you’re loving a barbecue outside these tiki torches seem great outdoors. Bottle Artwork Amazingly, this stained glass panel is made from wine bottles undersides that were upcycled. To design your own custom panel, select an array of colors, designs, and bottle sizes, then cut off the underside of each bottle. Order the undersides in a design that is pleasant, then hang your creation on the wall as artwork or in a window. Chandelier styles If you enjoy everything to be tidy and uniform then you certainly can use precisely the same kinds of wine bottles, but I favor the combination and match fashion of colors and distinct shapes. Rolled Bottle Vases Beginning at the bottom, wind the yarn snugly so no glass shows and paste it in place. Either leave is or paints it. Select twine for a rustic appearance. Picture Frame Photo Frames Placing your photographs that are prized in wine bottles is this type of creative way to show them, and you’ll be able to add your own small mementos to personalize it. There are all those other interesting ways to present your pictures, so dump the frameworks and attempt something different. Bottle Shelves For Books Elbow grease, some scrap wood, a drill, varnish, and a couple of wine bottles are all you’ll build this new shelving For Books Small Light Lamp Light Lamp Get you a set of string lights that are affordable, drill a hole shove on the lights in there, and voilà! Only make sure you use LED lights that do won’t heat. Bird Feeder Bottle Got old wine bottles and several hours to spare? collect some bottle and make this kind of bird feeder at yourself. Chandelier Lighting A chandelier doesn’t constantly be a costly fixture. Take a look at the following pictures to see how their individual chandeliers were made by some folks through the use of lots of creative genius and free wine bottles. Wine Bottle Lamps How’s this for a simple yet enchanting candle range? Simply slit the underside off pop each, and make a beautiful centerpiece. Page Wine DecoupageThis is a job that is very easy, and only look how amazing it seems! I adore the map idea, particularly if you’re searching for a special present for a buddy that is globetrotting, but you could use a wedding invitation, sheets of music out of your favorite tune, or anything with some specific significance. Wine Lamp Besides chandeliers, wine bottles may also be used while going to see in the pictures below to make custom table or floor lamps. The truth is, creating a lamp is not even more difficult than creating a chandelier that may typically need work, time and more bottles to allow it to be safe and completely operational. Garden Bottle Edging Buy some wine Bottle of the same colour for your garden to looks beautiful. Bottles of any color would appear just as stunning, although this example uses merely cobalt blue glass. Wine Bottles For Plants it’s an easy method to create wonderful, long-lasting and professional looking effects on glass containers. It’s not considerably more difficult than it seems! Clean your wine bottle off after which etch the words of your choosing. On Living Good Spending fewer directions. Chalk Painted Wine Bottles It were made from clay as well as cement chalk Paint A great layer of chalk paint can completely transform your wine bottles from looking like glass. I simply love the sleek how simple it’s to accomplish that effect. Wine Bottles Decorative Idea Here are many ideas to something make different from wine bottle first u have to decide what u want to make and where you place it this is very necessary to your satisfaction there are many ways to make different and beautiful centerpiece for empty wine bottle. Wine Bottles Wall Idea This job will undoubtedly need a little more work as opposed to others here you can Get easily Ideas about wall design with empty wine bottles. Empity Wine Vases the way to make this type of vases is very easy you just hang the vine bottle on the board after wash put one flower in it to Look Beautiful. Wine Jar it’s a smart idea use your bottles as jars for little things like skittles, M&Ms, as well as rice or beans. it looks different.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Cities: Skylines Video Survey Hello, My name is Mike. I run a small Cities: Skylines channel. I have some questions that I would like to ask the community. I decided that the best way for me to ask these is to create this form that you can answer. These questions will ask you about your thoughts on different types of Cities: Skylines videos on YouTube. I want to use this data to help make my videos better, and to appeal better to the Cities: Skylines community. But, I don't want to keep all of this too myself. I made the results able to view after completing this form for other channels who may be wanting to better their quality. I want to thank you in advance for completing this form (or if you just looked at it.) It will benefit both myself, and many others who want to make C:S videos that appeal to the community. P.S. I ask that you consider upvoting this on Reddit so more people can see this. Thank you, ~Mike * Required	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Tourists risk lives on Polish thin ice By News from Elsewhere... ...as found by BBC Monitoring Published duration 13 December 2018 image copyright Dudva/Wikimedia Commons image caption The lake regularly freezes over until April Park rangers are fighting a losing battle against visitors willing to risk their lives on the thin ice of a lake in Poland's southern mountains. Morskie Oko lake is a popular tourist destination all year round, but the sight of people venturing out onto the deceptively thin ice cover prompted the Tatra National Park Rangers to post this urgent warning on Facebook at the start of the month: "Tourists, don't go out onto the Morskie Oko ice. It's thin, and can lead to great danger. We appeal to you to use your judgment and act responsibly!" An accompanying video of people strolling on the ice, oblivious to danger, has garnered more than 112,000 views and made it to the national media, but persistent risk-takers seem undeterred. 'For a selfie' In the course of just four hours at the weekend, the Rangers and mountain rescue volunteers issued more than 500 warnings to crowds of people dicing with death on the shores of the lake, RMF radio reports. image copyright Tatra National Park/Facebook image caption The Tatra National Park video has had more than 112,000 views "Tourists have put their lives at risk just to take a selfie. There were even people with small children walking out onto the ice," Chief Ranger Edward Wlazło told Polish Radio. "The ice is just over 6 cm (2.3 inches) thick, which is very little." You might also be interested in: Many of the visitors have come from abroad, including Hungary, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Ukraine, and told the Rangers they simply didn't understand Polish. But there were Poles among them, too. One tourist from Hungary got 350 metres (383 yards) out into the middle of the lake before the Rangers were able to turn him back. "The chances of saving him if he'd fallen through the ice would have been small," a spokesman told RMF radio. When the adventurers return safely to shore, they still face the smaller risk of being fined up to 500 zlotys ($132: £105). The reaction in the Polish media has been largely one of incredulity. " Extreme stupidity " is what the Super Express tabloid called it, and social media comment has been even harsher on the "winter bathers". Natural selection ," was how one Facebook reader contemplated the potential fate of the heedless ice-walkers. He also expressed the widespread admiration for the Rangers and volunteers who are risking their own lives to save visitors from danger. image copyright Tamerlan/Wikimedia Commons image caption The lake is popular with hikers all year round Reporting by Martin Morgan Next story: Use #NewsfromElsewhere to stay up-to-date with our reports via Twitter.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Richard Falk blasts open-ended occupation, ‘systematic oppression,’ displacement, and murder of Palestinians Sarah Lazare RINF Alternative News Israel’s “systematic oppression” of the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza appears to constitute the “inhuman” and “degrading” practice of “apartheid,” charged a United Nations investigator. Richard Falk, U.N. Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories, chronicles Israel’s human rights abuses in a searing 22-page report to the U.N. Human Rights Council – his final report after six years in the position. “Through prolonged occupation, with practices and policies which appear to constitute apartheid and segregation, ongoing expansion of settlements, and continual construction of the wall arguably amounting to de facto annexation of parts of the occupied Palestinian territory, the denial by Israel of the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people is evident,” he writes. Danny Muller, coordinator for Middle East Children’s Alliance, told Common Dreams, “This report further documents the human rights violations committed against Palestinians – violations that happen every day under the US -funded Israeli occupation and apartheid system.” In East Jerusalem, the “revocation of residency permits” and “forced evictions of Palestinian families,” as well as targeted demolition of Palestinian homes, amounts to a “gradual and bureaucratic process of ethnic cleansing,” Falk writes. In the West Bank, Palestinians are subject to military law and face systematic violation of their freedom of movement, assembly, and expression, as well as their rights to education and work, according to the report. Meanwhile, Israeli settlers live under a civilian legal code and enjoy rights that Palestinians living in close proximity do not. The report charges that the “denial and lack of protection of Palestinian children’s rights” is built into the “Israeli military legal regime.” An average of 700 Palestinian children are detained and prosecuted every year, and between January to October of 2013, 441 Palestinian children were displaced due to Israeli demolition of their homes, the report states. A tragic 344 children were killed by Israel’s “Operation Cast Lead” attack on Gaza in 2008 and 2009, the report notes. “Can anyone explain why collective punishment against children is allowed to continue?” asked Muller. Faulk writes that the “unlawful” Israeli blockade of Gaza, combined with the ongoing occupation and continued military incursions, has contributed to “a serious emergency situation… that threatens the entire population.” He continues, “The present situation is dire, as massive infrastructural failures cause daily hardship for the population, who are also at risk of epidemics.” Listed under “Acts potentially amounting to segregation and apartheid,” Falk includes the “continuing excessive use of force by Israeli security forces (ISF) and a lack of accountability for violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law.” He slams “lethal force against demonstrators,” as well as the “policy of targeted killing, which resulted in the killing of 369 Palestinians during the period September 2000 — December 2013.” Faulk charges that, “on average, for every person killed as a target of ISF, one or two other persons have been killed in any given operation.” The document, which was reportedly scheduled to be presented to the U.N. Human Rights Council next month, was published last week by pro-Israel group U.N. Watch. Among several recommendations, Falk urges cessation of trade with settlements, as well as the lifting of the blockade on Gaza. He calls for the International Court of Justice to “assess allegations that the prolonged occupation possesses legally unacceptable characteristics of ‘colonialism’, ‘apartheid’ and ‘ethnic cleansing.'” Sarah Lazare is a writer for Common Dreams.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
In a display of solidarity, hundreds of members of the Indian diaspora in the United Kingdom turned up on Saturday to clean up the filthy trash left by the Pakistani goons outside the Indian High Commission in London. According to the reports, the cleanliness drive was led by Ruchi Ghanashyam, the High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom. The filthy mess outside the Indian house was created by the violent British-Pakistani goons on September 3. In a symbolic move, the British Indians’ community sent the Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, a cleaning invoice after volunteering and cleaning the area. The Indian High Commission meanwhile has expressed its gratitude to the Indian Community for coming forward to help purge the India House of the mess made by the violent protest of 3 September. High Commission expresses its gratitude to the Indian Community for coming forward to help purge the India House of the mess made by violent protest of 3 September; Swachh Bharat: Shreshtha Bharat! @DrSJaishankar @MEAIndia @RuchiGhanashyam @UKinIndia pic.twitter.com/YCdlwa9LXA — India in the UK (@HCI_London) September 7, 2019 - Advertisement - In their failed bid to internationalise the Kashmir issue, Pakistanis are travelling around the globe, soliciting support to corner India on the issue of abrogation of Article 370. However, to their chagrin, Pakistanis are only receiving eggs and rejections on every forum. Recently, some of their own stooges have resorted to attacking them too. Reportedly, four Pakistani leaders had flown to London to fuel the anti-India campaign termed as ‘Kashmir Freedom March’, but they were welcomed with eggs and shoes thrown at them by the protestors who were unwilling to allow them to hijack their protest. The Indian High Commission in London suffered another attack on September 3 after protests over the abrogation of Article 370. A 10,000 strong mob of British Pakistanis, Pakistan-sponsored Khalistanis and some hired goons marched in London in the so-called ‘Kashmir Freedom March’. The building suffered damages as several windows and window panes have been smashed by the violent attackers pretending to be worried about Kashmir. This is the second attack by Pakistan goons in a span of a single month. The first incident had happened on August 15 on the occasion of India’s Independence Day. They were protesting the Indian government’s decision to remove the separate status for the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Meanwhile, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and London administration have been severely criticised for not cleaning the mess. On Thursday, British columnist Katie Hopkins slammed London Mayor Sadiq Khan and London administration for not cleaning the mess left behind by Pakistanis. “The Embassy in London – one of our greatest allies – is a filthy mess of eggs and vandalised windows at the hands of Pakistani protesters in the UK. Is the Muslim Mayor of London enabling this behaviour? Why has this not been cleaned up? Deeply shaming for Britain,” she tweeted. Following the violent protest incited by Pakistani goons, India had strongly raised the matter, both in New Delhi and London. India had summoned British Deputy High Commissioner Jan Thompson in New Delhi on Wednesday, a day after the protest took place. Indian High Commissioner Ruchi Ghanashyam had also met DG (Political) Foreign office and raised the issue. Two people were arrested after the protest by the Metropolitan Police.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
A Dallas, Texas jury today awarded half a billion dollars to ZeniMax after finding that Oculus co-founder Palmer Luckey, and by extension Oculus, failed to comply with a non-disclosure agreement he signed. In awarding ZeniMax $500 million, the jury also said that Oculus did not misappropriate trade secrets as contended by ZeniMax. Of the $500 million, Oculus is paying out $200 million for breaking the NDA and $50 million for copyright infringement. Oculus and Luckey each have to pay $50 million for false designation. And former Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe has to pay $150 million for the same, final count. Reached for comment shortly after the verdict, Oculus said they will be appealing, but that they look forward to eventually putting the case behind them. “The heart of this case was about whether Oculus stole ZeniMax's trade secrets, and the jury found decisively in our favor,” an Oculus spokesperson told Polygon. “We're obviously disappointed by a few other aspects of today's verdict, but we are undeterred. Oculus products are built with Oculus technology. Our commitment to the long-term success of VR remains the same, and the entire team will continue the work they've done since day one – developing VR technology that will transform the way people interact and communicate. “ ZeniMax tells Polygon that in light of the decision, it may seek an injunction to stop the sale of Oculus Rift headsets, at least temporarily. Robert Altman, ZeniMax’s Chairman and CEO, added that “technology is the foundation of our business and we consider the theft of our intellectual property to be a serious matter. We appreciate the jury’s finding against the defendants, and the award of half a billion dollars in damages for those serious violations.” The decision came back Wednesday afternoon following two and a half days of deliberation in the case being tried in a United States District court in the North District of Texas. Both Carmack and Luckey were in the courtroom when the verdict was read. It seemed as if the defense had high hopes as they settled in Wednesday morning. Luckey and Iribe sat with Carmack, chatting and smiling while the courtroom waited for the jury to arrive with their verdict. The plaintiff’s side was silent by comparison. Later, as the verdict was read, there was no shock or fits of indignation. District Judge Ed Kinkeade went through the jury questionnaire item by item, announcing and amassing damages by the millions as each side sat in stoic silence. Once the reading concluded, there was little reaction as parties discussed the outcome. Carmack began reading the verdict himself while Iribe and Luckey talked with their attorneys in hushed whispers. The jury walked out as ZeniMax attorneys went about discussing their next steps. The defense stated their intent to further discuss the verdict regarding trademark infringement and false designation with Judge Kinkeade and ZeniMax attorneys. The plaintiffs said they would come together to talk over some sort of injunctive relief. During closing arguments last week, ZeniMax attorney Anthony Sammi called the incident a heist and argued that ZeniMax should be awarded $2 billion in compensation and another $4 billion in punitive damages. Oculus attorney Beth Wilkinson argued that the multibillion-dollar lawsuit was driven by ZeniMax’s embarrassment, jealousy and anger, not facts. It remains unclear what sort of impact this will have on the daily retail sale of the Oculus Rift headsets. Facebook is expected to announced its fourth-quarter earnings after the market closes today. We’ve reached out to both Facebook and ZeniMax and will update this story when they respond. The Zenimax versus Facebook trial kicked off in January with testimony from a number of experts and those involved directly in the case including id Software co-founder John Carmack, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Oculus co-founders Iribe and Palmer Luckey. Testimony included Iribe testifying how talks between ZeniMax and Oculus broke down. At one point, Iribe said under oath, Bethesda Softworks’ president called the Oculus team “kids” and threatened to stop Carmack from working on anything else VR-related if Oculus didn’t sign a partnership deal. The deal would have granted ZeniMax a 15 percent equity interest in Oculus. Palmer Luckey was called in to essentially rebut allegations that he wasn’t capable of creating the Oculus Rift on his own, without the help of Carmack. During his day in court, Zuckerberg was grilled about his company’s seemingly rushed acquisition of Oculus for $2 billion. And during the first week of the trial, Carmack was questioned about his decision to copy some code from id Software computers before leaving the company to work at Facebook with Luckey. Rockville, Maryland-based ZeniMax sued Oculus in May 2014, alleging that the VR startup misappropriated trade secrets in the development of the Oculus Rift headset. The lawsuit was filed weeks after ZeniMax publicly accused Carmack of providing technology to Oculus. Oculus has said it will disprove those claims. According to ZeniMax’s complaint, Oculus co-founder and Rift inventor Palmer Luckey — along with a half a dozen ex-ZeniMax employees who are now working at Oculus — are building the Rift based on years and millions of dollars’ worth of ZeniMax’s research and copyrighted code. Oculus, which is now owned by Facebook, denies the allegations, saying the lawsuit came to a head after Facebook purchased the company and as a “chance for a quick payout.” The history of Luckey, the Oculus Rift, Carmack and ZeniMax-owned id Software is a complicated and entwined one. You can read more about it in our previous coverage of the ongoing suit.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
David Jesse Detroit Free Press Lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan have sent a letter to Eastern Michigan University's president asking him to stop disciplinary proceedings against black students who participated in a sit-in against racism. "Public universities should be places where students are encouraged to engage in the political process and where protection of the free exchange of ideas is at its zenith," the letter, dated Thursday, says. "Instead of threatening to expel these students, the university should thank them for standing up in the face of an environment of hate and working to make EMU a more welcoming place for students of color." ►Related: Black EMU students face expulsion for sit-in over racist graffiti ►Related: KKK, racial slurs painted on EMU building spark protest march ►Related: EMU students stage silent march against racism Several faculty members also met with Calvin Phillips, the associate vice president for student affairs, Friday afternoon to discuss the discipline of the students. Several Eastern students have been summoned in front of a student disciplinary board, charged with violating the student Code of Conduct following an all-night sit-in at the university's Student Center. The protest took place during the early-morning hours of Nov. 2. Black students, continuing a string of marches and protests following the spray painting of several racist sayings around campus, marched into the student center. They chanted for a bit and then settled in to do homework and talk. Police officers warned the group they would have to leave the student center when it closed at 1 a.m. or face the consequences of violating the student code of conduct. About half the group left. Police returned after 2 a.m. and specifically ordered the protesters to disperse. They then recorded the protesters on video and formally told them if they stayed they would be in violation of the student code of conduct and could face expulsion. The group stayed until about 6 a.m. Then, several students began getting notices from the university that they faced disciplinary action. The protesters facing discipline declined Friday to say what punishment was being handed out by the university. "Due to federal privacy laws, the university does not discuss individual cases involving students, and as such we cannot provide any further detail on the outcome of any cases," spokesman Geoff Larcom said in an e-mail to the Free Press. "Eastern Michigan University encourages our students to exercise the right to express their views on matters of public importance and matters that are important to them. EMU has always and will continue to support the rights of our students to peacefully demonstrate on issues of importance to them. "Over the past two months, the university has worked diligently with our students to manage the protests peacefully, and with a great level of appreciation and respect for students’ anger and frustration over the incidents that have occurred." Larcom said EMU President James Smith was off campus Friday and unavailable for interviews. Larcom earlier told the Free Press the university had no choice but to bring the charges, adding the student code doesn't allow for judgment calls on a case-by-case basis. "It's the student code. You can't pick and choose" what to enforce. ►Related: Hundreds show up at EMU rally to protest racism ►Related: Reward doubled after more racist graffiti found at Eastern Michigan Student Michael Woods' e-mail says he faces charges of disruptive behavior, failure to comply and violating policies regarding the use of campus facilities. That's not right, the ACLU said in its letter. "Students of color and religious and ethnic minorities feel like they are under siege, unsafe and unwelcome on campus," the letter said. "Rather than accept the racially hostile environment on campus as the status quo, students of color and allies, in the best American tradition, began to organize and demonstrate. "In response to this harmless protest against hate and racial intolerance, EMU has singled out four African American students who helped organize the sit-in for expulsion proceedings. The university exercised its discretion to forgo discipline of the rest of the protesters. "Finally, if EMU cares about attracting a diverse student body, prosecuting these students is a public relations disaster. It is bad enough that people are painting “KKK” and threatening racial epithets on campus buildings and EMU cannot catch the perpetrators. But to top that off, the administration is insisting on expelling African-American students for leading a harmless, nondisruptive sit-in as a response to the hate. People of color and religious and ethnic minorities do not feel safe on campus and are traumatized. Your response is viewed as callous and may scare away hundreds of prospective students of color who might otherwise consider EMU." Mark Fancher, a lawyer for the ACLU, tried to attend the meeting of faculty members with Phillips, the associate vice president for student affairs, but was told he couldn’t participate without university attorneys present. Fancher then went over to the university counsel’s office, where he says he had a "meaningful" conversation about the case. Fancher didn't detail that conversation. After the meeting, Carla Harryman, a professor of English, Literature and Language, told a group of faculty and students that Phillips would not give any details about the discipline. "What we can infer is they are treating them like vandals," Harryman said. About 50 students and faculty then marched back into Phillips' office. He met them and after confirming the discipline was still ongoing, declined to answer questions about why the administration was pressing code of conduct charges against the students. That just agitated the crowd, whose members said the administration was picking the wrong side of the battle to be on. "Your office is presiding over a slow motion train wreck," longtime Eastern professor Mark Higbee told Phillips. "Instead of fighting against the racists who did this, you redirected the fight as between administration and the protesters." Contact David Jesse: 313-222-8851 or djesse@freepress,com. Follow him on Twitter: @reporterdavidj.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
WASHINGTON – Bats are the longest-lived mammals relative to body size and a species called the greater mouse-eared bat lives especially long. Researchers now have unlocked some of this bat’s longevity secrets, with hints for fighting the effects of aging in people. Scientists said on Wednesday that unlike in people and most other animals, in this bat species the structures called telomeres located at the end of chromosomes, thread-like strands inside a cell’s nucleus that carry genes determining heredity, do not shorten with age. The research was published in the journal Science Advances. Only 19 mammal species are longer-lived than humans relative to body size. Eighteen of them are bats, some living more than four decades. The other is a weird African rodent called a naked mole rat., and The researchers identified two genes in the greater mouse-eared bat that may be responsible for its unique longevity adaptation. These mechanisms could be the focus of future studies on aging, with an eye toward extending healthy lifespans in people, the researchers said. Telomeres are protective caps at the ends of chromosomes that shorten each time a cell divides. This drives the natural aging process, leading to a breakdown of cells that over time can drive tissue deterioration and eventually death. “Studying exceptionally long-living mammals that have naturally evolved mechanisms to fight aging is an alternative way to identify the molecular basis of extended ‘health spans,’” said biologist Emma Teeling of University College Dublin in Ireland, one of the study leaders. “Bats are an exciting new model species that will enable us to identify new molecular mechanisms that drive healthy aging.” The researchers studied 493 individual bats from four species: the greater mouse-eared bat and Bechstein’s bat, both members of the bat genus called Myotis; the greater horseshoe bat; and the common bent-wing bat. Of these, the greater mouse-eared bat had the longest lifespan, about 37 years. The greater mouse-eared bat and the closely related Bechstein’s bat had telomeres that did not shorten with age, suggesting that Myotis bats share this characteristic. Another Myotis bat, Brandt’s bat, holds the bat longevity record of 41 years. Based on body size, the greater mouse-eared bat would be predicted to have a maximum lifespan of four years. Its range spans from Western Europe into the Middle East. It preys on large, ground-dwelling creatures like beetles, crickets and spiders.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Monsanto’s Herbicide Roundup Detected In Everyday Foods Monsanto complained vociferously to newspapers that carried my Animal Doctor column in which I cited a research study that reported finding the potentially carcinogenic herbicide glyphosate in common cat and dog foods. This is the main ingredient of Monsanto’s globally distributed herbicide Roundup. Now these same researchers have found traces of glyphosate in popular breakfast foods—oatmeal, bagels and wheat cereal— which they attribute to farmers using this herbicide on conventional, (non-GMO “Roundup Ready”, glyphosate-resistant) cereal crops as a desiccant shortly before harvest. Glyphosate was also found in eggs and dairy creamer. This is a clear indication of bioaccumulation—the herbicide in the animals’ food building up in animals’ tissues. The researchers assert that this process of tissue accumulation most assuredly occurs in humans who are part of the same contaminated food chain: And I would add also our companion animals. So look for Organic Certification and Non-GMO verified produce for better safety and nutritional quality. This report can be accessed at: anh-usa.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/ANHUSA-glyphosate-breakfast-study-FINAL.pdf Dr. Michael W. Fox From Michael W. Fox BVetMed, PhD, DSc, MRCVS Veterinarian, bioethicist, syndicated columnist (Animal Doctor with Universal-U Click). Website: www.drfoxvet.net Latest books: “HEALING ANIMALS & THE VISION OF ONE HEALTH” and “ANIMALS & NATURE FIRST: CREATING NEW COVENANTS WITH ANIMALS & NATURE” with CreateSpace/Amazon.com	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
ONE Championship™ (ONE), has just announced a blockbuster main event set for the Jakarta Convention Center in Jakarta, Indonesia. ONE: KINGS OF COURAGE is set for 20 January, and is ONE Championship’s first global broadcast of 2018. In the main event, Tiffany “No Chill” Teo of Singapore will take on “The Panda” Xiong Jing Nan of China for the inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight World Championship. Ticket information for ONE: KINGS OF COURAGE is available at www.onefc.com. Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated: “I am super excited to announce Tiffany Teo versus Xiong Jing Nan at ONE: KINGS OF COURAGE in Jakarta. It is our first global broadcast of 2018 and we are going big. The two women are exemplary martial artists who compete at the highest level of skill. It should be an exciting bout for all the fans watching, and at the end of the night, we will be crowning our first ONE Women’s Strawweight World Champion. In addition, our co-main event contest between local hero Stefer Rahardian and Muhammad Imran will see the winner go on to challenge for the ONE Flyweight World Championship.” Tiffany Teo, ONE World Title Challenger, stated: “First of all, I would like to thank ONE Championship for believing in me. I’ve always kept my head down and let the hard work and my achievements speak for itself. I got the win in my last bout, but I still feel like I could have done better. As a martial artist, I am constantly seeking to improve. This title shot means a lot to me and I am excited to get right back in the cage. I would like to thank Xiong Jing Nan for the opportunity to showcase my skills again. This one is for my fans in Singapore. I will bring the belt home for you guys.” Xiong Jing Nan, ONE World Title Challenger, stated: “I would like to thank ONE Championship for the opportunity. I am so glad to have a title shot against Tiffany [Teo]. This is a great honor for me, and for China. I have been training and dreaming of becoming a world champion for a long time and I am ready to defeat whoever is standing in front of me. My entire career has been about making this dream come true, and now it’s time for me to make that dream a reality.” Tiffany “No Chill” Teo of Singapore is a rising female martial arts star who competes in ONE Championship’s women’s strawweight division. She holds an unblemished professional record of seven wins and no losses, including three submissions and two knockouts. Teo began training in taekwondo before moving on to compete in boxing and Muay Thai and eventually transitioning to the ONE Championship cage. In her last bout, Teo impressed with a quick submission victory over Puja Tomar. Up next, Teo will take on Xiong Jing Nan for the inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight World Championship. “The Panda” Xiong Jingnan of Shandong is an upcoming female strawweight contender in ONE Championship. She is known as one of the top three leading female martial arts talents in China. With a professional record of 10-1, Xiong began her career competing in professional boxing and was inspired by her father, who imparted in her values of courage and integrity. Featuring a wide array of skills, Xiong recently bagged a gold medal at the prestigious China Open Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournament in 2017. In her last bout, Xiong made quick work of Filipino wushu specialist April Osenio, finishing her opponent via technical knockout in the first round. Up next, Xiong will take on Tiffany Teo for the inaugural ONE Women’s Strawweight World Championship. Top Indonesian martial arts talent Stefer Rahardian impressed in his ONE Championship debut by winning the ONE: TITLES & TITANS Flyweight Tournament in August of 2016. Rahardian finished both Yotha Hutagalung and Hendrick Wijaya by first round rear-naked choke to become the tournament winner. Since then, Rahardian has blazed a trail in the ONE Championship cage, winning three additional bouts to cap an unprecedented run as a professional. In his last outing, Rahardian outperformed Cambodia’s Sim Bunsrun to win by impressive first-round submission. Still unbeaten, Rahardian puts his perfect record on the line against Muhammad Imran in a ONE Flyweight World Championship title eliminator.. Muhammad “The Spider” Imran of Gujar Khan, Pakistan is a martial artist making his ONE Championship debut. He is the former PFC Strawweight Champion who specializes in budokai karate and grappling. The 26-year-old is looking to make a solid impact at flyweight, challenging one of the top talents in the division in his first appearance for the promotion. In his next outing, Imran is set to battle Indonesia’s Stefer Rahardian for the right to challenge for the ONE Flyweight World Championship. Eric Kowal https://www.mymmanews.com Founder of MyMMANews.com – After writing for Ultimate MMA magazine and serving as the editor for U.S. Combat Sports, both of which went on hiatus, I decided to venture out on my own and enlist a staff of writers and photographers that could help me achieve my goal of telling stories that would otherwise go untold. We pride ourselves in taking a deeper look into the fighter, and understanding what makes them tick. – #1 Dad, Marine Corps Veteran, 80’s and 90’s Pro Wrestling Fan, MMA Commentator, Beer Lover, and avid movie watcher. Seriously….. I watch a lot of movies. See author's posts	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Oxfam's 2016 Behind the Brands Scorecard assesses the agricultural sourcing policies of the world's 10 largest food and beverage companies. It exclusively focuses on publicly available information that relates to the policies of these companies on their sourcing of agricultural commodities from developing countries. This company scored 57% (fair).Source: Oxfam (2016) This company is listed as having best practice on a report card on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality in corporate America.Source: Human Rights Campaign (2020) The 2019 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark assessed 200 of the largest publicly traded companies in the world from the Agricultural Products, Apparel, Extractives and ICT Manufacturing sectors on 100 human rights indicators. This company's score was in the 50-60 band range. The overall average score was a disappointing 24%.Source: CHRB (2019) In 2018 KnowTheChain benchmarked 120 large global companies in the ICT, Food & Beverage, and Apparel & Footwear sectors on their efforts to address forced labour and human trafficking in their supply chains. This company received a score of 62/100.Source: KnowTheChain (2018) In 2019, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate climate change risk. Responding companies are scored across four key areas: disclosure; awareness; management; and leadership. This company received a CDP Climate Change Score of B.Source: CDP (2019) In 2019, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) asked companies to provide data about their efforts to manage and govern freshwater resources. Responding companies are scored on six key metrics: transparency; governance & strategy; measuring & monitoring; risk assessment; targets & goals; and value chain engagement. This company received a CDP Water Security Score of A-.Source: CDP (2019) This company received an S&P Global ESG Score of 35/100 in the Beverages category of the 2019 SAM Corporate Sustainability Assessment, an annual evaluation of companies' sustainability practices. The rankings are based on an analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, environmental reporting, climate strategy, human rights and labour practices.Source: S&P Global (2019) As You Sow's 2016 report, 'The 100 Most Overpaid CEOs', reveals the 100 most overpaid CEOs from USA's 500 largest public companies (as determined by the S&P 500 list). This company's CEO, Muhtar Kent came in at number 18 on the list, having been paid US$25,224,422 in 2015. According to the report, "Most CEOs have come to be grossly overpaid, and that overpayment is harmful to the companies, the shareholders, the customers, the other employees, the economy, and society as a whole."Source: As You Sow (2016) In 2019 this company agreed to pay US$2.45 million to settle a class action lawsuit that alleged that their Seagram's Ginger Ale products are falsely labeled as "Made With Real Ginger."Source: Top Class Actions (2019) The 2019 Corporate Human Rights Benchmark assessed 200 of the largest publicly traded companies in the world from the Agricultural Products, Apparel, Extractives and ICT Manufacturing sectors on 100 human rights indicators. This company's score was in the 20-30 band range. The overall average score was a disappointing 24%.Source: CHRB (2019) This company received a score of 17.9/100 (retrieved 25-Feb-2020) in the Corporate Information Transparency Index (CITI), a system for evaluating supply chain practices in China, particularly in regards to environmental management and water pollution. Scores are calculated using government compliance data, online monitoring data, and third-party environmental audits, as well as trends in the environmental performance of factories in the company's supply chains.Source: IPE (2020) This company received a score of 25.4/100 in the Newsweek Green Ranking 2017, which ranks the world's largest publicly traded companies on eight indicators covering energy, greenhouse gases, water, waste, fines and penalties, linking executive pay to sustainability targets, board-level committee oversight of environmental issues and third-party audits. Ranking methodology by Corporate Knights and HIP Investor.Source: Newsweek (2017) This company appears on Global Exchange's list of "Most Wanted" Corporate Human Rights Violators "Alums" for violent killings, kidnap and torture, water privatization, health violations, and discriminatory practices.Source: Global Exchange (2017) In 2018 volunteers collected and catalogued more than 187,000 pieces of trash from beach cleanups around the world to find out which corporations are contributing the most to the global plastic pollution problem. This company was found to be the world's worst plastic polluter.Source: #breakfreefromplastic (2018) An international boycott of the Coca-Cola Company has been in place since July 2003, calling for accountability for human rights abuses, including murder, of trade union workers in Colombia.Source: Corporate Campaign (2013) In India, Coca Cola has caused severe water shortages, polluted groundwater and soil around its bottling plant, distributed its toxic waste as 'fertiliser' to local farmers and sold drinks with extremely high levels of pesticides.Source: India Resource Center (2020) Source: This company has products rated RED in the Centre for Food Safety's True Food Shopper's Guide (USA). Products on the RED list contain ingredients that come from the most common GE crops (corn, soy, canola, cotton). Companies with products on this list have confirmed that their products may have or are likely to be made with GE ingredients, or have not denied using GE foods when given the opportunity to do so.Source: Center for Food Safety (USA) (2013) Source: During the 2010 year, a slew of Vitaminwater deceptive marketing class action lawsuits were filed by a number of US consumers alleging the Coke product is labeled and marketed as a healthy drink containing nutrients and fails to adequately inform consumers of the amount of sugar in Vitaminwater. A class action settlement was reached in 2014. Coke agreed to change its labeling and marketing, and cover the plaintiff's legal fees.Source: Top Class Actions (2014) Source: Some of Coca-Cola's bottled water brands consist of treated mains water.Source: Consumers International (2004) Source: Identified in 'The Big Chill: Too Scared to Speak' report which identified Chinese Olympic Sponsors response to Darfur crisis in Sudan. Received a D. Neither took action in regard to bringing security to Darfur, their grades reflect what appeared to be significant concern with the issue and an effort (unsuccessful) to take an action. Rather than take action about Darfur, Coca-Cola took aim at the Dream for Darfur campaign.Source: Dream for Dafur (2008) Source: This 2014 report by Friends of the Earth documents a tenfold increase in unregulated, unlabeled "nanofood" products on the American market since 2008. The report named this company among those with products containing unlabeled nano-ingredients. These nanomaterials differ significantly from larger particles of the same chemical composition, and new studies are adding to a growing body of scientific evidence indicating they may be more toxic to humans and the environment.Source: FOE (2014) Source: The Seeking Safer Packaging 2010: Ranking Food Companies on BPA report by U.S. nonprofit organization, As You Sow, rates companies on their corporate efforts to eliminate BPA from their canned food and beverage products. BPA has been linked to serious diseases and has been the focus of increasing consumer concern and regulatory restrictions. This company received an 'F' Grade in the report. [Listed under Information due to age of report]Source: As You Sow (2010) Source: Named and shamed in the 2015 CHOICE Shonky Awards for funding the Global Energy Balance Network (GEBN), an organisation whose ties to 'Big Soda' are artfully hidden. The network says it's dedicated to helping end obesity, but tacitly cautions against focusing too much on bad eating habits, instead suggesting that we shouldn't stop gulping down cans of Coke, we should simply exercise more.Source: Choice (2015) Source: According to the democracyforsale.net website, this company donated $192,500 to Australia's major political parties between 2012 and 2018, as disclosed to the Australian Electoral Commision (AEC).Source: Democracy For Sale (2018) Source: This company has signed a letter of intent (https://bit.ly/2rdBlwn) to participate in the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, which claims will lift 50 million people in Africa out of poverty by 2022. But according to a 2015 report by ActionAid, the scheme will benefit multinational companies at the expense of small-scale farmers and is likely to increase poverty and inequality in Africa. Launched in 2012, the New Alliance provides aid money from rich countries like the US and the UK, and helps big business invest in the African agricultural sector. But in return, African countries are required to change their land, seed and trade rules in favour of big business. The New Alliance will: Make it easier for big corporations to grab land in Africa: Prevent farmers from breeding, saving and exchanging seeds: Heavily promote chemical fertilisers and pesticides, which increase farmers risk of debt as well as damaging the environment and farmers' health: Replace family farms with low paid, insecure jobs; and Prevent countries from restricting crop exports, even at times of domestic shortage.Source: Action Aid (2015) Source: The Coca-Cola Company and Nestle had a joint venture from 1991 to 2018 called Beverage Partners Worldwide, which operated in 52 countries selling drinks based on black tea and green tea like Nestea.Source: Wikipedia (2018) Source: This company is a signatory to the US Plastics Pact, a collaborative effort organized by The Recycling Partnership and the World Wildlife Fund, launched as part of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's global Plastics Pact network to unify diverse public-private stakeholders across the plastics value chain to rethink the way we design, use, and reuse plastics, to create a path forward to realize a circular economy for plastic in the United States. In line with the Ellen McArthur Foundation's vision of a circular economy for plastics, which unites more than 850+ organizations, the US Plastics Pact brings together companies, government entities, NGOs, researchers, and other stakeholders to work collectively toward scalable solutions tailored to the unique needs and challenges within the U.S. landscape, through vital knowledge sharing and coordinated action.Source: US Plastics Pact (2020) Source: This company is a signatory to the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, whose goal is to eliminate plastic pollution at its source.Source: New Plastics Economy (2019) Source: As listed on the We Mean Business website, this company has committed to the following climate action initiatives: reduce short-lived climate pollutant emissions; develop low carbon action plan.Source: We Mean Business (2017) Source: This company appears on the 2020 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, signifying a commitment to supporting gender equality through policy development, representation, and transparency.Source: Bloomberg (2020) Source: This company is a member of How2Recycle. The How2Recycle Label is a voluntary, standardized labeling system that clearly communicates recycling instructions to the public. It involves a coalition of forward thinking brands who want their packaging to be recycled and are empowering consumers through smart packaging labels. Companies must be a member of the program to use the How2Recycle Label.Source: How2Recycle (2020) Source: This company is a member of the Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (SAI) Platform, the main food industry initiative supporting the development of sustainable agriculture worldwide. Created by Nestle, Unilever and Danone in 2002, the SAI Platform is a non-profit organization to facilitate sharing, at precompetitive level, of knowledge and initiatives to support the development and implementation of sustainable agriculture practices involving the different stakeholders of the food chain.Source: SAI Platform (2019) Source: The Sustainable Food Lab is a network of business, public sector, and civil society leaders from around the globe who are working together to accelerate sustainability in mainstream food and agriculture.Source: Sustainable Food Lab (2016) Source: This company is a member of the Trash Free Seas Alliance, the oldest forum of its kind focused on innovative and pragmatic solutions to rid the ocean of plastic pollution and other forms of marine debris. Corporate members have collectively committed millions of dollars for research on ways to improve waste collection and recycling in parts of the world most impacted by ocean plastic pollution. Members have also pledged to eliminate or replace up to half a million tons of virgin plastic from products and packaging each year.Source: Ocean Conservancy (2020) Source: This company is a member of Bonsucro - Better Sugar Cane Initiative, a global non-profit, multi-stakeholder organisation fostering the sustainability of the sugarcane sector through its leading metric-based certification scheme and its support for continuous improvement for members.Source: Bonsucro (2019) Source: This company is a member of the Circular Economy 100 (CE100) Network, a multi-stakeholder platform run by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. The CE100 is the world's leading circular economy network, and facilitates market making by providing collaborative and pre-competitive opportunities which bring together business, innovators, cities and governments, universities, and thought leaders.Source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2019) Source: The United Nations Global Compact asks companies to embrace, support and enact, within their sphere of influence, a set of 10 values in the areas of human rights, labour standards, the environment, and anti-corruption. However it's non-binding nature has been widely criticised, and many signatory corporations continue to violate the Compact's values.Source: UN Global Compact (2020) Source: As You Sow's 2020 report, Waste and Opportunity, ranks companies on plastic packaging pollution. The study measures the progress of 50 large companies in the beverage, quick-service restaurant, consumer packaged goods, and retail sectors on six core pillars where swift action is needed to reduce plastic pollution: 1) Packaging Design, 2) Reusable Packaging, 3) Recycled Content, 4) Packaging Data Transparency, 5) Support for Recycling, and 6) Producer Responsibility. This company received a grade of C+Source: As You Sow (2020) Source: The Access to Nutrition Index (ATNI) is a global initiative that evaluates the world's largest food and beverage manufacturers on their policies, practices and performance related to undernutrition and obesity. Of the 22 companies ranked this company came 13th.Source: Access to Nutrition Foundation (2018) Source: California, the UK and Australia have all enacted legislation requiring companies operating within their borders to disclose their efforts to eradicate modern slavery from their operations and supply chains. Follow the link to see this company's disclosure statement.Source: Modern Slavery Registry (2017) Source: This company is listed on the Facing Finance website as a company that manufactures weapons or profits from violations of human rights, pollution, corruption, or international law. Follow link for further details.Source: Facing Finance (2014) Source: The Corporate Research Project's Corporate Rap Sheets are dossiers summarising the most significant crimes, violations and other questionable activities of the world's largest and most controversial companies. Follow link to see this company's Corporate Rap Sheet. "Coca-Cola has also been confronted with international pressure campaigns on issues ranging from labor practices in Colombia to water use in India. In the United States, the company has faced charges of racial discrimination, accusations that its marketing efforts contributed to the national obesity problem and criticism over the environmental impact of its move into the bottled water business."Source: Corporate Research Project (2018)	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Germany is housing asylum seekers in a former Nazi concentration camp, the Mail Online reported Friday. According to the report, 21 men reside in a building once used as the barracks of the Buchenwald concentration camp. The asylum seekers are staying there while waiting to receive refugee status. Some have been living there for several months, while others are more recent arrivals. The building is reportedly equipped with basic cooking facilities and bunk beds. "It is an emergency solution, but it is unavoidable," the mayor of Berlin's Mitte district, Christian Hanke, was quoted as saying by the Mail Online. "There is a lot of room in the hangars." The plan to house asylum seekers at the camp came under fire in January when it was first announced. Around 250,000 prisoners were held at Buchenwald from its opening in July 1937 to its liberation in April 1945. An estimated 56,000 people were killed, including political prisoners, people dubbed "asocial" by the Nazis, Soviet prisoners of war, Sinti and Roma, and approximately 11,000 Jews. The report emerged as Germany struggles to cope with a record-breaking influx of refugees. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Friday that up to 40,000 migrants might arrive in Germany on Saturday and Sunday, twice as many as last weekend, when authorities in Bavaria had warned they were barely coping. Some 450,000 people have come to Germany seeking refuge from war, persecution and poverty since the start of the year. AP and Reuters contributed to the report.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
We talk with Eduardo Robles, and along with David Ruescas, they are the main proponents of the Agora Voting project. Ferdinand Reyes: What is Agora Voting? Eduardo and David: Agora Voting is a free software voting system, born as Agora Ciudadana (Citizen Agora) in 2008 by a group of developers looking for creating a voting system useful for Partido de Internet (Internet Party). Currently fifteen persons work on this project and it has been used in two experiences in Spanish Parliament and pirate parties around the world. It is a flexible tool which can adapt to several use cases: different privacy and security levels, optional delegation, multiple types of questions, multiple authentication systems and an advanced API. We look for a reliable system with high security standards to keep the legitimacy of votings. Many people already shop online, but not so many trust the electronic vote. For those more optimistic, we understand they need the most secure voting tool available. This is why we looked since the beginning for the best security measures, aiming for a robust system with verifiable votes and trust shared among independent actors. In the last vote in Iniciativa Congreso Transparente (Transparent Congress initiative) we implemented the first version of the security system that took us two years to end, based on cryptographic systems known as mixnets. But we don’t want to stop here, we want a stronger system and here is where Bitcoin enters. It has very interesting properties. One of them is its trustlesness, which means you don’t have to trust any authority but you trust the network, more distributed and robust. Another one, it is not malleable. Everything written in the blockchain is permanent. It also has DDoS protection, making it extremely difficult to bring down the service of the whole network, unlike a centralized system. We have talked to bitcoin’s developers about how to get a more efficient system and one of these ways is chronobit. It allows one to associate a piece of data to each block as a hash, with prior agreement in a mining pool. Using a chronobit based system, votes recount can be done with mixnets and we get an unalterable and distributed register, with votes registered by date in the blockchain. You could download the file with the votes from different mirrors and check their hashes. You trust the blockchain. Bitcoin would be a cybernotary. This is one of the most basic forms to use the blockchain. We are researching advanced options using Zerocoin due to a very interesting trait: transactions are fully anonymous, unlike Bitcoin. The main idea is to vote using anonymized transactions to accounts associated with an option. In this way, the final count is done by the cryptocurrency: the account associated with an option with more money wins. Now we are talking with Zerocoin team to see how we can work together. Currently we do not have a definitive way to develop this but we are learning and investigating. There is an important work to do. FR: How can bitcoin help to create a more democratic society? E&D:With bitcoin, Paypal could not have blocked donations to Wikileaks. Also, “corralito” could not have occurred in Argentina. Why? Because you do not need the middleman: No PayPal, no bank, no government to coerce them and no third party able to force the government… It is an independent system from ground: it is more reliable. This is very good for society. Bitcoin lays down new rules, that go far beyond being a simple electronic currency. It eliminates intermediaries. It is a system of generation of information under some rules, reliable, immutable, highly distributed and hard to attack. It is based on trust in a network that operates by democratic rules. Bitcoin based systems can be applied in different areas, taking advantage of these interesting properties above: you can build a Domain Name System (DNS) independent from ICANN, or a SSL certificate issuer system without central authorities. Or, like in our case, you can build a decentralized voting system with no central web server or authorities. When you remove intermediaries, your system is more robust. In a vital system like money or elections, a robust system allows you to reach a higher democratic quality. FR: How to apply delegation from liquid democracy to vote by bitcoin? E&D:This needs further research. We have some ideas about how to make liquid democracy viable in a Zerocoin based system. Nothing definitive yet. This is a new area to explore. FR: Is this the only project using cryptocoins for this purpose? E&D: As far as we know, there is no other viable bitcoin based voting system which can be secure, verifiable and anonymous at the same time. What strengths and weaknesses does it have? Strengths: the proposed Zerocoin based system is DDoS resistant, anonymous, verifiable count and trustlessness, trust is distributed in the network. It is more decentralized than currently available voting systems. As weaknesses, a voting can have some cost in bitcoins (although you save costs in web servers and other services). Also, votes are not possibly registered instantly in the blockchain and they can’t be revoked due anonymous transactions, required for liquid democracy. Finally, we need to research the cost and computational efficiency of elections on bitcoin. FR: What are your plans? E&D:Our target is to build the most distributed and secure voting system possible. We plan to keep support for both versions: public votings and votings with mixnets and authorities. We are going to support and improve them. We want to explore the boundaries of the possible. This requires a constant effort to keep its security and up to date about cryptographic techniques. For this reason we opened a Bitcoin account to receive donations and give a boost to the project: 1EwqtN6GwHmkfYEfxGhuVcjrNBdQwvXMd3. Our software has been used twice last year in Spain’s Congreso de los Diputados (Congress of Deputies) and we already have a first implementation of ciphered voting with mixnets. All this without funding. We expect to have funding during this year and it will be better. Fasten your seatbelts! FR: What is your monetary target and where can donations be made? E&D: In this post where we announced our intention to use bitcoin in Agora we established an initial amount of BTC 100. It may seem a large figure for some, but really a voting system doesn’t write itself. Even less if we want to make secure. This requires a professional job, very specific qualifications and complete dedication. Our goals are ambitious but feasible. If you want to help by donating, you can do it at 1EwqtN6GwHmkfYEfxGhuVcjrNBdQwvXMd3. You can also collaborate in the free software project by working on the cryptographic part, writing code, translating, testing, writing documentation, helping people on the lists, working on the infrastructure side or otherwise in our mailing list. First image of Ruben Alexander.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Huckabee! Huckabee! The man of the hour! What is it that voters love so much about this guy? Is it a hitherto inchoate yearning for a president who knows less about international affairs than they do? Hope that a man who can lose 100 pounds could also get rid of the federal deficit? Mike is soaring ahead in the early polls, in a surge to the front of the pack that suggests Republicans cannot come to grips with the idea that they are supposed to nominate either Mitt Romney or Rudy Giuliani for president. There has to be a way out! What about Huckabee? He has a good heart! True, his brain doesn’t seem to have a single thought about foreign policy or know much about domestic policy, for that matter. But one well-functioning body part is better than nothing. Yesterday, the Republican candidates for president had their last debate of 2007, and let me say, there’s nothing that gets you in the holiday spirit like Rudy Giuliani pointing out that Islamic fanatics want us dead. While this was supposed to be Romney’s big chance to regain momentum in Iowa, it wound up being a pretty dull affair. Mitt did not even get a chance to ask Huckabee why, in a new Times Magazine interview, he coyly dropped the question of whether Mormons believe that Jesus and the devil are brothers. (Coming next: Mike innocently asks whether it’s true that New York mayors worship false idols.) In a great bit of luck for the Huckabee team, the event included Alan Keyes, a candidate so wacky he’s generally excluded even from the none-too-selective list of Republican debaters. It was the perfect way to combat the impression that Huckabee’s religious beliefs, which seem to rule out evolution, are extreme. Next to Keyes, he looks like a logical positivist.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
There’s a new Star Wars movie coming out this year, and while it’s not Episode VIII, it’ll be a fun story to see unfold. The action of Rogue One is placed between Episodes III and IV and will tell us how the rebels stole the plans for the Death Star. We’ve already seen the first trailer, and we know who the main characters are. On top of that, spoilers have already hit the web, and now we have a major cameo confirmation: The Star Wars character you want to see most is indeed returning in Rogue One. Spoilers follow below, so stop reading now if you’d like to avoid them. DON’T MISS: Amazon’s 12 best daily deals: Deadpool, a tiny PC, a low-cost robot vacuum and more Rumors suggested Darth Vader would make an appearance in Rogue One well before Disney released the first trailer. And it looks like that cameo can now be confirmed. Making Star Wars has learned from sources familiar with the Rogue One script that Darth Vader is indeed in the movie. That’s right, the same Darth Vader from the original trilogy is coming back to Rogue One. “The costume is the A New Hope costume down to the fine details,” the site said. “The upper armor has the tunic going over the top of the shoulders, just as it did in Episode IV. The belt buckle is the same. The inside of the cape is that shiny type of material. The gloves are identical and not like the ones in the following films. The lights on the belt are the same. The chest piece’s lights match perfectly. The mask is not like the symmetrical Revenge of the Sith mask; it appears to look just like the original did. The neck of the mask and the widow’s peak are all there. The lenses have that amber look to them.” Spencer Wilding is rumored to be in the suit but James Earl Jones will do the voice. The extremely detailed suit in the movie is the work of Brian Mur, the original Darth Vader costume sculptor. Even better, one source said that the blue tank we see in the teaser trailer has Darth Vader inside it. He’s apparently being healed inside the tank – his limbs are interchanged and repaired. It’s not clear at this time whether Hayden Christensen is also coming back to Star Wars to reprise his Darth Vader role, but rumors say he has been training with members of the Star Wars production team.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Sign up for our special edition newsletter to get a daily update on the coronavirus pandemic. A Michigan state lawmaker infected with COVID-19 is crediting the controversial anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine with saving her life — saying she felt better within a few hours of taking her prescription. Democratic state Rep. Karen Whitsett of Detroit told FOX News’ “The Ingraham Angle” Monday that she went into home quarantine on March 12, the day she last attended a session at the State House in Lansing, and her condition only got worse from there. “It took the longest [time] for me to actually be able to get an appointment and getting with my doctor, which was the 18th of March, and then actually getting the COVID test,” Whitsett said on the program. She initially thought she’d contracted a bout of pneumonia and was prescribed the antibiotic amoxicillin. But then on March 31, she tested positive for COVID-19. By then, she said, her condition had “just plummeted.” “It went from the headaches being severe to fluid building up in my lungs, to sweats breaking out to the cough and my breathing being labored,” Whitsett said. “It all happened in a matter of hours.” At the hospital, Whitsett learned that the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, under Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, had issued a state order prohibiting the use of hydroxychloroquine. Though that order was retracted several days later, at the time, Whitsett struggled to get her hands on the medication. “I did have a difficult time, even that day, obtaining the medication because of an order that was put down in my state,” she said on the program. “And it was on that day, so you can imagine how terrified I was that I had to beg and plead and go through a whole lot to try to get the medication.” Whitsett suffers from chronic Lyme disease — for which hydroxychloroquine is also used as a treatment — but she said she had never thought of it as a potential coronavirus treatment until President Trump touted the drug. “If President Trump had not talked about this, it wouldn’t have been something that would be accessible for anyone to be able to get right now,” the lawmaker said. Whitsett was feeling better within hours of her first dose, she said. “It has a lot to do with the president … bringing it up,” the freshman lawmaker told the Detroit Free Press. “He is the only person who has the power to make it a priority.” Trump tweeted the Free Press’ story Monday. “Congratulations to State Representative Karen Whitsett of Michigan,” he wrote. “So glad you are getting better!” Trump has repeatedly highlighted the drug’s ability to fight COVID-19, especially when combined with the antibiotic azithromycin. But health professionals have argued it is unproven and carries multiple risks. They also say Trump’s promotion of the drug could lead to a shortage of the medication of those who normally use it for other illnesses.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Hope this meme is not dead yet. I was really bored so i decided to make a silly minigame. HOW LONG CAN YOU SURVIVE INSIDE THE ASYLUM, WHEN YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE THERE? Music and effects: Kostas Berd Coding and "art": Panagiotis Glikas	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
A group of kids is suing Florida Gov. Rick Scott, claiming he “endangered” their future and violated their constitutional rights by not doing anything to combat climate change. The youngsters filed their lawsuit on Monday in Leon County Court. “It is the responsibility of the state to uphold the constitution, and these young people have a fundamental right to a stable climate system,” said Guy Burns, lead counsel for the eight plaintiffs, most of whom are teens. The youths are being represented by the Oregon-based nonprofit organization Our Children’s Trust, which is supporting similar suits from children across the country. They range in age from 10 to 20 years old — and include climate change activists Levi Draheim and Delaney Reynolds, who expressed their outrage in a statement. “The reason that I’m a part of this lawsuit is because I believe that the climate change crisis is the biggest threat that my generation will ever have to face,” Reynolds explained. “Right now we live in what I like to call the state of denial because the state of Florida is doing nothing to address climate change, but everything to cause it. That is completely immoral,” she said. “If we ever want to have a future of living here in Florida, if my children ever want to live here in Florida, we need to start working together to implement solutions for climate change or the state of Florida won’t exist.” For years, Scott has refused to address the issue of climate change — even going so far as to tell reporters “I’m not a scientist” when asked his opinion on the subject in 2014. He reportedly banned his administration members from using the term, along with the phrase “global warming.” “Gov. Scott says he’s not a scientist. Well, neither are most of the people that are forced to take action because the state is failing us,” Reynolds told the Miami Herald on Monday. The youth plaintiffs have been getting compared on social media to David Hogg and the young South Florida activists that have been pushing for gun reform in the wake of the Parkland school shooting. “Rocking it again,” tweeted local climate activist Emily Johnston. The kids not only name Scott in their suit but several state agencies as well. “We can’t delay anymore because climate change is a huge problem,” said Draheim, 10. “We must deal with it right now and start reducing the emissions that are causing it,” she added. “We need to fix the problem not just talk about it.” In their complaint, the children claim that local officials caused harm to both current and future generations of Floridians by using a “fossil fuel-based energy system” that causes “dangerous levels of greenhouse gas pollution.” They also claim that the defendants have caused “substantial impairment to vital natural resources” — which have ultimately brought on climate change. The group is seeking to establish a “Climate Recovery Plan” to combat the effects. “The Florida Constitution recognizes that these young people have certain fundamental rights that state government must not violate,” said Andrea Rodgers, co-counsel for the youth plaintiffs and senior attorney for Our Children’s Trust. “Unfortunately, when it comes to climate change, Florida state government has actively pursued and implemented policies that result in dangerous levels of greenhouse gas emissions and threaten the life, liberty, and property of these youth. The court needs to step in to ensure that the rights of these young people are protected.” In response to the suit, a spokesperson for Gov. Scott released a statement on Monday night — blasting it as “political theater.” “The Governor signed one of the largest environmental protection budgets in Florida’s history last month – investing $4 billion into Florida’s environment,” they said. “The Governor is focused on real solutions to protect our environment — not political theater or a lawsuit orchestrated by a group based in Eugene, Oregon.”	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
HAMPTON — Despite her portrayal in the media as a villain among Democrats this campaign season, presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard said Thursday her values still run blue. Gabbard was accused of being a "Russian asset" by Hillary Clinton last month and likened to Disney villain Cruella de Vil in a “Saturday Night Live” skit two weeks ago. She was also critical this week of the Democratic National Committee, from which she stepped down in 2016, for unfairly, she said, discounting a Boston Globe poll showing her support in New Hampshire climbing to 6%. Still, Gabbard said after a town hall meeting at the Community Oven pizzeria Thursday she has no plans of running as a third party candidate in 2020, an answer she has given repeatedly on the campaign trail. The seven-year congresswoman from Hawaii said she still believes in the party's core values like giving "voice to the voiceless," fighting for a "fair and living wage" and protecting the environment. "I am a Democrat," Gabbard said in an interview after taking photos with town hall attendees. "As the Democratic nominee and as the president of the United States, I look forward to helping usher in a new Democratic Party that is by and for the people." In the Nov. 25 Boston Globe's Suffolk University poll being discounted by the DNC, Gabbard said Thursday the DNC's decision was inconsistent since it previously counted another Suffolk University poll that partnered with USA Today. "It's a slap in the face to New Hampshire voters," Gabbard said, "to have this arbitrary system." Gabbard on Thursday spoke about her stance on ending interventionist wars. A National Guard major who served in Iraq, she said U.S. leadership "lied" to service members about the necessity of the Iraq war. She also talked about fixing the nation's "broken" criminal justice system she said is "tearing families apart," as well as reforming the nation's immigration system and her support for lifting the federal prohibition on marijuana. Gabbard's town hall drew independent supporters who viewed her as a strong alternative to her opponents in the Democratic field. "Tulsi's the only one," said Angela Bramante, an independent who called Gabbard a "threat to the system." Tom Chatigny of Seabrook, who also called himself an independent, said he has been following Gabbard for two or three years and was excited when he heard Gabbard talk about her run on the Joe Rogan podcast earlier this year. "It's just to distract us from the real message of what Tulsi is," Chatigny said. "Standing up against those people, against the establishment." At the same time, there were some Democrats at the town hall who said they knew almost nothing about Gabbard and wanted to hear her speak. Hampton residents Deborah and Michael Elias said they came to learn about Gabbard's positions on climate change, Deborah being a member of the Sierra Club. They said they were still shopping candidates and had doubts that any Democrat running will achieve their biggest hope – beating Donald Trump. "I don't see Trump's base diminishing," said Michael Elias. "I do a lot of traveling in the Midwest for business, and they don't seem to see what we see." Some Trump supporters also came to see Gabbard speak. Gabbard has been said to attract some Republicans who appreciate her service in the National Guard and identify with her public spat with Clinton and other Democrats. "I respect her a lot," said Hampton Selectman Regina Barnes, a devoted Trump supporter. She said she still plans to vote for Trump regardless in 2020, but she likes that Gabbard is a woman, finds her relatable and respects her stance on ending "regime change wars" in other countries. "I was interested to meet someone that told Hillary to you-know-what," Barnes said. "She's got guts, and that's what we need."	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
MLSSoccer.com provides an exclusive in depth look of New York City FC Head Coach Patrick Vieira in his first MLS match against Chicago. NYCFC takes on Chicago on April 10, get your tickets here.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Dans son champ, les «traces du désastre» sont visibles à l’œil nu, mais il mouille le bout de son doigt comme pour mieux montrer la suie qui colle, la noirceur de l’hydrocarbure sur les feuilles de maïs. «Vous comprenez, tout est vert d’ordinaire ici.» Jean-Hugues Fleutry, 50 ans, est agriculteur à Préaux, une petite commune située à 20 kilomètres au nord-est de Rouen et de l’usine Lubrizol, qui a pris feu dans la nuit de mercredi. Son exploitation se trouve dans la zone «dangereuse», sur laquelle le panache de fumée noire s’est étendu sur 22 kilomètres. Jeudi matin, il a retrouvé ses 55 vaches «grasses et couvertes de suie», son tracteur teinté de lignes grisâtres, l’eau de ses abreuvoirs totalement brunie. «Analyses en cours» Un peu sonné et l’esprit brouillardeux, il raconte : «J’ai reçu très vite un SMS de la préfecture et un mail de ma laiterie. Ils préconisent exactement la même chose : jusqu’à nouvel ordre, les bêtes ne doivent plus sortir et les machines restent à l’arrêt.» Jean-Hugues Fleutry a appliqué les consignes. Ses vaches «sont passées en mode hivernal», enfermées dans les stabulations et nourries du foin récolté la saison dernière. «Je ne peux pas prendre le risque de nourrir mes vaches laitières à l’hydrocarbure. Tant que je n’ai pas d’informations sur les risques véritables de mes terres, je ne bouge pas d’un poil» , explique-t-il. A lire aussiLubrizol : une catastrophe écologique et quatre questions Ce vendredi en fin d’après-midi, aucune nouvelle des autorités n’était à déclarer. «A titre de précaution» et «dans l’attente des analyses en cours», la préfecture a seulement divulgué une série de «recommandations» pour le secteur agricole. Il est notamment demandé aux propriétaires d’animaux de les rentrer et de sécuriser leur abreuvement, aux maraîchers et céréaliers de ne plus récolter leurs productions. «En ce qui nous concerne, ces préconisations, on en fait un caractère obligatoire, prévient Guillaume Cabot, le président des Jeunes Agriculteurs du département. On fait tout pour éviter une contamination agricole et un scandale alimentaire.» Même prudence du côté de Sylvain de Bosschère, responsable de la Coordination rurale en Seine-Maritime. «On recommande à nos adhérents de faire des constats d’huissiers sur les dégâts. On a peur que le lait ne soit pas consommable, les récoltes non commercialisables», détaille-t-il. A entendre ces syndicalistes, les remontées du terrain sont inquiétantes : «Je crois qu’on peut parler d’une pollution avérée sur les parcelles agricoles, affirme Guillaume Cabot. Les mares d’eau sont remplies d’hydrocarbures et de produits translucides.» Selon lui, les dépôts de suie ont pu être constatés jusqu’à 45 kilomètres au nord-est de Rouen. Jean-Michel Dallier, éleveur de vaches allaitantes à Forges-les-Eaux, fait aussi partie des victimes. «Jeudi matin, j’ai constaté d’importantes traces noires et huileuses dans les bacs qui me servent à recueillir l’eau de pluie pour l’abreuvement. Quand on passait la main sur la tôle, il y avait un mélange gras qui s’était déposé, avec une forte odeur d’hydrocarbures», raconte-t-il. Pourtant, il ne suit pas pour l’heure les conseils prescrits : l’éleveur a décidé de laisser son troupeau en pâturage. «J’attends les analyses complémentaires pour savoir à quoi m’en tenir. Tant qu’on ne me l’interdit pas, je préfère laisser mes vaches vivre dehors.» Bertrand Beurion, 24 ans, n’a de son côté pas d’autre choix que de les laisser à l’air libre. Ses hangars sont actuellement pleins à craquer de bottes de lin : «Avant la grosse pluie de jeudi soir, l’herbe de mon champ était noire. J’ai pu confiner mes poules, mais je n’ai de la place nulle part pour mes vaches. On est dans un état d’urgence sans savoir vraiment si c’est la catastrophe.» «Position d’attente» Une catastrophe que certains céréaliers ont choisi de relativiser pour continuer à faire tourner l’exploitation. A Quincampoix, les tracteurs du secteur ont tourné à plein régime jusqu’à l’intervention des forces de l’ordre, vendredi en fin d’après-midi. «C’est difficile de leur jeter la pierre. Les agriculteurs du coin sont tellement dans la misère qu’une récolte avortée pourrait les mettre en péril économique, explique Joël Alexandre, éleveur de veaux à Préaux. De toute manière, qu’on suive les recommandations ou pas, on est tous en train de se demander si cet incendie ne va pas nous ruiner. Est-ce que notre viande va être consommable ? Est-ce qu’on va continuer à vouloir de notre lait ? On s’agite sans avoir aucun semblant de réponse.» Présidente de la chambre d’agriculture de Seine-Maritime, Laurence Sellos ne manque pas de souligner le caractère inconfortable de cette «position d’attente» : «On est inquiets, car les retombées de jeudi ont clairement souillé les sols.» Mais impossible de connaître l’ampleur des dégâts tant que les résultats des analyses complémentaires ne sont pas connus. Vendredi, les services départementaux ont effectué des prélèvements chez trois producteurs de maïs installés dans la zone concernée. «On réclame le même type d’analyses pour le lait, et on se pose la question pour les betteraves et les pommes de terre», prévient Laurence Sellos. Jean-Hugues Fleutry s’étonne du comportement des autorités : «Je comprends l’importance de cantonner les animaux tant que les analyses n’ont pas évalué la toxicité des champs. Mais nous, les humains, nous vivons sur ce même sol et nous n’avons reçu presque aucune instruction. J’ose espérer que ce moment de flottement ne se fait pas au péril de nos vies.»	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Fluttershy is ready to forgive Discord for everything and to open up her life to him. But is Discord ready for anypony to trust him? ApplauseJunkie · 31k words · 66 4 · 2.6k views 31k words662.6k views	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
This is Part 1 of a Multipart Series \| Part 2 Inspired by this post on the fabulous Goblin Punch blog about an immortal, evil, ‘lichlike’ path available for fighters, I’ve been thinking about Liches and the ‘other class’ equivalents to such things. I’ve always liked the idea that as an adventurer gains levels they slowly lose/supersede their humanity (elevanity? tieflinganity? you know what I mean). I’ve also always thought that liches slowly replace their essential humanity with a certain expression of magic, and that this is baked into the progression of certain wizards. Most undeath is totally unrelated to class (zombiehood, ghostdom, vampirism, or ghoulification) but for liches it is the development of arcane magic that provides the path (and it might be why certain individuals choose the study wizardry in the first place). Moving forward, assuming that each class represents an equivalently valid ‘path to power’ what would each class giving up their humanity to increase/merge with their chosen power path look like? What follows is an outline for some thoughts about a class specific ‘lich’ for the other classes: what parts of an individual’s essence would be given up, what would be gained, and some thoughts about how they fit into a game world. I should point out that none of these are by necessity evil (although the lich and the whisper tilt that way), though almost all transcend traditional notions of morality. Additionally, I think these might be a little unwieldy as character options (unless you have the right players) and might make better NPCs or enemies. Finally, if you were going to create statistics for these you could do ‘lesser’ versions as Pathfinder Archetypes or D&D 5th Edition specializations OR present them as epic, beyond level 20 prestige classes to really play on the characters becoming demigods. The Imbued – The Path of the Fighter As a fighter develops their craft, some experience a curious drift in their attention and sense of self. They don’t feel their skin so much as they feel the edge of their blade when it slips into an opponent’s throat. They don’t feel their heartbeat so much as they feel the ringing of their armor when it turns aside a blow. And so, over hundreds of battles -when the line between life and death thins- where the fighter’s attention turns so flows his soul. A fighter following the Path of the Imbued will find his physical form slowly fading. But it’s of little matter, for his weapons and armor have never been lighter for them to wield or fallen more heavily upon their opponents. Eventually, the fighter’s body draws its last breath and turns to ash. But it matters not; for the fighter’s (now imbued’s) soul, consciousness, and self now resides in their beloved sword or bow or axe; and in the supernatural skill with which they wield such things. And now, all they need is another to pick them up; a vessel to temporarily or permanently seize control of so they can fight and triumph throughout all eternity. Some of the finest armies in the world are led by ancient, imbued generals; their subordinates willingly taking up the arms or armor to channel the skill and tactical acumen of centuries old master strategists. What’s Given Up A Body What’s Gained Supernatural skill with weapons, extreme resistance to pain/damage (as the heart/soul/intelligence/will is located in the weapon itself rather than the ‘wielder’), limited ability to summon a ghostly form to wield the weapon is the host dies, telepathy, ability for the weapon to take on different qualities/abilities based on the imbued’s tremendous battle experience. The Herald – The Path of the Cleric All clerics wield the power of their chosen deity, and must ensure to appease and please their god. But for the Herald, this is not enough. They must become a perfect reflection of their divinity. For a cleric to become a Herald they must spend years, decades, centuries modeling their every thought and deed after their god. Through magical alterations to their appearance (including -at times- race and gender) the would be Heralds push their forms ever closer to modeling the perfection of their chosen deity. The union they seek, when accomplished- transforms them into a perfect mirror or avatar for the presence of their god to be more fully realized on the mortal plane. At this point they can be worshiped as their god because -in the Herald’s mind- there is no longer any difference. Heralds looks, talk, and act like their god and while they still only can wield a fraction of their god’s full might this is still far and away greater than what is possible to mortal clerics. They are functionally immortal (eventually regenerating from even titanic damage) and can only be truly killed by first desecrating/consecrating them away from being a perfect mirror of their divinity; tricking, coaxing, or forcing the Herald to take on some trapping of their mortal life which breaks their Heralddom and reverts them to being ‘nothing’ more than a supremely powerful (though mortal) cleric. One would assume that Heralds are primary scourges of their god’s enemies but -in fact- the peaks of their wrath are saved by all they deem heretics, any who would shift a congregation’s image or understanding of the god away from the Herald’s own. What’s Sacrificed: A Personality What’s Gained: Immortality, knowledge and divine revelation from their god, 1st through 3rd Level Cleric Spells becoming spontaneous, unconscious transformation of the surrounding area in line with their god’s nature. The Whisper – The Path of the Rogue There are many tools the rogue uses to ply her trade: trickery, mastery of skills, misdirection, or knowing just where to sink the knife into the throat. But above all, rogues use the shadows. Rogues rely on being unseen (or seen incorrectly) and over the years learn to wear the darkness like a set of well tailored clothing; they learn to wear unseeing like a second skin. And by eventually merging with this unseeing they become something less and more than a woman; they become a whisper. Whispers are semi-incorporeal beings who fade into and out of their flesh. They regularly shift into different identities (the disguises they used in their mortal life become manifest and fully realized once they step completely into the shadows by embracing the Path of the Whisper). They are nearly impossible to notice against their will, and if noticed will often be forgotten immediately. Whipsers usually engage in criminal enterprise or intrigue on a superhuman scale; where an ordinary metropolis may have a thieve’s guild of hundreds a single whisper might suffice to perpetrate a city’s worth of crime. They are rumored to create vast hordes of gold and magical items or information that rival the grandest known to dragonkind. Whispers can only be killed (permanently) by first utilizing focused, unrelenting attention – trapping them in a bright room free of any shadows through which they could slip out. What’s Given Up – The Ability to Easily Be Perceived/Appear as You Are What’s Gained – Abilities to slide into and out of shadows, superhuman stealth, limited ability shape shadows into weapons and allies, incredible abilities at information gathering or spreading misinformation. The Lich – The Path of the Wizard Wizards know the truth of things; knowledge is the path to power. And of all studies, that of arcane magic is supreme as mastery of it eventually makes every other kind of knowledge superfluous. And the better the mind, the more knowledge can be held within it and the better that knowledge can be wielded. Mastery of arcane magic however can not be accomplished through disembodied consciousness (many have tried); there must be senses for any kind of relatable mind to exist, there must be a body as an instrument to make the subtle gesticulations and articulations to shape a magical working. But a mortal body can be such a bother, full of such needless distractions: the beating of the heart and pumping of blood when the wizard wants nothing more than to read, the intake and elimination of gross organic matter, and the constant interruptions of that most noisome sense of all -scent- that sets even the most disciplined mind reeling when trying to study something as natural and as putrefaction or fascinating as arcane formula received by a madman and smeared onto a wall in excrement. To truly free the mind of these quibbles, the only sensible course for the wizard is that of the lich. Those walking this path learn to slow their biorhythms until they’re eventually ready for them to stop. Their flesh becomes like the flesh of the dead, and they no longer draw their life force from something so base as digestion but rather from that inexhaustible well of sustaining power that the ignorant casually dismiss as ‘negative energy.’ They shed, dull their senses till all that’s left is hearing and eyesight particularly suited to piercing illusions and reading the most faded script. And through it all, they craft their phylactery. The uninitiated, superstitious claim such things house the lich’s soul. Rather, the phylactery is merely the externalization and ‘backup’ of a wizard’s mind and arcane learning/spell book complete with magical instructions for how to regrow its body if it’s ever destroyed. What’s Given Up: ‘Life,’ the Possibility of Sensual Pleasure What’s Gained: Immortality, ‘Back Ups,’ Increased capacity to study/arcane power, immunities related to its undead status. — I’ve written the second part with four more classes and will be writing the remaining four. The Emptied – The Path of the Monk ? (some kind of alternate lich) – The Path of the Sorcerer ? – The Path of the Ranger ? – The Path of the Paladin Anyway, what do you think? Could you see yourself playing one of these at your gaming table? Sound off in the comments.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
I watched Star Wars for the first time in 1977 at the tender age of four. And like a lot of people in my generation and younger, that first time was a major, formative experience in my life. I got all the toys. I fantasized about being Han Solo. And during the summer of '83, I blew my allowance by watching Return of the Jedi every day for a week in the theater. George Lucas' epic space opera is the reason why I spent a lifetime watching, making and writing about movies. And if you asked any movie critic, fan or filmmaker who grew up in the ‘80s, they will probably tell you a similar story. Over the years though, Lucas succumbed to the dark side of the Force. His prequel trilogy, starting with truly god awful The Phantom Menace (1999), is as visually overstuffed as it is cinematically inert. (Somewhere, there’s a dissertation to be written about how widespread feelings of betrayal from the prequels psychically prepared America for the anxiety and disappointments of the Bush administration.) Worse, fans who want to console themselves by watching Star Wars as they remember seeing it back in the ‘80s are out of luck. Lucas has been quietly butchering the original movies by adding CGI, sound effects and even whole characters – like (gag) Jar Jar Binks -- to successive special edition updates. The problem is these updated versions feel bifurcated. It's as if two different movies with two different aesthetics were clumsily stitched together. Lucas’ spare, muscular compositions in the original movie sit uneasily next to its cartoony, over-wrought additions. Yet this Frankenstein version is the one that Lucas insists you watch. The original cut is just plain not for sale. Lucas even refused to give the National Film Registry the 1977 cut of Star Wars for future preservation. “It’s like this is the movie I wanted it to be,” said Lucas in an interview in 2004, “and I’m sorry if you saw half a completed film and fell in love with it, but I want it to be the way I want it to be.” Thankfully, hardcore Star Wars fans are telling Lucas, respectfully, to go cram it. As Rose Eveleth in The Atlantic reports, a dedicated online community has set out to create a “despecialized” edition of Star Wars that strips away all of Lucas’s digital nonsense and restores the movie to its original 1977 state. The de facto leader of this movement is Petr Harmy, a 25-year-old guy from the Czech Republic who with the help of a legion of technically savvy film nerds has pieced together footage from existing prints and older DVD releases to create the Despecialized Edition v. 2.5. (Directions on where you can locate it are here.) Above Harmy talks in detail about how he accomplished this feat. And below you can see some side-by-side comparisons. More can be found on Petr Harmy's page. Finally, in the comments section below, Harmy also points us toward pages with Despecialized stills for Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. Via The Atlantic Related Content: How Star Wars Borrowed From Akira Kurosawa’s Great Samurai Films Freiheit, George Lucas’ Short Student Film About a Fatal Run from Communism (1966) Watch the Very First Trailers for Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back & Return of the Jedi (1976-83) Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers Break Down Star Wars as an Epic, Universal Myth Hundreds of Fans Collectively Remade Star Wars; Now They Remake The Empire Strikes Back Jonathan Crow is a Los Angeles-based writer and filmmaker whose work has appeared in Yahoo!, The Hollywood Reporter, and other publications. You can follow him at @jonccrow. And check out his blog Veeptopus, featuring one new drawing of a vice president with an octopus on his head daily.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
There are many sides to Jerry Lawler. In addition to appearing on television sets across the Mid-South every Monday night and Saturday morning as wrestling phenom Jerry "The King" Lawler, winning several world heavyweight wrestling championships, and becoming an international wrestling commentator as well as a member of the WWE Hall of Fame, Lawler is an artist, a musician, an actor, and an author. Lawler is also now a bar owner. In April, Lawler opened King Jerry Lawler's Hall of Fame Bar and Grille in the old Flynn's location at 159 Beale, next door to A. Schwab. "This is something I never envisioned. It's a lot of fun," Lawler, now 66, says. Lawler opened his doors April 28th in anticipation of the downtown crowds for Memphis in May. The menu offers Mid-South favorites with an edge, such as the deep-fried ribs ($14.95 for a half slab), the Slamburger — triple-stack burger with secret sauce on a gourmet bun ($14.95), hickory-smoked chicken wings with jerk seasoning ($8.95), and the King's personal favorite, Crawfish Corn Chowder ($6.95). "Our deep-fried ribs are amazing. You can't find them anywhere else," Lawler says. As soon as their liquor license goes through, they will be serving up wrestling-inspired drink specials, including the Piledriver and the Body Slam. They offer music every day of the week and karaoke on weeknights starting at 8 p.m., as well as music by the house band — the Jabronies. The VIP room is open for rentals, quite the spot, because, as the name suggests, it ain't just old guitars and other ephemera hanging on the walls. That's where this journey began for Lawler. "I had all my wrestling memorabilia in a museum at Resorts Casino in Tunica, and almost a year ago they came to us and told us they were expanding, so we moved everything out and into storage," he says. "We were looking for a place to use as a museum space to display everything, and I told a friend that the ideal space would be on Beale Street." There are the championship belts; there are the crowns; there are the robes and outfits and even childhood toys such as a pedal tractor and a drum set. There's an Andy Kaufman section, and there is the artwork. "People come in from all over the world who have seen me on TV," Lawler says. "Memphis wrestling has a great history. So many people followed it every Monday night and Saturday morning. We would pack 10,000 people into the Coliseum. I get to meet so many great people. It's a lot of fun." King Jerry Lawler's Hall of Fame Bar and Grille is open 11 to 3 a.m. every day. The Dixon Gallery and Gardens has had food trucks. It's had caterers. It offers a weekly brown-bag Munch and Learn series. And there's always the picnic option. But up until recently, it has not had a restaurant. The 40-year-old museum underwent some renovations of late and developed a master plan, and administration decided now was as good of a time as any to add this glaring omission. In mid-April the Dixon unveiled Park and Cherry, its first on-site restaurant, situated just north of the gift shop. The powers-that-be did not play around when they made their decision and brought in the dynamic duo of Wally Joe and Andrew Adams, of Acre. "They were our first choice, and they were interested in doing it," Dixon communications associate Amanda Gutknecht says. "It's been a good fit." The food is fast casual, including salads, soups, hot and cold sandwiches, coffees, and pastries. click to enlarge In addition to the overwhelmingly popular pastries, the two best-sellers are the grilled cheese ($9), with cheddar, Swiss, and Parmesan, and the Shortrib and English Cheddar panini ($10). Perhaps the main attraction, though, is the seating. click to enlarge The Dixon’s new Park and Cherry offers garden seating. Patrons can sit outdoors at the entrance, inside the museum in the foyer, in the cafe, the outdoor covered blue-chair seating area, and throughout the many styles of garden. "It's been going well. We have a consistently busy lunch, and Saturdays are really busy," Gutknecht says. "We've heard nothing but rave reviews for Wally and Andrew." Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with lunch served 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and select sandwiches, coffees, and pastries available until 4:30, and Sunday 1 to 4:30 p.m. with select sandwiches, coffees, and pastries available.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
New Ikea store opens in Renton RENTON -- A new 399,000-square-foot Ikea store opened Wednesday, replacing the old store in the same location. The new store includes a children's play area, a 600-seat restaurant that offers a full Swedish breakfast and, at 244,000 square feet, the state's largest rooftop solar panel array. Ikea co-workers cheer during an opening ceremony for the new IKEA store in Renton, Feb. 22, 2017. Ikea co-workers cheer during an opening ceremony for the new IKEA store in Renton, Feb. 22, 2017. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI.COM Image 1 of / 53 Caption Close New Ikea store opens in Renton 1 / 53 Back to Gallery Ikea was founded by 17-year-old Ingvar Kamprad in Älmhult, Sweden. The first store opened in 1943. Since 2008, it has been the world's largest furniture retailer, and specializes in ready-to-assemble furniture that has (frustrated) those brave enough to assemble the store's various lines of desks, beds, cabinets and other large items. The company reported that as of December 2016, Ikea owns and operates 392 stores in 48 countries.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Now that the rush of the Winter Meetings has passed, we’ll turn our focus to other potential moves that could be forthcoming as “The Johns” continue their quest to transform the organization’s system into the best in the game. The question recently being asked by many in the industry has been “Why not go ‘all the way’ while you’re at it?” In other words, now that you’ve “mailed it in” in 2016 – and potentially 2017 as well – why not go ahead and gut the big club’s roster and add even more prospects to the impressive pile you’ve already built? While it would sting for a little bit, I’ve been in the minority who have thought that should be the goal for some time now. For the record, I’ve been in favor of beginning a rebuild for a few years – while the team was exciting to watch with the Uptons, Jason Heyward, and Evan Gattis in the lineup, I also felt that it just didn’t have that “it” that it was going to take to get over the hump and win another Championship, and the window that it had with those guys was rapidly closing if payroll couldn’t be increased. There are compelling arguments that can be made for either stance as the answer to that question. It’s completely understandable for younger Braves fans to be impatient – 2015 was the worst season they’d experienced in their lives. That said, the older generation saw much worse in the dark days (the late 70s through the beginning of “The Run” with the exception of Dale Murphy’s two MVP seasons). That crowd tends to feel that sacrificing a couple seasons is more than OK with them as long as they don’t have to go through that again. Since I’ve already tipped my hand about my view, I’ll explain the reasoning a bit and take a look at what doing so could mean moving forward… History has taught us that ALL MLB teams tend to get a pass for the first season when they open a shiny new ballpark, regardless of whether they’ve got a competitive product on the field. That first season always seems to be about fans experiencing the new digs – checking out the new statues, restaurants, fanstores, video boards, distractions for the kids, and everything else that contributes to the live fan experience at the park. It’s the excitement surrounding all the “extras” that typically get the home team 81 sellouts during that first year. The brass has said all the right things and done the politically correct thing by not mentioning that they’re well aware of that fact, but you can bet that they – better than the rest of us – have known that all along and that it has influenced their decision-making process (whether they’ll ever admit it or not). The diehards who “just” go for the games miss all that, but they also tend to understand what’s going on behind the scenes – if they see what’s on the horizon, they’ll always be there. THIS is the reason it should be clear (now, at least) that 2017 was never meant to be a specific date for a return to relevance as opposed to having things lined up for a chance to have another sustained period of success. Even the “serious fans” don’t usually look more than a couple years into the future when talking about the moves they think their team should make, so it’s understandable when even they don’t necessarily recognize the long-term potential when the front office “punts” a season or two. Building a system that’s as deep with potential major league contributors as the Braves have puts you in a position to trade those you don’t commit to building around to fill any holes you may have in the future – and often players that fill those holes that come WITHOUT having $25 million/year contracts attached. Having watched (and questioned) the Astros’, Cubs’, and now the Braves’ approach to loading up with the future in mind has now led some of the national media to turn their focus to questions like “Where is this all going to eventually lead?” rather than “Why on earth did they make that trade?” with only the next couple of years in mind. For instance, you’re beginning to hear the talk show hosts and MLB Network analysts discuss the 2018 free-agent class rather than just the players that are left this winter and the ones that will potentially be available next winter. That class may very well become the best free-agent class in MLB history, with players such as Bryce Harper, Josh Donaldson, Jose Fernandez, Matt Harvey, Manny Machado, Andrew McCutchen, Dallas Keuchel, Adam Jones, Michael Brantley, Adam Wainright, Adrian Gonzalez, Dee Gordon, A. J. Pollock, Garrett Richards, Shelby Miller, Craig Kimbrel, Andrew Miller, Trevor Rosenthal, David Robertson, potentially available as well as Clayton Kershaw, David Price, and Jason Heyward potentially opting out of their contracts. The above names should help bring absolute clarity to those who still don’t quite grasp what “The Plan” is. When Sid Slid’s 2018 Braves’ projected lineup currently looks like… CF- Mallex Smith, 2B- Ozhaino Albies. SS- Dansby Swanson, 1B- Freddie Freeman, 3B- Austin Riley, RF- Ender Inciarte, LF- Hector Olivera, C- Free-Agent/Lucas Herbert/International Signing Rotation- Sean Newcomb, Julio Teheran, Max Fried, Aaron Blair, Kolby Allard Pen- Shae Simmons, Mike Foltynewicz, Manny Banuelos, Arodys Vizcaino, Lucas Sims, Tyrell Jenkins, and Matt Wisler *** None of the players listed above will have salaries of any consequence other than Freeman ($21 million in 2018) and Teheran ($8 million in 2018). Yes, it’s risky to project any of those players to become All-Stars since they’re currently a couple years away from contributing, and we’re all aware of the attrition rate for pitching prospects. However, it appears that the current management realizes the position it’s currently in and the benefit adding a few more high-end prospects could provide. Given the fact that Braves’ Chairman and CEO Terry McGuirk has already openly stated that payroll will increase “significantly” (into the Top 10 in MLB) beginning January 1st, 2017, it would now appear that it’s the perfect time to continue dismantling the big club in an effort to gather even more pieces that would be assets 2-3 years from now as opposed to gambling on potential long-term “answers” that aren’t slam-dunks. While it seemed short-sighted for John Coppollela to say that he’d “cut his right arm off” before trading Freeman, it makes much more sense when you look at that list of potentially available players and consider the rate salaries for free-agents continue to grow each year. An All-Star caliber 1B for 4 years and $86 million may still be a “steal” in 2018. Even with Freeman making $21 million, overall projected payroll would be in the $50-$60 million range in 2018. If you expect payroll to climb into the Top 10 (with the current rate of inflation), you’re looking at around $150-$160 million. That would put the Braves in a position to go out and spend ~ $30 million/year each to bring in THREE free-agents to plug holes. When you imagine that, the possibilities are endless. You want a balanced lineup? How about… 2B- Gordon, SS- Swanson, 3B- Machado or Donaldson, 1B- Freeman, LF- Riley, RF- Inciarte, C- ???, CF- Smith You want an even deeper rotation with a proven “Ace” at the top? How about… Fernandez or Harvey, Newcomb, Shelby Miller, Fried or Allard, Blair/Sims/Jenkins/Wisler You want an even more bulletproof pen? How about… Miller, Simmons, Fried or Allard, Vizcaino, Folty, Banuelos, Jenkins/Wisler While I certainly wouldn’t expect the Braves to go out and get three of those guys, they’d be in a position to if they so chose. When being wined and dined, wouldn’t you imagine those guys would love to hear “we’re going to spend $100 million on free-agents this winter to go from worst-to-first and become a dynasty again, and we envision Gordon at the top of our lineup with you and Freeman in the middle and Matt Harvey fronting the rotation for years to come with the best farm system in baseball to support you with.” That’d be a pretty tough pitch to turn down. The organization seems poised to go on an international spending spree this summer, adding several potential impact players. It also currently owns 5 of the top 110 picks in the 2016 Rule IV Draft, giving them an opportunity to duplicate their 2015 haul. This should put them in a position to cover for the inevitable pitching prospect flameouts for several years, and even allow them to deal from some of their current depth moving forward. The future may now be as bright as it’s ever been – including the beginning of “The Run”. If the brass does decide to move current assets like Teheran, Inciarte, Nick Markakis, Erick Aybar, and A. J. Pierzynski, the focus should be on a legitimate long-term, controllable answer behind the plate (Willson Contreras, Max Pentecost, Gary Sanchez, Austin Barnes, Chance Sisco) and potential impact prospects from the lower levels (Eloy Jimenez, Daz Cameron, Kyle Tucker, Garrett Whitley, and Demi Orimoloye) rather than players who are closer to contributing like Jorge Soler, Javier Baez, and others if they’re not COMPLETELY sold on them.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Some of you may recall that before being promoted from a FanGraphs Community Research writer to an actual FanGraphs writer, my primary focus was on the relationship between batted ball types (infield fly balls, in particular) and BABIP for pitchers. At the time, I’d been leaving park factors out of the equation in a [vain] attempt to keep things simple, but now I want to give them a bit of attention. Now, Guts! is a great resource on FanGraphs, but it does leave out BABIP, HR/FB, and — I believe — something else I’d like to talk to you about for a second. If you’re a big fan of the batted ball stats here, this bit of information might be completely earth-shattering, leaving you sobbing in a heap on the floor, pondering how your life will never be the same again: IFFB% may not mean what you think it does. Now, FB%, for example — that’s defined as fly balls divided by batted balls, right? Many of us might therefore assume that IFFB% equals infield fly balls divided by batted balls… but it doesn’t. IFFB% is actually infield fly balls divided by fly balls. This means that IFFB% doesn’t tell you much about a player unless you have the context of his FB% to go with it. It also means that IFFB% * FB% equals what you probably thought IFFB% was, which is IFFB/(Batted Balls). Hopefully you’ll be able to read this clearly through your tears: I’m going to introduce a new, not-officially-FanGraphs-sanctioned term here: IFFB% * FB% = PU%. PU%, or popup percentage — again, it’s what you probably thought IFFB% meant — is the percentage of batted balls that are infield flies. This leaves OFFB%, or outfield fly balls, as the remainder of FB% (i.e., FB% = PU%+OFFB%). So, without further ado, here’s a sortable list of the park factors I came up with for the 2009-2012 seasons, with the exceptions noted at the bottom: Team BABIP GB/FB LD% GB% FB% IFFB% PU% OFFB% HR/FB Angels 98.4 98.0 99.3 99.2 101.3 95.4 96.5 101.8 93.8 Astros 99.4 99.8 98.7 100.3 100.4 98.4 98.9 100.6 103.2 Athletics 98.0 98.9 101.2 99.0 100.5 102.7 103.2 100.2 91.5 Blue Jays 99.7 99.6 100.0 99.7 100.3 98.6 98.9 100.4 105.9 Braves 100.6 100.7 101.8 99.9 99.2 95.8 95.0 99.6 97.7 Brewers 99.5 96.0 98.7 98.4 102.8 98.2 100.8 103.0 109.3 Cardinals 99.3 102.8 101.4 100.7 98.1 102.1 100.1 98.0 91.8 Cubs 100.9 98.4 99.6 99.4 101.0 99.2 100.2 101.1 99.5 Diamondbacks 102.3 100.4 101.5 99.8 99.4 97.5 96.9 99.7 104.1 Dodgers 98.8 100.4 97.8 100.8 100.2 109.5 109.4 99.3 98.9 Giants 99.8 106.6 100.4 102.7 96.6 101.3 97.9 96.5 90.5 Indians 98.9 104.5 101.0 101.7 97.5 101.9 99.3 97.3 96.3 Mariners 98.2 99.4 101.1 99.4 100.2 103.9 104.1 99.8 90.4 Marlins Mets * 98.3 96.6 97.2 99.2 102.5 107.0 110.0 101.8 92.6 Nationals 99.5 99.4 99.3 99.9 100.5 98.9 99.4 100.6 99.3 Orioles 101.4 99.8 98.6 100.1 100.6 95.2 95.7 101.1 108.9 Padres 96.6 102.4 97.2 101.7 99.4 96.4 95.9 99.8 89.6 Phillies 99.5 100.4 100.8 100.1 99.6 97.7 97.3 99.8 103.4 Pirates 98.2 103.4 100.4 101.3 98.2 96.2 94.5 98.6 90.6 Rangers 102.2 97.7 103.8 98.0 100.3 96.6 96.7 100.6 109.9 Rays 98.3 96.5 99.1 98.4 102.3 112.2 115.1 101.0 93.6 Red Sox 104.3 100.7 101.1 100.1 99.4 103.7 103.1 99.0 97.0 Reds 100.2 99.6 100.5 99.7 100.1 105.3 105.5 99.6 115.5 Rockies 105.5 103.8 104.1 100.5 97.2 90.6 88.3 98.2 115.5 Royals 101.8 103.4 97.7 102.1 98.7 91.1 90.0 99.7 91.3 Tigers 99.8 98.7 97.9 99.9 101.2 104.2 105.5 100.8 96.3 Twins * 101.1 103.4 102.9 100.9 97.4 102.8 100.0 101.0 94.5 White Sox 99.7 95.2 99.7 97.8 102.8 97.3 99.9 103.2 113.6 Yankees 98.9 99.0 98.2 99.9 101.0 102.9 103.9 100.7 112.7 * Twins’ factors based on 2010-2012 data only Marlins Park excluded due to 2012 being first year (insufficient sample size) * Citi Field’s walls were moved closer in 2012 Park factors are halved (based on the assumption that a player will play half of their games there). If you hadn’t heard, The Padres and Mariners will be moving the fences in a bit this year, by the way. My apologies if I neglected to mention any significant park dimension changes that happened between 2009 and 2012. If you’re like me, you might find this table interesting; if you’re a normal person, skip right ahead: Correlations Between Park Factors BABIP GB/FB LD% GB% FB% IFFB% PU% OFFB% GB/FB 0.198 LD% 0.544 0.296 GB% 0.003 0.922 -0.087 FB% -0.322 -0.966 -0.527 -0.799 IFFB% -0.389 -0.249 -0.228 -0.165 0.274 PU% -0.432 -0.501 -0.357 -0.378 0.534 0.959 OFFB% -0.167 -0.867 -0.366 -0.753 0.863 0.009 0.258 HR/FB 0.450 -0.342 0.205 -0.435 0.257 -0.239 -0.137 0.306 An obligatory refresher for those who haven’t taken statistics in a while (or ever): correlation coefficients (“r”) range between -1 and 1. A correlation of “0” means the two factors being compared have no apparent connection, whereas “1” indicates the two factors move together in a perfectly linear way, and “-1” means they move perfectly linearly in opposite directions. I bolded the connections I thought were the most interesting. Now, to discuss them more in-depth: High LD% factor = high BABIP factor This should come as no surprise to those of you who read my first Community article, in which I pointed out LD% and [what I’m now calling] PU% as the two main factors for explaining pitcher BABIPs. LD% for a pitcher is hard to predict from year-to-year, and park factors aren’t entirely consistent on a yearly basis either, but many of the line drive park factors do make a lot of sense, and you can reasonably expect the factors behind them to exert their influence yearly. Specifically, let’s look at the top two parks in terms of high LD% — Colorado and Texas. What do they have in common? Well, the most obvious is thin air; Colorado due to its altitude, and Texas presumably due to heat and perhaps dryness. Thin air, of course, offers less resistance to a batted ball, but it also should theoretically allow for less break on pitches. Most of the stadia (that’s fancy talk for “stadiums”) at the low end of the list also make sense, having thick marine air. KC is an exception… but then again, its BABIP factor isn’t in-line with those of its surrounding teams on the LD% list. This could have something to do with scorer’s bias issues, such as the one discussed here. Another possible contributor to LD% differences is the batter’s eye in each stadium. High PU% = low BABIP This shouldn’t be a shocker to those of you who’ve read my previous work. Popups are pretty close to automatic outs. Let’s talk about how stadium characteristics might influence PU%. The first thing that comes to mind is that a greater amount of foul territory should lead to a higher PU%; that’s because a foul IFFB is only recorded if caught. Another possible factor, judging by the Rays’ home field being firmly at the top of the list, is the dome factor. You might think the whitish background of the dome against a popup might not be so conducive to catching it, but perhaps the lack of sun and wind helps to make up for that. And it’s not like fielders in non-domed parks never have to deal with whitish backgrounds — clouds and haze are a thing, after all. High HR/FB equals high BABIP, high OFFB%, and low PU%? It’s worth reminding you at this point that home runs are excluded from consideration in BABIP, but not in batted ball stats. That’s one reason why fly ball pitchers tend to have lower BABIPs — they may allow more HR, but those don’t count as a knock against their BABIPs. The other reason is that fly balls, especially popups, make for easier putouts. So, if HR aren’t part of BABIP, why would HR/FB have an apparent strong-ish connection to BABIP? The most obvious is that a high HR/FB is a sign of harder contact being made, for whatever reason, which you might expect to lead to a higher BABIP. Of course, you would also expect a higher HR/FB in small stadia, where perhaps more balls are bouncing uncatchably off of outfield walls and dropping for hits. Now, PU% and OFFB% generally move together, both moving against BABIP, whereas HR/FB moves together with BABIP. That’s why I found it interesting that HR/FB divides PU% and OFFB%. I think that’s easy to explain in the context of an individual pitcher, but maybe not so much in the context of park factors. I’d like to hear your theories on it. Oh, but before we make too much of this, I should tell you that the HR/FB factor appears to be the most prone to fluctuation of the bunch. Putting it all together, kind of As I am wont to do, I’ve regressed some of the various park factors to see how they might be able to explain each park’s BABIP factor: BABIP = 0.48LD% + 0.37GB% – 0.05PU% + 0.11OFFB% + 0.09HR/FB The formula itself is, since it only applies to park factors, as useful as a poopie-flavored lollipop (Patches O’Houlihan) but it does have a 0.696 correlation to a stadium’s BABIP factor, meaning it can explain nearly half of the differences in BABIP factors (with a 0.484 R-squared). The park it has the hardest time explaining — by far — is Fenway, no doubt largely thanks to The Green Monster’s extreme BABIP-boosting ways. Take Boston out of the mix, and the correlation shoots to 0.772 (0.596 R-squared). Remove the second-biggest outlier, Kauffman Stadium in KC (with its suspiciously-low LD% factor) and the correlation goes to 0.816, explaining 2/3 of the differences. The exclusion of these outliers lends itself to the creation of a formula not tainted by them, which you probably don’t care about, yet here it is anyway: BABIP = 0.52LD% + 0.28GB% – 0.03PU% + 0.12OFFB% + 0.11HR/FB That one achieves a 0.829 correlation to the remaining BABIP park factors (0.687 R-squared). That can be whittled down to: BABIP = 0.552LD% + 0.320GB% + 0.124HR/FB …which has a 0.821 correlation to BABIP factor, but if you remove any of those three factors, the correlation takes a major hit (though PU% and OFFB% together can mostly compensate for the loss of GB%). I haven’t talked about what might contribute to a park’s GB% factor… well, groundskeeping might have a bit to do with it, but my guess is that it’s mainly due to less foul territory, and therefore fewer easy foul ball outs. Methodology For those who are curious, the formula I used to calculate each factor was: (Home Pitching + Home Batting) / (Away Pitching + Away Batting) 100 … which is a pretty standard park factor formula. I then halved it like so: 0.5 + Factor/2 … this is based on the assumption that the player plays half their games away at a neutral-factor stadium. When you consider that some teams play in divisions full of non-neutral opponent stadiums (e.g., Texas faces a bunch of pitcher’s parks), that’s probably not such a safe assumption to make, buuut it’s how park factors are done, and it’s a topic for a different conversation.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Last updated at 15:49 12 October 2007 Alarmed residents rang police last night after seeing 200ft flames shoot from Battersea Power Station during filming for the new Batman movie. Crew members for Batman: The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale as the Caped Crusader, were shooting some explosive scenes at the now defunct power station in central London. Scroll down for more But as they carried out the controlled explosions, flames shot high up into the air, terrifying local residents. The incident follows the death of the film's special effects expert, New Zealander Conway Wickliffe, 41, last month when a car stunt rehearsal went wrong in Surrey. His four-wheel drive vehicle crashed into a tree while following a stunt car - believed to be the Batmobile - at the special effects facility near Chertsey. Batman: The Dark Knight, directed by Christopher Nolan and also starring Sir Michael Caine and Heath Ledger, is due for release in Britain next year. Scroll down for more	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
A Repellent Musk Sooner or later, Elon Musk and Peter Thiel will go to war. If you know your origin myths—Romulus and Remus, Cain and Abel, Simon and Garfunkel—you know that when two men create something as monumental as PayPal together, one of them must ultimately attempt to destroy the other. If you know your superhero films, you know that none of our cities are safe. Until recently, all of us thought we knew which side of this impending duel to support. After all, isn’t Peter Thiel a real-life comic-book supervillain? He spoke at the RNC; he peddles his “Palantir Gotham” software to a sinister surveillance state; he famously believes that being routinely injected with the blood of young people might extend his lifespan. The terrifying culmination of this diabolical trajectory is all too easy to imagine. Peter Thiel clanks menacingly through what used to be your neighborhood, his weaponized suit of armor powered by the suffering of a dozen bawling infants, impaled on their blood-transfusion needles. Death rays blaze forth from his visor, incinerating the offices of every publication that’s ever said a bad word about him, boiling alive hapless whales in the corpse-clogged oceans. Are we finally doomed? But Elon’s armies are on their way. Decked out in a glossy techno-utopian white, they are zipping to the rescue through a secret network of underground hyperloops. They are streaming in from a thousand thriving offworld colonies in outer space. His self-driving tanks are powered by autumn leaves and gratitude. We can rest easy: Elon Musk will save the world. We know this, because saving the world is all Elon Musk ever talks about. There’s no escaping the Elon Myth. People who work in Tesla showrooms say his name—his first name, of course—with the kind of quaking reverence usually reserved for despots and porn stars. Have you met Elon? I met Elon once. He shook my hand. Stick with the company, and it might happen to you too. Everything Elon does is intended to safeguard the human species from peril. His automated cars will save us from being turned into dipping sauce on the freeways, and his gigafactories and home solar panels will pull us back from the brink of a climate change apocalypse. And if that whole plan doesn’t work, he wants to take us to Mars, to spread humanity out across the galaxy so the destruction of one little planet won’t seal our fate. Most people are weak, venal, and stupid; we don’t even think about the future. Not the visionary Elon Musk. It takes great men to change everyone’s life for the better, but Elon Musk might just be that man. Newspapers and online publications report breathlessly on his latest big concept or little observation. Elon Musk declares that reality is a simulation. Elon Musk declares that humans must merge with machines. Elon Musk declares that AIs are the biggest existential threat to our species. All these groundbreaking ideas aren’t new, exactly—by and large, they tend to be the plots of action-scifi films from the 1990s. His next big announcement will probably be “robots from the future could be walking among us,” or “condemned prisoners will someday be forced to fight to the death on live TV.” Meanwhile his strange sayings and comments are relentlessly compiled and regurgitated, showing how idiocy can become aphorism when it comes from the mouth of a billionaire. On women: “I need to find a girlfriend. That’s why I need to carve out just a little more time. I think maybe even another five to 10—how much time does a woman want a week? Maybe 10 hours? I don’t know.” To an employee who missed a company event to be present for the birth of his child: “That is no excuse. I am extremely disappointed. You need to figure out where your priorities are. We’re changing the world and changing history, and you either commit or you don’t.” To a perfect stranger: “I think a lot about electric cars. Do you think about electric cars?” On nutrition: “If there was a way that I could not eat, so I could work more, I would not eat. I wish there were a way to get nutrients without sitting down for a meal.” These statements are all a way of—let’s be honest—showing off. They’re the kinds of things a smart kid says to make sure you realize that he is not like other people. As a child, Elon Musk spent ten hours daily reading books. He dropped out of a PhD program after only two days. This world isn’t big enough to contain him. His ways—he is at pains to inform us—are not our ways, nor are his thoughts our thoughts. One part office pedant, one part eternal shaman, one part God. Musk isn’t the only person playing this game; he’s just the best at it. Silicon Valley thrives on a kind of corporate Stakhanovism: every CEO and every annoying app developer claims to sleep two hours a night, or for twelve ten-minute naps spread evenly throughout the day. Everyone is heroically resistant to sex, culture, and friendship. Everyone treats their employees with the magnificent brutality of a cartoon prison guard. Everyone is trying to be a world-historical superman, and they’re all following the exact same playbook. Examined more closely, these painstakingly-crafted Silicon Valley personas are little more than salesperson patter. Power always pretends to be something grander than it is. Pharaohs claimed to be the sun-god given human flesh, the bringer of the floods and the architects of every daybreak. In fact, they were petty tyrants, degenerated through successive generations of incest. Feudal lords pretended to be divinely appointed protectors of their loyal but non-consanguineous subjects. In fact, they were just landlords, as miserable and shameless as your own. Armies pretend to spread freedom while spreading death, employers claim to be creating jobs while creaming off surplus value. Elon Musk pretends to be sending humanity to Mars and breaking through the prison of reality itself. What does he actually do? In a 2016 letter to its partners, the hedge fund Greenlight Capital cast some doubts on Musk’s humanity-saving missions. The Mars stuff, the letter’s authors posited, had an obvious business function: “Elon Musk’s ability to spin a yarn and keep a story going seems to mesmerize his investors, blinding them to the challenges the company is facing.” Musk, of course, claims that he has only sought to become fabulously wealthy for lofty and disinterested reasons. “I really don’t have any other motivation for personally accumulating assets,” he once said, in a characteristically impressive pronouncement, “except to make the biggest contribution I can to making life multi-planetary.” But this claim is, of course, absurd. After all, Elon Musk doesn’t just want to send a band of loners and lunatics off to die on a barren world—he’s planning to charge them two hundred thousand dollars apiece for the pleasure. Whatever private god-king fantasies he might be entertaining, the main reason Musk is in the game of capitalism is because he’s a capitalist. When it comes down to it, Elon Musk’s real business isn’t in utopian worldbuilding, but in good old-fashioned government contracting. He might be selling bigger and more complex goods, but the basics of his operation are no different from whoever supplies corn starch to the Congress canteen or tent-pegs for American military bases abroad. SpaceX, Musk’s pioneering private spaceflight company, depends for its profits on NASA contracts. Tesla makes a significant chunk of its income from the sale of green credits to other, more pollution-producing industrial concerns. A solar panel factory in Buffalo, NY was built by the state at the cost of $750m; Musk leases it for a dollar a year. All in all, he’s received nearly $5 billion in subsidies and support from the government. Not only is Musk is draining the public purse, but he’s making use of technologies that already exist: the impetus for their development isn’t coming from the mysterious deeps of his unique and inscrutable intellect. Dozens of other companies, after all, get government contracts for space flight, electric cars, or renewable energy. All Elon Musk has done is seek out the maximum potential market share in a narrow band of state contracts, and then present his profit-seeking as a grand futuristic vision. This is why Elon Musk was perfectly comfortable greasing himself all over Donald Trump – after all, without Trump onside, he wouldn’t have a company. In December last year, Elon Musk was invited to join President-Elect Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum. After years of talking about saving us all from the incoming doom, Musk went to the incoming doom’s castle to act as its unpaid advisor. A few days after the inauguration, he signed up to the new administration’s Manufacturing Jobs Initiative. Until eventually breaking from Trump over climate change (not, however, racism or neo-feudal totalitarianism), Musk was staking out a role for himself as the tech world’s envoy to the Trump administration, vigorously defending his role as just another part in his vast scheme to redeem us all. It’s natural that Trump and Musk would have gotten along so well together. Each maintains the delusion that the world would be better off if they were calling all the shots. Here it’s instructive to look at Musk’s zeal for self-driving cars. In a public response to an incident in May last year, when a Tesla driver was killed watching Harry Potter while his car happily ploughed itself head-first into a truck. Musk urged reporters to “think carefully” about how they framed the incident: “because if, in writing some article that’s negative, you effectively dissuade people from using an autonomous vehicle, you’re killing people.” Musk isn’t entirely wrong: self-driving cars really might be safer than what we have now, which is millions of tons of metal piloted at high speeds by people who generally enter a fugue state of psychotic rage as soon as their hands touch the steering wheel. Unlike people, who break down constantly for any number of reasons, the self-driving car just works. It’s the familiar tech-industrial fantasy of an entirely autonomous world in which human frailty is no longer allowed to impede maximum efficiency. But this world, taken to its logical extreme, is a world in which we are not free. A police state, after all, may be safer and better-organized than a democratic one, but these benefits come at the cost of individuals’ ability to be master of their own choices. The term “self-driving car” seems to imply a kind of independence; your car makes its own way across cities and deserts while you relax, pleasantly drunk, in the back seat. But self-driving cars also represent a massive centralization of the decision-making process. The software that the cars run on will only ever be proprietary; your car is run from a central server, and you lease its decision-making abilities for a fee. Mercedes announced last year that its own self-driving cars will always prioritize the safety of the driver, even if it means splattering a crowd of pedestrians into the nearest wall. (Thanks to the beneficent powers of the market, all other manufacturers will likely have to follow suit—who’s going to choose to buy the car that might deliberately kill you to save someone you don’t even know?) Google’s self-driving car, meanwhile, will dutifully pull itself over at a signal from the cops. Without any ability to assume manual control of the car at moments of high significance, passengers in self-driving cars will also be passive subjects of a manufacturer’s pre-programmed ethical determinations. In Elon Musk’s vision of a self-driving future, fewer people might die, but the people who do will die because he ordained it. These days, reactionaries everywhere are promising to give control back to the people, through a government that responds exactly to your own half-conscious prejudices. Likewise, Elon Musk promises a world in which you can do whatever you want, without ever needing to think about how you want to do it. He’ll see to everything. He will build the Mars colonies for us, and the rockets to get there, and the fuel cells to power them. All anyone else needs to is believe in his myth, and buy what he gives us. But it’s a charade. What Elon Musk wants is what every viperous capitalist has wanted since civilizations’ earliest days: money, power, and deference. Musk is only piggybacking on the doom or redemption of the species, swept along into the void that’s opening up in front of us, just like everyone else. Whatever it might look like, Elon Musk does not own the future. It’s ours. This article appears in our new “Silicon Valley Spectacular.” Get your print copy today in our store or by purchasing a subscription.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Nerves made to express proteins that can be activated by light can produce limb movements that can be adjusted in real-time, using cues generated by the motion of the limb itself, according to MIT researchers. This optogenetic technique has only been tested on animals at this point, but it could eventually be used to restore movement in patients with paralysis or to treat patients with movement disorders. “Most people are using optogenetics as sort of a tool to learn about neural circuits, but very few are looking at it as a clinically translatable therapeutic tool as we are," said Shriya Srinivasan, a PhD student in medical engineering and medical physics at the MIT Media Lab and the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology. Srinivasan and her colleagues envision the technology first being used to restore motion to paralyzed limbs or to power prosthetics, but they say it also has the potential to restore limb sensation, turn off unwanted pain signals, or treat spastic or rigid muscle movements in neurological diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). “Artificial electrical stimulation of muscle often results in fatigue and poor controllability. In this study, we showed a mitigation of these common problems with optogenetic muscle control,” said Hugh Herr, who led the research team and heads the Media Lab’s Biomechatronics group. “This has great promise for the development of solutions for patients suffering from debilitating conditions like muscle paralysis.” The group's research paper was published in the Dec. 13 issue of Nature Communications. Doctors already use electrical nerve stimulation to treat patients with spinal cord injury, and to improve muscle conditioning in people with muscular degenerative diseases. The downside of electrical stimulation is that it can quickly fatigue muscles and is difficult to target precisely. That's why scientists like Srinivasan and Maimon are looking for alternative methods of nerve stimulation. Optogenetic stimulation relies on nerves that have been genetically engineered to express light-sensitive algae proteins called opsins. These proteins control electrical signals such as nerve impulses — essentially, turning them on and off — when they are exposed to certain wavelengths of light. Using mice and rats engineered to express these opsins in two key nerves of the leg, the researchers were able to control the up and down movement of the rodents’ ankle joint by switching on an LED that was either attached over the skin or implanted within the leg. This is the first time that a “closed-loop” optogenetic system has been used to power a limb, the researchers said. Closed-loop systems change their stimulation in response to signals from the nerves they are activating, as opposed to “open-loop” systems that don’t respond to feedback from the body. In the case of the rodents, different cues including the angle of the ankle joint and changes in the length of the muscle fibers were the feedback used to control the ankle’s motion. Srinivasan said it's a system that "in real time observes and minimizes the error between what we want to happen and what’s really happening.” In electrical systems, large-diameter axons are activated first, along with their large and oxygen-hungry muscles, before moving on to smaller axons and muscles. Optogenetic stimulation works in the opposite way, stimulating smaller axons before moving on to bigger fibers. “When you’re walking slowly, you’re only activating those small fibers, but when you run a sprint, you’re activating the big fibers,” Srinivasan said. “Electrical stimulation activates the big fibers first, so it’s like you’re walking but you’re using all the energy it requires to do a sprint. It’s quickly fatiguing because you’re using way more horsepower than you need.” Researchers are used to seeing systems perform really well and then fatigue over time, but Srinivasan said that when the optogenetic system fatigued and the team kept doing experiments for extended periods of time, the system recovered and started performing well again. This rebound, which was unexpected, has to do with how opsin activity cycles in the nerves, the group concluded. With less fatigue involved, the optogenetic system might be a good future fit for long-term motor operations such as robotic exoskeletons that allow some people with paralysis to walk, or as long-term rehabilitation tools for people with degenerative muscle diseases, Srinivasan suggested. The next steps in the research include experimenting with the best ways to deliver light to nerves deep within the body and finding ways to express opsins in human nerves safely and efficiently.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
米Intelは4月9日（現地時間）、複数の同社製品に脆弱性が存在することを明らかにした。以下の製品に対し、アップデートが提供されている。「Intel Media SDK」2018 R2.1以前のバージョン：INTEL-SA-00201（特権昇格、深刻度“HIGH”）「Intel Graphics Performance Analyzer for Linux」v18.4およびそれ以前のバージョン：INTEL-SA-00236（特権昇格、深刻度“MEDIUM”）一部マイクロプロセッサーの仮想メモリマッピング：INTEL-SA-00238（情報漏洩、深刻度“LOW”）「Intel Broadwell U i5 vPro」MYBDWi5v.86A以前のバージョン：INTEL-SA-00239（特権昇格、DoS、情報漏洩、深刻度“HIGH”）脆弱性対策情報ポータルサイト“JVN”によると、影響範囲は製品によって異なるものの、場合によっては情報漏洩やサービス運用妨害（DoS）、権限昇格などにつながる恐れがあるとのこと。最新版へのアップデートが推奨されている。	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
The Stoic dichotomy At the heart of Stoicism lies the concept of the dichotomy of ‘control’: Some things are up to us and others are not. While many other concepts from god to virtues have been open to multiple interpretations, the basic principle of dichotomy is unambiguous and is generally considered the cornerstone of Stoicism. The trichotomy hypothesis Some years ago, in his widely read A Guide to the Good Life, William Irvine suggested that the Stoic dichotomy should be expanded to include a third category: For example, I can choose to not be angry. I have total control over it. ·The train has already left the station. I have no control over it. ·I have a competition coming up. I can win it. I have partial control over it. Sounds very reasonable, logical, and even obvious. Is it possible that this simple logic escaped the ancient Stoics, master logicians as they were? Is it possible that none of the millions of people who were exposed to this concept over the past twenty centuries could figure out something as obvious as this? These issues were considered and answered by several prominent modern Stoics including Donald Roberson (https://bit.ly/2YFvTV4), Massimo Pigliucci (https://bit.ly/2OzySul), and others. Still, I keep hearing from others, especially from newcomers to Stoicism about this issue. The fallacy: Confusing actions with outcomes I suspect that the trichotomy of control is predicated on a misunderstanding about what the ancient Stoics were talking about. When the ancient Stoics were talking about the dichotomy of control, they were talking about the outcome of our actions, not actions themselves. Outcomes are always either under our control (like whether to be angry) not under our control (like whether we will strike it rich). Actions, on the other hand, are sometimes fully under our control (for example, not getting upset about possibly missing the train), partially under our control (I can walk faster so I don’t miss the train), and at other times not under our control (the train that has already left the station). The trichotomy of control is based on the confusion between actions and the outcome. When an outcome is not under our control, actions leading up to the outcome may be under our control to varying degrees. 1. I missed the train. It has already left the station. Action — I can do nothing to bring the train back: Outcome: not up to me. 2. My exam is next week. I am not well prepared, although there is still some time left Action — I can do something, but not much: Outcome: not up to me. 3. I am participating in a sports completion. I am good and have plenty of time to prepare. I will continue to train until the last day Action — I can do a lot; Outcome: not up to me. All these situations have one thing in common. Although actions may be under my control to varying degrees, the outcome is not up to me. Even if I have done something millions of times before, and am still capable of doing it now, such as crossing the street, the outcome is still not up to me. I may trip and break my foot, I may have a heart attack in the middle of the street, or I may be run over by a car. So, I take care when I cross the street (an action that may be under my control) but, despite this, I can be run over by a car driven by a drunk driver running a red light. The outcome is not up to me. Where externals are concerned, we don’t have a casting vote and never will When an outcome is not under your control, it doesn’t mean that we cannot influence it. It is just that we — with all our actions — don’t get to decide the outcome. We don’t have the casting vote. This is what I believe that the ancient Stoics were talking about. What is indifferent to a Stoic is the outcome, not necessarily the action. This confusion between actions and the outcome has led to several misunderstandings such as the perception that Stoics are passive and that there is a third category of choice. The ancient Stoics were people of action. Cleanthes worked during the night so he could pay for his lessons during the day. Musonius Rufus went on voluntary exile and yet, when he returned, took action to have Nero’s informer Celer prosecuted and convicted. Epictetus kept teaching through his lameness, banishment, and old age. Marcus Aurelius was on the battlefield when he could have chosen a life of sloth and hedonism like many emperors of his time. Such action orientation is true of almost all ancient Stoics. Yet, curiously, they did not emphasize action in their writings and teachings. In most Stoic teachings ‘things not up to us’ (that we can do nothing about it) are given greater prominence than ‘things that are up to us’ (things of our will and our intention to act). One of the most common misunderstandings is that Stoics are fatalistic and therefore don’t act; Stoicism is passive. Yet none of the ancient Stoics we have heard about were passive. Neither are modern Stoics such as James Stockwell. The call for action permeates the Stoic virtue of justice. It is unclear why the ancient Stoics, especially Epictetus and, to a large extent, Marcus Aurelius, emphasized and wrote more about things not up to us than our need to act. It may simply be that such a message was better suited for the times they lived in and the problems they faced. Or, they may have assumed that acting on what you control including your intention to act is a given and needed no elaboration. Whatever the reason, the lack of discourse about action has left a lot of room for others to misinterpret their teachings centuries later. Now it seems to be seeping gradually into modern Stoicism as well. The idea that outcomes of externals are not under our control is a non-negotiable idea in Stoicism and provides the foundation for Stoic ethics. I don’t think it is a coincidence that Flavius Arrian, the distinguished scribe of Epictetus’ discourses, starts the summary of Epictetus teaching with this unambiguous declarative statement: Some things are up to us and others are not. (Epictetus, Enchiridion, 1) When I came upon this statement several years ago, I had difficulties with it. All cultural narratives were against it: “You can achieve anything you want if you put your mind to it”, “Nothing is impossible”, and many such messages. My experiences were against it: When I studied, I got better grades. When I didn’t, I got poor grades; when I worked out, my body felt active and when I didn’t my body was sluggish. It seemed to me that many externals were indeed in my partial or full control. But, as years went by, and after many setbacks, I began to realize that what the Stoics were talking about was the outcome of our actions and not actions themselves. What they were trying to say was that as far as externals are concerned, we may have room to act but, no matter how much room we have to act, no matter how certain we are about the outcome, we don’t hold the casting vote. It is simply not under our control. In my view, to appreciate Stoic ethics fully one needs to grasp why the outcomes of externals are never up to us. Once we grasp the idea, all our unnecessary suffering falls by the wayside. Then our attention and efforts gain a laser-like focus on actions to the extent they are under our control. For a Stoic, outcome is nothing. Action that is under control is everything. Focusing attention on actions may increase the chances of achieving the ‘desired’ outcome but it is no concern of a Stoic. Epictetus would have continued (and actually did continue) to teach even if he was threatened with banishment. Musonius Rufus would have (and actually did) preach peace to soldiers. I can’t read the mind of a dead emperor, but it is not inconceivable that Marcus Aurelius would have continued with his battles because it was his duty to protect the empire even if defeat was certain. When Julius Caesar sought to overthrow the Republic and declare himself dictator of Rome, the Stoic Cato of Utica marched through the deserts of Africa with his remnant Republican army to stop Caesar. The outcome was far from guaranteed and in fact Cato lost the civil war. Most likely, Cato had known already that this would happen. After all, when he marched all he had was shattered remains of an army that had little chance of succeeding against the mighty Julius Caesar. The ancient Stoics knew and understood that while actions were up to them, the outcome was not. Judging impressions and the discipline of assent depends on the Stoic dichotomy The dichotomy of control defines what is under our control and what is not with unambiguous clarity. Even the oft-quoted prayer of Reinhold Niebuhr leaves it to god to define what is and what is not under our control. God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; And wisdom to know the difference. For Stoics, there is no grey area. They don’t need to invoke the help of god to know whether an outcome is under their control or not. It is, if it is a matter of will; it is not, if it is a matter of externals. The dichotomy of control conceived by the Stoics is fully defined and is unwavering in its definition. This is what lets us decide clearly whether an impression is misleading or not, and provide or withhold assent. Judging impressions and assenting to the right ones are the basis of Stoic wisdom. Without a clearly defined dichotomy, Stoicism will take us no farther than Niebuhr’s prayer. Dr. Chuck Chakrapani is the editor-in-chief of THE STOIC magazine (https://bit.ly/319WE1s) and the author Unshakable Freedom (https://amzn.to/2YMbbix) and the forthcoming How to Be a Stoic When You Don’t Know How.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
On this episode of Corner of the Galaxy, the guys switch gears as a midweek game means an early week CoG. Josh is joined by his normal co-host for CoG: From the Box, LA Galaxy Insider, Adam Serrano, to discuss the LA Galaxy’s gritty victory over Real Salt Lake. They talk about the play of Gyasi Zardes, his combination with Landon Donovan and what needs to happen to get Robbie Keane back into scoring some goals. And with the LA Galaxy unbeaten in 7 games, the guys tell you just how good this defense is. It goes something like “the best defense in MLS.” Jaime Penedo is starting to come into his own and Robbie Rogers has one of his best games. Then Josh and Adam look ahead to the midweek opponent. Once a force to be reckoned with, the New England Revolution have now lost 5 games in a row. Their latest loss coming at home at the hands of Mike Magee and the Chicago Fire. What do we expect from the talented midfield and potent offense of The Revs? Will Diego Fagundez, Kelyn Rowe, Daigo Kobayashi and Teal Bunbury run rampant? Will Patrick Mullins find space behind the LA Galaxy’s back Line? And how important is this midweek draw? This will be a test for the LA Galaxy. And it may really point in the direction they’ll be headed as they continue to fight their way through this gauntlet-like schedule. We’re pushing to bring you the very best LA Galaxy content available anywhere. So tell your friends, share our podcasts and keep carrying that LA Galaxy flag. Comments comments	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
To accomplish the feat of putting human footprints on the moon, it took lots of money, people, political will and a cold war. Can we do it again?	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
John Solomon: IG Report Will Conclude James Comey Committed Crimes but Barr Will Decline to Prosecute Sigh. The Justice Department's chief watchdog is preparing a damning report on James Comey�s conduct in his final days as FBI director that likely will conclude he leaked classified information and showed a lack of candor after his own agency began looking into his feud with President Trump over the Russia probe. Inspector General (IG) Michael Horowitz�s team referred Comey for possible prosecution under the classified information protection laws, but Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors working for Attorney General William Barr reportedly have decided to decline prosecution -- a decision that�s likely to upset Comey's conservative critics. Prosecutors found the IG�s findings compelling but decided not to bring charges because they did not believe they had enough evidence of Comey's intent to violate the law, according to multiple sources. Whatever. Supposedly it will be released in "the next few weeks." Deb Heine sketched out some probable problem areas in his congressional testimony that might be construed by some as "not fully candid." Comey�s interview at his residence was scheduled in advance, �for the purpose of providing certain classified memoranda (memos) to Corney for review,� the FBI document states. This would suggest that the purpose of the visit was to help the fired FBI director prepare for his appearance before the Senate Intelligence Committee the next day. ... By giving the FBI all the memos he had in his possession, Comey could tell the Senate Judiciary Committee the next day that he no longer had any copies of his memos to give to Congress--which is precisely what he did...	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
And yet Grace, the 29-year-old ranked 35th in the world, later admitted he had been blissfully unaware of what he was about to achieve as he came down the 18th. "I was just so in the zone of playing, hole after hole. I knew I was obviously playing really well, and making the turn in five-under was pretty special," he said. "And I thought if I could make a couple more on the back nine, then it's going to be a great score. I had no idea that 62 was the lowest ever." The round also broke Jodie Mudd's course record of 63, set in the final round of the Open in 1991. Grace, whose caddie told him of the record after he holed out at the last, added: "I feel I'm playing well. And I just want to get out there again tomorrow (Sunday) and try to do something similar, just play some good golf. "And obviously it makes me feel a lot better after the score I shot today." Grace, whose best showing at a major to date is a third place at the PGA Championship in 2015, is one of those hoping to extend a run of the last seven majors being won by players who had never previously won any of golf's biggest prizes.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Wie erzeugt man Unberechenbarkeit? Alain Prost fordert freie Reifenwahl Die neuen Pirelli-Sohlen sind Marathon-Reifen. Das ergibt weniger Boxenstopps und damit weniger Positionswechsel. Alain Prost weiß einen Weg aus dem Dilemma. „Lasst allen Teams freie Reifenwahl.“ Es war nur das erste Rennen einer neuen Ära. Doch gewisse Konsequenzen zeichnen sich bereits jetzt ab. Überholen wird schwerer. Die Fahrer können wieder voll attackieren, weil ihre Reifen ewig halten. Das ergibt weniger Boxenstopps und weniger Strategiemöglichkeiten. Die geringe Reifenabnutzung schafft weniger Unterschiede im Feld. Alles in allem bedeutet das weniger Positionswechsel. Melbourne hat gezeigt, was die Reifen können. Der Ultrasoft-Reifen hat 34 Runden gehalten, der Supersoft 43 Runden, der Soft 46 Runden. Einige meinten, man könne mit der Mischung Soft drei Renndistanzen fahren. Sicherlich aber eine. Pirellis Reifen sind wieder in der Lage, eine ganze Renndistanz zu überstehen. Reifensorten durchmischen, keine Pflicht für Boxenstopps Aus dieser Eigenschaft heraus ergibt sich eine Chance. Sollte die neue Formel 1 am Überholproblem und den zu stabilen Reifen scheitern, dann gäbe es einfache Hilfsmittel das zu ändern. Die Verlängerung der DRS-Zonen wäre der plumpeste Eingriff. Ist vielleicht gar nicht nötig, wie Alain Prost im Gespräch mit auto motor und sport meinte. Der vierfache Weltmeister wurde nicht umsonst der „Professor“ genannt. Prost hatte wie kein Zweiter ein gutes Gefühl für die perfekte Abstimmung und das Reifenmanagement. Der Renault-Botschafter greift einen alten Force India-Vorschlag auf und modifiziert ihn etwas: „Lasst die Fahrer aus den 5 Reifensorten 13 Sets nach ihrer Wahl zusammenstellen. Ich würde sogar erlauben, die Reifentypen bei einem Satz durchzumischen. Also links weiche und rechts harte oder umgekehrt.“ Das würde nach Ansicht von Prost unterschiedliche Strategien, mögliche Fehlerquellen und unterschiedliche Geschwindigkeiten der einzelnen Autos ergeben. Somit auch Überholmöglichkeiten. „Ich würde auch die Regel aufheben, dass man zwei verschiedene Reifensorten fahren muss. Wenn einer mit harten Reifen ohne Boxenstopp durchfahren will, bitte. Vielleicht ist ein anderer mit 2 Stopps und durchweg der weichsten Mischung schneller.“ Das wichtigste für Prost: „Es kommt wieder auf das Gefühl der Fahrer an. Und es könnte Überraschungen provozieren.“	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Police say they cannot confirm if a man killed after being tasered while resisting arrest was involved in a the robbery of a Sydney convenience store. Officers were called to a convenience store in The Rocks about 5:30am (AEDT) Sunday to respond to a robbery that was taking place. A man matching the description of the alleged thief was later found in Pitt Street, where police used capsicum spray and a Taser to subdue him after he resisted arrest. The man stopped breathing and could not be revived despite efforts from police and paramedics. But metropolitan commander Mark Walton says it has yet to be confirmed whether the man was actually involved in the robbery. "It's unclear as to the involvement of this man or the extent of that actual incident - whether it is a robbery or not," he said. Police are now appealing for help to identify the man who investigators believe may have been from South America, was aged in his mid-20s to mid-30s with brown eyes and shoulder length curly brown hair. Pitt Street has been cordoned off while police conduct a critical incident investigation which will be reviewed by members of the Professional Standards Command. The NSW Council for Civil Liberties says this morning's death should prompt police to review their use of Tasers. The president of the council, Cameron Murphy, says police should stop using Tasers until a coronial inquiry into the death is completed. He says there needs to be more regulation over their use. "This is a tragic incident that's occurred," he said. "It clearly demonstrates that Tasers are not an alternative to the use of a lethal force. "Tasers do in fact kill people and we need much more stringent controls in which they're deployed, which police use them and in what circumstances." But Premier Barry O'Farrell says Tasers are a clear alternative to lethal force. "Tasers versus gun is a clear choice, but I will wait for a report before I make any comments about that incident," he said. Tasers were introduced into the NSW police force in 2009 as a non-lethal option to help officers subdue people during hostile situations. Concerns about Tasers were raised in 2010 when police tasered a man armed with knives as they responded to reports of a sexual assault in Sydney's south-west. The man died, but NSW Police Commission Andrew Scipione defended the officers' actions, saying one, if not both, of the responding officers could have been killed had they not acted. Police are urging anyone with information, or who may have seen the man in the vicinity of King and Pitt streets, to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
A few weeks ago a user came with a request to add support in ESPurna to a power meter that had been hacked by Karl Hagström. It is a very cheap chinese power meter with plenty of room on the inside, enough to house an ESP8266 module and a DC/DC power supply and the main IC protocol had been reverse engeneered. There even was a repository by the Harringay Maker Space with sample code for an arduino compatible platform. I found it really interesting so I jumped in and ordered two of them (for 25,20 euros in total). Unfortunately the seller I bought it from has ran out of them. But you can still find them on the usual market places, like these ones [Ebay] or (also with non-EU variants) these ones [Aliexpress]. When I received them I quicky unscrewed the enclosure of one of them and… wow, it looked slightly different than that on Karl's post but also different from the one the people at Harringay Maker Space had worked with. I went back and forth and I noticed the hack was almost 2 years old and the board was clearly different: different version (unlabelled on Karl's pictures, version 2014-04-28 on Harringay's power meter and 2016-12-18 on mine), different board layout with a different connector between the power meter board and the display (7 wires on theirs, 6 on mine). But the most important difference was the main power meter IC. Karl had reverse engineered the ECH1560 on his power meter, a 24pin SOP package (on the back on his device, on the front in Herringay's power meter). Mine was only 16pin… I had to decipher the IC mark using parts from both devices since the manufacturer had crossed out the marks (they don't want us to hack it or what?). Finally my best guess was V9261F. I quicky googled it and… bingo! You will (almost) never be the first one The Domoticz community is quite active. And they were already working on supporting this device. Actually the datasheet for the Vango V9261F [datasheet, PDF] is public (contrary to that on the ECH1560). So I just had to “borrow” the work from two of the domoticz community members (kudos to Kapee and Rolo) and continue from there. The hack, like with Karl's method, is based on sniffing the traffic between the power board (where the V9261F sits) and the display board. On this new version there are 6 cables labelled (RX, TX, FREQ, VDD and GND, the sixth is unlabelled). So it strongly looked like being a serial interface. All they had to do was to wire the TX pin to a GPIO in the ESP8266 module and use a software serial library to receive the messages. The messages looked something like this: FE 11 01 04 00 00 01 1D FE 11 04 6B E5 FF FF 74 BF FF FF 70 5C E2 3A 00 30 02 00 86 There are two messages there, both are responses to a read operation. The first one returns 1 register (each register in the V9261F has 4 bytes) and thus has 3 bytes for the header, 4 bytes for the register and 1 more byte for the checksum, totalling 8 bytes. The other response contains 4 registers and has (3+44+1) 20 bytes. The key here was knowing what registers where those. Unfortunatelly the response does not specifiy the register address, only the contents. But as easy as sniffing the TX line, one can sniff the RX line. This is what the microcontroller in the display board requests to the V96261F: FE 11 80 01 00 00 00 A2 FE 11 19 04 00 00 00 06 Great, so it first requests the SysCtrl register (0x0180, not very useful for us) and then 4 registers starting with 0x0119. What registers are those? Let's check the datasheet: 0x0119: Average total active power 0x011A: Average total reactive power 0x011B: Average total voltage RMS 0x011C: Average total current RMS So good :) Wire it Rolo, at the Domoticz forum has shared a schematic to isolate the TX pin from the ESP8266 module using a PC817 optocoupler [Ebay]. I thought it was a good oportunity to use those “old” ESP01 modules I never use so I prepared a stripboard using his schematic as starting point. The ESP01 module is supposed to be connected with the antenna to the right, over the PC817 optocoupler The schematic assumes you power it with a 3V3 source. In the first term I used a 5V source so I had to add a AMS1117-3V3 to the power input. Anything capable of supplying 400mA peak should be enough. The power source and the ESP01 module and 'carrier' board. The blue cable is soldered to the TX pin in the power meter board. For the second powermeter I used a wemos board, which simplifies the connections. Basically you just need the optocoupler and the input resistor. You might have noticed I also used two different power sources. Again, you will need 400mA output to be safe. HLK-PM01 [Aliexpress] modules are great for that, but cheaper “open” AC/DC 5V 700mA power supply modules [Aliexpress] will also work. It is very important that you double check the connections and the weldings. Also, once you have tested it and you want to close the box, hot glue everything so they stay in place. Trust me. You don't want a wire going loose there. Support in ESPurna The ESPurna firmware is released as free open software *and can be checked out at my Espurna repository on GitHub. Final step was to integrate the code in ESPurna, so it will benefit from other “goodies” in the firmware (MQTT, REST API, Home Assistant and Domoticz support, WebUI, WiFi configuration, etc). The firmware reports “real time” values (every 6 seconds) to the web client and aggregated (and filtered) values via MQTT to other services. But one bonus that comes with ESPurna is the calibration feature. Because there are some calculations involved in getting the power value from the number the V9261F provides. Same for current or voltage. And there are some “magic numbers” on those calculations. I have not been able to find out what those numbers should be. In section 5.13 of the datasheet talks about calibration registers and formulae but I can't figure the numbers out… So instead you can use the power section in the Web UI to calibrate the values you are getting. You are not supposed to write there those “magic numbers”. Instead, you have to write the values the power meter is displaying on the screen and the firmware will do the maths for you. The power calibration tab allows you to introduce the 'expected' values for power, current and voltage. But, what about the ECH1560? Yeah! That was the first idea. I decided to add support for the ECH1560 in ESPurna too. But this is completely untested and it will almost certainly have bugs. So if you want to give it a try, be ready to debug. You will have to wire two cables now, instead of one. One for the CLK pin and the other for the MISO line. Use optocouplers too, you'll stay safer. There is already a device in ESPurna for the ECH1560 (called GENERIC_ECH1560) that assumes the CLK pin is on GPIO4 and MISO on GPIO5. If your setup is different you might want to change the definitions in the hardware.h file: // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- // ECH1560 // ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- #elif defined(GENERIC_ECH1560) // Info #define MANUFACTURER "GENERIC" #define DEVICE "ECH1560" // ECH1560 #define POWER_PROVIDER POWER_PROVIDER_ECH1560 #define ECH1560_CLK_PIN 4 #define ECH1560_MISO_PIN 5 #define ECH1560_INVERTED 0 Also, some people has reported their power values are inverted. If you are getting weird power values try changing the ECH1560_INVERTED setting to 1. Good luck and report back!	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Photo: Results of “ball poll” at UNISON West Midlands Regional Games in Birmingham (credit: Becca Kirkpatrick). The trade union UNISON has called on West Midlands mayoral candidates to commit to running a basic income pilot in the region. UNISON, a major public service employee union, has released a 20-point manifesto, calling on candidates in the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) mayoral election to declare which of the 20 “asks” they would implement if elected. The election, which is to take place on May 4, 2017, will decide the first mayor of England’s West Midlands region. The WMCA was established to the govern the seven-authority area in June 2016. One of the points of UNISON’s manifesto, which has been published in full on the West Midlands political blog The Chamberlain Files, is a demand for a “micro-pilot” of universal basic income (no further details of the pilot have been specified): WMCA to run a micro-pilot on the use of a Universal Basic Income (UBI). A UBI could have many benefits including helping the long-term unemployed get back into work via part-time work and providing a basic income that would allow people to undertake entrepreneurial activities. Unemployment is a pressing concern in the West Midlands. A new report from the Resolution Foundation, a nonpartisan think tank, reveals that WMCA has an employment rate of 64.5%, as compared to an overall employment rate of 71.6% within UK city regions other than WMCA. The UNISON manifesto also calls for a range of improvements in education, transportation, housing and development, and government accountability in the WMCA. UNISON has approximately 1.3 million members across the UK. It has over 120,000 members in the West Midlands, making it the largest union in the region. Members in the region comprise employees in eight main types of work: local government, health care, education services, water, energy, community, police and justice, and private contractors. Sources Kevin Johnson, “Nationalisation, seats for unions and free public transport – Unison unveils mayoral manifesto,” The Chamberlain Files, December 15, 2016. Neil Elkes, “Call for universal basic income trail [sic] in the West Midlands,” Birmingham Mail, December 15, 2016. Becca Kirkpatrick, personal communication.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
O HUI Sun Science Perfect Sunblock Red EX Hello~ It is so hot here at the moment so what's better than a sunscreen blog post? :D Sunscreen, dear Sunscreen, I love you so much because you protect exposed skin against sunburn, skin cancer and even photoaging! A few months ago, I reviewed another sunscreen I absolutely loved ( Radical Skincare - Skin Perfecting Screen SPF 30 ) but considering it's quite expensive, I've decided to look for an alternative. O HUI is a luxury Korean brand that belongs to LG Household & Healthcare. The brand focusses on technology and science. Their sunscreen line is very famous with many different products. Amony all the different options they propose in terms of sun protection, they have a sunscreen perfect for sensitive skin, i.e. O HUI Sun Science Perfect Sunblock Red EX SPF50+ PA+++. is a luxury Korean brand that belongs to LG Household & Healthcare. The brand focusses on technology and science. Their sunscreen line is very famous with many different products. Amony all the different options they propose in terms of sun protection, they have aperfect for sensitive skin, i.e. WHAT IT IS:WHAT IT IS: T WHAT IT IS: WHAT IT IS O HUI Sun Science Perfect Sunblock Red EX is a mainly mineral (or physical) sunscreen (see ingredient list and explanation below). Mineral sunscreens are great because they provide great broad-spectrum protection, targetting both UVA and UVB. I will not go into details but UV filters can be divided into chemical absorber and physical blockers on the basis of their mechanism of action. Chemical sunscreens are generally aromatic compounds conjugated with a carbonyl group. These chemicals absorb high-intensity UV rays. You have to put this type of sunscreen 20 minutes before sun exposure. There are controversies about some of them but as they are not used in O Hui Red I will not go into details. Physical blockers (non chemical sunscreens, such as TiO2 and ZnO) reflect or scatter UV radiations. You don't have to put this type of sunscreen 20 minutes before sun exposure as for the chemical sunscreens. CLAIMS mild and smooth sunblock suited for sensitive skin improves skin tone UV protection for daily use and outdoor activities (SPF50+ PA+++) contains Provitamin B5 and vanilla extract to prevent skin from getting red (i.e, your skin will not get red if you're exposed to the sun hence the name of the product Perfect Sunblock Red EX) HOW IT LOOKS/FEELS/SMELLS When you squeeze it out of the tube, it is slightly green tinted but when you spread it, it gets white. It's a mostly mineral/physical sunscreen, so yes you can't avoid the white cast. However, when you spread it well on your face, I don't think it's dramatic and to be honest I can deal with it. If you put foundation on top, there is no problem. There is also a nice video from Paula's choice that explain how to thwart the white cast of mineral sunscreen HERE When you apply it, it forms an uniform continuous film and is quite easy to work with. The cream is actually quite rich and maybe if you have oily skin it will make you oiler. So I would say it's best suited for combination, normal and dry skin. As a side note, I have combination skin and can't stand heavy creams but this one is more on the rich side rather than heavy, if it makes sense. I've been using it everyday on my whole face since March. The bottle contains 60mL, which is a pretty decent size for a sunscreen you use on your face. INGREDIENT LIST Cyclopentasiloxane (emollient) , Water, Zinc Oxide (sunscreen) , Butylene Glycol (slip agent) , Titanium Dioxide (sunscreen) , PEG-10 Dimethicone (surfactant) , Hexyldecylethylhexanoate (emollient, surfactant) , Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid (sunscreen) , Cetylethylhexanoate (emollient, surfactant) , Triethanolamine (pH balancer) , Dipropylene Glycol (solvant) , Glycerin (humectant) , Hexyl Laurate (emollient) , Panthenol (Provitamin B5) , Disteardimonium Hectorite (suspending agent) , Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer (emollient) , Dimethicone/Methicone Copolymer (thickener) , Methicone (emollient) , Vanilla Tahitensis Fruit Extract (antioxidant, anti-inflammatory) , Chicory Root Extract (antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial) , Zinc Stearate (thinckener, surfactant) , Isostearic Acid (thinckener, surfactant) , Alanyl Glutamine (amino acid) , Sorbitan Sesquiisostearate (surfactant) , Spiraea Ulmaria Extract (anti-irritant) , VP/Eicosene Copolymer (film-forming agent) , Acrylates/Dimethicone Copolymer (film-forming agent) , Hydrolyzed Lupine Protein Octenylsuccinate (skin conditioning agent) , Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E acetate, antioxidant/lightening) , Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate (licorice derivative, anti-irritant) , Distearyldimonium Chloride (surfactant) , Dimethicone (emollient) , Pinus Pinaster Bark/Bud Extract (antioxidant, antibacterial) , Ethylparaben (preservative) , Nylon-12 (thickener) , Alumina (thickener) , Talc (absorbent) , Mica, Chromium Oxide Green, Fragrance, Citronellol, Limonene, Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalol, Hydroxyisohexyl 2-cylcohexene Carboxaldehyde, Butylphenyl Methylpropional. I reported the ingredients from Hwahae app (and it's consistent with what is written in Korean on the box) and added in brackets the role of each ingredients. When I didn't know the ingredient I either looked it up in "Paula's choice's expert advice" and/or "google scholar"-ed it. Hwahae reports 4 problematic ingredients (PEG-10 Dimethicone, Triethanolamine, Ethylparaben, and Fragrance) and some allergy risk with ingredients like geraniol, linalol, basically the end of the list (the least concentrated ones). Note that Paula's choice reports PEG-10 Dimethicone as a "good" agent. It's a very commonly used water-in-oil silicone surfactant and it seems safe (couldn't find any article that said it's not safe or bad). Same for Triethanolamine that is "good" for Paula's choice. Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid is a sunscreen that protects mainly from UVB. I thought there were only zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as sun protecting agents in this preparation so I was quite surprised to see Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid in there. Moreover both zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are pretty high in the ingredient list and they protect from UVA and UVB so I'm not sure why they added phenylbenzimidazole sulfonic acid. I did some research about this acid because I want to avoid chemical sunscreens that are still controversial and when I'm not sure about something, I don't want to take any risk. There is an opinion (COLIPA S45) on this compound that was published in 2006 (link is a sunscreen that protects mainly from UVB. I thought there were only zinc oxide and titanium dioxide as sun protecting agents in this preparation so I was quite surprised to see Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid in there. Moreover both zinc oxide and titanium dioxide are pretty high in the ingredient list and they protect from UVA and UVB so I'm not sure why they added phenylbenzimidazole sulfonic acid.I did some research about this acid because I want to avoid chemical sunscreens that are still controversial and when I'm not sure about something, I don't want to take any risk. There is an opinion (COLIPA S45) on this compound that was published in 2006 (link HERE ). In summary: for acute dermal toxicity, no abnormality was observed in rats. No percutaneous absorption was observed in humans, i.e. it's not absorbed by the skin into blood. No sub-chronic (90 days) toxicity was observed in rats. No mutagenicity was found in in vitro chromosome aberration test. Evidence for the absence of an oestrogenic potential was demonstrated. So this compound seems pretty safe and I'm not worried about using it. Panthenol is a Vitamin B5 derivative. It is a humectant, emollient, and moisturizer. It works to improve skin's barrier function and maintain the proliferation of fibroblasts, cells that create collagen. It reduces skin inflammation and accelerates epidermal wounds' rate of healing. The vanilla plant is a source of catechins (polyphenols) which exhibit antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Interestingly, VP/Eicosene Copolymer is a film-forming agent often used in water-resistant sunscreen products. It helps the sunscreen adhere better to skin and resist breaking down in water. THOUGHTS: As THOUGHTS O HUI Sun Science Perfect Sunblock Red EX is a great sunscreen with mainly mineral sun protecting agents, there is only a small percentage of phenylbenzimidazole sulfonic acid but it's considered totally safe. So I'm not worried about it at all. Moreover there are anti-inflammatory ingredients and panthenol, a very nice ingredient in cosmetics. That's why I really like the ingredient lists of this product. Considering the texture, I guess it works great for combo to dry skin. It's easy to spread and it didn't break me out. So yep, I'm happy with it and would gladly repurchase it. PS: I think they've just changed the packaging of this product, not sure if the ingredient list changed...Does someone know? EDIT: I confirm that the packaging has changed and the sunscreens have been reformulated. For your information, O Hui has 4 sunscreen in cream formula (the Red, Black, Green and Blue). The new "Perfect Sun Red" is totally different from the Sun Science Perfect Sunblock Red EX that I reviewed here. It contains ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, ethylhexyl salicylate, and titanium dioxide as sunscreen agents. But what is weird is that the new "Perfect Sun Black" contains the same main ingredients (same sunscreen agents, also panthenol and vanilla extract) as the Perfect Sunblock Red EX. The difference between the two is that the Perfect Sunblock Red EX has a green tint while the Perfect Sun Black is slightly beige tinted. If something is not clear for you, ask me a question and I'll try to help if I can! Purchase info Testerkorea: here KoreaDepart: here W2Beauty: One of my favorite Korean cosmetics store but it's currently not in stock. .You can shop other O HUI products here.You can also get $5 if you use my coupon code: 193008208 when you register. WHAT IT IS: This is a faci WHAT IT IS: This is a faci WHAT IT IS: This is a faci	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
TRIPOLI/GENEVA (Reuters) - They trekked through the Sahara in hope of crossing the Mediterranean to a better life in Europe - but instead ended up in squalid detention centers and are now engulfed by war. Members of Libyan internationally recognised pro-government forces are seen in military vehicles on the outskirts of Tripoli, Libya April 10, 2019. REUTERS/Hani Amara Thousands of African and Syrian migrants and refugees are trapped in Tripoli as a battle for the city draws closer. The United Nations wants to move them urgently to safety, but this week only managed to relocate 150 to a protected facility with proper shelter, food and space for children. So desperate is the situation that one detention center manager said he flung open the doors as fighting drew near. “They can hear the clashes. And many are really scared,” UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch said of the migrants. They are crammed into disused warehouses, hangars and prisons where armed groups with no experience of handling refugees guard them, say witnesses and rights reports. On the northern edge of Africa with a long Mediterranean coastline, Libya hosts more than 700,000 people who have fled their homelands, often trekking through desert in pursuit of their dream of crossing to a better life in Europe. About 7,000 of them are in detention centers - mostly in Tripoli - where conditions were awful even before they began hearing gunfire and shells as eastern forces approached a week ago. Sleeping shoulder-to-shoulder, sometimes under steel rooves in baking heat and without proper food, water or medical assistance, the detainees wait for a visit by international organizations or the chance of a laboring job, according to visitors, rights groups and U.N. officials. They are seldom allowed out for fresh air, and sometimes given just one meal a day, of pasta or bread, the sources said. Many of the detainees were captured on arrival through the Sahara, or forcibly returned by patrols stopping their flimsy vessels in the Mediterranean. “TERRIBLE DEPRIVATIONS” Repeatedly warning of their plight, the U.N. refugee agency UNCHR took more than 150 Somali, Ethiopian, Eritrean and Syrian refugees from the Ain Zara detention center in south Tripoli on Tuesday to its own facility in a nearby “safe zone”. “Many refugees and migrants in Libya endure terrible deprivations. They are now at grave additional risk,” said Matthew Brook, UNHCR deputy chief of mission in Libya. At Ain Zara, the manager, who asked not to be named, told Reuters he opened the doors on Wednesday to let another 150 terrified migrants into the streets as gunfire drew close. “I let them go for their safety,” he said. Qasr ben Gashir, Gharyan and Abu Salim detention centers are others closest to the front lines, as the eastern Libyan National Army (LNA) forces of Khalifa Haftar take southern suburbs of Tripoli. According to U.N. figures, there are an estimated 660,000 migrants in Libya, and a further 58,000 classed as refugees or asylum-seekers fleeing home because of violence or persecution. The U.N. human rights office has expressed fears the warring parties may use migrants as human shields of forcibly recruit them. It cites unconfirmed reports that some were coerced last year into fighting in Tajoura, just east of Tripoli, which is controlled by pro-Islamist armed groups. Haftar’s forces accuse the Tripoli-based government of using migrants and criminals as human shields and fighters - though they have not provided evidence or given details. “After the end of the battles, we will show this to the world,” spokesman Ahmad Mesmari told Reuters in Benghazi. Spokespeople for the Tripoli government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj and its allied forces, which control the detention centers, did not respond to repeated requests by Reuters for comment on the migrants’ situation. In past meetings with U.N. officials, however, they have insisted they are providing adequate conditions. According to one U.N. report last December, migrants and refugees in Libya suffer a “terrible litany of violations” by a combination of state officials, armed groups and traffickers. “These include unlawful killings, torture, arbitrary detention, gang rape, slavery, forced labor and extortion,” it said. A study last month by the Women’s Refugee Commission, a U.S.-based charity, said refugees and migrants trying to reach Italy through Libya were victims of horrific sexual violence. The abuse was commonplace along routes through North Africa: at border crossings and check points, during random stops by armed groups, and when migrants were kidnapped and held for ransom, said the report, titled “More Than One Million Pains”.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
[View as slideshow] 1. Romulan Ale Beer Advocate / Image Source 2. Mama Mia! Pizza Beer Beer Advocate / Image Source 3. SobeRing Thought It’s a Lord of the Rings beer, get it? Image Source 4. Maple Bacon Coffee Porter Beer Advocate / Image Source 5. Imperial Stout Trooper Beer Advocate / Image Source 6. Imperial Stout Trooper, Special Edition Legend has it that George Lucas cried foul over the appearance of a Storm Trooper on this unofficial beer, so the brewers made a slight change. Can you spot the difference? Image Source 7. Hoptimus Prime Beer Advocate / Image Source 8. Monty Python Holy Grail Ale Beer Advocate / Image Source 9. Kaze no Tani From the Studio Ghibli museum in Japan, this beer is an homage to the heroine of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Beer Advocate / Image Source 10. Duff Beer Advocate / Image Source 11. Alt + Ctrl + Delete Beer Advocate / Image Source 12. Voodoo Doughnut Bacon Maple Ale Beer Advocate / Image Source 13. The End of History This beer, called The End of History is an outrageous 110 proof (55% alcohol!), cost about $1,000, and came wrapped in a dead animal. Our Coverage / Image Source 14. Dharma Initiative Beer You might call foul on this one, but if you can buy it then I think it deserves to be on the list. (top image via Stéfan) Relevant to your interests Pages: 1 2 Have a tip we should know? [email protected]	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Елладська церква надіслала ПЦУ офіційний лист про визнання 29 жовтня 2019, 17:00 Вы также можете прочесть этот материал на русском языке Архієпископ Ієронім та митрополит Епіфаній (Фото: Ecumenical Patriarchate/Facebook) Предстоятель Елладської церкви, архієпископ Ієронім надіслав митрополиту Київському Епіфанію лист, в якому офіційно підтверджується визнання Православної церкви України. Про це повідомляє прес-служба ПЦУ. У листі зазначається, що тепер що між двома церквами немає жодних перепон для евхаристійного спілкування. «Підносимо молитви всім серцем з нашої Святійшої Апостольської Елладської Церкви, посилаючи Вашому Блаженству цілунок братньої любові та простягаючи руку Церковного Спілкування», — говориться у листі. В УПЦ Московського патріархату вже відреагували на лист архієпископа Ієроніма, назвавши визнання ПЦУ «ножем в спину». 12 жовтня Собор Елладської церкви, рішенням переважної частини ієрархів підтримав пропозицію архієпископа Ієроніма про визнання канонічного статусу ПЦУ. Тільки декілько ієрархів ЕПЦ виступили з пропозиціює відстрочити розгляд питання про визнання Української церкви. У РПЦ заявили, що розірвуть стосунки з главою Елладської церкви архієпископом Ієронімом, після того, як він почне згадувати під час богослужіння митрополита Київського Епіфанія. Православна церква України була створена на об'єднавчому соборі у Софії Київській 15 грудня 2018 року, її предстоятелем було обрано митрополита Епіфанія. Томос, який підтверджує автокефалію, був вручений Епіфанію патріархом Варфоломієм у Константинополі 6 січня 2019 року. ПЦУ стала п’ятнадцятою церквою у диптиху помісних православних церков світу. До складу ПЦУ вже перейшло більше 500 парафій зі складу Московського патріархату в Україні. Московський патріархат відмовився визнати Православну церкву України. Його приклад наслідували залежні від Москви Антиохійський патріархат, Православна церква Чеських і Словацьких земель, Польська православна церква, а також союзна РПЦ Сербська церква.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
E3 2018: Devil May Cry V Announced (Update: New Details and Screenshots) Devil May Cry V is here. Capcom took to the Microsoft stage to announce the next formal fifth entry in the series, and holy crap. Devil May Cry V appears to be a combination of design and tone of the original series and Ninja Theory’s DmC — this has me incredibly excited. DmC is a damn good game, don’t @ me. Our baby boy Nero is all grown up, sporting a sleek new haircut as he takes up the Devil May Cry business from Dante. He’s got a new partner, a southern woman that clearly doesn’t take any sass, and a trusty modified arm. The trailer shows Nero and his partner enter a city infested with demons, and the graphics are stunning. Perhaps the RE Engine is being used here as well. Devil May Cry V looks to honor the original series while taking some cues from Ninja Theory’s controversial reboot. That is the absolute best thing they could have done, so my interest level has risen from a “meh” to “GIVE IT TO ME NOW!” Details are scarce, but we’ll likely learn more in the coming days. Are you hype? Update: Capcom has officially detailed some aspects of the game through a press release. Devil May Cry V will hit Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC in Spring 2019. The game will run on the RE Engine “achieve new heights in fidelity, featuring ground-breaking graphics that utilize photorealistic character designs and stunning lighting and environmental effects.” Three playable character will be available. The story is detailed as such: Several years have passed in Devil May Cry 5 and the threat of demonic power, long since forgotten, has returned to menace the world once again. The demonic invasion begins with the seeds of a “demon tree” taking root in Red Grave City. This hellish incursion attracts the attention of the young demon hunter, Nero, an ally of Dante who now finds himself without his demonic arm, the source of much of his power. As Nero heads to Red Grave City in his motorhome named “Devil May Cry” with his partner Nico, he ruminates on how everything started. The loss of his demonic arm, the demonic invasion, and Dante’s unknown whereabouts. Things must be settled once and for all. Update 2: Inside Xbox released a new gameplay video with additional info from Director Hideaki Itsuno. DMCV will also be playable at Gamescom.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Ostracism or social exclusion within a group serves to discipline disagreeable, awkward, or freeloading members and thus promote cooperation – at least this was the assumption of previous research in this field. However, ostracism also develops in situations in which there is no need to discipline the behaviors of others, and the victims often seem to have been selected randomly. When asked, the ostracizers are oblivious of their acts, stressing that they had no intention of leaving a person out. Therefore, two researchers from the Department of Economics at the University of Zurich, Björn Lindström and Philippe Tobler, reasoned that ostracism may develop more incidentally than previously assumed. They studied how ostracism develops within groups, how it evolves over time and how it can be reduced. Positive experiences are repeated By running a series of experiments, the researchers were able to confirm that social exclusion was not so much an instrument to discipline others, but rather an unintended side effect. This side effect arises when people choose to join up with individuals they have previously had good experiences with as a result of simple learning mechanisms. In other words, if the first random grouping in a social situation works out well, people have a tendency to repeat it. This means, however, that others are excluded from the interaction and thereby incidentally ostracized. “The tendency to repeat what previously worked out well is a basic aspect of human psychology, which means that we stick to satisfactory groupings,” says Björn Lindström. He gives two examples of the mechanism at work: “Cliques, e.g. of classmates, that exist at the beginning of the school year are usually still the same at the end of the year. Or, at work, it sometimes takes years for us to realize that the person a few offices further down the hall is actually a great guy. He simply wasn’t part of one our first few interactions and then fell off our radar”. Ostracism can be prevented In a further experiment, the two researchers showed that the same mechanisms that lead to ostracism can also be harnessed to reduce it – a finding that is of particular importance for teachers and other people involved in group organization and group dynamics. “Teachers may be able to reduce ostracism in their classes by making sure that children experience one-to-one pairings with specific classmates early on, so as to learn about others through interacting with them,” says Philippe Tobler. For adults who are slightly apprehensive about their next networking event, it might help to understand the importance of an initial positive interaction. “It could be worth making the first move and breaking the ice,” says Tobler. “Then the rest of the event will probably go much more smoothly.” Literature: Björn Lindström and Philippe N. Tobler. Incidental ostracism emerges from simple learning mechanisms in Nature Human Behaviour. May 28, 2018. doi: 10.1038/s41562-018-0355-y	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Prominent South Asians in US sports industry to speak. South Asians in Sports, a network of South Asian sports industry professionals, is hosting a panel discussion on the future of sports in New York on March 16. The event, which will be held at The Yard, 106 W 32nd Street, will be moderated by Sports Illustrated writer Rohan Nadkarni. According to the organizers, the panelists are NBA Senior Vice President for Legal and Business Affairs Hrishi Karthikeyan, Sports Illustrated Digital Correspondent Priya Desai, CEO and Co-Founder of Open Sponsorship Ishveen Anand and Akash Jain, a vice president of International and Commercial Development at the NFL. What: The Future of Sports, a panel discussion When: March 16, 2017 Where: Yard, 106 W 32 nd Street, New York Street, New York Ticket information: Visit the South Asians in Sports website Follow @ambazaarmag The panel will discuss the future of sports, industry trends and projections. The admission is free for those who RSVP on the group’s website. South Asians in Sports, which was founded in 2015, is “dedicated to building a global community of executives, businessmen and businesswomen, attorneys, entertainers, journalists, entrepreneurs, athletes, coaches and volunteers working in sports,” according to the group’s website. The network’s members include some of the leading South Americans in the US sports industry. Among them, tennis player Rajiv Ram; former figure skater Ami Parekh; Shaun Jayachandran, Founder and President of Crossover Basketball and Scholars Academy, a nonprofit that works to increase education rates of poor communities in India through basketball; Seattle Seahawks beat reporter Sheil Kapadia; Shikha Tandon, who represented India in the 2004 Athens Olympics; Harpreet Pandhe, a color commentator for Hockey Night in Canada, NBA Canada Social Media Manager Payal Doshi; and ESPN Monday Night Football and NFL Social Media’s Neeta Sreekanth.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Who Is Reince Priebus, Trump's Newly Named Chief Of Staff? Enlarge this image toggle caption Drew Angerer/Getty Images Drew Angerer/Getty Images Reince Priebus once joked about his job as chairman of the Republican National Committee that people assumed he must be miserable. But Priebus said he didn't see it that way. "I'm not pouring Bailey's in my cereal," he told CNN. Now, as newly named chief of staff to President-elect Donald Trump, Priebus has his work cut out for him. Priebus will have a large say in hiring West Wing staff, and will "be in charge of day to day operations," he told Fox News on Monday morning. He'll also have the president-elect's ear as a top adviser. It's also the chief of staff's job to make sure there is time for the President to look at the big picture. That's what Josh Bolten advises. Bolten was Chief of staff during the final three years of the George W. Bush White House "The biggest challenge that anyone in the chief of staff's role faces," Bolten says,"is to make sure that the urgent does not drive out the important." As head of the RNC, Priebus saw that the party's apparatus and organization were in place to shore up the bare-bones Trump campaign. And while Trump clashed with many in the GOP establishment, he remained on good terms with the party chairman, and in his victory speech early Wednesday called Priebus "a superstar." The appointment of Priebus, an insider, was announced at the same time as Trump named as senior adviser Steve Bannon, chairman of the far right Breitbart website that has been sharply critical of establishment figures like Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. Bolten says it could be a problem if Priebus and Bannon don't have distinct roles in the White House. "The announcement made it sound like they were co equals," Bolten says. "That will not work well in any White House that I know of, to have ambiguity about who is in charge." Bolten says its good for the President to have the views of many advisers, but that only one person can be seen as directing the activities of the White House and the rest of the staff. As chief of staff, Priebus is expected to play a role in managing President-elect Trumps legislative priorities. Priebus, who grew up in Kenosha Wis., shares a home state and a close relationship with Speaker Ryan, who today said Priebus brings to the table "hard work, determination and trust" from both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. Priebus, 44, has been the longest-serving RNC chairman, winning the job in 2011 after serving as its general counsel. He unseated his boss, Michael Steele, and took over a party that was some $24 million in debt. Priebus led the famous "autopsy" of the GOP after its loss in the 2012 election, which recommended shortening the primary season and endorsing immigration reform as a way of reaching out to Latino voters. Priebus made an unsuccessful run for the Wisconsin state senate and in 2007 became chairman of the state GOP. In 2010, he helped elect Republican Scott Walker as governor and a GOP majority in the state Legislature, and it was clear his star was on the rise. In a statement Sunday, Priebus said, "I am very grateful to the president-elect for this opportunity to serve him and this nation as we work to create an economy that works for everyone, secure our borders, repeal and replace Obamacare and destroy radical Islamic terrorism. He will be a great president for all Americans." Oh, and the name? Reince is short for Reinhold.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Thirty-year-old Soleiman Faqiri died last December in a solitary confinement cell in Central East Correctional Centre, after being beaten by as many as 20 guards sent in to subdue him. On Monday, his family learned that no one will be charged for his death. Soleiman’s hands and feet had been shackled, and a hood put over his head. He had more than 50 cuts, bruises, and other injuries from “blunt force trauma” on his body, according to the coroner’s report. He was buried with a gash from the assault visible on his face. Diagnosed with schizophrenia, Soleiman was waiting to be transferred to a mental health facility. “My brother needed a bed and a doctor, instead he got handcuffs and fists,” said his older brother Yusuf. “This was a man with mental illness who needed help, instead he lost his life.” The Faqiris have not been told why the police refused to lay criminal charges, and they have not been allowed to see the video footage of the moments leading to Soleiman’s death. After waiting more than 10 months for answers, all they know is that their son and brother died under conditions of violence 11 days after entering the jail, and that no one is being held responsible. The inhumanities of Canada’s prison system have been repeatedly exposed. October marked the 10-year anniversary of the death of teenager Ashley Smith, who choked to death in solitary confinement, while guards stood outside and watched. But the abuses continue, largely hidden from sight and mind, shielded by a thick wall of unaccountability. People suffering mental health crises, such as Faqiri, are regularly subjected to solitary confinement — even though the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture concluded in 2011 that “imposition [of solitary confinement], of any duration, on persons with mental disabilities is cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment” and a violation of the Convention Against Torture. In 2013, the Ontario government signed a binding settlement meant to prevent segregation for prisoners experiencing mental health issues — but 11 people have died in solitary confinement since then, and the percentage of people in segregation with mental health alerts increased over the course of last year. A report on provincial prisons released this April by the Ontario Ombudsman described one man who was left naked in a dirty segregation cell, where he had been confined for more than a month. In May, an officer at Central North Correctional Centre in Penetanguishine tweeted about a segregated inmate who was kept in a “urine/feces soaked cell” and was “eating his own feces.” For exposing this, the officer was threatened with disciplinary action. Ojibwe youth Adam Capay languished in a constantly lit solitary cell for more than 1,500 days, while his powers of speech and memory steadily deteriorated: a situation the provincial government knew about for nine months before doing anything. At least 150 people have died while locked up in Ontario jails over the last decade; the exact number is not known, because deaths in provincial incarceration are not consistently recorded. “Many in-custody deaths are preventable,” according to a report published in September by the Independent Review of Ontario Corrections. The report noted that coroners’ juries make the same recommendations over and over again following deaths in jail; “the repetitive nature of the jury recommendations suggests that the ministry is not treating recommendations as issues of systemic concern or is not effectively implementing the recommended changes.” The federal government has proposed new legal limits on the use of solitary confinement — but will not ban it altogether, even for people with mental illness. The Ontario government has promised to correct the wrongs of the province’s correctional system, but has not yet tabled any new legislation. The state is quick to pre-emptively criminalize marginalized communities, but slow to address the abuses committed against the marginalized by its own institutions: hundreds needlessly dead or subjected to treatment the UN considers “cruel, inhuman, and degrading.” “There is a great deal of irony in the fact that imprisonment — the ultimate product of our system of criminal justice — itself epitomizes injustice,” a parliamentary subcommittee observed in 1977. Forty years later, it is shameful how little has changed — even while the list of victims grows ever-longer. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Almost a year after the death of her son, Soleiman Faqiri’s mother continues to visit his grave every day and cry for him. May Soleiman rest in peace, and may his family find some justice. Azeezah Kanji is a legal analyst based in Toronto. She writes in the Star every other Thursday.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
We're not saying this was predictable, but boy was this predictable! You get an erstwhile supporter of UKIP from an ethnic minority, get them to quit in (manufactured) disgust at the party's "racism", and then -- stand at a safe distance now -- get them to write it all up in the Guardian. Predictable? Nah.... Sanya-Jeet Thandi claims to have been offended by the "the direction in which the party is going", which she describes as "terrifying". "Ukip", she says, "has descended into a form of racist populism that I cannot bring myself to vote for." The primary piece of evidence for this is the UKIP poster campaign which reminds voters in the UK of the huge unemployment problem across the EU and then points out that unlimited immigration can mean that there could be a threat to UK jobs. You can argue about the economics, but it's much less inflammatory than Gordon Brown's 2007 speech in which he referred to "British jobs for British workers". That was a line taken directly from the old National Front. If you're not going to vote UKIP because of its posters, you definitely shouldn't have been voting Labour the past few years. Oh, that's right. References to immigration are only racist if UKIP makes them. Sorry, we forgot. Thandi seeks to juxtapose the issue of immigration from Europe with that of her own immigrant parents. "I am the daughter of Indian nationals and strongly support immigration... Yet if I voted Ukip, how many of those voting with me would privately prefer that my parents and I were not citizens of this country?" Well probably no more or less than those who vote Conservative or Labour. But the bigger point is that her complaint doesn't even make sense in its own terms. UKIP's gripe is with unlimited immigration from Europe where almost all of the immigrants are of the same race as almost all Britons. Racism doesn't, and logically can't, come into it. As far as Thandi's parents are concerned, like all other non-EU immigrants they would be subject to immigration controls anyway, immigration controls supported by all the main political parties. The only thing you could criticise UKIP for over its posters is that they're possibly a bit on the crass side. But more crass than "British jobs for British workers"? No, not at all. Not even for one second. And once you internalise that point, the Guardian's dishonest little ruse is revealed for precisely what it is.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Physicists speaking today at the Moriond conference say that the new particle discovered at CERN last year is looking more and more like a Higgs boson Physicists speaking today at the Moriond conference in La Thuile, Italy, have announced that the new particle discovered at CERN last year is looking more and more like a Higgs boson. However, more analysis is still required before a definitive statement can be made. The keys to a positive identification of the particle are a detailed analysis of its quantum properties and the way that it interacts with other particles. Since the announcement last July, much more data has been analysed, and these properties are becoming clearer. Take the property of spin. If this particle is a Higgs, its spin must be zero. If its spin is not zero, then it is something different, possibly linked to the way gravity works. All the analysis conducted so far strongly indicate spin-zero, but is not yet able to rule out other possibilities. "Until we have a clearer picture of the new particle’s interactions with other particles, and can confidently tie down its spin," said CERN Research Director Sergio Bertolucci, "then the particle will remain Higgs-like. Dropping the ‘like’ could come soon, but that will not be the end of the story." Even then, the work will be far from over. If the new particle is a Higgs, it could be the Higgs as predicted in the 1960s, which would complete the Standard Model of particle physics, or it could be a more exotic particle that would lead us beyond the Standard Model. The stakes are high. The Standard Model accounts for all the visible matter in the Universe, including the stuff that we are made of, but it does not account for the 96% of the Universe that is invisible to us - the dark universe. Finding out what kind of Higgs it is will require more data to further tie down the particle's interactions with other particles, and that will take several years to resolve.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Mistä on kyse? Rippikoulun uusi opetussuunnitelma otetaan käyttöön lokakuussa 2018 Suunnitelmaa kokeillaan parissakymmenessä rippikoulussa tänä kesänä Uudessa suunnitelmassa nuoret otetaan enemmän mukaan esimerkiksi suunnitteluun, ja lisäksi jokaiselle yritetään löytää sopiva työskentelytapa Iltanuotio, isoset, uuden kaverit ja me-henki. Nämä ovat asioita, jotka kenties jokainen rippikoulun käynyt muistaa omalta leiriltään. Ne ovat myös asioista, joista ei luovuta, vaikka rippikoulusuunnitelmaa uudistetaan parhaillaan. Uutta rippikoulusuunnitelmaa on testattu tänä kesänää muun muassa Lahdessa. Koko maassa se otetaan käyttöön ensi vuoden lokakuussa. Uudessa suunnitelmassa nuoret tulevat paremmin kuulluiksi, lupaa Kirkkohallituksen rippikoulutyön asiantuntija Jari Pulkkinen. Myös isosten roolia vahvistetaan. Viimeksi rippikoulua on uudistettu vuonna 2001. – Nuoret halutaan ottaa mukaan suunniteluun ja miettimään, mitkä asiat ovat juuri nyt tärkeitä. Lahdessa Upilan rippileiri on yksi uuden suunnitelman testileireistä. Nuoret ovat päässeet käsittelemään asioita esimerkiksi valokuvaten, maalaten ja piirtäen pienryhmissä. – Päästään sanomaan omat mielipiteet näihin asioihin. Omasta mielestä on päästy vaikuttamaan tarpeeksi, sanoo leiriläinen Eetu Sinerväinen. – Yleensä päivässä on yksi aihe, ja meillä on enemmän aikaa miettiä asioita, jatkaa toinen leiriläinen, Sonja Ojanen. Jotkin asiat pysyvät kuitenkin ennallaan vuodesta toiseen – esimerkiksi rukoukset sekä kymmenen käskyä nuorten on edelleen opeteltava ulkoa. – Uusi opetussuunnitelma syventää nuorilähtöisyyttä rippikoulussa. Toiveena on, että nuoren oma ääni kuuluisi ja hän saisi omana itsenään miettiä asioita, sanoo kasvatustyön teologi Jari Laulainen Lahden Seurakuntayhtymästä. Rippikoululla menee hyvin – ja siksi sitä pitää kehittää Viime vuonna 85 prosenttia rippikouluikäisistä kävi rippikoulun. Riparilla menee hyvin, ja sitä halutaan kehittää jatkuvasti, sanoo Kirkkohallituksen Pulkkinen. – Uskontojen moninaisuus ja monikulttuurisuus on lisääntynyt, uskontokritiikki kasvanut ja teknologia on ottanut hurjia harppauksia eteenpäin. Myös peruskoulun opetussuunnitelma on muuttunut, ja ympäristön muutokseen halutaan vastata myös rippikoulussa. Teknologian hyödyntäminen on kuitenkin Laulaisen mukaan hieman vielä hakusessa. Esimerkiksi älypuhelinten käyttö opetuksessa riippuu paljolti opettajasta, hän sanoo. – Joukossa on niitäkin, jota ajattelevat, että nuoret tuijottavat ruutua jo tarpeeksi. Että rippileirillä panostetaan perinteiseen vuorovaikutukseen. "Nuoret pääsevät pohtimaan, miten me elämme yhteiskunnassa" Upilan rippileirillä on keskitytty siihen, että kaikenlaisille oppijoille löytyisi sopivat työskentelytavat. Keski-Lahden seurakunnan rippikoulu- ja nuorisotyöpappi Reetta Luoma pitää uudistusta hyvänä siinäkin mielessä, että tulevaisuudessa nuoret ja heidän toiveensa otetaan paremmin huomioon jokaisessa rippikoulussa. Rippikoulun tulee herätellä ajatuksia myös ajankohtaisiista aiheista, sanoo Luoma. Lähimmäisenrakkaus on hänen mukaansa tällä hetkellä tärkein teema. – Nuoret pääsevät pohtimaan, miten me elämme yhteiskunnassa, jossa jatkuvasti tulee erilaisia ihmisryhmiä ja kansallisuuksia, mutta kaikki ovat silti tasa-arvoisia ja samalla viivalla. Lahden seurakuntayhtymän kasvatustyön teologi Laulainen sanoo, että rippikoulun me-henki on korostunut viime vuosina, kun nuorten yksinäisyydestä on tullut yhä suurempi ongelma. – Nuoret arvostavat sitä, että pääsevät tutustumaan toisiin. Nuorten arkinen vuorovaikutus ja kohtaaminen on vähentynyt, kun netti vie paljon nuoren ajasta, sanoo Laulainen. Sama pätee Upilan leirillä: parhaat muistot jää uusista kavereista. – Hyvässä seurassa oleminen on kivaa, juttu lentää, kertoo Sara Vornanen omasta riparistaan.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Essendon has placed Jonathan Simpkin on the Long Term Injury List following his hamstring injury against Sydney last week. The premiership midfielder joined the Bombers earlier this year and was playing his third match for his new Club when he sustained the injury against the Swans. Scans revealed a hamstring strain and damage to the tendon, meaning a lengthy stay on the sidelines. The move allows the Bombers to promote one of its rookie-listed players. Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti and Conor McKenna have already been upgraded, leaving Jake Long, Will Hams, Gach Nyuon and Tom Wallis as the possible options, but no decision has been made at this stage. “We expect Jonathan to be on the sidelines for eight to ten weeks, so in consultation with Jonathan and the medical team we decided the best option was to place Jonathan on the long-term injury list,” General Manager of Football Operations Rob Kerr said. “This allows us to potentially elevate a rookie listed player if form warrants it.” The Club also has the option of promoting an additional rookie at the midway point of the season.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
0% found this document useful (0 votes) 0 ratings 0% found this document useful (0 votes) Frank Ocean's Answer to Calvin Cooksey’s Complaint Frank Ocean responds to his father's libel lawsuit Save Save Frank Ocean's Answer to Calvin Cooksey’s Complaint For Later 0% 0% found this document useful, Mark this document as useful 0% 0% found this document not useful, Mark this document as not useful Embed Share	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Progressive Christian Arrested For His Faith, Quickly Cleared Of All Charges TORONTO, ONTARIO—Local progressive Christian believer Tim Gardens was arrested for his faith Monday but was quickly cleared of all charges and released with a heartfelt apology by Canadian authorities. Officials had been tipped off that Gardens believed Christian doctrine, violating Canada's hate speech laws, but upon examination of his beliefs they were forced to let him go. "We thought this guy was a Christian, but we were clearly mistaken, eh?" said one policeman. "We asked him about his views on Scripture, God, Satan, hell, wrath, and sin, and not a single one of his beliefs turned out to be Christian in the slightest. There was simply zero evidence for it." "We are very sorry to Mr. Gardens for this error. So sorry, like really apologetically sorry," he added. Gardens offered a verbal confession that he was, in fact, a Christian, but authorities weren't buying it. "I believe more Christian stuff than you and I'm not even a Christian," said one investigator. "Sorry, bub, but you're gonna have to come up with a better story than that." The man even tried to show them his Bible to prove he's a believer but wasn't sure where it was. "Maybe next time I'll quote Gandhi or something to show them I'm a man of faith," he said outside the police station. Get Free Access To Our Brand New Site: Not the Bee After creating The Babylon Bee in six literal days, Adam Ford rested. But he rests no longer. Introducing Not the Bee — a brand new humor-based news site run by Adam himself. It's loaded with funny content and all the best features of a social network. And the best part? Everyone with a subscription to The Bee gets full access at no extra cost. Get FREE Access *with premium subscription to The Babylon Bee	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
The Woodstock Music and Art Fair was a historic event held at Max Yasgur’s 600 acre (2.4 km²; 240 ha) dairy farm in the rural town of Bethel, New York from August 15 to August 18, 1969. Bethel (Sullivan County) is 43 miles (69 km) southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, which is in adjoining Ulster County. To many, the festival exemplified the counterculture of the 1960s and the “hippie era.” Thirty-two of the best-known musicians of the day appeared during the sometimes rainy weekend. Although attempts have been made over the years to recreate the festival, the original event has proven to be unique and legendary. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest moments in popular music history and was listed on Rolling Stone’s 50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock and Roll. The event was captured in a successful 1970 movie, Woodstock; an accompanying soundtrack album; and Joni Mitchell’s song “Woodstock”, which commemorated the event and became a major hit for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Director:Michael Wadleigh Release Date:26 March 1970 (USA) Awards:Won Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Lo único que sé sobre Colombia es que hacen mis telenovelas preferidas y que es un país violento. Te lo avisa todo el mundo antes de subirte al avión. Que hay secuestros, que te matan, que ojo con las FARC, que en Bogotá nunca sale el sol, que hay militares en todas las esquinas. Yo siempre contesto lo mismo: que a mí nada me miedo, menos Colombia, patria de Betty la fea y Café con aroma de mujer. Pero ese es un problema que tengo yo, que nada me da miedo. Viajo con mi novio. Estamos juntos hace cuatro o cinco meses y la relación está en su peor momento. Salvo cuando salimos y nos divertimos, al lado suyo la paso pésimo. Él es un mujeriego oscuro y no le creo nada de lo que dice. Su pasado me atormenta, no me gusta cómo le habla a su ex mujer, tuvo demasiadas amantes y sus anécdotas están llenas de agujeros. Cuando pienso en eso, tengo un ataque de angustia, me pongo a llorar y lo dejo. Lo dejé una vez durante el primer mes. Dos veces el segundo. Tres o cuatro el tercero. A esta altura, lo dejo una vez por semana por lo menos. En esos momentos, siempre tenemos la misma discusión. Llora y me jura que soy el amor de su vida, me muestra el whatsapp, me da la clave del celular, me ofrece casamiento. Tiene unos gestos desmesurados de amor que impresionan a todo el mundo. Cae con ramos de flores cuando estoy sacándome fotos para una nota, llega a mi casa con un whisky canadiense inconseguible que me vio googlear, saca pasajes para Nueva York, me lleva a la playa el fin de semana, me dibuja corazones por toda la casa. Pero nada me calma. Yo siempre fui de la idea de que la gente no cambia. Sigo siéndolo. Hace un tiempo que empecé a ver una psiquiatra por estos ataques de angustia. Me da Rivotril y dice que yo lo asfixio, que soy paranoica, que tengo miedo de amar y que es el novio perfecto. Puede ser. Pero yo no escribo y la medicación no me hace nada. Me la paso llorando y queriendo dejarlo todo el tiempo. Con los meses, mi angustia crece y las peleas son cada vez más dramáticas. En Cariló, una noche lo dejo en el medio del bosque y me bajo del auto. Me vuelve a meter por la ventana. En Buenos Aires lo dejo y me encierra en su casa hasta las nueve de la mañana. Dice que soy mala, que hago esto con todos los hombres cuando me canso, que ya sabe cómo hice sufrir a mis ex, que me voy a arrepentir de hacerlo sufrir tanto. Al final siempre me convence, le pido perdón y volvemos. ¿Estaré loca? ¿Será verdad que lo estoy haciendo sufrir así? Llegamos a Colombia y es tal cual lo describieron. Una película velada, un páramo frío repleto de polvo y militares. En el hotel nos llenan de advertencias: que no tomemos taxis, que no hablemos con extraños, que no saquemos el celular en la calle. Él trabaja todo el día y yo doy vueltas por la ciudad buscando qué más puedo comprar hasta que sean las seis y nos encontremos de nuevo. Ese día hay un partido de Argentina y él quiere verlo en un bar. Yo me aburro mientras él le grita al televisor y tuitea estupideces. Me pregunto de nuevo qué hago con él. No entiendo por qué no estoy en mi casa, escribiendo, cerca de mis amigos, con la vida que tenía antes de conocerlo. Lo miro y le digo que no soy feliz, así de la nada. Él sonríe tranquilo. Dice que yo estoy mal, pero que estamos enamorados y vamos a estar siempre juntos. Yo asiento mientras él me agarra el mentón y me besa. Después vuelve a mirar el partido. A la noche hay una comida con colegas en la que sólo hago chistes cínicos. En el hotel me reclama mi desprecio, pero estamos demasiado cansados para discutir y se queda dormido. Yo no puedo pegar un ojo, sólo lo miro. De repente, siento unas ganas de huir inexplicables. Lo quiero dejar ya mismo, no puedo esperar a volver a Buenos Aires, no sé por qué. En silencio agarro mi celular y busco un hotel cerca. Cuando lo encuentro, lo despierto y le digo que me quiero separar. Él me grita que es tarde y que me vaya a dormir. Yo me levanto de la cama y le digo que esta vez es en serio, que no puedo estar un minuto más al lado suyo. Él me arranca el celular de las manos y vuelve a gritarme que me vaya a la cama. Yo rompo en llanto y le digo que no soy feliz, que no lo amo más hace mucho tiempo, que quiero volver con mi exmarido. Cuando digo exmarido la cara se le deforma de odio. Me agarra del pelo y me grita que nunca nos vamos a separar, que antes de que lo deje y verme con otro me mata. Que en Colombia un sicario sale cincuenta mil pesos, que si quiere me hace matar ahora mismo. Yo me suelto y me río. ¿Un sicario? ¿Cincuenta mil pesos? ¿Por qué me habla como en un culebrón mal escrito? Mi risa en vez de relajarlo lo vuelve más loco. Yo lo ignoro y me voy a hacer la valija a la otra punta de la habitación. Nunca llego. Me agarra del brazo, me grita que a él no lo deja nadie y me arrastra hasta el baño y me empuja contra la pared. Siento mi espalda crujir contra los azulejos, dolorosa como un sable, y ahí entiendo que está hablando en serio. Son las tres de la mañana, estoy sola en un país donde no conozco a nadie, a siete mil kilometros de mi casa, y mi novio me está pegando. En el baño me pega un cachetazo y me sigue sacudiendo. Corro a la habitacion, pero me tira al piso y me tapa la boca mientras me grita que me calle. Pataleo, lo empujo y trato de sacármelo de encima, pero no puedo moverlo ni un milímetro. Soy hermana de varones y nos hemos peleado de mano, pero hasta ese momento no sabía que los hombres tenían tanta fuerza. Estoy segura de que ninguna mujer lo sabe hasta que no tiene un manojo de dedos frios en la cara, hasta que no siente que si él cierra el puño un poco más te mata en serio. Me acuerdo de todas las veces que le dije a mi psiquiatra que él tenía algo raro y oscuro. De mis angustias supuestamente injustificadas. De las ganas de dejarlo todo el tiempo. Me duele la espalda y no puedo respirar, pero más me duele no haberme escuchado, no haber confiado en mí. Su mano me aprieta mas fuerte la cara y me retuerzo como una lombriz fuera de la tierra, sin aire. Soy un alarido mudo debajo de su cuerpo pesado y hostil. Por primera vez en la vida creo que me voy a morir. Dios mío, qué pena me da morir así. Pienso en todas las veces que me dijeron que Colombia era peligroso, en que me iban a robar, en que me iban a secuestrar, en que me iban a sacar toda la plata. Nadie se imaginó que Colombia era él. Nadie se imaginó que me iba a matar mi novio en la habitación de un hotel de lujo. Cuando siento que no doy más, toca la puerta la gente de seguridad. Lo muerdo y mi voz traspasa su mano gruesa y furiosa. La puerta se abre y entran dos hombres de traje con un handy. Él se asusta y me suelta. Avergonzado, se deshace en explicaciones mentirosas: que estábamos discutiendo, que mil disculpas, que es una pelea de pareja. Les digo a los guardias que no es cierto y que me está pegando, que por favor me esperen. Qué suaves sus excusas. Qué pequeño y débil parece ahora. Guardo mis cosas en bollos, busco mi billetera y mi pasaporte, y cierro la valija. Me tiemblan las manos. Yo, que nunca tengo miedo, estoy temblando como nunca temblé. Él me suplica que me quede y hablemos. Yo no lo miro, sólo les repito a los guardias que no se vayan, que me esperen, por favor. Ellos me dicen que me quede tranquila, que no se van a mover de ahí. Ahora tiembla él. Me llevan al lobby y yo rompo en llanto. Les pido que me consigan otra habitación, pero no quieren que me quede. Va a venir un taxi y me van a llevar a otro hotel. Dicen que nadie sabe adónde voy a ir, que es lo mejor para todos. En el auto lloro, presiono mi billetera contra mi estomago y pienso algo insólito: qué suerte que tengo plata. Qué suerte que tengo tarjetas de crédito. Me pregunto qué hacen las mujeres que no tienen plata ¿Adónde van? ¿A quién llaman? ¿Quién les paga el hotel? ¿Quién les saca un pasaje para volver a su país? Ya en el nuevo hotel lleno un formulario interminable para que me den una habitación. Les doy mi tarjeta de crédito. Doscientos dólares. El botones me lleva en un ascensor del que no me acuerdo nada. Adentro, me encierro. Ni prendo la luz. Me tomo un Rivotril de dos miligramos y me tiro en la cama a llorar. Llamo a mi asistente y le pido que me saque un pasaje de vuelta lo antes posible. Luego me duermo. Cuando me despierto, por un segundo creo que todo fue una pesadilla, pero enseguida veo en el espacio que ocupaba su cuerpo un montón de pañuelos llenos de moco y de lágrimas. Entonces tengo un ataque de angustia que me perfora el pecho. Les escribo a mis amigas y les cuento lo que recuerdo, confundida y angustiada. Me cuesta hablar coherentemente, estoy demasiado ocupada en no volverme loca de dolor. Al rato él me escribe para ver cómo estoy. Peleamos. Le digo que lo voy a denunciar, que jamás me va a volver a ver. Se hace el desentendido. Reconoce que me empujó, pero dice que sólo quiso taparme la boca, que jamás quiso hacerme daño, y me pide disculpas si en algún momento sentí que no podía respirar, pero que yo soy muy fuerte y era imposible frenarme, que soy como un toro. Yo sólo lloro y él aprovecha para volver con el mismo discurso: que estoy loca, que siempre arruino todo, que hago esto con todos los hombres cuando me canso de ellos. Me miro los moretones. Le mando una foto. ¿Estos moretones mienten? ¿Estos los estoy inventando yo? Al mediodía me consiguen un pasaje y vuelvo sola a la Argentina. Él llama a mi psiquiatra, se hace el preocupado. Se le quiebra la voz. Mi analista tiene sesenta años. Nunca estuve peor contenida, asesorada, atendida en toda mi vida, pero todavía no lo sé porque soy un fantasma. No sólo lo atiende, sino que además me dice que ahora lo importante es frenar la angustia y me da más medicación. Me dice que no puedo estar sola y mi amiga Lucía me viene a buscar, me lleva a su casa y me hace una sopa de Vitina que tiene gusto a lágrimas. Mientras trago, hablo, hablo, le cuento un poco. Digo cosas que ahora no puedo creer, estupideces, incoherencias. Por momentos tengo algo de claridad, pero en otros desaparezco, me desdibujo: ¿y si estoy loca como él dice? ¿Y si estoy exagerando? ¿Y si de verdad fue una pelea fuerte, si él no supo cómo frenarme, si yo soy imposible? Ella trata de sacarme de la locura como puede: me pide que le cuente sobre la telenovela que estoy escribiendo. Ya conoce la novela de memoria, pero sabe que yo sólo me calmo en ese momento, cuando hablo de lo que escribo. Esa noche me agarra un ataque tan grande de angustia que hago algo inesperado. Llamo a mi papá, con el que tengo una relación tensa y distante desde hace veinte años, desde que se fue de mi casa. Llorando, le digo que no sé qué me pasa, pero que algo está muy mal conmigo. No pregunta nada. Sólo me dice que arme una valija, que me pasa a buscar a las cinco. Me mudo a su casa unos días con él y su mujer. Me hacen de comer, me charlan, me miman como a una nena. Mis amigas me pasan a buscar y me llevan a tomar helados que se me derriten en la mano. Día por medio voy a mi psiquiatra, que no entiende por qué la medicación no hace efecto y sigo angustiada. Con mi novio hablo poco y no quiero verlo. Me dice que me ama, que me extraña y me pregunta qué hice durante el día, pero siempre poquito. Sabe que eso me vuelve loca y lo hace a propósito. Como si quisiera hacerme falta, que lo necesite, que sepa cómo es vivir sin él. Una noche no me habla, desaparece. Yo no digo nada. Me distraigo con mi papá mirando la colección de juguetes antiguos para no volverme loca. Papá me explica qué es cada soldadito, cada juguete, cada autito que tiene. Yo trato de prestar atención, pero se me llenan los ojos de lágrimas. Mi papá no dice nada, sólo me pone la mano serena en el hombro y me dice: “Es un manipulador”. Yo me quiebro. Mi papá no sabe nada de Colombia, no tiene idea de quién es mi novio, pero sabe quién es su hija, esa hija que siempre vio entera y ahora es este garabato confuso, una sombra torcida en el piso. Un rato después voy a mi habitación, lo llamo y lo dejo. Él no me cree. Me avisa que va a llamar a mi psiquiatra porque estoy loca, que me voy a arrepentir, que yo necesito ayuda porque no sé querer a nadie y no sé cuántas cosas más, porque mientras habla le corto sin mayor explicación. Me escribe por Whatsapp y lo bloqueo. Me escribe por Twitter y lo bloqueo. Me escribe por Facebook y lo bloqueo. Lo último que le digo es que jamás volverá a saber nada de mí. Desde ese momento, nunca más vuelvo a tener un ataque de angustia. No era la medicación la que necesitaba tiempo. Era yo la que no necesitaba medicación. Con las semanas vuelvo a trabajar y a escribir. Me voy a pasar Año Nuevo a Río de Janeiro con mi socio y sus amigos. Vuelvo a hablar con el hombre con el que salí antes de él. Primero somos amigos, después empezamos a dormir juntos. Pasamos muchos días de la semana bebiendo, comiendo, jugando con su hija, hablando por teléfono. No estamos enamorados, pero me alivia dormir con alguien bueno, me cura saber que no siento esa oscuridad y ese miedo con todos los hombres. Que no soy yo que estoy rota, sino que el otro me quiso romper. Él me sigue escribiendo durante meses. La mayoría de los e-mails son amenazas: dice que va a mandar mis fotos privadas a todos lados, mis chats a la productora de tele en la que trabajo, que va a inventar mentiras sobre mí. Otros son de amor. Dice que me extraña, que soy el amor de su vida y que éramos perfectos juntos y yo lo destruí. Me asombra mi capacidad para no responderle nada. Sé que no lo hago por preservarme, lo hago porque siento que no hay nada peor que el silencio. Pelear también es darle algo mío y no quiero darle nada más que silencio y olvido. Por momentos la vida es como un acordeón que se pliega y los recuerdos se meten adentro, invisibles. Si quiero, me olvido de Colombia para siempre. Nunca pasó. Hago como si nada, sigo con mi vida, vuelvo a ser feliz. Sólo a la noche en silencio me arrasa un pensamiento recurrente. ¿Por qué yo? ¿Por qué me pasó esto a mí? A mí, que siempre fui fuerte, inteligente, independiente. A mí, que soy tan arisca y desconfiada. A mí, que acabo de escribir un programa sobre mujeres y violencia de género. A mí, que me subí a recibir el Martin Fierro con el cartel de Ni una menos. A mí, que soy feminista. A mí, que tengo una carrera, que soy exitosa en lo que hago, que les cuento todo a mis amigas, que hice terapia quince años. A mí, que leí tantos libros. A mí, que siempre tuve parejas que me amaron tanto, que tuve el matrimonio perfecto, que soy amiga de todos mis exnovios. ¿Por qué yo? ¿Cómo me pasó esto a mí? Con horror, me doy cuenta de que esta pregunta despierta la fiera machista que duerme dentro de mí. Que en el fondo pienso que estas cosas les pasan a las feas o a las tontas, a las que no tienen una carrera, a las de carácter débil, a las que fueron abandonadas por el padre cuando eran chicas. Que una parte de mí piensa que al elegir a este enfermo mental un poco me lo busqué. Que creo que debió haber un motivo para que me maltrataran y que tengo que encontrarlo. Que no soy culpable, pero que un poco de responsabilidad tengo. Con el tiempo también descubro que no soy la única que piensa eso. Cada vez que me cruzo con un conocido me pregunta cómo terminé con un tipo tan insignificante y charlatán. Lo dicen sin mala fe, pero sorprendidos, como si ahora yo fuese de peor calidad por haber salido con un hombre así. Yo ensayo algunas excusas: que estuvimos juntos sólo un par de meses, que siempre tuve novios amorosos, que no sabía lo que hacía. Como si fuera yo la que tiene que dar explicaciones. Como si su furia, su impotencia, su cobardía fueran culpa mía y no de él. Como si esto no les pasara a todas y yo no fuese igual a todas. ¿Por qué no a mí, si le pasa a todas? ¿Qué tengo tan especial que no tengan las demás? ¿Tengo coronita? ¿Soy marciana? ¿Estoy hecha de huesos y carne distintos al resto? Unos meses más tarde me doy cuenta de que es al revés. No me hago esa pregunta injusta y desesperada para castigarme, sino para salvarme, porque si descubro una razón quizás evito que me pase de nuevo. Pero no puedo, porque no hay motivos. O sí. Pero no míos, sino suyos. Todos suyos. Me pega por impotencia, por bronca, porque es un psicópata. Me pega porque soy fuerte y libre. Me pega porque vivimos en una sociedad machista que les enseña a los hombres que las mujeres somos una cosa y las cosas no hacen valijas, no se van a las tres de la mañana, no deciden que no te aman más. Me pega porque es el último recurso que le queda cuando toda su manipulación y sus falsos gestos de amor fracasaron. Me pega porque sabe lo que todos murmuran: que es poca cosa para mí. Me pega porque puede, porque desde hace años hay hombres que les pegan, violan o prenden fuego impunemente a las mujeres que les dicen que no. Pero por sobre todas las cosas me pega porque además de mujer soy guionista, y no hay nada que me importe más que escribir. Y sabe que, a no ser que esa noche me mate, apenas esté lista, escribiré también sobre esto.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
“Welcome to Earth, Brainiac.” Look, up in the sky! Sideshow is proud to present the Superman Premium Format Figure. Measuring 26” tall, Superman touches down from flight onto a base themed after Brainiac’s skull ship. Mechanical tendrils reach up towards the Man of Steel as he prepares to bring justice to the twelfth-level intellect. The polystone Superman Premium Format Figure has a sculpted blue costume with textured elements and red and yellow accents, including his belt and the symbol of the House of El emblazoned across his chest. Superman has a muscular physique and a detailed portrait inspired by his comic book appearance, complete with his signature black curl of hair. The Superman Premium Format Figure also includes a poseable red fabric cape marked with Superman’s symbol in yellow. Bring home the Last Son of Krypton and add the Superman Premium Format Figure to your collection today!	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Article content continued Unlike Morrison’s departure from the series House, in which she played Dr. Allison Cameron for six seasons, her exit from Once Upon a Time was her own decision rather than the producers, she said. “My contract was up and I was personally really struggling with being away from home so much,” she said. “It’s nine-and-half, almost 10 months out of the year when you add it all up and it was six years of my life. I was away from the family and my friends and I was not feeling like it was the right thing for my life to be so far away from my life. So I made the decision on that one to do what I felt was right for my life.” Morrison has moved on to writing and directing, among other things. That includes directing her feature debut, the comedy drama Sun Dogs. But while the actress has a sterling record of being involved in projects that garner strong fan response — she was in How I Met Your Mother, House, was an original producer of Glee and even achieved geek-royalty status by playing Captain James T. Kirk’s mother on the 2009 Star Trek reboot — most of the questions on Saturday afternoon were focused on her time playing Emma Swan on the ABC favourite. The series has found a devoted audience with its romantic and occasionally dark mash-up of fairy tales and folklore that borrows from, and often deliciously twists, characters from Disney franchises. The series began with Emma Swan being reunited with her 10-year-old son Henry, who she gave up for adoption. She learns she is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming and returns to Storybrooke, Maine to help break a curse imposed by an evil queen. She becomes involved with a bunch of fairy tale characters, including an evil Peter Pan, a dashing Captain Hook and a creepy Rumplestiltskin.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
A subcommittee of a labor ministry panel on Wednesday gave its approval to draft guidelines on preventing power harassment in workplaces, requiring companies to clearly ban such practices. The draft, approved by the Labor Policy Council subcommittee, lists detailed examples of problematic actions, such as repeatedly reprimanding employees in an intimidating manner in front of other people, based on six typical types of power harassment. The draft guidelines were compiled based on an amended labor law that was enacted in May. After soliciting public comments, the ministry hopes to formalize the guidelines by year-end for implementation from June 2020. Under the new guidelines, companies would also be obliged to set up power harassment consultation offices and implement measures such as separating victims from harassers. Also, they would be prohibited from unfavorably treating workers who use such consultation services. Among the six power harassment types stipulated in the draft guidelines are psychological attacks and cutting employees off from relationships with other people, such as by bullying or ignoring them. Examples of problematic behaviors also include saying and doing things that deny employees’ dignity, beating and kicking, and exposing employees’ personal information, including sexual preferences, without their consent. In line with supplementary resolutions adopted by both chambers of the Diet when the amended law was enacted, the draft says it is desirable for companies to also clearly ban power harassment against outside people, including job-hunting students and freelance workers. Meanwhile, the draft says that actions such as giving warnings with a “certain level of severity” to workers who have behaved in a seriously problematic way and having workers slapped with disciplinary actions undergo necessary training in a different room do not amount to power harassment. Tsuyoshi Fukai, a lawyer specializing in labor issues, said the guidelines are ambiguous and leave room for various interpretations. “In a lawsuit, (a company) can say a case does not fall under the definition of harassment if it is in a gray area.” In the subcommittee’s past meetings, the side representing workers strongly requested that consideration should be paid to the views of victims when determining power harassment. The request, however, was met with strong opposition from those representing managers. In the end, the two sides agreed that work to confirm the facts in each case should be done carefully while the mental and physical state of workers and how they view the cases are taken into consideration.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) has been around for over 12.5 years, stores trillions of objects, and processes millions of requests for them every second. Our customers count on S3 to support their backup & recovery, data archiving, data lake, big data analytics, hybrid cloud storage, cloud-native storage, and disaster recovery needs. Starting from the initial one-size-fits-all Standard storage class, we have added additional classes in order to better serve our customers. Today, you can choose from four such classes, each designed for a particular use case. Here are the current options: Standard – Designed for frequently accessed data. Standard-IA – Designed for long-lived, infrequently accessed data. One Zone-IA – Designed for long-lived, infrequently accessed, non-critical data. Glacier – Designed for long-lived, infrequent accessed, archived critical data. You can choose the applicable storage class when you upload your data to S3, and you can also use S3’s Lifecycle Policies to tell S3 to transition objects from Standard to Standard-IA, One Zone-IA, or Glacier based on their creation date. Note that the Reduced Redundancy storage class is still supported, but we recommend the use of One Zone-IA for new applications. If you want to tier between different S3 storage classes today, Lifecycle Policies automates moving objects based on the creation date of the object in storage. If your data is stored in Standard storage today and you want to find out if some of that storage is suited to the S-IA storage class, you can use Storage Class Analytics in the S3 Console to identify what groups of objects to tier using Lifecycle. However, there are many situations where the access pattern of data is irregular or you simply don’t know because your data set is accessed by many applications across an organization. Or maybe you are spending so much focusing on your app, you don’t have time to use tools like Storage Class Analysis. New Intelligent Tiering In order to make it easier for you to take advantage of S3 without having to develop a deep understanding of your access patterns, we are launching a new storage class, S3 Intelligent-Tiering. This storage class incorporates two access tiers: frequent access and infrequent access. Both access tiers offer the same low latency as the Standard storage class. For a small monitoring and automation fee, S3 Intelligent-Tiering monitors access patterns and moves objects that have not been accessed for 30 consecutive days to the infrequent access tier. If the data is accessed later, it is automatically moved back to the frequent access tier. The bottom line: You save money even under changing access patterns, with no performance impact, no operational overhead, and no retrieval fees. You can specify the use of the Intelligent-Tiering storage class when you upload new objects to S3. You can also use a Lifecycle Policy to effect the transition after a specified time period. There are no retrieval fees and you can use this new storage class in conjunction with all other features of S3 including cross-region replication, encryption, object tagging, and inventory. If you are highly confident that your data is accessed infrequently, the Standard-IA storage class is still a better choice with respect to cost savings. However, if you don’t know your access patterns or if they are subject to change, Intelligent-Tiering is for you! Intelligent Tiering in Action I simply choose the new storage class when I upload objects to S3: I can see the storage class in the S3 Console, as usual: And I can create Lifecycle Rules that make use of Intelligent-Tiering: And that’s just about it. Here are a few things that you need to know: Object Size – You can use Intelligent-Tiering for objects of any size, but objects smaller than 128 KB will never be transitioned to the infrequent access tier and will be billed at the usual rate for the frequent access tier. Object Life – This is not a good fit for objects that live for less than 30 days; all objects will be billed for a minimum of 30 days. Durability & Availability – The Intelligent-Tiering storage class is designed for 99.9% availability and 99.999999999% durability, with an SLA that provides for 99.0% availability. Pricing – Just like the other storage classes, you pay for monthly storage, requests, and data transfer. Storage for objects in the frequent access tier is billed at the same rate as S3 Standard; storage for objects in the infrequent access tier is billed at the same rate as S3 Standard-Infrequent Access. When you use Intelligent-Tiering, you pay a small monthly per-object fee for monitoring and automation; this means that the storage class becomes even more economical as object sizes grow. As I noted earlier, S3 Intelligent-Tiering will automatically move data back to the frequent access tier based on access patterns but there is no retrieval charge. Query in Place – Queries made using S3 Select do not alter the storage tier. Amazon Athena and Amazon Redshift Spectrum access the data using the regular GET operation and will trigger a transition. API and CLI Access – You can use the storage class INTELLIGENT_TIERING from the S3 CLI and S3 APIs. Available Now This new storage class is available now and you can start using it today in all AWS Regions. — Jeff; PS – Remember the trillions of objects and millions of requests that I just told you about? We fed them into an Amazon Machine Learning model and used them to predict future access patterns for each object. The results were then used to inform storage of your S3 objects in the most cost-effective way possible. This is a really interesting benefit that is made possible by the incredible scale of S3 and the diversity of use cases that it supports. There’s nothing else like it, as far as I know!	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
“And Alexander wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer.” That quote, from legendary villain Hans Gruber in Die Hard, often seems to emblematize the state of the anything-goes postmodern art world. From Andy Warhol’s Brillo Boxes and Yoko Ono’s apple to Jeff Koons’s basketballs-in-a-fish tank and Tracey Emin’s messy bed, it seems like the old opposition between art and life has totally broken down. Things have gotten pretty life-y in here. Anything can be art—or can it? We’ve combed through art history and found some surprising omissions that will challenge everything you think you know about what art has become. Here, below, are 36 things that have never been used as art before, showing just how far we have yet to go. 1) .75 inch Entrapment Binder 2) All Living Things® Pet Halloween Devil Small Pet Costume 3) Barbie Fairytopia Mermaidia Bubble Vanity 4) Black Titanium Anodized 3-D Pot Leaf Barbell Tongue Ring 5) “Baxter” Bull Terrier Dog Mannequin 6) Beaded Decorated “Mazel Tov” Cake Server 7) Camouflage Pull-String Tank Piñata 8) Camo Skull Kit with Pedicles 9) Compact Booster Heater, Electric 10) Crossfit Proud Chest II Bra 11) Korg MA-1 Digital Metronome 12) Dinosaurs of North America Wall Map 13) Dried Meal Worms 14) Electric Can Opener With Built-in Bottle Opener And Knife Sharpener 15) Fairy Welcome Door 16) Heel Pincer 17) HoMedics® MyBaby™ SoundSpa® On-The-Go White Noise Machine 18) Idaho state flag 19) Giant Inflatable American Eagle 20) J-Crew Factory Intarsia Scottie Dog Sweater 21) Jigeasel—A Jigsaw Puzzle Easel for Comfort Seekers 22) Lid Organizer 23) Light-Up Funny Face Balls 24) Muse: The Brain Sensing Headband 25) Novelty Stylish Banana Phone Shell Case for iPhone 4/4S/5/5S 26) OUCH! Sex Swing 27) Pyramid Mooring Anchor 28) Skunk Valentine Cards from JustSkunks.com 29) Sky & Telescope Moon Globe 30) The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out Of Water Blu-Ray 31) Super Mole Poblano Ready to Serve Mole Sauce 32) Titan Xtreme™ Crossbow with Acudraw™ 33) Uncontainable: How Passion, Commitment, and Conscious Capitalism® Built a Business Where Everyone Thrives by Kip Tindell, Chairman and CEO, The Container Store 34) Ultimate Luxury Class Bidet Seat 35) VHS Head Cleaner 36) Yoga Wheel Follow artnet News on Facebook:	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
White House press secretary Sean Spicer on Thursday deflected blame for the firestorm surrounding Michael Flynn, saying the ousted national security adviser received his security clearance from the Obama administration. Spicer signaled support for a Defense Department investigation into payments Flynn received from foreign groups in 2015, but he blamed former President Obama’s team for clearing him. "My only point is when Gen. Flynn came into the White House, he had an active security clearance that was issued during the Obama administration with all the information that’s being discussed that occurred in 2015," Spicer told reporters. The spokesman brushed aside the notion that President Trump has regrets over hiring Flynn. ADVERTISEMENT "The president made the right decision at the right time," Spicer said of Trump's decision to dismiss Flynn in February. "He made the right decision, and we've looked forward." He said Trump’s transition team and White House staff trusted the work of the previous administration. "Why would you rerun a background check on someone who was the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency that had and did maintain a high-level security clearance?" he asked. Security clearances like Flynn's are reviewed every five years, and Spicer noted that Flynn's was last reauthorized in 2016. Asked whether he was implying that the Obama administration was at fault for the fallout surrounding Flynn’s ties to foreign actors, Spicer said his "point" is to make sure Americans understand how the process works. The House Oversight Committee on Thursday disclosed the existence of a Pentagon inquiry into Flynn and those payments, noting that he was warned against taking them when he retired in 2014. Flynn's appointment and subsequent dismissal less than a month into Trump's term has been one of the most controversial moves of his administration. Trump requested Flynn’s resignation after revelations that he misled the White House, including Vice President Pence, about his conversations with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. But since then, a slew of reports have questioned Flynn's ties to foreign groups and actors over the years, and he subsequently filed paperwork with the Justice Department designating himself a foreign actor for work he did that advanced Turkish interests. The leaders of the House Oversight Committee earlier this week said it's likely that Flynn broke the law by taking payments from foreign governments without seeking approval from the military and the secretary of State, something required for all retired military officers. “As a former military officer, you simply cannot take money from Russia, Turkey or anybody else,” Oversight Chairman Jason Chaffetz Jason ChaffetzThe myth of the conservative bestseller Elijah Cummings, Democratic chairman and powerful Trump critic, dies at 68 House Oversight panel demands DeVos turn over personal email records MORE (R-Utah) told reporters Tuesday. “It appears as if he did take that money, it was inappropriate — and there are repercussions for the violation of law.” Chaffetz added that Flynn could be on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars in remittance to the U.S. government, though the Trump administration would have to levy that penalty. Flynn has offered to testify before the House and Senate committees investigating Russian interference in the election if granted immunity. So far, the committees have not taken him up on that offer. Flynn was fired as Obama’s Defense Intelligence Agency chief in the spring of 2014 after less than two years at the helm of the agency. He was ousted after clashing with top Obama national security officials, including intelligence director James Clapper. Flynn blamed his firing on his strong views on fighting Islamic extremist groups. He made his way into Trump's inner circle during the presidential campaign, becoming a close adviser who was even granted a speaking slot at the Republican National Convention. Katie Bo Williams contributed. Updated at 3:18 p.m.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
followers of the apocalypse: take this for your kindness and help Hands over hard drugs 9,005 shares	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Scumbag Steve buys 60 inch tv and new phones for he and his wife asks to borrow more money	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Ms. Pelosi is seeking to pressure Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican majority leader, over the terms of the trial. But she also risks appearing to politicize a process that she has presented as a somber constitutional duty. Some Democrats have suggested the possibility of denying Mr. Trump the chance to clear his name by never sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate. Mr. McConnell’s response: “Fine with me!” What’s next: House lawmakers left Washington on Thursday for a two-week recess, so the dispute is unlikely to be resolved until the new year. Closer look: Mr. Trump and his re-election campaign have embraced the challenge of convincing voters that he is right and his accusers are wrong. Related: Christianity Today, an evangelical magazine, called for Mr. Trump to be removed from office, the most notable dissent to date from the religious conservative base that has long supported him. (Read its editorial here.)	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Gov. Jerry Brown may have had more fun and been more entertaining while acting on bills than any California governor in history. He almost certainly has decided the fates of more measures than any governor — 19,680, according to his office. He signed 17,851 and vetoed 1,829, or 9.3%. The huge volume is because the Democrat has been governor far longer than anyone else — 16 years by the time he walks out the door at year’s end. He is the only California governor to be elected four times — twice in his relative youth and twice as an old guy. Because of a two-term limit, Brown’s longevity record can never be broken unless voters repeal the law. Brown’s first two terms from 1975 to 1983 didn’t count because the limit wasn’t imposed until 1990. At 80, Brown is a poster boy for the folly of term limits. He has gotten steadily better with calming age and invaluable experience. Well, not entirely. As I’ve written before, Brown’s legacy could be tarnished by his stumbling over some bullet-train tracks or being flushed down a monstrous water tunnel. His $77-billion high-speed rail project is grossly underfunded and way behind schedule. The $17-billion twin-tunnel proposal for the California Delta — a supposed fix for his father Gov. Pat Brown’s state water project — is embroiled in a bitter brawl. So when Brown tweeted the other day that “16 years — and nearly 20,000 bills later — the desk is clear. #Eureka,” it wasn’t quite correct. The bills are off his desk, but not all the clutter. More from George Skelton » Back to the bills: This year Brown signed 1,016 and vetoed 201 (16.5%), both records for his second tenure as governor. Brown, as usual, relished attaching to his signings and vetoes brief explanations, often with dry wit and a mini-lecture, some sprinkled with Latin. He had some overriding policy themes: Resist President Trump. Fight climate change. Bolster local control in California. Be a tightwad on spending increases after the June budget enactment. And reaffirm his oft-stated belief that “not every human problem deserves a law.” Here’s an example of the type of Brown signing or veto message we’ll miss: In killing a bill that would have allowed bars to stay open until 4 a.m. in nine cities, including Los Angeles, West Hollywood and Long Beach, the governor penned: “I believe we have enough mischief from midnight to 2 without adding two more hours of mayhem.” Sober thinking. Coverage of California politics » In vetoing legislation that would have banned smoking in state parks and on beaches, Brown observed: “I have vetoed similar measures in each of the last two years. Third time is not always a charm.... We have many rules telling us what we can’t do and these are wide open spaces.” Last year, the nonsmoker asserted in his veto: “There must be some limit to the coercive power of government.” Agreed. But government coercion clearly does have its place in Brown’s philosophy. He signed a bill requiring publicly traded corporations headquartered in California to put women on their boards. We’re the first state to do that. Brown acknowledged that the legislation could be tossed out by federal courts. “Serious legal questions have been raised,” he wrote. “I don’t minimize the potential flaws…. “Nevertheless, recent events in Washington D.C. — and beyond — make it crystal clear that many are not getting the message…. It’s high time corporate boards include the people who constitute more than half the [population] in America.” Brown sent a copy of his signing message to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, which had been hearing testimony regarding sexual assault accusations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who emphatically denies them. The committee is controlled by 11 Republicans, all white men. Come again? This is a non sequitur. What has requiring female membership of private boards to do with the genders of a Senate committee? The makeup of congressional panels is way out of the jurisdiction of any chief executive, in Sacramento or Washington. Brown stuck to his local-control theme by vetoing a bill that would have required public middle and high schools to wait until 8:30 a.m. to begin classes. “This is a one-size-fits-all approach that is opposed by teachers and school boards,” he wrote. “These are the types of decisions best handled in the local community.” Too bad. Some kids will have to keep walking to school right after sunup and snoozing in their first class. Brown took a slap at the president by signing a measure restoring net neutrality rules that were repealed by the Trump administration. The feds immediately sued, contending that states don’t have the power to stop companies from blocking access to the internet. Good for the governor. With Brown cruising out of Sacramento, maybe we can finally mothball his canoe — or better yet, scuttle it. That’s the old vessel that, as the governor long ago told us, he paddles on the left and then on the right to keep going down the middle. It has hauled way too much trite verbiage. In the governor’s final bill signing message, in which he opined on Moses and Exodus, Brown attached a P.S.: “And now onto the Promised Land — Colusa County.” Brown is building a retirement home on his family’s isolated ancestral spread in the Sacramento Valley foothills. That’s not a place for canoes. We’ll see how lasting a place it is for a career politician. He’ll at least have plenty of time to write pithy messages. [email protected] Follow @LATimesSkelton on Twitter	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Science writer Keith Kloor has a comprehensive story on his Discover blog about the apparent change-of-mind by popular science commentator Bill Nye, who is well known for expressing concern about the supposed ‘hidden dangers’ posed by genetically modifying foods. The spur for his change? A visit to Monsanto and meetings with the company’s top scientists. Nye hasn’t yet announced in what ways his views may have changed–he promises all will be revealed when the paperback version of his current best-selling book, Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation, comes out this fall. Here are brief highlights of Kloor’s post: ***** A decade ago, Bill Nye, aka The Science Guy, did a segment on GMOs for his TV show. “It was weightily anti-GMO, something I wouldn’t have expected from Bill Nye,” one writer has noted. Greenpeace, which campaigns against genetically modified crops, has given the Nye GMO episode a thumbs up. Rodale, a well known organization also opposed to agricultural biotechnology, heartily endorsed the segment, as well. “Bill Nye knows the truth about GMOs,” Rodale crowed. Nye has recently published a new book that contains a short chapter on GMOs. I have read the chapter and can tell you that it closely reflects what he said on his TV show in 2005, which can be summed up as: Some people are understandably scared about a new technology that could be harmful to the environment. Yet the ground beneath his feet appears to have have shifted of late. The shift in question starts at 3:36. Read full original story: Bill Nye Had a Fixed View on GMOs. Then Something Happened.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
26669 Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber’s I Don’t Care soars to a sixth week at the top of the Official Singles Chart, also claiming the highest digital download sales of the last seven days. Meanwhile, Stormzy rebounds to 2 with former chart-topper Vossi Bop as he gears up to headline Glastonbury next week, and Taylor Swift claims the week’s highest new entry with You Need To Calm Down, starting at 5, while Little Mix also claim a Top 10 debut with Bounce Back at 10. Chris Brown’s No Guidance ft. Drake climbs two to 6, the first of three entries for Drake who now claims 45 Top 40 hits to his name as the two The Best In The World Pack songs make their debut: Money In The Grave ft. Rick Ross is at 13, while Omertà is in at 33. Katy Perry edges closer to the Top 10 with Never Really Over (12) and Sigala & Becky Hill are up one with Wish You Well (14). Mabel climbs two with Mad Love (16); Jess Glynne & Jax Jones climb four to enter the Top 20 with One Touch (19). MORE: Contenders for song of the summer 2019 Dominic Fike’s 3 Nights leaps ten spots to Number 21, as AJ Tracey’s Ladbroke Grove advances four to 22. Young T & Bugsey climb five places to 25 with Strike A Pose ft. Aitch, ahead of Miley Cyrus who moves up two with Mother’s Daughter at 31. Finally, Martin Garrix, Macklemore and Patrick Stump’s collaboration Summer Days returns to the Top 40, climbing five to Number 36.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
INHALT dieser Seite zum Buchdeckel Einleitung des Buches Sprung zu den Kapiteln: [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7] [Seitenende]. (Seitenzahlen im Text am Anfang der Seite in eckigen Klammern) Epiktet und seine Ideale Internet Archive Full text of "Epiktet und seine Ideale: Eine Litterar-ethische Skizze" Google-Copy used Epiktet und seine Ideale. Eine litterar-ethische Skizze. Von Robert Renner, Programm K. hum. Gymnasiums in Amberg 1902/03. Amberg. Druck von H. Böes. 1903. -- HARVARD COLLEGE LIBRARY -- Epiktet und seine Ideale Eine litterar-ethische Skizze. Von Robert Renner, K. Gymnasiallehrer. Programm des K. hum. Gymnasiums in Amberg 1902/03. Amberg. Druck von H. Böes. 1903. [03] u den Stoikern," sagt Goethe im 6. Buche von Dichtung und Wahrheit ¹) von sich, dem fünfzehn- bis sechzehnjährigen Jüngling, „hatte ich schon früher einige Neigung gefasst und schaffte nun den Epiktet herbei, den ich mit vieler Teilnahme studierte.” - Wie Goethe so in jungen Jahren an dem grossen heidnischen Idealisten sich erbaute, so möge der eine oder andere der jüngeren Leser durch beifolgende Zeilen veranlasst werden, sich näher mit Epiktet, „einem der grössten Ethiker aller Zeiten, gleich gross als Charakter wie als Denker und Psycholog” (A. Bonhöffer), bekannt zu machen und wenigstens das von H. Stich in Reclams Universal bibliothek (N. 2001) übersetzte „Handbüchlein der Moral” mit Bedacht zu lesen. Im übrigen mögen diese Kapitel, Vorläufer einer eingehenderen Arbeit, inwieweit sokratisch-platonisches bezw. xenophontisches und kynisches Gut in Epiktets Diatriben verarbeitet ist, illustrieren, wie das Verhältnis des Stoikers zu seinen Hauptidealen nicht nur durch Schulrücksichten bedingt, sondern ein freies, mehr selbstgewähltes, persönlich-inniges war. Deshalb wurden vorzüglich die Stellen berücksichtigt, in welchen er seine Vorbilder namentlich citiert. ¹) K. Vorländer, der Epiktet auch als Primalektüre empfiehlt, weist darauf hin in dem Aufsatze: Christliche Gedanken eines heidnischen Philosophen (Preuss. Jahrb., 80. Bd. 1897). [04=leer] [05] In der Moral bedeuten Worte nichts, die Tat alles. Longum iter est per praecepta, breve et efficax per exempla (Sen. ep. b, 5). zum Anfang/Ende Kap. 1. „Ein Hauptfehler, den Epiktet bei seinen Schülern immer wieder zu bekämpfen sucht,” bemerkt Adolf Bonhöffer ¹) in seinem Werke: Die Ethik Epiktets, über den ursprünglichen Kynismus des Stoikers, „ist die Sucht, das in der Schule Gelernte und Gehörte gleich an den Mann zu bringen, anstatt es erst zu verdauen ... In vorzüglicher Weise handelt davon diss. 2, 12, wo er zum Schluss andeutet, dass er früher auch von diesem Bekehrungseifer erfüllt gewesen sei, bis er seine schlimmen Erfahrungen damit gemacht habe, - beiläufig gesagt, ein Wink für uns, dass Epiktet wie der Stifter der Schule (Zeno) vom Kynismus aus zur Stoa überging, was es auch vollständig erklärt, dass er die Idee des Kynikers in idealisierter Gestalt in sein System aufgenommen hat.” Gegen diese Ansicht Bonhöffers wendet sich Theodor Zahn in seiner Prorektoratsrede ²) p. 23 (A. 11) mit den Worten: „In der Tat sagt Epiktet nur, dass er vor seiner Verbannung in Rom nach der Weise des Sokrates ohne Ansehen der Person Seelsorge geübt habe. Davon, dass er vor, nach oder neben dem Stoicker Musonius Rufus einen Kyniker zum Lehrer gehabt, fehlt jede Andeutung.” ¹) von diesem Gelehrten sind bezüglich Epiktets zu vergleichen: Epiktet und die Stoa. Untersuchungen zur stoischen Philosophie. Stuttgart 1890 (I). - Die Ethik des Stoikers Epiktet. Anhang: Exkurse ... Stuttgart 1894 (II). ²) Der Stoiker Epiktet und sein Verhältnis zum Christentum. Erlangen 1894 (2. Aufl. 1895). (§ 1-4.) An Theorie fürs rechte Verhalten im philosophischen Gespräch fehlt es nicht, aber die Anwendung der Regeln macht Schwierigkeiten, zumal wenn die notwendige Übung fehlt. So kommen die Jünger der Philosophie, denen man einen Laien als Partner gegenüberstellt, in die größte Verlegenheit, wenn derselbe nicht so antwortet, wie sie's wünschen, sondern vielleicht gegen die natürliche Gedankenfolge verstösst, und werden ungeduldig und heftig, statt dass sie ihn auf den rechten Weg bringen. (§ 5-13.) Sokrates war ein Meister des Zwiegesprächs; er verstand den Partner richtig anzufassen, zwang ihn, ihm zu folgen, und wusste das, was sich aus den Allgemein - Begriffen ergab, so klar und überzeugend darzulegen, dass der andere den Widerspruch, in dem er sich befand, fühlte und ihm Recht gab. Man darf eben [07] dabei nicht mit technischen Kunstausdrücken operieren, sondern muss dem Begriffsvermögen des Laien sich anpassen und ihn seinen eigenen Vorstellungen folgen lassen und diese so leiten, dass er bejahen oder verneinen muss. Wer das nicht versteht, der lasse das Prüfen und Überführen der Menschen lieber bleiben, sonst kommt nur Zank und Streit heraus. (§ 14-16.) Nie im Gespräch sich reizen zu lassen und selbst nie zu reizen, war wieder eine Hauptstärke des Sokrates: er ertrug vielmehr Schmähungen gelassen und verstand Streit und Hitze in der Diskussion zu beschwichtigen (cf. Xenophons Symposion). (§ 17-25.) Schwierig und unsicher ist solche Menschenprüfung unter gegenwärtigen Zeitumständen und besonders zu Rom. Denn man muss öffentlich und ohne jede Ausnahme, auch einen Konsul oder Geldbaron ansprechen, und solche Herren sich nicht gewöhnt und gelaunt, sich darüber peinlich verhören zu lassen, wie sie für ihr Seelenheil bisher gesorgt; sie lassen einer solchen, wie sie meinen, unverschämten Zudringlichkeit eine derbe, oft handgreifliche Abfuhr zu teil werden. so schliesst Epiktet das Gespräch ¹) ¹) Zur Zahnschen Erklärung dieses temporalen Infinitivs „vor der Verbannung” cf. die Interpretation Schweighäusers (Epicteti Dissertationum ab Arriano digestarum libri IV . . . illustravit Jo. Schweighäuser . . . 4 Bde., Leipzig 1799), der II. p. 448 mit Wolf die Stelle so deutet: Haec ad Epicteti personam refero, ut significet, olim se cum divitubus (nempe qui simul rudes essent literarum et nullis bonae disciplinae principiis imbuti) disputare solitum, _priusquam eorum insolentiam et pugnos esset expertus._ Supra enim dixit Romae hoc non satis esse tutum, quamvis Socraticum. Diese Deutung möchte ich für natürlicher und glücklicher halten als die Zahns; denn bei gedachter Anspielung an seine Verbannung erscheint der Ausdruck: viel zu dunkel gehalten; nichts hinderte, in diesem Falle direkt das Wort Verbannung zu gebrauchen oder deutlicher zu sagen: „bevor ich Rom verliess” oder: „bevor ich hierher kam”. Der Ausdruck scheint doch eine unangenehme Erfahrung zu bedeuten, und eine solche hatte Epiktet gemacht; sie gab seinem Wirken eine andere Richtung. Seine Verbannung aber empfand er seiner ganzen Gesinnung nach nie als drückend und hätte nach Domitians Tod, wenn er gewollt hätte, sicher nach Rom zurückkehren können. Jedenfalls liegt die Beziehung von auf das unmittelbar vorausgehende am nächsten. - Übrigens könnte man (eine dritte Erklärung sei erlaubt) nicht ohne Sinn auch auf seinen gegenwärtigen Beruf beziehen: „bevor ich auf dieses Schulhalten verfiel”, „bevor ich Schulmeister wurde”. ¹) Rud. Hirzel, Der Dialog. Ein litterar historischer Versuch. II. Teil. Leipzig 1895. ²) Das interessante Kapitel enthält einen Vortrag Epiktets, der durch die Absicht eines seiner Freunde, dem Kynismus sich zu weihen, veranlasst wurde. Epiktet warnt ihn davor und weist auf die Schwierigkeiten und einzigartigen Erfordernisse dieses Berufes hin und rät ihm, erst seine sittliche Kraft reiflich zu prüfen; denn das schwere, verantwortungsvolle Amt verlange von seinem Bekenner: 1. Gottes sichtbaren Beistand, 2. ein reines Innenleben, Verzicht auf alles Äussere, Unzugänglichkeit für jedes , 3. eine kindlich reine Seele, von Schuld und Fehle, von jedem bösen Gedanken frei (seine Unschuld ist die einzige Schutzwaffe in seinem öffentlichen Wirken), 4. eine mächtige Persönlichkeit, geschaffen die Menschen zu bekehren, 5. einen widerstandsfähigen, abgehärteten Körper, 6. auch eine gewisse seelische Widerstandskraft und Unempfindlichkeit gegenüber Beleidigung, 7. unerschütterliches Vertrauen zu Gott, seinem einzigen Herrn und Meister, das selbst in gröbster Misshandlung eine göttliche Prüfung, einen Beweis der besonderen Liebe Gottes zu ihm, seinem Zeugen, erblickt, (das ihn „leiden ohne zu klagen”, lehrt), 8. Verzicht auf Freundschaft, der nur ein ebenbürtiger Tugendheld würdig wäre, 9. völlige Hingabe an den Dienst Gottes, was Ehelosigkeit erheischt [vergleiche dagegen Sokrates, den auch die Ehe nicht abhielt, sein Leben dem Dienste Gottes zu widmen] und peinliche Erfüllung aller Seelsorgepflichten als Gewissensrat, Seelenarzt udn Vater aller Menschen ohne Unterschied, 10. natürliche Anmut und geistige Beweglichkeit, Schlagfertigkeit. ¹) Zeller, Grundriss p. 91. ²) In dieser öffentlichen Weise wird Sokrates wohl niemals aufgetreten sein; doch ist damit die Summe seines Wirkens trefflich zusammengefasst und illustiriert. Cf. auch Dio Chrys, or. XIII. p. 223 Plut. de lib. educ. c. 6. ¹) Die betr. Stelle Epiktet sagt nur sc. ) bezieht Bücheler Rh. M. XXXV. p. 390 (1880) auf Silius Italikus, den gesingstüchtigen Dichter, Redner und Philosophen, der den Moralisten herauskehre und offenbar der Stoa zugetan sei. ²) Obiges dürfte chronologisch besonderen Schwierigkeiten nicht begegnen: Epiktet mag ca. 60 p. Chr. in Hierapolis in Phrygien geboren sein; kam als Sklave jung nach Rom, wo Epaphrodit, ein Kabinetsekretär Neros, sein Herr wurde; dieser liess ihn später, vielleicht ca. 80 p. chr., in welchem Jahre der Jupitertempel des Kapitols zum zweitenmal innerhalb kurzer Zeit niederbrannte, worauf Epiktet diss. 1, 7, 32 anzuspielen scheint, von Musonius Rufus unterrichten. Der Schul-Verkehr mit Muson und der freiere Umgang mit ihm und anderen gemässigten Philosophen, vielleicht auch mit Euphrates (4, 8, 17) mag mehrere Jahre gewährt haben, bis Epiktet frei wurde und ca. 90 eine selbständige Lehrtätigkeit zu entfalten begann. 95 p. Chr. verbannt, ging er nach Nikopolis in Epirus, wo ihn Arrian ca. 120 hörte (er nennt sich in den Diatriben bereits Greis); auch Hadrian besuchte ihn hier 124 oder 125. Bald darauf dürfte er gestorben sein; denn die Zerstörung von Nikopolis durch ein Erdbeben 130 p. Chr. hätte ihn wohl zu einem Ortswechsel veranlasst, wovon wir jedoch nichts hören (cf. hiezu H. Schenkl. präfatio der Ausgabe. E. Bolla (/Arriano di Nicomedia, Turin und Palermo 1890) rückt die Zeit der Schülerschaft Arrians zwischen die definitive Unterwerfung der Dacier und den Beginn des Partherkrieges). [Seiten 6 - 11 fehlen bei google!] ¹) Dort findet Epiktet nicht das Fehlende in einem Schlusse und Muson tadelt ihn deshalb. Da ruft der Sklave: „Habe ich denn das Kapitol angezündet?” worauf Muson streng erwidert: „Ja, Mensch, was Du hier übersehen hast, ist das Kapitol (ist die Hauptsache).” ²) Ein klassisches Beispiel für den servilen Charakter seines Herrn gibt Epiktet diss. 1, 19, 17 ff.: Epaphrodit hatte einen Sklaven, Schuster seines Zeichens, den er wegen Unbrauchbarkeit wieder verkaufte. Der Schuster aber hatte Glück, kam an den Hof und wurde Leibschuster des Kaisers. Mit einem Schlage war da Epaphrodits Auffassung und Verhalten zu ihm geändert: er beugte sich vor ihm, dem ehemals unfähigen Schuster, gab ihm Zeichen seiner Verehrung und Achtung und er holte sich sogar Rats bei ihm ; kurz, der dumme Schuster war mit einem Male gescheit und weise geworden! ¹) Die gegenwärtigen Kyniker, meint er, schänden das wahre Wesen, die Eigenart des Kynismus: die Hauptsache ist ihnen der Knüttel und Ranzen; auf ihre kräftigen Kinnbacken und nackten, schönen Schultern tun sie sich was zu gute, sind trotz ihres Schmutzes noch eitel und belästigen die Menschen durch unangebrachtes Poltern und Schimpfen (diss. 3, 22, 51); es sind Tischschmarotzer, Türlagerer, die den alten Kynikern in nichts gleichen (diss. 3, 22, 80): ein Verdikt, das an Kraft und Deutlichkeit nichts zu wünschen übrig lässt! Sie wettern gegen Diebstahl und Unrecht und tragen selbst unter der Achsel verborgen einen gestohlenen Leekerkuchen (3, 22, 98) ; solche Bettler fordern das Mitleid heraus und stosscn beim blossen Anblick schon durch ihren Schmutz ab (3, 22, 89), während der wahre Kyniker zwar ein rauhes Äussere haben darf, dabei aber immer noch reinlich, anziehend, in seiner rauhen Schlichtheit schon sein muss. - So hatte schon, ein Menschenalter bevor Lucian seine giftige Feder gegen die Kyniker (cf. Peregrinus Proteus) in Bewegung setzte, Epiktet ein verdammendes Urteil über die Sekte, die im 2. Jahrhundert n. Chr. besonders üppige Blüten trieb, gesprochen. Dass auch der frivole Spötter Lucian einmal eine idealere Lebensepoche gehabt hat, in der er mehr positiven Geist verrät, zeigt (ausser Nigrinus) besonders,der Kyniker', der dem gesunden Kern, der im Kynismus steckt, voll gerecht wird, und den nach Bernays' (Lucian und die Kyniker, Berl. 1879) und Bielers (Über die Echtheit des Lucianschen Dialogs Cynicus, Hildesheim 1891) absprechendem Urteil Vahlen (ind. lectt. Berol. 1882-83) und Hirzel (Der Dialog II. Leipzig 1895) wieder Lucian zuzuweisen geneigt sind. Beide Schriften, Der Kyniker Epiktets und der Lucians, sind glänzende Rechtfertigungen des Kynismus, die erste vom religiös-moralischen, die andere vom Kulturstandpunkte aus: Epiktet betrachtet ihn als das hohe Priestertum aller Philosophie, Lucian sieht in ihm eine berechtigte Opposition gegen eine verderbliche Überkultur und eine Verteidigung der beleidigten Vernunft, der vergewaltigten Natur. [06]Bezüglich des letzten Satzes darf man wohl fragen: mußte Epiktet unbedingt einen kynischen Lehrmeister gehört haben, um sich kynisch zu gebärden? Dies wäre nur notwendig, wenn erMuson Kyniker gewesen wäre, wie Hirzel (siehe später) meint:Muson konnte er wohl auchdem Kynismus sich zuwenden. Denn musste er nicht auch so in der Stoa hinreichend mit der kynischen Lehre bekannt werden, um sie würdigen zu können? Musste er nicht geradezu als Schüler eines Stoikers der damaligen Zeit, wo der Stoizismus so stark kynische Färbung angenommen hatte, dem Kynismus von vornherein sympatisch gegenüber stehen? und war es ausgeschlossen, dass er neben und in der stoischen Schule mit Kynikern Umgang pflog, auch wenn kein Name uns überliefert ist? Jedenfalls war auch bei Muson Gelegenheit genug gegeben, sich mit der radikaleren Lehre zu befreunden, um schließlich aus dem stoischen Lager zur anderen, immerhin noch nahe genug verwandten Partei abzuschwenken. Der letztgenannte Grund Zahns dürfte nicht stichhaltig genug sein, um ein anfänglich kynisches Auftreten unseres Philosophen zu leugnen.Richtig aber ist, dass diss. 2, 12 nicht unmittelbar auf Kynismus schließen läßt. Der betreffende Vortrag handelt von dem philosophischen Zwiegespräch, und zweimal wird Sokrates als Autorität, als auch hierin vorbildlich erwähnt. Der Gedankengang mag nicht ohne Interesse sein:[08]Aus diesem Zusammenhange geht nun allerdings nicht hervor, dass Epiktet sich irgendwie vom Kynismus leiten liess, als er noch in Rom sich berufen fühlte, als öffentlicher Anwalt der Sitte und Wahrheit jeden, der ihm zu irren schien, anzuhalten, ihn auf sein wahres Heil hinzuweisen, um ihn zu bekehren, durch ernstes Zwiegespräch und gemeinssame gewissenserforschung von seiner Sündhaftigkeit zu überzeugen. Vielmehr macht gerade die zweimalige Anführung des Sokrates als Musters eines Bekehrers gewiss, dass Epiktet ihm folgen und gleich ihm in der breiten Öffentlichkeit fürs wahre Wohl seiner Mitmenschen wirken wollte. Als weiterer Grund dafür, dass er in seinem ersten philosophischen Auftreten gerade des Sokrates Art nachahmte, könnte noch der Umstand sprechen, dass Muson, sein Meister, selbst sokratisch sich fühlte und gab, wie ihn auch Hirzel (Dialog II, p. 239) ¹) geradezu den römischen Sokrates nennen zu dürfen glaubte, der sich mit den Sophisten seiner Zeit habe auseinandersetzen müssen und auch in anderen (m. E. allerdings mehr äusserlichen) Punkten ihm ähnlich sei: so wäre es nur naturgemäss, wenn der Schüler nach Abgang von der Schule zunächst für seine erste Praxis den gleichen Patron sich zur Nacheiferung wählt wie sein Lehrer.So scheint denn Bonnhöffer aus diss. 2, 12 einen ganz unnötigen, wenn nicht gar falschen Schluss gezogen zu haben.Und doch dürfen wir nicht so ohne weiteres den anfänglichen Kynismus Epiktets fallen lassen. Wir müssen in Betracht ziehen, was sonst Epiktet vom Kynismus hält, und in welches Verhältnis er sonst sich zu ihm gestellt hat. Man vergleiche vor allem diss. 3, 22 2), und man wird sehen, dass die öffentliche[09]seelsorerische Tätigkeit des Kynikers eben dasin dem Sinne, wie es diss. 2, 12 geschildert ist, als ihres Hauptmittels sich bedient, um mit Erfolg zu wirken, zu überreden und zu bekehren (3, 22, 84:), dass eben die sokratische Art zu prüfen und zu überführen Epiktet als die eigentliche Aufgabe des Kynikers betrachtet. Der wahre Kyniker ist ihm ein zweiter Sokrates oder Diogenes, ein gottgesandter Apostel der Wahrheit, ein Missionär, der allen den wahren Glauben, die Heilsbotschaft zu künden berufen und von Gott selbst auserwählt ist. Einen grundsätzlichen Gegensatz zwischen Stoa und Kynismus bezüglich der Hauptlehren erkennt ja Epiktet nicht an: und in der tat, was vom Kynismus ethisch verwertbar war, hatte längst die Stoa in sich aufgenommen und betont gerade in jener Zeit diese kynischen Elemente mehr denn sonst; was sonst noch vom Kynismus übrig blieb, war unnatürlich und Estrem. Ethisch-inhaltlich deckt sich also beides: in doktrinär-moralischem Sinne ist der Kyniker ein Stoiker und umgekehrt; nurunterscheiden sie sich: während jeder normale Mensch Stoiker, d. i. wahrer Philosoph werden kann, bleibt der Kynismus d. i. das Prophetenamt dem genialen, gottbegnadeten, von Natur einzig begabten Manne vorbehalten, ist ein, ein Gottesgeschenk, das nur selten einem Irdischen zu teil wird (cf. Bonhöffer I, 11); der Kyniker muss sich seiner Berufung zum ausserordentlichen Amte eines Lehrmeisters der Menschheit innerlich bewusst, von seiner göttlichen Sendung felsenfest überzeugt sein; denn in ihm sprecht Gott selbst zu den Menschen: dieser hat ihm seinen hohen Lehrberuf angewiesen, er steht ihm bei und verleiht ihm die Stärke, seine Pflichten als Prophet zu erfüllen. Dieser innigen Verbindung mit Gott verdankt er Erfolg und Kraft. So berief auch Sokrates eine [10] göttliche Stimme, sein Leben der bildenden Einwirkung auf die Menschen zu weihen (Plato ap. 33 c.). ¹) Wie Sokrates (diss. 3, 22, 26 Plat. Clitoph. p. 407 a.) soll der Kyniker die Menschen ermahnen und auf ihre Irrtümer aufmerksam machen: wie ein Gott von der tragische Bühne soll er, wenn's nötig, nach Sokrates' Art laut seine Stimme ertönen lassen ²) und rufen: „Wo soll es mit euch hinaus, ihr Menschen? was treibt ihr? (Clitoph.: wisst ihr nicht, dass ihr nichts von dem tut, was ihr sollt, dass ihr vielmehr auf gut und Geld euer ganzes Streben richtet?) Unselige, wie blind irrt ihr hin und her; den rechten Weg habt ihr verlassen und wandelt auf falscher Bahn! Anderswo sucht ihr Ruhe und Glück, wo's nicht zu finden ist, und wollt dem nicht glauben, der den Pfad (des Heils) euch weist!” -Im Sinne Epiktets waren also Sokrates (man vrezeihe den Anachronismus) und Diogenes die grössten Kyniker, in seinem Sinne wird der Begriff des Kynismus als Schule odervöllig aufgehoben und nur als singuläre Erscheinung als existenzfähig und -berechtigt anerkannt. Und die Art also, wie Sokrates und Diogenes wirkten, die öffentliche Lehr- und Seelsorgetätigkeit ist der Kynismus, wie ihn Epiktet im eigentlichen und wahren Sinne des Wortes verstanden wissen will, und so läuft es schliesslich auf eines hinaus, ob unser Philosoph in Rom nach des Sokrates oder Diogenes Art Seelsorge übte: er folgt keinem ausschliesslich, sondern was beiden gemeinsam war, die Belehrung und Bekehrung aller Menschen, das wollte er üben.Epiktet hat demnach, aus Musons Schule mit 'glänzendem Erfolge' entlassen und auch persönlich frei geworden, in seinem ersten moralischen Tatendrange, seinem Tugendeifer und Wahrheitsenthusiasmus ein zweiter Sokrates, ein anderer Diogenes werden wollen und im ersten Feuer seines auch später nicht verblichenen, unverwüstlichen Idealismus und Optimismus gleich alle Welt zum Guten zu bekehren versucht. Dass er sich diese sittliche Kraft und geistige Stärke zugetraut, war nicht eitle Selbstüberhebung; denn er besass dieselbe in höchstem Grade, und Stellen wie diss. 1, 9, 29 f. und 3, 8, 7 beweisen, dass sein[11]eigener Lehrer sein Bewunderer war und Silius Italikus, ¹) der Verfasser der, ihn geradezu als sittliches Muster erklärte.Solcher Männer, die zu den Besten ihrer Zeit gehöften, Lob und Urteil konnte in dem Sklaven wohl ein berechtigtes Selbstgefühl erzeugen; ja vielleicht haben diese Männer selbst, seinen Ruhm und seine Unsterblichkeit vorausahnend, in ihm einen zweiten Sokrates gesehen und ihn zu öffentlichem Wirken ermuntert und ermutigt.Es war also ein Sokratismus oder Diogenismus (der Name Kynismus ist zweideutig, wenn nicht ominös), den Epiktet damals in der Tat beweisen wollte. als aber manches Weltkind, da ein Plutokrat, dort ein Aristokrat, seinen sittlichen Eifer nicht verstehen wollte und seine wohlgemeinten Belehrungsversuche brutal zurückwies, da mochte unser Eiferer doch fühlen, dass es ihm an der, an der nötigen Sanftmut und Fähigkeit, Unbilden zu ertragen, fehle; für eine so rücksichtslose, gemeine Behandlung war er sich denn doch zu gut; seinwar nicht so gross, dass ergeworden wäre, gegenüber dem, wie er vom Kyniker (diss. 3, 22, 100) verlangt.Wohl etwas enttäuscht und ernüchtert, gab er seine Missionartätigkeit auf und zog es vor, von nun an gleich seinem verehrten meister Muson in der Stille der Schule im Geiste seines Sokrates und Diogenes weiter zu wirken.Gerade durch seine öffentliche Tätigkeit aber mag er die Aufmerksamkeit der Regierungskreise auf sich gezogen haben und als philosophischer Heissporn auch politisch verdächtig erschienen sein, so dass auch ihn 95 p. Ch. die Acht mit vielen anderen Philosophen und Rhetoren traf. 2)[12]Im dargelegten Sinne kann man mithin mit Bönhöffer immerhin sagen, Epiktet sei früher Kyniker gewesen. Die gleiche Ansicht äussert Hirzel (Dialog II. p. 24G A. 1) mit dem Hinweis auf Diogenes als Ideal Epiktets. Aber er verlegt dessen Kynismus vor seinen Verkehr mit Muson: dieser habe ihn erst für den Stoizismus gewonnen. Die Begründung ist recht dürftig aus der vorlauten Antwort genommen, die Epiktet (diss. 1, 7, 32) dem Muson im logischen Unterricht gibt. ¹) Doch lässt sich diese trotzige Empfindlichkeit dem philosophischen Meister gegenüber nicht ebenso gut aus einem stark ausgeprägten Selbstgefühl, das ihn Syllogismen als nebensächliches Zeug verachten liess, andrerseits aus Mangel an Erziehung, an, aus der Sklavenart begreifen? Eine gewisse Derbheit im Ausdruck, wie sie hier der Sklave verrät, ist auch dem Philosophen geblieben. Auch müsste dann bei Hirzels Meinung jedenfalls vor Epiktets Umgang mit Muson eine nähere Bekanntschaft mit Kynikern fallen. Aber was (bei seiner Auffassung des Kynismus als gesteigerten Stoizismus) verständlich wäre,er einmal in die stoische Schule getreten und die Freiheit erlangt hat (nämlich dieser kynische Verkehr), erscheint unwahrscheinlich als Beginn seiner philosophischen Laufbahn. Denn der Kynismus, wie ihn Epiktet versteht, konnte nur vom Stoizismus ausgehen, nicht umgekehrt; es spricht nichts dafür, dass er ihn je anders, etwa im Sinne des Volks, auffasste.Auch ist zu bedenken, dass er damals noch Sklave war: sollte Epaphrodit, sein Herr, dieser charakterlose, ²) feige Höfling,[13]seinen Sklaven zunächst einem Kyniker oder auch nur dem nächsten besten Stoiker übergeben, ihn offen zum Kynismus sich bekennen lassen, der wie auch der extreme politische Stoizismus politisch anrüchig, als hartnäckige Opposition und staatsgefährlich verschrieen war? (cf. Hertzberg, Gesch. d. röm. Kaiserreichs, Berlin 1880 p. 307.) Natürlicher dürfte die Annahme sein, Epaphrodit habe seinen Sklaven, dessen sittliche Grösse und Charakterstärke auch ihm, dem servilen Hofmanne, Achtung abnötigen musste, dem römischen Ritter Muson, der allgemeines Vertrauen besass (cf. Plinius' Episteln 3, 11) und bei seiner massvollen, loyalen Gesinnung über den Verdacht politischer Intriguen erhaben war, zur rein philosophischen Ausbildung ausschliesslich überlassen. Vielleicht war es auch Muson, der sich bei Epaphrodit für den von ihm bewunderten Sklaven verwandte und durch seine Fürbitte diesem die Freiheit erwirkte: wenigstens lässt diss. 1, 9, 29:sc. dich besser zu behandeln (cf. Zeller III, 1³ p. 735 A. 3), darauf schliessen, dass Muson bereit war, für Epiktet einzutreten.Hier nun, in der stoischen Schule, war eine Anlehnung an den echten und schlechten Kynismus gegeben, von hier der Übergang natürlich und leicht; als Freigelassener konnte er zudem (eine geheime Neigung vorausgesetzt) offen sich zu jener Sekte bekennen: aber, wie gesagt, sein Kynimus hat nichts zu schaffen mit der philosophischen Bettlergesellschaft, die nur den Namen von Diogenes geborgt, sonst aber mit dem grossen Manne nichts gemein hatte; dazu war er eine viel zu erhabene Persönlichkeit, um auch nur für einen Augenblick (etwa anfangs) für solche Leute ¹) sich erwärmen zu können.[14] zum Anfang/Ende Kap. 2. War es Epiktet nicht geglückt, im grossen Stile ein Sokrates oder Diogenes zu werden und durch aggressive, aktive Tätigkeit die Menschen zur Tugend zu bekehren, im kleineren Wirkungskreise der Schule konnte er um so fruchtbringender sein angeborenes Lehrtalent entfalten; hatte er kurze Zeit die Menschen selbst aufgesucht und sie auch wider ihren Willen an ihre bessere Natur, ihr wahres Heil erinnern wollen, jetzt liess er sich aufsuchen und bekehrte diejenigen zum Guten und Wahren, die sich willig bekehren lassen wollten. Auch von dieser Tätigkeit als Lehrer und Leiter einer Philosophenschule hatte er die denkbar höchste Meinung (cf. diss. 3, 20): Nicht der Nächste beste, ja nicht einmal der weiseste Gelehrte eigne sich immer hiezu; theoretische und rhetorische Tüchtigkeit allein tun es nicht; vielmehr müsse der Erzieher und Leiter der Jugend eine natürliche Lehrbegabung, [15] ein angeborenes pädagogisches Geschick besitzen und von Natur mit besonderen Eigenschaften der Seele und des Körpers ausgerüstet sein, vor allem aber sich zu seinem Berufe innerlich, von Gott bestimmt fühlen, als göttliche Mission ihn betrachten; ¹) denn der Lehrberuf ist etwas Grosses, Geheimnisvolles und darf nicht profaniert, durch leichtsinnige Ausübung gemein gemacht werden; auch Alter und Lebensart kommen in Betracht. Selbstverständlich muss er als Mensch intakt dastehen, in der Tat sich als gebildet erweisen, seine anthropinen Pflichten voll erfüllen, ein sittliches Vorbild sein. Wir sehen, auch der einfache Lehrer der Philosophie hat noch viel mit dem Kyniker, dem paedagogus generis humani (Sen. ep. 89, 13), gemein: er steht sozusagen in der Mitte zwischen diesem und dem praktischen Philosophen, der seine philosophische Bildung irgend einem anderen menschlichen Berufe zu gute kommen lässt. - Auch hier, in der Stille der kleinen Hafenstadt Nikopolis in Epirus, als Leiter einer stoischen Schule, blieb er seinen erwählten Lieblingsphilosophen, Sokrates und Diogenes, treu: in ihrem Sinne lehrte er seine Jünger, immerdar nach Selbstvervollkommnung, nach innerer Freiheit, wahrer Religiosität und nach Bedürfnislosigkeit zu streben. ²) Die auffallend starke Betonung des Sokrates und Diogenes hebt auch Zahn hervor, der p. 9 seiner Schrift sagt: „Selbst auf dem Gebiet der logischen Theorie will Epiktet von einer einseitigen Betonung der stoischen Autoritäten nichts wissen (diss. 1, 17, 11). Vollends, wo es gilt das verwirklichte Ideal als Musterbild aufzuzeigen, greift er über die Anfänge der Stoa zurück und nennt regelmässig den Sokrates und mit noch grösserer Bewunderung den Diogenes. ³) Der Stoiker als solcher ¹) Diss. 3, 20, 18: ²) (... zugleich ein Beispiel seiner Vorliebe für asyndetische Häufung synonymer Ausdrücke.) : ³) Ich möchte eher das Gegenteil behaupten, wofür schon die Zahlen sprächen: Sokrates wird in den verschiedenen Gesprächen 36-, Diogenes nur 12 mal angeführt (im ganzen Sokrates 66-, Diogenes 26 mal genannt). ¹) Ein Beweis, dass in der Theorie sich Epiktet unmittelbar an die alte Stoa anschliesst. ²) Natürlich kann auch der Anfänger logischer Schulung nicht völlig entbehren, aber für ihn genügt das Allernotwendigste, ein leichter, propädeutischer Teil (Bonhöffor I, 21). (griechText n22) (griechText n22) ¹) 2, 17, 40: Der Jünger der Philosophie muss vor anllem den Dünkel fahren lassen, als ob er etwas wisse: sonst hilft ihm alle Kenntnis der Schriften des Chrysipp samt denen des Antipater und Archedem nichts. - 1, 4, 6 ff.: Nicht der macht wahren Fortschritt, der viele Abhandlungen Chrysipps gelesen und verstanden hat, sondern wer sich sittlich recht verhält (in seinen Begierden, Trieben, Urteilen). - Ench. 49, 3: Die Lehren Chrysipps anzuwenden, ist die Hauptsache, nicht, ihn auslegen zu können. - Ähnlich 1, 17, 13; 4, 4, 16; 3, 21, 7; 3, 2, 13. - 2, 17, 34: Nicht um logische Subtilitäten, wie Chrysipps Ansicht vom,Lügner' (einem Trugschluss), darf es sich beim Studium der Philosophie handeln, sondern um systematisches Fortschreiten und tatsächliches Besserwerden. - 2, 23, 44: Demosthenische Beredsamkeit und dialektische Gewandtheit eines Chrysipp helfen nichts zum wahren Glück. ¹) Hier greift er nicht die Praxis seiner Gegner, der er gelegentlich sogar ein Lob spendet (3, 7, 18), sondern die Theorie mit ihren bedenklieben Folgen an. Er fühlt sich dann ganz als Anwalt der stoischen Glaubens- und Sittenlehre und schlägt als Kämpe eine scharfe Klinge, so dass wir ihn kaum wiedererkennen: seine Menschenliebe, seine Toleranz und Milde hat sich ins Gegenteil verkehrt, in Wut und Hass und Empörung. Seine Gegner haben sich eben an seinem Heiligsten vergriffen und drohen, sein ganzes ethisches Gebäude über den Haufen zu werfen: den festen Gottesglauben, auf dem im Grunde seine ganze Ethik beruht, und die absolute Freiheit des menschlichen Geistes, die Souveränität der Vernunft wollen die einen aufheben, die anderen versuchen die Wahrheit der sinnlichen und geistigen Wahrnehmung und damit den Quell aller Erkenntnis zu bezweifeln und stossen so seinen Sensualismus bezw. Intellektualismus und Dogmatismus um. ¹) Ein Beispiel von Epiktets derbem Humor ist folgende Scene (2, 20, 29 ff.): Er macht sich im Geiste zum Sklaven eines Skeptikers, den er recht quälen würde, wenn er auch täglich dafür Prügel erhielte. „Bring Öl ins Bad, Bursche!” ruft der Herr. Der Sklave holt eine Fischsauce und schüttet sie ihm über den Kopf. „Was soll das?” „Wahrlich, Herr, ich hatte eine dem Öl ganz gleichende, davon nicht zu unterscheidende Vorstellung!” „Gib mir den Gerstenbrei!” Der Sklave holt eine mit Essigbrühe gefüllte Schüssel. „Hab' ich nicht Gerstenbrei verlangt?” „Ja, Herr; das ist Gerstenbrei.” „Ist das nicht Essigbrühe?” „Was sonst denn als Gerstenbrei?” „Da nimm und riech, nimm und koste!” „Woher weisst Du es denn, wo uns doch die Sinne trügen?” Drei, vier Komplizen, meint launig Epiktet, würden einen Skeptiker entweder zur Verzweiflung bringen, dass er zum Strick greift, oder ihn bekehren. (griechText n25) (griechText n25) (griechText n25) (griechText n25) ¹) Cf. Bruns J., de schola Epkteti (Kiel 1897) cap. I (griechText n26) (griechText n26) (griechText n26) (griechText n26) (griechText n26) (griechText n26) (griechText n26) (griechText n26) (griechText n26) ¹) So schliessen sich wohl diss. 1, 7; 1, 8; 1, 17 an eine logische Unterrichtsstunde an. (griechText n27) (griechText n27) (griechText n27) ¹) An diesen scheint sich z. B. diss. 1, 11 geradezu anzuschliessen; an der Echtheit des Buches hat das Altertum nicht gezweifelt. (griechText n28) (griechText n28) (griechText n28) (griechText n29) (griechText n29) (griechText n29) „Der Worte sind genug gewechselt, Lasst mich auch endlich Taten seh'n!” ¹) Dass Epiktet bei Anführung eines stoischen Lehrsatzes so selten des Namen Chrysipps oder Zenos gebraucht, sondern meist allgemein von (griechText n29) spricht, könnte zur Vermutung führen, dem Unterricht sei eine aus Zeno, Kleanth und Ghrysipp kompilierte Sammlung altstoischer Weisheit zu Grunde gelegt worden. [16]ist ein Nacheiferer dieser beiden Männer (3, 24, 40) und das Höchste, was der Mensch erreichen kann, ist nicht Stoizismus, sondern Kynismus (3, 22). Diese Zurückstellung der Meister der eigenen Schule hinter die früheren Heroen des philosophischen Lebens hängt mit der überwiegend praktischen Richtung all seines Lehrens zusammen.”In der Tat, gegenüber der fortwährenden Heranziehung und Berufung auf seine beiden grossen Patrone kommen die Häupter der Stoa zu kurz, geschweige dass die Grössen der mittleren Stoa irgend berücksichtigt würden.Boethus, Panätius, Posidonius nennt er nicht einmal; ¹) in Archidem und Antipater sieht er scharfsinnige Gelehrte, die mit rhetorischem Schwungegeschrieben und über logische Probleme gehandelt haben: ihre Schriften hat er sicher nicht gelesen: die Kenntnis ihrer Werke, meint er, können manchen wohl eingebildeter, eitler und geschwätziger machen, aber zu seiner Moral trägt diese Gelehrsamkeit nichts bei (cf. 2, 17, 40; 2, 19, 9; 3, 2, 13; 3, 21, 7). Eine echt Epiktetische Ansicht ist eben, dass man mit aller Gelehrsamkeit sittlich elend und gemein sein kann; diese wissenschaftlichen und rhetorischen Fertigkeiten sind ganz schön als Zutat und Zuwachs (1, 8, 9), wenn man bis zu einem gewissen Grade sittlich fortgeschritten ist, ²) wenn man über die erste Stufe, die es mit den Affekten () und dem rechten Begehren und Meiden () zu tun hat, hinaus ist und auf der zweiten Stufe die unvernünftigen Triebe () überwunden und sich über seine Pflichten () und die natürlichen und freiwillig eingegangenen Verhältnisse (), die man zu wahren hat, klar geworden ist. Aber an sich und ohne ständige Beziehung des Gehörten und Gelernten auf die sittliche Praxis ist grosse Belesenheit oder Spezialkenntnis eines Autors oder logische Gewandtheit und rhetorische Kunst mehr von Schaden als Nutzen.(s. a. den Hinweis am Ende .)[17]Der Gelehrte par excellence ist ihm Chrysipp. Diesen grossen Theoretiker, den zweiten Gründer der Stoa, nennt er einmal (1, 4, 28) einen gottgesandten Mann, ein göttliches Gnadengeschenk, für das die Menschen Gott preisen müssen; denn er habe die Wahrheit ans Licht gebracht und bewiesen, dass die Weisheit, die in der rechten Willensbeschaffenheit () den Quell des Glücks und der Seelenruhe findet, wahr und naturgemäss sei. Ein andermal (1, 10, 10) hält er die Beschäftigung mit Chrysipps Werken und philosophischen Fragen für edler und wichtiger als die Ausübung anderer, mehr realer Berufe. 1, 17, 15 und 2, 6, 9 ist es Chrysipp, der uns zum Verständnis des Willens der Natur führt und verlangt, wir sollten unter allen Umständen auch dengegenüber, d. h. in der Wahl der an sich gleichgiltigen Dinge wie Gesundheit, Gelderwerb, uns naturgemäss verhalten und das Vernünftigere wählen also der Gesundheit vor der Krankheit den Vorzug geben, seine Habe rechtschaffen vermehren, aber anderseits, wenn's so kommt, Krankheit und Verlust des Vermögens willig tragen); 4, 9, 6 werden seine Schriften mit denen Zenos als die Lektüre bezeichnet, mit der sich der ernste Weisheitsfreund beschäftigen solle. Auch vergisst er nicht, einmal (1, 17, 17) festzustellen, dass Chrysipp persönlich seine Theorie vom Willen der Natur in der Praxis befolgte und darauf stolz sein darf, nicht aber auf seine Theorie als solche.Hohe Lobsprüche ! Und doch klingen sie etwas akademisch, wenn man erwägt, dass ein Vielschreiber wie Chiysipp einem Epiktet nie ganz sympathisch sein konnte, und sieht, wie solch spärliche Äusserungen erdrückt werden von den zahlreichen Stellen, an welchen Epiktet mit wärmster Verehrnug und geradezu leidenschaftlichem Enthusiasmus des Sokrates und Diogenes gedenkt, und in wie wenig schmeichelhaftem Zusammenhang sonst Chrysipps Name vorgebracht wird, oft im Verein mit dem Kleanths, Antipaters und Archedems: ¹) Stellen, an denen er die[18]ausschlaggebende Bedeutung der sittlichen Praxis nachdrücklichst hervorhebt gegenüber blossem theoretischem Wissen, technischer Fertigkeit auf logisch-dialektischem Gebiete, philologischer Gelehrsamkeit; wie oft wird man dabei an das Goethesche Wort erinnert: „Grau, lieber Freund, ist alle Theorie, doch grün des Lebens goldner Baum.”Allerdings dürfen wir bei dieser etwas nüchternen, einseitigen Darstellung Chrysipps nicht vergessen, dass Epiktet als Lehrer zu Schülern spricht, dass er in seiner Eigenschaft als Präceptor sich verpflichtet fühlt, die Hörer vor der glänzenden Aussenseite der philosophischen Hilfsdisciplinen zu warnen; sie sollten sich davon nicht verlocken lassen und nicht blendende Technik, die damals von den Rhetorenschulen mit viel Reklame als wichtigstes Bildungsmittel ausposaunt werden mochte, für wahre Bildung halten. Vor dieser Verkennung des eigentlichen Zwecke der Philosophie, die bei äusserlichen Erfolgen stehen bleibt, will der Meister die Jünger bewahren und weist deshalb immer wieder auf die Hauptsache, die ethische Bildung, und malt in diesem pädagogisch anzuerkennenden Bestreben etwas schwärzer als nötig und lässt ohne Zweifel die Wissenschaft als solche zu kurz kommen.Doch ist Epiktet keineswegs ein Feind der Theorie: er schätzt sie als Lehrer der Moral, wenn ihm auch die Praxis über alles geht, und weiss sie insbesondere als Schulkämpfer zu würdigen (cf. 1, 20, 17 ff.): als solcher hat er sich als überzeugter Stoiker und Verteidiger der stoischen Lehren mit dem groben Materialismus und Hedonismus wie dem krassen Egoismus des Epikur und mit dem unverschämten Eigensinn und Stumpfsinn der Skeptiker (Akademiker) auseinanderzusetzen. ¹)[19]In diesem Kampfe, der ihm Herzensangelegenheit ist, da er sein Teuerstes, ein sittliches Hab und Gut bedroht sieht, da es sich um die ganze moralische Existenz der Menschheit s. E. handelt, braucht er eine Waffe, die, scharf und sicher, im stande ist, die Gegner zu entwaffnen: es ist die Wissenschaft (1, 27, 20), es ist der Scharfsinn des Chrysipp, an den er sich hier wendet (cf. 1, 20, 16 ff.). Huldigt er also als Ethiker mehr der praktischen Weisheit des Sokrates und Diogenes, als Schulkämpfer steht er ganz auf dem Boden der alten Stoa, Chrysipps. Er selbst allerdings kehrt auch hier wieder die praktische Seite hervor und begnügt sich, auf die Staat und Familie untergrabenden Konsequenzen der in die Tat umgesetzten epikureischen Prinzipien und die tragikomischen ¹) Folgen konsequenter Skepsis mit aller Deutlichkeit hinzuweisen; denn ihm selbst fehlt die Gabe eingehender, systematischer Widerlegung und die Zeit: er hat anderes zu tun, was seiner Natur und seiner Mission besser entspricht. Dennoch lässt er das letzte, entscheidende Wort die Wissenschaft sprechen (cf. 1, 27, 20).-----------Hier mag die Frage gestreift werden, ob und inwieweit Epiktet in seiner Schule die Schriften Chrysipps benützte. Bonhöffer (II, 2) meint, die Schriften Chrysipps gelten ihm[20]gewissermassen als heiliger Kodex und bilden für seinen Unterricht und seine Homilieen in ähnlicher Weise die Grundlage wie die biblischen Texte für die christliche Predigt. Gegen ihn wendet sich wieder Zahn (p. 21 A. 4) und nennt den Grund für diese Ansicht unerfindlich; er nimmt, wie es scheint, keine bestimmte Grundlage an und meint nur, Epiktet habe in freier, vielfach durch den Augenblick eingegebener Rede die Herzen und Gewissen zu treffen gesucht, auch ohne etwa einen ausgearbeiteten Vortrag vom Konzept zu lesen, manchmal durch äussere Umstände veranlasst, zuweilen an Schülervorträge anschliessend.Ein direktes Zeugnis für Bonhöffers Behauptung findet sich allerdings in den Diatriben wieder nicht. Aber der Umstand, dass Epiktets freie Erörterungen nicht alles waren, was in seiner Schule getrieben wurde, dass die Schüler auch selbsttätig schriftlich und mündlich sich üben mussten, indem sie gewisse Kapitel ausarbeiteten (2, 6, 23) und dann in der Schule vorlasen (), worauf Epiktet manchmal ein Korrektura () gab ¹), dieser Umstand lässt doch darauf schliessen, dass Epiktet seinen Schülern eine feste Grundlage gleichsam als Lese- und Übungsbuch an die Hand gab, auf Grund dessen sie dann selbständig Referate und kleine Aufsätze liefern konnten; und was lag da für Epiktet, der doch überzeugter Stoiker und zwar Anhänger der Altstoa war, näher, als die wissenschaftliche Quelle selbst aufzusuchen und auf diese die Schüler zu verweisen? Und das war in der Hauptsache Chrysipp, während er von Zeno zunächst eine Art Katechismus oder Kompendium der stoischen Lehren benutzt zu haben scheint (cf. 1, 20, 14 f. :). Und Zeno und Chrysipp nennt er ja ausdrücklich auch die ernste Lektüre des Philosophen; und mit der Lektüre musste natürlich auch eine Interpretation durch den Lehrer verbunden sein.Sicher aber hat Epiktet unter den vielen, oft recht ungleichwertigen Schriften Chrysipps eine engere, für die Schule geeignete Auswahl getroffen und vorzugsweise die seinen praktischen Zielen entsprechenden Werke für die Schule verwendet;[21]das wären vor allem die Schriften(cf. 1, 4, 44, wo ein Schüler spricht:), dannund(4, 4, 16), Schriften, die seinen zwei ersten Stufen des sittlichen Fortschritts entsprechen ; die fortgeschrittenen Schüler mochte er dann immer noch auf die logischen Abhandlungen Chrysipps verweisen. ¹)Keineswegs aber möchte ich mit Bruns soweit gehen (cap. III) zu behaupten:.' Die Stellen, die Bruns anführt, Z. B. 1, 47:; können sich doch eben so gut auf den Usus anderer Philosophenschulen beziehen, den Epiktet nicht nachahmen will. Auch glaube ich nicht, dass Epiktet die Lehren Epikurs, der Peripatetiker, der Akademiker mit den Schülern eingehender behandelt hat; für den Zweck seiner Widerlegungen genügte ein Auszug ihrer Lehren.Das(2, 9, 19) braucht sich nicht auf wirkliche Verhältnisse seiner Schule zu beziehen, kann wieder einen sonst üblichen Brauch illustrieren, und dasin 2, 19, 22:; welches sich auf das vorausgehende:, bezieht, kann wieder eine Anspielung auf die vielen theoretischen Stoiker sein, denen Epiktet seine Schüler gerne als die praktischen Stoiker gegenüberstellen möchte. - Und gesetzt auch, die Schüler neigten zur Vielleserei und Vielwisserei, so entspricht es nur dem ganzen übrigen Verhalten Epiktets, diese Sucht zu dämpfen, und es fragt sich sehr, ob derjenige(wie Bruns p. 15 meint), der daraus schliesst, dass die Schüler wider Willen des Lehrers sich mit soviel Lektüre beschäftigten; jedenfalls darf man die Behauptung:, als ob Epiktet selbst das Beispiel einer möglichst umfangreichen, vielseitigen Beschäftigung mit Chrysipp gegeben habe, in Zweifel ziehen. Dass er aber von den bedeutendsten Schriften des Altstoikers bei seinen Schulübungen ausging und wieder dahin zurückkehrte, ist sicher. Und dies galt speziell[22]für die Schüler; er selbst erquickte sich noch an einem andereren Quell; für seine eigenen Vorträge, die den besonderen Zweck verfolgten, von der Theorie zur Praxis überzuleiten, auf den, nicht mehr auf die Einsicht der Hörer zu wirken, sie zur Umsetzung der verstandenen Lehren in die Tat zu bewegen durch ständigen Hinweis auf Verwirklichung ihres Ideals in Männern wie Sokrates und Diogenes: für ihn warenundWerke, soweit sie des Sokrates Wirken zum Gegenstand ihrer Darstellung hatten, und die Schriften, welche des Diogenes Worte und Taten überlieferten,, auf den er sich immer wieder beruft, in dem er nicht müde wird zu lesen, dessen schönste Stellen er seinem Gedächtnisse eingeprägt hat. Zunächst kommen hier natürlich Xenophons Memorabilien und Platos Apologie in Betracht, aus denen er unmittelbar schöpft; aber auch Kriton und Phädon kennt er gut, und auf das Symposion verweist er als gewinnbringende Lektüre, und Theätet, Sophist, Protagoras, Gorgias, Philebus, Alkibiades (I) ¹) Staat und Gesetze hat er sicher gelesen und benützt.-----------Wie von Chrysipp erwähnt Epiktet von Kleanthes, dass er sich mehrfach mit subtilen logischen Problemen abgegeben habe (2, 19, 5, wo auch der Babylonier Diodor und Panthoides genannt werden). Wiederholt zitiert er dessen Schicksalsvers, der seinem Fatalismus besonders zusagen musste:(cf. ench. 53, 1) 4, 1, 173 führt er von ihm die hübsche Antithese an, die Gnom. Vat. ed. Sternbach 295 dem Zeno zugeschrieben wird:Gnom.)Als Lehrer wird er seines Ernstes halber mit Sokrates und Zeno (3, 23, 32: Nicht um rhetorisches Zierat, sondern um sittliche Besserung der Schüler war es ihnen zu tun), als Mensch wegen[23]seiner strengen Lebensweise (2, 26, 23) mit Sokrates und Diogenes gerühmt. Wir sehen, das Persönliche, das bei Chrysipp hinter dem Gelehrten ganz verschwunden ist, tritt bei Kleanth ein wenig mehr, wenn auch nur in schwachen Umrissen hervor.Schon deutlicher kommt das menschlich - persönliche Moment in der Heranziehungzur Betonung, dem die Stoa bekanntlich ihren Ursprung und die erste Fixierung der Hauptlehren verdankt: ihn hat Gott derdes Berufes zu lehren und Lehrsätze aufzustellen, gewürdigt (3, 21, 19); er ist wie Kleanth ein ernster Lehrer, wie Chrysipp eine ernste Lektüre, wie Sokrates ein Vorbild für den Verkehr mit Machthabern (ench. 33, 12): er konnte Antigonus furchtlos und unbefangen gegenübertreten; er wollte ja dem König nicht gefallen noch etwas profitieren, und dieser konnte ihm keinen wahren Nutzen verschaffen; dem Philosophen gegenüber ist der sittlich unfreie Herrscher der ängstlich Befangene. Wenn man bedenkt, dass Epiktet mit seiner Lehre von der innern Freiheit gerade den äusserlich Bedrückten und unschuldig Verfolgten, von der Ungerechtigkeit der Machthaber Gepeinigten (cf. 1, 29, 22 flf.; 1, 19, 7 if.; 1, 18, 17) Trost und Halt geben wollte, so gewinnt Zeno als diesbezügliches Vorbild erhöhte Bedeutung.Aber auch er ist nicht scharf genug gezeichnet und zu selten erwähnt, um als volles Idealbild Epiktets gelten zu können.-----------Im ganzen sind Epiktet die Häupter seiner Schule wohl grosse, aber alswerden sie durch die sittlichen Heroen, Sokrates und Diogenes, in den Schatten gestellt. Sie gelten ihm als wissenschaftliche Autoritäten, die ihm die begründeten und entwickelten Normen und Lehrsätze an die Hand geben, und an sie wendet er sich, wo er Beweise benötigt und seinen Ausführungen den Stempel streng erwiesener Wahrheit, wissenschaftlicher Gültigkeit geben will (so 1, 4, 28), oder er geht von einem von ihnen bewiesenen Satze aus und knüpft selbst ethische Erörterungen daran (so ist eine oft gebrauchte Wendung:1, 9, 1; 1, 18, 1; 2, 1, 1 cf. 1, 11, 28; 4, 4, 18; 1, 4, 1 fangt an: [24]oder 1, 3, 1 :. ¹)Bewiesen aber glaubt er die Wahrheit stoischer Weisheit durch sie hinlänglich und hält weitere Beweisführungen für kein dringendes Bedürfnis (1, 29, 55 f.:Dies bildet gleichsam das Klage-Motiv in den reichen Tonfolgen seiner ethischen Mahnweisen.[24] zum Anfang/Ende Kap. 3. Fürs Leben also, für die sittliche Praxis, worauf es unserem Philosophen in erster und letzter Linie ankommt, brauchte er grosse Menschen, Vorbilder, die unbedingt zur Nachfolge reizten; misst doch Epiktet dem persönlichen Vorbild überhaupt eine grössere Wirkung bei als aller Lehre und Ermahnung (cf. Bonhöffer II, 71). Die stoischen Schulgrössen mochten mit ihren Theorien, ihrer Gelehrsamkeit seinen Geist fesseln; seine Seele verlangte nach mächtigeren Gestalten, die erhaben und ideal, unantastbar, wie Riesen der Tugend über die gewöhnlichen Sterblichen sich erhebend, etwas Göttliches offenbarend und doch menschlich genug, um dem Herzen nahe zu bleiben, Geist und Gemüt gleicherweise anzogen, in persönlicher Sympathie fesselten, zu bedingungsloser Bewunderung hinrissen. Solche Vorbilder waren ihm Sokrates und Diogenes, göttliche Menschen, deren Grösse eben darin bestand, Menschen zu sein, und doch über den Menschen zu stehen; in ihnen sieht der Idealist sein sittliches Ziel, das Vergöttlichung des Menschen bedeutet, (2, 14, 12 : (griechText n30) ; L. Diog. 3, 78 : (griechText n30) ) verwirklicht : und beide Männer können in der Tat als die sittlich-freiesten Gestalten Altgriechenlands gelten, und ihr einzigartiger Wandel war wirklich geeignet, sie mit einem gewissen Nimbus zu umgeben, der um so heller erscheinen mochte, je grösser die zeitliche Entfernung (Epiktet und Sokrates trennen 500 Jahre), je ärmer die eigene Zeit an Idealen war. So sind dem Stoiker beide Männer Typen menschlicher Vollkommenheit geworden, für alle vorbildlich nach Lehre und Leben, Männer, die mit ihrem Leben uns zugleich die beste Sittenlehre gegeben haben, harmonische, geschlossene Erscheinungen, sittliche Grössen, durch einzige Naturanlage und unermüdliche Selbstveredlung und gemeinnütziges Wirken einander ebenbürtig, Lehrer der Jugend, Bildner der Menschheit (griechText n30) ; sie sind ihm die lichten Sterne in des Lebens Irrsal und Dunkel, zu denen er mit [26] unbegrenztem Vertrauen und hingebender Verehrung aufblickt, an deren Glänze er sich erbaut, deren leuchtendes Vorbild ihm die tröstende Gewissheit gibt, dass sittliche Vollendung möglich, dass die unentwegte Arbeit an sich selbst nicht vergebens, dass, wer ausharret im Kampfe mit sich selbst und seinen sündhaften Neigungen, am Ende gekrönt wird mit dem köstlichsten Preise, der Tugend selbst. So schwebt ihm ihr Name wie der von Schutzheiligen beständig auf den Lippen, ihre Worte, ihre Handlungen, ihre persönlichen Vorzöge sind ihm als höchster Beleg für seine Ausführungen immer zur Hand: In Sokrates sieht er den wahrhaft religiösen, in Diogenes den wahrhaft bedürfnislosen Mann; ¹) beide aber gelten ihm als Verkörperungen des geistig und sittlich freien Menschentums. Epiktet selbst ist eine ihnen innerlich verwandte Natur, ein sittlicher Kern- und Kraftmensch von ausgeprägter Willensstärke, ein reiner, primitiver, ursprünglicher Charakter. Und sein ethisches Programm, welches das Glück der Menschen seiner Anschauung nach verbürgt, ²) können wir obiger Teilung entsprechend ebenfalls als ein dreifaches bezeichnen: er preist als Sänger der wahren Freiheit (cf. insbesondere diss. 4, 1) die von allem Äusseren unabhängige Gesinnung als höchstes sittliches Gut und vereint die beiden charakteristischen Züge seiner Helden, wenn er einerseits den Urgrund aller Sittlichkeit in dem Glauben (1, 12) an einen allmächtigen, allgütigen, all weisen Gott findet und in der Ergebenheit in dessen Willen, andrerseits Bedürfnislosigkeit (4, 9, 2: (griechText n31) ) als das Hauptförderungsmittel wahren Glückes betrachtet. ¹) Dass schon Sokrates Bedürfnislosigkeit als ethische Forderung aufgestellt hatte, beweisen die Worte (Xen. Mom. 1, 6, 10): (griechText n31) ; doch tritt bei ihm diese Eigenschaft weniger als typisches Merkmal hervor. ²) Dass Epiktet gerade in späterer heidnischer Zeit als Befreier und Erlöser galt und als des Glückes und der Freiheit Künder, drückt bezeichnend eine griechische Inschrift einer Felswand Pisidiens aus, die mit dem Wunsche schliesst: Möchte doch auch heute ein solch göttlicher Mann wie Epiktet geboren werden: ein grosser Segen und eine grosse Freude für alle nach wahrer Freiheit dürstenden Seelen (Vorländer, Preuss. Jahrb., 89. Bd. p. 196; Schenkl. praef. d. Ausg. p. XVIII). (griechText n32) ¹) Der häufige Gebrauch der ersten Person im folgenden möge nicht stören! er erleichtert die Darstellung und versetzt besser in den Geist Epiktets. ²) Cf. Bekenntnis des Denionax, eines Schülers Epiktets: (griechText n32) (Lucian, Demon. 62.). Auch Demonax neigte in seinen Ansichten den Sokratikern zu, während er in seinem Äussern den Sinopeer nachzuahmen schien. (Demon. 5.) ¹) So sagt Epiktet 4, 5, 2 selbst: (griechText n33) (sc. nie zu streiten) (griechText n33) . [27]So sind ihm Sokratos und Diogenes gleichsam zuIdeal, einem Doppelvorbild, einem Dioskurenpaar der Tugend zusammengeflossen, in ihren sittlichen Forderungen einander ergänzend, zu einem Vollbilde göttlich-menschlichen Ringens und Siegens: sie haben immer strebend sich bemüht und sind - auf Erden! - erlöst worden von all dem Leid, das die sittlich Unfreien drückt und elend macht. Und als Doppelideal nennt er sie oft miteinander, als gehörten sie zusammen: 4, 9, 6: Wie Chrysipp und Zeno unsere ¹) Lektüre, so sollen Sokrates und Diogenes unsere sittlichen Muster sein, die wir bewundern, ²) die wir nachahmen müssen (3, 24, 40); beide sind von Gott berufen, der eine zu überführen, der andere wie ein König zu schelten (3, 21, 19:); auch in ihrem Äusseren fesselnde, anmutige Erscheinungen (4, 11, 9), sind sie die wahren Philosophen, die die höchste Lebensaufgabe erfüllten, die als Frucht ihrer Philosophie die innere Freiheit erlangten, die man sich nie klagend über den Verlust irgend welcher Aussendinge vorstellen könnte (2, 16, 35 f.); sie bewiesen, dass weder Ehe noch Ehelosigkeit am wahren Glücke, der inneren Freiheit, hindert (4, 1, 152); nicht masslos, sondern als innerlich unabhängige Männer liebten sie ihre Freunde, Sokrates speziell auch seine Familie, als etwas Verlierbares, Sterbliches: über ihre irdische Liebe ging ihnen die himmlische, ihre göttliche Mission (3, 24, 60; 64). Doch auch äusserlich suchten sie frei zu werden, durch Mässigkeit und Verzicht auf irdische Güter und zeigten, dass man dürftig und doch gesund, vernünftig, philosophisch leben könne (3, 26, 23); sie sind Typen des sittlich Guten: nur das Urteil solcher Männer, wie sie waren, hat eigentlich Wert und Bedeutung (4, 7, 29); sie bezeugten, dass Wissen frei, stark und mutig macht; ihre Kenntnis des wahrhaft Guten und Schlechten machte sie furchtlos und freimütig den Machthabern gegenüber (2, 13, 24). -[28]Noch mehr wird das Folgende zeigen, dass Epiktet die Vertiefang ¹) in den Lebensinhalt beider Männer zum seelischen Bedürfnis geworden ist: es ist nicht bloss das Herkommen der stoisch - kynischen Schule, das ihre Verehrung und Nacheiferung verlangt, nicht nur pädagogisch - didaktische Erwägung, die mit der Vorführung der populärsten Weisen als Muster den Schüler persönlich angenehm berühren und reizen will, es ist sichtbar, individuelle Vorliebe: Sokrates und Diogenes waren ihm selbst in seiner sittlichen Entwicklung und Weiterbildung als Vorbilder lieb und wert, ja unentbehrlich geworden, er mochte ihrem Beispiele persönlich viel, unendlich viel verdanken ...[29] zum Anfang/Ende Kap. 4. Die Stoa birgt bekanntlich insbesondere in ihrer Ethik viel sokratisches Gut und hat sich stets als getreueste Hüterin sokratischen Erbes betrachtet, und es ist nur natürlich, dass Epiktet das Sokratische zunächst aus ihren Händen in stoischer Form übernimmt; aber unverkennbar tritt in den Diatriben das Bestreben des Philosophen hervor, immer unmittelbar an den hochverehrten Meister anzuschliessen, und so verblasst bei ihm das spezifisch Stoische und nimmt seine Philosophie eine mehr sokratische Färbung an, wenn wir von den diogenisch-kynischen Elementen für den Augenblick absehen wollen. Im besonderen berührt sich die Epiktetische Lehre mit der Weisheit des Sokrates, bei dem Lehre und Persönlichkeit so untrennbar sind, in folgenden Einzelheiten: 1. Mit allem Nachdruck betont auch Epiktet, das rechte sittliche Verhalten beruhe auf Wissen. ¹) Daraus folgt, dass der Sünder aus Unwissenheit und Irrtum, also unfreiwillig fehlt (1, 17, 14; Soph. p. 223 c; Protag. 395 d.). ²) Damit verbindet Epiktet (2, 22, 36) die Forderung der Toleranz, der duldenden Nächstenliebe: man muss den sittlich Ungebildeten ertragen, mild und sanft gegen ihn sein, als Unwissendem ihm verzeihen. Wie Sokrates den Kerkermeister (1, 29, 65; Phaedo. p. 116 d), so soll der Philosoph die grosse Menge wie unwissende Kinder behandeln; ihren naiven Ansichten eher beipflichten als sie schelten: sie sind eben höherer Einsicht nicht fähig. 2. Das Wissen selbst besteht wieder in Selbsterkenntnis und Gotteserkenntnis: Wie Sokrates macht sich Epiktet das pythische (griechText n34) zum Wahlspruch und knüpft daran die sokratische ¹) Seine diesbezüglichen Induktionsbeweise nimmt Epiktet wie Muson nach Sokrates' Art aus den Gebieten praktischer Tätigkeit (cf. Xen. Mem. 3, 3, 9; Pl. Gorg. p. 460 und diss. 2, 9, 10; 3, 21, 4; 2, 14, 10 etc.); der (griechText n34) der (griechText n34) der (griechText n34) der (griechText n34) spielen eine Rolle. ²) Auch der Sünder will das Gute, das ihm Zuträgliche. Xen. Mem. 3, 9, 4: (griechText n34) . Diss. 1, 27, 6: (griechText n34) . (griechText n35) (griechText n35) (griechText n35) (griechText n35) (griechText n35) (griechText n35) (griechText n35) (griechText n35) (griechText n35) (griechText n35) (griechText n35) (griechText n35) ¹) 2.5,1 ff.: Epiktet vergleicht hier das Leben mit einem Spiel; die Steinchen, die Würfel, der Ball sind an sich gleichgiltige Dinge, der Wurf aber von Wichtigkeit; so ist's auch im Leben. Ein geschickter Spieler in diesem Sinne war Sokrates (2, 5, 18 tf.): er spielte vor Gericht mit Leben und Tod (siehe, wie er dem Anytos seinen Götterglauben beweist, PI. Ap. p. 27 c. d.), aber sein Spiel verrät Kunst und Geschick ( (griechText n36) ). (griechText n36) (griechText n36) ¹) Über das Fortleben bezw. die Art des Fortlebens der Seele nach dem Tode spricht sich Epiktet nicht bestimmt aus; da die Seele ein (griechText n36) (l, 14, G), so ist ihre Rückkehr zu Gott und ihre Unsterblichkeit wohl garantiert; ob aber damit eine individuelle, persönliche, bewusste Fortdauer verknüpft ist, möchte man nach Epiktets Äusserungen und pantheistischen Anschauungen eher verneinen als bejahen. Cf. Zeller III, 1³ p. 746 A. 3; Bonböffer II, p. 28. Sokrates will bei Plato Apol. 40 C. (cf. Xen. Cyrop. VIII, 7, 19 ff.) die Unsterblichkeit nicht mit Sicherheit behaupten, hält sie aber für wahrscheinlich (Zeller II, l³ p. 149). (griechText n37) ¹) Vergleiche dagegen, wie sehr Goethe in seiner Auffassung des Verhältnisses von Gott und Mensch mit der Stoa übereinstimmt (a. a. O. Gespräch vom 28. Febr. 1831): „Ich frage nicht, ob das höchste Wesen Verstand und Vernunft habe, sondern ich fühle, es ist der Verstand, es ist die Vernunft selber. Alle Geschöpfe sind davon durchdrungen, und der Mensch hat davon soviel, dass er Teile des Höchsten erkennen mag.” - Epiktet diss. 1, 14, 6 f.: Unsere Seelen sind Teile und Stücke Gottes, und so vermögen wir die göttliche Weltregierung und einzelne göttliche Dinge zu begreifen. 2, 8, 2 : Gott ist (griechText n37) . (griechText n38) (griechText n38) (griechText n38) (griechText n38) ¹) Zeller II, 1³ p. 140 A. 6 meint, erst ein späterer kosmopolitischer Philosoph habe ihm diese Äusserung in den Mund gelegt. ²) Wenn also Seneka ep. 104, 21 sagt: Socrates te docebii mori, si necesse erit, Zeno, antequam necesse erit, so ist der erste Teil des Satzes ganz im Geiste Epiktets gesprochen und auch der zweite Gedanke widerspricht wohl nicht seiner Auffassung vom erlaubten Selbstmord; der Sinn ist wohl der: beide schieden freiwillig, Sokrates von Gründen der Moral bewogen, Zeno, weil er in seiner Gebrechlichkeit ein Anzeichen des nahenden Endes sah, das er nur beschleunigen wollte, und auch das ist Pflicht des Stoikers nach Epiktets Worten (2, 6, lO): (griechText n38) (hier also (griechText n38) ) (griechText n38) , Sokrates aber starb „notwendigerweise”, weil er ohne Einbusse an sittlicher Würde nicht hätte weiterleben können, während Zeno ruhig bis ans Ende hätte ausharren können, ohne an seiner Sittlichkeit erheblichen Schaden zu nehmen, mit seinem freiwilligren Tode aber seine vollkommene Freiheit bewies (cf, Bonhöffer II, 38) (griechText n39) (griechText n39) ¹) (griechText n39) ²) (griechText n39) (dem vernünftigen Grunde) (griechText n39) (cf. ench. 51, 3; diss. 3. 23, 21). ³) Sokrates (4, 1, 169) lehrte uns göttlich sterben und hat mit seinem Todo der Menschheit einen grösseren Dienst erwiesen als durch sein Leben. 4) 2, 1, 15; Plato Phaedo p. 77 e.: (griechText n39) . (griechText n40) (griechText n40) ¹) Epiktets Philosophie ist so recht eine Pflichtenlehre. Das erkannte auch Pascal (Gedanken 1, 8. Übers. Leipzig, Reclani) an; aber er tadelt, dass Epiktet die sittliche Kraft des Menschen übertrieben, die Seele zu einem Teil der göttlichen Substanz gemacht; das sei Irrtum und Hochmut. ²) Ungerechten, unsittlichen Forderungen aber, wie dem Verlangen der Tyrannen nach Auslieferung des Salaminiers Leon, setzte er auf Gefahr des Lebens entschlossenen Widerstand entgegen (4, 1, 160). ³) 3, 1, 21: (griechText n40) 3, 22, 97, wo vom Kyniker gesagt ist: (griechText n40) . Zeller macht (Sitz.-Ber. d. Preuss. Ak. 1893: Über eine Berührung des jüngeren Kynismus mit dem Christentum auf 1. Petri 4, 15 aufmerksam: das Wort (griechText n40) drückt den Vorwurf der Einmischung in fremde Angelegenheiten aus. 4) Stob, Flor. 5, 37 führt von Sokrates das Wort an: (griechText n40) . (griechText n41) „Das Leben ist der Güter höchstes nicht, Der Übel grösstes aber ist die Schuld.” (griechText n41) (griechText n41) (griechText n41) (griechText n41) (griechText n41) (griechText n41) (griechText n41) (griechText n41) (griechText n42) (griechText n42) (griechText n42) (griechText n43) (griechText n43) (griechText n43) (griechText n43) (griechText n43) (griechText n43) (griechText n43) (griechText n43) ¹) So kommt der Eudämonismus des Sokrates (cf. Zeller, Grundriss p. 97 und oben p. 29 A. 2) gerade bei Epiktet wieder zum schärfsten Ausdruck: „Die Triebfeder alles Handelns ist die Vorstellung eines Nützlichen, Zuträglichen, das dadurch erreicht, oder eines Schädlichen, Nachteiligen, das dadurch abgewendet werden soll. Diese Vorstellung des Nützlichen oder Schädlichen wirkt nach Epiktet mit zwingender Notwendigkeit: so wenig der Mensch einer Sache (innerlich) beistimmen kann, die ihm nicht als wirklich erscheint, so wenig kann er etwas begehren, was er nicht für zuträglich hält, und etwas nicht begehren, was ihm nützlich scheint” (Bonhöffer II p. 4; diss. 1, 18, 2: (griechText n43) ). [30]Forderung,' (1, 26, 18; Plat. Apol. p, 38 a). Die Befolgung dieser Devise führt uns zur fortwährenden Kritik unseres sittlichen Verhaltens, zunächst zur Erkenntnis unserer Schwäche und damit zur Philosophie (cf. 1, 11; Plat. Alcib. I). während des sittlichen Prozesses aber zu einem unseren Kräften angemessenen Gang und systematischen Betrieb des theoretischpraktischen Studiums (1, 26, 15 f.; 3, 21, 1 ff.), endlich zur Prüfung unserer Vorstellungen (3, 12, 15), die wir erst dann gebrauchen dürfen, wenn wir sie auf ihren Wert geprüft haben.3. Mit der Kenntnis seiner selbst ist eng verbunden die Kenntnis der Begriffe; nach Sokrates' Vorgang macht Epiktet von der Logik besonders das Kapitel von der Begriffsbildung und -Definition für die Ethik fruchtbar: wer die Bedeutung derrecht erkennt, ist sich schon über seine Hauptpflichten klar geworden (1, 17, 12; 2, 10:): alsweiss er sich als bevorzugtes Wesen und erkennt im freien Willen (im freien Wahlvermögen = in vernünftiger Selbstbestimmung,) sein höchstes Gut; alsist er Bürger der grossen und der kleinen Welt: als Weltbürger begreift er die göttliche Weltregierung und zieht daraus die Konsequenzen; als Staatsbürger nimmt er ebenso stets aufs Ganze Rücksicht und fügt sich als gehorsames Glied willig ein; alsbringt er den Eltern immer Liebe und Gehorsam entgegen; alszeigt er den Geschwistern gegenüber willfähriges Entgegenkommen und führt eine liebreiche Sprache und tritt in allen(den äusseren, von unserm Willen nicht abhängigen Dingen) zurück; ein entsprechendes Verhalten zeigt er alsu.s.w.4. Aus der rechten Kenntnis seiner selbst ergibt sich schon das rechte Verhalten den Aussendingen () gegenüber d. h. den äusseren Gütern, wozu Leib, irdisches Gut, Familie und Freunde gehören, und den Übeln des Lebens gegenüber wie Krankheit, Tod, Armut, Gefängnis, Verbannung; nach Epiktet und der Stoa sind sie alle an sich für unser sittliches Wohl gleichgiltig (), aber wie man sich mit ihnen abfindet, ist von Bedeutung; ¹) wir müssen die Güter als von Gott verliehen,[31]die Übel als von ihm verhängt ansehen und erstere auf sein Verlangen gern zurückgeben, letztere willig entgegennehmen.Insbesondere an Sokrates sucht Epiktet wieder darzutun, dass er die Aussendinge richtig bewertet und vor allem dem Leib keine grössere Bedeutung beigelegt hat; er teilt ganz die Ansicht, die Sokrates im Phaedo entwickelt: der Philosoph müsse(diss. 4, 1, 172 Phaed. p. 64 a), müsse als höchsten Lebenszweck das Sterbenwollen erkennen. Ja, er verlangt (1, 8, 10 ff.) schon von den Jüngern der Philosophie eine solche Gesinnung, die den Leib nur als hindernde Fessel betrachtet, diese abzuwerfen verlangt und nach einer Vereinigung mit der Gottheit, von der wir stammen, sich sehnt. Diese Stelle wie überhaupt der enge Anschluss Epiktets an Sokrates machen es wahrscheinlich, dass jener von der Unsterblichkeit der Seele das Gleiche denkt wie dieser. ¹) - Auch andere Parallelen mit Sokrates liessen sich noch finden, die das Verhältnis des Menschen zu den Aussendingen berühren; so ist z. B. Phaedo p. 64: ,Es ist nicht Sache des Philosophen, sich um sinnliche Vergnügungen zu bemühen, um Speise und Trank oder sinnliche Liebe, und auf Schmuck und Luxusartikel Wert zu legen', ganz im Sinne Epiktets gesprochen.5. Wie Sokrates (Xen. Mem. 1, 4 ; 4, 3) erkennt unser Stoiker Gott und die mit ihm identische waltende Vorsehung aus der(1, 6, 2): Die Zweckmässigkeit der Einrichtungen und Geschehnisse in der Welt, das so komplizierte und doch harmonische Gefüge des Ganzen weist mit aller Notwendigkeit auf einen Schöpfer und Erhalter hin, der alles um des Menschen willen auf Erden so gut und so schön geschaffen, den Menschen selbst aber durch das Gnadengeschenk der Vernunft über die Tierwelt erhaben und zum Herrn der Erde und[32]in gewissem (geistigen) Sinne zum Ebenbild seiner selbst gemacht hat. Sokrates und die Stoa bekennen sich also zum Utilitätsglauben, gegen den im Altertum bekanntlich(213 - 129 v. Chr.) so energisch Front machte, indem er auf die vielen Übel in der Welt hinwies; gegen den unter den neueren Gegnern auchsich wandte (cf. Eckermanns Gespräche mit Goethe, 2. Bd., Gespräch vom 20. Februar 1831).¹) -6. Der Glaube an diese Vorsehung fordert vom Menschen Dankbarkeit, Gehorsam gegen Gott und Ergebung in seinen Willen.a) Wenn Epiktet von der schuldigen Dankbarkeit der Kreatur gegenüber dem Schöpfer redet, findet er die schönsten Töne, die wärmsten Worte, so z. B. 1, 16, 15 ff.: „Welche Rede wäre im Stande, die Wunderwerke der Schöpfung würdig zu preisen und zu nennen? Wahrlich, hätten wir Verstand, nichts anderes müssten wir tun, offen und im geheimen, als Gott lobsingen, mit Andacht nennen, ihm Dank erweisen! Mit dem Spaten, beim Pfluge, beim Mahle, stets sollten wir das Loblied auf die Gottheit singen: ,Gross bvst du, o Gott, der uns diese Werkzeuge gegeben, durch die wir die Erde bebauen sollen. Gross bist du, Gott, der uns die Hände verliehen, die Fähigkeit zu schlingen, zu verdauen, die Kraft unbemerkt zu wachsen und selbst im Schlafe zu atmen.'” Solche Stellen erinnern lebhaft an des Sokrates Mahnungen, der Gottheit für die vielen Wohltaten gebührenden Dank auch durch äussere Verehrung abzustatten (namentlich Xen. Mem. 1, 4), und sicher schwebten Epiktet solche vor Augen.b) Auch den Glauben des Sokrates an die allgegenwärtige, allwissende Gottheit teilt Epiktet (1, 12, 3); hatte Sokrates (Xen. Mem. 1, 1, 19) gesagt: „Die Götter wissen alles, was gesagt und getan und im Stillen gedacht wird, und sind allerorts gegenwärtig,” so mahnt gleicherweise die Stoa (2, 14, 11): ,[33], und Epiktet (1, 14, 13 f.) erinnert: „Wenn ihr die Türen schliesst und drinnen dunkel macht, besinnt euch und sagt nicht: ,Wir sind allein!' denn ihr seid es nicht, vielmehr ist Gott bei euch drinnen und euer Dämon (Genius = das in uns lokalisierte Göttliche). Diese Gewissheit und die blosse Dankbarkeit fordern vom, Gott seine Einsicht, seinen Willen zu unterwerfen (1, 12, 7). Grundfrage aller philosophischen Bildung (1, 12, 8) ist :; im Gehorsam gegen die Götter gipfelt alle Ethik. So hatte auch Sokrates (Xen. mem. 4, 13, 16) durch Wort und Beispiel gelehrt, dass Ehrfurcht vor den Göttern und Sittlichkeit unzertrennlich sind, und dass wir von den Göttern um so mehr Gutes zu erwarten haben, je mehr wir ihnen gefallen d. h. gehorchen.c) Wie Sokrates soll man sich des innigen Zusammenhanges der Menschheit mit der Gottheit bewusst sein. Mit Recht hat jener den Menschen im Hinblick auf seine Gottverwandtschaft einen Weltbürger genannt: sind wir alle Kinder Gottes, so sind wir untereinander Brüder (1, 9, 1; cf. Gic. Tusc. disp. 5, 37 Plutarchp. 600 f.; Muson. bei Stob. flor. 40, 9). ¹) Gott, unser aller Vater, hat uns ferner auf einen bestimmten Posten gestellt, den wir nicht eher verlassen dürfen, als bis er selbst uns ein Zeichen gibt, und Gott müssen wir mehr gehorchen als den Menschen (Plato Apol. 29 c, 28 e; diss. 1, 9, 22 - 24). Darauf gründet Epiktet seine Lehre vom Selbstmord, den er unter der eigentümlichen Bedingung gestattet, dass wir einen deutlichen Wink Gottes verspüren müssen wie Sokrates (1, 29, 29), ²) der[34]auch gewissermassen freiwillig aus dem Leben geschieden ist, insofern er nicht verurteilt worden wäre, wenn er nicht die Richter gereizt hätte, und auch später hätte entfliehen können. Wie hätte aber ein Sokrates die Richter bitten können ! er mnsste sie herausfordern, um seine sittliche Würde voll zu behaupten, und er sagte im Grunde nur die Wahrheit! Seine herrlichen Worte:(Crito p. 43 d) sagen alles, und wir müssen sie ebenso wie die Lapidarsätze: ,Meine Feinde können mir Tod, aber keinen Schaden bringen* (Euch. 52, 3 ; Plato Apol p. 30 c) ¹) und : „Immerdar folge ich der vernünftigen Erwägung” (Crito p. 46 b) ²) uns zu eigen machen. -Seine Gottergebenheit liess Sokrates so heiter und ungebrochen in den Tod gehen ; ³) er sah im Tode nichts Schlimmes (1, 29, 16 f.; 2, 2, 15); er konnte ihm ja nichts anhaben: was er rein erhalten wollte, seine Seele, was er behaupten wollte. Wahrheit und Würde, war von Leib und Tod unabhängig. Mit ihm muss man Tod oder Krankheit4), Schreckgespenster, nennen: Wie eine fürchterliche Maske den Kindern, so ei'scheinen diese Dinge Erwachsenen schrecklich, und doch steckt nichts dahinter, beides sind ganz natürliche Vorgänge; das Gleiche gilt von Verbannung oder Gefängnis oder Marter: sie treffen unsere Seele nicht, haben mit unserem Glücke nichts zu schaffen. Solche Heiterkeit der Seele liess Sokrates im Kerker noch einen Hymnus auf Apollo dichten (2, 6, 26; Plato Phaedo p. 60; L. Diog. 2. 42); mit solcher Gesinnung nimmt man alles Ach und Weh aus dem Leben (1, 4, 23 f.), man wird freudig und willig alle Widerwärtigkeiten des Daseins tragen, an jedem Orte sich wohl fühlen.7. Pflichtgefühl und Frömmigkeit sind eng verwachsen: wie Sokrates müssen wir in treuer Pflichterfüllung die Befolgung[35]göttlichen Gebotes sehen; ¹) insbesondere kann uns der Bürger und der Lehrer Sokrates in dieser Beziehung als Muster dienen. Er tat, was der Staat verlangte, ²) und zog willig in den Krieg, wenn's so kam, und jammerte nicht um die sonnigen Spaziergänge im Lyceum: er sah auch in solcher Notwendigkeit den Willen Gottes (4, 4, 21). Streng blieb er seinem ihm von Gott gestellten Lehrberufe treu und liess sich durch Misserfolge, die die undankbare Aufgabe mit sich brachte, nicht abschrecken (3, 1, 19 ff.): es war ja nicht geschäftige Neugier und Aufdringlichkeit, ³) dass er sich ums sittliche Wohl seiner Mitmenschen bekümmerte, sondern die Pflicht des aussergewöhnlichen, gottbegnadeten Menschen, der mit sich fertig war und es unternehmen konnte und musste, andere zu belehren. Eine Hauptaufgabe sah er darin, den Menschen den Dünkel () zu nehmen, als wüssten sie alles und bedürften keiner Seelsorge (3, 14, 9).8. Auch die ausgeprägteder epiktetischen Ethik darf auf Sokrates 4) unmittelbar zurückgeführt werden, dem er ?, 8, 25 die Worte in den Mund legt: „Wenn mir noch jemand scaden kann, so ist mein Tun umsonst; wenn ich von einem andern noch Nutzen erwarte, bin ich nichts wert: denn ich muss mich doch elend fühlen, wenn ich etwas wünsche und es geht nicht in Erfüllung.” Sich selbst genügen und mit dem von Gott gegebenen sich zufrieden geben, ist die Hauptforderung Epiktets: verlässt uns alles, Gott verlässt uns nicht (3, 26, 27 ff.), und so bleibt uns der herrliche Trost des Sokrates (Plato Apol. 41 d):[36]9. Das rechte Wissen führt den Menschen also schliesslich dazu, nicht auf das Leben selbst. sondern auf das rechte Leben den höchsten Wert zu legen (Plato Crito p. 48; diss. 2, 6. 1:Und dieser Satz führt (cf. Crito p. 49 b) auch zur Gerechtigkeit gegenüber dem Staate und den Mitmenschen und verbietet allzuunrecht Handeln und jede Rache. Unrecht mit Unrecht za vergelten ist schon wider unsere ganze Natur (2, 10, 24 ff); denn der Mensch ist (Plato Sophist. 222 b) ein, (diss. 4, 5, 10). Das Unrecht schadet ja nicht dem, der erleidet, sondern nur dem Übeltäter (4, 5, 10:. Crito 49 b:. Gorgias 14:).10. Im besonderen stellt Epiktet noch sein Vorbild vor Augena) den sittlich noch Schwachen, im Portschritt begriffenen (),b) den Machthabern,c) den rhetorischen Afterphilosophen.ad a) Der sittlich Unfertige soll einerseits nach ihm sein eigenes Benehmen und Tun prüfen und richten, messen und bestimmen (2, 18, 21; 3, 23, 32), andererseits im Kampfe mit sich selbst daran denken, dass auch Sokrates nicht mühelos es zu solcher Grösse gebracht, dass auch er gekämpft und gerungen, dafür ist aber auch ein Sieg über sich selbst, seine Leidenschaft und sündhaften Gedanken so viel wert wie ein Olympischer (?, 18, 20 ff.); mit Sokrates (Xen. Mem. 1, 6, 14; Prot. p. 318): soll er sich freuen, nicht wenn er äussere Güter erworben oder sein technisches Können und theoretisches Wissen vermehrt hat sondern wenn er täglich einen sittlichen Fortschritt an sich bemerkt (3, 5, 14). Auch braucht und kann nicht jeder ein Sokrates werden, ein(1, 2, 30); es genügt für den mit geringerer sittlicher Kraft ausgerüsteten (), wenn er nach Vermögen immer strebend sich bemüht und so einen gewissen Grad moralischer Vollkommenheit erreicht. Ebensowenig ist es möglich, dass jeder die Kraft des Sokrates hat und einen sittlich [37] Ungebildeten zu sich emporzieht und zu bessern vermag: dermuss in solchem Umgang vorsichtig sein; er wird leicht von dem Schlechteren hinabgezogen, da dieser seine schlechte Sache wenigstens mit Überzeugung vertritt, während der gewöhnliche, scheinbar Gebildete seine gute Sache zwar mit den Lippen bekennt, aber mit dem Willen und in der Tat zu matt verficht (3, 16, 5).ad b) Ein Machthaber sollte seinen Untergebenen ein Vorbild wie Sokrates sein und ihnen als Mensch Achtung und Liebe einflössen, dann werden sie ihm willig gehorchen (1, 19, 2 ff.); sls tugendhafter Mensch nur darf er sie richten und regieren, und wie Menschen muss er sie behandeln, nicht wie Tiere oder Sklaven, dann werden sie gerne ihren Willen dem seinen unterwerfen (3, 7, 33 ff.). Epiktet will damit jedenfalls auch auf die Sokratische Weisheit alsüberhaupt hinweisen und den Machthaber mahnen, mit Sokrates sich zu beschäftigen. Sokrates hat bekanntlich gerade mit seiner philosophischen Tätigkeit dem Staate nützen wollen, indem er (Zeller II, ?³ p. 140) „tüchtige Leute zur politischen Wirksamkeit aufforderte, Beamte zum Nachdenken über ihre Obliegenheiten veranlasste (Xen. Mem. 3, 2 - 7) und ihnen zur Verwaltung ihrer Ämter Anleitung gab, und hat diesen politischen Charakter seiner Bestrebungen bezeichnend ausgedrückt, wenn er alle Tugenden in dem Begriff der Herrscherkunst (Mem. 2, J, 17) zusammenfasste”.ad c) Die Scheinphilosophen leben von der Eitelkeit, vom Lob der Menge: sie sollten sich die Bescheidenheit des Sokrates zum Muster nehmen, der nicht Philosoph scheinen, sondern in der Tat sein wollte (4, 8, 23:; 3, 23, 22 f.) und auf das Blendwerk der Redekunst als unwürdige Spielerei verzichtete (3, 23, 25):. Überhaupt liebt es Epiktet, der neuen sophistischen Rhetorik, die es auf den Schein abgesehen hatte, die wahre Philosophie gegenüber zu stellen und so ganz im Geiste des Sokrates zu wirken. So hat Kralik (Sokrates, Wien 1899, p. 598) nicht Unrecht, wenn er Epiktet den neuen kosmopolitischen Sokrates nennt, der gegen eine neue Sophistik auftritt. -In mehrfacher Hinsicht haben wir somit Epiktet als einen Sokratiker kennen gelernt. Damit soll er nicht in Gegensatz zur übrigen Stoa gestellt werden, sondern nur behauptet werden, dass [38] er das Abhängigkeitsverhältnis ¹) mehr als andere betont: hatte die alte Stoa Sokrates als Grundlage betrachtet, auf der sie zu neuer Spekulation fortschreiten konnte, so kehrte Epiktet, aller Spekulation abgeneigt, zur Urquelle zurück, ohne die neugewonnenen stoischen Vorstellungen undirgend zu verleugnen; vielmehr veranlasste ihn sein Stoizismus, zuweilen dieselben auf seinen Helden zu übertragen, so 4, 5, 1 f.: Sokrates mied Streit und ertrug hitzige Naturen; denn er wusste, dass niemand über dasdes anderen Herr sei; er wollte nur(sein Eigen) bewahren, d. h. inmitten der verkehrten Reden und Handlungen anderer sich selbstverhalten; immerhin tat er das Seine, um auch die anderen zu einem naturgemässen Verhalten zu bewegen, der Erfolg aber stand ausser seiner Macht, warAm gewaltigsten imponierte ihm Sokrates vor Gericht, den tiefsten Eindruck erhielt er von dem gefangenen und sterbenden Sokrates; daher hinterlassen auch die betreffenden Schriften Piatos die meisten Spuren in seinen Diatriben. Persönlich aber steht er dem Sokrates am nächsten als Morallehrer: Wenn er 2, 26, 4 ff. die Bedeutung und Macht des Menschen preist, der Dank seiner Redegewalt () und seiner Gabeim stande sei, andere von ihrer Sündhaftigkeit zu überzeugen, auf den Quell und Ursprung ihrer Sünden, auf den Widerstreit (), in dem sie sich mit ihrer wahren Natur befinden, hinzuweisen, ihnen ihr bisheriges, vermeintlich korrektes Tun als Irrtum und Wahn zu enthüllen und so zur Besserung und zu sittlichem Handeln () zu bewegen ; und wenn er als solch ausserordentlichen Menschen Sokrates bezeichnet, so hat er damit niemand besser charakterisiert als sich selbst: auch er war ein Meister der protreptischen Rede, und der Eindruck seiner Worte ist sehr wohl mit der Wirkung der sokratischen Rede, wie sie[39]Alkibiades in Platos Symposion so trefflich schildert, zu vergleichen. Arrian bezeugt von seinen Vorträgen, sie hätten ihren Zweck erreicht, die Gesinnung der Hörer zum Besseren zu lenken (diss. praef.), und Simplicius, der Kommentator des Handbüchleins, der ca. 500 p. Chr. lebte, nennt sie (praef. 7) so wirkungsvoll, dass, wer von ihnen nicht ergriffen wird, nur vom Gericht der Unterwelt gebessert werden kann. Und heute noch, nach achtzehnhundert Jahren, kann man sich bei der Lektüre der Diatriben dem tiefen Eindruck nicht entziehen, den die schlichte Grösse der Gedanken, die kraftvolle, wuchtige Sprache, der grosse Zug und ideale Schwung des Ganzen hervorbringt: der Sklave von Hieropolis hält noch heute die Seelen im Banne! -[40] zum Anfang/Ende Kap. 5. Diogenes im besonderen gilt Epiktet als der rücksichtslose, alle sozialen Fesseln abwerfende, ganz seinem Missionarberufe lebende, sittlich freie und vollkommene Mensch, der um so energischer wirken konnte, je weniger er an Haus, Familie und Staat gebunden war. Seinem Wirken hat er den Begriff des Kynikers entnommen, den man mutatis mutandis wohl als das heidnische Urbild des christlichen Priesters und Missionars betrachten kann. ¹) Im Vergleich mit dem historischen Diogenes hat er sein Vorbild allerdings stark idealisiert (cf. Bonhöffer I p. V.); doch ist sein Diogenes deshalb noch kein Phantasiebild; Anführungen seiner eigenen Handlungen und Worte geben immer wieder den historischen Rückhalt. Was man ihm Schlechtes nachgesagt hat, das dünkt Epiktet wohl eben so erlogen, wie das (griechText n45) und (griechText n45) das Aristophanes in den ,Wolken' dem Sokrates angedichtet hat (4, 11, 20 f.): es liebt eben „die Welt das Strahlende zu schwärzen und das Erhabene in den Staub zu zieh'n”. Diogenes, der wahre Kyniker, hat in der Tat bewiesen, das Bedürfnislosigkeit und Abhärtung, Ascese, Quell und Bürge echten Glückes sind (3, 22, 47: (griechText n45) ): Das macht ihn frei von Schmerz und Furcht und Begierde, lässt ihn mit Gott und den Menschen in Frieden leben, verleiht ihm ständige Heiterkeit und macht ihn (moralisch) zum Herrn selbst über die Machthaber (3, 22, 48 ff.); er ist der wahre Herrscher, ²) so dass man sagen kann: er hat sich erniedrigt und ist erhöht worden. Trotz seiner äusseren Unfreiheit imponiert er den Seeräubern, flösst seinem ¹) Ähnlich, wie schon Justus Lipsius (/manuductio ad Stoicam philosophiam 1, 13) die Kyniker mit den Kapuzinern verglich, und wie auch Wilamowitz den Kyniker Teles (philol. Unters. IV, 292 ff.), den Wanderprediger, den ältesten kenntlichen Vorfahrendes geistlichen Redners nennt; dagegen wendet sich allerdings Säpfle? (Archiv f. G. d. Philos. IV. p. 418 ff.) und meint, diese Bedeutung komme mit mehr Recht dem geistreichsten aller Kyniker, dem ernsten Krates zu. ²) Dlog. L. 6, 29: Als Diogenes verkauft werden sollte, antwortete er auf die Frage, welche Arbeit er verstehe: Männer zu beherrschen. (griechText n47) (griechText n47) ¹) (griechText n47) (D. Laert. 6, 17). ²) Die Kyniker wechseln in ihren Idealen: früher war Odysseus das mythologische, Antisthenes (neben Sokrates) das philosophische Vorbild; später tritt Herakles einerseits, Diogenes und Krates andrerseits (cf. kynische Briefe) in den Vordergrund. Odysseus wird von Epiktet (1, 12, 3) als fromm und gläulig (3, 24, 13) als vielgeprüfter, weitgereister Mann, (3, 26, 32) als standhaft im Unglück, einmal mit Sokrates, zweimal mit Herakles (cf. ausserdem fr. 174 Schwgh.), also als Ideal erwähnt. Krates, dessen philosophische Gattin 3. 22. 7. mit Bewunderung ein zweiter Krates genannt wird, wird weiter nicht angeführt. [41]Herrn Respekt ein, der ihn zu Korinth kaufte und gewissermassen Sklave des Sklaven wurde, und nötigt Philipp und Alexander Bewundemng ab.Die Tatsache, dass Diogenes nach der Schlacht bei Chäronea zu Philipp als Kundschafter kam (cf. L. Diog. 6, 43), wird von Epiktet seiner Gewohnheit gemäss wieder ethisch verwendet (3, 22, 24; 1, 24, 6 ff.): er kundschaftete überhaupt das Terrain des Lebens aus und rekognoscierte furchtlos, was den Menschen feindlich und freundlich gesinnt ist, und fand, dass alles in Wahrheit voll Friede sei; niemand konnte ihn ja verletzen, vor nichts ergriff er die Flucht. Was die Menschen für feindliche Mächte halten, ist Täuschung: der Tod, sagt Diogenes, ist weder Übel noch Schande; guter und schlechter Ruf ist nur das Gerede wahnsinniger Menschen, und in ähnlicher Weise urteilt er über Mühsal, Lust und Armut.Und mit der Kraft und Schönheit seines Körpers, der die Augen der Menge auf sich zog (L. Diog. 6, 81), hat er bewiesen, dass das strenge Leben unter freiem Himmel nicht nur nicht schadet, sondern für Leib und Seele gesünder ist als die Verweichlichung beim Besitze äusserer Güter (3, 22, 88).Wie die sorglose Heiterkeit des gerichteten Sokrates bewundert Epiktet die männliche Haltung des am Fieber erkrankten, an der Strasse nach Olympia liegenden Diogenes (cf. Hieronym. adv. Jov. 2, 14); beide Männer hatten gelernt, nicht nur zu leiden, ohne zu klagen, vielmehr mit Freuden zu leiden; sie hatten eben den Begriff des Leides bei sich ganz aufgehoben! „Wie hätte auch ein Mann wie Diogenes,” sagt. Epiktet 3, 22, 59, „auf Gott schelten können, als leide er Unverdientes! er, der doch in schweren, harten Lagen sich gefiel,” er, der (4, 1, 30) als einziges Mittel, für gewisse Fälle der Not seine äussere und innere Freiheit zu retten, das Sterben mit Freuden, ohne Widerstreben empfiehlt.Aber nicht nur eiserne Willenskraft, auch Esprit, schlagenden, beissenden Witz besass Diogenes, der ihm nie versagte und in manchen Situationen die Lacher und damit den Erfolg auf seine Seite brachte, so Alexander, so einem vorlauten Menschen gegenüber (3, 22, 91); dieser hatte ihn gefragt: „Bist Du Diogenes, der an keine Götter glaubt?” worauf Diogenes erwidert: „Wieso, wenn ich Dich doch für einen gottverhassten Menschen halte?” Seine geistige Kraft zeigte er auch mit seiner Menschenkenntnis, [42] die ihn die gute oder schlechte Gesinnung eines Menschen sofort erkennen liess. Diese Unterscheidungsgabe fordert er auch von anderen und verwirft deshalb die Empfehlungsschreiben (2, 3.) So überführte er auch einen Scheinphilosophen seiner sittlichen Schwäche, indem er durch Ausstrecken des Mittelfingers (einem äusseren Zeichen der Verachtung bei den Alten) den Mann in rasende Wut versetzte.Seine moralische Freiheit, gesteht Diogenes selbst, verdankt er(3, 24, 67 f.), der ihn als ebenbürtigen Tugendgenossen seiner Freundschaft würdigte (3, 22, 63) (wie später Diogenes wieder den Krates), und der ihn lehrte, was sein Eigen und was nicht, dass nur diedas Gut sei, das dem Menschen nicht entrissen werden könne, dass alles andere, Besitz, Angehörige, Verwandte, Freunde, guter Ruf, geliebte Orte, gewohnte Beschäftigung, ein fremdes, uns nur geliehenes, dem Wechsel und der Veränderung unterworfenes Gut sei.Ausser in dieser Verbindung mit Diogenes erwähnt Epiktet den Antisthenes namentlich noch dreimal: Er habe von Sokrates die Schätzung der Begriffsentwicklung, die ihm als Anfang aller Bildung gelte, übernommen und darüber geschrieben; ¹) beiden Männern seien darin dann die Häupter der Stoa gefolgt (1, 17, 12) 2, 17, 35 bemerkt er, Antisthenes' Stil sei eigenartig gewesen und wie der Platos oder Xenophons von kleinlichen Gelehrten, die sonst nichts Besseres zu tun hatten, nachgeahmt worden. Endlich wird von ihm (4, 6, 20) noch der schöne Satz angeführt: „Königlich ist es, Gutes zu tun, Schlimmes zu erfahren” (), Worte, die auch M. Aurel 7, 36 zitiert.Die Person des Antisthenes, ²) sieht man, tritt bei Epiktet nicht hervor; der grössere Schüler hat als Mensch den grossen Meister ganz verdunkelt. -[43] zum Anfang/Ende Kap. 6. Durch Diogenes war Epiktet noch auf ein anderes Idealbild hingewiesen, das weit in die graue Vorzeit zurückreicht: Herakles, Dieses Vorbild stammt eben aus der kynischen Schule. Zeller sagt davon II, 1³ p. 261: „Die Mühe und Arbeit, wovor sich die meisten fürchten, ist nach Ansicht der Kyniker ein Gut, weil sie allein dem Menschen die Tüchtigkeit verschafft, durch die er unabhängig wird (L. Diog. 6, 2); und eben deshalb ist Herakles (von dem auch ein Tempel neben dem Kjmosarges stand) der Schutzheilige und das Vorbild der Kyniker, weil kein anderer ein so arbeitsvolles und mühseliges Leben mit soviel Mut und Stärke zum Besten der Menschheit durchgekämpft hat.” Diogenes sagt selbst (L. Diog. 6, 71) von sich: (griechText n48) und bekennt sich damit offen zur Nachfolge des Halbgotts. So ist es ganz natürlich, wenn auch Epiktet, der wieder Diogenes (neben Sokrates) zu seinem Vorbilde erkoren hatte, Herakles nicht mit Stillschweigen übergeht; andererseits wird überhaupt in der Stoa mit der Verehrung des Diogenes auch der Kult dieses Heros mit manchem anderem teueren Erbstück und Requisit der kynischen Diatribe übernommen worden sein. Ob Epiktet an seine Existenz geglaubt oder in ihm nur eine mythologische Figur der Göttersage gesehen hat, muss dahin gestellt bleiben; er hat ihn wohl, wie auch den Theseus, als Repräsentanten der Helden und Kulturpioniere betrachtet, die für die erwachende Kultur mit rückständiger Roheit gekämpft haben. Der Zweck seiner wiederholten Erwähnung ist rein ethisch: Herakles ist wieder ein klassisches Beispiel dafür, dass der Mensch nur durch Mühsal gross wird, nur ,per aspera ad astra', zu den Sternen eingeht, dass (griechText n48) - So will 1, 6, 22 ff. Epiktet an Herakles nachweisen, dass auch die Übel des Lebens für den Menschen ihr Gutes haben, ja geradezu notwendig seien, da sie seine Kraft stählten, ihn nicht rasten und rosten liessen; Herakles ist erst im Kampf mit roher Gewalt und Ungerechtigkeit zum Herakles geworden, hat im Aufblick zu Gott solche Taten vollbracht und im Vollgefühle seiner [44] durch Müh und Arbeit gestählten Kraft sich für Gottes Sohn gehalten, der er auch tatsächlich war ¹) (2, 16, 44 f.). Wie Herakles den Ungeheuern, so sollen wir mutig den Übeln des Lebens begegnen (4, 10, 10) und im Vertrauen auf Gott und getreu seinen Geboten die Hauptübel endlich aus der eigenen Brust vertreiben! Auch Herakles hat ganz seiner Mission gelebt, Frevel getilgt und Recht und Gesetz eingeführt (in diesem Sinne erwähnt Epiktet 2, 16, 45 auch Theseus) und von der Erfüllung seiner höheren Pflicht sich durch nichts, weder durch Freunde noch durch seine Familie, abhalten lassen; er liess ja die Kinder nicht als Waisen zurück, sondern in der besten Hut, im Schutze Gottes, des fürsorglichen Vaters aller; dieses unbegrenzte Gottvertrauen liess ihn so grosse Kulturtaten vollführen und überall, auch in der Fremde glücklich sein (3, 24, 13 ff.). Zeus hat ihm, dem eigenen Sohne, nicht die Königsherrschaft von Argos und Mykenä gegeben, sondern liess ihn Diener des Königs Eurystheus sein und schwere Arbeit verrichten; und doch war Eurystheus, der König, nicht einmal Herr über sich selbst, Herakles aber gebot durch seine Kraft über Land und Meer (3, 26, 31 f.): so müssen auch wir uns in den Willen des Allmächtigen schicken; er will unser Bestes selbst in der härtesten Prüfung; je grösser die Mühe und Gefahr, desto grösser der sittliche Gewinn (4, 10, 11); Feigheit und Furcht dürfen wir wie Herakles nicht kennen ; im äussersten Fall nimmt Gott uns zu sich. - ¹) Zahn (a. a. O. p. 18) hat gemeint, dass Epiktet wie in anderem so in dieser seiner Auffassung” des Herakles von christlichen Ideen beeinflusst gewesen sei: „Das ist nicht mehr der altbekannte Herakles am Scheidewege, der Jüngling, der den Weg der Tugend wählt. Das ist der Gottes- und Menschensohn, der die Welt von der Sünde befreit und als Erlöser beherrscht. Und was ist das anders, als ein Echo des Evangeliums in der Seele eines Heiden?” Dagegen hat K. Vorländer (christliche Gedanken eines heidnischen Philosophen. Preuss. Jahrb., 89 Bd. 1897, p. 212) mit Recht bemerkt, das Ideal des Weisen in gewissen historischen oder mythologischen Gestalten (Sokrates, Diogenes, Herakles) zu verkörpern, ist nichts spezifisch Christliches; eine solche Idealisierung derselben war vielmehr längst in der Stoa gebräuchlich; die Gottessohnschaft, das Leben voll Entbehrungen für ihn selbst und Wohltaten für die Menschheit sind zwar parallele Züge zwischen Herakles und Christus, aber gehören doch dem altherkömmlichen Heraklesideal erb- und eigentümlich zu; andererseits hat Epiktet gerade für ein Gegenbild sehr geeignete Züge nicht berücksichtigt und genug ganz menschliche Eigenschaften von ihm erwähnt und, möchte ich hinzufügen, für solche Absicht viel zu selten ihn angeführt. - [45] zum Anfang/Ende Kap. 7. Nicht alle Ideale musste Epiktet der Vergangenheit entnehmen, auch die eigene und kurz vorausliegende Zeit bot ihm Männer, an deren sittlichem Charakter er sich erbauen konnte: es sind die bekannten politischen Oppositionsmänner, der Stoa angehörig, deren starres, unbeugsames Festhalten an den politischen Freiheiten des Römervolks, deren republikanische Gesinnung den späteren julischen und den flavischen Kaisern soviel zu schaffen machte; es sind Pätus Thrasea, Agrippinus, der Kyniker Demetrius, Lateranus, die unter Nero, und Helvidius Priskus, der unter Vespasian offen dem Kaiser opponierte. Epiktet feiert sie mit der Stoa als politische Märtyrer, die bei der allgemeinen Korruption, als alles unter despotischer Willkür seufzte und kroch, allein lauten Protest erhoben und mit herrlichem Bekennermute für die sittlichen Güter der Menschheit eingetreten sind und freudig für ihre Überzeugung den Tod erlitten haben. Epiktet ist seiner ganzen Gesinnung nach Anhänger der libera respublica, das fühlt man aus allem heraus; ein tiefer Groll über die herrschenden Zustände, über die Tyrannis, ein herber Pessimismus zieht sich durch seine Reden, der zuweilen in heftigen Vorwürfen und bitteren Anklagen gegen die korrupte höhere Beamtenschaft sich entlädt, die ihr Amt nur der Bestechung und servilem Schmeicheln, nicht aber ihrer Tüchtigkeit verdanke (cf. 3, 7, 31); und von geringer Cäsarenfreundlichkeit zeugt es, wenn er (4, 1, 60) sagt, niemand fürchte den Kaiser, sondern nur die Strafen, die er verhängen kann, niemand liebe den Kaiser, wenn er nicht persönlich viel wert sei, sondern nur die Amter und Güter, die er verleihen kann. So bildet seine politische Unzufriedenheit einen schreienden Kontrast zu seinem sonstigen Optimismus, und es besteht kein Zweifel, dass der Mann, der (1, 1, 23 f.) sagt: „Mein Geheimnis lasse ich mir nicht entreissen, und wenn ich sterben sollte”, und der (1, 2, 29) lieber seinen Kopf verlieren will als seines Bartes, des äusseren Zeichens seiner Männlichkeit und seiner philosophischen Würde, beraubt werden, dass Epiktet gegebenen Falles ebenso standhaft und mutig dem Tode [46] entgegengesehen hätte wie seine politischen Vorbilder. Doch es kamen mildere Zeiten : die zwei Mächte, die sich so lange und so grimmig befehdet, die ideale und die reale Macht, Philosophie und Cäsarentum, fingen damals an, einander sich zu nähern, bis schliesslich ein Mann beide Würden sogar in sich vereinte. (griechText n52) (griechText n52) (griechText n52) (griechText n52) ¹) Die Parole: zurück zur Natur! verleitete die Kyniker, die äusseren Errungenschaften der Kultur und ihren Wert zu unterschätzen. (griechText n55) ¹) Auffallend ist der häufige Gebrauch des Potentialis bei Behauptungen, die Ton und Nachdruck haben und ethische Forderungen enthalten. ²) All das geht auf den sermo Bioneus zurück, der in der stoisch-kynischen Diatribe längst heimisch geworden war, und von Teles, Horaz, Seneka, Plutarch, Muson, Epiktet und anderen teils mit Absicht, teils unbewusst nachgeahmt wird. Cf. Weber, de Senecae philosophi dicendi genere Bioneo, Marburg 1895. (griechText n56) (griechText n56) (griechText n56) (griechText n56) (griechText n56) (griechText n56) (griechText n56) (griechText n56) (griechText n56) (griechText n56) (griechText n56) (griechText n56) (griechText n57) (griechText n57) Merkwürdigerweise hat sich gerade Epiktets Meister, Musonius Rufus, von der politischen Schroffheit der meisten seiner philosophischen Schulkollegen nicht anstecken lassen: er blieb massvoll; sein praktisches Römertum siegte über philosophisch-idealistische Utopien. Zwar entging auch er unter Nero der Verbannung nicht, aus der ihn dann wohl Galba zurücklief; aber Vespasian schonte ihn und auch Domilian scheint ihn, vorausgesetzt, dass er damals noch lebte, ausgenommen zu haben.Abgesehen von der Verschiedenheit politischer Schattierung besteht auch sonst zwischen Muson und seinem grossen Schüler ein gewisser, Jeder ist in der Verarbeitung und Verwertung des Stoffes, den ihnen die alte Stoa gab, in seiner Art selbständig und originell: Muson behält einen patriarchalischen, konservativen, gut bürgerlichen Zug bei, Epiktet ist radikaler, schärfer. Hatte Muson wieder auf Sokrates unmittelbar zurückgegriffen, so betont Epiktet noch lebhafter, was man diesem und Diogenes verdanke. Und wie schon aus den Lemmaten Musons bei Stobäus hervorgeht, liebte es Muson, sozial-nationale Themen zu erörtern, wie die Frauenfrage, die Forderungen der Ehe und Erziehung, während Epiktet diesen Fragen im ganzen kühler gegenübersteht und allgemeine, religiös-moralische Betrachtungen vorzieht. Ja, man ist versucht, Musons Ausführungen lehrreich für Frauen und Ehemänner und solche, die es werden wollen, Epiktets Reden geeignet speziell für künftige Lehrer der Philosophie zu nennen.Im besonderen tritt Muson für geistige Gleichberechtigung der Frau, für gleiche Erziehung und Bildung derselben mit dem Manne ein und ist so in seiner Art ein begeisterter: auch die Frau müsse philosophieren, um all ihre Pflichten als Hausfrau, Gattin und Mutter mit Bewusstsein voll erfüllen zu können. Doch was ist Muson die Philosophie? Nicht das unfruchtbare Theoretisieren, sondern nur das Nachdenken über seine allgemeinen und besonderen Pflichten und die praktische Ausübung derselben.[47]Philosophie deckt sich mit Lebensweisheit (), und Philosophin ist die vernünftige, gebildete Frau. Daher verwahrt er sich nachdrücklichst dagegen, als ob die Frauen durchs Philosophieren Blaustrümpfe würden, im Gegenteil! Durchs Philosophieren würden sie erst die richtigen Frauen. Durch die Vernunft, führt Muson ecl. 2, 31, 126 aus, ist die Frau dem Mann auf logischem Gebiet, durch die Empfindungen und den Leib auf physischem, durch ihre natürliche Neigung zur Tugend auf ethischem Gebiet ebenbürtig; ihre allgemeine sittliche Aufgabe ist wie die des Mannes, sittlich schön () zu leben, ihre Pflichten im besonderen bestehen zunächst darin, die Hausvirtschaft verständig zu führen, was sehr wohl ins Gebiet der Philosophie einschlägt wie jede Pflicht im Leben, dann besonnen, nebenbei bemerkt, der Lieblingsausdruck Musons für das Weise- und Gutsein) und massvoll zu sein d. h. keine unreine Liebe, Begierde und Lust zu empfinden, nicht auf Streit, Üppigkeit und Putz bedacht zu sein; drittens rechtlich, billig gesinnt zu sein, um eine untadlige Lebensgefährtin, gleichgesinnte Gelülfin, gewissenhafte Pflegerin für Mann und Kinder und von allem Egoismus frei zu sein, so dass sie lieber unrecht leidet als tut, ihre Kinder mehr liebt als ihr Leben! endlich muss sie doch mannhafter Art und Gesinnung sein, d. h. den Tod nicht fürchten, Mühsal willig tragen, immer selbsttätig und arbeitsam sein.Damit haben wir zugleich eine Quintessenz der Musonischen Ethik gegeben, zu der noch ergänzend die Forderung körpericher Abhärtung, strenger Mässigkeit tritt; auch hier gibt er detaillierte Vorschriften über Kleidung, Nahrung, Wohnung und Gerätschaften, erklärtund Schuhe für entbehrlich, empfiehlt rein vegetarische Kost, da der Genuss des Fleisches (fl. 17, 42) tierisch und zu schwer, dem Denken hinderlich sei, und verwirft Gold und Silber bei den Geräten, wofür Eisen und Ton zu verwenden sei. ¹)Derartiges finden wir nun bei Epiktet nicht näher ausgeführt; doch folgt er persönlich der kynischen Einfachheit, begnügt sich mit einem eisernen und, als ihm dieser entwendet wurde, mit einem irdenen Leuchter und hatte sicher auch sonst keinerlei[48]Komfort, obgleich es ihm an vornehmen, vermöglichen Schülern und damit an freigebigen Anerbietungen wohl nicht gefehlt hat auch rät er ja bei jeder Gelegenheit Bedürfnislosigkeit und Enthaltsamkeit an; zu eingehenderen, diesbezüglichen Mahnungen aber bot das üppige Rom direkteren Anlass als das simple Provinzstädtchen.Auch dass Epiktet das soziale Moment weniger herauskehrt lässt sich leicht aus der verschiedenen Persönlichkeit, bürgerlichen Stellung und Nationalität beider Männer erklären: Muson ist Römer, Ritter, Gatte und Vater, Epiktet Grieche, Sklave und - Junggeselle. Als Römer und Grossstädter schwärmt Muson auch fürs Landleben und hält für den glückseligsten Beruf, Bauer und Philosoph zugleich zu sein; für Epiktet, den Krüppel und besitzlosen Sklaven und Freigelassenen, war auch zu dieser Schwärmerei kein Anlass gegeben.Doch diese Unterschiede gehen nicht tiefer; im ganzen zeigen die Bruchstücke Musonischer Philosophie nicht nur in der allgemeinen ethischen Färbung, sondern auch in einzelnen Nuancen grosse Übereinstimmung mit den Diatriben Epiktets, so in der Betonung des sokratischen und kynischen Elements und in der Hervorhebung der Pflichten; Strenge gegen sich selbst und Milde gegen die Mitmenschen fordert Epiktet ebenso laut wie Muson und beider Philosophien durchweht ein sanfter Zug; von der berüchtigten Kälte und Schroffheit der alten Stoa ist kein Hauch zu spüren, und was dort mehr Sache des Verstandes gewesen, ist jetzt mehr Angelegenheit des Herzens geworden, eine solche Wärme strömt uns aus den Worten beider Ethiker entgegen; der s	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Jim Gaffigan (Away We Go, 17 Again, Mr. Universe, Obsessed) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. Jim joins the armchair expert to discusses his desire to revolt against expectations, his relationship to religion and his experience growing up in the midwest. Jim laments over being offered grandpa roles and Dax talks about the dangers of elitism. The two talk about challenging the audience, why certain people can avoid scandal and whether their children will have addictive personalities.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
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On the morning of March 31st, opposition leader Nikol Pashinyan and a group of his closest confederates set off on foot from Yerevan on what would become, over the next several weeks, the largest and most successful application of popular civil disobedience in Armenian history. In launching a peaceful transition of power through direct action, the velvet revolutionaries set an unwitting precedent. Various groups across Armenia took note and applied these tactics to voice their own grievances against a medley of targets, ranging from the valiantly just to the downright obscure (and even, absurd). One-by-one, peaceful demonstrations have popped up like Armenia’s very own Velvet Sprint. Critics of Taron Margaryan, Yerevan’s notoriously inept and corrupt mayor, occupied the City Hall in an attempt to garner his resignation. Supporters of the fringe militant group Sasna Tsrer—whose members had been imprisoned following their violent take-over of a police station two summers ago—began setting up their own roadblocks to demand the immediate release of those they deemed political prisoners. Even a local mob boss in Etchmiadzin recently attempted to cash in on the trend (a maneuver, which hilariously backfired when the Security Services arrested both him and the corrupt rival against whom he was protesting). The appropriation of the Velvet Revolution’s own tactics and slogans did not bode well with Prime Minister Pashinyan. In a Facebook post, he declared: “It’s unacceptable that criminal elements are desecrating symbols of our revolution of love and solidarity, and exploiting the revolution in mafia wars.” But the most recent episode of direct action in Armenia is particularly noteworthy. Environmental activists based out of Yerevan have stepped up their campaign against the construction of a gold mine near the resort-town of Jermuk. This project, managed by the Canadian energy company Lydian International, has been denounced from its inception by environmental groups citing concerns with environmental pollution, damage to Lake Sevan’s ecosystem as well as a general opposition to mining. The activists argue that direct action against mining operations is justified because they have a moral obligation to ensure that future generations of Armenians would inherit a country whose rivers, arable land, and air aren’t contaminated with heavy metals. The Lydian mine has been turned into their cause célèbre. Such concerns are not unjustified. As Alen Amirkhanian, director of the American University of Armenia’s Agopian Center for the Environment, recalls, a history of poor environmental protection policy implementation, regulatory oversight and corruption has allowed for government-connected mining projects to wreak havoc on the country’s environment. Lydian has, on numerous occasions, responded to these concerns by citing a number of independently-conducted environmental impact studies demonstrating the extent to which the mining firm had gone in order to comply with the strictest international environmental, safety, and labour standards. They argue that this mine would represent the gold standard (pun intended) of mining in Armenia. These findings were separately confirmed by the European Bank of Development (EBRD) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), which both require extremely high levels of environmental compliance in order to finance projects. Unfazed by these reports, environmentalists have resorted to more direct tactics. Over the last several weeks, activists have taken time off from their non-profit jobs in Yerevan to bus 200 km (about 124 miles) down to the chronically impoverished Vayots Dzor region and physically block work on the mine. These actions, which caused the mine an estimated 5$ million in damages, were harshly condemned by Pashinyan, who instructed activists to respect the rule of law and wait for the results of a promised government inquiry into the mining activities’ environmental impact. For many of these activists, Pashinyan’s apparent solidarity with the mining company was interpreted as a stinging betrayal. The environmentalists, many of whom were veterans of the Velvet Revolution, called out the Prime Minister for what they saw as hypocrisy. By what right could he topple a corrupt and illegitimate government through civil disobedience yet deny the same recourse to those fighting corrupt and illegitimate mining contracts? Can Thomas Jefferson’s words: “When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty,” not be interpreted in both cases? Indeed, civil disobedience has always been an ethically controversial political tool. Henry David Thoreau, who literally wrote the book on civil disobedience, long argued that citizens had a moral obligation to disobey laws deemed incompatible with justice. The issue with this line of thought should be obvious: Justice is in the eye of the beholder. And this moral ambiguity has been used to legitimize all sorts of actions across the centuries, ranging from peaceful boycotts to terrorist acts against both real and perceived oppressors. Another way to put it is in terms of available legitimate outlets for expressing dissenting opinions. One could argue that the acts of civil disobedience witnessed during the Velvet Revolution constituted an appropriate response to a government which actively facilitates injustices such as corruption, impunity towards the law and so forth. The fact that the electoral system was designed to prop up the ruling party, rather than serve as a platform for popular expression left civil disobedience as the only viable recourse. Reports by countless international observation missions lend credence to the accusation that the Armenian government was not simply unjust but acted primarily as a vehicle for corruption and injustice. In this sense, the Velvet Revolution was a morally justifiable challenge to the State order due to its popular backing, a lack of genuine opposition by supporters of the regime, and legitimation through consensus of non-acting observers. In Thoreau’s view, “All men recognise the right of revolution; that is, the right to refuse allegiance to, and to resist, the government when its tyranny or its inefficiency are great and unendurable.” The case for the Amsular protesters seems much murkier. The majority of protesters and their sympathisers come from NGO backgrounds, are based in Yerevan, and do not seem to possess an intimate knowledge of the engineering or environmental challenges at hand, other than a rather dogmatic notion that mining is harmful. They also face the opposition of the local people who risk losing well-paying, long-term jobs. And perhaps most strikingly, they offer no viable alternative for sustainable development in the region. Organic honey production and cruelty-free farmers’ markets may sound really nice on a capacity-building grant proposal, but may not be as sustainable in the real world. Environmentalists’ target is not an authoritarian government, but a publicly traded corporation, which has legally purchased the mining rights to the mountain, conducted every environmental sustainability study available, earmarked $450 million in investments into the area (one of the largest single investments in Armenian history), has paid over $3.5 million in taxes to the State coffers and created 1500 jobs in a region which struggled with chronic unemployment for a quarter of a century. Crucially, unlike the people who toppled the Sarkisian government, the Amsular protesters do have recourse to a popularly legitimized government, which they themselves helped install. This government has heard their concerns and offered a sensible compromise. Members of a vibrant civil society have a responsibility to maintain a healthy dose of skepticism towards government. It’s encouraging to see so many Armenians engaged in protecting the country’s environment and natural resources. Environmentalism is effective when employed to hold involved parties accountable, and propose sensible policy directives; the danger is when it turns into evangelistic dogma. It would be much more productive for activists to try to work with the government, with the companies to ensure that they comply with regulations; than to throw blanket attacks against the entire industry as a whole. Economic development and environmental conservation do not need to be mutually exclusive constructs. Not all mines are created equal. Some deserve our condemnation. But by condemning the ones doing things right, are we overdoing it? Editor’s Note 07/04/2018: An earlier version of this article misplaced a quote from Nikol Pashinyan’s facebook post. It has been correctly replaced to ensure continuity. Editor’s Note 07/11/2018: An earlier version of this article contained a incorrectly directed link. This was fixed to point to the approrpiate study.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Former U.S. Attorney Joseph diGenova blasted FBI Director James Comey’s decision not to recommend charges against Hillary Clinton in light of a new report indicating the rank and file at the nation’s top law enforcement agency wanted to pursue prosecution. “Comey’s a dirty cop,” diGenova said Thursday on “The Laura Ingraham Show,” “And If there’s one thing a prosecutor hates worse than a criminal, it’s a dirty cop … He threw this case. He did it for political reasons. He lied publicly about the quality of the case. He lied publicly about the law. He lied publicly about the ability to get documents when he could have used the grand jury and he didn’t.” “[Comey] has destroyed his credibility. He has done horrific damage to the FBI as an institution.” More from LifeZette TV MORE NEWS: Biden Tells Republicans Don’t Confirm President’s SCOTUS Nomination Comey held an infamous news conference on July 5 at which he announced numerous wrongdoings by Clinton. But at the end of his remarks, Comey said the FBI would not recommend charges against the Democratic presidential candidate. DiGenova said the GOP-led Congress should pass a resolution that it has no confidence in Comey when it reconvenes during a likely lame-duck session after the Nov. 8 election. Do you agree that protesting is acceptable, but rioting is not? Yes No Email Address (required) By completing the poll, you agree to receive emails from LifeZette and that you've read and agree to our privacy policy and legal statement Results Vote DiGenova compared Comey to L. Patrick Gray, the FBI acting director who threw evidence into the Potomac River during the Watergate investigation. [lz_radio_ad] DiGenova said Comey comes across as arrogant and indignant when questioned. MORE NEWS: Ep 48 \| Assassination Attempt On President Goes Uncovered, Schools Opt for Silent Lunches “Comey, like everything else, is all about Comey,” said diGenova. “Comey wants something from Hillary Clinton … He’s never going to get it, whatever it is. He has destroyed his credibility. He has done horrific damage to the FBI as an institution.” LifeZette Editor-in-Chief Laura Ingraham and diGenova both wondered why Comey authorized the destruction of Clinton’s computers after the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s private server ended. “If this were a Republican, the press would be going crazy about obstruction of injustice,” said diGenova. DiGenova’s comments come after Fox News reported that no Justice Department trial-level attorney and no FBI agent working on the Clinton email case agreed with Comey’s decision not to ask for federal charges. The FBI didn’t even ask for Clinton’s security clearance to be pulled. “What started yesterday with the Fox News story is only the beginning,” said diGenova. DiGenova said his law firm will represent any FBI agent who comes forward and wants to testify before Congress about Comey’s investigation. [lz_related_box id=”223943″] On the presidential race, diGenova said the “Never Trump” faction should realize there are only two choices in the election: Trump or Clinton. He bashed the Bush family for failing to honor Jeb Bush’s pledge to support the nominee. “This is a binary choice,” said diGenova. “It’s her and the ruination of the Supreme Court and the federal prosecutorial function, or Donald Trump and the hope we can do better than him.” DiGenova said Trump may be an “imperfect vessel, but he’s the vessel.” Under President Obama, the IRS and the Justice Department were weaponized by the government against the people, he said. “[Clinton] will preside over the most corrupt administration since the Teapot Dome scandal,” said diGenova. “This is about the future of the country.”	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
A lounge chair designed by Australian industrial designer Marc Newson set a record Tuesday when it sold for $3.7 million at an auction at Phillips in London, Curbed reports. It was the most ever paid for a piece by a living designer, Phillips said. Apple hired Newson to join Jony Ive's design team in September 2014. Newson and Ive are good friends and have collaborated on design projects, including special edition Apple EarPods, a Leica camera, and a red Mac Pro. The "Lockheed Lounge" is essentially a couch made of aluminum and fiberglass, though Newson told the BBC it was "not really meant to be comfortable." Newson created a set of 15 lounges in 1990, and their sales have since set multiple auction records. rklopfer / Flickr The Lockheed Lounge is also famous for its appearance in Madonna's 1993 music video for "Rain." Newson's past work has included everything from luxury cars and speedboats to Japanese swords and a concept jetpack.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
While three bills that could have reined in the runaway gerrymandering in Virginia made it through the Virginia Senate to crossover, they died on Tuesday morning in a House subcommittee, despite some vocal Republican support. In Virginia, Democrats have won every statewide election since 2010, and notably Barack Obama won the state in 2008 by more than 52 percent of the vote. Many of these victories have been narrow. In 2009, Republicans won Governor, Lt. Governor and Attorney General by strong margins. It is reasonable, given these results, to expect that representation at the state level would be approximately even, with either Republicans or Democrats holding a small advantage. Instead, Republicans control the House of Delegates 66 to 34, and the Virginia Senate 21 to 19. There is little competition for these seats as a result. According to OneVirginia2021, an advocacy group for ending gerrymandering, 56 candidates in the House of Delegates faced no real competition in the last general election in 2013, with 22 Democrats and 34 Republicans facing no major-party challenger. In the end, only two seats changed parties. These same lawmakers are set to redraw the the boundaries for state legislative and congressional districts after the 2020 census, and the just-killed proposed constitutional amendments would have required that these not be motivated by partisan politics. By far the best approach would be to turn the process over to a non-partisan commission to draw boundaries in the best interests of Virginia citizens. One of the proposals, cosponsored by Sen. Jill Vogel (R) and Sen. Janet Howell (D), passed the Senate 31-9, but died in the House subcommittee on a 5-2 vote. It matters more here in Northern Virginia. Virginia is a Dillon Rule state, which means that localities have only the power specifically given to them by the General Assembly. It means that the economic engines of the state in Northern Virginia provide most of the financial wherewithal but citizens in Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax County are often unable to govern themselves as they wish because of control by a far more conservative General Assembly. Real change starts locally. Anyone seeking change should tune in for this year’s elections in Virginia, including all the seats in the General Assembly, plus Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General. Every voter will choose one Virginia Senator and one member of the Virginia House of Delegates. Nonpartisan redistricting could support the best interests of the population, not the politicians. In 2016: Hillary Clinton (D) 1,981,473 (49.75%); Donald Trump (R) 1,769,443 (44.43%) In 2013: McAuliffe (D) 1,069,789; Cuccinelli (R) 1,013,389 Northam (D) 1,213,155; Jackson (R) 980,257 Herring (D) 1,103,777; Obenshain (R) 1,103,612 In 2012: Obama (D) 1,971,820; Romney (R) 1,822,522 Kaine (D) 2,010,067; Allen (R) 1,785,542 2009 Bob McDonnell (R) 1,163,651; (58.61%); Creigh Deeds 818,950, (41.25%) William T. "Bill" Bolling (R) 1,106,793 (56.51%); Jody M. Wagner (D) 850,111 (43.4%) Ken T. Cuccinelli II (R) 1,124,137 (57.51%); Stephen C. Shannon (D) 828,687 (42.39%) 2008 Obama (D) 1,959,532 (52.62%); McCain (R) 1,725,005 (46.33%) Mark Warner (D) 2,369,327 (65%) Gilmore (R) 1,228,830 (33.72%) — Mary Kimm [email protected]	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
I just want to know If this is really as good as they say it is 3,470 shares	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
As the U.S. Supreme Court considers two cases dealing with same-sex marriage, the Religious Right and its allies are attempting to sway the justices with a barrage of briefs in support of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and California’s Proposition 8. Most of these groups are tossing around some pretty flimsy secular arguments in a weak attempt to make it seem like their opposition isn’t based in religious dogma. We know better. Consider this breakdown from USA Today, which shows the various arguments from religious lobbies that want their sectarian doctrines to be enforced by the civil marriage laws of the United States. The article notes that one of the most quoted sources among these many legal briefs is none other than the Bible. Still, some tried to pretend that they support DOMA and Prop 8 for secular reasons. Take the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The bishops said that if gay marriage is legal, they would be forced to accept it in order to remain tax exempt and be eligible for government contracts. “If the Constitution were construed to require government affirmation of same-sex relationships as marriage, it would seem a short step to requiring such affirmation as a condition of receiving government contracts, participating in public programs or being eligible for tax exemption,” the bishops said. “Those who disagree with the government's moral assessment of such relationships would find themselves increasingly marginalized and denied equal participation in American public life and benefits.” That seems highly unlikely. The bishops are already known to discriminate and ignore the provisions outlined in government contracts if they contradict their beliefs, and yet Catholic organizations remain tax exempt and Catholic groups continue to secure federal contracts for various services. And, frankly, if the bishops don’t want to serve legally married gay couples on the same basis as straight couples, maybe they shouldn’t get government grants. The bishops’ brief also brought up the old logical fallacy that legalizing gay marriage will lead to all sorts of other legalizations, like marriage among minors, relatives or polygamists. No one is seriously arguing for the legalization of any of those things, and having same-sex marriage on the books no more legitimizes incest than does traditional marriage. Others, like the Family Research Council, said gay marriages can’t fulfill the primary purpose of marriage, which is child bearing. But what about couples who marry when they are too old to have kids or couples who simply don’t want to have them? Would the Family Research Council support a ban on those marriages? Still other groups cited historical reasons for supporting DOMA and Prop 8. “Before 2003, same-sex marriage had never existed in the United States, and it still is comparatively rare,” said the Marriage Law Foundation, a group of college professors, in a brief. “Indeed, before 2000, it had never existed in human history.” That proves absolutely nothing. Any history of discrimination is wrong, and just because something is tradition doesn’t mean it’s right. Slavery was a “tradition” in America from 1619-1865 and you don’t see many people arguing for the return of that. Then there’s the Rev. Fred Phelps’ Westboro Baptist Church. There is no question that group spews vile hatred, but at least it is up front about the religious basis for its opposition to same-sex marriage. “Same-sex marriage will destroy this nation,” the group said in its brief. “If the leaders of this country treat what God has called abominable as something to be respected, revered, and blessed with the seal of approval of the government, that will cross a final line with God.” American laws should be based on fairness, justice and equality, not religious dogma. Let’s hope the Supreme Court makes its decision based on those concepts and isn’t fooled by sectarian lobbies trying to disguise their doctrines with paper-thin secular farces.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Transcript: ...you've got the whole plane to yourself! the large group going to the psychic convention all cancelled at the last moment!	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
This slow cooker cider pulled pork feeds a crowd and warms the belly. Make it for a large party and let guests serve themselves, or make it for a family dinner and look forward to leftovers all week long! Photography Credit: Summer Miller Every fall I throw a harvest party. I do it to celebrate the end of summer gatherings, and the beginning of a quiet period in our home. We live in a small house with ill-fitting rooms and hardwood floors everywhere. It’s a cacophony of sounds when filled with too many people, so most of our entertaining takes place when we can put the outdoors to good use. Our Favorite Videos Get Recipe » CIDER PULLED PORK: A FALL FAVORITE The centerpiece of our harvest party is always a heaping pile of this Cider Braised Pulled Pork. I make it in the slow cooker the day before the party, let it cool in its juices, then place the slow cooker in the fridge. The next day, I make the sauce and shred the pork. It stays warm in the slow cooker and people can eat when they’re hungry, leaving me to enjoy the day with our friends and family. If I’m making it for a smaller dinner party instead of a crowd, I shred the pork on a cookie sheet, cover the pork with foil, and keep it warm in a low oven. Just before I’m ready to serve it, I ladle the warm sauce over the top and bring it to the table simply because I like the presentation. (I’m not typically a fan of serving food out of cooking vessels, unless it’s a more informal backyard barbecue or something to that effect.) PULLED PORK FOR THE WEEK! When the guests leave, I either freeze the leftovers (if there are any!) or transform them into pork chili, tacos, or pork and potato hash, to feed my family throughout the week. I hope you love it as much as we do. More Ideas! 6 Things to Make with Pulled Pork THE INGREDIENTS FOR CIDER PULLED PORK Pork shoulder and Boston butt are the same cut of meat, so pick up either for this recipe. If you only have sweet cider (as opposed to hard cider), that’s fine; just reduce the sugar in the rub to 1 tablespoon. If you only have hard cider, that’s okay, too. Leave the sugar as it is. If the sauce is too vinegary for your taste, add a teaspoon of sugar at time until you reach your desired flavor. If it’s too salty, add a drop or so of vinegar. HOW TO REHEAT CIDER PULLED PORK This recipe is intended to feed a crowd or leave you with ample leftovers. Let the pork cool, then cover and transfer the inner pot with the pulled pork to the fridge. It will keep for up to 3 days. When ready, shred the pork and reheat it in the slow cooker or a low oven, make the sauce, and dinner is served. The meat is also plenty flavorful without the sauce. If you’re busy, just slice it, serve it, and forget the sauce. You can also freeze all or a portion of the pork in the broth, or the sauce, which will help keep the pork moist (I don’t recommend freezing the meat on its own). You can freeze cooked pork for up to 8 months. MORE PULLED PORK RECIPES!	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
india Updated: Sep 30, 2019 17:31 IST A total of 38 people were rescued and two remained missing after a boat capsized in the Rupnarayan river in East Midnapore district of West Bengal on Monday morning around 8 am. “One or two persons were missing after the mishap. Apart from district police, a hovercraft of the Coast Guards were deployed in the rescue operations,” said transport minister Suvendu Adhikari. District magistrate Partha Ghosh’s announcement of the rescue of 38 persons brought the estimated number of passengers on board the ill-fated vessel to around 40. It is not known how many persons the vessel in question was capable of carrying, but locals say that such commuter boats frequently overload their decks with fare-paying passengers. The boat was sailing to Amritberia from Mayachar in East Midnapore district, when it got caught in the oncoming high tide and capsized. Prabir Pramanik, a local, said after the mishap, several men managed to swim ashore. The minister ordered that a police complaint be lodged against Lakshman Pal, the owner of the boat, since he was not supposed to operate ferry services in inclement weather. “I am told that Pal did not have even a license to ferry passengers across the river,” said the minister.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
on • Djibouti The US military base in Djibouti is on lockdown after a second case of coronavirus was confirmed (via RFI): Camp Lemonnier, which provides the US military with a strategic foothold in east Africa, will go on indefinite lockdown to… Read More ›	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
One of the beautiful gifts that R has got (that Python misses) is the package – Shiny . Shiny is an R package that makes it easy to build interactive web apps straight from R. Making Dashboard is an imminent wherever Data is available since Dashboards are good in helping Business make insights out of the existing data. In this post, We will see how to leverage Shiny to build a simple Sales Revenue Dashboard. Loading Packages All the packages listed below can be directly installed from CRAN. # load the required packages library(shiny) require(shinydashboard) library(ggplot2) library(dplyr) Sample Input File: Considering the fact that Dashboard needs an input data to visualise, we will use this sample recommendation.csv as input data to our dashboard but this can be modified to suit any organisational need like a Database connection or Data from remote location. recommendation <- read.csv('recommendation.csv',stringsAsFactors = F,header=T) head(recommendation) Account Product Region Revenue 1 Axis Bank FBB North 2000 2 HSBC FBB South 30000 3 SBI FBB East 1000 4 ICICI FBB West 1000 5 Bandhan Bank FBB West 200 6 Axis Bank SIMO North 200 Every shiny application has two main sections 1. ui and 2. server . ui is where the code for front-end like buttons, plot visuals, tabs and so on are present and server is where the code for back-end like Data Retrieval, Manipulation, Wrangling are present. Image Courtesy: Slideplayer Instead of simply using only shiny , Here we will couple it with shinydashboard . shinydashboard is an R package whose job is to make it easier (as the name suggests) to build dashboards with shiny. The ui part of a shiny app built with shinydashboard would have 3 basic elements wrapped in dashboardPage(). 1. dashboardHeader(), 2. dashboardSidebar(), 3. dashboardBody() Simplest Shiny app with shinydashboard: ## app.R ## library(shiny) library(shinydashboard) ui <- dashboardPage( dashboardHeader(), dashboardSidebar(), dashboardBody() ) server <- function(input, output) { } shinyApp(ui, server) Gives this app: Image Courtesy: rstudio Aligning to our larger goal of making a Sales Revenue Dashboard, Let us look at the code of dashboardHeader() and dashboardSidebar() . #Dashboard header carrying the title of the dashboard header <- dashboardHeader(title = "Basic Dashboard") #Sidebar content of the dashboard sidebar <- dashboardSidebar( sidebarMenu( menuItem("Dashboard", tabName = "dashboard", icon = icon("dashboard")), menuItem("Visit-us", icon = icon("send",lib='glyphicon'), href = "https://www.salesforce.com") ) ) To begin with dashboardPage(), We must decide what are the UI elements that we would like to show in our dashboard. Since it’s a Sales Revenue Dashboard, let us show 3 KPI boxes on the top that could represent quick summary and then 2 Graphical plots followed by them for a detailed view. To align these elements one by one, we will define these elements inside fluidRow() . frow1 <- fluidRow( valueBoxOutput("value1") ,valueBoxOutput("value2") ,valueBoxOutput("value3") ) frow2 <- fluidRow( box( title = "Revenue per Account" ,status = "primary" ,solidHeader = TRUE ,collapsible = TRUE ,plotOutput("revenuebyPrd", height = "300px") ) ,box( title = "Revenue per Product" ,status = "primary" ,solidHeader = TRUE ,collapsible = TRUE ,plotOutput("revenuebyRegion", height = "300px") ) ) # combine the two fluid rows to make the body body <- dashboardBody(frow1, frow2) It could be seen from the above code that valueBoxOutput() is used to display the KPI but what is displayed in this valueBoxOutput() will be written in the server part and the same applies for plotOutput() which is used in the ui part to display a plot. box() is a function provided by shinydashboard to enclose the plot inside a box with certain features like title , solidHeader and collapsible . Having defined two fluidRow() functions individually for the sake of modularity, we can combine both of them in dashbboardBody() . Thus we can complete the ui part comprising Header, Sidebar and Page with the below code: #completing the ui part with dashboardPage ui <- dashboardPage(title = 'This is my Page title', header, sidebar, body, skin='red') Note that the value of title in dashboardPage() will serve as the title of the browser page/tab, while the title defined in the dashboardHeader() will be visible as the dashboard title. With the ui part over, We will create the server part where the program and logic behind valueBoxOutput() and plotOutput() are added with renderValueBox() and renderPlot() respectively, enclosed inside server function with input , output as its paramaters. Values inside input contain anything that is received from ui (like textBox value, Slider value) and Values inside output contain anything that is sent to ui (like plotOutput , valueBoxOutput ). Below is the complete server code: # create the server functions for the dashboard server <- function(input, output) { #some data manipulation to derive the values of KPI boxes total.revenue <- sum(recommendation$Revenue) sales.account <- recommendation %>% group_by(Account) %>% summarise(value = sum(Revenue)) %>% filter(value==max(value)) prof.prod <- recommendation %>% group_by(Product) %>% summarise(value = sum(Revenue)) %>% filter(value==max(value)) #creating the valueBoxOutput content output$value1 <- renderValueBox({ valueBox( formatC(sales.account$value, format="d", big.mark=',') ,paste('Top Account:',sales.account$Account) ,icon = icon("stats",lib='glyphicon') ,color = "purple") }) output$value2 <- renderValueBox({ valueBox( formatC(total.revenue, format="d", big.mark=',') ,'Total Expected Revenue' ,icon = icon("gbp",lib='glyphicon') ,color = "green") }) output$value3 <- renderValueBox({ valueBox( formatC(prof.prod$value, format="d", big.mark=',') ,paste('Top Product:',prof.prod$Product) ,icon = icon("menu-hamburger",lib='glyphicon') ,color = "yellow") }) #creating the plotOutput content output$revenuebyPrd <- renderPlot({ ggplot(data = recommendation, aes(x=Product, y=Revenue, fill=factor(Region))) + geom_bar(position = "dodge", stat = "identity") + ylab("Revenue (in Euros)") + xlab("Product") + theme(legend.position="bottom" ,plot.title = element_text(size=15, face="bold")) + ggtitle("Revenue by Product") + labs(fill = "Region") }) output$revenuebyRegion <- renderPlot({ ggplot(data = recommendation, aes(x=Account, y=Revenue, fill=factor(Region))) + geom_bar(position = "dodge", stat = "identity") + ylab("Revenue (in Euros)") + xlab("Account") + theme(legend.position="bottom" ,plot.title = element_text(size=15, face="bold")) + ggtitle("Revenue by Region") + labs(fill = "Region") }) } So far, we have defined both the essential parts of a Shiny app – ui and server. And finally we have to call/run the shinyApp with ui and server as its paramters. #run/call the shiny app shinyApp(ui, server) Listening on http://127.0.0.1:5101 The entire file has to be saved as app.R inside a folder before running the shiny app. Also remember to put the input data file (in our case, recommendation.csv inside the same folder where app.R is saved). While there is another valid way to structure the shiny app with two files ui.R and server.R (optionally, global.R ), it has been ignored in this article for the sake of brevity since this is aimed at beginners. Upon running the file, the shiny web app would open in your default browser and would look similar to the below screenshot: Hopefully at this stage, You have got your shiny web app in the form of Sales Revenue Dashboard up and running. The code and plots used here are available on my Github. References	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
Early trading on Wednesday revealed New York Times stock fell seven percent, or $29.61, after the company reported third quarter declines in advertising revenues. According to a report from the Times, advertising revenue for print is down 9.7 percent as compared to the third quarter of 2018 and down 17.2 percent for digital advertisements. The media company also reported digital advertising had dropped by 5.4 percent, while print advertising fell 7.9 percent. Net profit for the third quarter decreased 34 percent from a year ago to $16.4 million and total revenues rose 2.7 percent to $429 million. While the Times‘ stock and ad revenue suffered, the company announced it now has 4 million digital-only subscribers and 4.9 million total subscriptions, 500,000 of which are outside of the United States. In a phone call with particular analysts, Times president and CEO Mark Thompson discussed the company’s participation in Facebook News. “More important than the immediate financial benefits of the agreement is its strategic significance,” Thompson said of Facebook News, a new subscription news service. “We previously received small payments for participation in various experiments and innovations.” Thompson also said “this is the first time that a Silicon Valley major has recognized the value of Times journalism to its platform with a substantial multi-year deal.” As of recently, the New York Times has made several headlines after it was revealed a senior staff editor made antisemitic and racist comments on his Twitter page. “I was going to say ‘Crappy Jew Year,’ but one of my resolutions is to be less anti-Semitic,” Tom Wright-Piersanti tweeted in January 2010. “So…. HAPPY Jew Year. You Jews.” One month later, in September, it was revealed that Jazmine Hughes, an associate editor of the New York Times Magazine, had also made a series of racist and antisemitic comments on social media over a multi-year span. “Dating white people is a rich tapestry of somehow making fun of them for everything they do,” Hughes tweeted in June 2015. “Wouldn’t trade it for the world.” The Times faced scrutiny in April after its international edition published a cartoon with “anti-Semitic tropes” that portrayed a blind President Donald Trump led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu depicted as a dog with a Star of David collar around its neck.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
80 % 80 Charming This charming 3DS game beautifully combines two disparate genres to provide an incredibly refreshing experience for Nintendo's handheld. 8 Ever Oasis defies genre. While it initially feels like a simple town simulator, the charming 3DS game quickly opens up to reveal a deep RPG style adventure. With obvious inspiration taken from both Animal Crossing and The Legend of Zelda franchises, Grezzo’s latest game has the potential to become a classic Nintendo series. While it isn’t without its problems, Ever Oasis is an excellent release late in the 3DS’ lifecycle. Taking on the role of a young Seedling, you’re asked by a Water Spirit to grow and nuture an Oasis in the vast desert. It begins as a small patch of grass, but it quickly develops into a small town after you begin inviting travellers to move in. While each traveller has some criteria to meet before they become a resident, it usually revolves around a simplistic item gathering quest. It’s the Bloom Booths that really add depth to the game’s simulation aspect. As the Oasis grows, you’ll be able to build Bloom Booths – basically market stalls – on empty plots. Although the Booths require you to grow produce and collect materials to sell, the Oasis needs them to attract new residents. While it had the potential to border on the monotonous, it’s incredibly satisfying to watch the population and your town grow. However, the game is much more than your traditional town simulator. When you’re finally allowed to venture beyond the Oasis, the game quickly becomes your traditional action-adventure affair. Obviously influenced by The Legend of Zelda series, the majority of your time in the desert is spent exploring puzzle-filled dungeons and battling monstrous enemies. While it’s far from the only game aping this formula, Grezzo’s involvement with the Zelda franchise really shines through here. They even manage to improve on some shortcomings, Ever Oasis introducing combo attacks to spice up the simplistic sword slashing combat. While these two disparate gameplay styles could have felt disconnected, Grezzo does an excellent job making both feel relevant. You can venture out alone, but it is best to recruit a team of explorers to help out. However, as you’re only able to recruit your citizens, it’s vital that you attract as many to people to the Oasis as possible. Even maintaining happiness of your residents is crucial, their satisfaction tied directly to your health bar. It seems impossible, but this strange hybrid of Animal Crossing and Zelda actually works. The game owes much of its charm to its endearing character design. While the simplistic art style often makes it difficult to tell each character apart at a glance, their expressive faces help each interaction remain incredibly memorable. The majority of the residents in the Oasis have minimal dialogue, but their facial expressions are enough to quickly establish their personality quirks. After getting to know each inhabitant, there is the difficult decision of deciding which to bring along on your adventures. While each have different abilities and weapons, it’s hard not to choose based solely on personality. The various environments in Ever Oasis are just as stylised as the characters. While they are similarly simplistic, it’s this minimalism that allows the gorgeous game to push the limits of the 3DS. Just like with Ocarina of Time 3D, Grezzo has managed to squeeze some amazing looking graphics out of the aging handheld. With a similarly impressive soundtrack, Ever Oasis is an incredibly polished experience. While this charming 3DS game might not be receiving the attention it deserves, Ever Oasis is an extraordinarily deep experience to sink your teeth into over the summer. Beautifully combining two disparate genres, it manages to provide an incredibly refreshing experience for fans of both Animal Crossing and The Legend of Zelda. Ever Oasis is now available for Nintendo 3DS. There’s even a free demo to try on the eShop.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
At a time when you would think the airlines would be a little more image conscious, you know because of that whole beating customers and dragging them off the plane thing that United did, they're apparently doubling down on efforts to make "Flying The Friendly Skies" the most miserable experience ever. After years of finding new ways to charge for 'perks' that used to be standard (want to use our aisle to access your seat...that'll be a $10 fee, please), according to the Wall Street Journal, airlines are getting ready to implement a whole new set of restrictions on their poorest customers. So, for those of you who have grown accustomed to lavish perks like free overhead bin space, get ready for your new reality. Battling it out with discount carriers, the world’s biggest airlines are rolling out ultracheap economy-class tickets, or cutting back sharply on basic amenities for their lowest-paying customers. At the same time, they are pulling out the stops to lavish their premium fliers with more perks. American, United Continental, and Delta all now offer super-low fares, dubbed “basic economy,” that strip out even once-standard allowances, such as carry-on baggage or a choice of seat before boarding. Those are now extra for these ticket holders, who also generally board last. But the fares are competitive with discount airlines such as Southwest Airlines Co. A United basic economy ticket between Washington and Minneapolis for travel in early May was recently listed as low as $128, $20 less than a regular economy fare. Some of the cheapest fares passengers can get on discount carriers are for seats so basic they don’t recline even an inch. “When we look at economy, we are looking at a commodity product, without a doubt,” BA Chief Executive Officer Alex Cruz said in November. But, while while flying in the back of the plane is starting to feel a bit more like a cattle stampede than a pleasurable prelude to a vacation, flying in the front of the plane is about to get even more luxurious, including everything from fully-reclining seats to comforters from Saks Fifth Avenue...because a regular blanket just won't work for some folks. But at the front of the plane, the same carriers are showering premium passengers with ever more comfort. Middle East and Asian airlines are among those leading the way, with U.S. carriers trying to catch up. American Airlines has upgraded its business class. Delta last year unveiled plans for business-class suites, effectively small cabins that can be closed off from others, with fully reclining seats. The suites should feature on planes this year. United on intercontinental routes is introducing an upgraded business class, called United Polaris, to try to keep pace with its nearest rivals. The cabin sports fully reclining seats, bedding by Saks Fifth Avenue and noise-canceling headsets. United is rolling it out on its San Francisco-Hong Kong route. A round-trip ticket for a May flight lists at about $5,000. British Airways, meanwhile, is spending about $500 million to upgrade its premium classes. BA, which popularized the fully reclining business-class seat in the mid-1990s, is planning a new business-class seat design. So while the 'millionaire, billionaire, private jet owners' are sleeping in first class... ...we wish you main streeters the best of luck maintaining your sanity in 'last class.'	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
For those possessed of enough confidence and a shriveled conscience, the job of being a political spokesperson is not very difficult. You dissemble, you deflect, you dodge, and you move on safe in the knowledge that the mainstream press will never hold you fully accountable for what you’ve said—there are no lies in politics, only “misstatements” and “falsehoods”—and that the public is not paying terribly close attention. You needn’t seem sincere or even particularly alive in front of the cameras—spokespeople are among the political operatives most threatened by advances in automation. Until IBM’s Watson learns how to evade two-part questions, Clinton campaign spokesperson Brian Fallon might be considered the ideal—a model of true efficiency in the role. Eyes ahead, even tone, a mind emptied of all but a half-dozen bullet points, a smile just the right size, no energy lost or wasted— this is what you want. Today, White House press secretary Sean Spicer compared Adolf Hitler favorably to Bashar al-Assad. “You had someone who is as despicable as Hitler who didn’t even use chemical weapons,” he told reporters. He later attempted to clarify his comment. “I think when you come to sarin gas, he was not using the gas on his own people the same way that Assad is doing, there was not in the — he brought them into the Holocaust center.” At Holocaust Centers, more popularly known as “concentration” and “death camps,” Adolf Hitler gassed millions of people—his own and others—to death with chemicals. Sean Spicer should know this. Some have found his comments further evidence of latent anti-Semitism in the White House. They are, at the very least, further evidence of something that has been obvious for some time: Sean Spicer is inexplicably bad at his job. He lacks confidence. He gets emotional. He gets in his own way. He shoots himself in the foot. He puts the foot in his mouth to stop the bleeding. As Nancy Pelosi has said, he should be replaced. But by whom? There are probably hundreds of quacks, hacks, and flacks amoral and competent enough for the job. The most qualified of them are naturally those who’ve already proven capable of shamelessly and successfully carrying water for Trump. Here are the top contenders. Katrina Pierson: It was the night of October 12th. The allegations of sexual assault against Donald Trump were mounting. The latest—a woman named Jessica Leeds who said that Trump had groped her in first class on a commercial flight back in the 1980s. CNN’s Don Lemon assembled a panel. Trump campaign national spokesperson Katrina Pierson was on it. Here’s what she came up with: We’re talking about the early 1980s, Don. Seriously? Back then you had planes—what, a DC-9, a DC-10, an MD-80, a 707 and maybe an L-1011. But she said specifically that this was to New York. This is important, so we can X out the DC-10 and the L-1011. Guess what? First-class seats have fixed armrests, so what I can tell you about her story, if she was groped on a plane, it wasn’t by Donald Trump and it certainly wasn’t in first class. This was gibberish. It didn’t matter. She knew it didn’t matter. Her audience wasn’t the legion of fact-checkers that tore up her defense the next day. She was speaking, with attitude, for the benefit of those willing to accept any reason to exonerate Trump and for the true believers. All others had already found him guilty. They weren’t going to be convinced by armrests, or “locker room talk”, or any other contention that sought to claim Trump treated women with respect, that around a dozen women had invented stories of assault and misbehavior, that he was innocent. But she wasn’t trying to convince them. She was performing defiance and disgust with the established narrative—this, at the end of the day, was what the Trump campaign was all about. Sean Spicer has done his best to emulate this spirit with little success. Imagine if Pierson had been the one defending lies about the size of the Trump’s inauguration crowd back in January. Spicer looked completely shaken up by the experience. Pierson, who owns a necklace made of bullets, would have reveled in it. Jeffrey Lord: This is a man who defended Trump in the wake of the assault allegations by blaming the liberal “sexual revolution.” He defended birtherism and insinuations that President Obama was a Muslim against charges of racism by noting that people had accused Chester Alan Arthur of being born in Canada. He defended Trump’s inability to straightforwardly denounce the Ku Klux Klan by calling it a leftist group. Lord knows Lord knows how to reach. As hapless and chaotic as this administration has been, Trump will need someone skilled at reflexively shifting blame on his behalf. Lord is one of the best at it. Bill Mitchell: I've gotta hand it to Trump for leaving his life of leisure for this brutal job. Only love of country compelled him. — Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) April 11, 2017 When one's mindset is strategic and leadership bold, there is no failure, only information. Great leaders lead and adjust. — Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) April 11, 2017 What some call "blind faith" I call "an understanding of Trump's strategic mind." — Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) April 10, 2017 Trump is so strategically brilliant and ahead of the curve, the mere fact he does something makes me more likely to believe it's a good idea — Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) April 10, 2017 Nobody: What better way to take a stand against the fake news-propagating mainstream press than to do away with press briefings all together? What are the downsides for Trump? Few watch or care about these events. Those who do aren’t likely to support Trump anyway. As a bonus, reporters would wail in disbelief against the move as an unprecedented attack on the First Amendment. Trump voters would love that. Of course, nobody would mean that there wouldn’t be anyone around to attempt to explain Trump’s preposterous tweets about Obama spying on him, undocumented immigrants stealing the popular vote from him, or the like. If no one else is game, Kellyanne Conway would be a serviceable choice, although she’s taken a few too many hits over the past few months to be a truly solid frontrunner. At the bottom of the pack—Devin Nunes, who might soon find himself available.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }
The law was challenged by civil rights groups and websites The law made it illegal for websites to provide children access to "harmful" material, but it was never enforced. Judge Lowell Reed of Philadelphia said other means of protection, such as software filters, were more effective. Opponents criticised the ruling, saying parents should not have to shoulder the burden of restricting adult material. 'Unconstitutional' Judge Reed said that while he sympathised with the need to protect minors, the 1998 Child Online Protection Act was problematic. It is not reasonable for the government to expect all parents to shoulder the burden to cut off every possible source of adult content for their children Peter D Keisler Government lawyer Send us your comments "I may not turn a blind eye to the law... to protect this nation's youth by upholding a flawed statute, especially when a more effective and less restrictive alternative is readily available," he wrote. The act was challenged by civil liberties groups and sexual health and other websites, including the online magazine salon.com, which claimed it was too restrictive and unconstitutional. The legislation would have fined commercial websites up to $50,000 (£25,500; 37,500 euros) and sentenced offenders to up to six months in prison. "This law is not really aimed at commercial pornography, but really reaches far beyond that to a broad range of valuable content," John Morris, of the Center for Democracy and Technology, told reporters. But government lawyers criticised the outcome, saying software filters were not so effective. "It is not reasonable for the government to expect all parents to shoulder the burden to cut off every possible source of adult content for their children, rather than the government's addressing the problem at its source," government lawyer Peter D Keisler wrote following the four-week hearing, the Associated Press news agency reported. The law was never enforced because it was immediately challenged when it was passed and subject to a temporary injunction in 2004 on the grounds that it was likely to be struck down.	{ "pile_set_name": "OpenWebText2" }

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