Daily Archives: April 2, 2017

New York Times

My Son, My Daughter: A Mother's Evolution New York Times Isabel Rose, the telegenic heiress to one of New York's best-known real estate dynasties, has always had an ability to make her publicity-wary family squirm. In 2005 she published a novel, The J.A.P. Chronicles, in which she took aim at the Herms ...

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My Son, My Daughter: A Mother's Evolution - New York Times

When the government last shut down, in 2013, Mick Mulvaney considered himself part of the Shutdown Caucus a group of conservative House Republicans who held such a hard line that they were willing to let the lights go out.

Now, four years later, Mulvaney is on a collision course with his former comrades, responsible for convincing intransigent House Republicans to make a different kind of choice and pass a new spending bill by April 28 to avert another shutdown.

The former South Carolina congressman who was elected in the tea party wave of 2010 and took pride in rejecting his own partys budget proposals, one after another now serves as President Trumps budget director, making him the administrations chief salesman over the next month on spending matters.

Once an outspoken leader of the House Freedom Caucus, Mulvaney now is tasked with bringing along the group with which his boss has plainly lost patience. Frustrated by their obstruction on health care, Trump last week threatened to destroy Freedom Caucus members in the 2018 midterm elections, even as Mulvaney is working with them to forge consensus on an agreement to keep the government funded.

But there are clear limits to Mulvaneys influence, as this months embarrassing collapse of the Republican health-care bill laid bare. Some Freedom Caucus members speak privately of Mulvaneys philosophic convulsion, as one put it, and are quick to note that he no longer speaks with the ideological purity they came to respect in him, but rather as an agent of a president on the hunt for a deal.

(Claritza Jimenez/The Washington Post)

All of our lives are composed of trade-offs, said Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.), a Freedom Caucus member. Each person has a different calibration on where go means go and where no means no. I wouldnt attempt to suggest for another where their own lines ought to be on that balancing act of personal philosophy and assigned roles or jobs, but what I would say is that I wish Mick the absolute best.

Trump and his other advisers, however, see Mulvaney as their bridge to the Freedom Caucus, believing he still has unique credibility with the conservative hard-liners, however hostile they may be to some of the administrations priorities.

If you have to have somebody on your side that understands the complexity of these [bills] and the stakes around a government shutdown, who would you rather have than Mick Mulvaney? asked Stephen K. Bannon, the chief White House strategist.

Bannon called Mulvaney the unsung hero of this administration, because hes doing yeomans work on just about every front. Hes a rock star.

Marc Short, the White House legislative affairs director, said Mulvaney is anchored in his core philosophy, but that he has said, As much as he loves his colleagues in the House, sometimes its less about winning the argument than about actually advancing the ball.

One example of Mulvaneys dramatically altered role came with Sanford, who told The Post and Courier in Charleston, S.C., that Trump used Mulvaney as an intermediary to threaten to oust Sanford in retaliation for not supporting the health-care bill. Sanford said Mulvaney told him, The president asked me to look you square in the eyes and to say that he hoped you voted no on this bill so he could run [a primary challenger] against you in 2018.

The episode marked an uncomfortable evolution for a man once allied with Sanford who saw his previous job in Congress as protecting the American taxpayer against runaway spending even for the military and even if the cuts he championed caused pain for his constituents.

[Trump wants to add wall spending to stopgap budget bill, potentially forcing shutdown showdown ]

Now as director of the Office of Management and Budget, however, Mulvaney has proposed a large increase in defense spending, which would be offset by steep cuts in social services such as housing, job training, and after-school activities, as well as foreign aid.

Some of these positions have infuriated antipoverty advocates, particularly his statements that federal assistance for low-income students and the elderly is ineffective.

Rarely will any program be able to fully accomplish its goals because the needs are so great, but if you took those programs away, there would be a huge impact, said Libba Patterson, a professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law who ran the states social services agency for four years.

Fiscal hawks had a different reaction to Mulvaneys first budget. Rep. Jeff Duncan (R., S.C.), a Freedom Caucus member who served with him in the South Carolina legislature before they were both elected to Congress in 2010, cheered Mulvaneys moves. We were all dancing in the street that Mick was chosen to be OMB director, he said.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) praised Mulvaney, a friend, as a committed conservative. But, he said, Mulvaney is wearing a different hat. He is now representing the administrations policy, so he doesnt have the same freedom he had as someone who represented the people of South Carolina.

During the health-care push, Mulvaney was one of the most visible administration officials. He appeared regularly on television news Trump thinks he is an especially smooth and punchy communicator, aides said and lobbied lawmakers incessantly, from negotiating sessions on Capitol Hill to a game of bowling in the White House basement.

[The closer? The inside story of how Trump tried and failed to make a deal on health care]

Duncan said Mulvaney helped persuade him to support the Affordable Care Act replacement bill, even though many Freedom Caucus colleagues were opposed.

He couldnt convince everyone, Duncan said. But even when he was in Congress and the Freedom Caucus, he couldnt convince everyone.

One of Mulvaneys selling points for the budget director job was his connection to the Freedom Caucus, Trump aides said, and there is some disappointment that he fell short on selling the health-care bill. But advisers said blame for the failure has fallen on many officials, including White House chief of staff Reince Priebus, not just Mulvaney.

Theres nothing more that he could have possibly done, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said of Mulvaney. He called the budget director a very well-steeped, well-regarded workhorse who has an instant sense of credibility on Capitol Hill.

Mulvaney was well-liked in the House, a rare Freedom Caucus member who made friends with House leaders, including Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.).

I think its easy for the media to paint him in a corner philosophically, but his friendships obviously go across the entire spectrum of the Republican conference, and I think thats why hes such a great asset, Short said.

Yet in the Senate, Mulvaney barely won confirmation. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) joined all 48 Democrats and independents in opposing his appointment, in part because of Mulvaneys past opposition to higher defense spending levels.

[Trumps federal budget 2018: Massive cuts to the arts, science and the poor]

Before coming to Washington, Mulvaney, 49, was a state lawmaker and also owned and operated a South Carolina franchise of Salsaritas Fresh Cantina. He first got elected to the House by unseating one of Congresss long-serving lions John Spratt, then the House Budget Committee chairman in a district that Democrats had controlled for more than 100 years.

Spratt said he was surprised Mulvaney had pulled off getting appointed budget director, arguing that he has no real experience in budget-making.

Im still surprised that he was able to pull down a prize like OMB, Spratt said. Its one of the most difficult jobs in the United States. Hes got to prove himself worthy of the job.

Mulvaneys colleagues said he has proven a quick study, and that he helps them see around corners politically.

Mulvaney has instructed the career staff at the budget office to read Trumps 1987 bestseller, The Art of the Deal. He supported Paul in the 2016 presidential primaries, but came around to Trump once he emerged as the presumptive nominee.

Now one of Trumps employees he attends the White House senior staff meetings every morning Mulvaney is forging a bond with the president. Aides said that whenever Trump talks about numbers, he summons Mulvaney if he is not already in the Oval Office.

Trump also invited Mulvaney to join him last weekend at Trump National Golf Club in Virginia, according to one of the presidents advisers.

He can take the mundane budget policy is not the sexiest thing in the world, lets face it and not only make it interesting, but talk to you about the different angles of it, said Rick Dearborn, a deputy White House chief of staff. Its not just the policy piece of it, but his political insights that make it very interesting. He gives you these aha moments of, Oh, yeah, I hadnt thought about that.

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Mick Mulvaney's evolution from 'Shutdown Caucus' to Trump's ... - Washington Post

Mark Henderson Mark Henderson is The News-Star watchdog and storytelling coach.(Photo: MARGARET CROFT/THE NEWS-STAR)Buy Photo

Friends,

The evolution started slowly, but the migration of audiences and advertisers from print to online has been nothing short of breathtaking. Increasingly, most of our customers access The News-Star's content and advertising on our website, mobile and tablet devices, and social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

Like any business that evolves to stay relevant, we must follow in order for The News-Star, now 126 years old, to see another century of operations. We are nurturing that evolution with a series of steps to stay in alignment with audiences.

In a transformation already underway, we are concentrating breaking news and sports scores on our digital platforms, where you can keep up in real time. (Already a subscriber? Join us onlineby visiting thenewsstar.com/activate. Need to subscribe? Go to thenewsstar.com/subscribe.)

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Our print edition willfocus on content that youll find more satisfying and in-depth, rather than repeating the headlines you saw the night before.

On the news side, our journalists will dive more deeply into the topics we know you like: Watchdog stories, education, quality of life, jobs, government, public safety and stories of people.

Our sports content is evolving, too, and our focus will shift to unique and compelling content about local players, coaches and teams.

The goal is to get away from conventional reporting and writing methods, fully embracing a digital-first mindset. We will de-emphasize game stories, which are less popular with audiences. (Dont worry; you can always find the score at thenewsstar.com.)

Instead, we will take the pulse on what people are talking about live and on social media and translate that into stories, videos and engaging content. We will place an emphasis on analysis, features, columns, lists and videos, not providing game coverage in the traditional sense.

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Mark Henderson is news director at The News-Star. He can be reached at 362-0262 or by email at mhenderson@thenewsstar.com.

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Evolution: Serving our customers as their needs shift - The News Star - Monroe News Star

Evolution is a process whereby something turns into another thing often more complex and sophisticated. There are three kinds of scientific evolution: cosmic/chemical, biological and social. I will concentrate on the biological kind.

Cosmic/chemical evolution describes how after the Big Bang all 92 natural elements were synthesized. Hydrogen is the simplest element and created with the Bang. In stars it undergoes nuclear fusion to form the lighter elements. After aging stars often explode as nova and in this energy heavier elements are made. From these, solid planets like Earth form.

Biological evolution produces new types of organisms from previous forms or allows the process of speciation through a variety of phenomena. Two steps are necessary: genetic mutations and natural selection. Genetic mutation occurs because DNA undergoes chemical change producing new forms of the genes. Selection is the removal of some individuals from breeding populations. Natural selection acts on the differences though physical, chemical aspects of the environment, competition, predation, herbivory, parasitism and pathogenicity, and mutualism. Mutualism is where two types cooperate to the benefit of both.

Biological evolution shows specific patterns based on the various combinations of these events, Hybridization where two types interbreed results in a new third kind. Divergence is when two new species co-arise from a former one. Radiation occurs when divergence happens repetitively and many types come about. Convergence is the case of different species becoming more alike by a common environments selection, like birds, bats and bees which all have wings and fly. These processes have all been observed in the fossil record.

Evolution is actually measured by a science called population genetics. Population genetics is possible because a gene mutates and produces different forms of a gene for a trait. Geneticists count the numbers of all forms in a population and compare each of these to the total number of that gene, called the frequencies. If over time there is a change in these frequencies, scientists say evolution is occurring. A curious form of this, unique from the above, is genetic drift where the change is not selected but occurs randomly.

With all of this, the most common form of evolutionary change is extinction or complete disappearance of a species. This is observed in the fossil record and is occurring now at a rapid rate due to human pressures. Even an event like this is named, called a punctuation or extinction crisis due to large scale.

Human evolution is well recorded in the fossil record. This record is a layered sequence of recent evidence to older and older evidence as we dig deeper in sediments. About 50 million years before the present (B.P), the record shows the emergence through radiation of primates, which we are, including eventually monkeys and apes. Around 2.5 to 3 million years B.P. new types appeared, represented by fossils of australopithecines. These stood upright and had hands. A well-known example of these is the fossil called Lucy.

Diverging from these about 1.5 million years B.P. was the first of our genus Homo. First arose H. habilis that showed the ability to make stone and wooden tools and showed noticeable brain enlargement. After it and briefly before its extinction came H. erectus which was more fully upright and showed more brain expansion and tool facility, developing use of bone and animal hides.

Around 250,000 years B.P., fossils indicate the presence of our species, Homo sapiens. We have a much larger brain with a big prefrontal cortex and an enlarged forehead. Hand to eye coordination is very adroit and fine. The last refinements were seen 150,000 years B.P., probably with extensive hairlessness and with extensive cultural development. From hereon we find extensive, prolonged cultural complexity and eventually modern technologies. Most importantly, humans are the only Earth creature that has languages.

Social or cultural evolution is all the changes since 150,000 years B.P. A culture is a grouping of social practices common to a human group. Starting with stone, wood, bone and hide technologies, we have become increasingly sophisticated, developing more than 5,000 languages (which also go extinct), forming many, many cultures, and making many changes in technological capabilities. Today we have computers, wireless techniques, robots and sadly ever more elaborate ways to kill each other.

The question now is our own extinction. All this knowledge weve gained must be good for something. Lastly, many authors have written about these things. A good one is Thank God for Evolution by Michael Dowd.

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Williams: Evolution as a science - Roanoke Times

Citizen power: Posters for an upcoming Janatha Vimukthi Peramua party rally outside the old Negombo market on Sea Street. Photo by @amaliniii. Taken at this years Instameet, held in Negombo.

This post by Raisa Wickrematunge originally appeared on Groundviews, an award-winning citizen journalism website in Sri Lanka. An edited version is published below as part of a content-sharing agreement with Global Voices.

On March 26, 2017, a group of 13 or so people created some confusion among the vendors at the old market on Sea Street in Negombo city at the West coast of Sri Lanka.

Where are you from? was an oft-repeated question. Armed with cameras and smartphones, perhaps the group did look like tourists.

In fact, the group was participating in Instameet Sri Lanka part of a global event where users of Instagram in a particular country or locality connect. There are usually two Instameets held a year, and across the world, Instagram users organise their own meetings on that date.

Yet while the group might have looked like tourists, the participants of Instameet all had something in common a desire not just to meet the people they otherwise would only know of from scrolling through their timelines, but also to explore and document the chosen location Negombo.

I personally think Negombo is a great place [to have an Instameet] because its very diverse. The architecture and its landmarks are testament to its rich culture and history. participant and resident of Negombo, Aadil Marzook (@aadil.marzook)

Some of the asides of Aadil Marzook during the walk revealed much about Negombos culture and history that wouldnt be found in a guidebook, and would often go un-captured by the tourists lens.

Some participants from this year's meet:

The front of St. Marys College for instance, was emblazoned with the words No Hair Cuts. This was actually retaliation from students, Aadil explained.

A lot of students who attend this school are from the fishing community. They are reacting to the strict rules on uniforms. The school doesnt allow spiked hair or pants that are too tight sometimes they cut the students hair as punishment, Aadil explained.

Snippets of information like this are what make Instameet unique. The participants take care not just to capture iconic landmarks or sunsets but also slices of the areas culture and the daily lives of residents.

These conversations have long been a part the Sri Lankan chapter of Instameet, which began when Abdul Halik Azeez (@colombedouin) floated the idea in 2013 to people attending, ironically, another event based around a social media platform TweetUp, for Twitter users.

Sri Lanka has a tradition of online communities meeting in real life such as the open mic events for users of blog aggregator Kottu, Halik said. I saw people hosting meet-ups all over the world on Instagram, and I thought it would be interesting to have one here too, so I asked people whether they would be interested. The answer was yes.

Photos from the first Instameet in Mardana Railway Station in Colombo in 2013

Nazly Ahmed (@nazlyahamed), one of the organisers of this years Instameet comments that Instameet hasnt been commercialised. Brands often try to hijack an event, but here we just try to keep it simple its about connecting with the community and exploration. You can try much more things together as a group than if a brand was involved, Nazly added.

Since that first meetup, there have been changes, not just in terms of participation but also in the way Instagram itself has been used.

Another change was the shift from using smartphones to cameras to take photos. The result meant that there were fewer photos instantly uploaded using this years hashtags. I think when people are on the move, it becomes cumbersome to stop and upload photos. Also, its about what each user is most comfortable with. Personally, I try to capture emotions. I like to get close to my subjects and a DSLR helps me capture that, Nazly explained.

Hashinika Abeygunasekara (@hashiabey) said that it was actually after attending an installation of Instameet, held in Kompannaveedya, that she was inspired to buy a camera and more seriously pursue photography.

Photos from the Instameet in Kompannaveedya in Slave Island in 2015

I find that using a camera gives a better framing and perspective. You can do much more with focusing too. Sometimes I find people feel a bit alienated or scared when I use my phone to take photos. Yet now when I walk around Pettah for instance, I find people are happy for me to take their picture when they see my camera.

While there have been shifts in the way people use Instagram, one aspect hasnt changed and that is the participants desire to capture the essence of the locations they visit. Beyond Instagrammers connecting with each other, the participants also connected with the environment and the different people they met along the trail.

Amalini de Sayrah (@amaliniii) an organiser of this years Instameet said:

Instagram is meant for people to express their creativity. The beauty of the platform, and of Instameet itself, is that it is a window into many different perspectives. When we first put out word of this Instameet, we had several people ask us if it was for professional photographers only the meets and the app itself is for everyone and most of those who use the app are simply people who have a passion for photography, self-taught and curious to explore. Instagram allows people a place to tell their story, regardless of the device you use, or can afford to use.

Photos from this years Instameet in Negombo

This years event kicked off from near the Negombo lagoon. The participants visited the old market on Sea Street, St. Marys Church and the fish market before looping back to walk along the canal, ending up by the beach for sunset.

The rest of the photos from this years Instameet can be viewed through the hashtag #wwim15srilanka.

Link:

The Evolution of Sri Lanka's #Instameet - Global Voices Online