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Monday, January 06, 2020

Links - 6th January 2020 (1)

Why is the ABC justifying violence? | The Spectator Australia - "Egyptian-American journalist Mona Eltahawy will be a panellist on Q&A, hosted for the night by Fran Kelly.Eltahawy speaks about using “justifiable violence” against men under the mythical, righteous challenge of dismantling the “patriarchy”.In her latest book, The Seven Necessary Sins for Women and Girls, this lunatic attempts to assert that being civil, respectful and polite are “ineffective”... In 2012 she confessed that she beat up a man who tried to grope her in a Montreal nightclub.She is on the record slamming “old, out-of-touch men”. And she claims, “Being a woman anywhere is dangerous”.If this all sounds horribly familiar, perhaps it’s because this living nightmare sounds like Clementine Ford on steroids?... In case you’re fretting that some balance will be brought to the panel with conservative voice, rest assured that Jess Hill, far-left feminist author will be joining Eltahawy. Hill was previously a producer for ABC radio, in a twist you truly couldn’t make up.Why is it that sensible conservative speakers are banned from Australia when someone who peddles hatred is gifted a seat on our taxpayer-funded broadcaster?Why is it that far-left extremist activists are hailed as (s)heroes and their cause repeatedly applauded as “worthy”? Note to the clowns: violence is never acceptable, despite your cause.Furthermore, equality will certainly never be achieved by beating people up."

Ending Australia's culture wars - "Notoriously, Western civilization is something that everybody talks about, for good or for ill, but few dare to define. One of my repellant children once asked me whether I actually believed in anything, apart from Catholicism. I replied that I believed in The West. He sneered back, "What, the West of Donald Trump?" I replied with sonorous dignity, "No. the West of Charlemagne." It was a satisfying answer, but not a very enlightening one... There are three aspects of Western civilisation that I should like to touch on before moving on to consider the antidote to the culture wars. These are the place of respectful disagreement in Western philosophy; the way that irreconcilable values are manifest in Western art; and the proper role of institutions in Western politics... Ironically, it is the Western tradition of respectful disagreement and careful scrutiny of opposing arguments that has allowed for the very kind of critique of Western civilisation that would not be tolerated, let alone encouraged, in any other civilisation. Those who are ashamed of Western civilisation seem to forget that we ought to be proud that Western civilization not only permits its own criticism, but has an intellectual tradition that encourages it... There are three major problems that we face when seeking to end the culture wars in a way that affirms the value of Western civilisation. First, there is the problem of the profound cultural and historical ignorance of contemporary Australians. Second, there is the pernicious effect of postmodernism. Finally, there is the apparent inability of Western civilisation's local defenders to mount attractive propositions, as opposed to bombastic arguments... There is a six or seven-hundred-year-old tradition of the university as part of the constitution of a country. This tends to get lost in Australia, because we are inclined to think of the Australian Constitution as the 128 clauses that are found in the document that provided the basis for six British colonies uniting in one indissoluble federal commonwealth under the Crown. Then people get excited to learn that there is no mention in this document of institutions such as the prime minister. But that is beside the point. There are plenty of institutions that form part of the cultural constitution of Australia which are not explicitly mentioned in the 128 clauses of the Australian Constitution: the rule of law as such; the wider value of the separation of powers; a free press; and the apolitical character of the armed forces... Imagine an Australian youth whose parents immigrated to Australia from the Middle East shortly before he was born. He craves a high-minded narrative; a sense that his life has some purpose beyond himself; a sense that there is an ethically serious way to live his life. Is it any surprise that he finds no high-minded narrative in contemporary Australian culture?His parents, we might imagine, since coming to Australia, have come to understand Western culture as consisting of pornography, consumerism, materialism and the pursuit of personal identity through the gratification of personal desire. This hardly merits the designation of "civilisation," and is lightyears from the Western civilisation that I love. But when this is people's experience of Western culture, is it any wonder that they feel excluded from the narrative of Western civilisation? Is it any wonder that they can find in Australia no counter-narrative to the narrative of jihad?"
I am reminded of this chap who claimed that until the UK joined the EU, human rights were not protected because there was no explicit human rights act (even if one ignores the Bill of Rights this was ignorant)

Refugees living in fear as alleged foreign spy network infiltrates Australian suburbs - "police told him Rwandan operatives lived in Logan in Brisbane’s south and urged him to stay clear of the area."

Sci-Fi & Fantasy Author Fonda Lee Criticizes Barnes & Noble Stocking J.R.R. Tolkien & Robert Jordan Books: 'We Are Competing With Dead Guys' - "Sci-fi and Fantasy author Fonda Lee, who's best known for her Green Bone Saga, criticized Barnes & Noble for stocking books by popular fantasy authors J.R.R. Tolkien and Robert Jordan.Over on Twitter, she shared a photo of Barnes & Noble Fantasy & Science Fiction shelves with the caption: “This is what modern fantasy writers are up against. In my local B&N, most authors are lucky to find a copy of their book, super lucky if its face out. There are 3.5 shelves for Tolkien. 1.5 for Jordan. Here’s who we compete against for shelf space: not each other, but dead guys.”"
Entitlement is being unable to compete against the classics, and trying to shame bookshops which are trying to stay afloat by stocking what readers want to buy

Starbucks’ Open Bathroom Policy Comes With Heavy Cost, Study Finds - "Monthly visits to Starbucks dropped 6.8% compared with other nearby coffee shops after the open-bathroom policy was put in place in May 2018... Starbucks disagreed with the finding. “As evidenced by our earnings reports, customers are visiting us in record numbers”... With the free bathroom access, the researchers looked at the proximity of a given Starbucks store to a homeless shelter and found that customer traffic declined at almost double the rate at stores closest to homeless shelters versus those farthest away. The researchers also found fewer citations for public urination in nearby Starbucks locations as a result of its policy change.Customer traffic wasn’t the only thing that was hurt. The average income of Starbucks’ customers has dropped compared with the average income of other nearby coffee shops, thanks to fewer visits from “its wealthier clientele.” “This would be consistent with them being more sensitive to crowding and the new visitors brought in by the bathroom policy”... customers who visit its stores spend on average 4.2% less time in Starbucks compared with other coffee shops following the institution of the official policy, according to the research. The decline is also bigger at locations closest to homeless shelters... "None of this considers any extra staffing costs involved in greater bathroom maintenance"... the study highlights the dilemma public companies like Starbucks face: how to engage in “socially responsible” activities that may not align with shareholder interests.  It’s not “clear whether provision of public goods leads to increased shareholder wealth”"

Saudi authorities close down shop selling camel urine drinks in Al Qunfudhah - "Saudi authorities have closed down a shop selling traditional camel urine drinks after discovering the owner had been filling the bottles with his own bodily waste... The practice of drinking camel's urine mixed with milk is believed to date back centuries while some insist it has health benefits... The Muslim holy book contains quotes from the prophet Muhammad and it says: 'Some people of Ukl or Uraina tribes came to Medina (in Saudi Arabia) and the climate did not suit them.'So the Prophet ordered them to go to the herd of (milk) camels and to drink their milk and urine (as medicine). 'So they went as directed and afterwards they became healthy.' The World Health Organisation (WHO), however, has warned against drinking it. In June, amid an outbreak of the MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) virus, the group specifically issued a health warning against the practice which they feared would spread the condition. Advice published on their website read: 'Food hygiene practices should be observed. People should avoid drinking raw camel milk or camel urine.'"

Turns out coffee pods are actually pretty good for the environment | WIRED UK - "capsules turn out to be a more sustainable way of drinking espresso than nearly any other method of making coffee. And according to new research, recyclable aluminium pods are more environmentally friendly than all other capsules, whether they are made from plastic or compostable materials... it’s important to life-cycle assessment studies for the full range of coffee-making methods. Alf Hill, professor of chemical engineering at the University of Bath, looked at all the stages of coffee production, from growing the beans to disposal of waste, assessing the impact on ecosystems, climate change, and water. His team found that instant coffee comes out best, but that capsules are the runner up in the environmental impact stakes. Filter or drip coffee comes third, while traditional espresso has the worst environmental impact... Aside from the environmental impact of growing beans in the first place, the second biggest hit is the energy it takes to brew coffee. That’s why barista-made espresso fares so badly in terms of its environmental footprint: a lot of energy is needed to brew just a tiny single espresso cup... despite the many studies showing that drip coffee and espressos are actually worse for the environment than capsules, the broader public simply doesn’t take any notice. People are just focussing on how capsules are killing the planet... what about compostable capsules? Both Colonna-Dashwood and Humbert agree that they are not great – because they are rarely disposed of correctly. If you throw a compostable capsule into a municipal incineration plant, there is no benefit to it being compostable. “People often think that compost is by definition better but it's not necessarily the case,” says Humbert. Producing the compostable capsule pollutes as much or even more than producing a plastic one. And if it ends up in a landfill, it will degrade — producing methane that will end up in the atmosphere. “In a landfill, you want things to stay, you want it to be stable. And if you put the capsule into your backyard, our experience shows that the backyard compost is not good enough to actually degrade it, that it will take years”"
Are environmental activists going to call for taxes on all types of coffee except instant coffee?

The Democratizing Power of the Bicycle

NYC bicyclists are killing pedestrians and the city won't stop it - "Mayor Bill de Blasio has aggressively pushed a bike-friendly agenda, adding about 100 miles of dedicated lanes for cyclists amid a spike in rider collisions, but he’s done little to address the danger that bikers themselves pose.Since 2011, bicyclists have injured more than 2,250 pedestrians — including at least seven who died — according to stats from the city Department of Transportation and published reports... “She got hit while we were just walking on the pathway — and a lot of cyclists were speeding past us, yelling at us to get out of the way,” the mother recalled. “In the Uber to the hospital, I started to feel really angry. He could have killed her. He was going really fast.”She said other parents on the Upper West Side are worried that their children aren’t safe.“Every New Yorker I meet has a story about someone getting hit,” she said, including a mom in the neighborhood with three children who have all been injured by riders.“It should be a public conversation. All these bicyclists have lobbying groups and are getting expanded accessibility to the city.”Hizzoner has been putting in place a plan to install 30 new miles of bicycle lanes per year, reduce parking spaces and add hundreds of Citi Bikes.Some of the lanes defy logic.One that was recently installed next to the FDR Drive, between 33rd and 34th streets, gobbled up a walkway and a vehicle lane used by ambulances trying to get to Bellevue Hospital.Another on Eighth Avenue in Midtown stands out as an example of a poorly planned path that pits pedestrians against cyclists in a battle for limited pavement.Tens of thousands of commuters headed to and from the Port Authority bus terminal on 42nd Street every day overflow the narrow sidewalks onto the Eighth Avenue roadway, where the city inexplicably installed both a bike lane and parking lane in 2006. Hordes of bikers weave through idling cabs and throngs of pedestrians, creating collisions and even sparking fistfights.But the mayor has ignored the growing threat to walkers.The one cyclist group he has attacked is electric-bike riders, who are primarily food delivery workers. He has blasted them for going the wrong way on streets and riding on sidewalks and has launched a crackdown against them.But just nine of the 270 reported pedestrian injuries from bikers last year were caused by e-bikes... A woman whose jogger husband was killed by a bike rider in Central Park in 2014 told the site that the bicyclists need to see themselves both as victims and “predators.”"

District blasts fired teacher, says there is more to story - "Diane Tirado was let go from a Port St. Lucie public school in Florida, she claims, for refusing to give students a 50 instead of a zero on work not turned in... KSAT reached out to the school district, and a spokesperson responded saying, in part:
"Ms. Tirado was released from her duties as an instructor because her performance was deemed sub-standard and her interactions with students, staff, and parents lacked professionalism and created a toxic culture on the school’s campus. During her brief time of employment at West Gate, the school fielded numerous student and parent complaints as well as concerns from colleagues. Based on new information shared with school administrators, an investigation of possible physical abuse is underway."
The spokesperson also mentioned the schools grading policy, stating that there isn’t any policy prohibiting a teacher from recording a zero for work not turned in... Tirado has not yet responded to KSAT’s request for comment. "

Terminated teacher engaged in "inappropriate physical contact with students": report - "Former 8th grade teacher Diane Tirado denied ever physically touching a student and told CBS12 News she had not seen a St. Lucie Public Schools’ investigative report until we showed it to her. The report claims she not only put a student in a choke-hold, but also slapped another student... The investigative report concluded Tirado violated a combined total of 20 Principals of Professional Conduct and School Board Polices. They also claim in part that she engaged in inappropriate physical contact and communication with students by publicly humiliating them and created an environment that was not conducive to learning.We asked Tirado if she publicly humiliated these students. “Um, it depends. I say no, but it depends on the constitute of the person, what they would constitute as humiliate, no,” she said.A father says his 13-year-old son was one of Tirado’s students and claims his son was humiliated in class. “She called him up to the class to her desk and she proceeded to tell him his work was lazy and pathetic and it was loud enough for the rest of the class to hear,” Jermaine Jones said."
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