#the Society for Advancing Consulting’s Consultant of the Year

[kajmasterclass]

#Understanding The Business of Defense Lobbying with Gene Moran In the episode of The KAJ Masterclass LIVE #gain Insight into the World of Defense Lobbying with Leading Defense Lobbyist Gene Moran. Gene Moran #founder and President of Capitol Integration #is the foremost expert on federal defense lobbying #measuring his client results in billions of dollars. Gene’s policy initiatives have been implemented by Congress #The President and the Executive branch. His pursuit of innovation has garnered multiple accolades #including being named twice as a Top Lobbyist by the National Institute for Lobbying and Ethics #the Society for Advancing Consulting’s Consultant of the Year #and Top Performing Lobbying Firm by Bloomberg Government. He is a published author and previously served as a Captain in the United States #Youtube

[tarjapearce]

Bad Teachings Pt. 2

College Proffesor AU! Miguel x fem!Reader

Warning: Smut, slight fluff

Hope you like c: Pt 3

It's been almost two years ever since you graduated college, two years since you last time saw Mr. O'Hara and kept in touch with him. To starters, you were pretty sure that making an advance on him after he had realigned your guts in his car and you gave him a blowjob in his classroom previous to the graduation ceremony, would only bring him trouble.

And now, a year and ten months later you had to 'integrate yourself to the proactive and laboral society' or so your parents always repeated. Thankfully enough, due your merits you had landed a not so shitty job in the branding consulting field.

The perks of your job were flexible schedules and some little luxuries like a place in a relatively good area, and finally, a car.

You often browsed through social media to check on your old class mates. Some got married, others moved from the country and others just stuck to themselves. Even though it was unlikely, you had searched Miguel, but he never showed up. Given the man's workaholic nature, it made sense for him to not have social media.

Wich kinda sucked since you had lost valuable contacts, including his. Not that you often talked though, a few how are yous here and there, and in the rare occasions, the conversations turned spicy and thigh clenching.

You went back to work.

-----

Adult life was often boring, in fact, that you were grocery shopping for the week had turned boring. The only thing sparking your interest was a new cereal brand on the top shelf, your fingers barely reaching them. You stopped however as a big hand hovered over you and grabbed the cereal like it was nothing.

"Thanks"

"Who said it was for you?"

A chill ran down your spine as you looked at none other than Miguel O'Hara cocking an eyebrow your way with a slight smirk.

"M-Mr. O'Hara! Hi. Uh... Hi."

"(Name)" He gave a brief acknowledge to you as he put some packaged-gourmet looking coffee on his cart.

"It's been a while. How do you do, sir?"

"Sir? What am I? Sixty?"

"At all, just-"

"Then fucking call me Miguel."

"It's really weird for me to say your name so casually."

He rolled his eyes and moved to get coffee filters.

"Thought you found a better chatting partner"

You stood there unable to comprehend his words right away, they weren't precisely tender, but they held a bit of a grudge. Finally your brain alighted with the idea of what he had meant.

"No, no. I was robbed actually, and lost a bunch of data, your contact included."

He stared your way, unwavering as you offered a small smile.

"Make it up, then... Unless you are seeing someone?"

"No!" You almost shouted and quieted down as some people in the back looked at your way.

"Sorry. I mean no. Im not seeing anyone. What about you?"

"Maybe you, at seven on saturday. "

Your cheeks burned at how casual he was acting. You had caged him in the teacher box for so long anything outside of it was odd, yet fascinating.

"Alright."

"Pásame tu teléfono*"

"What?"

"Give me your phone."

"Oh, right."

You handed your smartphone at him as he called his own number, registering both you and himself on each other's devices.

"I'll let you know if anything else shows up."

"Sure, I'll bring a gift."

He chuckled and shrugged

" If you want to. Not needed though. At 7 pm" ,

Nodding, you watched him leave, realizing he actually had put the cereal box in your cart.

-------

The rest of the week was torture, in every little chance you had, you checked your phone to see it was empty, you didn't even discuss where you'd meet or the dress code. You could surprise him, but the idea of being dressed inappropriately would just embarrass you.

Hi, sorry to just butt in. I wanna know though, do I need a dress code?

It took a long of 20 minutes for him to reply.

No

It was a simple yet not so mortifying reply. Even so you the urge of surprising him felt stronger. He was giving you, without realizing, the chance to make an impression on him.

-----

You went for a short, skin tight, black, thin strapped, heart shaped uppercut dress, black stilettos, natural looking makeup and a blown out hair. The stilettos made a show of your silky-feeling legs, you were all dolled up, quite literally.

Around 6:20 you got a text message from Miguel, he had shared his location to you. You had bought a good quality wine, something he might like. Or so you hoped. Giving a last look and some bit of  perfume, you went out the door and drove off to his place.

------

You couldn't help but feel a nervous wreck as you approached the apartment building. Nothing too fancy, but a good looking place in a good neighbor, you entered the elevator, earning some glances your way.

Fourth floor, apartment 5.

You had arrived right on time, so you knocked the door as you straightened any lump in your dress. His steps approached and you gulped, finally he opened the door. His behemoth of frame covering up the entrance.

"Hey" You smiled nervously as he raked you from head to toes with his eyes, subtly.

"Too much?"

He smirked at your hesitation and let you in, closing the door after you. If it wasn't for a a couple of boxes scattered around the place would look even more amazing. It was only a place you could afford if you worked for big companies.

"Got us some wine. Hope you enjoy." He took the bottle of your hands and pulled you in for a deep kiss. Your sweet perfume only added a little spark to his senses.

"Pinche morra toda preciosa*" He mumbled as he slapped your ass gently and motioned you to follow him to the kitchen, bottle in wine on hand. Obeying, you followed and he opened the seat for you.

"Thanks, Miguel."

He wore a white button shirt, rolled up to the sleeves, revealing his strong forearms. Dress pants, black shoes and a belt. The belt only accentuated his upper frame, you gulped at the sight of him, serving two plates of pasta to then sprinkle some cheese on top.

He then returned and offered you a plate. You could only stare at him, awestruck. He sat next to you and opened the bottle of your wine

"What?"

"Nothing, just..." He poured two cups of wine and removed his glasses off his face. How could you have missed them?

"Nice place, great cook, good looking." He chuckled as you sipped the wine, "Can't believe someone like you invited me over."

"Someone like me? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Ah never mind me. Im just rambling. Are you still teaching?"

"Not really. Just a consultant now. Teaching is good, but it pays shit. Had to go back to my old job."

"And that is?" You finally ate a forkful of pasta. Humming in approval.

"Genetic Engineering."

"Well, shit. Is there anything else I should know?"

"You surely did dress up for this. Or for me?"

"Both." You nodded softly and he followed.

"Maybe next time I should be more specific with the dress code and make sure you aren't bringing your panties with you."

"Who says I am wearing them?"

His eyes turned darker as he took your hand to kiss it softly.

"You sure you wanna play that game, princesa?"

"Isn't that what you invited me over for?"

"Maybe. Maybe Not. Who knows" he smirked and took a hold of, your chin softly, "Eat up, you'll need it."

"What if I'm actually hungry for something else?"

"As much as I'd love to just rip that dress off, I want you to enjoy first, we've got a whole night ahead."

-----

For some reason your head was barely getting a grip on it. Miguel O'Hara, retired college professor, now a genetic engineer, was being an absolute gentleman with you even though he had stated his intentions also. You didn't know if to just run away out of cowardy at someone actually giving you a good non sexual time or hope you could outlast him during the night, or at least hope to endure.

You didn't know if he actually was just lonely since he asked about you, what did you do after college, how your robbing happened and the like. But of course, it could only last for so long.

He removed your shoes and kissed your ankles, and inner thighs, but stopped before he could reach to his favorite place to dive in his head

"Come here, sweetie." He pulled you off the couch and embraced snugly your body as his hands roamed your body with need. He groaned upon touching the bare skin of your ass.

"You smell so good" He kissed you once more as he hoisted you by your legs, to wrap them around him, all with his lips still devouring yours. He had you groaning with a roll of his hips as he pressed you against the wall. His mouth leaving you to assault the tender and sensitive flesh of your neck.

His clothed erection rubbed against your moistening folds. Friction making your whole nerves to react, your toes curled, your nipples perked as they rubbed against his chest. He smelled just like you remembered, a sweet and earthy tinge of cologne and a bit musky.

His hands grope your glutes as he kept grinding his hips against yours.

"Miguel" You whimpered his name and he pulled you by the neck to kiss you. Your hips rolled against his, not wasting up a single movement to feel everything. His hands held a handful of your ass while he softly bit your neck and clawed at the plumpness of your ass. It made you squirm and gasp as he rubbed harder.

Shallow breaths, pressure rising as your legs trapped him as closely as you could. His arms held you, preventing your fall, his lips were drowning any weak and shaky moan. He then placed you on the bed, but you immediately straddled him.

"Let me return the favor"

Smirking, your hands unbuckled his belt, he just watched you struggling to tug his pants off, before pulling them down, along the boxers, releasing his girth to you.

Licking your lips, you kneeled before him, and soon, dragged your tongue from the base to the flushed tip. A low growl rumbling in his chest. His hands immediately went to hold your hair, as his other one held the base of his shaft, to slowly and surely feeding his cock to you.

Your tongue swirled before taking the whole tip inside. His body shuddered

"Just like that, mi amor." His hips bucked, pushing an inch deeper into your mouth. You began bobbing your head up and down, feeding yourself after he slapped his tip against your flattened tongue. He then used both hands to hold your hair and head in place as he slowly moved upwards, his hips inside your warm and moist plush lips.

Streaks of pre cum, dribbled down your chin as he kept slowly fucking your mouth. Your jaw muscles relaxed enough to allow him an inch more, but just as you were about to deep throat him, he pulled himself out and pulled you by the hair for a kiss. It was sloppy, but passionate.

He removed the dress, revealing your naked body underneath. Then wiped your chin carefully

"Me encantas. Puta madre, no sabes lo que me haces." He mumbled to your ear huskily

"I don't know what you're saying" you giggled as he slapped your ass once more.

He turned you around and placed you in all fours. Admiring the smoothness and dips of your curves. He removed the remaining of his clothes and draped in the curtains of his room, leaving the place dimly lit.

He placed a hand on your hip and gave a few strokes to your slit with his tongue while cooing how good you tasted for him. Slowly he pushed a finger inside you, giving gentle strokes. Your hands held his sheets tighter. Soon another finger was added and you pushed your hips to make his fingers go deeper.

"Such an eager baby" he tapped your ass and chuckled, "Relax"

He brought his slicked fingers to his lips and soon, pumped himself a couple of times to slowly fill you, as you clenched around him.

"You ok?" You sighed and nodded shakily.

"It's been a while" his hands gently caressed your hips before his pushed in softly. Gasping at the intrusion, he started off slowly as he peppered your neck and cheeks in kisses, his hands massaged and squeezed with care, your breast.

"So so beautiful." he cooed before thrusting his hips a bit harder, seeing your mouth contort in pure lust. He kissed you once more, before holding your hips in place, with a swift roll, he pushed all the way in, in one go, earning him a sweet whimper from you.

The bed creaked as he slapped his hips, slowly ascending to a rougher pace. You wailing his name, as your cunt welcomed him with a wet squelch was everything he needed. There was something about you taking him so well that made him go feral.

Your face and chest were pushed flat against the cushioned surface, ass high for him, he separated a bit further your legs before his hips began slapping your flesh, mercilessly. And god you loved it.

Your body shook with every deep thrust he did, mouth agape, moaning shamelessly. Your hair was pulled, his nails dragged down your spine before his hands slapped your ass.

The pressure began bubbling in the lowest of your pit, he could tell by how your inner walls began clenching and gripping him. He then brought you closer, your back collided against his sturdy chest, giving him a tighter and deeper angle inside you.

His arms held you in place as you scratched and dug your nails on him.

"You're such a good girl, princesa. So so good" he cooed as he cupped your pussy and toyed with your clit in slow motions

The new sensation was only added to the many you were already experiencing. Breathless, so ever tight around him, as his arms secured you in place while being pounded with such abandonment. Smirking, he trusted harder and harder, but stopped just before you were thrown in the bliss searing abyss.

You whined in frustration, as you tried to find relief on your own.

"Uh uh. Don't be bad."

"Please..." You heaved and put his hands on your body

"Please what?"

"Let me fucking cum, Miguel."

"Jesus..." He groaned and kissed your neck before resuming his rutting inside you. The pressure simmered as you were pushed in the brink of breaking once more.

His hot breath against your flushed skin, his hands holding you with such possessiveness as he whispered sweet nothings to your ear, was the perfect combination for you to snap.

Shaking and nearly convulsing at the hot white pleasure that flooded your system.

"Miguel!" you spoke his name in between gritted teeth

"There you go" he cooed and smiled. Despite your insides having a death grip around him, your pleasure was his priority. You felt so good and small, it tugged on the dark strings on his self control.

Your skin was flushed, covered by a thin layer of sweat. He turned you around and pulled you by your legs towards him. A hand was placed in your abdomen as he prodded in two fingers, plunging them deep enough to graze at that already sensitive spot.

Your toes curled in as he moved them dexterously inside your already sopping folds.

Faster, harder, faster and harder. In that order.

"Oh my god" you sobbed as the sheets crumpled under your touch, toes curling in as a new orgasm was ripped out of you with a wet gush on his hand and forearm. He groaned as you squirted.

"That's the sexiest shit I've seen you doing, preciosa."

You could only moan in return as he filled you up once more

"Hold on tight" Your legs were hoisted on his arms as he gathered you, your arms went around his neck, anchoring to his broad shoulders and he lifted you up with ease. His arms locking on your back as you bounced on his cock.

"Fuck!" you gasped at the new depth his tip reached inside, and each thrust only dug him deeper inside you, feeling completely full of him.

"Cómo me encantas" he breathed through soft growls, that were drowned by the obscene, continuous and wet slapping of flesh. Unable to mumble any coherent word. You hid your face in the crook of his neck, eyes heavy with overstimulation as the merciless slapping continued and your body bounced.

You clung to his body as if your life depended on it. Your nails scratched the top of his  back, creating red welts on his skin that only urged him to a whole new level of roughness you hadn't expected. His groans drowned your pathetic cries as your body shook with each thrust.

"Too much" you croaked in between deep pants as the pressure scrapped you raw. Eyes far too lost for him to reach, his control over you unwavering. Pleasure slowly chipped away his body, you closed your eyes as a breathless mewl announced your brewing of a next peak.

He inhaled sharply as his hips stopped for a moment, to then resume as you were propped against the wall. His muscles flexed as he fucked you in the way he knew you loved it, too pussy drunk to stop.

Your peak was shattering, almost splitting your mind in two, as you gushed all over his cock and lower abdomen, supple thighs squeezing his waist. He hissed at your clawing, as he spurted inside. Painting your walls white and hot.

"Mine" he growled. There was an acute whimper on his behalf as he tried to keep standing as his load was out inside you. He rushed to the bed and laid you on it.

His chest swelled in pride as it heaved.

"Such a good girl." He laid next to you, your head cradled closer, just like your body, he made one of your thighs to hook on his waist as he slowly entered you one more time.

You stirred and his arm snaked around your torso. He shushed you as he delivered slow strokes with his cock inside you. Your hands rested on his chest and your head on his arm, using it as a pillow.

"Toda para mí" He pushed his hips in languid, slow strokes, pulling soft mewls out your limp body. Your plush folds welcomed him with a soft suckling motion as he pushed all his seeping cum back in.

"I-I can't" you breathed as his hand pressed you closer

"Of course you can, corazón. One more."

"Miguel" you whimpered in despair. Not that you could move anyways, his lips kissed your temple as he rode you to bliss one more time.

----

You woke up in Miguel's bed, tangled up in sheets, sore and thirsty. Your phone buzzed with some texts from work. You stood and covered up in one of the sheets. The smell of food lingered in the air as your stomach grumbled in protest

"Miguel?"

"C'mon." he motioned you from the kitchen, you followed and sat on the table. He wore nothing but some sweatpants and his slippers

"Buenos días, guapa."

"Morning?" you smiled softly at your best guess of what he just said

"Sorry for... you know, uh, staying."

"It's fine. I was counting on it, anyways."

He served you a bit of a hearty looking meal. Chilaquiles with two fried eggs on top .

"Thank you."

He sat next to you and ate. You followed. Eating was quiet, but comfortable enough.

"I'll do the dishes" you stood and picked up after the both. He smiled softly, almost contemplating you from behind

"You should bring extra clothes next time."

Next time

"Might do, yeah." your cheeks flared up and you finished cleaning and went to his room, your clothes had been gathered on a chair, neatly.

"Can I use your bathroom?"

"Sure."

You quickly showered and changed, Miguel just watched you from afar.

"I shall go then."

"What? No kiss goodbye? So cold." He feigned hurt and you couldn't help but laugh. Then you kissed his cheek.

"Nah. Despídete bien." He pulled you closer for a deep kiss and smirked once you were at the door.

"Thank you, for everything. It was wonderful."

"Of course it was." he slapped your butt as you went out the door.

"Mejor vete antes de que me arrepienta."

"What?"

"Bye bye, preciosa."

You pursed your lips and shook your head softly, he just chuckled and you left. Your kiss still lingering in the air.

-------

*Pinche morra toda preciosa - Such a fucking gorgeous girl.

*Me encantas. Puta madre, no sabes lo que me haces -I love it. Holy shit, you don't know what you do to me.

*Cómo me encantas - God, I love you. (Mind you, this love is not the same as love love.)

*Toda para mí - All for me.

*Buenos días, guapa - Good morning, gorgeous

*Despídete bien - Say goodbye properly

*"Mejor vete antes de que me arrepienta - You better go before I regret it.

Taglist: <3

@averagefloydlover @mouse-teagreat @4rlybm @cosmoscoffeee @wanderlustingcastaway @allysunny @noblesavagex @miggyoharaswife

#miguel o'hara x you #miguel o'hara #miguel o'hara smut #miguel o'hara x reader #atsv miguel

[gggoldfinch]

What *is* the predator in AVP? I know nothing

Anon I’m kissing you rn THANK YOU FOR INDULGING ME !!!!!!!! I should mention I had to consult the Xenopedia for a few minor bits of info, like exact numbers, but the rest of this is safely stored within my rancid little brain… which should speak to my level of boundless avp brainrot… (also this post is enormous sorry !!!!!)

Quick rundown of AVP itself for those uninitiated: AVP is the crossover of the Alien and Predator franchises. Although the 2004 and 2007 movies aren’t technically canon to the movie timeline, the crossover is canon to the franchises (along with the Blade Runner universe, believe it or not!) which can be seen in various books, comics, and even easter eggs in the 1981 Predator 2 movie. Basically, the Predators (yautja) hunt the Aliens (xenomorphs) for sport/ as a rite of passage to become adults.

Now onto the Predators!

Culture:

“Predators” are nicknamed that by humans who encounter them, but their species is called “yautja.” They come from the planet Yautja Prime and are a highly advanced/intelligent species, arguably more so than humans. They come from tribe-like communities and value strength and resilience above all else. Their society is matriarchal, and female yautja are significantly larger/ more powerful than the males. It’s widely accepted in-fandom that yautja hunters take trophies (usually skulls) from their prey specifically to present to potential mates, to make themselves appear more desirable and worthy of attention. They’re somewhat mammalian despite their appearance, and participate in village-raising of their young (which are born live). Female yautja have yet to be seen on-screen, but they are featured in a lot of the literature as hunters.

Due to significantly longer lifespans than humans, they reach adulthood/ maturity at around 50-60 years old. Their status of responsibility/ worthiness/ adulthood is basically determined by their ability to successfully hunt and kill xenomorphs (called “kiande amedha” or “hard meat”). Killing a xeno means they are “blooded” (marked) as warriors, and are therefore worthy to hunt as an adult.

Scar (AVP) marking his bio-mask with acidic xenomorph (facehugger) blood after becoming a Blooded warrior:

Physicality:

The yautja actually have a lot of physical variation which I think is really cool. Generally they’re between 7-8 ft tall (roughly 500~ lbs), and very muscular. They can have different skin patterns (i.e. green, red, blackish, etc) and freckles/mottling on their reptilian-like skin.

City Hunter (Predator 2) (left) with red patterning, and Scar (AVP) (right) with freckles!:

There is even genetic variation seen, like with Feral (Prey) and Beserker (Predators 2010), whose facial structures looks vastly different than “regular” yautja. These guys are thought to be subspecies.

Example of Wolf (AVP2) next to Feral (Prey) from the Xenopedia. Feral lacks a substantial forehead crest, facial markings/patterning, and has substantially thinned tresses:

Some have quills along spots where humans grow body hair (eyebrows, abdomen), and all have long fleshy tendrils (usually called tresses or dreads) that grow from the bony crests of their skull. These tresses are sensory organs and bleed when cut. It’s generally thought in-fandom that the tresses are highly sensitive and somewhat equivalent to erogenous zones/ are intended to attract mates. They can vary in length from short (usually no shorter than neck length) to very long (which is seen as more desirable… and yeah I have to agree). They are often decorated with rings and bones.

Scar (AVP) and his gorgeous long tresses:

Additionally, Yautja Prime is a hot-climate planet, and yautja canonically don’t do well in cold weather (as seen in the AVP novel where Scar gets windburn from the Antarctic cold). Their thick hide makes them very impervious to damage, but not unkillable; they are also very hard to outsmart given their high intelligence and advanced technology. However, they seem to have somewhat impaired vision without the use of the infrared lenses of their bio-masks (as well as other light-spectrum filters), which has caused problems for hunters dealing with quick-witted humans before.

Some examples of how the yautja see: regular vision (left), thermal bio-mask vision (middle), ultraviolet bio-mask vision (right):

Hunting & relationship with humans:

They have their own language and writing system. While they communicate predominately with clicks, roars, and growls, and don’t have any lips to really form words, they are capable of replicating human language on occasion. They also use their bio-masks to repeat and string together recorded pieces of human language. Generally, interactions with humans are violent, with humans the ones being hunted, but on occasion humans and yautja have teamed up. The only humans who have canonically been Blooded by yautja have been women, which is awesome.

Yautja have an honor code while hunting that basically goes as follows: only hunt worthy prey, and don’t break the code. There’s lots of interesting facets to the honor code, so I suggest followed that link if you’re actually interested. The yautja who break this honor code are excommunicated, labeled “Bad Blood(s)”, and hunted. It’s not necessarily canon, but they also seem to follow a sort of debt of gratitude code; if a human saves or otherwise helps a yautja, chances are they’ll return the favor of protection— or in the case of Alexa Woods, for saving Scar and killing a xeno, becoming Blooded.

While usually humans fall into the category of “worthy prey” there have been instances of yautja respecting them, and even treating them as equals.

I am incredibly invested in yautja lore and love talking about it. If you’re still curious I could continue talking forever lol

#I fucking love yautja RAGHHHHHHHHHH #I had SO MUCH FUN WITH THIS THANK YOUUUU #writing this while watching the phantom menace for the millionth time 🤪 #avp #alien vs predator #yautja #the predator

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

By: Joseph (Jake) Klein

Published: Apr 13, 2023

Segregation has a new brand name: racial “affinity groups.” Race-based “affinity groups” have exploded in prevalence across the United States over the last few years, moving from workplaces into schools, religious congregations, and other organizations all across the country. Affinity groups can also be organized around other identity categories such as gender, sexuality, disability, and religion, but affinity groups were first created around racial identity.

In 1969, Xerox employees based in San Francisco launched the Bay Area Black Employees (BABE) caucus, the first known workplace affinity group ("caucus," "employee resource group," and "affinity group," are all terms that have been used to describe the same idea).  Overall, Xerox's chairman at the time, Joseph C. Wilson, was an important leader in driving workplace integration. He reacted to race riots in the 1960's with a mission to increase integration and hire African-Americans who had previously been denied employment opportunities, and took numerous concrete actions to do so.

However, as has happened on numerous occasions to other well-intentioned leaders (including in response to other 1960’s race-riots), Wilson chose to take advice not just from integration-oriented civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., but from the Black Power activists responsible for the riots. Wilson enlisted the counsel of a group called “F.I.G.H.T.” While much of F.I.G.H.T.’s activism was productive and aimed at pushing back on genuine and oppressive racism, it was also a “decidedly militant” organization that “alienated much of the black middle class” and worked closely with the explicitly anti-integrationist founder of the Black Power movement, Stokely Carmichael.

Today, more than 50 years later, affinity groups have spread to 90% of Fortune 500 companies. These companies sometimes claim that racial affinity groups help foster communication and help bring new ideas to leadership. Corporations also point out that membership in racial affinity groups is usually voluntary, and therefore it cannot be a form of racial discrimination as banned under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 

However, despite these claimed positives, many corporations have also found that affinity groups polarize employees, and many people of color are reluctant to join such groups for “fear of being reduced to their racial identity.” Even when they are organized and advertised as voluntary, the social pressures on individuals to join racial affinity groups are substantial. And although some data supports companies’ intuitions that affinity groups are helpful idea generators, these positive results may be better explained by the existence of a group creating increased discussion time, rather than the racial makeup of that group.

With affinity groups’ recent spread throughout K-12 schools, higher education, religious groups, and many other key institutions throughout our society, we face an even worse danger. While businesses are beholden to the profit motive, schools and other non-profit institutions are not. This creates more opportunities for affinity groups in non-profit institutions to advance a fanatical ideology, since organizational leadership doesn't need to worry, as businesses do, about the possibility that a Marxist ideological agenda would compromise their ability to operate in a financially viable manner.

Advocates of racial affinity groups claim they are not racist or segregationist, but do so while practicing racial segregation and making explicitly racist claims. For example, Truss Leadership, a so-called “racial equity” consulting group that works with numerous school districts, declares that “Racial Affinity Groups are NOT … Racist or segregationist,” but also says they are a place where white people can “reckon with their Whiteness” and non-white people can “take care of themselves and one another…in the absence of Whiteness.”

FAIR ally Ye Zhang Pogue has written beautifully for this Substack on how affinity groups in schools can harm our society by needlessly pitting people against each other along racial lines. What advocates of affinity groups often ignore is how prejudice and discrimination is often caused by diminished contact between groups, and can be overcome by increasing that contact and having group members work cooperatively instead of separately (one of psychologist Gordon Allport’s four conditions for reducing racial prejudice). This insight into the power of contact is the same idea that has driven FAIR Senior Fellow Daryl Davis’s pioneering efforts to get Klan members and neo-Nazis to give up their lives of hate.

Even racial affinity groups' most extreme and vocal advocates have acknowledged that “Caucusing can generate anxiety even at a visceral level for some. For people of color, history has shown that real harm can come from spaces exclusively reserved for white people. … People of color may also experience racial anxiety and stereotype threat, the fear of being viewed through societal stereotype ‘lenses’ by white colleagues and supervisors.” These are not ungrounded fears. Corporations seeking to pursue effective anti-racist strategies would do well to remember the horrors of the interoffice segregation of America’s past.

Segregation in the form of racial affinity groups today is disturbingly similar in concept to the separate bathrooms, water fountains, bus sections, and other spaces in generations past. Then as now, we ought to remember the worldchanging verdict from Brown v. Board of Education, that “Separate [is] inherently unequal.” As Supreme Court Chief Justice Fred M. Vincent explained in the Court’s also unanimous decision for McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents, which was cited in Brown v. Board of Education, “To separate [children] from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community that may affect their-hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone.”

==

The KKK must be beaming with pride at the outright enthusiasm of re-implementating segregation.

Were it discovered that they were shadow-funding this, I would be incapable of feigning any amount of surprise.

Wokeness divides and destroys.

EDIT:

That's so weird. We keep being told that "cRt iS nOt iN sChOoLs." And yet, here we find out that not only is it in schools, but it's a good thing, because "opposing" - as ominous, authoritarian, and nigh on DiAngelo-istic choice of words as I've ever heard - is wrong. Gee, when did that happen? They must have done that really quickly. /s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YM2JvQVXWQg

"DiAngelo's essay doesn't talk about disagreements or debates, but only about those who 'practice' social justice, and those who, quote, 'resist' it."

To actually tell people "[not to] entertain this blog or its opinions" or "don't read the post" has really strong religious blasphemy overtones. Like the priest telling the congregation not to read Harry Potter.

Still, the very first thing the kids do when they get home from church after being told not to read Harry Potter is to read Harry Potter. So sermonizing people on how to close their ears to maintain their moral purity usually doesn't work out that well for the clergy. So, thank you for dangling an irresistible temptation for them, like the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden..

P.S. Opposing gay conversion therapy and child mutilation is a hill I'm willing to die on. Line in the sand. Pretty comfortable there. The latter, at least, used to be a self-evident taboo: you don't tattoo kids, you don't cut children's testicles or breasts off, you don't drug girls by flooding their bodies with quantities of hormones their body is not equipped to handle so they're balding and infertile at 16. Despite pretence to the contrary, these positions aren't the slightest bit controversial.

#Joseph Klein #Jake Klein #segregation #separate but equal #neoracism #antiracism #antiracism as religion #affinity groups #critical race theory #whiteness #whiteness studies #woke #wokeism #cult of woke #wokeness #wokeness as religion #religion is a mental illness

[dhaaruni]

I unofficially consulted on this piece about P*yton B*achdeath, who has moved on from terrorizing Tumblr and now terrorizes the New York Times.

I like Kat Rosenfield a lot, and this part in particular stood out to me:

Meanwhile, in 2023, there are few young adults who don’t have a discoverable digital footprint dating back to their teens, the content of which should not be held against them, no matter how embarrassing or unsophisticated it might be. Those of us who came of age before the social web may thank the stars that our most cringeworthy adolescent thoughts are confined to the pages of a physical (read: burnable) diary, rather than preserved for all eternity on the internet. Yet it behooves us to recognise that one individual’s trajectory from Tumblr conspiracy theorist to NYT columnist is not substantively different to going back for your 10-year high school reunion and discovering that your lab partner from freshman biology — the one who always seemed to like dissecting frogs a little too much — is now an accomplished neurosurgeon. Rather, I want to question the trajectory whereby an argument like this one — which ultimately hinges less on historical accuracy than the desire of its author that it be true — can make its way into the pages of the New York Times. Partly, this might be down to the existence of a commissioning editor on staff who likes to source their pitches from Twitter, where Thomas went viral last spring with a thread advancing the same thesis ultimately argued in the Alcott essay. But there is something here, too, about the ability of an ultimately half-baked idea to sneak past the gatekeepers of our most storied media institutions.

Like, we as a society have got to be better at discerning the truth and parsing through all the waffle, that's all I'm going to say.

If people are going to label any pushback as reactionary conservatism, that's really counterproductive and decidedly not how we're going to achieve social progress!

#links #lol

[virtualelectronicshub]

Radiation Therapy Explained: Benefits, Process, and Potential Side Effects

Radiation therapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumours. Radiation therapy works by damaging the DNA of cancer cells, which prevents them from dividing or growing. Radiation therapy can be delivered externally or internally, depending on the type and location of the cancer.

Radiotherapy is a rapidly growing technically advancing speciality.

The most advanced radiotherapy techniques include:

ETHOS, Linear Accelerators with Artificial Intelligence.

MR Linear Accelerators, where a MR imaging machine is used as part of treatment for better imaging and treatment position and precision.

Cyberknife:  A miniature linear accelerator mounted on a robotic arm, used for high precision radiotherapies to like brain tumors and recurrent tumors close to critical organs.  Cyberknife is used even in noncancerous brain tumors like schwannommas and trigeminal nerve roots alleviating the pain and suffering of trigeminal neuralgia.

Proton Beam Therapy.

3D conformal radiation therapy.

Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)

Volumetric modulated radiation therapy (VMAT)

Image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT)

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS)

Brachytherapy.

Superficial x-ray radiation therapy (SXRT)

Intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT)

Benefits of Radiation Therapy

For many common cancers, such as breast cancer, bowel cancer, uterine cancer, skin cancers and prostate cancer, radiation therapy is highly effective in reducing the risk of cancer recurrence if delivered either before or after surgery. In some cancers (for example (prostate, head and neck, bladder, lung, cervix and skin cancers), radiation therapy, with or without drug therapy, can be used as the main curative treatment and in this way avoids the risks of surgery and the removal of organs.

For some cancers that are too advanced to be cured, radiation therapy is very effective for pain and other problems caused by cancer, such as bleeding from the lung or bladder. For example, pain in the bones from the spread of cancer can be improved significantly or be completely removed in around 75% of patients.

New technological advances in radiation therapy have made life better for cancer patients in recent years by making treatments even quicker, more accurate and effective.

Radiation therapy can help:

●      Cure cancer by destroying all the cancer cells in a tumour.

●      Control cancer by slowing down its growth or preventing it from spreading to other parts of the body.

●      Relieve symptoms such as pain, bleeding, or pressure caused by a tumour.

Process of Radiation Therapy

The process of radiation therapy varies depending on the type and stage of the cancer, the goals of the treatment, and the patient’s overall health and preferences. Generally, the process involves:

Radiation therapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses high energy beams to destroy cancer cells and shrink tumours.

The American Cancer Society notes that more than half of people with cancer receive radiation therapy.

Radiation damages genetic material called DNA inside of cancer cells. If the cancer cell cannot repair the DNA, the cell will not be able to produce new cells and may die.

The radiation may injure noncancerous cells, but most are able to recover.

A person’s treatment team will carefully plan radiation therapy to minimise damage to normal tissues and organs.

●  A consultation with a radiation oncologist, who is a doctor who specialises in treating cancer with radiation.

● A planning session is where a radiation therapist will keep the patient  immobilised in position with thermoplastic masks, then imaging tests such as CT scans or MRI scans are used to map out the exact location and size of the tumour and the surrounding normal tissues.

●  A simulation session, where a radiation therapist will position the patient on a table and mark the skin with ink or tattoos to guide the delivery of the radiation beams.

● A treatment session, where the patient will lie still on a table while a machine called a linear accelerator will deliver the radiation beams to the tumour from different angles. The treatment session may last from a few minutes to an hour, depending on the dose and type of radiation therapy. The patient may need to have several treatment sessions over days, weeks, or months.

Potential Side Effects of Radiation Therapy

Radiation therapy can cause side effects that vary depending on the part of the body being treated, the dose and type of radiation therapy, and the patient’s individual response. Some common side effects include:

●      Skin changes such as redness, dryness, itching, peeling, or blistering.

●      Fatigue or tiredness that may interfere with daily activities.

●      Nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, or constipation that may affect appetite and    digestion.

●      Hair loss in the area being treated.

●      Mouth sores or dry mouth that may make eating or swallowing difficult.

●      Headaches or memory problems that may affect concentration or mood.

●      Inflammation or infection of the bladder or rectum that may cause pain or bleeding during urination or bowel movements.

Most side effects are temporary and will go away after the treatment is completed. However, some side effects may be long-lasting or permanent, such as infertility, nerve damage, lymphedema (swelling caused by fluid build-up), or secondary cancers.

Radiation therapy is an effective and safe way to treat many types of cancer. However, it is not suitable for everyone and it may have some risks and limitations. Therefore, it is important to discuss with your doctor about the benefits and drawbacks of radiation therapy for your specific situation before starting the treatment.

For more details click on the link 👇🏻 https://bit.ly/3osreVo

#ICANWIN #YESITSRAM #FightAgainstCancer #CancerAwarenessMatters #TogetherAgainstCancer #CancerWarriorsUnite #EmpoweredByHope #RaisingCancerAwareness #IgniteTheFight #ConquerCancerTogether #InspireHopeForSurvivors #CancerFreeFuture

[scotianostra]

November 12th 1932 saw the death of Dugald Clerk inventor of the two stroke engine.

Born in Glasgow on 31st March 1854. After completing his workshop training he spent four years studying, especially Physics and Chemistry, at the Andersonian College, Glasgow, and the Yorkshire College of Science, Leeds. Returning to Glasgow, he joined Messrs Thomson, Sterne & Co., and in 1877 began to devote himself to the development of the gas engine. 

It is interesting to recall that the fourstroke cycle Otto engine had been exhibited for the first time at the Paris Exposition in 1878. Clerk, realising the disadvantages of having only one working stroke in four, set to work to design a gas engine operating on a two-stroke cycle; his first engine working on this cycle made its appearance in 1881, and eventually many hundreds of this type were placed on the market. 

From this period right up to the time of his death Clerk devoted most of his work to the practical development of the internal combustion engine and to researches on the specific heat of gases and on explosion pressures. His researches had great influence on modern advance in the science of thermodynamics. For these researches, which had placed him in the front rank of scientific investigators in the field of applied science, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1908; in 1924 he was awarded the Royal Medal of the Society. He received honorary degrees from the Universities of Glasgow, St Andrews, Leeds, Liverpool, and Manchester. 

In 1932 he was elected President of the Institution of Civil Engineers, the highest professional distinction to which an engineer can attain; unfortunately ill-health prevented him from taking office. He had already in 1917 been created K.B.E.

On the outbreak of war in 1914, though by that time in his sixtieth year, he placed his exceptional talents in research at the disposal of the Government; he became Director of Engineering Research at the Admiralty, President of the Internal Combustion Engine Committee at the Air Ministry, and was a member of Committees in other fields of research. 

He took great interest in the development of the motor vehicle, and did much important work in this branch of Mechanical Engineering.

For many years he was in partnership with Lord Marks as a consulting engineer and patent agent, and no other engineer was so frequently called upon for service as expert witness in patent cases. 

As a member of the University Grants Committee, Clerk took a very real and keen interest in the teaching of Pure and Applied Science in the Universities, and University Engineering departments always benefited by the wise and sound advice he gave to the staff on the occasion of official visits. 

He was elected a Fellow of the Society in 1922.

Dugald ClerK died in Ewhurst, Surrey on 12 November 1932 aged 72 years.

#Scotland #scottish #engineer #inventor #Glasgow #glaswegian #history

[fourcolour-ace]

Headcanons about Colu, Coluans and the Brainiacs

Because the DC Database articles are hella dry and my imagination knows no bounds when driven by Querl Dox.

I suppose the lack of strictly canon information on the planet is mostly due to DC's lack of diligence regarding their timeline(s) and universe(s). What is provided can essentially be boiled down to the following: Colu is a planet with a highly advanced society, home of Brainiac, and ruled by the Computer Tyrants until the late 20th century. I'm not sure how canon it is nowadays that Vril Dox II destroyed the tyrants, but for my purposes I will consider it to be. Coluans are also cited as having ridiculously long lifespans,(as in thousands of years) which I'm fine with to an extent. Oddly no mention is made of Coluans sharing in a kind of mental collectivity, so I must assume that was popularized by non-comics media.

Okay, staying on track.

Colu itself is supposedly 50/50 land and water. Seems dubious that it would be split so evenly, but it's not really a problem. The planet also has six moons, which is kind of a lot. Eclipses would be common. Colu is often depicted as having little to no natural environment left, likely because that's what people thought an advanced society looked like back in the 1960s. My take is that Coluans have totally withdrawn from their world's natural space, creating an artificial environment to live in that is self-contained. So by the 30th century Colu's surface has reverted to a wilderness, with only a few scattered research bases for studying the native animals and plants.

One headcanon I have that runs contrary to canon info is that Colu is not particularly populous. It is acknowledged in canon that such a long-lived race wouldn't reproduce much, to the point that there may be only one child on the planet at a time(poor lonely New 52 Querl). I have a preference for the 5YL timeline's "age cohort" concept, especially since I perceive Coluans as highly social.

The Coluan mental network has gone by many names in canon, most of them terrible(still mad about "Big Brain") but I am a fan of the concept. I see it a kind of constant baseline telepathy, linking Coluans who are within a certain distance of each other. On Colu, nearly all are linked and this results in a kind of forum, where participants are always available to consult on each other's research. An omnipresent peer-review board of sorts. This is not an innate ability, but achieved instead through implanted technology, and can be turned off by force. It probably emerged sometime after the destruction of the Computer Tyrants, as a way of coping with newfound free will. The network is the result of a culture based on sharing individual discoveries for the advancement of society at large, and prior to its invention this would have been carried out via public discourse. As to whether Brainiac 5 would be a part of this, based on his relationship with his people across incarnations, he likely was cut off from it in adolescence or severed the connection himself. It is possible that being a 12th-level in a network with an average of level 8 would cause problems. I'd imagine being isolated in that way to be traumatic, even if Querl did it to himself.

After a reference to "sterile environment" in Waid's Legion(2005), I believe Coluans have a bit of a thing about cleanliness. Their cities, contained under domes, have closely regulated environmental parameters and anything that enters must be sterilized according to procedure. This is just one of many factors that make Colu one of the less friendly planets in the UP. Another expression of this cultural obsession(that has already appeared in my writing), I've decided Coluans remove all their hair. This follows the depiction of Colu in Superman and the Legion of Superheroes(one of my favourites), where everyone is bald. My excuse for Brainiac 5 having hair is that he's an eccentric, but also that he left Colu at a young age. Coluans are mammals and grow hair more or less as humans do, and that is enough about that.

Coluans have a vendetta against AI due to their history, and have been shown to actively oppose the development of thinking machines. I genuinely feel like Querl develops things that he knows his people will dislike out of spite. Vril Jr. is remembered on Colu as a hero, but throughout most of the galaxy he's become a symbol of manipulation and power-mongering. Lyrl's misdeeds have been lost to time, though on Colu physical scars remain.

I have thoughts as to how Coluans evolved to be so damn smart, but I'm no evolutionary biologist so they begin and end with "highly complex environment", and eventually lead to a concept of a diverse jungle, filled with clever and brightly-coloured creatures that would have challenged the ancestors of the Coluan species to devise myriad ways to escape them. I get carried away with this in my personal work, especially since encountering Lyrl Dox(certified jungle boy).

I've run out of steam. Thank you for reading this, please keep in mind these are just headcanons, affecting my own work mainly.

#dc comics #headcanons #rambling #long post #brainiac 5 #legion of superheroes

[allthebrazilianpolitics]

Polarization seen as potential obstacle to Brazil tax reform

Brazil’s government will face major challenges to advance proposals and reforms due to a divided congress, with analysts suggesting that polarization will drag down President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s approval ratings and limit his options.

A poll by Ipespe, sponsored by banking federation Febraban, showed that 40% of respondents considered the administration excellent or good, while 27% thought it was average and 28% considered it bad or terrible.

Since this was Ipespe’s first poll this year, it has no basis for comparison, but the numbers still show that Lula is unlikely to reach the 80% approval he achieved before ending his second term in 2010.

"We will hardly see in the short or medium term in Brazil and Latin America political leaders with approval levels of 80%, as was more common in the past, since the region is in a more difficult economic scenario now and society is more politically divided," Silvio Cascione, a political analyst at Eurasia consulting group, told BNamericas.

Continue reading.

#brazil #politics #brazilian politics #economy #taxation #mod nise da silveira #image description in alt

[mariacallous]

Media freedom is under the spotlight again this week as two new reports show public concerns about the issue have risen significantly, alongside increasing media ownership concentration and worsening conditions for journalists doing their job in Central and Southeast Europe.

The reports will feed into the ongoing legislative process of the EU’s proposed European Media Freedom Act (MFA), which is at an advanced stage with civil society groups submitting their positions as part of a public consultation by the European Commission. The MFA is a key piece of legislation from the EU Commission to address serious threats to media freedom and pluralism across the bloc.

The Committee for Editorial Independence published on Monday a new survey examining the state of media freedom in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, which showed that more than 50 per cent of those surveyed in each of the countries expressed growing concern about the current state of media freedom.

Slovakia and Poland recorded the worst rises, with 71 per cent of respondents in Poland expressing concern, up 8 per cent from last year.

The negative impacts of media owners and governments influencing journalistic content have become more apparent to the public, the survey found. In Poland and Hungary, it is the government that is perceived as the biggest threat to media freedom; in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, it is media owners and business interests that are seen as the primary threat.

“The survey indicates that people are in favour of the state strengthening legislation to safeguard media freedom and independence. They also support the European Union imposing penalties or sanctions on governments that interfere with media freedom,” the report said.

Monday also saw the publication of the “Media Freedom Report 2023”, the second annual report on media freedom in the EU produced by the Civil Liberties Union for Europe.

Likewise, this report found that in the 18 countries surveyed there was no progress on media freedom in general, while the situation has even worsened in some of the countries, including Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

The report focused on three aspects: media freedom and pluralism, safety and protection of journalists, and freedom of expression and information.

Strong media ownership concentration persists and poses a significant risk to media pluralism in Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Italy, Poland and Slovenia. “Having a small number of companies or individuals own a majority of the media threatens the diversity of media voices and creates a potential for biased reporting,” it said.

Financing frameworks also remain problematic, with many outlets struggling financially. The report put this down partly to the difficult business environment, but also the unfair and obscure allocation of state advertising and subsidies, particularly in Hungary and Poland.

It also found those two countries guilty of exerting too much state control over the public service media as well as the media regulatory authorities.

In many countries, the report found it is becoming increasingly difficult for journalists to do their job, with harassment, physical and verbal attacks, surveillance, and abusive lawsuits – so-called strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) – becoming increasingly common. “Safeguards to protect journalists and their sources from state surveillance are insufficient and women continue to be paid less than their male colleagues and are more likely to be harassed and threatened, particularly online,” it said.

“For the functioning of a healthy democracy, it is crucial that the public has access to and trusts reliable and credible sources of information. However, public trust levels towards the media remain particularly low in Croatia, Slovakia and Slovenia,” it added.

[mxmeiyun]

Full text of the news article below:

U.S. to require free access to papers on all research it funds

The plan, to start at the end of 2025, is a blow to journal paywalls, but its impact on publishing is unclear.

By Jeffrey Brainard and Jocelyn Kaiser

[link]

A decadeslong battle over how best to provide public access to the fruits of research funded by the U.S. government has taken a major turn.

President Joe Biden’s administration announced yesterday that, by the end of 2025, federal agencies must make papers that describe taxpayer-funded work freely available to the public as soon as the final peer-reviewed manuscript is published. Data underlying those publications must also be made freely available “without delay.”

Many details of the new policy, including exactly how the government will fund immediate public access, remain to be decided. But it significantly reshapes and expands existing—and fiercely contested—U.S. access rules that have been in place since 2013. Most notably, the White House has substantially weakened, but not formally eliminated, the ability of journals to keep final versions of federally funded papers behind a subscription paywall for up to 1 year.

Many commercial publishers and nonprofit scientific societies have long fought to maintain that 1-year embargo, saying it is critical to protecting subscription revenues that cover editing and production costs and fund society activities. But critics of paywalls argue that they obstruct the free flow of information, have enabled price gouging by some publishers, and force U.S. taxpayers to “pay twice”—once to fund the research and again to see the results. Since the late 1990s, the critics have lobbied Congress and the White House to require free and immediate “open access” to government-funded research.

The Biden administration has heeded those pleas, although the new policy does not expressly embrace the term open access—it uses the words “public access.” It is “de facto an open-access mandate,” says Stefano Bertuzzi, CEO of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), which publishes 16 journals. And many open-access advocates are applauding it.

“This is an enormous leap forward,” says Heather Joseph, executive director of the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, one of the oldest open-access advocacy groups in the United States. “Getting rid of that embargo is huge.”

The embargo and related policies “were pure sellouts of the public interest,” tweeted molecular biologist Michael Eisen of the University of California, Berkeley, a prominent critic of U.S. access policies and co-founder of the PLOS journals, which have helped pioneer an open-access business model in which authors pay a fee to make their papers immediately free to all. “The best thing I can say about this new policy is that publishers will hate it.”

Many publishers say they support a transition to immediate public access but criticized the new U.S. policy. “We would have preferred to chart our own course to open access without a government mandate,” Bertuzzi says. Six of ASM’s journals are already fully open access, with the rest to follow by 2027.

The Association of American Publishers, a leading trade group, complained in a statement that the policy arrived “without formal, meaningful consultation or public input … on a decision that will have sweeping ramifications, including serious economic impact.” (White House officials say they met with large and small publishers over the past year to discuss the change.) 

Others took a wait-and-see approach. Sudip Parikh, CEO of AAAS, which publishes the Science family of journals, says “it is too soon to tell if this guidance will impact our journals.” (AAAS publishes a fully open-access journal, Science Advances, and in 2021 its paywalled Science journals began to allow authors to deposit the peer-reviewed, almost-final version of manuscripts in institutional repositories on publication.)

The impact of the new requirement could vary depending on which of the more than 20 U.S. funding agencies underwrite the author’s research. Each agency must finalize its policy by the end of 2024 and implement it by the end of 2025.

The policy is not intended to mandate any particular business model for publishing, said Alondra Nelson, acting director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), in an interview with ScienceInsider. For example, it will not require federally funded researchers to publish only in pay-to-publish open-access journals. Researchers who publish in subscription journals might be able to satisfy the rule by depositing the almost-final, peer-reviewed, and accepted version into a public depository or other agency-approved outlet. Journals will still be able to keep their final, published version of a paper behind a paywall. (But some researchers say only the final published version is adequate for scholarly purposes. The not-quite-final, “author-accepted” versions might lack final editing, typesetting, and formatted data tables.)

Nelson says OSTP is acutely aware of concerns about who will pay the costs associated with the new policy, especially if publishing in a pay-to-publish journal becomes a widespread practice. Some fear the U.S. policy—combined with similar policies adopted in Europe and elsewhere—could accelerate the rise of such journals, ultimately making publishing more difficult for authors with modest or no grant funding, especially ones who work in underresourced institutions and in developing countries.

OSTP says in a blog post it wants “to ensure that public access policies are accompanied by support for more vulnerable members of the research ecosystem.” Agencies could, for example, allow researchers to use grant funds to cover open-access publishing costs—as some do already—or could fund the expansion of public repositories, Nelson says. “We’re not naïve about the challenges we face,” she says. “Implementation on any new policy is key.”

The new policy reflects the profound changes that have rocked academic publishing since the U.S. public access debate began in earnest more than 25 years ago. Then, subscription-based print journals were the primary means of disseminating research results, and publishers fiercely resisted any policy change that threatened an often highly profitable business model. But pressure from university libraries tired of paying rising subscription fees, and patient groups angry about having to pay to read taxpayer-funded biomedical studies, helped catalyze serious discussion of policy change. At the same time, the rise of the internet fueled publishing experiments, such as open-access journals and the posting of freely accessible “preprints” that have not been peer reviewed.

In Washington, D.C., these shifts prompted both Republicans and Democrats to urge the federal government to revise its access policies. In 2013, then-President Barack Obama attempted to strike a compromise—via the 1-year embargo rule—between publishers and open-access advocates.

But many—including Biden, then Obama’s vice president—were not happy with that deal. In a 2016 speech, for example, Biden noted, “The taxpayers fund $5 billion a year in cancer research, but once it’s published, nearly all of that sits behind [pay]walls. Tell me how this is moving the [scientific] process along more rapidly.”

The administration of former President Donald Trump also considered requiring immediate public access. And several developments in recent years increased the pressure for a revamp. In 2019, the U.S. National Cancer Institute’s “Cancer Moonshot” research program, which Biden helped create under Obama, required grantees to make papers developed with its funding free to read. In 2018, a group of European science funders called Coalition S unveiled a similar policy, which takes full effect in January 2025. (Coalition S imposes an additional requirement that publishers give up copyright; the existing and new U.S. policies do not.) And in 2020, publishers agreed to make all papers relevant to COVID-19 open access, at least temporarily.

Now, the new U.S. rules will apply to a substantial share of the world’s academic literature—and hundreds of thousands of new scholarly papers will become freely available to all with no delay. In 2020, OSTP estimates federal research funds produced 195,000 to 263,000 published articles, or some 7% to 9% of the 2.9 million papers published worldwide that year. And because the policy now applies to any federal agency that funds research—and not just those that spend $100 million or more annually—the free material could also include work funded by the national endowments for the arts and humanities. OSTP says agencies also could decide that the rule covers other materials, such as book chapters and conference proceedings, that are peer reviewed.

How the change will ultimately affect the finances of specific journals, publishers, and researchers is hard to predict, analysts say. In some journals, for example, just a small fraction of papers might be the product of U.S. funding. And university libraries might still be willing to pay subscription fees, even if their faculty can read the same papers elsewhere for free, if publishers offer a better interface, search functions, or other services.

Bertuzzi, however, says the new policy is likely to have a global impact that will be hard to ignore, because “the U.S. government is the 800-pound gorilla in the room.”

#at least its a step in the right direction #science #academia #open access journals #current events #science blogging

[beardedmrbean]

Greece became the latest European country rocked by political scandal this week with reports surfacing that the phone of a well-known opposition government leader was being hacked by an intelligence service. The scandal comes after the recent collapse of governments in Italy and Britain amid political corruption and public criticism.

In Greece, news that the National Intelligence Service (EYP) was listening in to the phone calls of Nikos Androulakis, leader of the Greek socialist PASOK party, sparked an uproar among opposition parties and prompted demands for a full investigation.

According to the Associated Press, Panos Skourletis, parliamentary representative of the main opposition SYRIZA party, said Richard Nixon resigned as U.S. president exactly 48 years ago because of a similar scandal and that his party expects Mitsotakis to "at least do the same today ... to apologize and resign."

When the allegations first surfaced last week, a government spokesman said the surveillance had been approved by a prosecutor and was lawful. However, on Monday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis walked back any knowledge of the wiretap and fired the head of the National Intelligence Service, Panagiotis Kontoleon, and his Chief of Staff Grigoris Dimitriadis.

The spyware scandal in Greece, which some likened to the Watergate affair 50 years ago, comes less than a month after the collapse of Italy’s ruling coalition prompted the resignation of Prime Minister Mario Draghi and the resignation of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was forced to stand down as leader of the ruling Conservative Party after reckless behavior during the COVID-19 lockdowns was made public.

Rebekah Koffler, president of Doctrine & Strategy Consulting and a former DIA intelligence officer, said the instability in Europe was a bonus for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Any domestic instability in a NATO country is a plus for Russia, which has as its strategic goal to fracture and weaken NATO," said Koffler, author of "Putin’s Playbook: Russia's Secret Plan to Defeat America."

"Putin thrives on instability," she added. "On his orders, a special doctrine was developed by his intelligence and military planners, called "controlled instability" or controlled chaos, where Russia either seeks to foment chaos by clandestine operations or amplify existing tensions and instability, in any NATO country."

EU ACCUSES RUSSIA OF 'BLACKMAIL' AFTER IT CUTS GAS TO POLAND, BULGARIA

In Greece on Tuesday, President Katerina Sakellaropoulou called for the wiretapping affair to be fully investigated, highlighting that protecting the right to privacy was "a fundamental condition of a democratic and liberal society."

Androulakis, who is also a member of the European Parliament, said on Friday that he had learned his phone was being monitored more than a year ago. Filing a complaint in Greece’s Supreme Court late last month, Androulakis said his cellphone was bugged with a U.S.-made spyware named Predator.

The Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) is the third-largest political party in Greece and likely to hold the balance of power in the next general election, which is slated for 2023.

Commenting on the use of wiretaps, Koffler told Fox News Digital that there was "no such thing as privacy in today’s world, given the level of technological advancement."

"It’s naive and even childish to claim that you have privacy in today’s world when you carry a device with you that spies on you 24/7," she said, adding, "If you carry a phone or any electronic device, especially if you are a politician or any high-level business or government official, assume that your communications are of interest, and you are a potential target for intercept by foreign intelligence services and possibly domestic opposition."

"If you don’t want something to appear on the front page of a newspaper, do not say it," said Koffler.

#nunyas news

[bookwyrminspiration]

As much as I love the theory that Fintan is Sophie’s father… how would that even work? Like, it seems that the whole thing with the Neverseen has been going on for at least a decade and a half. We don’t really know the timeline for which the Black Swan took to create Sophie. Was Fintan part of the Black Swan at one point? Was he originally more aligned with their goals than the Neverseen’s? What on earth would cause him to give them his DNA to create Sophie, his (hypothetical) daughter, when he later ends up becoming one of her biggest enemies?

Oo interesting question! I think if he is her father, one of the major driving forces of it would be the drama. Like holy shit her father is one of the big bad guys and she's been fighting him this whole time and wow this complicates everything emotionally for her!

How it would work I think mainly hinges on how Fintan wasn't revealed to be a member of the Neverseen until...Exile? It was around then. If all the things that happened to create Sophie were happening over 15 years in the past, at a time when the Black Swan didn't even know the Neverseen's name, it's possible they didn't know he was part of the organization and they approached him instead as just a regular citizen. I mean, an ancient councillor who was denied who he is by society, what he loves (fire) taken from him? Perhaps he'd be amenable to their cause and want to help create a solution, to change the world. Fintan does share some of their beliefs and values, his method of achieving them is just much more violent. But they wouldn't know that.

I don't think we have any current evidence that Fintan was ever part of the Black Swan, but perhaps something like that would be within whatever dramatic speech/explanation he would give upon the revelation that Sophie is his daughter. But then again, neither is Oralie and she was still consulted and used as a DNA donor. I'd assume that if Fintan was Sophie's father, it'd work the same way.

As for why he'd agree to be a DNA donor for Sophie, that's an excellent question. Perhaps because he was interested to see what she could do. Maybe he thought he could sway her to his side of things, but once that proved impossible he became more of her enemy. He could've just wanted her to change the game so he could swoop in afterwards in this shocked world and manipulate it as he pleased. Maybe he thought it would be a blow to the Black Swan and wanted to take advantage of it--after all, it required no involvement from him except his DNA. And then his knowledge of the project could've given him an edge over them. Maybe it was enough for him to create a plan years in advance as the Black Swan waited for Sophie to grow up.

Maybe he just wanted to see what would happen. There are many possible benefits to him donating his DNA towards Sophie's creation. And I think the technicalities would all work out as well.

Hopefully that helps answer your question!

#kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #quil's queries #fintan pyren #nonsie #i got distracted halfway through answering this so if it's off that's probably why #but this is how I reason it! #I think that the Black Swan would want people affected by their society. and fintan definitely was #and I don't think there's any reason they would've suspected him of anything #I may be forgetting something tho #but it would be a very dramatic reveal. like /you're/ my father? you killed people! you'd burn the world to the ground to start again!! #it'd be a punch #and sometimes that's valuable enough other details gets blurred to make it work

[lesewut]

Excitingly presenting Count Maurice Maeterlinck's "The Great Mystery", published 1924 in Jena, Germany. Maeterlinck is presenting prehistoric occultism and archaic forms of religion with the focus on common metaphysical conclusions to show how the search for the primary reason can be found in discovering our transcendental I. The "Great Mystery" is not about doctrines of secret societies or exploited revelation through wonder and magic, it is about the purest knowledge we can have: Knowing to know nothing and the confession of the unrecognisable, because in all things we can just assume prohabilities.

Questioning existence and being, diving into ontological and metaphysical theories, is an advance for strenghtening the mindfulness and as well cures bias, that are preventing earthly ones to be fully capable of the One and Eternal Good.

Wonderfully Maeterlinck is underlining that the first primitive beliefs were too metaphysically, too incomprehensible, to nourish a religion. The highest wisdom of "Knowing of Not Knowing" and the confession of our mental limitation, are the most significant cognitical achievements. Especially in our science-optimistic epoch, it is easily to underestimate phenomena, because the technology to measure cannot be adequate.

Maeterlinck is consulting many regions and the theogony and cosmogony, to underdraw, that the One, who is the Cause and Reason of all, is defined in an analogous manner, but in order to reach more peple, were rephrased over the decades. This is also kind of the problem, we have today: In order to make metaphysical discoveries more understandable for the standard population, scholars invented assistance and therefore masquerading the Eternal Good, by materializing Divine essence creating a maladjustment, that haven't helped the majority, to come in contact with their inner God, because they were just made to catchers of miracles and slaves of their profane expectations. Who can be satured by the heavenly bread of self-denial? Anyone who is intended, to not see a deficit in "not knowing", but the biggest and holiest freedom, we could ever reach in this dimension of living?

This book is a good introduction for comparative metaphysical studies, but of couse, Maeterlinck had to compromise the opulence of the topics, so the impression of gaps in historical descriptions can be unsatisfying. But thousands of years of metaphysical questioning (from Ancient India and Egypt [wonderful how reciprocal their transcendental truth were formulated and transported over Chaldaia into the Bible and revitalized in Kabbala and Medieval alchemy...just to give a hint of connectness in ties and bonds...] over the Pre-Socratic philosophy, that had an understanding of the One and Absolute God [the Pre-Sorcratic philosophers were highly influenced by Egyptian belief, for instance the Orphism, metempsychosis of Pythagoreanism, ...] can not be compressed in 211 pages and mystic touched literature is a bridge building help for the searcher, the most work still has to proceed in the own mind :')

While reading "The Great Mystery" I though to myself, that I should dive more into the Ancient first wellsprings, for example reading the Rigveda or Sefer Yetzirah "The Book of Creation". But the reading list grows continuously and the books "I have to read" also. One examplar of interesting and fruitful sources Maeterlinck uses is the work of Wilhelm Nestle "The Pre-Socratic", but worthreading are many other books too:

Max Müller "Ursprung und Entwicklung der Religion" La Page Renouf "Lectures on the Origin and Growth of Religion as illustrated by the Religion of the Ancient Egypt" Bergaigne "La Religion védique d'áprès les hymnes du Rig-Veda" S. Karppe "Études sur les origines et la nature du Zohar" Knorr von Rosenroth "Kaballa Denudata" Blavatzky "Isis unveiled - A Master Key to the Mysteries of Ancient and Modern Science and Theology" Louis Menard "Hermès Trismégiste"

And it is always an advantage to read tracts and theories of saints, priests and philosophers.

#literature #metaphysical studies #ontology #epistemology #philosophy #theogony #cosmogony #theories of the origin #antiquarian book #occult culture #spirituality #knowledge #eternal faith #alchemy #medieval scholastik #kabbala #hermeticism #Ancient belief #Ancient wisdom #Ancient Egypt #Ancient India #bookworm #books and reading #therapy by reading

[oyevk]

Trends in Wellness and Aesthetics 2023

Trends in Wellness and Aesthetics 2023 takes you on a journey to understanding how today's consumer wants to feel – and what products and services are emerging that will help them achieve their goals.

Today, the increase in wellness and beauty standards has led to an increase in aesthetic practices across the board. As global demands for beauty continue to expand, so does the need for innovative new technologies.

The global wellness trend of 2022 was focused on the idea that wellness can be learned and practised at home by anyone. The 21st century has been called “the age of convergence.” This shift in society, culture, and technology has created a new world where we live in both physical and non-physical worlds. As we embrace the new age of technology, innovation is never more important than when it comes to health.

Some researched insights about trends in the wellness and aesthetics industry may be helpful.

Wellness and aesthetics are both growing industries, with an increasing focus on self-care and appearance. Some potential trends for 2023 could include:

Non-invasive and minimally-invasive treatments: There has been a trend towards non-invasive and minimally-invasive treatments in recent years, and this is likely to continue. These treatments often have fewer side effects and a shorter recovery time compared to more invasive procedures.

Personalized wellness and aesthetics: As consumers become more aware of the importance of self-care, there may be a trend towards personalized wellness and aesthetics treatments. This could include treatments tailored to an individual's specific needs and concerns.

Virtual consultations and treatments: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in the use of virtual consultations and treatments. This trend is likely to continue in the future, as it allows people to access healthcare and wellness services from the comfort of their own homes.

Future of The Wellness And Aesthetics Industry:

The future of the wellness and aesthetics industry looks bright with the continued growth of technology. Consumers expect more from their healthcare providers and are willing to pay for that service. As a result, professionals may have trouble keeping up with demand as new technology becomes available. It takes time to learn how to use these new technologies or train health professionals in the ways they will be used. However, the need for qualified professionals who understand these technologies is growing throughout the world and can’t be declined!

There are a few potential developments that could shape the future of the wellness and aesthetics industry:

The continued growth of non-invasive and minimally-invasive treatments: Non-invasive and minimally-invasive treatments, such as laser therapies and injectables, are expected to continue to be popular in the coming years. These treatments often have fewer side effects and a shorter recovery time compared to more invasive procedures.

The increasing focus on natural and organic products: There is likely to be a continued demand for natural and organic products in the wellness and aesthetics industry. Consumers are becoming more interested in products and treatments that are made with natural ingredients and are gentle on the skin.

The use of technology: Technology is likely to play an increasingly important role in the wellness and aesthetics industry, with the use of virtual consultations, telemedicine, and advanced skincare devices becoming more common.

The trend towards personalized treatments: There may be a trend towards personalized treatments in the wellness and aesthetics industry, with an emphasis on tailoring treatments to an individual's specific needs and concerns.

The integration of wellness and aesthetics: The boundary between wellness and aesthetics may become more blurred in the future, with a greater focus on holistic approaches to health and well-being that take into account both physical and emotional well-being.

#beauty #cosmetics #botox #wellness #lifestyle

[nicklloydnow]

“The political philosopher Sheldon Wolin in Democracy Incorporated: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism calls our system “inverted totalitarianism.” The façade of democratic institutions and the rhetoric, symbols and iconography of state power have not changed. The Constitution remains a sacred document. The U.S. continues to posit itself as a champion of opportunity, freedom, human rights and civil liberties, even as half the country struggles at subsistence level, militarized police gun down and imprison the poor with impunity, and the primary business of the state is war.

This collective self-delusion masks who we have become — a nation where the citizenry has been stripped of economic and political power and where the brutal militarism we practice overseas is practiced at home.

In classical totalitarian regimes, such as Nazi Germany or Stalin’s Soviet Union, economics was subordinate to politics. But under inverted totalitarianism, the reverse is true. There is no attempt, unlike fascism and state socialism, to address the needs of the poor. Rather, the poorer and more vulnerable you are, the more you are exploited, thrust into a hellish debt peonage from which there is no escape. Social services, from education to health care, are anemic, nonexistent or privatized to gouge the impoverished. Further ravaged by 8.5 percent inflation, wages have decelerated sharply since 1979. Jobs often do not offer benefits or security.

(…)

In my book America: The Farewell Tour, I examined the social indicators of a nation in serious trouble. Life expectancy in the U.S. fell in 2021, for the second year in a row. There have been over 300 mass shootings this year. Close to a million people have died from drug overdoses since 1999. There are an average of 132 suicides every day. Nearly 42 percent of the country is classified as obese, with one in 11 adults considered severely obese.

These diseases of despair are rooted in the disconnect between a society’s expectations of a better future and the reality of a system that does not provide a meaningful place for its citizens. Loss of a sustainable income and social stagnation causes more than financial distress. As Émile Durkheim points out in The Division of Labor in Society, it severs the social bonds that give us meaning. A decline in status and power, an inability to advance, a lack of education and adequate health care, and a loss of hope result in crippling forms of humiliation. This humiliation fuels loneliness, frustration, anger and feelings of worthlessness.

In Hitler and the Germans, the political philosopher Eric Voegelin dismisses the idea that Hitler — gifted in oratory and political opportunism but poorly educated and vulgar — mesmerized and seduced the German people. The Germans, he writes, supported Hitler and the “grotesque, marginal figures” surrounding him because he embodied the pathologies of a diseased society, one beset by economic collapse and hopelessness. Voegelin defines stupidity as a “loss of reality.” The loss of reality means a “stupid” person cannot “rightly orient his action in the world, in which he lives.” The demagogue, who is always an idiote, is not a freak or social mutation. The demagogue expresses the society’s zeitgeist.

(…)

Anti-politics masquerades as politics. No sooner does one money-drenched election cycle end, the next one begins, perpetuating what Wolin calls “politics without politics.” These elections do not permit citizens to participate in power. The public is allowed to voice opinions to scripted questions, which are repackaged by publicists, pollsters, political consultants and advertisers and fed back to them. Few races, including only 14 percent of congres­sional districts, are considered competitive. Politicians do not campaign on substantial issues but on skillfully manufactured political personalities and emotionally charged culture wars.

The militarists, who have created a state within a state and who plunge us into one military debacle after another, consuming half of all discretionary spending, are omnipotent. The corporations and billionaires, which orchestrated a virtual tax boycott and gutted regulation and oversight, are omnipotent. The industrialists who wrote trade deals to profit from unemployment and underemployment of U.S. workers and sweatshop labor overseas are omnipotent. The insurance and pharmaceutical industries that run the healthcare system, whose primary concern is profit not health and who are responsible for 16 percent of the worldwide reported deaths from COVID-19 although we are less than 5 percent of the global population, are omnipotent. The intelligence agencies that carry out wholesale surveillance of the public are omnipotent. The courts that reinterpret laws to strip them of their original meaning to ensure corporate control and excuse corporate crimes, are omnipotent. The courts gave us Citizens United, for example, which permits unlimited corporate financing of elections by claiming it upholds the right to petition the government and is a form of free speech.

Politics is spectacle, a tawdry carnival act where the constant jockeying for power by the ruling class dominates the news cycles, as if politics were a race to the Superbowl. The real business of ruling is hidden, carried out by corporate lobbyists who write the legislation, banks that loot the Treasury, the war industry and an oligarchy that determines who gets elected and who does not. It is impossible to vote against the interests of Goldman Sachs, the fossil fuel industry or Raytheon, no matter which party is in office.

(…)

Our corporate overlords and militarists prefer the decorum of George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden. But they worked closely with Donald Trump and are willing to do so again. What they will not allow are reformers such as Bernie Sanders, who might challenge, however tepidly, their obscene accumulation of wealth and power. This inability to reform, to restore democratic participation and address social inequality, means the inevitable death of the republic. Biden and the Democrats rail against the cultish Republican Party and their threat to democracy, but they too are the problem.”

#hedges #chris hedges #scheerpost #America #democracy #voegelin #wolin #sheldon wolin #totalitarianism #inverted totalitarianism