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The Master and the Slave

The Master and the Slave

No other literature quite highlights the danger of becoming a slave to your own invention(s) like Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. In Victor Frankenstein’s selfish search for knowledge, he creates a being that he is not ready to take responsibility for and it is his downfall. The creator/creation relationship is always there, for Frankenstein will always be the creator and the creature will always be the creation; however, there is a power shift that occurs between them in Volume II when the creature asks Frankenstein to create a mate for him. From there, the connotation leans more toward that of a master/slave dynamic.

A definition in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) states that a “slave” is “One who is completely under the domination of, or subject to, a specified influence” ( Victor certainly falls into this definition when creating the creature’s female companion, or at least it’s not until then that he starts thinking “chains and darkness were the only objects that pressed upon me” (p.202). Several times, he refers to his predicament as his “slavery”. Conversely, the creature later refers to himself as a “slave, not a master” (p. 222) as he laments over Frankenstein’s corpse. This is profoundly interesting, not because neither sees themselves in the master role, but because earlier, when the creature confronts Victor about destroying the mate, the creation calls his creator a slave! The power dynamic at its most uneven here, he ends the threat, “Slave! You are my creator, but I am your master- obey!” (p.172). The creature blames his behavior on compulsion, “… an impulse, which I detested, yet could not disobey” (p. 222), during his confession to Walton in the final moments of the novel. The creature could not allow Frankenstein any happiness because the scientist could not show his own creation the same kindness. Now that his creator is dead, the urge to ruin his life or have any power is gone; the creature is left with only guilt and retrospection.

In a way, the creation is a slave to existence as well as to his creator. It would certainly fit under one of the OED’s definitions “The condition of being entirely subject to some power or influence” (; the power or influence being life itself. In his first moments, the creation was cast away into a superficial world that would never accept him. Forced by humanity to only travel by moonlight, the creature spurns his creator and curses the day he was given life; his very existence haunts him. However, upon his climactic meeting with Frankenstein on the mountain summit, “Life,” the creature says, “…is dear to me, and I will defend it” (p.102). The creation lacks the constitution to kill himself until the very end. In life, Frankenstein was his only hope for happiness; in his creator’s death, nothing is left for the lonesome creation. The power dynamic notably shifts again. In death, Victor holds the power as he was the master key to the creature’s happiness. Without Frankenstein, the creature is nothing. It seems only fitting that his life is presumably ended. That way, they are finally equal, creator and creation, only in death.

The second female creation would seemingly fit into the OED’s primary definition of a “slave”: “One who is the property of, and entirely subject to, another person, whether by capture, purchase, or birth.” ( The master/slave relationship for her would exist between both Victor and the creation; in the case of the mate and the creature, she is a slave before she is created. For example, in the creation’s plea to Frankenstein to create a companion, he explains his plan of living off the grid with his new companion; her solitary fate is sealed before she even exists. It is supposed she would not have a say in the matter as this is the sole point of her existence; so, already the master/slave dynamic exists between her and the creature. Say she was given the opportunity to voice her opinion, and she did indeed not want to go. In this event, it could be surmised that this could put Victor in the same position he is in now. She would be a slave, as the first creation is now, to Frankenstein as she would rely on his knowledge to fashion her a companion to her liking.

Being that Shelley was a Romantic and the Industrial Age was on the horizon when she wrote Frankenstein, it would be fair to hypothesize that Victor’s hasty innovative obsession with creating the first creature is Shelley’s way of warning against reckless innovation and industrialization. It can certainly be read as a warning against delving into the unknown; there are some places that humans just aren’t meant to go. It’s always been a problem with our species to want to understand everything. “Knowledge is powerful” is a dangerous phrase for an obsessive but ignorant person like Frankenstein; it made him think he could play God. Frankenstein’s story highlights one horrific, albeit fictional, way how one can become a slave to their own inventions. Perhaps Shelley hoped that readers would learn from Victor’s devastating story, run from innovation, and flee back to nature.

Works Cited

  1. Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. London: Penguin Books Ltd, 1818. Print.
  2. “slave” Def. 1a. Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press.Web.
  3. “slave” Def. 2b. Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press. Web.
  4. “slavery” Def. 3b. Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press. Web.

Galvanism Aids Horror Factor

Though Mary Shelley’s novel, Frankenstein, is regarded as a horror novel, it no longer carries the same scare factor due to contemporary horror film. Regardless her novel was considered to be downright terrifying during the time period of Frankenstein’s publication. Shelley spawned the idea for Frankenstein through a nightmare of hers, which closely resembled Frankenstein’s creation. At the time of Frankenstein’s publication galvanism was considered a new science, and to most people of society a horrifying and blasphemous idea. Mary Shelley aids the frightening idea of the book through her elusive and vague use of galvanism. Shelley never fully states in Frankenstein, the creature was brought to life through the uses of galvanism, but leaves many subtle hints throughout the book. This allows readers to assume galvanism was the reason behind the creatures newly given life.  Shelley leaves this key piece of information out of the book, because the idea of galvanism was only about thirty years old at the time of Frankenstein’s publication, and many people of that time period were not informed on the specifics of galvanism. The idea of using electricity to reanimate parts of a dead human body, instilled blood curdling fear and disgust among the public, which Shelley capitalizes on in her book. During the creature’s reanimation scene in the novel, Frankenstein states that he will, “infuses a spark of being into the lifeless thing” (Shelley 58). Shelley does not forwardly tell the reader the creature is being brought to life through the use of galvanism, because most of the public during the early nineteenth century are unaware of galvanism, which gives the scene a distinctive mysterious effect. The mysterious effect allowed readers of that time period to think of the most horrifying way to spark a being alive. Although the current generation is accustom to the idea of the spark being a bolt of lightning, as it is depicted in many Hollywood versions of Frankenstein, the public during the time of the publication did not have major motion pictures to persuade their imagination into thinking of a lightning bolt. To nudge the readers in the right direction Shelley leaves hint at the beginning of Frankenstein’s travels, when he encounters “a stream of fire issue from an old and beautiful oak” (42). After the stream of fire leaves the tree, Frankenstein is baffled when he sees a stump in place of the tree. After inquiring about electricity laws, his acquaintance “formed on the subject of electricity and galvanism, which were new and astonishing to [him]” (43). This allows the reader to make the direct connection that the spark associated to the creatures new life is a by-produce of the new science, galvanism, which intrigued Frankenstein. Mary Shelley does not go into detail on the subject of galvanism in the beginning to the book, this leaves galvanism open to the readers interpretation. When she does this, the idea of galvanism can go from small electrical impulses to trigger key muscle reactions, to the more imaginative idea that the lightning bolt can cause a hideous very much dead jigsaw-puzzled like creature can be brought to life. The open ended idea of galvanism can elevate the fear factor for readers depending on their imagination level, since Mary Shelley left no defined ideas. For example Mary Shelley’s nightmare, which envisioned Frankenstein’s experiment, was quite imaginative for her time period and even for those scientist who experimented on galvanism. Before the publication of Frankenstein, only small experiments on galvanism had been done to excite muscles, no one though it could be used to reanimate a deceased human. It was not until the year of Frankenstein’s publication, a full body was experimented on. Even then the scientist, Andrew Ure, still did not reanimate the body, although he was hopeful at the end of the experiment that reanimation could happen. The experiments were said to be so frightening to the public that many who were present during the public experiments had to leave the ghastly sight. With such strong reactions to simple muscle stimulation, one can only imagine how frightening the idea bring someone back to life would be. Nevertheless, the fact that Shelley left the idea of galvanism as an instrument of life open to interpretation, would be an effective way for her to instill terror into her readers. Since the public reacted so harshly towards the experiments, the scientist were considered to be deranged in the head. Mary Shelley also uses how the public reacted to the experiments, in a similar way throughout the book. Frankenstein states constantly in the book, that if he would come clean about his creation, his testimony “would have been considered the ravings of a madman” (82). This allows the author to one up the fear factor of the novel, by persuading the readers to consider Frankenstein as a madman. Though Mary Shelley’s vague and elusive idea of galvanism, the reader is allowed to overly imagine an already frightening topic of the time period. Thus causing Frankenstein to be a truly terrifying novel of that time period.

Look at me!

Why was I created?

For amusement?

Was I created out of boredom?

Can you not answer my questions?

Are you too afraid?

Do you think I will hurt you?

Can’t you see all I want are answers?

Isn’t that what everyone wants?

Do you not think I am only human doubting my existence?

Do you want me to end it all?

End you?

End me?

Did you know I could?

Did you know I could end you with a finger?

Are you ashamed?

What have I done to deserve this isolation?

This marginalization?

Is there in truth no beauty?

Is my appearance the deciding factor of my loneliness?

Are all humans so shallow?

Why do you insist on silence, Creator?

Can you not see you are my only god?

Do you want to be my only god?

Is this too much for you to handle?

Look at me!

William in the Woods

Featured image

It’s very cold. I lost Elizabeth quite a while ago. It’s slowly getting darker and darker, the sun is beginning to hide behind the rolling hills. I try not to panic, I’m sure my family is out here looking for me. The trees tower above me and I cannot help but feel frightened. All the noises of forest scare me. I hear movement all around. The wind cruising along the leaves, or the animals trampling fallen leaves on the forest floor. I do not know what to think. I try to think comforting thoughts, such as being held by Elizabeth or being right beside my father. But the forest is growing louder, and with it, I grow more worried. I do not know how to survive in the forest alone, I’m only a child that wanted to play a harmless game. Now I am hopelessly lost. These towering trees all look the same and the ground is damp and brown.

Then all of a sudden, I hear something. It is footsteps, but not that of an animal. No, these are heavier. A human’s footsteps. Elizabeth, I’m sure it is! I hear them from behind and turn around to face my rescuer.

It’s no one I recognize. It’s no one anyone would recognize. I back away in horror. What in God’s name is in front of me? I don’t know what to do. I don’t know if it is friend or foe. I run. I cannot help it, I am only a child. I run hard as fast as I can when I hear a voice yell out, “William!” It sounds like Justine’s voice. It’s coming from ahead of me but still sounds far away. I keep running when I am snatched up from behind. Whatever it is is strong and pulls me down behind some trees. I look into it’s eyes but only for a second. The last thing I remember is that his eyes are full of pain. Then everything goes black.

Sample Fiction: A Slip and a Fall Away

It is 12:47am on a Wednesday – a day of no particular significance, sitting square in a month with no corporate holiday, filling in a colorless year that will soon be forgotten. The congested, screeching friction of hot metal and harried commuters has cleared to long stretches of silence. Lethargy broken only by the occasional passing rush of an errant driver, the flickering lights of a gas station, and the incessant chirps of scraping, membranous wings. It is in this perpetual cycle of day and night that human souls are crushed molded by unyielding, mundane, and entirely artificial forces – a brief respite available only in that sliver of time between sleeping and waking.

See: to your right – the gothic archways with their curves and crosses, framing stained glass that, in the light of day, paint inspiring tales of needless sacrifice and bloody hate and a rapturous End that will swallow the world. How powerless it looks now, though, with no Pied Piper on the stage singing innocent children and sinful rats alike to their burning, eternal salvation. What could this wondrous architecture of man be but the Vessel of divine love?

See: in front of you – the perfectly bland and symmetrical honeycombs of cubes and desks and halls that, under florescent lights, harness the plodding potential of the drone within the man. When the burning sun sets and the bulbs dim, the Hive disperses to find respective rest and sustenance, a temporary exodus before the inevitable return.

See: them accept the pause that they’re all given, gifted by the presence of a belabored Sandman (and a Tempur-Pedic mattress). These dreams that come and go will, in some near time, disappear into the seductive whispering maw of the permanent Black – but until then, drift easy, drift free for a finite moment.

Thus does the summation of human existence plod along, occasionally captured in the harsh glare of a Shell Service Station, shining alone on the corner of a deserted street at 12:47am on a nondescript Wednesday. It is a glorious, underwhelming moment of perfect, middling, banality.

Right here, at this intersection – nightly distributer of fuel for the modern rider and his iron steed, and Doritos bearing Savior of the drunken man – a bus sweeps through on the final leg of its journey to the garage. It is emptied but for an evidently well-loved copy of Playboy splayed next to a suspicious dark stain, and a single passenger. Snoring contentedly with his neck bent against his right shoulder (it will ache when he wakes), and the crown of his head resting against a smudged window, this modern-day Rip Van Winkle remains oblivious when the bus merrily roars through his stop without hesitation. There will be no off-brand Snickers and egg-salad sandwich for him tonight.

The driver is intently focused on the road ahead, as though by will alone he can suddenly reach the end of his route. And yet, the end comes and goes with not even a whimper. Bus “Not in Service” (and when did the LED sign lose its numbers and destination?) continues forward and leaves the grainy imprint of the garage behind in a burst of exhaust fumes.

Winkle is bounced painfully against his once-pillow when the bus jolts from a badly paved dip. He looks out the window with a groggy, uncomprehending stare. Though those are certainly Austin trees – dried, stubborn tufts of green hiding unforgiving nests of bird shit – and these are certainly Austin roads, cracked, uneven messes that they are, there is only an echo of the familiar. This is no part of the route he has followed for the past three years, and no part of the city he has lived in for four. Winkle turns to the driver but pauses before the question even leaves his mouth.

This scruffed mountain man whom he has seen and greeted day in and day out, but whom he has never known (the same way that the dull-eyed grocery bagger can never be known, nor the IT representative who blends together with every other IT representative over the phone) is gone – and Winkle is left adrift. Though the driver’s shoulders are the same broad wall of sinew and flesh, and his hair the same wild mop of dirty blond – or maybe it is a light brown – and his face the same generic face of all driversandwaitersandcashiersandwalmartmanagers, Winkle cannot find comfort in this figureless figure because he is not the same.

Winkle squints in confusion as the tiniest bit of fear creeps into his asthmatic lungs. There is a flickering in the peripheral edges of his vision when he shifts his eyes away from the bus driver, but perhaps this merely heralds the onset of stressed exhaustion. Perhaps what he sees are oddly gruesome floaters in his eyeballs, and not the peeling, fluttering, transparent skin of the driver fading into cracks of nothing. Perhaps he is falling into the black grasp of a diabetic coma, and imagining the dark slivers that pulse around the driver and grow into consuming shadows.

The terribly ordinary commuter is struck with an overwhelming desire to run, to hide, to escape this thick, sludgy dread that chokes his wheezing throat and coats his chest like the slimy imprints left by warm, blood-soaked fingers. As Winkle falls on to the grimy floor, gagging, the Driver turns around with a smile pasted on his melting, wax face – a creature of dripping flesh and oil with bones of rust protruding from his hollow cheeks. A ring sounds in the distance, as “Stop Requested” flashes across the ceiling, and the world slips sideways and over. Outside the windows pass flashes of death and worse and vast deserts of burning darkness, until Winkle can see no more.

He cannot see (or hear or speak) because there is only enough blood to feel, red life trafficking in the tunnels beneath his skin as he is flayed, seared, stripped and torn from the inside out. Interminable moments of not-pain and not-death until he feels translucent – until he is nothing but a beating, oil-pumping chrome heart wrapped in skin…

At 6:42, the bus returns to its route. Women in suits and children with lunchboxes and men in shiny leather shoes alight and descend. Another Thursday, and another day closer to the weekend. They say “thank you” to the driver – sometimes not even this – with their ears plugged and eyes ahead. To them, the driver is as faceless and forgettable as the motionless, smiling commuter sitting in the very back, who smells vaguely of eggs and caramel.


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This is a forum for theatre and performing artists to express their artistic reactions to the Occupy Movement and the issues that it deals with.

We welcome all viewpoints. You can agree with the Occupy Movement. You can disagree. You can love the movement, hate the Occupiers. You can have no clue how you feel about it. But if you are having an artistic response, we want to provide a forum for you.

This Movement is changing quickly. We will change with it.

Theatre artists who want to respond to this movement, these issues, and the people who are affected. And do it in a timely manner.

The site is run by Eileen Tull, Bay Area theatre artist. Keep the discussion going on Twitter. (#occupytheatre)

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text:
Sunday, April 24, 2016

ANOTHER MILESTONE (not millstone)

As I have been reminded many times this morning, I am now marking the beginning of my 76th* year on this planet.

I shouldn't complain, though.

Some of my friends are aging, too, and these shots are from A YEAR AGO!

It's curious but the older one gets the more birthday greetings one seems to get.

Ah well, I'll just settle down and see what SWMBO cooks up for my special dinner.

So, Gentle Readers, as I say every Friday, you just have to keep on laughing.

Now, where's that darned cat?

* - After I posted this, my friend (?) DK emailed me to point out that I am actually beginning my 77th year. She reminded me that my first year was completed when I became one year old. I feel so much better now. :^(

  1. Happy Birthday! At least as we get older, the consequences of our screw-ups are not as great.

  2. 1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111-aw to hell with Happy Birthday you old "bastid"

  3. Happy Birthday pal, I admire those that are, lemme see how I can put this.....a half decade older than me. You keep paving the way, I'll stumble behind.

  4. Have a great one, but not too much cake and tipple.

  5. You're the youngest 76 year old I know. Happy Birthday.

  6. Enjoyed last night! Sort of an early celebration for you. What a gorgeous day to have a birthday! Remember: "Youth is a Gift of Nature, Age is a Work of Art".

  7. Hope you are enjoying the festivities. We'll celebrate when we come east. Cheers ol buddy.

  8. The "Sunday Smileys" could catch on. Many happy returns!

  9. Our circle of friends' traditional birthday song.

    Older beats the alternative.

    1. Zhoen, that video is hilarious! Thank you!

Spammers are back so comment moderation is back on. Sorry.


text:
Gujarat part of IB report on foreign funded NGOs

June 19, 2014
Presented here are the Gujarat parts of 21-page Intelligence Bureau report on foreign funded(FCRA registered) NGOs active in India against development projects. The report has been submitted by Intelligence Bureau to Government of India early this month. Underlined text is not part of the report. It’s there to guide you through various parts related to Gujarat presented in the report:

The IB report by Joint Director S.A.Rizvi begins with this paragraph: Concerted efforts by select foreign funded NGOs to ‘take down’ Indian development projects. These include agitations against nuclear power plants, uranium mines, Coal-Fired Power Plants(CFPPs). Genetically Modified Organisms(GMO), mega industrial projects (POSCO and Vedanta), hydel projects (at Narmada Sagarl; and in Arunachal Pradesh) and extractive industries (oil, limestone) in the North East. The negative impact on GDP growth is assessed to be 2-3% per year.

Gujarat’s Mundra is mentioned in following para about future anti-coal activism planned by US-based ‘green’ organizations and Greenpeace:

Anti-coal activism is spreadheaded by US-based ‘green’ organizations and Greenpeace, which have formed a ‘Coal Network’ to take-down India’s 455 proposed CFPPs(520 GW) amongst 999 globally. NTPC is ranked as the “first offender” with 47 projects. Since 2013, through front entities, Greenpeace has initiated projects in the Singrauli region (Madhya Pradesh), which produces 15,000 MW (projected to double to 30,000 MW). Future targets are four UMPPS (Ultra-Mega Power Projects) at Sasan(MP), Krishapatnam(AP), Girye(Maharashtra) and Sundargarh(Odisha) and the coal-dependant industrial areas at Mundra(Gujarat), Korba and Raigarh(Chhattisgarh), Jabalpur(MP) and Varanasi(UP).

Following para mentions three projects that involve Gujarat and on target of NGOs:

In 2014, Greenpeace plans to campaign against palm oil imports from Indonesia; to organise construction workers in urban areas; and to initiate a campaigna gainst disposal of e-waste or Indian IT firms. Many other NGOs are noticed to be focusing on projects all over the country, including Gujarat’s Special Investment Regions(Dholera; Mandal-Bechraji); the Par Tapi Narmada River Interlinking Project; and the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor(DMIC). A detailed review is enclosed.

Chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapith Narayan Desai’s son-in-law figures in following part of report:

One Sonntag Rainer Hermann(German national) was deported from Chennai on February 27, 2012. Hermann’s laptop contained a scanned map of India with 16 nuclear plants(existing and proposed) and five uranium mine locations marked prominently. The map also included contact details of 50 Indian anti-nuclear activists hand-written on small slips of paper alongwith a Blacberry PIN graph. The map was sent via email to five prominent anti-nuclear activists including Udaykumar. Sontag was also in close contact with Surendra Gadekar, a prominent member of the Ahmedabad-based anti-nuclear network and son in law of Narayan Desai(reputed Gandhian).

Further inquiry into the pattern design and funding of protests at the 21 anti-nuclear plant or uranium mine sites in India revealed the presence of 65 NGOs(17 FCRA-registered).

Based on the above inquiry, network analysis of all anti-nuclear NGO activity in India revealed the existence of one ‘superior network’ (prominently driven by Greenpeace and renowned activists) and five territorial networks based out of Tamilnadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya and Gujarat(Ahmedabad – Surendra Gadekar).

These territorial networks are closely linked to and are supported by the Superior Network of numerous pan-India organizations (Note:IB has named several such organization, of them People’s Union for Civil Liberties PUCL is active in Ahmedabad, Gujarat).

Following para lists out two Gujarat projects coordinated efforts against nuclear power

In the recent past, these networks have coordinated several studies and stalling of projects. Instigation of recent protests at Rawatbhatta, Fatehabad, Jaitapur, Meethi Virdi(Gujarat), Kudankulam, Kakrapar(Gujarat), Kovvada and Chutka sites.

Following para about Greenpeace’s plan to target Mundra(Gujarat)

Greenpeace has declared that Mundra(Gujarat), Korba(Chhattisgarh) and Raigad(Chhattisgarh) would be their next targets after the successful mass mobilizaion at the Mahaan Block in Singrauli Coalfields, Madhya Pradesh.

In contravention of FCRA 2010, Greenpeace was also in talks with AAM Aadmi Party(AAP), which declared Greenpeace Consultant, Pankaj Singh, as the AAP candidate from Mahaan for the Sidhi Lok Sabha constituency in Madhya Pradesh in the 2014 General elections.

Following is the part of the report about Par Tapi Narmada River Interlinking Project

NGOs target Par Tapi Narmada River Interlinking Project( PTNRIP) in Gujarat and Maharashtra

This project is in the focus of protests by various NGOs. The major one is Parthi Purna Adivasi Sangathan(PPAS) a non-political tribal outfit, under the president ship of Dhakal Kalu Padher. One Suta P Shah, member PPAS, is the main functionary of an FCRA-registered NGO, Sarvodaya Parivar Trust, Taluka harampur, District Valsad, Gujarat. PPAS, reportedly, in receipt of financial support from four FCRA-registered NGOs, Sarvodaya Parivar Trust( FCRA no 042000019), Gujarat Vidyapith (FCRS no. 041910019), some CAGs, including Deevalaya Fulwadi (FCRA no. 042200007) of Father Vincent Mukan and Rajpipla Social Service Society (FCRS no. 041990010).

The above four-FCRA registered NGOs have received foreign funds amounting to Rs. 12.72 crore during the financial year 2006-07 to 2012-13 mainly from Germany(52.80%), Italy(11.68%), USA(6.90%) and Indian donors(27.40%). These NGOs received funds mainly from Andheri Helfe, Germany(29.54%), Katholische Zentralstele Entwicklungshilfe e.V, Germany(17.02%) and Xavier Kalyani Mandal, India(10.34%). Donor-wise details are as under.

PPAs also has support from other tribal outfits including Lok Samiti, Adivasi Ekta Parishad, Jai Adivasi Mahasangh, PTNRIP, involving construction of dams in Gujarat(6) and Maharashtra(1), came into existence when a MoU(May 2010) was signed between State Governments of Gujarat and Maharashtra and Ministry of Water of Western Ghats to the water deficit regions of North Gujarat and Saurashtra-Kutch region. The project also involves construction of three diversion weirs and 400 km canal connecting these reservoirs, which will help irrigation ernroute besides power generation.

Macdonald, an international company, has been assigned this task for the feasibility test. PPAS alleges that due to this project, tribals from 75 villages would be allegedly affected, of which 24 would be fully submerged and the rest will get partly affected. Most affected villages are particularly from Taluka Dharampur District Valsad & some villages of District Dangs (Gujarat) and Peth, Surgana taluka villages of Nasik district of Maharashtra. The project will submerge an area of 7559 hectares of land including 3570 hectares of forest land displacing villagers and livestock in the region.

Following is the report o a consortium of NGOs against Gujarat Model of development

Gujarat Vikas Manch Lokadhikar Andolan(GVMLA) in Gujarat

A consortium of NGOs like MARAG, PUCL, Movement for Secular Democracy (MSD), Gujarat Sarvodaya Mandal etc., are making efforts to debunk the Gujarat Model of Development. GVMLA organized a 2-day seminar(50/Ahmedabad/March 15-16, 2014), which was prominently participated by representatives of above NGOs. The leaders in their address criticized the State Govt. on the issues of Statue of Unity, Special Investment Regions(SIRs), Mithi Virdi(Bhavnagar) Nuclear Power Project, Industrial development, employment, health, agriculture etc, issues.

Following is the part of the report on SIR in Gujarat

Special Investment Region(SIR) in Gujarat

During a two-day seminar of GVMLA, participants discussed about SIR and stated that due to the implementation of the act, Plain & fertile land of the farmers goes to the industrial sector as a result of which farmers lose their fertile land which is their basic livelihood. Laljibhai Desai, Director of an FCRA-registered NGO, Maldhari Rural Action Group(MARAG) and President of Aazad Vikas Sangthan(a local NGO), has come to notice for instigating, managing & leading the few agitations against SIRs of Dholera(DSIR) and Mandal-Bechraji(MBSIR).

A sammelan (100-1200/Dholera/March 19,2014) was organized under the banner of Bhal Khedut Sangathan, which was participated among others by Lalji Desai and leaders of Gujarat Khedut Samaj, to protest against the acquisition of land of the farmers of Dholera SIR. Jameen Adhikar Andolan Gujarat (JAAG), Khedut Hit Rakshak Samiti(KHRS) are also opposing MBSIR. FCRA-registered NGO, MARAG received foreign funds amounting to Rs. 5.53 crore during FY 2006-07 to 2011-12.

Save The Children Rs. 12,852,245 – 23%
Bioversity – Rs. 12,573,613 – 22.74%
Child Relief and You – 9,068,412 – 16.40%
International Fund for Agricultural Development IFAD – Rs. 8,747,350 – 15.82%
Oxfam – Rs. 5,094,701 – 9.21%
Canada India Village Aid(CIVA) – Rs. 3,023,159 – 5.47%

Following are the paragraphs on Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor project, major part of which is to pass through Gujarat. This part also covers agitation against the project in Vadodara district.

Delhi to Mumbai Industrial Corridor(DMIC) Project

National Alliance of Peoples’ Movement (NAPM) organized Mumbai-Delhi Sangharsh Yatra( March 8-19, 2013) from Mumbai(150-200/March 8) under the leadership of Medha Patkar in protest against proposed DMIC project. The yatra traversed through Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and culminated at Delhi by staging a Dharna/demonstration on March 18 for mobilizing people affected due to the DMIC project. DMIC is the State sponsored Industrial Development Project spanning in 1483 Km area across six states in Uttar Pradesh, NCR of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra. NAPM alleged that DMIC would impact approx 180 million people(14% of Indian population) adversely both from enviornmental/agricultural angle and would turn out to be the biggest disaster for people in coming years.

Corridor Virodhi Shetkari Sangharh Samiti organized a dharna(300-350/Azad Maidan, Mumbai/May 1,2013) to protest against the forcefully encroachment of farmers land for Delhi – Mumbai Industrial Corridor(DMIC). Indian National Social Action Forum(INSAF) organized a meeting (Jaipur/February 20, 2014), which while discussing the issue of DMIC, observed that the Government is acquiring the land of farmers over the name of DMIC and the INSAF activist have to alert the farmrers over this issue that one day the farmers will be landless in this country.

The farmers of 31 villages of Vadodara district organized a meeting(150, Beel/Vadodara March 10, 2014) under the aegis of ‘Ekta Gramin Praja Vichar Manch Samiti(EGPVMS) in protest against proposed project of DMIC including Express Highway from Vadodara to Mumbai and proposed railway project bullet Train from Ahmedabad to Mumbai via Vaodara. The leaders of EGPVMS appealed to the farmers not to give their land for the above projects as there is apprehension that farmers would face heavy financial loss and the project would adversely affect the environment in these villages.

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house invasion – and the curse that follows

I can only sympathise with Lily Allen. We too had somebody invade our house on Friday night. Bit of a kerfuffle and the front door banging open and shut. I thought it was Alan,  (not Lily Allen) Mary’s son, playing funny buggers. He does that sometimes and thinks he’s funny. He’s got a beard now, so it’s perhaps not the best time to tell him it isnae. And he’s off work, probably suffering from low self-esteem, which makes a wee change from suffering from epileptic fits and his ongoing anger issues. But listen, we’ve all got problems.

The guy that had broken into our house was clearly terrified. He’d locked the door and said there was a guy outside with a knife going to stab him. Obviously the right thing to do was to (a) phone the police.

(b) grab him by the scruff of the neck, fling him out and tell the guy with the knife, and his mates, if he was going to stab anybody to go and do it outside his own front door – and going fuck off. Which they did.  Because they were very reasonable and personable young men. That had obviously taken the wrong route with Buckfast wine and keeping bad company. They did insist on shaking my hand. I don’t mind that, as long as they did fuck off.

But the story doesn’t end there. Because the last person to invade our house was Ian Betty’s wife. You’ll probably remember her as a wraith like figure with a drink in her hand. She’d taken the wrong turning, the wrong street, walked over a bridge and ended up completely blootered and lost and wandered upstairs into our bedroom where we were sleeping. That’s a lot of wrong turns. Even for the wife of Ian Betty.

‘I thought I was in my house,’ she said in explanation.

‘No,’ I said, very reasonably, because she didn’t have a knife. ‘I’ll think you’ll find this is our house. And you live in Trafalgar Street.’

She was quite happy about that. And  I deposited her outside like a bin bag in the lane. And even in the rain. But she’d made a terrible mistake, because like the seal on Tutankhamun’s tomb those that break the seal on Mary’s front door end up cursed as Lord Cardavon and his fellow travellers in Egyptology. Ian Betty’s wife died first, ate by her dog. Then shortly afterwards Ian Betty swallowed one glass eye too many and was found face down in his own vomit, a bag of Wotsits beside him. He’d overdosed on cheesy crisps. So those young men that have taken a wrong turn in life may find the Glendevon curse takes no prisoners and they better check the hieroglyphics for a suitable cure.

2 thoughts on “house invasion – and the curse that follows

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string(63) "Failed to connect to port 1084: No route to host" Closest Casinos To Virginia? - Okela

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Oldstone weekend menu – Friday 25 & Saturday 26 April 2014

It’s taken half an hour to get this far into the blog as we keep loosing the internet connection so no time for a big story….food is good, fresh and seasonal….tables available….please come…      Thank you!

Friday 25th & Saturday 26th April 2014

Three courses £29
Two courses £24.50

Roast tomato soup
Pan fried Cornish mackerel fillet with home grown pear chutney
Wye valley asparagus with air dried ham and Parmesan
Sautéed field mushrooms on toasted bloomer, wild garlic pesto
Finely sliced Severn and Wye oak smoked salmon, Devon crab pâté and a little prawn cocktail
Scallops and chunks of Cornish monk fish in fresh tomato sauce with soft herbs and crisp bacon
Smoked cod fillet on baby leaf spinach with mild curry cream
Cotswold pork escalopes with chestnut mushrooms and chorizo
Roast Barbary duck breast, apple sauce and vintage cider gravy
Aged local beef fillet “au poivre” £3.50 supplement – sorry!
Twice baked double Gloucester soufflé, spinach cream and roasted red pepper sauce
Dark chocolate truffle cake, berries and Cotteswold dairy cream
Baked orange tart with tangy orange sorbet
Baileys crème brulée with a hazelnut cookie
Four west country cheeses, Bath Olivers and Hilary’s fruit bread

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Dinner menu – 17 to 19 November 2015

There’s a lot of it about………..I refer to the coughs, colds and flu like symptoms that caused a number of customers to cancel bookings last week. Not to be left out Hilary developed a nasty cough of her own! ……..Lets see what this week brings.

Tuesday 17th to Thursday 19th November 2015

Three courses £29
Two courses £24.50
Starter and pudding £14

Butternut squash soup
Severn and Wye oak smoked salmon, Devon crab meat and prawns
Autumn mushroom millefeuille, chive cream sauce and truffle oil
Pan fried fillet of gilt head bream with home grown pear chutney
Roast Roe deer fillet, pickled red cabbage and Port jus
Cornish monk fish tail with mild curry cream
Pan fried fillet of Pole harbour grey mullet on tomato and olive sauce
Aged local beef fillet, garlic mushroom and red wine reduction
£3.50 supplement – sorry!
Sautéed Cotswold pork escalopes, buttered leeks and grain mustard jus
Roast local pheasant breast, chestnut and brandy cream sauce
Spinach and Feta cheese tart
Warm blueberry and almond tart, clotted cream ice cream
Baked toffee apple cheesecake
Dark chocolate flourless torte with crème fraiche
Four west country cheeses, Bath Olivers and Hilary’s fruit bread
Food allergens – if you require more information regarding the ingredients in our dishes please ask
Our Christmas and New Year menus are now on line

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Welch & Di Placido

Photos by Joe Murray.

Olivier Di Placido & Fritz Welch (electric guitar and pick ups + percussion, objects and voice) began working together in 2014 with the intention of shifting energy through maximum storm surge gymnastics. The duo discards all navigation markers in favor of a shared interest in the simultaneous deconstruction of instruments and vocabularies. They play with a dense concrete simplicity that layers amplified and acoustic sounds with spectral shards and naked realism.

“,,,Gordon Mumma has suggested that live electronic music is a contemporary folk-art practice.  In Welch and Di Placido’s music, attention to the sounding presence of the moment suggests something akin to traditional art forms whose goal is transcendental states, but for Welch and Di Placido this exists without nostalgia and with a minimum of tradition.  Wlech and Di Placido are giving us the present, and the present is in process, is process.” (Jorge Boehringer)

Live at Fuse art Center, Bradford (UK), the 12nd of april, 2015.Photo by Jorge Boehringer.

-nov 09-13 Residency in Porto at Sonoscopia

-nov 10 in Porto at Sonoscopia

-nov 14 in Madrid at Cruce

-nov 15 in Barcelona at TPK

-april 7 in London at Limehouse Townhall – Olivier Di Placido, Fritz Welch and Yoni Silver Trio
-april 8 in Brighton at Coachwerks – Olivier solo, F. Ampism & F. Welch, Blood Stereo
-april 9 in Nottingham at JT Soars
-april 10 in Sheffield at The Audacious Art Experiment with Trans/Human
-april 11 in Manchester at Hotspur House
-april 12 in Bradford at Fuse Arts Center
-april 13 in Gateshead at The Old Police Station with Trans/Human
-april 14 in Glasgow at The Old Hairdressers with Trans/Human, Ultimate Dancer and FK Alexander and DJ Joyce Whitchurch


text:
Monthly Archives: July 2011

Landing from the cloud is not that straight forward

This week while at Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference I had a very interesting discussion with a cool French start-up offering a cloud-based solution.

As we were discussing about the great elasticity that the cloud provides, it dawned on me that there was another part of the business scaling equation that I never hear that much about when it comes to cloud-based businesses: the front-end sales and marketing side or, to rephrase, the actual business landing from a cloud-based solution.

At a conceptual level, the 3 core elements of any end-to-end business that is developing and selling products (using “product” in the broader sense of the term here: services, solutions, technology plug-ins…) will always have are:

1) Product development

2) Manufacturing

3) Sales and marketing

In a cloud based business model, product development will leverage scalable assets, tools and pre-build components to help accelerate it.

From the “manufacturing” standpoint (which also includes installation, logistics..), the cloud is an amazing asset as it allows start-up (and any size corporation for that matter) to deliver their product from quantity 1 to as large as necessary in a matter of hours. This is the great promise of cloud-based computing.

What about Sales and Marketing then?

As we were discussing it became clear that this company’s challenge was not the product (they were already done developing their v1), the manufacturing (they were very pleased with the scale Windows Azure was providing them) but the sales and marketing side. Being based in France, how to immediately get a sales and marketing scale equivalent to a US company, i.e. to reach not one country but all top-tier markets from the get go, was not an easy problem to solve.

Or course the “world is flat”, to quote Tom Friedman, and it’s easier than ever to reach-out to the other side of the world, leverage social networks, industry groups or partner programs to find local partners you can associate with. Still, developing the right business model to go through these distributors, finding the right ones (size, coverage areas, services, vested interest in your business success vs. adding one more product to a 100-items product line…), and setting up an infrastructure to deal with and manage daily 5, 10, 50 distributors or value added resellers is not quick, simple or risk free.

So, what would be the initial conclusions from this situation?

1) We should not be surprised to see cloud-based technology companies, in particular start-up, to initially have what it could look like a fairly heavy sales and marketing organization for a high-tech business (i.e. vs. the development team size) as this will be needed to quickly scale out at the sales and marketing level.

2) If you are looking to invest in such a company and there is not real “business landing” talent in the management team, i.e. people that understand that landing this business with customers globally will not happen on its own, this should raise a red flag.

3) The cloud allowing anyone to scale extremely rapidly, there is a good chance that in certain (many? most?) situations what will separate winners from losers will not be the detailed features and functionalities but the ability to scale their sales and marketing landing capabilities. Quickly.

Why Some People Have All the Luck – Anthony Tjan – Harvard Business Review

Why Some People Have All the Luck – Anthony Tjan – Harvard Business Review.

As the saying goes: There is no such thing as luck.

Luck is nothing more than:

  1. Humility: know that you don’t know everything
  2. Intellectual curiosity: desire to learn, listen explore
  3. Optimism: ability to think positive even when things are not going exactly the way your thought they would.

the 7 qualities of top sales people

A few months ago I shared with you this article form HBR on sales people characteristics:

An interesting addition if this article, also from HBR, on their top 7 qualities:

Based on my personal experience in sales and countless interaction (on both sides of the table!) with sales people I can only agree with most of those (well I do have an issue with 5):

  1. Modesty: the “foot in the door” or “used car salesman” is not something for the business to business world
  2. Conscientiousness: own the process (and the customer), don’t just follow the flow
  3. Achievement Orientation: you need to want the sale, badly.
  4. Curiosity: just don’t come and rehash always the same spiel. You need to be curious to always learn, ask probing questions, etc.
  5. Lack of gregariousness: This is the most astonishing of all. Top performers are not the ones that prefer being with people. This is so counter intuitive that I’m being hard pressed agreeing with this one.
  6. Lack of discouragement: no comment!
  7. Lack of self-consciousness: This speaks mostly to the ability to not being afraid to “fight for your cause” and do what needs to be done (including calling people high-up in and organization or cold-calling with just a company name and phone number at hand.

As several comments notes in this article, empathy is surprisingly not listed. Or do they assume one cannot be curious about a customer without some empathy? Regardless, I can hardly see a sales person being successful long term without a decent level of empathy for their customers.


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611 F2d 697 Diebold v. Civil Service Commission of St Louis County

611 F.2d 697

Roy F. DIEBOLD, Appellant,

No. 79-1192.

United States Court of Appeals,
Eighth Circuit.

Submitted Oct. 8, 1979.
Decided Dec. 10, 1979.

Stephen J. Nangle, Clayton, Mo., for appellant.

Dennis C. Affolter, Asst. County Counselor, Clayton, Mo., for appellees; Thomas W. Wehrle, St. Louis County Counselor, Clayton, Mo., on brief.

Before ROSS and STEPHENSON, Circuit Judges, and McMANUS, District Judge.*

ROSS, Circuit Judge.

view counter

This appeal poses the difficult constitutional question of whether an indicted individual's fifth amendment privilege against self-incrimination is threatened if he must participate in an administrative proceeding, as the sole means of contesting the loss of his job, which involves consideration of matters related to or similar to those for which a criminal indictment has been issued. Even where, as here, the accused employee is free to assert the privilege in the administrative proceeding, the choices available to him are still undesirable. He may either elect to remain silent while the administrative commission hears evidence of his criminal conduct, and virtually guarantee the loss of his job, or he may voluntarily testify and waive the fifth amendment privilege.

Preferring neither of these choices, the employee in this action filed suit in the district court1 seeking injunctive relief under 28 U.S.C. § 1343,2 declaratory relief under 28 U.S.C. § 2201, reinstatement to his job, and alleging violation of his constitutional rights under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. The district court denied injunctive relief on November 8, 1978, and granted defendants' motion for summary judgment on February 6, 1979, holding that no case or controversy existed and that, as a matter of law, the administrative proceeding in this case was constitutionally sound. We agree with the district court that there existed no justiciable controversy over the employee's participation in the proceeding. Moreover, we agree that, as a matter of law, the dilemma forced upon the appellant was a constitutionally permissible one.

The appellant in this action, Roy F. Diebold, was dismissed from his job with the St. Louis County Civil Service (Commission) on September 7, 1978, following his arrest for child molestation. The letter of dismissal listed both his alleged criminal and immoral conduct And his incompetency and inefficiency as reasons for termination of the employment relationship. It should be noted that either of these grounds would be sufficient for the dismissal of an employee under the Civil Service Commission's rules.

The following day, September 8, Diebold's attorney filed an appeal of the dismissal, requesting a hearing before the Commission. On October 4 he informed the Commission that his client would invoke his fifth amendment privilege until the criminal charges for child molestation were resolved, since it appeared that the Commission proceeding would cover allegations of child molestation similar to those for which he was indicted. Certain rules of the Commission, however, presented potential problems resulting from this approach:

(a) Rule XVIII Sec. 2(B)(5):

Unless incapacitated, the person placing an appeal before the Commission shall appear personally and may not be excused from answering questions and supplying information. Either party may have legal counsel at such a hearing.

(b) Rule XVIII Sec. 2(B)(8):

view counter

Employees in the Classified Service shall be required to attend and testify without subpoena. If any employee shall wilfully refuse to testify or answer any questions relative to the matter being heard by the Commission on any grounds, He may be dismissed from the classified service.

(Emphasis supplied.) Fearing that Diebold's invocation of the fifth amendment might provide separate grounds for dismissal, the attorney requested a policy statement from the Commission assuring Diebold that the assertion of the privilege would not prejudice his appeal.

On the same day that the Commission mailed its refusal to issue the policy statement, Diebold filed the complaint and motion for preliminary injunction with the district court. The preliminary injunction was denied, and the Commission began its administrative proceedings on November 9. It was during this session that the Commission's chairman stated that Diebold's refusal to answer a question on fifth amendment grounds would not provide "separate grounds for mandatory dismissal under our rules." On December 21, the Commission upheld Diebold's dismissal, and on February 6, the defendants' motion for summary judgment was granted.

On appeal, Diebold asserts that the granting of a summary judgment on the defendants' behalf was improper because genuine issues as to material facts were in existence at the time it was granted. In addition, Diebold contends that, as a matter of law, the Commission was not entitled to a judgment on the merits.

At the outset, we recognize that in reviewing a decision of a district court to grant a summary judgment, we apply the same standard as the trial court. Butler v. MFA Life Insurance Co., 591 F.2d 448, 451 (8th Cir. 1979). Under Fed.R.Civ.P. 56(c) a summary judgment should be granted only where there "is no genuine issue as to any material fact and * * * the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law." Furthermore, the facts must be viewed in the light most favorable to the party opposing the motion, and the court must give that party the benefit of all reasonable inferences to be drawn from the facts. Butler v. MFA Life Insurance Co., supra, 591 F.2d at 451. Even viewed in this light, however, we are convinced that this case presents neither genuine factual issues nor a case and controversy.

In denying Diebold's request for injunctive relief, the district court determined that there was no indication that Diebold was or would have been penalized for invoking the fifth amendment in the Commission's proceedings. There was not even a showing that Diebold would have been required to testify at the hearing. Furthermore, at a Commission hearing the following day, November 9, the chairman stated that Diebold's invocation of the privilege would not provide separate grounds for dismissal under the Commission's rules.3 The Commission then moved for a summary judgment, claiming that no live controversy existed over the application of the rules to Diebold's case, and the motion was granted. We agree with the district court that no deprivation of constitutional rights has yet occurred. And since no further hearings are contemplated, we hold that no factual issues are presented to us for resolution.

Diebold nevertheless contends that he is at least entitled to a declaratory judgment since the Commission's rules are still in existence and could be enforced in spite of the chairman's intentions. We disagree with this argument. Diebold's position seems to ignore the clear message of this court in Cass County v. United States, 570 F.2d 737, 740 (8th Cir. 1978), wherein we stated that even under the Declaratory Judgment Act, 28 U.S.C. § 2201, "(i)n order to present a 'controversy,' a question must not be abstract but must define an issue which is concrete and specific." The mere threat that the Commission's rules might someday be enforced does not provide us with a concrete or specific issue, as was pointed out in United Public Workers of America (CIO) v. Mitchell, 330 U.S. 75, 91, 67 S.Ct. 556, 91 L.Ed. 754 (1947).

Even if this case presented a justiciable controversy or genuine factual issues, the Commission still would be entitled to a judgment as a matter of law. As the district court pointed out, the fifth amendment presents no obstacle to administrative proceedings such as the one we are examining in this appeal. It is well settled that as long as an employee such as Diebold is not faced with the decision to surrender either his job or his constitutional privilege against self-incrimination, his predicament, no matter how undesirable, does not raise constitutional questions. Sanitation Men v. Sanitation Comm'r, 392 U.S. 280, 284, 88 S.Ct. 1917, 20 L.Ed.2d 1089 (1968).

The Supreme Court has long held that the fifth amendment "not only protects the individual against being involuntarily called as a witness against himself in a criminal prosecution but also privileges him not to answer official questions put to him in any other proceeding, civil or criminal, formal or informal, where the answers might incriminate him in future criminal proceedings." Lefkowitz v. Turley, 414 U.S. 70, 77, 94 S.Ct. 316, 322, 38 L.Ed.2d 274 (1973). Although we feel that this same rationale applies to administrative proceedings such as the ones we are here dealing with, this position renders no support to Diebold's argument. The Supreme Court's major concern in this area has been in preventing testimony obtained from an employee under threat of dismissal from being used against that person in subsequent criminal proceedings. For example, in Garrity v. New Jersey, 385 U.S. 493, 500, 87 S.Ct. 616, 620, 17 L.Ed.2d 562 (1966), police officers who were being questioned about alleged ticket fixing were informed that a refusal to answer questions on fifth amendment grounds would result in their dismissal. The Court held that "the protection of the individual under the Fourteenth Amendment against coerced statements prohibits use in subsequent criminal proceedings of statements obtained under threat of removal from office * * *." Similarly, in Sanitation Men v. Sanitation Comm'r, supra, 392 U.S. at 284, 88 S.Ct. at 1920, city employees who refused to sign waivers of fifth amendment immunity before a grand jury were fired from their jobs. The Court acknowledged that the possible ineffectiveness of the waiver did not diminish the impropriety of the state's action. The real constitutional controversy arose from the alternatives with which the employees were faced, because "the precise and plain impact of the proceedings * * * was to present them with a choice between their constitutional rights or their jobs."

We are dealing with an entirely different factual situation. There exists here no requirement that Diebold waive his immunity under the fifth amendment. Nor is there a threat that he will be fired simply for invoking that privilege. See Baxter v. Palmigiano, 425 U.S. 308, 317-18, 96 S.Ct. 1551, 1557-1558, 47 L.Ed.2d 810 (1975). ("In this respect, this case is very different from the circumstances before the Court in the Garrity-Lefkowitz decisions, where refusal to submit to interrogation and to waive the Fifth Amendment privilege, Standing alone and without regard to the other evidence, resulted in loss of employment or opportunity to contract with the State.") (Emphasis added.) Since there is no showing that Diebold must either answer questions which might incriminate him in future criminal proceedings or forfeit his job, we find no impermissible sanction in the Commission's rules.

Finally, Diebold argues that his situation presents a special problem because he has already been indicted, and perhaps faces a greater threat to his fifth amendment rights. We feel that this distinction has no bearing on the constitutional issues involved. Furthermore, we agree with the position of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in United States v. White, 589 F.2d 1283, 1286 (5th Cir. 1979), which was issued in response to the same arguments Diebold sets forth in this appeal:

Keno contends that being forced to go to trial in a civil case while criminal charges arising out of the same conduct were pending forced him to choose between preserving his fifth amendment privilege and losing the civil suit. It appears to us, however, that Keno overstates his dilemma. He was not forced to surrender his privilege against self-incrimination in order to prevent a judgment against him; although he may have been denied his most effective defense by remaining silent, there is no indication that invocation of the fifth amendment would have necessarily resulted in an adverse judgment.

We have examined Diebold's other arguments and find them similarly to be without merit. Accordingly, we affirm the decision of the district court.

The Honorable EDWARD J. McMANUS, Chief Judge, United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa, sitting by designation

The Honorable James H. Meredith, Chief Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri

Diebold sought to enjoin the Commission from holding a dismissal appeal hearing until after the criminal case had been concluded

At the hearing the chairman made the following statement:

We do not believe that there is anything in the rules which would require or mandate as a separate grounds for dismissal would not mandate Mr. Diebold's dismissal if he refused to answer a question invoking his Fifth Amendment privileges. In other words, we do not believe that would be a separate grounds for mandatory dismissal under our rules.


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text:
An Act to amend the Canada Pension Plan (retroactivity of retirement and survivor's pensions)

This bill was last introduced in the 40th Parliament, 2nd Session, which ended in December 2009.

Second reading (Senate), as of Nov. 17, 2009
(This bill did not become law.)

This is from the published bill. The Library of Parliament often publishes better independent summaries.

This enactment amends the Canada Pension Plan so that a person who applies for a retirement pension after reaching 70 years of age or who applies for a survivor’s pension would be eligible to receive retroactive payments for a maximum of five years instead of the current maximum of 12 months.

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, provided by the Library of Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.


text:
Endy:Double stranding oligo libraries

From OpenWetWare
Revision as of 14:38, 28 August 2006 by Kchang17 (talk | contribs) (PCR protocol)
Jump to: navigation, search

Order oligos and double-stranding primers

  • Dilute stocks to 100uM
  • Dilute working stocks of libraries and double-stranding primers to 10uM
  • Dilute working stocks of sequencing primers to 3.2uM (6.4uL of stock solution in 193.6uL water)
  • Some considerations:
    • Oligos should be the maximum length because this will help with PCR cleanup and ligation efficiency
    • Make sure you have some spacer sequence around the restriction site. NEB has a list of the length of the spacer sequence required for each restriction enzyme. (8bp is usually a safe bet)
    • Order the lowest concentration allowable for the size oligo you want – this will be 50nmole for the 100bp oligo. This will already be more than you’ll need.
    • If you don’t mind spending more money you can order special “doped” oligo pools where instead of even concentrations of A/T or A/T/C/G or A/T/C, you get 90%A/2%C/8%G, etc. This allows for you to generate a library which is much more likely to produce productive clones.

Double strand the library with modified PCR

  • Expected max library size is 108 molecules (limit set by transformation efficiency.) You want to load 10X the expected library size for a single library construction. Therefore, you would like to have 109 molecules for a single transformation.
    • 1pmol corresponds to ~1011 molecules
    • Use 25pmol of library to make enough for 2500 transformations
  • Total library DNA should be less than ~25pmol per 100uL reaction

Reaction Mix (100uL, 25pmol library)

Use the following reaction mix for each PCR reaction:

  • 10 μl 10x Thermo polymerase buffer
  • 10 μl 10x dNTPs (10x = 2.5 mM each dNTP)
  • 5 μl 10 μM FWD primer
  • 5 μl 10 μM REV primer
  • 1 μl Polymerase (taq or vent)
  • 66.5 μl H2O
  • 2.5 μl 10μM library stock

PCR protocol

  • 95oC for 2.5 minutes
  • Cycle 5 times:
    • 55oC (or whatever temperature is appropriate) for 30 seconds (annealing)
    • 72oC for 1.5 minutes (elongation)
  • 72oC for 10 minutes (final elongation)
  • 4oC forever

PCR cleanup on the double-stranded libraries

  • This concentrates the samples and allows for the buffer to be switched to something more appropriate.
  • PCR purification columns can handle up to 10ug of DNA (100pmol of a 100bp oligo is about 3ug)
  • Expected recovery from a PCR purification reaction is 90% (from the Invitrogen package)

Restriction digest the libraries

Separate on a gel and do a second PCR cleanup

  • Alternatively, you can run a sample of the first PCR reaction out on a gel for analysis against a sample of the original library (double stranded should run slightly faster than single stranded), then perform the digest. Doing a PCR cleanup on the digest will remove the cut ends, since they are small.

Ligate the sample from the PCR cleanup with a vector

Transform into compotent cells


text:
File:BME100 Group10 Lab 3 Descriptive Stats.png

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User:Gissel M. Aguirre

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I am a new member of OpenWetWare!

Contact Info

Gissel M. Aguirre (an artistic interpretation)

I work in the Your Lab at XYZ University. I learned about OpenWetWare from for a friend, and I've joined because Because I want people to have access to accurate and current information.

  • Year, PhD, Institute
  • Year, MS, Institute
  • Year, BS, Institute

Research interests

  1. Interest 1
  2. Interest 2
  3. Interest 3

  1. Goldbeter A and Koshland DE Jr. An amplified sensitivity arising from covalent modification in biological systems. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1981 Nov;78(11):6840-4. PubMed ID:6947258 | HubMed [Paper1]
  2. JACOB F and MONOD J. Genetic regulatory mechanisms in the synthesis of proteins. J Mol Biol. 1961 Jun;3:318-56. PubMed ID:13718526 | HubMed [Paper2]
    leave a comment about a paper here
  3. Mark Ptashne. A genetic switch. Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 2004. ISBN:0879697164 [Book1]
All Medline abstracts: PubMed | HubMed

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User:Steven Rios

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I am a new member of OpenWetWare!

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Steven Rios (an artistic interpretation)

I work in the Your Lab at XYZ University. I learned about OpenWetWare from Google Search, and I've joined because I'm working in this field and like the biological science.

  • Year, PhD, Institute
  • Year, MS, Institute
  • Year, BS, Institute

Research interests

  1. Interest 1
  2. Interest 2
  3. Interest 3

  1. Goldbeter A and Koshland DE Jr. An amplified sensitivity arising from covalent modification in biological systems. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1981 Nov;78(11):6840-4. PubMed ID:6947258 | HubMed [Paper1]
  2. JACOB F and MONOD J. Genetic regulatory mechanisms in the synthesis of proteins. J Mol Biol. 1961 Jun;3:318-56. PubMed ID:13718526 | HubMed [Paper2]
    leave a comment about a paper here
  3. Mark Ptashne. A genetic switch. Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 2004. ISBN:0879697164 [Book1]
All Medline abstracts: PubMed | HubMed

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What would you do for a living if you weren’t afraid of anything?

This was written for the online course Elizabeth Gilbert’s Creativity Workshop.

What would I do for a living if I was not afraid of anything?

Well, the things I am afraid of right now are internal and external. I am afraid I am not good enough for a creative career, afraid that it will destroy what I love about writing or singing if I had to depend on them to make a living. I wouldn’t be able to just write or sing the things I want.

I am afraid of capitalism. I am afraid of what it does to my soul – and my time.

I am afraid that I only get maybe one more chance to retrain and make a decent living from something. I am afraid of not having a middle-class lifestyle, of not being able to take my children back to my home country regularly to see their family, of not being able to be present or help my family out financially when my parents are older and need care. I am afraid of not being able to take time off work, or not being able to walk out of a job I hate because I have no safety net. I am afraid of not being mobile, not being able to relax. I am afraid I could retrain as a bibliotherapist or a librarian or a yoga teacher and still be tired all the time, still be ill, and I’d be even poorer and lower-paid than if I’d just stuck with my current work and tried to manage the time I spend at a desk better.

If I was no longer afraid of these things, it would be because we had had some kind of profound social and economic transformation that revolutionised our relationship to time – to paid labour and emotional labour and creative labour. For the purposes of this exercise, I do not accept that I have somehow become incredibly wealthy and am personally freed from worrying about my financial security, but everyone has the opportunity now to spend time doing a mixture of the work that they love and the necessary work for the upkeep of the community they live in. I would wake up in the morning, write my morning pages and practise yoga and meditation. Then I would have breakfast with my partner and afterwards we would spend some time working on creative projects – I would write, he would do the things he is passionate about. We would do this for a few hours in the morning, then go and have lunch with some friends, or they would come to us. If it was a nice day, we might go for a walk and then after lunch would be ‘community time’. We would work in the community garden, or build something, or clean the streets or whatever we were assigned to. In the evenings, there would be events sometimes – talks or concerts, rehearsals or shows. Other times, we would be at home, chilling out, relaxing, visiting with friends.

I would write and I would lead reading and discussion groups. I would sing, alone and in choirs. I would not have been battered by an education system that – even though I thrived in it – left me with little internal motivation for things, no internal locus of control. Nor by an economic system that devalues the arts and humanities, devalues relationships and the work of caring, devalues wordcraft unless it is to sell something. I can be so much more than this. We can be so much more than this.

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Insight News: Ordway Presents CONTRA-TIEMPO

Insight News 1/22/16

The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts announced it will present urban Latin dance company, CONTRA-TIEMPO, for a one-night-only performance on Saturday, Feb. 7.

The company will perform its work, “Full Still Hungry,” as part of the Ordway’s World Music and Dance Series. Tickets start at $20 and can be purchased online at, by phone at (651) 224-4222 or in person at the Ordway ticket office.

Los Angeles-based CONTRA-TIEMPO fuses elements of Salsa, Afro-Cuban, hip-hop, urban and contemporary dance to create an invigorating performance. Founded and directed by Cuban-American choreographer and artistic director, Ana Maria Alvarez, CONTRA-TIEMPO pushes the boundaries of Latin dance as an expressive cultural and contemporary form, using dance to communicate the struggles of the working class.

“CONTRA-TIEMPO is known for their dynamic and expressive dance pieces, but what really sets them apart is their dedication to using dance as a tool to reach communities and bring to life voices not traditionally heard on the stage,” said Dayna Martinez, Ordway’s artistic director of World Music & Dance. “CONTRA-TIEMPO excels at using physical movement to inspire social movement, and that is very evident in the piece they’ll be performing at the Ordway.”

“Full Still Hungry” is a powerful performance that explores how food, race, privilege and overconsumption impact everyday lives. Set to an original score by Cesar Alvarez, the piece features a live five-piece band, eight dancers, vibrant costumes and dynamic, high-energy choreography.

“Food is not just the material I put in my body to sustain life, but a web of relationships, histories, choices and decisions that all impact the world around us,” said Alvarez.

“Full Still Hungry” premiered to a sold-out crowd at the Ford Amphitheatre in Los Angeles in September 2011, and has been captivating audiences since.

CONTRA-TIEMPO’s performance will also be a part of “Raíces y Sueños: the Artistry of Cuba,” a series of arts-based learning and community engagement events hosted by the Ordway. Translated as Roots and Dreams, “Raíces y Sueños” celebrates the rich cultural heritage of Cuba through master classes, cultural conversations, workshops, lecture demonstrations and a visual arts exhibit that will open new doors for artists and audiences alike. “Raíces y Sueños” began in October 2014 with the performances of Nachito Herrera and his Cuban Orchestra and the Creole Choir of Cuba, and will conclude on Feb. 7.

Read the article on Insight News online here.

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Posts filed under ‘– Langlois –’

Dynamic Competition

| Dick Langlois |

I was recently asked by a staffer of the UK House of Lords to contribute written testimony on an inquiry into “online platforms and the EU Digital Single Market.” They wanted to hear about the concept of dynamic competition, and they gave me a set of questions, which I answered in a rather abstract way. The testimony has now been published on Parliament’s website.

4 January 2016 at 2:14 pm Leave a comment

Patents for Institutional Innovation

| Dick Langlois |

I was fascinated to learn about the recent ballot proposal in Ohio to legalize marijuana by constitutional amendment. The unusual aspect of the proposal was that it would have come with a grant of a monopoly in commercial marijuana production to specific investors who owned suitable land. Because they stood to gain considerably from passing the proposal, these investors devoted resources to getting it passed, including professional canvassers, political strategists, and even a mascot with a head shaped like a marijuana bud. Basic Public Choice teaches that legislation benefiting many diffuse constituents is hard to pass because of transaction costs. In effect, the monopoly aspect of the Ohio proposal would have granted a patent to the investors, thus giving them the incentive to overcome the transaction costs of collective action. The proposal failed, and at the same time Ohio voters passed an amendment forbidding the use of ballot initiatives for personal gain. It is interesting nonetheless to think about the economics of such “patents” for institutional innovation.

4 November 2015 at 3:22 pm 1 comment

The Internet as Collective Invention

| Dick Langlois |

Further to Peter’s post on government science funding: I just received, hot off the (physical) press, a copy of Shane Greenstein’s new book How the Internet Became Commercial (Princeton, 2015). Among the myths that Greenstein — now apparently at Harvard Business School — debunks is the idea that the internet was in any sense a product of government industrial policy. Although government had many varied and uncoordinated influences on the development of the technology, the emergence of the Internet was ultimately an example of what the economic historian Robert Allen called collective invention. It was very much a spontaneous process. And it was not fundamentally different from other episodes of technological change in history.

27 October 2015 at 1:58 pm Leave a comment

Nathan Rosenberg (1927-2015)

| Dick Langlois |

I just learned that Nathan Rosenberg has passed away at 87. Nate was unarguably one of the most important economic historians and students of technological change of our era. He was also a one of the most important influences on my work.

I still regret that, out of ignorance, I didn’t take full advantage of all the resources available to me when I was a graduate student at Stanford. But Nate was a partial exception. I sat in on his course on history of economic thought; and when it came time to choose a thesis committee, he was kind enough to agree to be a member. I remember having a number of long conversations with him in his office in Encina Hall, although his greatest influence on me was through his writings. Nate had an eye for looking into — and theorizing about in a non-formal way — the micro structure of technology and innovation. I have always thought that his early work with Ed Ames is wonderful and greatly underappreciated. His work on the machine-tool industry in the United States is a progenitor of the economics of general-purpose technologies and one of the beginnings of what I like to think of as the Stanford School of technology-focused economic history.

I think Nate’s influence shows through on the range of my own work, including that with Paul Robertson. (It turns out that Nate was an associate advisor on Paul’s dissertation committee at Wisconsin before he was a member of mine at Stanford.) I was also fortunate to become part of the invisible college of technology economics of which Nate (along with Dick Nelson and others) was a dean, and I was fortunate to collaborate with other fellow Rosenberg students like David Mowery and Ed Steinmueller on policy-focused industry histories, another Rosenberg specialty.

25 August 2015 at 8:28 am 2 comments

M is for Multidivisional Structure

| Dick Langlois |

As a student of Alfred Chandler, I was excited to see Google’s conversion into Alphabet – which is essentially a multidivisional conglomerate. Chandler chronicled the development of the M-Form structure in the days of the Second Industrial Revolution, beginning with DuPont, and it remains an interesting question whether the same pattern will eventually take shape among the dominant firms of the Third Industrial Revolution.

Generally speaking, a move to the M-Form reflects a maturing of a technology and an industry, when information flows and incentives within a specialized unit – a module, if you wish – become more important than widespread and more flexible information flows within a functional organization. The more radically innovative the company, the more important these widespread information flows. Apple is organized in a functional form, and Microsoft famously returned to a functional form after a few years as an M-Form precisely in order to become more radically innovative in the face of declining revenues from Windows. Of course, Google remains as a functional entity within the Alphabet conglomerate, and the technologies in Alphabet’s other divisions are arguably less related to one another than in, say, the divisions into which Microsoft was once divided. Moreover, Alphabet will keep the two-tiered structure of stockholding that gives considerable power to the three founders, which makes Alphabet less like a vanilla conglomerate and more like the kind of widely diversified pyramidal holding company common around the world but essentially illegal in the United States.

17 August 2015 at 8:38 am 1 comment

The Myth of the Patent Anti-Commmons

| Dick Langlois |

Just ran across the abstract of a fascinating paper called “The Anti-Commons Revisited” by Jonathan Barnett at USC, which is forthcoming in the Harvard Journal of Law and Technology. Here’s the abstract.

Intellectual property scholars and policymakers often assert that technology and creative markets suffer from “anti-commons” (“AC”) effects that restrain innovation within a web of conflicting intellectual property claims. A minority view asserts that market players have incentives and capacities to correct for AC effects through transactional solutions. To assess the relative merits of each side of this debate, I review a large and diverse body of empirical evidence relating to AC effects in contemporary and historical markets. I independently replicate the most controversial empirical findings, supplement additional research on selected markets, and provide a survey of all documented IP-pooling arrangements in U.S. markets since 1900. The weight of the evidence strongly favors the minority view. Evidence for AC effects is scarce while evidence that markets correct for AC effects is abundant. AC effects are typically preempted or mitigated through cooperative arrangements among small numbers of IP holders or transactional solutions devised by entrepreneurial intermediaries for large numbers of IP holders. This pattern recurs over a diverse array of markets and periods, including automobiles, petroleum refining, aircraft, and radio communications in the early to mid-20th century, and information and communications technology markets from the late 20th century through the present. Contrary to standard assumptions, there is little evidence that these markets experienced reduced or delayed innovation or output despite intensive levels of patent issuance and litigation.

3 August 2015 at 1:40 pm 3 comments

Masahiko Aoki

| Dick Langlois |

I was saddened to learn that Masa Aoki passed away on July 15. He was only 77. Masa was a towering figure in the economics of institutions and organizations, and a true gentleman.

22 July 2015 at 9:36 am 1 comment

Older Posts

Nicolai J. Foss | home | posts
Peter G. Klein | home | posts
Richard Langlois | home | posts
Lasse B. Lien | home | posts

Former Guests | posts

Recent Posts

Our Recent Books

Nicolai J. Foss and Peter G. Klein, Organizing Entrepreneurial Judgment: A New Approach to the Firm (Cambridge University Press, 2012).
Peter G. Klein and Micheal E. Sykuta, eds., The Elgar Companion to Transaction Cost Economics (Edward Elgar, 2010).
Peter G. Klein, The Capitalist and the Entrepreneur: Essays on Organizations and Markets (Mises Institute, 2010).
Richard N. Langlois, The Dynamics of Industrial Capitalism: Schumpeter, Chandler, and the New Economy (Routledge, 2007).
Nicolai J. Foss, Strategy, Economic Organization, and the Knowledge Economy: The Coordination of Firms and Resources (Oxford University Press, 2005).
Raghu Garud, Arun Kumaraswamy, and Richard N. Langlois, eds., Managing in the Modular Age: Architectures, Networks and Organizations (Blackwell, 2003).
Nicolai J. Foss and Peter G. Klein, eds., Entrepreneurship and the Firm: Austrian Perspectives on Economic Organization (Elgar, 2002).
Nicolai J. Foss and Volker Mahnke, eds., Competence, Governance, and Entrepreneurship: Advances in Economic Strategy Research (Oxford, 2000).
Nicolai J. Foss and Paul L. Robertson, eds., Resources, Technology, and Strategy: Explorations in the Resource-based Perspective (Routledge, 2000).


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Tag Archives: play

Rest seems to happen when you need it most, and expect it least.

Buddy System

"Buddy System"

Always use the buddy system – it’s safer than swimming alone.

Petite Lap Giraffes!

You can learn more about these Petite Lap Giraffes at the official website:

WELCOME to world wide famous Sokoblovsky Farms.
The best and only breeders of Petite Lap Giraffes.

Our goals can inspire us to do great things.

This is awesome. This bonsai is about 8 inches tall, right in front of the camera. But because the Monk’s feet are lower, it looks like he is right next to that tree.

Don’t Smile!

"Don't smile"

You’re not supposed to allow yourself to be distracted!

Yard Sale

"Yard sale"

Do You Want This?

I like the cub hanging on to his leg.

Smart Fish

"Smart Fish"

Vacation Monty

This is so funny.

Click here to see a short video of Vacation Monty at Ron Jon’s Surf Shop.


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Gin: From mother’s ruin to man buns

A major marketing triumph of recent times has been the transformation of cider from something that was drunk by spotty teenagers in parks into the drink of choice for people who don’t like beer much. Cider fans have even been convinced that you need to water it down with ice, thus improving profit margins substantially. A triumph indeed.

Now it seems gin has been given an equally ambitious makeover. From ‘mother’s ruin’ of the past gin is fast becoming the tipple of choice for the hip and bearded. Where once the only acceptable use for gin was a very post colonial G & T there are now a proliferation of trendy gin joints, gin festivals and gin-themed nights out. Where once gin and water was the eye-watering preserve of dangerous grandmothers and depressed housewives, now earnest millennials with cut and paste tattoos and a taste for man buns discuss the pros and cons of numerous artisan brands.

According to one of Manchester’s leading food/drink/techno gurus, Tony Naylor, gin sales have hit £1bn in the last year and are likely to keep on growing. For a drink that was infamous for its frankly depressing effect that has got to be one of the marketing triumphs of the decade.

Hats for the homeless

Amid all the talk of a ‘new politics’ there is a renewed belief on the streets that there must be a way of doing things differently and two Manchester-based brothers have have taken matters in to their own hands and launched WAWWA – a clothing firm with a different attitude.

Based in legendary cultural hotspot Afflecks Palace, Sean and Andy confront the growing homeless tragedy on our city streets on a daily basis, and have decided to try and do something beyond sharing loose change and the odd cigarette.

Specialising in Street wear featuring designs inspired by their love of music and cultural mashups WAWWA are donating wooly hats to the homeless. For every wooly hat they sell one hat will be donated to the homeless.

As an idea it probably won’t have a massive impact on the homeless crisis, but you can’t fault the motivation.

You can find out more about WAWWA here –


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Tactical Flashlight Review – When You Need A Torch You Can Rely On

Whether you’re a serving soldier, you work in law enforcement, or you’re a fireman, whether you’re a survivalist, prepper, a hunter or a serious backpacker, you always need the best, most reliable equipment – and that includes your choice of flashlight.Here are my tactical flashlight reviews to help decide if you need a tactical flashlight […]

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Young Digby Swank – Owen Keehnen (Wilde City Press)

YoungDigbySwank_cvr-210x330Currently unavailable

“Only an Irish Catholic could be condemned to eternal Hell, and still worry that life would get worse.”  “Young Digby Swank” by Owen Keehnen

Here we have Digby Swank, an unplanned child whose moment of conception was notable to his mother, Lila, who, with her alcoholic husband, Rog, atop her, uncharacteristically opened her eyes presumably when sperm met egg, saw paint peeling on the ceiling, and said, “That will never do.”

And, alas, it never did really do. At least, for her it didn’t. Knowing no other way to pacify this strange child who seemed intent on further complicating her barely manageable life, she showered with sugar and carbs—a mother’s love through the convenience of consumption.

The infant’s first notable expression was a smirk; his first word was “me.” His first lie was telling his caretaker, Grandma Swank, that he loved her.

Before we continue, an axiom: One doesn’t actually practice Catholicism, rather one is haunted by it. And, perhaps alas—for those of us who understand this axiom—Mister Keehnen’s narrative does haunt…over and over again, at times delightfully darkly so.

Raised in the dreary burg of Running Falls, schooled by nuns at Holy Martyrs School, living in a lower-middle class family, Digby’s world revolved within a kind of Dickensonian cosmos where, I believe, he did the best he could with what he had.

His Grandma Swank was a stern taskmaster whose rosary became a weapon as she swung it at him, the crucifix and beads becoming “…nunchucks of the lord…” intent on exorcising Digby’s left-handedness, something she believed gifted by Satan. Digby’s introspection, however—a key to his persistence in developing whom he would become—allowed him to recognize that he shared a “…commonality between [him and Grandma Swank]…a desire for a more dismal reality, or perhaps a world that more accurately reflected the darkness each harbored inside.” Digby’s environment, his family, his teachers, all of it (the major economic force in Running Falls was the Band-Aid factory, for heaven’s sake!) embraced as the dark sides of an abysmal dream as he submerged within it.

Digby was plump and effeminate. He was flamboyant. He acted out inappropriately amongst his classmates and was taken to task by Sister Clementia for his insistence on over-essing his esses. Sent to the school counselor, the conclusion was that Digby certainly had “…difficulty functioning on a social level at Holy Martyrs.” How could he not, when it was his belief that “God was basically Liberace and His pad was nothing short of a Vegas show palace.”

Oh, let’s just say that Digby was so queer, in so many ways that the multitudinousness of his spirit was self-eclipsing. At one point, he even thought he was the Second Coming incarnate— God Himself. Then, banished from Saint Martyr’s for a time, he found Walter, a student at the public school, who provided a more worldly sophistication for him to emulate. Walter was “…witty, urbane, and slightly aloof. …He was the Noel Coward of the tween set.” And, AND, Walter explained sexual intercourse to Digby, a watershed perhaps, the machinations of which were duly affirmed when he was allowed to return to Saint Martyrs where he found the coolest, most progressive, newly-hired teacher there had become Mister Beloni, who, Digby discovered, had a boyfriend, both cuddling on “…a tasteful avocado couch.” Ahem…

And so it went with Digby until…well, until “…a trim blonde in a Speedo, named Roland, doing laps in a [motel] pool…”

No, I won’t give you the epiphany. You’ll have to read Mister Keehnen’s albeit quite long, but equally insightful, astute, funny, dark study of this boy, Digby Swank…where Mr. Berman is the mailman.

Reviewed by George Seaton

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The Acronym Conundrum

Recently there has been some debate of which acronym is “proper” for the LGBT+ community.  With so many new or lesser-known acronyms, how is one supposed to know what they are and what they mean?  Below is a list of the most popular ones I could find.

 LGBT: (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender )  – This is well known, but rather exclusive, referring only to those who are lesbian, gay, bi, and/or transgender.

LGBTQ: (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) –  This is also a well known acronym that tacks on “queer” at the end, but tends to be controversial due to the history of that word.

QUILTBAG: (Queer/questioning, undecided, intersex, lesbian, transgender, bisexual, asexual/ally, and gay.) –  This is lesser known, and in my opinion kind of unflattering.  It also still leaves some people out.

GSM: (Gender and sexual minority) / GSRM (Gender, sexual, and romantic minority) – While inclusive, this acronym not widely known.

MOGAI: (Marginalized orientations, gender alignments, and intersex) – While seemingly inclusive, there seems to be some stigma over the use of this acronym in the Ace community.  It too is not a well-known acronym.

With all these all of these different acronyms, which ones should we use?  From what I have seen, there is no definite answer other than to use what works best for you.  Use an acronym you are comfortable with and that is inclusive of your identity, and until we come to an actual conclusion on which acronym is used universally, use your preference.

What acronyms do you all believe is best and why?  Leave us a comment below!

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The One Where It’s All Done On iOS.
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November 20, 2015
Thanks to Ferrite, an app for iOS that allows multi track recording, this episode has been recorded, edited and produced using nothing more than my iPad Air and iRig Mic Cast Ultra Compact Microphone for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. In this show what I’ve gone through so far in the name of trying to work on the iPad. Nemo’s hardware store Active Edge Workout T-Shirt. IEB6+MIC Support The Show Amazon Affiliate Link.