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About RIHub VMS

RIHub Venture Mentoring Service provides experienced, unbiased business guidance at no cost to entrepreneurs operating in RI. The goals of RI Hub VMS are to increase and enhance the entrepreneurial talent pool in Rhode Island and to enhance the success of RI ventures by providing them with quality, unbiased advice.

Our history starts with VMS of RI and its founder, a retired businessman who returned to Rhode Island after a long career domestically and internationally. His personal concern for the high unemployment rate in Rhode Island at that time weighed upon him. Considering how he could help, he had the
realization there was probably not an immediate remedy.

However, he saw an opportunity to reduce the impact of a down economy in the future. His many years of living and working in the innovation economy of the Boston area led him to believe that heightened entrepreneurial activity could stimulate the local economy and act as an accelerator for recovery.

Two experiences helped forge that belief. First was his involvement in startup and venture backed companies and the second came from his volunteer work as a mentor for MIT’s Venture Mentoring Service. He was deeply influenced by the drive and creativity of entrepreneurs and couldn’t help but notice the strong affect they had on those around them. The spirit of risk taking and enthusiasm was infectious. He also understood that the vast amount of investment money these entrepreneurs attracted was spent in the local economy. As example, the entrepreneurs who came through the MIT mentoring program generated over $2.5 billion dollars over a sixteen-year period! He knew we could make something similar happen in the Rhode Island region.

Building Entrepreneurs Means Building Long-Term Strength in the Local Economy

What does it take to build that kind of a resilient market? An ecosystem that supports risk taking, an environment for learning and an inspired group of business people. An important element of that ecosystem is a skilled and motivated mentoring program. Observation of the Rhode Island market indicated that there was opportunity to create that here. The abundance of quality mentors and entrepreneurs in the RI market made the development of a successful mentoring program highly feasible.

The founder also knew that the MIT VMS program was a model that produced results. It was a complete system that recruited, trained and motivated top-notch mentors. It created an environment through effective standards and principles that encouraged unbiased advice. It utilized an innovative team mentoring method. And the MIT program had developed procedures that unburdened the mentors while providing predictability and measurements.

Who is it for?

RIHub VMS is for entrepreneurs with an innovative idea who will have operations in Rhode Island. The entrepreneur can be from any industry and at any stage of business development – from idea conception to a mature venture. Owners who are serious about growing their business are welcome to apply to VMS of RI.

How does it work?

Each mentoring session is custom tailored to the entrepreneurs’ needs. The entrepreneur sets the
agenda and determines the frequency of mentoring sessions. During each 1.5-hour mentoring session, the entrepreneur will receive practical, hands-on business advice from their dedicated team of mentors.

VMS of RI mentors are experienced business people who volunteer their time. Each has signed a non-disclosure agreement and has been trained on VMS’s strict code of ethics. All discussions are confidential and business decisions are under the control of the entrepreneur.

To find out more, please contact us here.


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Author: Richard Lakučs

Live Review: The Lumineers // 3Arena, Dublin

Usually the last stop on a European tour for a band, last week’s The Lumineers show in Dublin was no different. A farewell, a finish on a high note. Delivering an electrifying performance to conclude …

Jake - Live Review2

Live Review: Jake Bugg // Union Chapel, London

Returning to London's Union Chapel for the first time in just over four years, Jake Bugg brought a special acoustic show to the capital last week. By now a seasoned musician, Bugg has travelled a l…

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DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids is one of four Michigan hospitals which will benefit from a new grant aimed at increasing access to health care for children in Michigan.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has announced they have been awarded a $1.2 million grant for use over a three-year period from the Health Resources and Services Administration's Maternal Child and Health Systems Branch for the Michigan Pediatric Epilepsy Project.

The grant is meant to improve access to quality health care for children and youth with epilepsy in Michigan’s rural and medically underserved areas.

“This new funding opportunity will provide greater access to comprehensive services for children, youth, and their families living with epilepsy in rural and underserved areas of Michigan,” said Nick Lyon, director of MDHHS.  “By partnering with four of the major epilepsy centers in Michigan – Beaumont Children’s, Children’s Hospital of Michigan, DeVos Children’s Hospital, and UP Health System Marquette – pediatric epilepsy patients and their families will be able to more easily access specialty care to help successfully manage their epilepsy.”

More than 13,000 Michigan children up to 17 years old have active epilepsy, and roughly 25 percent of Michigan’s youth population reside in rural areas. Children in rural and underserved areas often have less access to pediatricians, pediatric sub-specialists, and coordinated care.

Strategies to improve access and epilepsy management will include training and education, direct services (care coordination, telemedicine, transition planning, epilepsy action plans), technology designed to support families, family engagement, and marketing and outreach.


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Sports and Leagues

Youth Volleyball

Junior Girls and Boys Volleyball Program

This excellent program is the area leader in providing good fundamental volleyball skills to girls and boys in central Illinois.  We encourage all potential players to participate.

The focus of the Eastside Volleyball Club, Inc. is to increase the level of play of volleyball throughout the area, including an elite program. For more information about any of these programs check out their website at or contact Tim at or call 309-699-8738.

Arena Flag Football League

2018 RiverPlex Flag Football Standings & Schedule

2017 RiverPlex Flag Football Sportsmanship & MVP

2017 RiverPlex Flag Football Rules

2017 RiverPlex Flag Football Champions
Tovar Snow Professionals


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Morganite is the stone of Divine Love. This delicate yet powerful stone opens one to the frequency of the universal heart.

Paraiba tourmaline is an incredible rare gemstone that is as breathtakingly beautiful as it is unique.

Topaz is one of the most popular gemstones among retail jewelers and consumers. All colors of topaz are accepted as the birth stone for the month of November.

Subscribe to our e-mail news service and receive regular updates and more


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The Rules of Cricket

You have two sides, one out in the field and one in.

Each player that's in the side that's in goes out, and when he's out he comes in and the next player goes in until he's out.

When they are all out, the side that's out comes in and the side that's been in goes out and tries to get those coming in out.

Sometimes you get players still in and not out.

When a player goes out to go in, the players who are out try to get him out, and when he is out he goes in and the next player in goes out and goes in.

There are six balls in an over, and when an over is over, there is another over.

There are two players called umpires who stay out all the time and they decide when the players who are in are out.

When both sides have been in and all the players have been out, and both sides have been out twice after all the players have been in, including those who are not out, that is the end of the game!

It's simple!


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“Is dance who you are or what you do?” -Dr Beatriz Copello Reviews ‘…the dancer from the dance’

…the dancer from the dance. A Physical TV Company Production Presented as part of The Directors’ Cuts program in Performance Space’s YOU’RE HISTORY!, its thirtieth anniversary season, on November 30, 2013. (See below for future screenings).

Dancer Vicki Van Hout (Photograph – Ehran Edwards)
“…the dancer from the dance” is an innovative documentary directed by Karen Pearlman and produced by Richard James Allen which explores issues such as identity and culture and how these relate to dance.

The documentary starts with Pearlman dancing, with a voice-over talking about what it meant to her to be a dancer and what it meant to stop being a dancer and returning to her art after being ten years away from it. Pearlman raises questions such as: is being a dancer an identity, a culture, a waste of time? Is it a shared tradition in which a body of knowledge is passed from dancer to dancer?

According to many theorists a person’s artistic production is not the result of the artist but rather the result of the culture that comes through the artist. This post-structuralist view of culture asserts that self-identity is a construction and it develops from the interaction between the way we represent ourselves, power relations and our actual presentations. (Bertens, 2001)

This view of identity is somehow asserted in this documentary by the answers from the dancers who were interviewed and asked questions such as: “Is dance who you are or what you do? Can you tell the dancer from the dance?”

Dancers such as Imogen Crana, Kate Champion, Martin del Amo and many others reflect on what being a dancer means to them. Through their answers it becomes apparent that their identity is strongly attached to dancing. For some of them dance defines them. For others dance contributes to the sum of characteristics and roles that make their identity.

The profound reflections of these dancers are fascinating and intense, they reveal that behind this art, which involves body movements, there is a force that travels not only through them but through time, a force that goes from dancer to dancer and it is modified, embellished, transformed, and inherited sometimes through blood, other times through training and other times again as the result of the creative spirit in all artists.

This beautiful documentary tells us that although the movements that each dancer makes cannot be captured second by second, this art is transmitted from body to body and the dance movements are accumulated, captured, preserved and passed onto others who also would create new movements, new techniques and new emotions.

Dancer Richard James Allen (Photographer – Ehran Edwards)
It is lovely to see young dancers expressing themselves with words and body but it is also marvelous to see older dancers, not only moving gracefully but also to see the spirit of this art emanating from their whole persona. We can see through these older dancers that the dance owns a living and subtle history.

Two children: Samuel and Jadzea Allen with their intelligent and insightful comments reinforce the idea that dance can be part of our being. Jadzea says: “Dancing makes me think clearly.”

We know that identity is never given, part of it, if not in its totality, is born from what we do, what we want to be and how we define ourselves. After seeing this artistically beautiful documentary I believe that we cannot separate the … dancer from the dance.

– Dr Beatriz Copello

Dr Beatriz Copello’s is a Psychologist, poet and fiction writer, her poetry book Women Souls and Shadows, Bemac Publishing, 1992 received excellent reviews and was highly commended in the Wild and Wooley, 1993 Awards. Her novel Forbidden Steps Under the Wisteria (1999) was published by Abbott Bentley in Sydney, and A Call to the Stars (1999) by Crown Publisher. Her book of poetry Meditations At the Edge of a Dream, (2001) was published by Interactive Publications -Glasshouse Books and Under the Gums’ Long Shade, Bemac Publication, (2009).

…the dancer from the dance will be screening next at the World of Women (WOW) Festival in Sydney on:

  • Wed 12/3/14 1.30pm DanceFocus WOW @ The Powerhouse Museum. Tickets
  • Thurs13/3/14 7pm Pop Up Cinema: Dance-Metro Screen.  Tickets

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Latest News

Visit any of our offices to enjoy our super saver deals on - Roofing sheets | Trusses | Ceiling Joist | Plasterboards - For more information call 050 145 38 77

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Our customers mean a lot to us so we follow up after every sale to ensure you are pleased with the services provided. Projects are inspected and any complaint is responded to within 72 hours.

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Rock Songs of All Time

Big band jazz radio

by Jujar, 26.09.2019

Big band jazz radio
As a child of the s, I never doubted that any of these bands were classic rock, even though it may be shocking for many to hear.

MP3 The History Of Our Jazz Radio Show As this marks another year of continuous broadcast of our live jazz radio show you can imagine that we have seen big band jazz radio lot of the great players pass away. We have been through an unexpected swing dance craze and numerous station buyouts. If you choose to read the vein ramblings below you will see that to keep a Jazz radio show on the air this long it takes a heap of perseverance.

New on the site - big band jazz radio
Do not sleep on Daniel Caesar.
Italian rock exploded in popularity during the s. No need to have access to a real Gamelan orchestra since classroom instruments are used in this scheme. Tweet, update your Facebook status, or post messages on Internet message boards.

Big Band Jazz with Bob Craig

Photo - big band jazz radio
Post-Beatles, Australian rock and pop took a turn, looking inward to the Australian way of life but also viewing the world at large.

Interesting - big band jazz radio
The McIver Memorial Building housed classrooms and science labs.

Stats for likes
DATE Viewers Like video Dislaike video
February 25, 2020 422 127 47
February 24, 2020 621 86 75
2020-02-23 622 90 43

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I think Keith is looking for an intelligent girl that knows how to have fun! She doesn't fall for all of his friends and she should absolutely love his family, because. jessica cross keith harkin pictures Pages Over the past 12 years since his first release, Keith has been writing all of his own material for his He is nowried to his wife Kelsey Harkin and the couple resides in Los Angeles, California. More...

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Strange Way by Firefall song meaning, lyric interpretation, video and chart position. View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the SP - Specialty pressing Vinyl release of Strange Way / Anymore on Discogs. More...

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A list of lyrics, artists and songs that contain the term "seesaw" - from the website. Seesaw mp3 download or listen to tracks, mp3 albums online word 1) Seesaw is an Italian screamo/hardcore punk band. More...


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Communication is key

“The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn’t being said. The art of reading between the lines is a lifelong quest of the wise.” Shannon L. Alder

To be regarded as the go to conflict management professional that provides corporations and community resolve based empowering strategies which mitigate destructive conflict.

Roderick Brereton is the founder and owner of the conflict/change management consultancy Urban Rez Solutions. He has worked extensively since 2000 directing capacity building initiatives.

As an African-Canadian raised in Toronto, Ontario, Roderick has a vested interest in diversity and social cohesion.  From an early age he had a passion for behavioral science and social change. Attending York University and graduating with a BA in Sociology, he thereafter completed comprehensive training in Anger Management, Conflict Resolution, Change Management, Facilitation and Mental Health Wellness/Recovery.

The Work We Do

  • Effective conflict/crisis management
  • Resolving multifaceted challenges collaboratively
  • Team management skills
  • Public speaking, interactive facilitation
  • Engaging and mentoring youth involved in high risk activity

Roderick Brereton Conflict Management Services

I will seamlessly incorporate the principles of anger management and dispute resolution within people’s lives.

About Roderick Brereton

Roderick’s expertise is consulting, facilitation and designing self-empowering capacity building programs in conjunction with stakeholders.

Conflict Resolution Professional

Roderick Brereton is founder of social change/conflict management consultancy Urban Rez Solutions.

Generating awareness, imparting social education, conducting professional training and social project management are areas of Roderick’s expertise. As a partner of the popular Just Think 1st and Take Back Your World Navigate Your Life initiatives Roderick has a vested interest in bettering community.

Roderick provide professional well experienced consultation to communities, schools, groups, teams, corporations, non-profits and individuals. He manages bringing about various aspects of change in pro social development, education and advancement effectively.

Roderick is known for being a speaker, trainer and innovative social subject matter expert.

His ability to transition between addressing the complex challenges of racialized and first nations communities and providing multi-tiered consultation for corporations sets him apart from other conflict management companies.

Graduating from York University with a BA in sociology; designated ‘Anger Management Specialist’ from The National Anger Management Association and the completion of comprehensive training in change, conflict resolution and mental health wellness/recovery has been the foundation of Roderick’s formal education.

Roderick has written and produced urban music since the 1980’s. In 2007 he and his production team produced the Best Reggae recording and received the prestigious Juno Award. Years of experience in the music industry taught him how to use the power of popular culture to engage youth effectively.

Combining formal training and experiential learning, Roderick develops self-empowering pro-social change strategies.

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« NBA Baller Ben Gordon's Backup Plan: Barney's Creative Director | Main | Dominique Hollington Backstage and on the Runway for Versace »

29 June 2009

That is fantastic. Really an historic moment for US History and LGBT History. I know many gays are upset that Obama in his first 5 months in office has not cured all that ails our movement but he is one of the GOOD guys. We need to support him but also keep the pressure up on our agenda. We can do that without demeaning the President and his allies. Thank you Obama!

Nate Collins

This was great,,
I am very proud of MY president for standing up and speaking out for rights, I anxiously await the day when he will use his "bully pulpit" to do more!! But I am quite pleased. For now!

Nate Collins

And always a THANK YOU to Rod for the FULL REMARKS and VIDEO!

And for noting the LGBTs of color! You know we are always in the "back" at these events.

As they say in AA, "progress not perfection." Congratulations to all and thank you to the prez. And kudos to Rod, I am also glad you share what you know and obviously are inside the "loop"..

Sean Beasley

Just some power gays slapping each other on the back and trying to get a job.

I'd rather see the hate crimes bill (wtf???) pass or some progress on ENA.

andre leon talley?
wilson cruz?

"Progress not perfection" I like that. A very important event -- and note how he pushes on 'what you did' how 'you' created this change -- and this is the 'money' quote:

We have made progress and we will make more. And I want you to know that I expect and hope to be judged not by words, not by promises I've made, but by the promises that my administration keeps.

Sorry but WE are still at the BACK of thee BUS. Not very many COLOREDS in that assembly and of course Rod is the only one to go through the list to find them.

You sure don't SEE MANY IN THE PICS. We are all on the sidelines. No front row seats. Just because the "man" in the Big House looks like us,, don't fool yourselves into thinking it's OUR HOUSE!!

Andre H

@ vc:

yep, it's mighty white up in there, but i am sure many black LGBTs will be thankful they were represented by andre leon talley and stampp corbin.

Talley and Cruz's names stood out to me too. WTF?

Thank you for all you have done Mr, President! We support and admire you but we must do more! Please don't let us down!

alicia banks

i will buy my own drinks and host my own parties

i need some EQUALITY UNDER LAW!!!!

and is obama cruising in this photo?

It's mighty quiet up in here. There are hundreds of comments at the other gay blogs. What's wrong black gays and lesbians? Don't see any black faces in that crowd? Sort of embarassing Rod has to hunt for the few specks of color, right?

Oh and don't you love how Michelle is there to distract us with her fabulousness. Clever Obama. He knows our community all too well!

Overall, a good show. And certainly a sign that progress has been made in the last forty years.

I did have one problem. Obama said he "speaks about our issues" in front of atypical audiences, and he singles out African American churches. I have a bit if a problem with that considering 1) he himself attended a welcoming African American church, 2) the number of welcoming black churches is increasing dramatically and 3) his own guest list included people in the black church who are at the forefront of these issues.

I know I've railed against the "black church" and such, but we do have to be careful to acknowledge the welcoming congregations in out midst. Also, his statement feeds into this black/gay divide that way too many people in that room buy into. All of those church where he "spoke about issues" contained black gay members (and in *way* more places than the choir stand!).

Carter G

Another great speech by our great orator president. The proof is in action and results, Pres. Obama, not promises. I won't believe anything else he says until there is progress. Tell Congress to pass hate crimes. Say you want an ENDSA bill. Repeal DADT. Repeal DOMA. Do something. Then your word will be good again.

Rod Mc

I heard the "black church" comments and was disappointed because as you noted, Yvette Flunder, Sylvia Rhue and others were in the audience. It does feed into black vs gay. Obama did speak to some black church audiences ... in the primaries. But that was more than a year ago and looking for some new momentum now. -RM

wow, janet jackson and joe jackson get many more comments than obama's gay cocktail party. i guess there really is very little to say besides "underwhelmed."

@ Rod, good job as always.

@ Anderson, yeah how sad but true. that speaks for itself

1. I found the "unlikely audiences" remark offensive. Is it really any more unlikely that a black person would believe in justice than any other person?

2. I agree with Michelle: "You move too slow."

3. I was pleased he singled out Frank Kameny, a true hero, and I'm glad Mr. Kameny was alive to hear his being singled out by a president.

4. I do not trust this man, not just on gay issues but on all other issues. His fine words will have to be matched by deeds that are at least somewhat fine.

5. I have felt for the longest that Obama needs to have a serious discussion with a group of exclusively black LGBTs. Mr. Obama did not grow up in a black community, and he needs to have such a meeting both for his own education, and for what it will say to the world.

King Drive

>>>I have felt for the longest that Obama needs to have a serious discussion with a group of exclusively black LGBTs. Mr. Obama did not grow up in a black community, and he needs to have such a meeting both for his own education, and for what it will say to the world.<<<

You aren't the only one. Amazing, all those gays and lesbians and so very very few black faces. So very few relevant faces, one could argue. Andre Leon Talley, Stampp Corbin ... words cannot explain. And let me say black LGBTs have been going out of there way to defend him on all this inaction. Know it public knowledge how low blk folks and blk LGBTs rank in the White House.

And you aren't the only one who doesn't trust him on many issues. many of Chicago know the whole truth.

@ Rod, thanks for singling out Chicago's two black lesbian activists. I love you for that! Of course you know that both exclusively date white women. They should have felt right at home up in there!

I agree with you too, Kevjack. Not a good statement.

If Obama didn't need to worry how strong Christians are in this superstitous nation, he might be able to move much faster and futher for LGBT rights.

This was what he said:
"That's why I've spoken about these issues not just in front of you, but in front of unlikely audiences -- in front of African American church members, in front of other audiences that have traditionally resisted these changes. And that's what I'll continue to do so. That's how we'll shift attitudes. "

Look at Europe and Canada, only when Churchs are weaken, can human rights, including LGBT right, can preveil !

I'm sorry but I do not want parties I want action.

The most important question is: what about our political-economic system inhibits or slows down "action" by a President who is vocally such an obvious advocate of LGBT Equality?

Other Questions to Consider:

Obama obviously recognizes the egregious heterosexist errors of his Justice Dept in the brief defending DOMA. He came close to, but avoided, apologizing for them.

Why are the Justice Dept , and also the Labor Dept (re: the tearing down of Pride posters) obviously heterosexist whereas Obama seems not to be?

Is Obama fighting the heterosexism of his own Administration as well as that of his Democratic allies in Congress??

In other words, can the lack of "action" be blamed entirely on Obama??

Oh for sure Obama is just a politician at the end of the day with a set of cards that he has to play correctly. But I am not. I am a gay man living in a heterosupremacy oriented society. He can wait but I can be impatient.

The comments to this entry are closed.

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Vexatious litigants – or “suing other people for fun and profit”

Every lawyer has encountered them. Every large organisation has encountered them. Some most unfortunate private people live next door to one, and are never allowed to forget it. Whilst most people aim to live their lives with as little unnecessary conflict as possible, a few people thrive on it, and for some the legal system is their favourite tool for stirring up, maintaining and exacerbating endless battles with whomever has the misfortune to cross their path. They are the ones referred to in legal circles as “vexatious litigants”.

The vexatious litigant generally ends up representing him or herself. This is after s/he has thoroughly annoyed and antagonised numerous private attorneys, legal aid attorneys, law clinic attorneys and NGO staffers. Having spent considerable time in the company of lawyers, they tend to consider themselves honorary legal professionals, and liberally (and inappropriately) sprinkle their self-composed, many-hundred-paged legal documents with legal jargon.

The vexatious litigant tends to sue all possible parties on all possible causes of action, no matter how improbable. It is not uncommon for the last magistrate to refuse their request to be joined in the next legal action, and for him or her to be joined in turn by the Chief Justice, the President and the Public Protector. In one matter observed by the writer, the Queen of England herself did not escape the litigant’s wide net.

Unfortunately for the victims of vexatious litigants, one cannot often afford to simply laugh off a summons, and even the most outrageous allegations must be considered and responded to in accordance with the rules of court.

The victims are not without recourse however. The Vexatious Proceedings Act passed in 1956 empowers a High Court to grant an order barring a vexatious litigant from initiating any legal proceedings without the leave of a court. The vexatious litigant must persuade the court that there are reasonable grounds for the proposed litigation, before any court papers are issued or served. If the vexatious litigant ignores that order, s/he is in contempt of court and can be imprisoned and/or fined.

The actual or likely victim is required to approach the High Court to secure such an order, and must show the court that the vexatious litigant has a history of persistently instituting legal actions without reasonable grounds. Whilst a successful victim may well secure a costs order against the vexatious litigant, if the litigant is a “person of straw” with no assets or funds, then the victim must bear the high costs of High Court litigation him or herself.


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⚠ Warning: This is a draft ⚠

This means it might contain formatting issues, incorrect code, conceptual problems, or other severe issues.

If you want to help to improve and eventually enable this page, please fork RosettaGit's repository and open a merge request on GitHub.

{{property}} Links tasks to language capabilities believed to be required to solve them. If a language which doesn't provide a capability can solve the task, then either the language's identified capability set needs to be updated or the task description and capability requirements list need to be reconciled.


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Skip to content

What does the 2016 election mean?

The 2016 election, more than any before, has eroded the deontological foundation of American government. Never has moral relativism — justifying decisions because other decisions are worse — been so prevalent.

Let me break down the terminology.

  • Deontology looks at moral questions and tries to answer “what should I do?” and “what must I do?”
  • Consequentialism looks at moral questions and tries to answer “what would have the best impact?” and “how can I maximize benefit and minimize cost from this?”

For example:

  • A deontologist could say “abortion is wrong because it is wrong”
  • A consequentialist could say “abortion is wrong because of all these negative things it causes.”

When you think relatively on morals, you justify one thing because something else is worse. Heaven’s gates are open if you aren’t Hitler. Morality is just a relative issue, it can be compared, and as long as you’re better than a certain percentile of people, or not worse than a certain percentile of people, then congrats, you’ve been good.

Neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton could rationally be considered virtuous candidates themselves. Clinton has all her dozens of scandals. Emails. Emails. Emails. Emails. And more telling is what’s found in those emails: widespread corruption, pay-to-play, conflict of interests, and whatever was in the 33k emails. Likewise, Trump has enough scandals to beat Clinton. Various sexual assault charges (which we know to be at least partially grounded in Trump’s psyche, given the Access Hollywood revelations), dozens of business misconduct cases, racial discrimination in renting practices, going far out of his way to alienate large sections of the electorate in order to win the xenophobic vote, etc.

Does anybody, beyond the most extreme partisans on each side, actually support either of these candidates? Without naming why they don’t like the other candidate, can they really provide a convincing, holistic, positive argument for their candidate?

But lets get beyond personalities and histories. Look at policies. Do either advocate virtuous policy? I’m not hearing much of an argument on this.

(I understand that it is notoriously difficult to define “virtuous policy,” in fact that is the whole question of politics. In an increasingly polarized system, beyond the obvious things, we aren’t going to find much agreement here. But whatever their support for virtuous policy, they hold that support inconsistently).

As a result, voters with an eye for deontological consistency were forced to turn to 3rd party candidates Johnson, Stein, Castle, etc., who by definition of first-past-the-post voting, had essentially no chance to win the election or even garner mildly significant support.

Woah, slow down there. Couldn’t Johnson have won if he wasn’t just an idiot?

Enter: Duverger’s Law, Per Wikipedia:

A two-party system often develops in a plurality voting system. In this system, voters have a single vote, which they can cast for a single candidate in their district, in which only one legislative seat is available. In plurality voting (i.e. first past the post), in which the winner of the seat is determined purely by the candidate with the most votes, several characteristics can serve to discourage the development of third parties and reward the two major parties.

Duverger suggests two reasons this voting system favors a two-party system. One is the result of the “fusion” (or an alliance very much like fusion) of the weak parties, and the other is the “elimination” of weak parties by the voters, by which he means that voters gradually desert the weak parties on the grounds that they have no chance of winning. (link)

People are thinking on the margin.

There is a certain marginal analysis (definition) happening whenever someone says “I support Trump because Clinton is…” or “I support Clinton because Trump/Trump Supporters are…” and we ought to reject this style of thinking not just because practically it enables the second worst evil to win election after election, but because it fails to provide a positive, self-enclosed justification for the candidate of choice.

This is mostly what has gotten us into the whole social-political landscape we have today. The product of choosing the lesser of two evils (when both are legitimately evil, like in the past ~50 years) is the system we have today.

American government and law used to be founded on the principle of Natural Law. Ever since and resulting from the gradual destruction of Natural Law in the presence of instrumentalist law in the 1880s-1910s (link), the country’s polity has become completely consequentialist. What is right? That which leads to my desired outcomes.

In backlash to these trends:

Candidates considered “ideologically pure” like Ron Paul and Bernie Sanders were as successful as they were because they cornered the deontological market during their year.

Here is the conclusion I draw: People want to return to Right = Right and Wrong = Wrong morality. This is true regardless of how you define right and wrong; all that matters is having them at all. It doesn’t matter if you use Christian morality or vaguely defined secular morality or some new synthesized xenophobia+classist morality. Just have something, some ideological standard, hold to it consistently, and then win.

The people want intellectually purity and consistency based on first principles, not some shape-shifting, internally contradictory realism that dominates “moderate” choices like Clinton, Romney, Jeb! Bush, and such.

Deontological thinking is dead to Americans. But we can resurrect it. Here’s how.

The problem is that people have to think marginally when they vote. So how can we eliminate or minimize marginal thinking on election day?

Ultimately the goal is IRV or other proportional voting systems, any of which would eliminate First Past The Post. Proportional voting actually allows people to be “consequentially deontological” if that’s not a contradiction in terms, because they can hold to moral imperatives but vote for them selectively. This would be a more ideal system.

How could the country conduct this? Many details remain unclear. This is not because the details are confusing, but because there are so many workable options.

States could still be winner-take-all, and it could still be separated by states and not a popular vote. So, it could still be Constitutional. For example, everyone in Illinois goes to the polls, ranks all options on the ballot, and ultimately through the tricky process of counting IRV votes, someone is declared the winner. That person get the electoral votes.

[THEN in the most interesting twist of all, each elector at the electoral college also gets to do IRV among everyone who had ballot access in enough states to mathematically win 270 electoral votes. This part would certainly require a constitutional amendment given the 12th amendment’s wording of “the person voted for as President”].

It wouldn’t be much of a practical advantage to 3rd parties, since most people actually do prefer the Democratic or Republican Parties to the Libertarian Party, but it would eliminate the vote-splitting effect, which currently holds 3rd party votes to well below their legitimate vote share.

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Speak Up Speak Out Training

Are you new to Rostrum or need a refresher on the basics or know of a friend who could benefit from some public speaking tips?

Have you previously attended a Speak up Speak Out (SUSO) course?

If you feel attending again would help further your speaking; then come along!

SUSO Introductory Courses

SUSO is a three hour short course designed to give new and prospective members an introduction to Rostrum and to cover the basics of speech preparation and presentation in a friendly and supportive environment involving –

  • a very short discussion about Rostrum, the clubs, and its Executive (known as DAIS);
  • discussion about speech preparation, timing, research, brain mapping etc;
  • discussion about presentation: use of voice, gestures, stance, control of nerves etc; and
  • culminating in some practice speaking

This is a fantastic way for everyone participating in the meeting to gain valuable feedback about how they can improve their public speaking and communication skills.

Rostrum WA is the only public speaking organisation which provides qualified public speaking coaches completely free to all members.

SUSO Manual

Click here to view or download a copy of the Speak Up Speak Out manual (version 3).

Next Courses

December 3, 2018

6:30 pm

Tom Dadour Community Centre (West Hall), 363 Bagot Rd, Subiaco.

October 9, 2018

6:30 pm

Tom Dadour Community Centre (West Hall), 363 Bagot Rd, Subiaco.

The cost is free for Rostrum members and $60.00 for non-members. The classes have a maximum of 12 people and require booking.

Please send an email to the Rostrum Information Centre for further information

Joining Rostrum Clubs of WA is as easy as :

Click on a marker to discover the address of the Club.

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Visit as many clubs as you like, free of charge, to get a feel for what they have to offer.

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Build Your Confidence

You’re in! Every club is different, but all of them will help you find your voice.


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The ROTARY Brand & How we can make it better

There was a joint meeting of the Rotary clubs of Accra-Spintex and Tema Sakumono where Rotarian Roma Rum Puni gave us a talk on The Rotary Brand and how we can make it better.

View Pictures Below:
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