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Monthly Archives: June 2017
The Fountainhead: As Long As It’s Black – Patheos (blog)
Posted: June 3, 2017 at 12:57 pm
The Fountainhead, part 1, chapter 8
One day at work, Howard Roark is unexpectedly called into the boss office:
Mr. Keating has been telling me very nice things about you, Francon tried pleasantly and stopped. It was wasted courtesy; Roark just sat looking at him, waiting.
Listen whats your name?
Roark.
Listen, Roark. We have a client who is a little odd, but hes an important man, a very important man, and we have to satisfy him. Hes given us a commission for an eight-million-dollar office building, but the trouble is that he has very definite ideas on what he wants it to look like. He wants it Francon shrugged apologetically, disclaiming all blame for the preposterous suggestionhe wants it to look like this. He handed Roark a photograph. It was a photograph of the Dana Building.
Roark is thunderstruck with the opportunity thats dropped into his lap. But before he can say anything, Francon adds that he doesnt actually want Roark to design a replica of the Dana Building. Instead, he says, The point is to make it simple and in the general mood of this, but also artistic. You know, the more severe kind of Greek Plain pediments and simple moldings, or something like that.
Given that Roark has said theres such a thing as good Classic, this would be the perfect place for him to prove it, but no. Hes back to believing that even one pediment is a pediment too far:
Mr. Francon, please listen to me. Roarks words were like the steps of a man walking a tightwire, slow, strained, groping for the only right spot, quivering over an abyss, but precise. I dont blame you for the things youre doing. Im working for you, Im taking your money, I have no right to express objections. But this time this time the client is asking for it Are you going to fight a client for the first time in your life and fight for what? To cheat him and to give him the same old trash, when you have so many others asking for it, and one, only one, who comes with a request like this?
Arent you forgetting yourself? asked Francon, coldly.
Ayn Rand tip: A great way to get your boss on your side is by calling him a cheater and all his work trash!
Whats ironic, although the text doesnt point it out, is that Roark and Francon have swapped positions. If its out of character for Francon to fight a client for the first time in [his] life, its equally hypocritical for Roark to suddenly decide that the clients wishes ought to count. After all, he was the one who scorned the idea of listening to or caring about what clients wanted. Now hes decided that the clients desires matter after all but only as long as they want him to build the thing he wants to build anyway.
As always, although Roark is the protagonist and were supposed to be on his side, the text shows that other people have good reason for reacting to him as they do. Peter Keating would have recognized that this is the perfect place for some sweet talk and salesmanship. Instead, Roark is so out of practice at issuing anything other than demands, his pleas sound more like insults:
Roark had never known how to entreat and he was not doing it well; his voice was hard, toneless, revealing the effort, so that the plea became an insult to the man who was making him plead. Keating would have given a great deal to see Roark in that moment. But Francon could not appreciate the triumph he was the first ever to achieve; he recognized only the insult.
Besides people skills, the other thing Roark lacks is a sense of strategy. Hes not clever. He cant conceive of any way of getting what he wants other than bluntly asking someone he knows is going to be hostile to the request. Its as if he sees an obstacle in his path, and rather than walk around it, he cant think of anything to do but hurl himself directly into it.
This would have been the perfect place for some malicious compliance: design a garishly elaborate classical building, but also prepare a secret, second sketch the way he really wants to do it. Then when the client rejects the first sketch, whip out the second one and get him to agree to it before Francon can object. It took me about thirty seconds to come up with this plan, and Im not even a Randian supergenius.
I cant do it, said Roark, very quietly.
What? Are you speaking to me? Are you actually saying: Sorry, I cant do it?
I havent said sorry, Mr. Francon.
Another great Ayn Rand business tip! When your boss is angry at you for insubordination, be sure to point out that youre not apologizing.
In all my life, roared Francon, in all my experience, Ive never seen anything like it! Are you here to tell me what youll do and what you wont do? Are you here to give me lessons and criticize my taste and pass judgment?
Im not criticizing anything, said Roark quietly. Im not passing judgment.
Uh, yeah, you are. You called Francons preferred style the same old trash a few paragraphs ago, remember?
Given Roarks insubordination, its no surprise that Francon tells him hes fired and yells at him to pick up his last paycheck and get out. Presumably, were meant to view this as another instance of the creative Randian hero being ground beneath the boot of a cruel and uncaring world but this is the proper response to an employee who flat-out refuses a reasonable order from his boss. What would Hank Rearden or Dagny Taggart have done with a factory worker who refused to follow directions?
Roark meets his friend Mike at a bar later that day to explain why he wont be coming out to job sites anymore:
When he heard the news, Mike sat still and looked like a bulldog baring its teeth. Then he swore savagely.
The bastards, he gulped between stronger names, the bastards
Keep still, Mike.
Well what now, Red?
Someone else of the same kind, until the same thing happens again.
This is uncharacteristically self-aware. It means that Roark knows his obstinate behavior is ruining his career, that its resulted in one act of self-sabotage after another. But he never even considers changing his ways. It brings to mind that old saw about the definition of insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
Its not that this theme is totally infeasible. The hero planting his flag and demanding that the world adapt itself to him, rather than the other way around, is an archetype for a reason. There have been great stories with this idea as a backbone. The problem is that, for it to work, we have to sympathize with the heros motive for taking that brave stand.
Normally, when you have a story like this, its because the hero is upholding some high ethical principle which he wont compromise regardless of the cost. But you cant say that about The Fountainhead. Roark isnt a lawyer passing up a high-powered career to defend the downtrodden, or a policeman fighting to preserve the law from corruption, or a journalist bent on exposing the truth behind the machinations of the powerful. No, Roark is choosing to wage his revolt against the world on the basis of aesthetics.
Rand strains to find this justification by having Roark insist that most people are mindlessly copying the customs of the past. But even if that were true, we the readers might retort: So what? What difference does it make if your office building has fake columns on it? Does that make anyones life worse than it would have been otherwise? You might as well say that overthrowing the tyranny of auto dealerships so you can buy cars in any color you want, rather than them only being sold in basic black, is a noble quest whose achievement will save civilization.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons, released under CC BY-SA 4.0 license
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Draining the safety net ensures poor get poorer – Delaware State News
Posted: at 12:57 pm
Why is the American Health Care Act (AHCA) bill passed by the House still being promoted on TV in spite of the fact that the Senate announced they would have to work on repealing and replacing this dysfunctional House bill? The Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, could have had its wrinkles ironed out if it were not for the Grover Norquist pledge. Grover Norquist is a political advocate, and the founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform, an organization that opposes all tax increases.
He has been successful in securing signed pledges from most of the Republican Congress to never raise taxes. This pledge all but ensures that Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP, CHIP, and other social programs will be subject to an agonizing death spiral.
It is abundantly clear that the approximately 45 million Americans living below, or just above, the poverty line could be subject to being cast away without a lifeline. Add to [this,] the fact that recently proposed tax reductions for the rich have never resulted in the past for meaningful pay raises for the working class. This trickle-down supply-side economics was called voodoo economics by George Bush Sr.
Ayn Rand, a late author, and a hero of many Congressional Republicans, considered altruistic acts such as safety nets for the poor an evil because she believed it enabled the less-fortunate among us not to learn to fend for themselves. Never mind that the majority of the poorest among us grew up under repressive government regimes here and abroad, denying them equal opportunities to climb the ladder to success.
Nevertheless, Rands philosophy in her novels and essays was to oppose all forms of welfare, unemployment insurance, and support for the poor and lower middle class, regulation of industry, and government provisions for roads or other infrastructure. Taxation should be purely voluntary. Source: AlterNet, April 20, 2011, titled The Truth about GOP Hero Ayn Rand.
Paul Ryan, the architect of the GOPs anti-tax-raise budget plan, cited Rand as his primary inspiration for entering public service. The House bill that was rejected by the Senate and the majority of Americans is very similar to Ayn Rands, Grover Norquists and Paul Ryans philosophy. It appears to be very much the economic equivalent of draining the safety net. The banana republic may not be far away.
The rich continue to get richer, and the poor, poorer.
Bill Clemens Smyrna
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Draining the safety net ensures poor get poorer - Delaware State News
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Neo-Tech Views On Ayn Rand and Objectivism – Good Herald
Posted: at 12:56 pm
Ayn Rand valued Aristotles philosophy and developed her own philosophy of reason called Objectivism. Aristotles philosophy adhered to the logic of A is A, but Alfred Korzybski took is away. Frank R Wallace replaced it all with Neo-Tech Objectivism.
Frank R Wallace quoted Ayn Rand saying save me from the Radians. Ayn Rand was her self repulsed by the cult-ish obsession coming from Objectivists at that time.
Ayn Rand, the founder of Objectivism, was an inspiration to Frank R Wallace. Ayn Rands influence on early versions of Neo-Tech Power is obvious. Wallace showed great admiration for Objectivism, particularly Ayn Rands novel Atlas Shrugged.
Neo-Tech sought to convert that rigid dogmatic cult following of Ayn Rand into a highly leveraged force of intelligence and influence.
Wallace once suggested that Ayn Rands character John Galt had influential powers probably beyond realistic possibility. Ayn Rand claimed that her heros revealed the reality of man. Ayn Rands Objectivism seems to have provided no such real life hero (that I am aware of). Wallaces Neo-Tech later went on to describe The Greatest Discovery Ever! and the wpgsh phenomenon of societal influence.
In fact, reading Ayn Rands early fiction, you can clearly see a natural dislike of reality that Rand seems to have imbued. Cuts from The Fountainhead show Howard Roarke as almost schizophrenic in his lack of mindfulness. I seem to remember the character even claiming he was incapable of love. He clearly seemed that way in the cut edits that never made it into the published version of The Fountainhead. Neo-Tech approaches human experience from a very different angle. Neo-Techs evolution rises from research into the history of love, with human happiness as being the primary goal. This was not clearly expressed in Ayn Rands writings. Perhaps it would have been her next novel.
I believe Ayn Rands Objectivism cleared a path for Neo-Tech to evolve for providing the human side of the hard facts of reality.
What differences are there between Neo-Tech and Objectivism?
Objectivism used 5 classifications of philosophy. Here they are with Objectivism keyword for each category in the brackets.
Im going to call them Objectivism Metaphysics (Reality), Objectivism Epistemology (Reason), Objectivism Politics (Capitalism), Objectivism Aesthetics (never defined), and Objectivism Ethics (self-interest).
Neo-Techs definitions for Neo-Tech Metaphysics (Business), Neo-Tech Epistemology (Neo-Think), Neo-Tech Politics (Free competition), Neo-Tech Ethics (Value production), and Neo-Tech Aesthetics (Value reflection).
Perhaps Frank R Wallace and Ayn Rand would have come to rather narrow agreements in a personal discussion. Wallace would certainly have seen far and wide. Ayn Rand might have slapped his face.
Neo-Tech broadens the reach of Objectivism, both philosophically, and commercially.
Similarities between Neo-Tech and Objectivism
Both Neo-Tech and Objectivism posit the primacy of existence to consciousness. In easier language that simply means that reality exists before consciousness has a place to exist. Platonic mysticism and Kant would argue that consciousness is primary, that reality is seated within this thing we call consciousness. Both Neo-Tech and Objectivism strongly disagree.
Nathan Shaw has begun a site on Neo-Tech history, Neo-Tech Publishing, and The Neo-Tech Discovery and Nouveau-Tech . Nathan has also created an Life Direction and Career Development Workshop program online at Life Direction
Photo By PIRO4D from Pixabay
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Castro Regime Arrests Cuban Libertarian Party Members – Being Libertarian
Posted: at 12:55 pm
Cubas newly-formed Libertarian Party has already experienced the brute force and tyranny of the Castro regime, simply for havingliberty-minded ideas.
All of the present activists at Cubas Libertarian Party HQ were arrested late Wednesday evening for illicit association. Cuban law states that anyone belonging to an unregistered association can be fined or imprisoned for between one and three months.
Cubas personalist, communist regime has thwarted any attempt at freedom of political thought among its citizens.
The formation of a Libertarian Party in Cuba immediately caught the eye of Raul Castros regime and resulted in forceful actions intended at halting the partys growth. In a correspondence between our Managing Editor Dillon Eliassen and Libertarian Party of Cubas spokesman Nelson Rodriguez Chartrand, Nelson details the recent arrests, along with the governments persistent tyrannical quashing of thought and association:
Dillon Eliassen:Please describe what happened, the arrest, and what the Cuban police told you.
NelsonRodriguez Chartrand:At 11:00am [on Wednesday, May 31st], three members of the State Security Forces arrived at the Benjamin Franklin Libertarian Library, which is also the headquarters for the Cuban Libertarian Party.They threatened and accused us of public disorder, which is untrue from a strict perspective, because we were inside the house, completely quiet, and we were within our own private property. They said we could not leave the house nor let anyone inside. We were surrounded.
45 minutes later, more or less, a group of 15 agents specialized in murder, from the special brigade, entered our headquarters violently and attacked us while they ravished the house. Caridad (President), Heriberto (Vice-President) and Eduardo (party member) were transported to Vivac Detention, and Miguel and I were sent to Cotorro Detention Center. Written warnings were issued to each us for illicit association, which is a crime according to the criminal code. They know we are part of a political party, which is illegal. In Cuba, only the Communist Party is legal.
Caridad, Miguel and I were forced to leave barefoot.
After numerous threats, we were released at 2:00 am. Caridad and Heriberto arrived after 3:00, so did Eduardo.
Miguel and I were released 30 kilometers away from the library where we were captured. We had been fasting for four days in a row. We arrived at the party headquarters barefoot and exhausted at around 5:00.
Dillon: Has this happened before? What other examples are there of the Cuban government clamping down on your activities?
Nelson:Of course. Before we even had a library or a political party, security forces entered the house and emptied an entire bookshelf. That happens everyday with total impunity. I have participated in several complaints, but they always remain unsolved.
Dillon: Please provide some basic info about your organization. How many members, the mission statement, progress of the movement, etc.
Nelson: There is the Benjamin Franklin Libertarian Library, specializingin libertarian affairs and nothing more. This library aims to disseminate the ideas of freedom on the basis of the logic of individualistic thinking. We want to extend it to the full width and length of the country.
This library is the source of knowledge which nourishes the Jose Marti Cuban Libertarian Party. This party aims to carry out a program of demands and proposals so the state can adopt a social structure that guarantees freedom to all its citizens.
We provide conferences, debates, rounds of conversations, etc. every month.
We consist of 16 members, so far.
[The government] demands we leave the party, they will not allow it to prosper. Warnings were issued, although they were not signed by any of the libertarians, for them it have legal effect.
UPDATE: This story has taken a turn into absurdity; what was an example of a tyrannical government suppressing free speech and other civil liberties has devolved into something resembling a chapter from Catch-22. From one of our sources that has direct contact with the Cuban Libertarian Party:
The team received an indictment last night. Since 2 are on a hunger strike (the ones who were sent back walking), our president and vicepresident are paramedics, so they are being indicted for abandonment for not nourishing the hungry
They have to go to court today at 11:00am. We hope they dont get detained. Those on hunger strike, in solidarity with our members illegaly imprisoned, offered to stop the strike tomorrow to avoid legal actions against the party itself
You dont even have the right to fast in Cuba. In Cuba, dissidents cant work legally, hence they dont receive money. So they literally starve. The problem arises when you CHOOSE to starve, let alone choose to do it in solidarity with imprisoned dissidents
Check back for more updates on this story.
Photo credit: Partido Libertario Cubano
This post was written by Nicholas Amato.
The views expressed here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect our views and opinions.
Nicholas Amato is the News Editor at Being Libertarian. Hes an undergraduate student at San Jose State University, majoring in political science and minoring in journalism.
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Gordon Ramsay Outlines The Three Golden Rules For Eating Out – AskMen
Posted: at 12:55 pm
Trending News: Gordon Ramsay Reveals What You Should NEVER Order At A Restaurant Long Story Short
Gordon Ramsay says you should always order wine off the 'bin end' list,never trust if something is 'world famous,' and for f*cks sakes, don't order the special.
One thing's for sure, Gordon Ramsay knows food. He has hitrestaurants, three Michelin stars and a hugely successful TV show, Hell's Kitchen, in addition to a new U.S. version of the show on the way, The F Word.Ramsay is probably the world's most famous chef soyou can trust him when he says what not to do at a restaurant. Capeesh?
Ramsay shared three golden rules for eating out at a restaurant with The Daily Mail.
First, as chef Anthony Bourdain has stressed since his first book, Kitchen Confidential,stay the hell away from the specials.
"Specials are there to disappear throughout the evening," Ramsay said. "When they list 10 specials, thats not special."
The next rule is one that I haven't heard before. He says you should tell the sommelier to screw off with their wine recommendations. Instead, ask for the 'bin end' list.
On ordering wine, he says that in order to get the most reasonably priced bottles, customers should ask for the bin end list - the bottles with scratched labels, vintages that are about to be rotated out or poor sellers that restaurants want to get rid of.
He said: "We have a fear about talking to sommeliers because you think youre going to be ripped off. So get the sommelier to come up with a great glass or great bottle and give him a price. And make sure its under $30 (23.50)."
And finally, unless you know for a fact that the dish you're getting is world famous, it most likely isn't.
When they turn around and tell me it is the famous red lasagne, who made it famous? he demands.
They start coming up with these terminologies, saying and the wicked, famous, best in the country profiteroles. Who said that? Who named that?
Ramsay left another tip: Always reserve a table of three or more. That way, if you're two, you have room to stretch out.
So there you have it. And if you're a big Ramsay fan, take his advice about making the perfect burgers this summer, because these look f*cking delicious.
Is Ramsay the world's best chef, or just the most famous?
Ramsay recently said that he won't leave his $145 millionfortune to his four kids he'd rather they work for it themselves.
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Gordon Ramsay Outlines The Three Golden Rules For Eating Out - AskMen
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Liberals attack a Republican Senator because a liberal said something racist – TheBlaze.com
Posted: at 12:54 pm
Liberal comedian Bill Maher used the n-word on his HBO show within earshot of Senator Ben Sasse (R-Neb.), and liberals are now attacking the Republican for not being sufficiently horrified.
Black Lives Matter leader Deray McKesson tweeted that Bill Maher had to go over what he said. There are no explanations that make this acceptable, he adding, why did the audience think it was okay to laugh? And Ben Sasse doesnt even flinch. What is happening in the world?
The joke came as Sasse was innocently inviting Maher to his home state of Nebraska.
I wish I was in Nebraska more, Maher said.
Youre welcome! Sasse responded. Wed like to have you work in the fields with us!
Work in the fields? Maher chided, Senator, Im a house n****r.
Audience reaction to the joke was mixed some seemed to be uneasy with the joke, but they were overtaken by the laughter and applause from those who enjoyed the jest.
Liberals have taken the opportunity to attack the senator, even though he had no part in the epithet being used by Maher, who is himself an unabashed liberal.
Joy Reid is an MSNBC host, and she excoriated both Maher and Sasse.
Symone Sanders is the former press secretary for Bernie Sanders:
Others criticized the occurrence on social media:
Some pointed out that Sasse did appear to cringe momentarily at the joke and draw back. On the other hand, Daily Beast editor Marlow Stern said that he laughed his face off.
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Watch: It takes Tucker Carlson just 90 seconds to completely destroy liberal hypocrisy on climate change – TheBlaze.com
Posted: at 12:54 pm
When it comes to unraveling liberal hypocrisy, Fox News host Tucker Carlson is arguably the best man for the job. And on his show Friday, it took Carlson just 90 seconds to completely dismantle liberal outrage over President Donald Trumps decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Progressives across the country and around the world expressed outrage this week over Trumps decision to withdraw from the agreement. But many of those expressing outrage, including world famous Hollywood actors and businessmen, typically fly around the world in private jets that expel mind-boggling amounts of carbon dioxide the exact substance climate alarmists say is the cause of climate change.
Carlson explained on his show Friday that despite the fact that those upset about Trumps decision have not bothered to explain whats actually in the Paris agreement, they assure us that that deal is the solution to the single most gravest threat this planet has ever faced: rising levels of atmospheric CO2.
Theyre dead serious about that. You can tell by the outraged looks on their faces and the purple rhetoric, Carlson said. But hold on for a minute. Can we really be sure that these people take carbon emissions seriously?
To answer that question, Carlson said his team compared what the progressives say to how they live.
They examined the lives of billionaire businessmen Richard Branson, Elon Musk and Bill Gates, in addition to Hollywood superstar Leonardo DiCaprio and Hillary Clinton.
Branson says fossil fuels are dangerous and he calls Trumps decision America first, Earth last. Now on the other hand, Branson owes a Desault Falcon 50EX private jet and it burns more fuel on a single flight to Maui than youre gonna go through in a lifetime of trips to the shore, Carlson explained.
Elon Musk, meanwhile, is mad about global warming too. Yet he flies around in a Gulfstream G6500ER. Bill Gates says hes deeply concerned yet he still commutes in a $62 million bombardier BD700 global express. Can you imagine the gas milage that gets? Carlson continued.
Leonardo DiCaprio says Trumps move threatens the livability of our planet and yet DiCaprio flew a private jet 4,000 miles from Cannes, France, to New York to accept a climate award and then flew back privately, Carlson went on to explain.
Hillary Clinton tweeted that Trumps pullout was a historic mistake that leaves American workers and families behind. And yet, speaking of workers and their families, there probably werent a lot of those onboard last year when Hillary used a private jet to fly 20 miles from Marthas Vineyard to Nantucket for a fundraiser, Carlson added.
Trump announced his decision to withdraw the U.S. from the climate deal, which was agreed to under former President Barack Obama, on Thursday.
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Britain’s Liberal Enclaves Are Turning Tory – Bloomberg
Posted: at 12:54 pm
In the small fishing village of Mousehole, assistant harbormaster Bill Johnson dismisses most of what is being said in the run-up to the U.K. election as a lot of gobbledygook.
Gibberish aside, the 60-year-old is clear on one thing. A year after voting for Brexit, hes turning from the Liberal Democrats to the Conservatives, the only party he trusts to complete Britains withdrawal from the European Union.
A local shop in Mousehole.
Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
Theresa Mayneeds a mandate to push things through on Brexit,said Johnson in his office overlooking the little harbor with its sailboats, kayaks and paddle boards. Shes the only one going in with a strong line.
Johnsons switch illustrates a dilemma for the traditional third party in British politics, whichsuffered a near wipe-out in the last election and is running on an unabashedlypro-EU platform targeting the 48 percent of Remainers. Problem is, it'sgetting the cold shoulder. Even as Mays poll lead is waning, the main beneficiary isJeremy Corbyns Labour Party.
In the closing stages of the election, assumptions have been turned on their head, from Mays initial commanding advantage in public opinion to the theory that the Liberal Democrats could sop up support among almost half of the population that had never wanted Brexit to come to pass.
Unfortunately for the Liberal Democrats, it is stuck in the polls around the 10 percent mark, little more than the 8 percent they won in the 2015 election.
Thats why places like Mousehole, described by the poet Dylan Thomas as the loveliest village in England,matter to a party fighting for political relevance as it seeks to regain a foothold in itsformer stronghold of southwest England. The region stretches from Cornwall to the rolling hills of the Cotswolds, taking in cities such as Bath, known for its Roman baths, and Plymouth, from where the Pilgrim Fathers departed for the Americas in 1620.
Surfboards and kayaks propped up against the harbor wall in Mousehole.
Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
The Liberal Democrats sensed a shot at a comeback when May called a surprise snap election, arguing she needed a personal mandate and a bigger majority to stand up to the EU in negotiations. They too would make Brexit their strong suit: by opposing it.
Ten minutes after Mays election announcement on April 18, Liberal Democrat LeaderTim Farronrushed out a short statement tellingvoters that this election is your chance to change the direction of our country and avoid a disastrous hard Brexit.
But the Brexit message is always going to be a difficult one to fight because it seems to go against the notion of democracy,said Thom Oliver, a politics lecturer at the University of the West of England and a Liberal Democrat expert.
The offer to revisit the 2016 decision with a second referendum at the end of the Brexit talks may work in cosmopolitan London but further afield could go down as sour grapes given that the party lost that argument, he explained. In fact, for some Liberal Democrats campaigning for a seat in the southwest, its simply not a selling point.
Andrew George.
Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
My answer to the Brexit question is its going to happen, you cant stop it, theres not going to be a second referendum, whatever Tim Farron says, said Andrew George, 58, the partys candidate for the St. Ives seat, a district where Johnson and 55 percent of voters chose Brexit. All this theoretical posturing is kind of irrelevant.
All but three of the 15 seats the party lost in southwest England in 2015 voted for Brexit.
George represented St. Ives in the House of Commons for 18 years until the partys electoral annihilation two years ago, when it lost all but 8 of the 57 seats it took in 2010. Hes focusing his campaign on local issuesnot Brexit, but is nevertheless downbeat about his prospects: I think the Tories will edge it here.
Weighing on Georges chances are a number of other factors: U.K. Independence Party voters switching to the Tories, an influx of retirees swelling the ranks of Tory voters, and a change in the district boundaries in 2010 that turned St. Ives from a stronghold into a marginal seat.
The town of St. Ives.
Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
After a few missteps, May has retrenched into campaigning in areas that Tories hold rather than her earlier, more ambitious play to destroy Labour bastions in the north. On Wednesday, when a shock survey showed the election could resultin a hung Parliament, May showed up in Bath, a seat the Liberal Democrats are trying to wrest back. It's also one of those southwestern bulwarksof the `Remain' vote on Brexit.
Voters here in the southwest are vitally important for this election, May said. In 2015 at the last election, your votes gave my party 15 more seats. If I lose just sixof those, then the government risks losing its majority, and we risk Jeremy Corbyn becoming prime minister.
Johnson, the harbormaster, isnt the only Brexit supporter turning to May. April Westlake, 78, also voted for the Liberal Democrats in the last election butthinks May is just what the country needs right now.
We need a lady like her to get us out of the mess were in,she said of the prime minister while out walkingher French bull terrier in Marazion, a postcard-pretty village opposite St. Michaels Mount, a tidal island topped by a castle and chapel.
Peter Freeman.
Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg
The same goes for Peter Freeman, the 68-year-old owner of a charter boat business in St. Ives. A longtime Liberal Democrat voter, he switched to UKIP in 2015 and now doesnt trust his old party. They want to interfere in the Brexit negotiations to weaken Theresa Mays hand, he said. Shes the only one I can see who will get the best result.
Still, for every Conservative supporter Bloomberg found, there was a Liberal Democrat to match, suggesting itll be a tight race and anything can happen.
Shirley Beck, who says she was the only Labour Mayor in the West country in 1993, istoying with the idea ofvotingfor the Liberal Democrats in St. Ives.
Why? Nothing to do with Brexit. Its because George supports re-openingthe local hospital.
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Actually, Mike Pence, Climate Change Has Nothing To Do With A ‘Liberal’ Agenda – HuffPost
Posted: at 12:54 pm
Vice President Mike Pence appeared on Fox & Friends Friday to tout President Donald Trumps decision to leave the Paris Agreement combatting climate change, and painted the issue as one of partisan politics.
For some reason or another, this issue of climate change has emerged as a paramount issue for the left in this country and around the world, Pence said. Its long been a goal of the liberal left in this country to advance a climate change agenda.
Pences remarks entirely ignore the consensus among climate scientists that humans have significantly contributed to global warming. And in framing the issue as one of right versus left, he also brushes aside the potentially catastrophic effects of climate change, including food shortages, floods, fires and irreparable damage to wildlife.
Hes also disregarding that some of his fellow Republicans have also urged action on what he describes as the climate change agenda.
Pences comments, of course, echo a familiar refrain from the right. Many conservatives have attempted to paint climate change as a partisan issue promoted only by the left, or simply punt on the issue by pleading ignorance. But the reality is that its not just Democrats who are concerned about global warming.
Recent polls also show that many Republican voters including those who sided with Trump in the 2016 election believe man-made climate change is real and is something to be concerned about. A HuffPost You/Gov poll earlier this year found that 61 percent of Americans supported staying in the Paris Agreement, including 31 percent of Trump voters surveyed. A Morning Consult/Politico poll conducted in April found that most Americans are concerned about climate change, including 50 percent of Republicans. And a March Gallup poll found that 68 percent of Americans believe humans are causing global warming.
There have also been efforts on the right to make climate change action a priority for the GOP. Nineteen House Republicanssigned on to the Republican Climate Resolution calling for congressional action on global warming, and many of those same members have joined a bipartisan caucus focused on climate issues. Bob Inglis, a former GOP congressman from South Carolina, formed RepublicEn, a conservative climate advocacy group. And as Reuters reported, college Republicans at campuses across the U.S. are increasingly in favor of actively combatting global warming, suggesting a generational shift looming for the party.
And, contrary to Pences comments, there are plenty of moderate and right-leaning politicians who have publicly warned of the dangers of rising global temperatures.
Here are just some prominent figures on the right who have acknowledged that climate change is a real and pressing threat to humanity, and are advocating for action:
2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson
Trumps secretary of state has previously expressed support for the Paris Agreement, and reportedly lobbied Trumpto stay in the deal.
After Trumps announcement, he said he hopes the U.S. will reduce greenhouse gas emissions despite leaving the accord.
I dont think were going to change our ongoing efforts to reduce those emissions in the future either, so hopefully, people can keep it in perspective, he said.
Energy Secretary Rick Perry
Perry, the former Republican governor of Texas and GOP presidential candidate, also supported staying in the agreement. He advocated for renegotiating the U.S.s commitment rather than fully withdrawing.
Perry, however, expressed support for Trumps decision following the announcement.
Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R)
One man cannot destroy our progress, one man cant stop our clean energy revolution, one man cant go back in time. Only I can do that, Schwarzenegger said in a video on ATTN following Trumps announcement, referencing his role in the Terminator films.Like all the great movements in human history, our clean future starts with a grassroots movement in our communities, our cities and our state.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)
Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.)
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.)
The Paris Agreement isnt perfect. But by abandoning it, America is relinquishing that seat at the table. It calls into question our commitment to protecting and preserving the environment. And it forfeits our ability to drive countries like China and India to reduce their carbon footprint and compete on a level playing field. Ultimately, this disappointing decision diminishes Americas leadership role on the world stage.
Former GOP congressman and founder of RepublicEn Bob Inglis
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.)
United States innovation and business leadership have been key drivers to lowering our carbon emissions over the last 20 years, and we should continue to have an influential seat at the table as the rest of the world addresses these issues. Withdrawing from the Paris Agreement is misguided, and harms the ongoing effort to fight climate change while also isolating us from our allies.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska)
Murkowski addressed Trumps decision on Thursday, KTOO reported:
My hope is that with the presidents decision to go this route it does not mean that we fall back as a nation on our efforts to address and mitigate on the impact that we see from a warming climate, she said. Because we see it here in this state and it is real and I think weve got an obligation to help address it.
Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.)
Alexander is one of few Senate Republicans who has acknowledged the existence of man-made climate change.
According to the Times Free Press, Alexander said in a statement Friday that while he doesnt think withdrawal from the Paris Agreement is catastrophic for climate progress, he believes the most important thing the United States can do to solve our energy and climate challenge is to double funding for basic energy research.
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R)
The Presidents decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement is disappointing and concerning, particularly given the widespread and non-partisan support from business and political leaders for remaining in the Agreement.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
Although Graham expressed support for the decision to leave the Paris accord, he has previously acknowledged the gravity of climate change.
I have come to conclude that greenhouse gases and carbon pollution is not a good thing, Graham said in 2010. Whatever political push back I get, Im willing to accept because I know what Im trying to do makes sense to me. I am convinced that reason, logic and good business sense, and good environmental policy, will trump the status quo.
ExxonMobil chief Darren Woods
Woods, who has donated to GOP campaigns, wrote a personal letter to Trump last month urging him to stay in the agreement. As the Financial Times reports:
Mr Woods argues that staying in the accord will mean the US keeps a seat at the negotiating table to ensure a level playing field for all energy sources, and can argue for the most cost-effective greenhouse gas reduction options and support for innovation
Dow Chemical CEO Andrew Liveris
Liveris, whose company gave $1 million to Trumps inauguration, was the driving force behind a letter from 30 major company executives backing the deal, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.
Walmart president and CEO Doug McMillon
The frequent GOP donoralso urged Trump to uphold the U.S.s commitment to the international pact.
Defense Secretary James Mattis
Earlier this year, Mattis cited climate change as a national security threat.
Climate change is impacting stability in areas of the world where our troops are operating today, he said in written testimony to the Senate Armed Forces Committee. It is appropriate for the Combatant Commands to incorporate drivers of instability that impact the security environment in their areas into their planning.
Former Defense Secretary and GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel
Hagel has also said global warming should be considered a security threat.
Preparing for climate change is about risk even if we do not understand every aspect of the scientific predictions, we know that the consequences of not acting may be significant, he wrote in a 2015 Time op-ed.
Former Secretary of State George Schultz
Schultz, who served as the head of the State Department under Ronald Reagan, warned of the dangers of climate change in 2013.
If you wait until youre boiling, you may have missed your moment. You have to look and see whats happening, and act on the basis of that, he said.
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Actually, Mike Pence, Climate Change Has Nothing To Do With A 'Liberal' Agenda - HuffPost
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Liberal arts majors can get high-paying jobs, too – CNNMoney
Posted: at 12:54 pm
If you just graduated college with a degree in the liberal arts, there's good news for you.
First of all, average salaries for new college graduates are at an all-time high, according to executive search firm Korn Ferry.
The class of 2017 will make an average $49,785 annually, it said. That's up 3% from last year.
We know that your choice in major certainly matters. Yes, grads with science, technology, engineering and math degrees are on a fast track to a big paycheck. The five highest-paying fields analyzed by Korn Ferry are in the STEM fields. Entry-level engineers can expect to earn $63,036 on average.
But that doesn't mean liberal arts majors can't get there.
Related: How to pay off your student loans faster
Your career choice also plays a big role in how much you earn, and for liberal arts majors, career options are pretty broad, according to a new report from The Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution.
Ryan Nunn, an author of the report, said he was shocked to see just how much variety there actually is among people with the same major.
The most popular occupation for people with degrees in communications is a manager in marketing, advertising, and public relations. They actually do earn above average, with a median salary of $56,000 for 25- to 34-year-olds.
But that kind of position is held by less than 5% of those graduates, according to data from The Hamilton Project.
And sometimes a liberal arts major needs another degree to get ahead.
More than 5% of those with a degree in English or literature make a median salary of $69,000 before the age of 34 by getting their law degree and becoming lawyers or judges. They're earning nearly $140,000 by the end of their career.
Broke No More: How can I pay off my student debt and still have a life?
Psychology majors end up in a number of different fields, like teachers, social workers, counselors and, of course, psychologists.
Those who become psychologists start out earning the most -- about $49,000 a year -- and end up making about $80,000 by age 34, though nearly all of them have an advanced degree.
The most popular occupation for psychology majors is a counselor. About 8% of them go into that field, but they start out making a median salary of just $37,000.
Your job can explain up to 25% of the variation in earnings within the same major, the report said.
Take the often criticized philosophy major. About 1.2% of them will enter the corporate sector and become management analysts earning a median salary of $72,000, while the 8% who become college professors earn $51,000.
"There's a lot of variety across majors, but STEM majors do have a more clear path to the higher paying jobs," said Nunn.
Are you starting your first job? We'd love to hear about how you landed the gig and how it's going. Share your story by emailing Katie.Lobosco@cnn.com.
CNNMoney (New York) First published June 2, 2017: 11:33 AM ET
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Liberal arts majors can get high-paying jobs, too - CNNMoney
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