Select Page ::

3 US technology solutions to war with North Korea – Dallas News

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Danzig

2. Cyberwarfare. The U.S. should also unleash cyber capabilities it has steadily built over the last decade. Computer viruses alone can't prevent North Korea from launching nuclear missiles, but they could degrade the Kim regime's ability to conduct research and development, test and control weapons and gather intelligence. Cyberwarfare could also complement economic sanctions by freezing North Korean offshore bank accounts, paralyzing communications and disrupting Chinese companies that continue to trade with Pyongyang.

3. Space weapons. With launch costs falling (thank you SpaceX), and the capabilities of precision-guided munitions improving, the U.S.could rush the development of a space-based anti-missile system. Though still on the drawing board, space weapons will someday be able to target intercontinental ballistic missiles during their initial boost phase, when the large plume of their engines makes them easiest to detect and their slow upward ascent makes them most vulnerable.

Using advanced technology should appeal to a commander in chief who rails against the "waste" of American blood and treasure expended abroad and at the same time deplores "the very sad depletion of our military." "Fire and fury" and "America first" mesh poorly, unless technology is employed to resolve the paradox.

The potential is clear. In the Kosovo air war, the U.S. Air Force dropped graphite bombs to disable the Serbian electrical grid; in the Iraq invasion, allied air power crippled Saddam Hussein's military and civilian transportation network. New technologies can create those pressures and more with far greater effect, less permanent damage and less risk to troops. They can be deployed quickly and precisely in a crisis, and they provide strategic deterrence as well.

The main obstacle to deploying such weapons will be hearts and minds in the West. There are already calls to ban new weapons because they are destabilizing. United Nations officials, for example, attacked President Barack Obama's drone campaign because it made war too easy to wage. Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, recently called artificial intelligence "the greatest risk we face as a civilization" and predicted that it could trigger wars. These critics fear a new technology arms race that will encourage the promiscuous use of these weapons.

3 US technology solutions to war with North Korea - Dallas News

Russia hails progress in Syria conflict, ups bombing runs – Reuters

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Danzig

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia on Monday hailed what it said was "a dramatic shift" in the Syria conflict, saying that the Syrian army, with Moscow's help, was well on its way to pushing militants out of the central part of the country.

In a statement from the Russian Defence Ministry, Colonel-General Sergei Rudskoi said that the province of Aleppo had been entirely "liberated" with control of 50 population centers and more than 2,700 square kilometers (1042.48 square miles) of territory taken back.

"In the last month a dramatic shift has taken place in Syria," said Rudskoi. "With the support of the Russian air force, Syrian forces have notched up a series of significant successes and won a major defeat over a big group of Islamic State fighters in the central part of Syria."

With Islamic State fighters concentrated in Deir al-Zor, he said Russia had stepped up its reconnaissance and bombing runs in the area and that the Syrian army was closing in on the militant group from three sides.

Rudskoi said the Syrian army was advancing at a pace of 30-40 kilometers (43.5 miles) or more every 24 hours and that -- with Russia's help -- it was using new battlefield tactics such as surprise landings by helicopter.

"The main aim is to destroy the last stronghold of the terrorists in the Deir al-Zor region," said Rudskoi.

Reporting by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Christian Lowe

See the original post here:

Russia hails progress in Syria conflict, ups bombing runs - Reuters

Monday Morning Mailbag: Offensive Line Making Progress – Vikings.com

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Danzig

Do you have a comment or question? Send it to the vikings.com Mailbag! Every Monday well post several comments and/or questions as part of the vikings.com Monday Morning Mailbag. Although we cant post every comment or question, we will reply to every question submitted.

Click hereto submit a comment or question to the mailbag. Remember to include your name and town on the email.

First-team offensive line looked good for the most part against a good Seattle defense. Fix the negative plays and I think we would've put up six points on the first drive! Dalvin Cook looked ready to eat as well! Can't wait until Sept. 11! SKOL! -- Kyle Alexander Texas

I agree and head coach Mike Zimmer seemed to agree as well based on his postgame comments and his meeting with reporters yesterday. The first three series against Seattle represented a positive step for the offensive line, and they didnt even have left tackle Riley Reiff or left guard Alex Boone. Cook looked explosive and used every inch of space his blockers gave him. Presuming Reiff and Boone are ready to go for next Sundays preseason game, itll be interesting to see how the Vikings parse out reps for Joe Berger, Nick Easton and Pat Elflein as the coaching staff tries to determine its depth chart for the regular season

Much better moving the ball. Especially against that team. But still did not get in the end zone. Do you think we should be concerned? -- Toby Smart Alaska

The negative plays sacks, negative runs and penalties are always a concern if they are happening, and they were happening too often last season. Penalties also stalled the first drive in Seattle on Friday night. Coach Zimmer acknowledged this during his meeting with reporters on Sunday and said he had the offense working a lot on red zone situations in practice. I wouldnt be overly concerned at this moment, but if these issues flare up on Sunday against the 49ers in the third preseason game, then questions are going to exist all the way into Week 1 of the regular season.

I know it's only the second preseason game, but I'm a little nervous with our defense giving up some easy mid-range passing yards. I know not all the starters were in, but it seems to be a weak point this year. Are Zimmer and (defensive coordinator George) Edwards addressing this before the season starts? We start the season with a pass-heavy team the Saints. -- Todd R. Stockton, CA

Yes, they are addressing it right now. Coach Zimmer said on Sunday that coverage was going to be a point of emphasis in practice this week after Russell Wilson and Co. were able to hit the Vikings defense for several explosive gains in the first half on Friday night. Granted, two starters Andrew Sendejo and Trae Waynes didnt play, but that doesnt excuse mistakes made by others. I expect those issues will be corrected and youll see a defense clicking on all cylinders next Sunday night against the 49ers.

Good game Friday night! Although we took the loss, I feel like we saw more positives from the game than we saw in our win against Buffalo. My question is about Terence Newman. You're around the team and see a lot of the practices. Do you feel like he is starting to slow down or regress? Thoughts? Thanks and SKOL! -- Jerry Provost

It is interesting that folks, myself included, feel better about the teams overall performance after the loss to Seattle than they did after defeating Buffalo last week. Im guessing its because offensive improvement has been the focus in 2017 and the offense was significantly better in Seattle than it was in Buffalo. As for Newman, I feel hes still a big-time asset for the defense. And its not just as a mentor and coach on the field influence. Hes still playing at a high level, he can play multiple positions in the defense and I do value his leadership and veteran presence.

I'm convinced we need to get Bucky involved more frequently. Perhaps once we get near or in the red zone. He is ridiculously athletic and tall. He and Rudy along with Diggs/Thielen is a solid mix. Have you heard anything on getting him more involved with the 1s? -- Dan Witherington

Hodges made a great catch for a score on Friday night and I can see how witnessing that would compel you to want to see him more often with the starters. That day may come for Hodges and maybe itll be sooner than later, but right now he needs to keep improving his game every day in practice and continue to become a more well-rounded player. Obviously the Vikings see a lot of potential in him, which is why he was drafted, but Rudolph and David Morgan are the top two guys right now and itll be hard for Hodges to change that in the near future.

I've seen photos and a few videos on Teddy and he looks really great. Is there any definite timeframe on his return or is it safe to say this year is basically a rehab year for him? -- Javaris Lee Batesville, MS

The team has not defined a timetable for Teddys return, but that doesnt mean theres pessimism about his rehab and return. I know everyone wants the answer to the question of when Bridgewater will be able to return to action, but we just have to accept the fact that there currently is no timetable and it just has to be a wait and see approach.

Read this article:

Monday Morning Mailbag: Offensive Line Making Progress - Vikings.com

John Henry’s call to rename Yawkey Way shows progress is afoot in Boston – ESPN

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Danzig

By Kavitha A. Davidson | Aug 21, 2017 espnW.com

John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe/Getty Images

Red Sox owner John Henry called for the renaming of Yawkey Way, a Fenway Park-adjacent street named for a previous owner who adamantly resisted integration.

As the Red Sox hosted the Yankees this weekend and extended their lead in the AL East to five games, an iconic street in front of Fenway Park became a gauge for where the country now stands.

Last week, Red Sox owner John Henry suggested that Yawkey Way, a ballpark-adjacent street named after Thomas Yawkey, who owned the team from 1933 until his death in 1976 and who famously and adamantly resisted integration, should be renamed.It's a refreshingly strong stance -- one that simultaneously confronts the team's problematic history while still recognizing its longstanding heritage.

The Red Sox are notorious for being the last team in Major League Baseball to integrate in 1959, 12 years after Jackie Robinson made his Brooklyn Dodgers debut. The team passed on him and Willie Mays because of Yawkey's aversion to black players: As a former scout told the Boston Globe in 2005, "We could have had Mays in center and [Ted] Williams in left," but Yawkey and his general manager "already had made up their minds they weren't going to take any black players." Given this history -- and the current push in the country to reconsider the people we choose to honor with statues and symbols -- Henry is calling to rename the street after beloved Red Sox great David Ortiz.

The debate to rename Yawkey Way, a street that fills with vendors and entertainment before ballgames, mirrors the ongoing demonstrations for and against Confederate monuments throughout the country. Last week's violent demonstrations and counter-protests around the removal of a statue of Robert. E. Lee in Charlottesville, Virginia, highlighted a resistance to a reevaluation of our national ideals, of what we choose to immortalize and honor versus what we simply remember as a dark time in our collective memory. We will never forget those who have rightfully earned their place in textbooks and history classes, but it's important to still remember just what they stood for and why the march of progress leaves their specific ideals in the past.

Symbols carry particular significance within the realm of sports, sometimes mythologizing individuals to the point of hero worship. Recall the backlash when Penn State removed the statue of Joe Paterno; to the throngs of students and alumni who protested, the legend of JoePa on the football field far outweighed his role in enabling child abuse. By removing the statue, the school's aim wasn't to erase his legacy, but rather to signal the need for a culture change that would hopefully usher in a new era of awareness and accountability.

Similarly, renaming Yawkey Way wouldn't wipe away decades of the Red Sox's past, but it would mark the progress the city and team has made since, while providing an ideal of equality for which to strive.

As Henry put it, "For me, personally, the street name has always been a consistent reminder that it is our job to ensure the Red Sox are not just multi-cultural, but stand for as many of the right things in our community as we can -- particularly in our African-American community and in the Dominican community that has embraced us so fully." Noting the positive steps the team's philanthropic efforts have taken toward reaching out to diverse communities, Henry also noted, "I am still haunted by what went on here a long time before we arrived."

Since Henry took over in 2002, the Red Sox broke the "Curse of the Bambino" in 2004 and have won more World Series trophies than any American League team since. Boston also boasts one of the most diverse rosters in baseball and can thank the likes of future Hall of Famer Ortiz for many of those victories. The team currently sits in first place in the division and can ostensibly look forward to a playoff push. While the Red Sox failed to win a World Series during Yawkey's tenure, some wonder what, exactly, he did to earn his spot in Cooperstown.

The question looming is whether the removal of symbols such as Yawkey Way tangibly changes anything. Boston, much like the country at large, has its own current state of racial unrest with which to reconcile. Much of the populace still reels with the memories ofbusing, while spatial and income segregation still loom large. After Baltimore Orioles centerfielder Adam Jonessaid in May that a fan called him the N-word and threw peanuts at him in a series at Fenway, other black players, including Yankees pitcher C.C. Sabathia, recalled hearing similar language at the Boston ballpark. Here's a whole list of great athletes dealing with racism in Boston, from Joel Ward and P.K. Subban visiting the Bruins, to Celtics great Bill Russell describing the city as a "flea market of racism" in his memoir.

It's a long game to figure out whether team- or league-wide decisions can effectively change the mindsets of individual fans and citizens, let alone systemic racism and oppression. But as someone who made it a point to see Ortiz's last game at Yankee Stadium with a friend who's a Sox fan, I think there would be a serious appetite -- let alone a marketing opportunity -- to hold a rededication ceremony for Big Papi Way, replete with signage that could actually feature a World Series ring.

But here's the bigger picture: Thanks to the leadership of people like Henry and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, who has denouncedracist showings from fans as antithetical to the promise and spirit of a diverse and inclusive city, and whose administration has made it a point to study systemic racism, progress is actually afoot, by virtue of the fact that we're actually having this conversation. After the Jones incident, Red Sox president Sam Kennedy flat-out stated "there's no place for" what Jones was subjected to.

Acknowledging the team's racist past can go a long way in course-correcting the present, especially for black and Latino Red Sox fans. It helps when those in charge take the lead on guiding us toward our future history -- not forgetting what's happened, but remembering that which we shouldn't let happen again.

I'm sure there are many well-meaning Red Sox fans who might resist the name change of a street that has so long defined their fandom. But I'm just as sure that many of those same fans would and did rise up against hatred and racism this weekend, as evidenced by the tens of thousands who showed up to Boston Commons on Saturday to quell a planned "free speech" rally and denounce white nationalism. As one protester's sign read, "The only thing Boston hates is the Yankees."

I'm a Yankees fan, and I approve this message.

Originally posted here:

John Henry's call to rename Yawkey Way shows progress is afoot in Boston - ESPN

Glennon, Trubisky show progress in win – ChicagoBears.com

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Danzig

Continuing to gain a firmer grasp of the Bears offense, quarterbacks Mike Glennon and Mitch Trubisky both showed signs of growth in Saturday nights 24-23 preseason win over the Cardinals.

Glennon rebounded from an early interception to throw a 7-yard touchdown pass to receiver Kendall Wright with :36 left in the first half, giving the Bears a 10-7 lead they would not relinquish.

Glennon completed 4 of 5 passes for 36 yards on the possession, including a 6-yarder to tight end Zach Miller on third-and-five to sustain the drive. The veteran quarterback finished the game connecting on 13 of 18 passes for 89 yards with one TD and a 78.2 passer rating.

Bears quarterback Mike Glennon throws a pass in Saturday night's preseason win in Arizona.

It was a vast improvement over the preseason opener Aug. 10 against the Broncos when Glennon threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown and posted a 0.0 passer rating.

Last week after the game I was already eager to kind of be in this situation and had to wait nine days, so it was good to get out here, said Glennon, who played the entire first half Saturday night.

On Glennons TD pass, he showed poise and patience in the face of a Cardinals blitz, calmly standing his ground in the pocket and waiting for Wright to break to the outside.

I could feel that they were about to bring that all-out blitz, Glennon said. In those situations, the receivers just got to win and Ive got to get the ball out of my hands, and Kendall did a good job getting open.

Glennon was also a calming influence in the huddle, at least on rookie running back Tarik Cohen, who started in place of the injured Jordan Howard. The fourth-round pick from North Carolina A&T had an impressive game, rushing for 77 yards on 11 carries in just over one quarter.

Hes a leader, Cohen said of Glennon. He was helping me out there, telling me to keep my head in the right place and to not get too excited because theres always that next play. I got a good sense of leadership out of him.

After veteran backup Mark Sanchez played one series early in the second half, Trubisky entered the game with 2:04 left in the third quarter. Solid but not as spectacular as he was in the preseason opener, Trubisky completed 6 of 8 passes for 60 yards with one TD and a 135.4 rating.

Trubisky felt he was tested a little bit more by offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains.

There were some different plays from last week, Trubisky said. Ive just got to continue to develop and master this offense. Its going to be different each week, so its my job to study and memorize the game plan and go out there and execute it.

[Loggains] had a bunch of good calls going for us. The ones that didnt work for us on third downs, Ive just got to make those better on my end.

Trubisky was hit several times, but he was only sacked once.

I was just trying to keep my eyes up as long as possible and trying to get the ball to receivers before I have to take the sack, Trubisky said. Obviously I wanted to take care of the football, which I did. But I think I can learn from watching film and just trying to get the ball out a little faster to help my o-line out and just find the right guy when they bring pressure in my face. Its just one of the things that Im going to have to continue to learn from and I will.

Trubisky and the Bears were challenged by a Cardinals defense known for its exotic blitzes.

Arizona brought some pretty different stuff, Trubisky said. But in the short two days we had to prepare for it I felt I went out there and had myself protected the right way with the calls and all that. I just need to get the ball out a little sooner.

I felt like I was seeing everything. Thats a good defense. Theyve got really good things going schematically. Theyve got a bunch of good players. We just need to execute on our end and I just need to do my job and help my teammates do their jobs.

Read this article:

Glennon, Trubisky show progress in win - ChicagoBears.com

Mason’s Mailbag: Adam Gotsis’ progress – DenverBroncos.com (blog)

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Danzig

You can tweet questions to me with the hashtag #AskMase or use the submission form to your right (if you're viewing on a standard browser) or at the bottom of the page if you're on the mobile site.

What have you noticed about Adam Gotsis' play over the last few weeks -- what kind of role does he appear to handle?

-- Endive Kerfuffle

First of all, either your parents are the most creative people on the planet, or you have one of the best fake names I've ever seen. That looks like the sort of pseudonym I'd concoct.

At this moment, you're counting on him to provide relief rotational snaps in place of Derek Wolfe at the three-technique end spot, including some pass-rush opportunities. His recent work has been promising; when I watched him in one-on-one pass-rush drills against the 49ers, I saw him use some swim moves more effectively than I've seen from him before.

The physical tools are there with Gotsis; it's a matter of technical refinement and turning his natural strength into something that allows him to hold his ground when offensive linemen try to drive him back at the snap. The last week was perhaps the most promising one of Gotsis' brief career; now he needs to stack more progress on top of that.

Barring an injury this week, Jamaal Charles should see his first extensive work of the preseason Saturday against the Packers.

Looking at the landscape of the league, one player always pops up on the "trade block": Sheldon Richardson of the Jets. Then you look at their current roster, and they need everything, including RB and WR, then you look at the Broncos roster and there seems to be a logjam at both of those positions with some big decisions to be made. How likely would you think it would be, before final cuts, to go after a player like that, and do you think we have enough to offer?

-- Matt Heuser

Any trade requires two to tango, so to speak. It's not as simple as the Broncos saying, "I want that guy; here's what we have," and making it happen.

Consider where the Jets stand on the waiver-priority claim list: No. 6 because of their 5-11 finish last year. They have a decent chance of being able to get most of the players they would try to claim off waivers after final cuts. This is an obstruction to a potential trade, as the Jets could simply opt to wait for cuts and make their claims, and thus bolster those positions of need without surrendering anything.

Furthermore, before they address any depth issues on the defensive line, they want to get a long look at Gotsis and Zach Kerr, both of whom had some flashes of brilliance in extended work Saturday against the 49ers.

How is Jake Butt's recovery coming along and will he be able to play at all this season?

-- Don Fenton

It's too early to tell. He has been seen working out after practice on his own, but given that his torn ACL was his second in a three-year span, the Broncos want to bring him along slowly and ensure that his rehabilitation is complete before working him up to speed and into game action. With Butt, you have to play the long game; the Broncos got a late-first-round/early-second-round talent, but the reason they got him in the fifth round was because of the injury history.

To ensure maximum return on investment -- which could give the Broncos a potent red-zone weapon and solid outside blocker for many years to come, if Butt lives up to his potential -- they have to be patient. If the Broncos have to sacrifice a good chunk of this season to give Butt the best possible chance of being an outstanding contributor for the years beyond that, that is a price worth paying given his long-term potential.

I don't see the reason for having four preseason games. Instead the NFL should have a college-football style spring game to determine who should make the roster and who should not. Agree?

-- Foyozia Ahmed

Disagree. For one thing, one game of repetitions isn't nearly enough to get a read on your roster. For another, preseason games are a revenue generator. An average of 58,394 tickets were sold to each of the preseason games played between Thursday and Sunday -- a total of 884,012 tickets sold. Until a better way of preparing for the regular season while preserving a revenue stream is created, these games aren't going anywhere.

Submit a question for the next Mailbag!

The analysis, opinion and speculation in this story represents that of the author, gathered through research and reporting, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Denver Broncos organization.

Go here to see the original:

Mason's Mailbag: Adam Gotsis' progress - DenverBroncos.com (blog)

Opinion/Letter: In spite of all, progress is evident – The Daily Progress

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Danzig

In 1958 when I arrived for my first year at the University of Virginia, the school and the town were very much segregated. No black students at UVa; the Paramount Theater would not allow blacks on the main level, and they were relegated to the balcony. Drinking fountains were labeled For colored only and For whites only. The public schools were also dealing with discrimination. The white schools closed down for two years, not wanting to integrate.

In 1964, our federal government passed the Civil Right Act, allowing blacks the same rights as whites. Prior to 1964, the South primarily supported the Democratic Party, but after that the South became Republican, as it is today.

In 2008, our country elected a black president, Barack Obama. Now, thats progress. All of us should feel proud that our society has moved forward.

By and large, the hate groups are a tiny percentage of the American population. Every society has fringe groups like them, and hopefully over time they will be fewer and hopefully disappear.

I was at the Aug. 12 demonstration, spending most of my time at the corner of 2nd and Market streets, which was very active. There were marches on both sides and loud chanting, all filled with lots of emotions with the black community mostly standing in the background watching There was no violence as far as I could see.

When I returned home and surfed the TV, you would have had the impression the world was coming to an end. It appeared that all the news outlets had the same footage of people shoving, punching, swinging bats but I suspect that represented only few minutes.

Yes, the car killing was tragic and well covered in the news.

Our country is far from perfect, but over time we seem to do the right thing. Most, if not all, of us were raised with prejudice, and I know over time I have adjusted my attitude, like most people I know. Our three children have a much healthier attitude about discrimination, and our eight grandchildren appear to have no prejudices. That's progress, and hopefully our country will eventually see everyone as equal.

Vito Cetta, Albemarle County

Go here to see the original:

Opinion/Letter: In spite of all, progress is evident - The Daily Progress

Mapping Progress in 55 Philadelphia Neighborhoods – Next City

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Danzig

How an Average Philadelphia Neighborhood Is Growing

When it comes to Oxford Circle, state Rep. Jared Solomon is something of an expert witness. He moved there as a toddler, and lived above his grandparents butcher shop off Castor Avenue. He played Little League there. He was bar mitzvahed there. Today, he lives on Large Street with his fiancee, in a 50s-era rowhouse with a greystone facade and a small patch of lawn. His mother still lives a few blocks away.

After Swarthmore College, after Villanova Law, after a stint in the Army, Solomon returned home infused with ambition and a zeal that led him to become a community activist. That, in turn, led him into politics. Last year, he made his second run for the State House and defeated Rep. Mark Cohen, who had represented the 202nd District for 42 years. The ossified Cohen was no match for the energetic 38-year-old.

Solomons street-level knowledge of his district is deep. He can rattle off its ethnic and racial composition (29 percent black, 27 percent white, 23 percent Latino, 18 percent Asian); the condition of its playgrounds and recreation centers (generally poor); the decline in both family income (down 14 percent) and home prices (down 11 percent).

Solomon frets about the perception that all is well in the Northeast: Whats very frustrating is that whenever I bring up the Northeast, people say Oh, youre fine. No! They are thinking of the Northeast of 20 years ago.

In his youth, Oxford Circle was mostly white and very Jewish. It had a religious, cultural and ethnic cohesiveness. In short, it was an enclave. Six out of every 10 houses were built in the 1940s and 1950s.

It is a classic post-World War II housing development.

In the generations since the neighborhood was built up it has changed in ways that are both immediately obvious and more subtle. The synagogue where Solomon was bar mitzvahed is now a Buddhist temple. The Jewish butchers, bakers and grocers are long gone, replaced by nail salons, day cares and a panoply of ethnic restaurants Caf Albania, Montana Grill, Tio Pepe, Azaad, to name a few.

Riding along Castor Avenue with Solomon is like traveling with two people: One is the cheerleader, raving about the strengths of the neighborhood and its great potential. The other is the critic.

Because the business corridor is not thriving, no one really is taking pride here, he says. So, the lightings bad. The storefronts are shabby and rundown. Its dark. Its dank. There is no real momentum forward. So, when you have that, you see graffiti and you get trash. And trash begets trash.

Solomon is working to build a network of engaged community members called Jareds super volunteers. He is seeking to rebuild civic cohesiveness, getting people on each block really engaged not just complaining about issues, but being active in trying to solve them.

Solomon the optimist sees these goals as attainable with lots of hard work. Solomon the critic realizes the obstacles: the disengaged newcomers, the unhappy old-timers who kvetch about how things arent like they used to be.

Solomon the critic: You cant romanticize the past to such an extent that it makes you unable to do anything. To say: Oh well, the past was so good, lets just talk about it. We have these exciting changes and we have to figure out as a community a way to embrace them and use them to move the neighborhood forward.

Solomon is convinced that the areas diversity, as evidenced in its cuisine, is the key. If it seems implausible to rebuild commercial corridors by emphasizing the experience of exotic cuisines and build from there to a general revival Solomon the optimist insists it can happen.

Driving through the neighborhood that he has built a life around, Solomon was talkative, candid and knowledgeable, but he stumbled over one question: What does your neighborhood need the most?

Finally, that all-encompassing phrase that had been rattling around in Solomons mind finally came to his lips. We have to change the narrative, he says, referring to his vision of a new, revived Oxford Circle. If this becomes the narrative and vision and if that is how we are selling this neighborhood, I think that will be a good thing.

State Rep. Jared Solomon stands on the stoop of his childhood home in Oxford Circle.

Solomons phrase could be the unofficial motto of Philadelphia: Changing the Narrative for Over 300 Years.

Philadelphia has gone from colonial village, to rapidly growing pre-Civil War city, to Workshop of the World, to 1970s dystopian nightmare city, to a bustling post-modern center for eds and meds, with a glittering and prosperous downtown.

Neighborhoods go through cycles as well. To oversimplify, Philadelphia has two kinds of neighborhoods. Those like Oxford Circle, most of which were the product of the post-World War II housing construction boom.

The other neighborhoods were factory towns, built around the industries that located there beginning in the early decades of the 19th century and continuing into the middle of the 20th century.

For instance, Nicetown was once synonymous with Midvale Steel and, later, the Budd Company, the Brown Instrument Co. and Tastykake. They are all gone now.

For those seeking to change the narrative in these neighborhoods, its not a simple matter of rebranding or coming up with a new defining slogan. More jobs, higher income, less poverty, a growing population and a solid real estate market must be included in the mix.

Using those criteria, Nicetown has taken steps forward in the last five years. The North Philadelphia neighborhood, which straddles Germantown Avenue just west of Broad Street and Erie Avenue, has seen its population rise 4 percent (above the citys 1 percent increase), its housing prices rose 11 percent again above the citywide average. As important, while the citywide poverty rate rose 2.6 percent, in Nicetown it declined by 23 percent.

Highway planners did Nicetown no favors in the 1950s when they decided to cut the neighborhood in half to link the Roosevelt Boulevard to the Schuylkill Expressway. It was a move that added insult to injury; the post-World War II decline of manufacturing in the area had already hollowed out the neighborhood, leaving working-class families living alongside vacant factories and abandoned rowhouses. The highway added another shadow: It doesnt run through Nicetown, it runs over it perched atop concrete pillars that hold up the highway viaduct. Like many poor communities, the neighborhood never quite recovered from the trauma inflicted by urban renewals bulldozers. Even so, many residents never gave up on the idea that one day Nicetown would again live up to its name, says Majeedah Rashid, executive director of the Nicetown Community Development Corporation.

Majeedah Rashid runs theNicetownCommunity Development Corporation.

Slowly, that change is happening and she sees it every day along Germantown Avenue, where her CDC has built two handsome brick apartment complexes.

Rashid recalls that when she first arrived in 2002, not much was happening in Nicetown. The Neighborhood Advisory Council, which the CDC now runs, had shut down, she says. The Democratic political organization, which the community had relied on for its connections at City Hall, wasnt much help either.

There was a lack of cohesion, Rashid says. People were in their own little cliques. We had some elected officials who had people who were like henchmen. I have a bone to pick with certain politicians and committee people because they just hold the title. The NAC wasnt doing its job. The politicians ran it like a club. You had a void.

Today, the CDC, which has the chipper motto of working together to put the nice back in the town runs arts and culture programs for the neighborhoods children and operates a boxing clinic. It sponsors an annual Nicetown Festival and runs landscaping and land management services through subsidiaries that employ local people. Councilwoman Cindy Bass and new state Sen. Sharif Street have district offices in the CDCs buildings. It wasnt always that way.

Getting the trust of residents was what Rashid calls a slow-row process. It involved including them in every step, regardless of the project. People were skeptical and resentful and likely to be on board for a project one day and off the next.

When the CDC decided to build its first apartment complex, Nicetown Court I, which featured top-flight design and materials, residents feared it was so nice that apartments would have high rents, and be affordable only to people from out of the area. Still, on opening day there was a line of applicants that stretched down the block, she recalls.

Later, Rashid convinced Temple University Hospital to open a doctors office on the ground floor of the apartment complex, and thus was able to replace the neighborhoods doctor, who had retired. And they pay rent every month, on time, she says. The CDC gets income from its rents and its landscaping subsidiaries. It also gets $100,000 a year from Comcast Corporation, as part of a city program that lets businesses divert some local business taxes owed to qualified CDCs.

The next step for the CDC may be its biggest yet a potential game changer in one of the most desolate sections of the neighborhood, the land beneath the Roosevelt Expressway.

View post:

Mapping Progress in 55 Philadelphia Neighborhoods - Next City

Hedonism | Define Hedonism at Dictionary.com

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Danzig

Contemporary Examples

His life of hedonism suddenly seems empty when he begins to fall in love with Grace.

Those avatars of hedonism, The Europeans, are aghast at discovering that the average American vacation lasts for just 4.1 days.

Georgia Congressman Bob Barr warned that the flames of hedonism . . . are licking at the very foundations of our society.

But the pleasures of vengeance and hedonism prove a dead end for Wanda.

After a night of hedonism, head out into Louisiana'sCajun Country.

Historical Examples

And no hedonism, no theory of rights, could supply an operating rule for conduct.

Veblen has made it perfectly clear that particular matters of theory are affected by the presupposition of hedonism.

His own view is that the Austrians are not essentially bound up with hedonism.

The sonnets on the Days breathe the same quaint medieval hedonism.

Honora's amazement at her cousin's hedonism gave way to contempt for it.

British Dictionary definitions for hedonism Expand

/hidnzm; hd-/

the pursuit of pleasure as a matter of principle

indulgence in sensual pleasures

Derived Forms

hedonic, hedonistic, adjectivehedonist, noun

Word Origin

C19: from Greek hdon pleasure

Word Origin and History for hedonism Expand

hedonism in Culture Expand

In ethics, the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good in life. Some hedonists, such as the Epicureans, have insisted that pleasure of the entire mind, not just pleasure of the senses, is this highest good.

Go here to read the rest:

Hedonism | Define Hedonism at Dictionary.com

Hedonism II – UPDATED 2017 Prices & Resort (All-Inclusive …

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Danzig

Standard Room

Getting you more information on this room

Sorry, this partner no longer has rooms available on TripAdvisor. Please visit one of our 9 partner sites to see rooms from $412.

Standard Room

Getting you more information on this room

Reviewed 3 days ago

I enjoyed my stay at Hedo. The only problem I had was that it rained everyday at 3 PM. I usually come there in January and there is very little rain if any. Don't know if I will make it this January due to a...More

This business uses tools provided by TripAdvisor (or one of its official Review Collection Partners) to encourage and collect guest reviews, including this one.

Dear la2762, Thank you for your continued loyalty. We all miss Deon and have him constantly in our thoughts and prayers. We hope the family illness is minimal and that we see you home again soon. Pursue Pleasure, Randymon DOSM Hedonism II

vacationjunky2016

Hamilton, New Jersey

Reviewed June 29, 2017

This was our 5th trip and counting. The trip this year was all the sweeter having won 3 nights at the repeaters guest party last year. On that note we won another 3 nights this year for Go Green efforts at our room. Hey, me...More

Hedo Greetings vacationjunky2016 aka bluecupcouple: Thank you so much for taking the time to post this great review. We are so very pleased to read about how much you enjoyed your 5th stay with us. A particularly thank you for mentioning some of the wonderful...More

We spent 4 days at Hedo in Negril .All I can say is wow, as soon as our private driver pulled up and we walked in the lobby we were greeted with a hug by the bell man and he rushed off to get me...More

Hedo Greetings dvd1349, Thank you for taking the time to write this review. We are very pleased to know that you enjoyed your stay at Hedonism II and that our staff helped make your vacation even more special. We look forward to welcoming you home...More

Scott W

Indianapolis, Indiana

Reviewed 5 days ago

This was our first trip to Hedo. We were warmly greeted in the lobby upon our arrival and we each had a drink in our hand within less than 5 minutes of arrival. The lobby staff were very nice, the check in process was fast....More

Dear Scott W, Thank you for taking the time to write this review. We appreciate your comments, especially the shout outs for our amazing staff. As you mentioned the room, we are in the process of updating many of the rooms so when you return...More

I haven't been here since July 2012. All I can say is wow. Rooms upgraded Entertainment Staff Improved. Winston is doing one heck of a job with choreography. I knew him when he just started. So proud of him. Food Upgraded Top shelf Alcohol at...More

Hedo Greetings Bj S, Thank you so much for taking the time to post your review. We are very pleased to read your comments and happy that you have FINALLY returned after so many years. Our owners continue to make improvements and enhancements so come...More

Azul Beach Resort Sensatori Jamaica by Karisma

Sandals Negril Beach Resort & Spa

Awards & Recognition

Amenities

Details

Star rating provided by Expedia.

All photos (1,581)

Full view

Family and Play Areas (13)

Business Center & Event Rooms (9)

Sunset at the Palms

2,589 reviews

.75 miles away

Azul Beach Resort Sensatori Jamaica by Karisma

1,898 reviews

.60 miles away

Couples Negril

4,318 reviews

.40 miles away

Sandals Negril Beach Resort & Spa

5,319 reviews

.27 miles away

Nearby Restaurants

Fireman's Lobster Pit

353 reviews

.47 miles away

Office of Nature

123 reviews

.83 miles away

The Boardwalk Village Restaurant

144 reviews

.47 miles away

Sing U

6 reviews

.49 miles away

Nearby Attractions

Bloody Bay

793 reviews

.76 miles away

Booby Cay Island

402 reviews

.45 miles away

Stanley's Deep Sea Fishing

195 reviews

.48 miles away

Kool Runnings Water Park

155 reviews

.71 miles away

August 21, 2017|

Are you sure you want to delete this question?

August 20, 2017|

Are you sure you want to delete this question?

August 7, 2017|

Are you sure you want to delete this question?

Is This Your TripAdvisor Listing?

Hedonism II - UPDATED 2017 Prices & Resort (All-Inclusive ...

Noticed the cameras around town? They’re for the upcoming movie about a drug-fuelled weekend in Dublin – thejournal.ie

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Danzig

Source: TheJournal.ie/YouTube

WHEN DUBLIN OLDSCHOOL first hit theatres in 2014 it was met with widespread acclaim.

The play written by and starring Emmet Kirwan (Sarah and Steve; Heartbreak) follows would-be DJ Jason (Kirwan) through a drug-fuelled weekend odyssey along the streets of Dublin.

Jason works in a record shop in the city centre. He has plans to be a top DJ but loves going on the session at the weekends: taking drugs, going to clubs and raves and generally just overdoing it.

The play follows Jason along his path of hedonism and self-destruction as he navigates through the weekend. Along the way in between raves, drug busts and longing for his ex-girlfriend Jason meets and reconnects with his estranged older brother Daniel (played by Ian Lloyd Anderson), a homeless drug addict.

Kirwan (left) and Anderson (right) in the promo for the Dublin Oldschool play.

The play was notable in that Kirwan and Anderson were the only two actors occupying a completely bare stage. Dublin and an entire cast of assorted, well-sketched characters is brought alive by Jasons quickfire narration and the words and actions.

Fast-paced, descriptive poetry carries the audience along for a wild ride that is both a celebration of youthful hedonistic drug culture and poignant tale about family breakdown the dangers and sadness of addiction.

Fast forward three years later to this week and Kirwan and a cast of youthful actors were wedged into Anseo bar on Camden Street, along with a full production team.

TheJournal.iegot a behind-the-scenes look as shooting has commenced on a movie version of Dublin Oldschool, which will film in locations across Dublin and Wicklow for four weeks.

From play to movie

Kirwan and Anderson reprise their roles as the two lost brothers, but alongside them now will be a full cast each playing one of the excellent side characters.

These are people like Dave The Rave a posh sounding Dublin drug dealer with a one track mind for getting out of his mind.

The side acts are all brought brilliantly to life by Anderson onstage, and aside from the strong emotional centre of the brothers relationship provide the play with its best moments.

Kirwan (left) and director Dave Tynan on set. Source: Allen Kiely

Sarah Greene (Penny Dreadful/Ransom), Sena Kerslake (A Date for Mad Mary/Cant Cope, Wont Cope), Mark OHalloran (Adam & Paul/Historys Future/The Virtues) and Stephen Jones (Red Rock/Love Hate) will all feature in the movie.

It will be interesting to see how the ensemble cast adapt and make each character their own.

The movie is directed by Dave Tynan (who co-wrote it), a longtime collaborator with Kirwan.

The mens partnership won much attention earlier this year for the short spoken word film Heartbreak which was written and performed by Kirwan and directed by Tynan.

The video tells the story Young One (played byJordanne Jones) a young teenager who becomes a mother and encounters hardship and hypocrisy as she raises her child.

Heartbreak went viral and won acclaim for both men, with Kirwans words To stand in awe of mn becoming a rally cry for the womens rights movement and the Repeal the Eighth campaign.

Tynan and Kirwan also collaborated on the excellent Just Saying spoken word video way back in 2012, when the recession still seemed like it was many years from ending.

Just Saying written and directed by Tynan and performed by Kirwan as he walks through Dublin at night may give a glimpse into what the pair are looking to accomplish with Dublin Oldschool.

Here we have the same themes of a lost youth culture, references to weekends of drink and drugs, and the whole thing underpinned as Dublin Oldschool is by a deep but conflicted love of Dublin city and all that goes with it.

With a budget this time of 1 million from the Irish Film Board and Windmill Lane Studios, the duo will have a bit more scope to expand on and convey their vision in the feature length film.

The movie is bound to differ in many ways from the play, and is Emmet Kirwans first feature length film. Speaking to the press outside Anseo this week, he was confident about pulling off the translation from stage to screen.

I dont want to give too much away but weve kind of distilled the essence of the play into the film script, he said.

You get to show all the things that youve only talked about.

The good stuff in the play will still be in the film especially the words.

Distribution and sales for Dublin Oldschool are handled by Element Pictures and the film is due for cinema release in 2018.

Get breaking news from TheJournal.ie via Facebook. Just click Like.

Read the original here:

Noticed the cameras around town? They're for the upcoming movie about a drug-fuelled weekend in Dublin - thejournal.ie

Nothing is off-limits in the Party’s anti-graft efforts – Shanghai Daily (subscription)

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Danzig

AS the 96-year-old Communist Party of China (CPC) prepares to hold its 19th national congress later this year, the world is watching how the long-ruling party will remain vigorous in the future.

In fact, the CPCs efforts in self-reform since its 18th national congress held five years ago have provided answers to that question.

Xi Jinping, who took office as general secretary of the CPC Central Committee in 2012, has led the efforts to fight corruption, calling on the whole Party to stay fully alert and describing corruption as a threat to the Partys very survival.

Nothing is off-limits in the anti-corruption efforts, and zero tolerance has been shown toward corruption, Xi said at the seventh plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) earlier this year.

On December 4, 2012, the Politburo of the CPC Central Committee convened a meeting to deliberate on the eight-point frugality code to address si feng, or four forms of decadence formalism, bureaucratism, hedonism and extravagance.

According to the CCDI, as of the end of May, a total of 170,400 violations against the eight-point frugality code had been investigated across the country, with 231,100 people punished, including 20 ministerial-level Party officials.

Yang Xiaodu, deputy secretary of the CCDI, said, The tests we are facing now are no less challenging than those in war times, only in different forms. If our Party members cant resist the risks of corruption, they could end up using power for illegitimate purposes.

On April 19, 2013, the Politburo decided to launch education activities within the Party.

The three stricts and three earnests campaign, advanced by Xi in 2014, urges officials to be strict in morals, power and self-discipline, and to be honest in decisions, business and behavior.

The Party also advanced a campaign for members at all levels to study the theoretical and practical issues of Party building in an effort to strengthen ideology and Communist beliefs while serving the people.

The Party has shown hardened resolve in the fight against corruption when the Central Committee decided to investigate and punish senior officials for discipline violations, including Zhou Yongkang, Bo Xilai, Guo Boxiong, Xu Caihou, Ling Jihua and Su Rong.

The Party not only exercises self-discipline within the country, but also reaches abroad to hunt down fugitives.

Yang Xiuzhu, who was once number one on the list of Chinas top 100 fugitives released in an Interpol red notice, turned herself in to the country in November 2016 after 13 years on the run.

So far, over 40 fugitives on the Interpol red list have either voluntarily returned or been extradited to China, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

In November 2013, the third plenary session of the 18th CPC Central Committee required innovation in the disciplinary inspection system, focusing on problems related to corruption, Party rules and regulations as well as the Partys leadership.

The CPC has carried out inspection work covering CPC organizations in provincial-level regions, central CPC and government organs and major state-owned enterprises, according to Li Xiaohong, an official with the central inspection group.

According to the CCDI, from 2012 to the end of 2016, 240 centrally administered officials were investigated, with 223 receiving punishments. A total of 57,000 Party members took the initiative to confess to their wrongdoings in 2016.

Meanwhile, the National Peoples Congress Standing Committee, the top legislature, approved a pilot reform program to establish an integrated supervision system that will see the establishment of local supervisory commissions at three levels province, city and county.

Follow this link:

Nothing is off-limits in the Party's anti-graft efforts - Shanghai Daily (subscription)

Got past clearing? Now comes the gap year and it’s not just about fun – The Times

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Danzig

Time off before university used to mean a non-stop party, but the jobs market demands more now

In years gone by, gap years meant 12 months of full-moon parties in Thailand and cannabis-infused lassi in India. But as students contemplate their future after last weeks A-level results, those considering travelling are taking their break more seriously: these days the gap year is all about your CV.

Its been a really noticeable change, says Tim Fryer of student travel specialist STA. Weve seen a shift away from a gap year centred around hedonism. Now those taking time out after A-levels, or after their degree, are choosing their trip with one eye on what theyre going to tell their future employers. Theyre looking for skills and qualities they can demonstrate. Its almost a stepping stone on your career.

Emma Beynon of the gap-year organiser

See the original post here:

Got past clearing? Now comes the gap year and it's not just about fun - The Times

Review: In ‘Good Karma Hospital,’ Some Familiar TV Templates … – New York Times

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Danzig

Photo Amrita Acharia plays a doctor in The Good Karma Hospital, beginning Monday on AcornTV. Credit Chris Burgess/Acorn TV

No fancy tests are needed to map the pop-cultural DNA of The Good Karma Hospital, a British dramedy whose six-episode first season arrives Monday on AcornTV.

Its about 50 percent postcolonial escape fantasy, in which an uptight Briton moves to a tropical outpost of the former empire and learns to balance Western rationalism with Eastern superstition, emotion and ease. The markers include crazy drivers, brightly dressed crowds and nervousness about hygiene. Comparables are The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (note the similarity in the titles) and the Caribbean detective series Death in Paradise.

Its also about 50 percent medical melodrama, with a young doctor arriving at a new hospital and having to prove herself. Here the tropes include the grouchy chief, the conceited and sexist male surgeon, the sudden and difficult childbirth. And the precedents are Greys Anatomy and Northern Exposure. (Like the protagonist in Northern Exposure, the physician here is misinformed about where shell be working.)

Good Karma plays a small variation on these formulas by making its hero, Dr. Ruby Walker (Amrita Acharia), Anglo-Indian rather than white. After a bad breakup, she flees Britain for a struggling hospital in southern India shes both going somewhere exotic and coming home. She speaks the language (with an accent) but can still be surprised by the local dilemmas, such as the question of whether to let a female baby with a heart defect die.

There is no clash of cultures that cant be mitigated through pure sentimentality. If Good Karma Hospital is your kind of drug, youll want to mainline it. The coastal locations (filmed in Sri Lanka) are picturesque, the Bollywoodish music is catchy and the performers, including Amanda Redman of New Tricks as the hospitals overseer, are ingratiating.

As a bonus, two much-loved actors show up as the parents at a destination wedding and stick around for the season. The father is Philip Jackson, Inspector Japp in Agatha Christies Poirot, and the mother is Phyllis Logan, in her first role since Mrs. Hughes in Downton Abbey. The hospital may be in India, but if you look past the palm trees you could just as well be in the English countryside.

The Good Karma Hospital Beginning Monday on AcornTV

A version of this review appears in print on August 21, 2017, on Page C2 of the New York edition with the headline: A Doctor Proves Her Mettle.

Keith C. Burris: What made James Fields possible? – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Danzig

Keith C. Burris: What made James Fields possible?
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
His home at Monticello is a citadel of learning and humanism. I once attended a ceremony naturalizing new citizens there men and women of many nations and colors. It was deeply moving. And yet, in the basement of that great house, where the great ...

See original here:

Keith C. Burris: What made James Fields possible? - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

SLU Student Zach Morley Pushes Back After Photo with Charlottesville Hate Marcher – Riverfront Times (blog)

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Danzig

The photo shows the unrepentant 21-year-old grinning with his arms around a small bunch of friends.

"It was a weekend for the books with the St. Louis goys," Canepa wrote in the caption, "goy" being a Yiddish word for non Jews. The location tag was Charlottesville, Virginia, the scene of a violent and ultimately deadly clash between white supremacists, including neo-Nazis, and counter protesters.

"This doesn't represent SLUH as an institution," one former high school classmate told the RFT afterouting Morley.

Another sent screen grabs of bigoted posts Morley shared on his Facebook page, including a picture of a somber-looking old man sitting between two children, who appear to be of a different race. "when u realize what u fought for in WW2," reads the caption.

The RFT contacted Morley at his university email account and through Facebook on Friday. He later shut down the Facebook page, but he responded on email, describing himself as the victim of an "ideological witch hunt."

"My appearance in a photo with someone who may or may not have been at the rally says nothing about my opinions whatsoever," he writes.

Morley then threatened to file a lawsuit.

"If you insinuate that I hate anyone on account of their race or sympathize with neo nazis (of which there is zero evidence) you will be sued for defamation," Morley writes. "You personally will be sued and your company will be sued."

We then asked Morley to further explain his opinions and clear up any confusion. Here is his response, in its entirety:

Christ was crucified. Joan of Arc burned. Oscar Romero shot. All by their own countrymen for crimes they did not commit. Today they are remembered as heroes. Thankfully my Jesuit education has taught me to deal with the blows just like them. The guilt is on my persecutors.

Representatives of the Jesuit high school and university, where Morley says he learned to deflect crucifixion-level attacks, released statements that generally condemned the racism on display in Charlottesville but didn't specifically mention Morley.

Here's what Saint Louis University says:

Read the original:

SLU Student Zach Morley Pushes Back After Photo with Charlottesville Hate Marcher - Riverfront Times (blog)

Local obituaries of note – Washington Post

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Danzig

August 15

Obituaries of residents from the District, Maryland and Northern Virginia.

Thomas Korth,Howard University music professor

Thomas Korth, 73, a jazz pianist who taught music theory and composition at Howard University for 34 years, died June 25 at his home in Silver Spring, Md. The cause was cancer, said his sister, Marsha Korth Barnes.

Dr. Korth was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Silver Spring. He chaired the music department at Howard for about four years, until his retirement in 2005, and according to his sister performed alongside entertainers such as Chuck Berry and Al Green. In recent years, he performed with the house jazz band at 49West, a coffeehouse in Annapolis, Md.

Keith Johnson, international health official

Keith Johnson, 73, a pharmacist who worked on global projects to improve the distribution of medicines and pharmaceutical products, died July12 at a hospital in Rockville, Md. The cause was complications from a fall, said a niece, Amy Harris.

Mr. Johnson was born in Stromsburg, Neb., and served as an Army pharmacist in Vietnam during the war there. He moved in the 1970s to Rockville, where he was a research director and later a vice president for the U.S. Pharmacopeia, a nonprofit organization that establishes standards for medicines and food ingredients.

He worked at Management Sciences for Health in Arlington, Va., from 2000 until his retirement in March. In that position, Mr. Johnson coordinated programs to increase access to pharmaceutical products throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America. He taught in the public health programs at Georgetown and Johns Hopkins universities.

William Murry, minister

William Murry, 85, senior minister for 17 years of what now is the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Bethesda, Md., died July 6 at a hospital in Bethesda. The cause was cancer, said the Rev. Nancy Ladd, friend and successor at the church.

The Rev. Dr. Murry, a resident of Rockville, Md., was born in Jefferson City, Mo. He was a minister at Riverside Church in New York City and at the Unitarian Church of Bloomington, Ind., before he became senior minister of what then was River Road Unitarian Church in 1980. From 1998 until his death he was minister emeritus.

He served as president and academic dean at Meadville Lombard Theological School in Chicago from 1997 to 2003. He was the author of books on suffering, loss, humanism, religious naturalism and other theological issues.

Charles Lyons, college chancellor

Charles Lyons, 91, a longtime college administrator who was president and later chancellor of Fayetteville State University in North Carolina, died July 21 at an assisted-living facility in Ormond Beach, Fla. The cause was pancreatic cancer, said a daughter, Brenda Lyons.

Dr. Lyons was born in Conetoe, N.C., and taught political science at Grambling State University and Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina in the 1950s and early 1960s. He was director of admissions at Howard University from 1964 to 1969, before being named president of Fayetteville State, a historically black university. Dr. Lyons became chancellor, the universitys highest-ranking officer, in 1972, and he retired in 1987. He later settled in Mitchellville, Md.

He lectured at Morgan State University in Baltimore and was active in ministry programs at First Baptist Church in Glenarden, Md. Dr. Lyons was a member of many national committees on education and was president of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Associations council of presidents. He was a past president of the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education and the Center for Leadership Development and Research.

From staff reports

Local obituaries of note - Washington Post

Humanistic Psychologists Respond to Racism and Violence in Charlottesville, and its Aftermath – HuffPost

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Danzig

It is not hate that kills, as much as it is silence. That is why Division 32 of the American Psychological Association is encouraging all caring parties to likewise give voice to the values that stand for our very humanity, as Humanistic Psychology emphasizes. In response to hate speech and violence in Charlottesville, it is clear that the White House was unable to display spontaneous benevolent leadership and awareness of the role a president plays during national crises, stepping up in critical moments to set an ethical bar as well as legal ones. Yet, we neednt be surprised by this lag in conscience, a lack of emotional intelligence or well thought out advance planning born of a self-reflective exploration, because there is nothing on which to base such an expectation.

In the context of mindful approaches to psychotherapy, every moment of life conditions the moment that comes after it, or said another way, every moment is conditioned by the one that came before it, by the one that preceded it. We must act thoughtfully, mindfully, and compassionately because cause and effect are interdependent. Reactions are spontaneous, empathy and leadership organically arise to meet the moment, producing human, and humane, responses. Thus, what we saw in Charlottesville was the result of all the many, many moments that caused it, that came before, that preceded it.

Much of the country wept on Saturday, after Friday nights nightmarish torch-bearing foreshadowing of the next days flashbacks of racism, covered faces, hiding, and hatred. Many of us deeply inhaled on Friday night and found ourselves breathless, and remain so even today. The solution doesnt only lie where we already know there is a massive and huge problem, but in the danger of propagating a resigned silence. This ennui engulfs a person or group of persons in a vacuum of hopelessness. So hope rests fully in saying no to silence.

Heather Heyer was martyred in Charlottesville as a result of racism. Her mother, Susan Bro described her daughters caring way: It was important to her to speak up for people she felt were not being heard, to speak up when injustices were happening.

As psychologists, we can similarly fight silence by becoming active voices on radio, television, the internet, local and national newspapers, blogs, website postings, and all the other platforms that exist for us, speaking and posting against bigotry and fear, spreading instead the words of inclusiveness, of love, of a radical one love for all others and for ourselves, that says a large no to hate, so large that love itself is felt as a backlash. We can withstand it, I know.

We need only continue the work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who will always be the arbiter of peaceful non-violence, a politics of love. Perhaps there is an intersection where politics and love can find a synchronicity in our time, modeling Dr. Kings dignity, civility, Godliness, and love, patience, compassion, humanism, wisdom, and grace. We can emulate this stance dedicated to Dr. Kings vision of Beloved Community.

As Humanists, and simply as humans, we should not only speak out concerning what we are against, but what we are for: empathic regard, understanding of others suffering and pain, self-affiliation as a genuine love for oneself, and as philosopher Martin Buber described it, an I-Thou presence with other beings, that underlies a necessary trust.

The Society for Humanistic Psychology speaks out at this time, joining with other APA divisions and all those who are broken-hearted as a result of the domestic terrorism and unrestrained racism and other-making weve witnessed that starkly reminds us of a human capacity wed be best served to acknowledge as shadow and then work against, re-affirming a commitment to stand up and be heard on issues of social justice and equality.

We are within our professional code to declare that this White House differs in ways that may give rise to a crassness that has its own economics, a trickle-down that apparently finds people emboldened to march in the name of their own crassness, and more. As we find America at this crossroads in the summer of 2017, we are called upon to cool the heat that we feel in our political system by banding together in the name of love, a sober, cooling love. This upheaval is an important opportunity to advocate for the America we want to see.

At this critical juncture, Division 32 issues A Call to Action for psychologists to engage proactively with media platforms, and through clinical practice, community intervention, and policymaking to promote Humanistic values of compassionate inclusion, multicultural innovation, empathic regard, self-responsibility and love, in an effort to negate racial and cultural disparities, and make real the vision of flourishing, optimally functioning beloved communities.

President, Society for Humanistic Psychology, Division 32 of the American Psychological Association

The Morning Email

Wake up to the day's most important news.

See the original post here:

Humanistic Psychologists Respond to Racism and Violence in Charlottesville, and its Aftermath - HuffPost

Protecting Democracy from Online Disinformation Requires Better Algorithms, Not Censorship – Council on Foreign Relations (blog)

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Danzig

Eileen Donahoe is Executive Director of the Global Digital Policy Incubator at Stanford University, and former U.S. ambassador to the UN Human Rights Council. You can follow her @EileenDonahoe.

Democracies face an existential threat: information is being weaponized against them with digital tools. Although propaganda is not new, the speed, scale and extraterritorial reach of digital disinformation makes it different in kind from propaganda of old. Digital mechanisms of manipulationfrom bot armies and clickbait to micro targetingare being mastered by authoritarian and anti-democratic forces, outpacing democratic societies capacities to protect themselves.

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of this threat is that information itself is the weapon. Information has always been the lifeblood of democracy. For democracy to work, free and well-informed citizens must actively engage in civic discourse. Digital disinformation is destroying the prospect of democratic engagement by well-informed citizens.

Given the digital disinformation campaigns in the lead-up to BREXIT and the recent U.S. and French presidential elections, democratic governments now are seized with defending against disinformation operations by foreign governments seeking to disrupt their democratic processes. Until recently, many national security experts were focused on cyber threats to critical infrastructure that could have a physical consequences (e.g. a cyberattack causing something to blow up). Few anticipated that the target of cyberattack would be the civic infrastructure of our democraciesnot only voting machines, but public discourse around our elections. Fewer envisioned that the preferred vector of cyberattack would be disinformation.

But an ominous risk also arises when democratic governments responding to digital disinformation undermine their own democratic values. Germanys new NetzDG law, also known as the Network Enforcement Act or social media law, aims to eradicate hate speech and propaganda on digital platforms. It imposes steep fines (up to 50 million) for failure to take down evidently criminal content within twenty-four hours. The motivation for this legislation was to protect the quality of discourse necessary to sustain democracy, but its unintended effects risk greater damage to democracy than the original threat.

As private sector platforms like Facebook, Google, and Twitter have become primary sources of information and vehicles for expression, they effectively function as the public square for civic engagement. Their algorithms affect their users access to information and how they form political opinions. This has created conceptual confusion about the roles and responsibilities of social media platforms in democracy. The German NetzDG Act manifests this confusion.

In one swoop, the German government handed over judicial authority for determining criminality to the private sector. It simultaneously encouraged censorship, by incentivizing platforms to err on the side of taking down flagged content even if not criminal. Finally, it eroded the core concept of limited platform liability for third-party speech, which has facilitated the free flow of information on the Internet and democratized distribution of content globally.

In effect, the German bill got the target wrong: Platforms should not be liable for speech posted by users, (but should take down criminal speech based on a court order.) Platforms should be accountable for their own algorithms when they push information to users to monetize attention. The German approach retreats from governing responsibility and undermines its own commitment to freedom of expression on the Internet.

This is especially true when Russia starts holding up the German law as a model for its own censorship efforts. Democratic values are at risk of serious erosion when Moscow looks at Berlin for inspiration to regulate internet content. Within two weeks of the adoption of the German law, the Russian Duma proposed a copy-cat bill, with multiple explicit references to the German law as its model. The Russian version, like the German original, compels social media companies to take down vaguely defined illegal content within twenty-four hours or face severe penalties. The official justification for the law was to prevent use of digital networks for illegal purposes. In Russia, this can mean anything that challenges the authoritarian rule of Vladimir Putin. Russias cynical use of Germanys example should raise alarm bells for all democratic actors.

Democratic governments concerned about new digital threats need to find better algorithms to defend democratic values in the global digital ecosystem. Democracy has always been hard. It requires an exquisite balance between freedom, security and democratic accountability. This is the profound challenge that confronts the worlds liberal democracies as they grapple with foreign disinformation operations, as well as home-grown hate speech, extremism, and fake news. Fear and conceptual confusion do not justify walking away from liberal values, which are a source of security and stability in democratic society. Private sector and government actors must design algorithms for democracy that simultaneously optimize for freedom, security, and democratic accountability in our digital world.

Read the rest here:

Protecting Democracy from Online Disinformation Requires Better Algorithms, Not Censorship - Council on Foreign Relations (blog)

Daily Stormer ban raising fears of government censorship – Washington Times

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Danzig

Washington Times

Daily Stormer ban raising fears of government censorship
Washington Times
Major internet companies' rush to oust a white nationalist website last week could make it tougher for tech companies and open-net advocates to try to keep the government from censoring websites in the future, the CEO of one of the companies said.
The Guardian view on censoring the internet: necessary, but not easyThe Guardian
Moran: Did Google, GoDaddy, and CloudFlare Violate Net Neutrality?Breitbart News

all 9 news articles »

Go here to see the original:

Daily Stormer ban raising fears of government censorship - Washington Times

Select Page ::