a column by Axel Dreher, Valentin Lang, B. Peter Rosendorff and James Raymond Vreeland for VOX: CEPR&rsquo's Policy Portal
Countries that vote with the US when serving on the UN Security Council also receive more financial assistance.
This column uses voting records in the Council to show that when these countries were US allies, they received more in US aid, but when the countries were not natural allies, they received more financial assistance from US-dominated international institutions instead.
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Friday 30 November 2018
Thursday 29 November 2018
Comfort Zones: An Alternative Perspective
a post by Elaine Mead for the World of Psychology blog
Comfort zones. They usually get a lot of bad press. We’re regularly told that they’re something we need to “break out of” or “smash” in order to progress and grow as a human being. I’ve lost count of the number of meme diagrams I’ve come across depicting this. You know the ones, with the “where the magic happens” mentality.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve found there’s something a little conflicting about the language used here. “Comfort” versus “break out.”
Why would I want to break something I find a comfort to me?
The Psychology Behind ‘Comfort Zones’
It’s worth exploring the origin of the terminology and why it came about. The term “comfort zone” was originally coined by Alasdair White, a Business Management Theorist, in 2009. Popular definitions of what a comfort zone is go something like this:
A comfort zone is a psychological state in which things feel familiar to a person, and they are at ease, and in control of their environment, experiencing low levels of anxiety and stress. In this zone, a steady level of performance is possible.
The definition, of course, doesn’t end there. White went on to work closely with John Fairhurst to formulate their White-Fairhurst Performance Hypothesis which states:
“All performance will initially trend towards a steady state, particularly after a period of performance uplift, and that steady state will then develop a downward curve leading to a significant performance decline.”
From their initial observations, White and Fairhurst went on to write the “From Comfort Zone to Performance Management’”paper, which still stands relatively unchallenged to this day. What they’re basically saying is that the “steady state” bit of the performance is our comfort zone. It’s where we achieve a steady stream of output. Their work came about as a leadership and business performance piece, not a personal growth piece. They were seeking how to ensure that management performed at a consistent and steady rate of output.
The defining words in the definition for me are “they are at ease” and “low levels of anxiety.” A comfort zone, contrary to all the memes and what we’re told by the plethora of well-meaning social media life coaches, actually sounds like a pretty good place. Often inferred as a place of stagnation, the origin of the term seems to hold it in much higher esteem: it is a place of consistency.
So why do we continually hold breaking out of our comfort zone in high regard, and beat ourselves up for not succeeding in doing so?
Continue reading
I think I’ve probably broken Copyright Law by bringing you this much of Elaine’s post but I thought you, my reader, needed to join me in realising that “comfort zone” does not mean “comfortable”.
Comfort zones. They usually get a lot of bad press. We’re regularly told that they’re something we need to “break out of” or “smash” in order to progress and grow as a human being. I’ve lost count of the number of meme diagrams I’ve come across depicting this. You know the ones, with the “where the magic happens” mentality.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve found there’s something a little conflicting about the language used here. “Comfort” versus “break out.”
Why would I want to break something I find a comfort to me?
The Psychology Behind ‘Comfort Zones’
It’s worth exploring the origin of the terminology and why it came about. The term “comfort zone” was originally coined by Alasdair White, a Business Management Theorist, in 2009. Popular definitions of what a comfort zone is go something like this:
A comfort zone is a psychological state in which things feel familiar to a person, and they are at ease, and in control of their environment, experiencing low levels of anxiety and stress. In this zone, a steady level of performance is possible.
The definition, of course, doesn’t end there. White went on to work closely with John Fairhurst to formulate their White-Fairhurst Performance Hypothesis which states:
“All performance will initially trend towards a steady state, particularly after a period of performance uplift, and that steady state will then develop a downward curve leading to a significant performance decline.”
From their initial observations, White and Fairhurst went on to write the “From Comfort Zone to Performance Management’”paper, which still stands relatively unchallenged to this day. What they’re basically saying is that the “steady state” bit of the performance is our comfort zone. It’s where we achieve a steady stream of output. Their work came about as a leadership and business performance piece, not a personal growth piece. They were seeking how to ensure that management performed at a consistent and steady rate of output.
The defining words in the definition for me are “they are at ease” and “low levels of anxiety.” A comfort zone, contrary to all the memes and what we’re told by the plethora of well-meaning social media life coaches, actually sounds like a pretty good place. Often inferred as a place of stagnation, the origin of the term seems to hold it in much higher esteem: it is a place of consistency.
So why do we continually hold breaking out of our comfort zone in high regard, and beat ourselves up for not succeeding in doing so?
Continue reading
I think I’ve probably broken Copyright Law by bringing you this much of Elaine’s post but I thought you, my reader, needed to join me in realising that “comfort zone” does not mean “comfortable”.
Improving government’s planning and spending framework
The National Audit Office (NAO) has found that HM Treasury is effectively controlling public spending and the Cabinet Office, with support from cross-government functions such as finance, is helping to improve business planning in government departments. But it concludes that, unless government makes use of a more integrated planning and spending framework to ensure its plans are deliverable and affordable, the cycle of over optimism, short-termism and silo decision-making will continue – risking value for money for UK taxpayers in the long term.
Through its planning and spending framework, the centre of government sets priorities, plans activity, allocates money and monitors progress and performance. Departments plan and deliver their objectives and manage delegated budgets. HM Treasury – through its 20 spending teams – distributes and controls funding to departments, runs spending reviews and sets rules for how money should be spent. For example, HM Treasury scrutinises the value for money of new proposals for projects and programmes with support from project management and commercial experts. The Cabinet Office monitors delivery of departments’ objectives and government priorities, and oversees departmental business planning. The Spending Review in 2015 allocated £4 trillion of public spending for the five years to 2020-21 and the next Review is expected in 2019.
HM Treasury has begun to focus more on the longer-term. It now provides guaranteed funding to support 10-year plans in some sectors such as defence and has also committed funding for investment in housing, infrastructure, and research and development. It is also increasingly focusing on long-term risks to public finances. However, this has yet to make a difference to the way HM Treasury monitors departments’ performance, and is not supported by a good understanding of the long-term value for money being delivered. HM Treasury recognises this and is developing a new approach to understanding value, but this is at an early stage. It will need to be supported by new success measures for HM Treasury itself, which balance spending control and long-term value, and by enhanced skills and capacity.
Since 2015, the Cabinet Office has required departments to prepare Single Departmental Plans (SDPs), which set out how they will implement their objectives, deliver services and track performance. Working with HM Treasury and cross-government functions, it is helping departments improve business planning and is working on how to use SDPs to challenge funding bids and inform allocations at the next spending review. As yet, SDPs are not central to decision-making in all departments, do not fully match delivery plans to resources, and are weak on measures of success. This creates a risk of unachievable commitments being made and departments failing to see when they are off-track.
Departments have had to plan to deliver more with less, and several are having to deliver complex, long-term programmes to transform public services. Yet the structure of government means departments plan and deliver in silos, which can undermine value for money and negatively affect local services. While various cross-government working groups exist, there is no visibility of their plans or impact, and HM Treasury is considering how best to allow for cross-departmental bids in the next Spending Review. Departments’ Accounting Officers are not adequately incentivised to prioritise, make realistic business plans and protect long-term value. NAO reports repeatedly show over-optimistic plans resulting in failure to deliver, lower quality service or need for further funding and an unwillingness to reprioritise or drop activity despite the pressures of EU Exit work.
Since the NAO last reported on the framework in July 2016, HM Treasury and Cabinet Office have recognised the need to move towards a more integrated approach to assessing and measuring value. The benefits of an integrated framework are self-evident: it would support government in achieving long-term value from projects and programmes; guarding against unrealistic and optimistic assumptions; and understanding the impact of in-year decisions on longer-term delivery. Without it, the system is vulnerable to short-term thinking, leading to poor outcomes for public services and poor value for money.
Full report (PDF 78pp)
Through its planning and spending framework, the centre of government sets priorities, plans activity, allocates money and monitors progress and performance. Departments plan and deliver their objectives and manage delegated budgets. HM Treasury – through its 20 spending teams – distributes and controls funding to departments, runs spending reviews and sets rules for how money should be spent. For example, HM Treasury scrutinises the value for money of new proposals for projects and programmes with support from project management and commercial experts. The Cabinet Office monitors delivery of departments’ objectives and government priorities, and oversees departmental business planning. The Spending Review in 2015 allocated £4 trillion of public spending for the five years to 2020-21 and the next Review is expected in 2019.
HM Treasury has begun to focus more on the longer-term. It now provides guaranteed funding to support 10-year plans in some sectors such as defence and has also committed funding for investment in housing, infrastructure, and research and development. It is also increasingly focusing on long-term risks to public finances. However, this has yet to make a difference to the way HM Treasury monitors departments’ performance, and is not supported by a good understanding of the long-term value for money being delivered. HM Treasury recognises this and is developing a new approach to understanding value, but this is at an early stage. It will need to be supported by new success measures for HM Treasury itself, which balance spending control and long-term value, and by enhanced skills and capacity.
Since 2015, the Cabinet Office has required departments to prepare Single Departmental Plans (SDPs), which set out how they will implement their objectives, deliver services and track performance. Working with HM Treasury and cross-government functions, it is helping departments improve business planning and is working on how to use SDPs to challenge funding bids and inform allocations at the next spending review. As yet, SDPs are not central to decision-making in all departments, do not fully match delivery plans to resources, and are weak on measures of success. This creates a risk of unachievable commitments being made and departments failing to see when they are off-track.
Departments have had to plan to deliver more with less, and several are having to deliver complex, long-term programmes to transform public services. Yet the structure of government means departments plan and deliver in silos, which can undermine value for money and negatively affect local services. While various cross-government working groups exist, there is no visibility of their plans or impact, and HM Treasury is considering how best to allow for cross-departmental bids in the next Spending Review. Departments’ Accounting Officers are not adequately incentivised to prioritise, make realistic business plans and protect long-term value. NAO reports repeatedly show over-optimistic plans resulting in failure to deliver, lower quality service or need for further funding and an unwillingness to reprioritise or drop activity despite the pressures of EU Exit work.
Since the NAO last reported on the framework in July 2016, HM Treasury and Cabinet Office have recognised the need to move towards a more integrated approach to assessing and measuring value. The benefits of an integrated framework are self-evident: it would support government in achieving long-term value from projects and programmes; guarding against unrealistic and optimistic assumptions; and understanding the impact of in-year decisions on longer-term delivery. Without it, the system is vulnerable to short-term thinking, leading to poor outcomes for public services and poor value for money.
Full report (PDF 78pp)
3 types of Schadenfreude and when you feel them
a post by Scotty Hendricks for the Big Think blog
Schadenfreude is a common feeling, but not all of it is the same.
Most people would probably deny it, but everybody has felt a bit of joy at the pain or failure of another person at least once. Think back to when a person you don't like had a misfortune, when the coworker you envy missed a deadline, or when your stupid neighbor opened a store for left-handed people and nearly went broke. Admit it, you smiled a little to think of them falling flat.
This sensation of feeling joy at other people's misfortune is called schadenfreude and means "harm-joy" in German. Lots of people experience it, but our understanding of it is still a bit spotty.
Continue reading
Schadenfreude is a common feeling, but not all of it is the same.
- A new model of schadenfreude suggests that there are three sub-types of "harm-joy."
- The study also suggests that depersonalization, the ability to view others as less than human, is the key element of schadenfreude.
- The model could lead to a deeper understanding of schadenfreude and psychopathic traits.
Most people would probably deny it, but everybody has felt a bit of joy at the pain or failure of another person at least once. Think back to when a person you don't like had a misfortune, when the coworker you envy missed a deadline, or when your stupid neighbor opened a store for left-handed people and nearly went broke. Admit it, you smiled a little to think of them falling flat.
This sensation of feeling joy at other people's misfortune is called schadenfreude and means "harm-joy" in German. Lots of people experience it, but our understanding of it is still a bit spotty.
Continue reading
Justice institutions in autocracies: a framework for analysis
an article by Julio Ríos-Figueroa (Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas, Carretera México-Toluca, México) and Paloma Aguilar (Universidad Nationale de Education a Distancia, Madrid, Spain) published in Democratization Volume 25 Issue 1 (2018)
Abstract
What role do justice institutions play in autocracies? We bring together the literatures on authoritarian political institutions and on judicial politics to create a framework to answer this question.
We start from the premise that autocrats use justice institutions to deal with the fundamental problems of control and power-sharing. Unpacking “justice institutions” we argue that prosecutors and ordinary courts can serve, respectively, as “top-down” and “bottom-up” monitoring and information-gathering mechanisms helping the dictator in the choice between repression and cooptation.
We also argue that representation in the Supreme Court and special jurisdictions enables the dictator and his ruling coalition to solve intra-elite conflicts facilitating coordination.
We provide several examples from Mexico under the hegemonic system of the PRI and of Spain under Francisco Franco, as well as punctual illustrations from other countries around the world. We conclude by reflecting on some of the potential consequences of this usage of justice institutions under autocracy for democratization.
Abstract
What role do justice institutions play in autocracies? We bring together the literatures on authoritarian political institutions and on judicial politics to create a framework to answer this question.
We start from the premise that autocrats use justice institutions to deal with the fundamental problems of control and power-sharing. Unpacking “justice institutions” we argue that prosecutors and ordinary courts can serve, respectively, as “top-down” and “bottom-up” monitoring and information-gathering mechanisms helping the dictator in the choice between repression and cooptation.
We also argue that representation in the Supreme Court and special jurisdictions enables the dictator and his ruling coalition to solve intra-elite conflicts facilitating coordination.
We provide several examples from Mexico under the hegemonic system of the PRI and of Spain under Francisco Franco, as well as punctual illustrations from other countries around the world. We conclude by reflecting on some of the potential consequences of this usage of justice institutions under autocracy for democratization.
Wednesday 28 November 2018
How to Keep Going When Doubts and Fears are Holding You Back
a post by Benjamin Fishel for the Tiny Buddha blog
I don’t think there is anything more liberating.
At least nothing I’ve experienced at this point in my life.
I’m sure it’s happened to some of you. Probably more times than you can count.
The freedom I’m alluding to here is the moment when you do something that a part of your mind didn’t believe was possible.
Interestingly, the word ecstasy comes from the Greek ekastis, meaning “to step outside of oneself.”
And when you are able to rise above your doubts and fears, it can be absolutely ecstatic.
Continue reading
“If you hear a voice within you say you cannot paint, then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced.” ~Vincent Van Gogh
I don’t think there is anything more liberating.
At least nothing I’ve experienced at this point in my life.
I’m sure it’s happened to some of you. Probably more times than you can count.
The freedom I’m alluding to here is the moment when you do something that a part of your mind didn’t believe was possible.
Interestingly, the word ecstasy comes from the Greek ekastis, meaning “to step outside of oneself.”
And when you are able to rise above your doubts and fears, it can be absolutely ecstatic.
Continue reading
Pockets of risk in European housing markets
a column by Jane Kelly, Julia Le Blanc and Reamonn Lydon for VOX: CEPR’s Policy Portal
Loan-to-value limits and other borrower-based macroprudential measures are now used in two-thirds of advanced economies.
This column uses survey data to document changes in credit standards in a cross-section of countries in the run-up to, and aftermath of, the financial crisis.
There is clear evidence of laxer credit standards in countries that experienced a real estate boom-bust, and a significant tightening after the bust. The results imply that compared to earlier years, younger and lower-income borrowers have to save for longer before buying.
Continue reading
Loan-to-value limits and other borrower-based macroprudential measures are now used in two-thirds of advanced economies.
This column uses survey data to document changes in credit standards in a cross-section of countries in the run-up to, and aftermath of, the financial crisis.
There is clear evidence of laxer credit standards in countries that experienced a real estate boom-bust, and a significant tightening after the bust. The results imply that compared to earlier years, younger and lower-income borrowers have to save for longer before buying.
Continue reading
Tuesday 27 November 2018
A Link Between Marijuana Legalization & Car Crashes? Nonsense
a post by John M. Grohol for the World of Psychology blog
In October, the Highway Loss Data Institute and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released a self-published report that suggested there’s a strong correlational link between automobile crash rates and the legalization of marijuana in states. This would be harrowing news if the finding was based upon strong scientific evidence.
Unfortunately for these institutes, though, the research data is murky at best. And because these organizations self-published the report, rather than going through the scientific peer-review process, it’s hard to take their findings seriously.
Before we begin to look at the data, readers should understand that although the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) are two distinct legal organizations, they share the same senior leadership, the same physical address, and probably a lot more. It makes it sound like these are two independent, unrelated organizations that found similar results when they pooled their collective minds, but that is not the case.
Continue reading
Correlation (if it existed which does not appear to be the case) does not equal causation.
In October, the Highway Loss Data Institute and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released a self-published report that suggested there’s a strong correlational link between automobile crash rates and the legalization of marijuana in states. This would be harrowing news if the finding was based upon strong scientific evidence.
Unfortunately for these institutes, though, the research data is murky at best. And because these organizations self-published the report, rather than going through the scientific peer-review process, it’s hard to take their findings seriously.
Before we begin to look at the data, readers should understand that although the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) are two distinct legal organizations, they share the same senior leadership, the same physical address, and probably a lot more. It makes it sound like these are two independent, unrelated organizations that found similar results when they pooled their collective minds, but that is not the case.
Continue reading
Correlation (if it existed which does not appear to be the case) does not equal causation.
Fanning the flame: why we need a new approach to the misinformation crisis [feedly]
a post by Fiona McCarthy for DEMOS
In today’s political landscape, online misinformation is treated like any other lie: someone tells a lie, the lie spreads, someone else corrects it, and we all move on.
This is most evident in the proposed solutions to the crisis.
Tech giants like Google and Youtube have launched efforts to filter search results by accuracy or annotate potentially false content; news outlets now have dedicated regular coverage to fact-checking; and lawmakers in both the US and UK have proposed legislation to designate social media sites as media companies rather than platforms, thereby making them liable for the spread of false information on their sites.
None of these are terrible options, but none would completely solve the misinformation crisis because they’re aimed at countering specific lies. It’s just that the misinformation problem isn’t simply a crisis of specific lies – it’s a crisis of how misinformation hijacks the entire political conversation.
Continue reading
In today’s political landscape, online misinformation is treated like any other lie: someone tells a lie, the lie spreads, someone else corrects it, and we all move on.
This is most evident in the proposed solutions to the crisis.
Tech giants like Google and Youtube have launched efforts to filter search results by accuracy or annotate potentially false content; news outlets now have dedicated regular coverage to fact-checking; and lawmakers in both the US and UK have proposed legislation to designate social media sites as media companies rather than platforms, thereby making them liable for the spread of false information on their sites.
None of these are terrible options, but none would completely solve the misinformation crisis because they’re aimed at countering specific lies. It’s just that the misinformation problem isn’t simply a crisis of specific lies – it’s a crisis of how misinformation hijacks the entire political conversation.
Continue reading
The changing nature of work
a column by Simeon Djankov and Federica Saliola for VOX: CEPR’s Policy Portal
Over the last century, technology has created more jobs than it has displaced.
This column presents an overview of ways in which technology and innovation are changing the nature of work, leading to demand for advanced cognitive skills and greater adaptability among workers. The rise of platform marketplaces is also changing the way people work and the terms on which they work, which requires a rethinking of social protection systems.
Continue reading
Over the last century, technology has created more jobs than it has displaced.
This column presents an overview of ways in which technology and innovation are changing the nature of work, leading to demand for advanced cognitive skills and greater adaptability among workers. The rise of platform marketplaces is also changing the way people work and the terms on which they work, which requires a rethinking of social protection systems.
Continue reading
13 Insights About Relationships That Could Save You A Lot of Pain
a post by Andi Saitowitz for the Tiny Buddha blog
“It’s amazing how quickly someone can becomes a stranger; it’s even more amazing how quickly someone can become a treasured friend.” ~Unknown
The past six months have been unbelievably difficult for me.
My “normal” life turned upside down and inside out, as my beautiful daughter continues to fight a complex pain condition, which took us all by surprise one bright and sunny Monday afternoon. And literally, in a single heartbeat, just like that, instead of a regular routine day of school, work and afternoon activities, our time was consumed with juggling doctors, hospitals, tests, and specialists—all of us fully devoted with how to help her heal.
Oprah so aptly says that in life, lots of people want to ride with you when you’re in the limo, but what you really want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down. Well, my friends, my limo didn’t just break down. It completely crashed, along with my world as I knew it.
Continue reading
“It’s amazing how quickly someone can becomes a stranger; it’s even more amazing how quickly someone can become a treasured friend.” ~Unknown
The past six months have been unbelievably difficult for me.
My “normal” life turned upside down and inside out, as my beautiful daughter continues to fight a complex pain condition, which took us all by surprise one bright and sunny Monday afternoon. And literally, in a single heartbeat, just like that, instead of a regular routine day of school, work and afternoon activities, our time was consumed with juggling doctors, hospitals, tests, and specialists—all of us fully devoted with how to help her heal.
Oprah so aptly says that in life, lots of people want to ride with you when you’re in the limo, but what you really want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down. Well, my friends, my limo didn’t just break down. It completely crashed, along with my world as I knew it.
Continue reading
Monday 26 November 2018
Social mobility and its enemies
an article from CentrePiece (Autumn 2018)
Increasingly it seems that the rich and poor of Britain are destined to stay on the same rungs of the economic or social ladder for successive generations. A new book by Lee Elliot Major and Stephen Machin calls for an alternative model of social mobility, one that develops all talents, not just academic, but vocational and creative too – and which creates opportunities across the whole country, not just in London.
[Here follows a picture of Davids Cameron and Beckham which I can't copy]
One David was born in a terraced house in East London, his father a kitchen fitter, his mother a hairdresser. The other David grew up in an idyllic village in the English countryside, his father a stockbroker, his mother the daughter of a baronet. The first David left school at 16 without any qualifications; the second studied at Eton and Oxford. One married an Essex girl; the other married the daughter of a wealthy aristocrat. Both Davids in their own way highlight Britain’s social mobility problem.
David Beckham’s meteoric rise is a rare occurrence: few children born to poor parents climb the income ladder of life.
Meanwhile, David Cameron continued a tradition that has seen successive generations of social elites retain their grip on the country’s most powerful jobs: he is descended from King William IV who ruled in the 1830s.
Continue reading
Increasingly it seems that the rich and poor of Britain are destined to stay on the same rungs of the economic or social ladder for successive generations. A new book by Lee Elliot Major and Stephen Machin calls for an alternative model of social mobility, one that develops all talents, not just academic, but vocational and creative too – and which creates opportunities across the whole country, not just in London.
[Here follows a picture of Davids Cameron and Beckham which I can't copy]
One David was born in a terraced house in East London, his father a kitchen fitter, his mother a hairdresser. The other David grew up in an idyllic village in the English countryside, his father a stockbroker, his mother the daughter of a baronet. The first David left school at 16 without any qualifications; the second studied at Eton and Oxford. One married an Essex girl; the other married the daughter of a wealthy aristocrat. Both Davids in their own way highlight Britain’s social mobility problem.
David Beckham’s meteoric rise is a rare occurrence: few children born to poor parents climb the income ladder of life.
Meanwhile, David Cameron continued a tradition that has seen successive generations of social elites retain their grip on the country’s most powerful jobs: he is descended from King William IV who ruled in the 1830s.
Continue reading
What does a new personalised era of campaigning mean for democracy?
a post by Alex Krasodomski-Jones for the DEMOS blog
A decade ago, there was one phrase we heard time and again, whether in a focus group, online or on question time – “the politicians are out of touch”. There was an overriding sense that politics was irrelevant, it was elitist and it didn’t understand or reflect the concerns of ordinary citizens.
Electoral media was limited. You had one party political broadcast to set out your vision for the country or maybe an editorial or a debate. The lawyer saw the same broadcast as the care worker, the voter in London saw the same debate as the voter in Clacton or Crewe.
Online party political campaigning has changed this entirely. Suddenly, each and every one of us sees a message directed to us and personalised to our interests. It enables a party to cut to the chase – to ensure you have the information that you need to make a decision. Archives of political advertising from the last few years include messages about fishing policy, flood defences, bull fighting and protecting polar bears. These issues might well be important to some of us, but would never have made it into a 3 minute segment on the BBC. This new era talks to a politics that really works for you.
Continue reading
A decade ago, there was one phrase we heard time and again, whether in a focus group, online or on question time – “the politicians are out of touch”. There was an overriding sense that politics was irrelevant, it was elitist and it didn’t understand or reflect the concerns of ordinary citizens.
Electoral media was limited. You had one party political broadcast to set out your vision for the country or maybe an editorial or a debate. The lawyer saw the same broadcast as the care worker, the voter in London saw the same debate as the voter in Clacton or Crewe.
Online party political campaigning has changed this entirely. Suddenly, each and every one of us sees a message directed to us and personalised to our interests. It enables a party to cut to the chase – to ensure you have the information that you need to make a decision. Archives of political advertising from the last few years include messages about fishing policy, flood defences, bull fighting and protecting polar bears. These issues might well be important to some of us, but would never have made it into a 3 minute segment on the BBC. This new era talks to a politics that really works for you.
Continue reading
Anywhere, anytime: children’s exposure to alcohol marketing
a post by Tim Chambers and Louise Signal for OUP blog
Continue reading
People cheering at a party by Yutacar. Public domain via Unsplash
“Marketing plays a critical role in the globalization of patterns of alcohol use among young people, and reflects the revolution that is occurring in marketing in general”Alcohol is linked to over 200 medical conditions, causes a number of cancers and a raft of social issues that collectively place a major burden on society. Children are particularly susceptible to the harms from alcohol consumption due to their developing brains and inexperience regarding consumption risks. For example, early onset drinking is linked with various adverse psychological, physical, and social outcomes, such as alcohol dependence, neurological dysfunction, and risky/unwanted sexual interactions. Despite the harm alcohol can cause, there are currently little to no legislative regulations in place on alcohol marketing in many countries.
—The World Health Organization (WHO)
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‘Just a wee boy not cut out for prison’: Policy and reality in children and young people’s journeys through justice in Scotland
an article by Deborah Nolan, Fiona Dyer and Nina Vaswani (University of Strathclyde, UK) published in Criminology & Criminal Justice Volume 18 Issue 5 (November 2018)
Abstract
Youth Justice policy in Scotland, under the ‘Whole System Approach’ (WSA), progressively espouses maximum diversion, minimum intervention and the use of alternatives to custody wherever possible. Yet Scotland still has one of the highest imprisonment rates in Europe.
To explore this discrepancy, this qualitative study used individual interviews and focus groups to document the experiences of 14 young males aged 16 and 17 in one Scottish young offenders’ institution on their journeys to custody. Their experiences reveal the significant challenges faced in understanding, navigating and complying with the justice system, and also indicate that the consistent implementation of WSA is problematic.
The disconnection between the intentions of the WSA policy and the practical implementation means that these vulnerable young people are not fully benefiting from the WSA. This article therefore highlights important gaps between policy, practice and lived experience in youth justice in Scotland.
Abstract
Youth Justice policy in Scotland, under the ‘Whole System Approach’ (WSA), progressively espouses maximum diversion, minimum intervention and the use of alternatives to custody wherever possible. Yet Scotland still has one of the highest imprisonment rates in Europe.
To explore this discrepancy, this qualitative study used individual interviews and focus groups to document the experiences of 14 young males aged 16 and 17 in one Scottish young offenders’ institution on their journeys to custody. Their experiences reveal the significant challenges faced in understanding, navigating and complying with the justice system, and also indicate that the consistent implementation of WSA is problematic.
The disconnection between the intentions of the WSA policy and the practical implementation means that these vulnerable young people are not fully benefiting from the WSA. This article therefore highlights important gaps between policy, practice and lived experience in youth justice in Scotland.
Uncertainty and legal institutions: The impact of the Brexit vote on EU law application in the UK
a column by Arthur Dyevre, Monika Glavina, Nicolas Lampach, Michal Ovádek and Wessel Wijtvliet for VOX: CEPR’s Policy Portal
Twenty-eight months after the Brexit referendum, EU laws, regulations, and doctrines continue to apply to UK residents and state officials.
This column shows that UK judges and litigants have already started to move away from EU law in anticipation of Brexit, with judges submitting 22–23% fewer questions to the European Court of Justice since the referendum. The broader lesson for the future of supranational legal systems is that effective disintegration may precede formal withdrawal, or may occur even if formal withdrawal is delayed or does not come about.
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Twenty-eight months after the Brexit referendum, EU laws, regulations, and doctrines continue to apply to UK residents and state officials.
This column shows that UK judges and litigants have already started to move away from EU law in anticipation of Brexit, with judges submitting 22–23% fewer questions to the European Court of Justice since the referendum. The broader lesson for the future of supranational legal systems is that effective disintegration may precede formal withdrawal, or may occur even if formal withdrawal is delayed or does not come about.
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Acknowledging That We're Not Okay is the Only Way to Make Things Better
a post by Shannon Brown for the Tiny Buddha blog
“Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your own understanding.” ~Khalil Gibran
There was a time in my life where I felt like everything needed to seem okay.
I had trouble achieving emotional closeness in my relationships, I was unsatisfied in my career, and I struggled with at times severe anxiety and depression. But I was always “okay,” and actually went great lengths to hide any sign that I wasn’t.
I kept myself busy to avoid seeming “lame” by having nothing to do, or perhaps to avoid the feelings that would come up if I had nothing to do. If I felt insecure or dissatisfied with something, I’d simply lie and try to cover it up rather than ever acknowledge there was a problem.
Feeling alone and not heard in my friendships? Well, everyone else seems to be fine, so I’ll just pretend I’m fine too. Uncomfortable feelings? Push them down and ignore them, always. And if someone did something to hurt or offend me, I never said anything, because I wasn’t able to stand up for myself or set boundaries.
Continue reading
“Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your own understanding.” ~Khalil Gibran
There was a time in my life where I felt like everything needed to seem okay.
I had trouble achieving emotional closeness in my relationships, I was unsatisfied in my career, and I struggled with at times severe anxiety and depression. But I was always “okay,” and actually went great lengths to hide any sign that I wasn’t.
I kept myself busy to avoid seeming “lame” by having nothing to do, or perhaps to avoid the feelings that would come up if I had nothing to do. If I felt insecure or dissatisfied with something, I’d simply lie and try to cover it up rather than ever acknowledge there was a problem.
Feeling alone and not heard in my friendships? Well, everyone else seems to be fine, so I’ll just pretend I’m fine too. Uncomfortable feelings? Push them down and ignore them, always. And if someone did something to hurt or offend me, I never said anything, because I wasn’t able to stand up for myself or set boundaries.
Continue reading
Sunday 25 November 2018
10 for today starts with the possibility that our world is a clockwork machine (er?) and includes two dollops of Shakespeare
Is Our World a Machine? Why Top Minds Supported the Clockwork Universe Theory
via Big Think by Paul Ratner
During the so-called Age of Enlightenment in the 18th century, European intellectuals came to believe strongly in the power of reason as the mechanism for controlling the world. The scientific method flourished. Ideals like liberty, progress, constitutional government and separation of church and state came to the forefront. At the onset of this time, Isaac Newton introduced his laws of motion, including the law of universal gravitation, which explained how the whole solar system operated. This set the stage for the concept of a clockwork universe, which became popular especially in deist circles.
Continue reading
==============================
A Short Analysis of George Herbert’s ‘Prayer (I)’
via Interesting Literature
A close reading of a classic religious poem
‘Prayer (I)’ is one of George Herbert’s best-loved poems. Herbert (1593-1633), who sent his poems to a friend Nicholas Ferrar with the instruction that his friend should publish them or destroy them, depending on whether he thought they were any good, is now revered as one of the greatest poets of the Early Modern period. ‘Prayer (I)’ is a relatively straightforward poem, but its language and references require some analysis and unpicking.
Continue reading
==============================
Watch this experiment on mice squeezing through tiny holes
via Boing Boing by Andrea James
Woodworker Matthias Wandel has mice in his workshop, and he wanted to see how small a hole mice could crawl through. But after setting up his ingenious little test, a challenger appears: the wily shrew!
Continue reading and watch two short videos
==============================
Sex and intellect
via Arts & Letters Daily: the Times Literary Supplement
Naomi Wolf considers the influence of Oscar Wilde on Edith Wharton
In 1903 Edith Wharton met the writer Vernon Lee in Italy, and started reading John Addington Symonds. By 1905 she had begun an intimate friendship with Henry James and the circle of male homosexual writers around him, and was soon reading Walt Whitman and Nietzsche, while having an affair with the American journalist Morton Fullerton. Through these influences, Wharton was drawn away from American discourses about sexuality in fiction (which were generally moralistic in this period, regardless of the gender of the writer), and towards British and European aestheticism and sexual liberation. It is after this period that we begin to see the multiple echoes of Oscar Wilde in her work. Wharton used Wilde in order to engage in a necessary, indeed central, argument about what happens to the aestheticist and sexual liberationist project once it is undertaken by heterosexual women.
Continue reading
==============================
Leonardo da Vinci: The Biography by Walter Isaacson review – unparalleled creative genius
via the Guardian by Blake Morrison
A 19th-century engraving of Leonardo. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo
In 1501, desperate for Leonardo to paint her portrait, the immensely rich Isabella d’Este employed a friar to act as go-between. The friar met Leonardo in Florence but found his lifestyle “irregular and uncertain” and couldn’t pin him down. “Mathematical experiments have absorbed his thoughts so entirely that he cannot bear the sight of a paintbrush,” Isabella was told. With promises he’d get round to it eventually, Leonardo kept her dangling for another three years. Pushy to the end, she changed tack and asked him for a painting of Jesus instead. Even then, he didn’t come up with the goods.
Continue reading
==============================
A Short Analysis of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116: ‘Let me not to the marriage of true minds’
via Interesting Literature
A commentary on Shakespeare’s 116th sonnet
A real wedding favourite, this: Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116. ‘Let me not to the marriage of true minds’ is a popular poem to be recited at wedding readings, and yet, as many commentators have pointed out, there is something odd about a heterosexual couple celebrating their marriage (of bodies as well as minds) by reading aloud this paean to gay love, celebrating a marriage of minds but not bodies (no gay marriage in Shakespeare’s time). This makes the poem, along with Robert Frost’s often-misunderstood ‘The Road Not Taken’, a candidate for the most-misinterpreted poem in English. So let’s take a closer look at this poem by way of summary and analysis.
Continue reading
==============================
Long before Harry Potter, The Box of Delights remade children's fantasy
via the Guardian by Piers Torday
Opening a new chapter in children’s reading … Devin Stanfield as Kay in the BBC’s 1984 adaptation of The Box of Delights. Photograph: BBC Pictures Archives
My first memory of “appointment to view” TV is as indelible as it is vivid. It was the final episode of the BBC’s adaptation of John Masefield’s The Box of Delights, which I caught only by imploring my mother to let me stay for another half an hour while visiting a friend. The early special effects in the style of Doctor Who were as stardust to my young eyes; I still recall the thrill of watching Robert Stephens (as the villainous Abner Brown) fall to his watery fate. It wasn’t only the state-of-the-art animation and the compelling performances that captured my imagination, but also the magic of the story.
Continue reading
==============================
A Short Analysis of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 105: ‘Let not my love be called idolatry’
via Interesting Literature
A commentary on Shakespeare’s 105th sonnet
‘Let not my love be called idolatry’, Shakespeare’s Sonnet 105, sees the Bard continue to meditate on the nature of his love for the Fair Youth. Here’s a reminder of Sonnet 105 before we proceed to a commentary on its language and meaning.
Let not my love be called idolatry,
Nor my beloved as an idol show,
Since all alike my songs and praises be
To one, of one, still such, and ever so.
Kind is my love to-day, to-morrow kind,
Still constant in a wondrous excellence;
Therefore my verse to constancy confined,
One thing expressing, leaves out difference.
Fair, kind, and true, is all my argument,
Fair, kind, and true, varying to other words;
And in this change is my invention spent,
Three themes in one, which wondrous scope affords.
Fair, kind, and true, have often lived alone,
Which three till now, never kept seat in one.
Continue reading
via Big Think by Paul Ratner
During the so-called Age of Enlightenment in the 18th century, European intellectuals came to believe strongly in the power of reason as the mechanism for controlling the world. The scientific method flourished. Ideals like liberty, progress, constitutional government and separation of church and state came to the forefront. At the onset of this time, Isaac Newton introduced his laws of motion, including the law of universal gravitation, which explained how the whole solar system operated. This set the stage for the concept of a clockwork universe, which became popular especially in deist circles.
Continue reading
==============================
via Interesting Literature
A close reading of a classic religious poem
‘Prayer (I)’ is one of George Herbert’s best-loved poems. Herbert (1593-1633), who sent his poems to a friend Nicholas Ferrar with the instruction that his friend should publish them or destroy them, depending on whether he thought they were any good, is now revered as one of the greatest poets of the Early Modern period. ‘Prayer (I)’ is a relatively straightforward poem, but its language and references require some analysis and unpicking.
Continue reading
==============================
via Boing Boing by Andrea James
Woodworker Matthias Wandel has mice in his workshop, and he wanted to see how small a hole mice could crawl through. But after setting up his ingenious little test, a challenger appears: the wily shrew!
Continue reading and watch two short videos
==============================
via Arts & Letters Daily: the Times Literary Supplement
Naomi Wolf considers the influence of Oscar Wilde on Edith Wharton
In 1903 Edith Wharton met the writer Vernon Lee in Italy, and started reading John Addington Symonds. By 1905 she had begun an intimate friendship with Henry James and the circle of male homosexual writers around him, and was soon reading Walt Whitman and Nietzsche, while having an affair with the American journalist Morton Fullerton. Through these influences, Wharton was drawn away from American discourses about sexuality in fiction (which were generally moralistic in this period, regardless of the gender of the writer), and towards British and European aestheticism and sexual liberation. It is after this period that we begin to see the multiple echoes of Oscar Wilde in her work. Wharton used Wilde in order to engage in a necessary, indeed central, argument about what happens to the aestheticist and sexual liberationist project once it is undertaken by heterosexual women.
Continue reading
==============================
via the Guardian by Blake Morrison
A 19th-century engraving of Leonardo. Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo
In 1501, desperate for Leonardo to paint her portrait, the immensely rich Isabella d’Este employed a friar to act as go-between. The friar met Leonardo in Florence but found his lifestyle “irregular and uncertain” and couldn’t pin him down. “Mathematical experiments have absorbed his thoughts so entirely that he cannot bear the sight of a paintbrush,” Isabella was told. With promises he’d get round to it eventually, Leonardo kept her dangling for another three years. Pushy to the end, she changed tack and asked him for a painting of Jesus instead. Even then, he didn’t come up with the goods.
Continue reading
==============================
via Interesting Literature
A commentary on Shakespeare’s 116th sonnet
A real wedding favourite, this: Shakespeare’s Sonnet 116. ‘Let me not to the marriage of true minds’ is a popular poem to be recited at wedding readings, and yet, as many commentators have pointed out, there is something odd about a heterosexual couple celebrating their marriage (of bodies as well as minds) by reading aloud this paean to gay love, celebrating a marriage of minds but not bodies (no gay marriage in Shakespeare’s time). This makes the poem, along with Robert Frost’s often-misunderstood ‘The Road Not Taken’, a candidate for the most-misinterpreted poem in English. So let’s take a closer look at this poem by way of summary and analysis.
Continue reading
==============================
via the Guardian by Piers Torday
Opening a new chapter in children’s reading … Devin Stanfield as Kay in the BBC’s 1984 adaptation of The Box of Delights. Photograph: BBC Pictures Archives
My first memory of “appointment to view” TV is as indelible as it is vivid. It was the final episode of the BBC’s adaptation of John Masefield’s The Box of Delights, which I caught only by imploring my mother to let me stay for another half an hour while visiting a friend. The early special effects in the style of Doctor Who were as stardust to my young eyes; I still recall the thrill of watching Robert Stephens (as the villainous Abner Brown) fall to his watery fate. It wasn’t only the state-of-the-art animation and the compelling performances that captured my imagination, but also the magic of the story.
Continue reading
==============================
via Interesting Literature
A commentary on Shakespeare’s 105th sonnet
‘Let not my love be called idolatry’, Shakespeare’s Sonnet 105, sees the Bard continue to meditate on the nature of his love for the Fair Youth. Here’s a reminder of Sonnet 105 before we proceed to a commentary on its language and meaning.
Let not my love be called idolatry,
Nor my beloved as an idol show,
Since all alike my songs and praises be
To one, of one, still such, and ever so.
Kind is my love to-day, to-morrow kind,
Still constant in a wondrous excellence;
Therefore my verse to constancy confined,
One thing expressing, leaves out difference.
Fair, kind, and true, is all my argument,
Fair, kind, and true, varying to other words;
And in this change is my invention spent,
Three themes in one, which wondrous scope affords.
Fair, kind, and true, have often lived alone,
Which three till now, never kept seat in one.
Continue reading
Friday 23 November 2018
Paradigms and paradoxes: the futures of growth and degrowth
an article by Udo Pesch, (Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands) published in International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy Volume 38 Issue 11/12 (November/December 2018)
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to introduce three storylines that address the relation between economic growth, technical innovation and environmental impact. The paper assesses if and how these storylines as guiding visions increase our range of future orientations.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper first explains its general outline and then explores different strands of literature to arrive at its analytical conclusions.
Findings
Pursuing the three storylines in a paradigmatic articulation creates paradoxes. The growth paradigm focuses on economic growth as its main goal. To overcome environmental degradation, products have to be substituted by environmentally friendly alternatives, but the continuous substitution of finite resources seems unlikely possible. The storyline of innovation sees technological development as a driver of economic progress, and holds that innovations allow the decoupling of economic growth from environmental impact, a claim that is compromised by the occurrence of rebound effects. The degrowth storyline holds that economic growth has to be stopped altogether, but is unclear how this can be done.
Originality/value
By articulating paradigmatic perspectives as storylines, a new understanding on how these perspectives can be figured as a constructive repertoire of guiding visions and not as mere theory-based descriptions.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to introduce three storylines that address the relation between economic growth, technical innovation and environmental impact. The paper assesses if and how these storylines as guiding visions increase our range of future orientations.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper first explains its general outline and then explores different strands of literature to arrive at its analytical conclusions.
Findings
Pursuing the three storylines in a paradigmatic articulation creates paradoxes. The growth paradigm focuses on economic growth as its main goal. To overcome environmental degradation, products have to be substituted by environmentally friendly alternatives, but the continuous substitution of finite resources seems unlikely possible. The storyline of innovation sees technological development as a driver of economic progress, and holds that innovations allow the decoupling of economic growth from environmental impact, a claim that is compromised by the occurrence of rebound effects. The degrowth storyline holds that economic growth has to be stopped altogether, but is unclear how this can be done.
Originality/value
By articulating paradigmatic perspectives as storylines, a new understanding on how these perspectives can be figured as a constructive repertoire of guiding visions and not as mere theory-based descriptions.
Trust Your Intuition: If It Feels Like a No, It's a No
a post by Jen Picicci for the Tiny Buddha blog
One evening my husband and I decided that we, along with our daughter, would go together to a neighboring town about thirty minutes away the following morning. He had an errand to run, and I was going to take our daughter to a nearby playground.
The morning arrived, and as I thought about it, I had a wave of feeling/thought that said, “I don’t really want to go,” or maybe it was more like, “I’d rather just stay around here because that would be more fun.” All I can say is that there was an inner nudge that told me not going would lead to a happier outcome.
Instead of going with my gut, though, I asked my daughter if she wanted to go to the playground, and when she said yes, I let that change my mind. (She’s four! Of course she wants to go to the playground!)
Continue reading
“You will never follow your own inner voice until you clear up the doubts in your mind.”
~Roy T. Bennett
One evening my husband and I decided that we, along with our daughter, would go together to a neighboring town about thirty minutes away the following morning. He had an errand to run, and I was going to take our daughter to a nearby playground.
The morning arrived, and as I thought about it, I had a wave of feeling/thought that said, “I don’t really want to go,” or maybe it was more like, “I’d rather just stay around here because that would be more fun.” All I can say is that there was an inner nudge that told me not going would lead to a happier outcome.
Instead of going with my gut, though, I asked my daughter if she wanted to go to the playground, and when she said yes, I let that change my mind. (She’s four! Of course she wants to go to the playground!)
Continue reading
Cultural discourses and practices of institutionalised diversity in the UK film sector: ‘Just get something black made’
an article by Clive James Nwonka (London School of Economics and Political Science, UK) and Sarita Malik (Brunel University London, UK) published in The Sociological Review Volume 66 Issue 6 (November 2018)
Abstract
‘Diversity’ is an evolving dimension of discursive debates within publicly funded parts of the UK media.
This article considers how representations of racial diversity in cinema were articulated in a particular moment in recent history. It traces the relationship between the broader New Labour neoliberal agenda of the late 1990s and the UK Film Council’s (UKFC) New Cinema Fund, the key funding mechanism for supporting black British cinema at the time.
The authors suggest that the New Cinema Fund’s ‘institutional diversity’ agenda represented a symbolic effort by both the UKFC and UK public service broadcasters to redevelop black British film vis-a-vis a plethora of cultural imperatives oriented around the notion of ‘social inclusion’. The nature of this intervention, it is argued, was strongly influenced by the 1999 Macpherson Report, which identified ‘institutional racism’ within the fabric of the UK’s organisations.
The article examines how such an ‘institutional diversity’ agenda emerged within the production context of a BBC Film/UKFC production, Bullet Boy (2005), thus generating a rearticulated black British cinema that was deeply imbricated in the highly politicised contexts outlined.
Abstract
‘Diversity’ is an evolving dimension of discursive debates within publicly funded parts of the UK media.
This article considers how representations of racial diversity in cinema were articulated in a particular moment in recent history. It traces the relationship between the broader New Labour neoliberal agenda of the late 1990s and the UK Film Council’s (UKFC) New Cinema Fund, the key funding mechanism for supporting black British cinema at the time.
The authors suggest that the New Cinema Fund’s ‘institutional diversity’ agenda represented a symbolic effort by both the UKFC and UK public service broadcasters to redevelop black British film vis-a-vis a plethora of cultural imperatives oriented around the notion of ‘social inclusion’. The nature of this intervention, it is argued, was strongly influenced by the 1999 Macpherson Report, which identified ‘institutional racism’ within the fabric of the UK’s organisations.
The article examines how such an ‘institutional diversity’ agenda emerged within the production context of a BBC Film/UKFC production, Bullet Boy (2005), thus generating a rearticulated black British cinema that was deeply imbricated in the highly politicised contexts outlined.
Understanding social exclusion: the views of the UK public
an article by Eldin Fahmy and Eileen Sutton (University of Bristol, UK) and Simon Pemberton (University of Birmingham, UK) published in Journal of Poverty and Social Justice Volume 26 Number 3 (October 2018)
Abstract
Despite considerable policy interest, how the public understand and respond to the concept of social exclusion is not well understood within academic social research. Involving the public in such debates is important in establishing the political acceptability of social scientific concepts and in ensuring that operational definitions and measures faithfully reflect lived experiences.
This paper draws on qualitative development work preparatory to the 2012 UK Poverty and Social Exclusion Survey in examining public understandings of what it means to experience social exclusion in the UK today.
Our findings demonstrate the feasibility and desirability of including the public in policy debates in this area.
Yet another academic paper saying that policy should be based on what people want!
Abstract
Despite considerable policy interest, how the public understand and respond to the concept of social exclusion is not well understood within academic social research. Involving the public in such debates is important in establishing the political acceptability of social scientific concepts and in ensuring that operational definitions and measures faithfully reflect lived experiences.
This paper draws on qualitative development work preparatory to the 2012 UK Poverty and Social Exclusion Survey in examining public understandings of what it means to experience social exclusion in the UK today.
Our findings demonstrate the feasibility and desirability of including the public in policy debates in this area.
Yet another academic paper saying that policy should be based on what people want!
Life's Too Short to Be Too Busy
a post by Mimi Bishop for the Tiny Buddha blog
“Slow down. Calm down. Don’t worry. Don’t hurry. Trust the process.” ~Alexandra Stoddard
Heard in the offices across America…
“I’m so busy and have no time!”
“How is it almost 2019 already?!”
“I’ll sleep when I’m dead…”
We’re so focused on the next deadline, getting the next promotion, having the approval of our managers and peers alike that we push, push, push all the time.
Oh, how I can relate! I worked in corporate America commuting into NYC (two hours each way!) as the VP of marketing at a major media company. And I worked… a lot.
When I wasn’t at work, I was running around, checking things off my long to-do list, pretending to be Martha Stewart and always trying to accomplish the ‘next thing.’
Continue reading
“Slow down. Calm down. Don’t worry. Don’t hurry. Trust the process.” ~Alexandra Stoddard
Heard in the offices across America…
“I’m so busy and have no time!”
“How is it almost 2019 already?!”
“I’ll sleep when I’m dead…”
We’re so focused on the next deadline, getting the next promotion, having the approval of our managers and peers alike that we push, push, push all the time.
Oh, how I can relate! I worked in corporate America commuting into NYC (two hours each way!) as the VP of marketing at a major media company. And I worked… a lot.
When I wasn’t at work, I was running around, checking things off my long to-do list, pretending to be Martha Stewart and always trying to accomplish the ‘next thing.’
Continue reading
Commuting time and family labour supply decisions
a column by Francesca Carta and Marta De Philippis for VOX: CEPR’s Policy Portal
Commuting time has been regarded mainly as affecting labour supply decisions at the individual level. Previous analyses do not consider the interactions between partners’ commuting times and their labour supply. This column shows that, in response to the husband’s longer commute, the wife’s employment decreases and the husband works slightly more. These results suggest that intra-family interactions need to be considered when evaluating policies that apparently affect one partner only.
Continue reading
Commuting time has been regarded mainly as affecting labour supply decisions at the individual level. Previous analyses do not consider the interactions between partners’ commuting times and their labour supply. This column shows that, in response to the husband’s longer commute, the wife’s employment decreases and the husband works slightly more. These results suggest that intra-family interactions need to be considered when evaluating policies that apparently affect one partner only.
Continue reading
Thursday 22 November 2018
The Art of Saying No: Lessons from a Caregiver
a post by Tracy Dalgleish for the Tiny Buddha blog
“When you say yes to others, make sure you are not saying no to yourself.” ~Paulo Coelho
There it is again. Another person asks me for help. There’s a sharp pull inside of me to stop what I am doing and give.
And the internal struggle comes up.
I should just say yes and help them. What’s it take to write out a few text lines? An extra phone call? It’s not so bad, I tell myself. You are, after all, a caregiver.
My internal voice is so strong. It has been with me for a long time, this voice.
Then I feel my shoulders tense. I feel my breath begin to shorten. And a lightheaded feeling takes over. These are my early warning signs that I am taking on too much.
It has taken me some time to realize that this is what happens when I take on a lot and say yes—and that there is a significant cost to me. It stops me from getting my work done. I am not engaged and present when I am playing with my children. I am short with my husband. It derails my priorities. And it stops me from looking after myself.
Continue reading
“When you say yes to others, make sure you are not saying no to yourself.” ~Paulo Coelho
There it is again. Another person asks me for help. There’s a sharp pull inside of me to stop what I am doing and give.
And the internal struggle comes up.
I should just say yes and help them. What’s it take to write out a few text lines? An extra phone call? It’s not so bad, I tell myself. You are, after all, a caregiver.
My internal voice is so strong. It has been with me for a long time, this voice.
Then I feel my shoulders tense. I feel my breath begin to shorten. And a lightheaded feeling takes over. These are my early warning signs that I am taking on too much.
It has taken me some time to realize that this is what happens when I take on a lot and say yes—and that there is a significant cost to me. It stops me from getting my work done. I am not engaged and present when I am playing with my children. I am short with my husband. It derails my priorities. And it stops me from looking after myself.
Continue reading
Research Links Sleep Deprivation to Risky Behaviors in Teens
a post by Tyler Jacobson for the World of Psychology blog
It’s a battle that goes on in most households nearly every morning—the alarm goes off, and teens struggle to get out of bed while harried parents try to hurry them along. We are just glad to get them out of the door and on their way to school, never giving more than a passing thought to their sleep deprivation. But maybe we should. New research now shows that sleep-deprived teens are more prone to risky behaviors than their peers who get a full night’s rest.
When considering factors that contribute to teen drug use, drinking, and other risky behavior, few parents, if any, suspect that sleep deprivation has anything to do with it. Sure, we might notice that our teens sleep longer or go to bed later than we’d like but that’s as far as we get.
Continue reading and discover some statistics that you may not want to read about if you are the responsible adult in the life of a teenager.
It’s a battle that goes on in most households nearly every morning—the alarm goes off, and teens struggle to get out of bed while harried parents try to hurry them along. We are just glad to get them out of the door and on their way to school, never giving more than a passing thought to their sleep deprivation. But maybe we should. New research now shows that sleep-deprived teens are more prone to risky behaviors than their peers who get a full night’s rest.
When considering factors that contribute to teen drug use, drinking, and other risky behavior, few parents, if any, suspect that sleep deprivation has anything to do with it. Sure, we might notice that our teens sleep longer or go to bed later than we’d like but that’s as far as we get.
Continue reading and discover some statistics that you may not want to read about if you are the responsible adult in the life of a teenager.
International law regarding use of force
a post by Alexandra Hofer (Doctoral Researcher in the Faculty of Law, in the Department of European, Public and International Law at the University of Ghent) for the OUP blog
Rubber bands in different colors by Bill Ebbesen. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia commons
Through the power of precedent, international incidents involving the use of force help to clarify the meaning and interpretation of jus ad bellum, the corpus of rules arising from international custom and the United Nations Charter that govern the use of force. UN Charter Article 2(4) forbids states from using force in their international relations. Exceptions to this prohibition are acts taken in self-defence under UN Charter Article 51 or under the auspices of a UN Security Council authorization to use force under Article 42. States can also consent that another state use force in its territory, for example to combat rebel or terrorist actors.
In certain cases, state practice gives rise to new interpretations of existing rules or novel exceptions emerge. Through the study of precedents scholars often consider whether or not there has been a shift in the legal landscape. To give but a few illustrations, commentators have questioned if States take measures of self-defence under Article 51 to protect nationals abroad (a justification that has been invoked at various moments, for instance by Russia in the context of the crisis in Georgia in 2008), if a right to humanitarian intervention has emerged (a discussion triggered by the Kosovo crisis in 1999), or if self-defence under Article 51 can be invoked against non-state actors (a topical debate in the post 9/11 era).
Consequently, depending on the precedent’s facts and the arguments invoked by the main protagonists different legal issues can be triggered.
Continue reading
Rubber bands in different colors by Bill Ebbesen. CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia commons
Through the power of precedent, international incidents involving the use of force help to clarify the meaning and interpretation of jus ad bellum, the corpus of rules arising from international custom and the United Nations Charter that govern the use of force. UN Charter Article 2(4) forbids states from using force in their international relations. Exceptions to this prohibition are acts taken in self-defence under UN Charter Article 51 or under the auspices of a UN Security Council authorization to use force under Article 42. States can also consent that another state use force in its territory, for example to combat rebel or terrorist actors.
In certain cases, state practice gives rise to new interpretations of existing rules or novel exceptions emerge. Through the study of precedents scholars often consider whether or not there has been a shift in the legal landscape. To give but a few illustrations, commentators have questioned if States take measures of self-defence under Article 51 to protect nationals abroad (a justification that has been invoked at various moments, for instance by Russia in the context of the crisis in Georgia in 2008), if a right to humanitarian intervention has emerged (a discussion triggered by the Kosovo crisis in 1999), or if self-defence under Article 51 can be invoked against non-state actors (a topical debate in the post 9/11 era).
Consequently, depending on the precedent’s facts and the arguments invoked by the main protagonists different legal issues can be triggered.
Continue reading
Challenges to addressing student mental health in embedded counselling services: a survey of UK higher and further education institutions
an article by Emma Broglia, Abigail Millings and Michael Barkham (University of Sheffield, UK) published in British Journal of Guidance & Counselling Volume 46 Issue 4 (2018)
Abstract
With reports continually demonstrating increased demand and severity of student mental health needs, it is important to gain a fuller understanding of the impact on embedded student counselling services.
The aims of this research were to identify
Challenges to embedded counselling services and their implications for development are discussed.
Full text (PDF 15pp)
Abstract
With reports continually demonstrating increased demand and severity of student mental health needs, it is important to gain a fuller understanding of the impact on embedded student counselling services.
The aims of this research were to identify
- service similarities,
- factors which impact on services,
- characteristics of service users, and
- the use of therapeutic technology (e.g. online self-help).
Challenges to embedded counselling services and their implications for development are discussed.
Full text (PDF 15pp)
Wednesday 21 November 2018
Want to tackle loneliness? Invest in a society of readers
an article by Caitlin Lambert for DEMOS
Last month saw the publication of the Government’s first loneliness strategy, following the appointment of Tracey Crouch as the world’s first ever minister for loneliness.
The Government is right to be concerned. New figures from Demos published last week make for a worrying read. We estimate that by 2030 the loneliness epidemic will reach 7 million lonely people in the over 60 age group alone, with 2 million of those likely to see their lifespans shortened by loneliness.
This is a major concern for public health and threatens to be one of the most pervasive issues of our time. On the current trajectory, loneliness among older people will cost almost £2 billion by 2030. With an overstretched NHS and a social care system in crisis, loneliness is an issue we simply cannot afford to ignore.
But how do we go about tackling such a problem? Well reading may just be part of the solution. Demos’ new report A Society of Readers sets out the important role reading can play in alleviating loneliness.
In our increasingly atomised and individualised society, reading can provide an important outlet for fostering social connections and building new relationships, particularly for the elderly. The Reading Agency’s Reading Friends programme for example, connects vulnerable and socially isolated older people with volunteers to discuss reading. Piloted across the country is has already had remarkable results, with 88 per cent of participants appreciating the increased social contact from reading-inspired conversation.
Continue reading
Last month saw the publication of the Government’s first loneliness strategy, following the appointment of Tracey Crouch as the world’s first ever minister for loneliness.
The Government is right to be concerned. New figures from Demos published last week make for a worrying read. We estimate that by 2030 the loneliness epidemic will reach 7 million lonely people in the over 60 age group alone, with 2 million of those likely to see their lifespans shortened by loneliness.
This is a major concern for public health and threatens to be one of the most pervasive issues of our time. On the current trajectory, loneliness among older people will cost almost £2 billion by 2030. With an overstretched NHS and a social care system in crisis, loneliness is an issue we simply cannot afford to ignore.
But how do we go about tackling such a problem? Well reading may just be part of the solution. Demos’ new report A Society of Readers sets out the important role reading can play in alleviating loneliness.
In our increasingly atomised and individualised society, reading can provide an important outlet for fostering social connections and building new relationships, particularly for the elderly. The Reading Agency’s Reading Friends programme for example, connects vulnerable and socially isolated older people with volunteers to discuss reading. Piloted across the country is has already had remarkable results, with 88 per cent of participants appreciating the increased social contact from reading-inspired conversation.
Continue reading
We are heading for a New Cretaceous, not for a new normal
a post by Peter Forbes for the Big Think blog
The climate change we're witnessing is more dramatic than we might think.
A lazy buzz phrase – 'Is this the new normal?' – has been doing the rounds as extreme climate events have been piling up over the past year. To which the riposte should be: it's worse than that – we're on the road to even more frequent, more extreme events than we saw this year.
We have known since the 1980s what's in store for us. Action taken then to reduce emissions by 20 per cent by 2005 might have restricted the global temperature rise to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius. But nothing was done, and the welter of climate data mounting since then only confirms and refines the original predictions. So where are we now?
Continue reading
The climate change we're witnessing is more dramatic than we might think.
A lazy buzz phrase – 'Is this the new normal?' – has been doing the rounds as extreme climate events have been piling up over the past year. To which the riposte should be: it's worse than that – we're on the road to even more frequent, more extreme events than we saw this year.
We have known since the 1980s what's in store for us. Action taken then to reduce emissions by 20 per cent by 2005 might have restricted the global temperature rise to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius. But nothing was done, and the welter of climate data mounting since then only confirms and refines the original predictions. So where are we now?
Continue reading
How the President’s Communication Style Is Like That of an Abusive Parent
a pot by Edie Weinstein for the World of Psychology blog
Abuse is defined as, “the improper usage or treatment of an entity, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, crimes, or other types of aggression.”
The more I hear the president speak, the more he presents as an abusive parent, with name-calling, threats and bullying hurled at those who disagree with his policies and public persona. The intention is to control through intimidation in order to maintain his version of reality. This is a common theme among those I have served as a career therapist over the past four decades. Stories from clients of parents who have been verbally and/or physically abusive have ranged from being barraged with disparaging names like ‘loser,’ and ‘incompetent,’ and being demeaned by the parent who considered their child’s needs of little consequence.
Memories of childhood abuse survivors are being triggered by what they witness daily at the hands of this administration. Increasingly, I am hearing it in my office.
Continue reading
Abuse is defined as, “the improper usage or treatment of an entity, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, crimes, or other types of aggression.”
The more I hear the president speak, the more he presents as an abusive parent, with name-calling, threats and bullying hurled at those who disagree with his policies and public persona. The intention is to control through intimidation in order to maintain his version of reality. This is a common theme among those I have served as a career therapist over the past four decades. Stories from clients of parents who have been verbally and/or physically abusive have ranged from being barraged with disparaging names like ‘loser,’ and ‘incompetent,’ and being demeaned by the parent who considered their child’s needs of little consequence.
Memories of childhood abuse survivors are being triggered by what they witness daily at the hands of this administration. Increasingly, I am hearing it in my office.
Continue reading
A review of Internet use among older adults
an article by Amanda Hunsaker and Eszter Hargittai (University of Zurich, Switzerland) published in New Media & Society Volume 20 Issue 10 (October 2018)
Abstract
As the world population ages and older adults comprise a growing proportion of current and potential Internet users, understanding the state of Internet use among older adults as well as the ways their use has evolved may clarify how best to support digital media use within this population.
This article synthesizes the quantitative literature on Internet use among older adults, including trends in access, skills, and types of use, while exploring social inequalities in relation to each domain.
We also review work on the relationship between health and Internet use, particularly relevant for older adults.
We close with specific recommendations for future work, including a call for studies better representing the diversity of older adulthood and greater standardization of question design.
Abstract
As the world population ages and older adults comprise a growing proportion of current and potential Internet users, understanding the state of Internet use among older adults as well as the ways their use has evolved may clarify how best to support digital media use within this population.
This article synthesizes the quantitative literature on Internet use among older adults, including trends in access, skills, and types of use, while exploring social inequalities in relation to each domain.
We also review work on the relationship between health and Internet use, particularly relevant for older adults.
We close with specific recommendations for future work, including a call for studies better representing the diversity of older adulthood and greater standardization of question design.
The Secret to Ending Your Suffering
a post by Matt Hattersley for the Tiny Buddha blog
“You can have your experience without your experience having you.” ~Linda Pransky
You’re no doubt aware that your moods can fluctuate from day to day, even moment to moment. I think most people can appreciate, when they really consider it, that their state of mind is a big variable in their experience of life. What they don’t always see is that their state of mind is responsible for 100 percent of their experience.
The problem is, it’s often hard to remember this or feel consoled by this when you’re stuck, living in your head, feeling bad.
When you’re stuck in anxious, insecure thinking it can often seem like this way of being is here to stay. It can also seem like the bad feeling is caused by a variety of external things: our partners, our bank balance, what’s happening in the world, or indeed hundreds of other possible situations that all get the blame.
Continue reading
“You can have your experience without your experience having you.” ~Linda Pransky
You’re no doubt aware that your moods can fluctuate from day to day, even moment to moment. I think most people can appreciate, when they really consider it, that their state of mind is a big variable in their experience of life. What they don’t always see is that their state of mind is responsible for 100 percent of their experience.
The problem is, it’s often hard to remember this or feel consoled by this when you’re stuck, living in your head, feeling bad.
When you’re stuck in anxious, insecure thinking it can often seem like this way of being is here to stay. It can also seem like the bad feeling is caused by a variety of external things: our partners, our bank balance, what’s happening in the world, or indeed hundreds of other possible situations that all get the blame.
Continue reading
Cities and the political imagination
an article by Rivke Jaffe (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands) published in The Sociological Review Volume 66 Issue 6 (November 2018)
Abstract
How can we recognize the political in the city?
How might urban scholars engage with forms of urban politics outside of established sites of research such as those associated with representative democracy or collective mobilizations?
This article suggests that new perspectives on urban politics might be enabled through reinvigorated connections between the social sciences and humanities, and by combining long-term urban ethnography and cultural analysis. Reading forms of creative expression in relation to power struggles in and over urban space can direct our attention towards negotiations of authority and political belonging that are often overlooked within urban studies.
The article explores the possibilities of such an approach by focusing on the idea of the political imagination as socially and materially embedded in urban landscapes. Expressive culture generates both analytical and normative frames, guiding everyday understandings of how urban power works, where and in whose hands it is concentrated, and whether we see this as just or unjust.
Such frames can legitimize or delegitimize specific distributions of urban resources and risks, and can normalize or denaturalize specific structures of decision-making.
Through a discussion of popular music and visual culture, the article considers how everyday practices both feed into, and are informed by, imaginations of urban rule and political belonging.
Full text (PDF 14pp)
Abstract
How can we recognize the political in the city?
How might urban scholars engage with forms of urban politics outside of established sites of research such as those associated with representative democracy or collective mobilizations?
This article suggests that new perspectives on urban politics might be enabled through reinvigorated connections between the social sciences and humanities, and by combining long-term urban ethnography and cultural analysis. Reading forms of creative expression in relation to power struggles in and over urban space can direct our attention towards negotiations of authority and political belonging that are often overlooked within urban studies.
The article explores the possibilities of such an approach by focusing on the idea of the political imagination as socially and materially embedded in urban landscapes. Expressive culture generates both analytical and normative frames, guiding everyday understandings of how urban power works, where and in whose hands it is concentrated, and whether we see this as just or unjust.
Such frames can legitimize or delegitimize specific distributions of urban resources and risks, and can normalize or denaturalize specific structures of decision-making.
Through a discussion of popular music and visual culture, the article considers how everyday practices both feed into, and are informed by, imaginations of urban rule and political belonging.
Full text (PDF 14pp)
Universities and industrial strategy in the UK
CentrePiece article by Ghazala Azmat, Richard Murphy, Anna Valero and Gill Wyness
November 2018
Paper No' CEPCP539
The UK’s higher education sector is a source of national strength with the potential to contribute to all areas of the government’s industrial strategy. Anna Valero and colleagues review the evidence on how the positive economic effects of universities on individuals and the economy can be maximised.
Full paper (PDF 5pp)
Contains some very interesting, and easily assimilated, graphical representations.
November 2018
Paper No' CEPCP539
The UK’s higher education sector is a source of national strength with the potential to contribute to all areas of the government’s industrial strategy. Anna Valero and colleagues review the evidence on how the positive economic effects of universities on individuals and the economy can be maximised.
Full paper (PDF 5pp)
Contains some very interesting, and easily assimilated, graphical representations.
Tuesday 20 November 2018
Is digital upskilling the next generation our ‘pipeline to prosperity’?
an article by Huw C Davies and Rebecca Eynon (The Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, UK) published in New Media & Society Volume 20 Issue 11 (November 2018)
Abstract
The British government is claiming digital skills will deliver economic growth to the country and social mobility to young people: its ministers call it ‘a pipeline to prosperity’. While declaring this pipeline, the government assumes the needs of the economy and young people’s needs are (or should be) synchronised.
We challenge this assumption and the policy it sustains with data from questionnaires, workshops and interviews with 50 young people from communities in South Wales (including a former mining town and a deprived inner city area) about digital technology’s role in their everyday life.
We use a new typography to compare the reality of their socially and economically structured lives to the governmental policy discourse that makes them responsible for their country’s future economic success.
To explain these young people’s creative and transgressive use of technology, we also make an empirically grounded contribution to the ongoing theoretical debates about structure and agency.
Abstract
The British government is claiming digital skills will deliver economic growth to the country and social mobility to young people: its ministers call it ‘a pipeline to prosperity’. While declaring this pipeline, the government assumes the needs of the economy and young people’s needs are (or should be) synchronised.
We challenge this assumption and the policy it sustains with data from questionnaires, workshops and interviews with 50 young people from communities in South Wales (including a former mining town and a deprived inner city area) about digital technology’s role in their everyday life.
We use a new typography to compare the reality of their socially and economically structured lives to the governmental policy discourse that makes them responsible for their country’s future economic success.
To explain these young people’s creative and transgressive use of technology, we also make an empirically grounded contribution to the ongoing theoretical debates about structure and agency.
Fragmented animation about kindness and coexistence. [feedly]
a post by Andrea James for the Boing Boing blog
Ugly is an animated film by Nikita Diakur and Redbear Easterman that examines the way all living things are connected, even the ugly ones.
Continue reading
Ugly is an animated film by Nikita Diakur and Redbear Easterman that examines the way all living things are connected, even the ugly ones.
Continue reading
Boundaries: Why You Say Yes When You Really Mean No
a post by Sarah Newman for the World of Psychology blog
Tell me if this is a familiar scenario: Somebody asks you to do something and you almost immediately agree, even though it’s not something you want to do. Maybe it’s at work — you take on extra responsibilities even though you’re swamped. Or maybe it’s at home — you agree to help a friend next weekend, but you’re overworked, under-rested, or maybe your toddler just started preschool and isn’t adjusting to the new sleep schedule.
As soon as you say yes to this new responsibility, something inside locks up. You start to think about all the ways this is going to put you out. You think about the last time you helped this person and how they didn’t seem to appreciate it. Maybe you lost sleep, lost money, had an argument with your spouse over it.
You think of excuses, hoping it’s not too late to back out. But you also don’t want to break your word. Either way, you start to feel resentful, used, annoyed, unappreciated. The relationship you have with this person, whether it is personal or professional, suffers. You don’t have great feelings about Deborah anymore. You swear you won’t help her again, but you might be wrong. After all, you have poor personal boundaries.
Continue reading
Tell me if this is a familiar scenario: Somebody asks you to do something and you almost immediately agree, even though it’s not something you want to do. Maybe it’s at work — you take on extra responsibilities even though you’re swamped. Or maybe it’s at home — you agree to help a friend next weekend, but you’re overworked, under-rested, or maybe your toddler just started preschool and isn’t adjusting to the new sleep schedule.
As soon as you say yes to this new responsibility, something inside locks up. You start to think about all the ways this is going to put you out. You think about the last time you helped this person and how they didn’t seem to appreciate it. Maybe you lost sleep, lost money, had an argument with your spouse over it.
You think of excuses, hoping it’s not too late to back out. But you also don’t want to break your word. Either way, you start to feel resentful, used, annoyed, unappreciated. The relationship you have with this person, whether it is personal or professional, suffers. You don’t have great feelings about Deborah anymore. You swear you won’t help her again, but you might be wrong. After all, you have poor personal boundaries.
Continue reading
Aggregating labour supply elasticities: The importance of heterogeneity
a column by Orazio Attanasio, Peter Levell, Hamish Low and Virginia Sánchez Marcos for VOX: CEPR’s Policy Portal
Economists disagree on the size of labour supply elasticities.
The column uses a model of female labour supply to show that there is substantial heterogeneity in both cross section and over the business cycle. It is not possible to think about labour supply elasticity as a unique structural parameter.
To understand the consequences of income tax changes, for example, we need to be explicit about whose tax is changing.
Continue reading
Economists disagree on the size of labour supply elasticities.
The column uses a model of female labour supply to show that there is substantial heterogeneity in both cross section and over the business cycle. It is not possible to think about labour supply elasticity as a unique structural parameter.
To understand the consequences of income tax changes, for example, we need to be explicit about whose tax is changing.
Continue reading
5 Ways to Help Employees Return to Work After Mental Ill Health
a post by Liz Walker, HR Director at Unum, for the Bytestart blog
We’re all faced with obstacles at work and sometimes just coming back after a holiday can feel challenging. However, when an employee is returning to work after mental ill health, the experience can be even more daunting.
Yes, this blog is aimed at employers but you, as an employee, may find it useful to point your manager towards this source of information.
Preferably when you have read it yourself!
Continue reading
We’re all faced with obstacles at work and sometimes just coming back after a holiday can feel challenging. However, when an employee is returning to work after mental ill health, the experience can be even more daunting.
Yes, this blog is aimed at employers but you, as an employee, may find it useful to point your manager towards this source of information.
Preferably when you have read it yourself!
Continue reading
Monday 19 November 2018
9 Ways to Rewire Your Brain for Creativity
a post by Deep Patel for enterpreneur.com [via World of Psychology’s Psychology Around the Net]
Creativity isn’t necessarily a characteristic you’re born with; it's a trait that can be honed through habit. With the right practice and persistence, you can rewire your brain to make the most of your inherent ability to generate original ideas.
The best way build your creative mind is through practice. Pick your favorite creative pursuits and do them regularly – daily if you can. The more you flex your creative muscle, the more your mind will naturally innovate. Research shows that creative practice reduces stress and improves problem-solving.
Continue reading
Creativity isn’t necessarily a characteristic you’re born with; it's a trait that can be honed through habit. With the right practice and persistence, you can rewire your brain to make the most of your inherent ability to generate original ideas.
The best way build your creative mind is through practice. Pick your favorite creative pursuits and do them regularly – daily if you can. The more you flex your creative muscle, the more your mind will naturally innovate. Research shows that creative practice reduces stress and improves problem-solving.
Continue reading
Welsh devolution as passive revolution
an article by Daniel John Evans (Cardiff University, UK) published in Capital & Class Volume 42 Issue 3 (October 2018)
Abstract
Welsh devolution has not been adequately theorised.
Following the narrow vote for Welsh devolution in 1997, many academics in Wales adopted a nakedly ‘celebratory’, uncritical view of devolution as a radical change to the British state, taking at face value the claim that it was designed to rejuvenate Welsh democracy.
The power relations inherent to the transformation of the British state are rarely discussed in Wales. As a consequence, the developments which have occurred in Wales since devolution – political disengagement, the rise of the far right, the vote for Brexit – seem hard to grasp: it is simply presumed that something has ‘gone wrong’ with the application of devolution. This dominant way of thinking assumes that devolution was designed to ‘work’.
Using Gramsci’s concept of passive revolution, this article argues that devolution to Wales (and Scotland) was a central plank of New Labour’s transformation of both the Labour Party and the British state.
Building on a reading of the post-war British state as a historic bloc, I draw attention to the power relations inherent in Welsh devolution and the ‘top down’ nature of the process, which was led by the Labour party in order to preserve its hegemony in Wales and the United Kingdom as a whole.
After outlining the political struggles and strategies of transformismo which occurred within the process of passive revolution, where hegemony is temporarily ‘thinned’, I contend that contemporary Wales represents a period of interregnum, where the old world (the traditional centralised British state) has died, but a new Welsh state cannot be born.
As Gramsci predicted, this has led to the emergence of a host of ‘morbid symptoms’ in Wales.
I conclude by reflecting on the nature of the interregnum and whether ‘restoration’ or ‘revolution’ is likely to triumph in Wales.
Abstract
Welsh devolution has not been adequately theorised.
Following the narrow vote for Welsh devolution in 1997, many academics in Wales adopted a nakedly ‘celebratory’, uncritical view of devolution as a radical change to the British state, taking at face value the claim that it was designed to rejuvenate Welsh democracy.
The power relations inherent to the transformation of the British state are rarely discussed in Wales. As a consequence, the developments which have occurred in Wales since devolution – political disengagement, the rise of the far right, the vote for Brexit – seem hard to grasp: it is simply presumed that something has ‘gone wrong’ with the application of devolution. This dominant way of thinking assumes that devolution was designed to ‘work’.
Using Gramsci’s concept of passive revolution, this article argues that devolution to Wales (and Scotland) was a central plank of New Labour’s transformation of both the Labour Party and the British state.
Building on a reading of the post-war British state as a historic bloc, I draw attention to the power relations inherent in Welsh devolution and the ‘top down’ nature of the process, which was led by the Labour party in order to preserve its hegemony in Wales and the United Kingdom as a whole.
After outlining the political struggles and strategies of transformismo which occurred within the process of passive revolution, where hegemony is temporarily ‘thinned’, I contend that contemporary Wales represents a period of interregnum, where the old world (the traditional centralised British state) has died, but a new Welsh state cannot be born.
As Gramsci predicted, this has led to the emergence of a host of ‘morbid symptoms’ in Wales.
I conclude by reflecting on the nature of the interregnum and whether ‘restoration’ or ‘revolution’ is likely to triumph in Wales.
Wait for it: how schizophrenia illuminates the nature of pleasure
a post by Ann M Kring for the Big Think blog
Pleasure is not just about experiencing an enjoyable moment. It also involves anticipation – a connection between one's present and future selves.
Schizophrenia is one of the most widely misunderstood of human maladies. The truth of the illness is far different from popular caricatures of a sufferer muttering incoherently or lashing out violently. People with schizophrenia are, in fact, not more likely to be violent than people without schizophrenia. About one per cent of the worldwide population has schizophrenia, affecting men and women, rich and poor, and people of all races and cultures. It can be treated with medication and psychosocial treatments, though the treatments don't work well for every person and for every symptom. Most of all, it impacts everything that makes us human: the way one thinks, the way one behaves, and the way one feels – particularly the ability to experience pleasure.
Three-quarters of people with schizophrenia suffer from anhedonia: the decreased pleasure from events or activities that were once enjoyed. Friends will no longer be fun to be around, and once-tasty meals can come to taste bland. (It is also a core symptom of depression.) [my highlight] From a clinical perspective, anhedonia is assessed via an interview with a mental-health professional in which a person is asked about pleasure and enjoyment in various life activities such as socialising, eating, working or participating in hobbies.
Continue reading
I have not been diagnosed with schizophrenia nor do I think I have schizoid tendencies but I can empathise with everything in this article about pleasure and anticipation. Standing in the Vatican looking at that marvellous painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling and thinking, “That’s nice”.
Pleasure is not just about experiencing an enjoyable moment. It also involves anticipation – a connection between one's present and future selves.
Schizophrenia is one of the most widely misunderstood of human maladies. The truth of the illness is far different from popular caricatures of a sufferer muttering incoherently or lashing out violently. People with schizophrenia are, in fact, not more likely to be violent than people without schizophrenia. About one per cent of the worldwide population has schizophrenia, affecting men and women, rich and poor, and people of all races and cultures. It can be treated with medication and psychosocial treatments, though the treatments don't work well for every person and for every symptom. Most of all, it impacts everything that makes us human: the way one thinks, the way one behaves, and the way one feels – particularly the ability to experience pleasure.
Three-quarters of people with schizophrenia suffer from anhedonia: the decreased pleasure from events or activities that were once enjoyed. Friends will no longer be fun to be around, and once-tasty meals can come to taste bland. (It is also a core symptom of depression.) [my highlight] From a clinical perspective, anhedonia is assessed via an interview with a mental-health professional in which a person is asked about pleasure and enjoyment in various life activities such as socialising, eating, working or participating in hobbies.
Continue reading
I have not been diagnosed with schizophrenia nor do I think I have schizoid tendencies but I can empathise with everything in this article about pleasure and anticipation. Standing in the Vatican looking at that marvellous painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling and thinking, “That’s nice”.
Automation and job displacement in emerging markets: New evidence
a column by Mitali Das for VOX: CEPR’s Policy Portal
Evidence that routinisation lies behind labour market polarisation has been documented for many developed economies, but less is known about its impact in emerging markets.
This column draws on national censuses and labour surveys for 160 countries between 1960 and 2015 to argue that although large-scale labour market dislocation is not imminent, emerging markets are becoming increasingly exposed to routinisation – and thus labour market polarisation – from the long-term effects of structural transformation and the onshoring of routine-intensive jobs.
Continue reading
Evidence that routinisation lies behind labour market polarisation has been documented for many developed economies, but less is known about its impact in emerging markets.
This column draws on national censuses and labour surveys for 160 countries between 1960 and 2015 to argue that although large-scale labour market dislocation is not imminent, emerging markets are becoming increasingly exposed to routinisation – and thus labour market polarisation – from the long-term effects of structural transformation and the onshoring of routine-intensive jobs.
Continue reading
A nation of persuadables: politics and campaigning in the age of data
a post by Josh Smith for the DEMOS blog
A few days ago, I found myself talking to a woman I had just met, running through a list of facts about her family.
The week before, Demos had been challenged by the BBC to find out as much as possible about a volunteer, using only public, online data, and starting solely from their email address and a protected Twitter handle. We weren’t allowed to spend any money, or put more than a few hours into the research. “She doesn’t think there’s much out there”, we were told. “See if you can surprise her.”
It was her mother’s history, gleaned from a public social media account, which first raised an eyebrow from our volunteer. We were able to guess, correctly, which MP she had voted for in the last three elections, and the way in which she had cast her referendum ballot. We walked through the causes she’d supported over the years, and the campaigns she felt most strongly about. The internet knew her current address, the house she had moved there from, and how much the latter had sold for. It knew the shape of her signature, and her husband’s.
This experiment does not replicate the ways in which political parties prepare for a campaign. Even the best funded groups are unlikely to have the resources to conduct their own, detailed searches on every voter. The tools for doing similar work at scale, however, already exist, and are being used in political campaigns.
Continue reading
Scary but that is the way life is today.
A few days ago, I found myself talking to a woman I had just met, running through a list of facts about her family.
The week before, Demos had been challenged by the BBC to find out as much as possible about a volunteer, using only public, online data, and starting solely from their email address and a protected Twitter handle. We weren’t allowed to spend any money, or put more than a few hours into the research. “She doesn’t think there’s much out there”, we were told. “See if you can surprise her.”
It was her mother’s history, gleaned from a public social media account, which first raised an eyebrow from our volunteer. We were able to guess, correctly, which MP she had voted for in the last three elections, and the way in which she had cast her referendum ballot. We walked through the causes she’d supported over the years, and the campaigns she felt most strongly about. The internet knew her current address, the house she had moved there from, and how much the latter had sold for. It knew the shape of her signature, and her husband’s.
This experiment does not replicate the ways in which political parties prepare for a campaign. Even the best funded groups are unlikely to have the resources to conduct their own, detailed searches on every voter. The tools for doing similar work at scale, however, already exist, and are being used in political campaigns.
Continue reading
Scary but that is the way life is today.
How Observing My Emotions Helps Me Let Go of Anger and Anxiety
a post by Jen Picicci for the Tiny Buddha blog
“Even when in the midst of disturbance, the stillness of the mind can offer sanctuary.”
~Stephen Richards
One night my four-year-old daughter woke up crying, startling both me and my husband from sleep. He rushed into her room and I came in shortly thereafter, and I immediately got annoyed with how he was handling the situation. I’ll admit this now: I can’t even remember what he did, but in that moment I knew I would have done it differently and it made me feel irritable and angry.
I left the room and went into the bathroom. While I sat there, I remembered something I’d heard to do in order to become a calmer, more mindful person: Observe myself and describe my emotions and what was going on in my body as if I was telling a doctor about medical symptoms.
Continue reading
My yoga teacher always tells us at the beginning of the session to acknowledge any thoughts that come and let them go. Calm comes from accepting that it is as it is. I can’t accept all the spiritual ideas that come with the yoga practice but that one is good.
“Even when in the midst of disturbance, the stillness of the mind can offer sanctuary.”
~Stephen Richards
One night my four-year-old daughter woke up crying, startling both me and my husband from sleep. He rushed into her room and I came in shortly thereafter, and I immediately got annoyed with how he was handling the situation. I’ll admit this now: I can’t even remember what he did, but in that moment I knew I would have done it differently and it made me feel irritable and angry.
I left the room and went into the bathroom. While I sat there, I remembered something I’d heard to do in order to become a calmer, more mindful person: Observe myself and describe my emotions and what was going on in my body as if I was telling a doctor about medical symptoms.
Continue reading
My yoga teacher always tells us at the beginning of the session to acknowledge any thoughts that come and let them go. Calm comes from accepting that it is as it is. I can’t accept all the spiritual ideas that come with the yoga practice but that one is good.
Sunday 18 November 2018
10 for today starts with the Beatles, has a tiger to tea, and ends with a sphinx head.
Alan Johnson on Revolver by the Beatles: "The greatest testament to an incredible phenomenon"
via New Statesman
THE BEATLES. PHOTO: GETTY
The album wasn’t a recognisable art form before the Beatles. If the British pop stars of the time, Cliff, Billy, Marty or Adam released an LP it was to earn extra royalties from their regurgitated singles. When, in February 1964, Cathy McGowan broke the news on Ready, Steady,Go! that the Beatles had reached No 1 in the US charts, her teenage audience knew that “I Want to Hold Your Hand” wasn’t destined to be reproduced as an album track. For UK followers, the Beatles could be relied upon to invariably provide only new music for the extra outlay required to buy an LP.
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What Is It Like to Be a Bee?
A philosophical and neurobiological look into the apian mind.
via Arts & Letters Daily: Natasha Frost in Atlas Obscura
A single pound of honey is the lifetime work for about 768 bees, made up of visits to two million flowers. USGS BEE INVENTORY AND MONITORING LAB/PUBLIC DOMAIN
You’re a honeybee. Despite being around 700,000 times smaller than the average human, you’ve got more of almost everything. Instead of four articulated limbs, you have six, each with six segments. (Your bee’s knees, sadly, don’t exist.) You’re exceptionally hairy. A shock of bristly setae covers your body and face to help you keep warm, collect pollen, and even detect movement. Your straw-like tongue stretches far beyond the end of your jaw, but has no taste buds on it. Instead, you “taste” with other, specialized hairs, called sensillae, that you use to sense the chemicals that brush against particular parts of your body.
Continue reading
==============================
How to Outsmart Your Brain's Inbuilt Xenophobia
via the Big Think blog by Derek Beres
Oxytocin is sometimes marketed as a wonder hormone. This “trust molecule,” which acts a neurotransmitter in your brain, plays a role in mother-child bonding and is implicated in helping promote empathy and generosity. It is especially popular in modern lore for its role in sex: the “love hormone” is stimulated when hugging, kissing, and copulating. It is also delivered via breast milk, hushing the aggravated infant in a flood of chemical bliss.
Continue reading
==============================
Judith Kerr: 'I'm still surprised at the success of The Tiger Who Came to Tea'
via the Guardian by Judith Kerr
Judith Kerr: ‘I’ve spent 94 years looking at things.’ Illustration: Alan Vest
Mine isn’t really a writing day, it is a drawing day and it varies according to the time of year. I can draw by artificial light, but I can’t colour or paint by it, so I always hope to finish a book before the clocks go back. In the summer it is wonderful, I can work until 9pm if I want to, but in the winter I try to get on with it in the morning. The summers are very carefree because I can go out for a walk during the day, knowing I can work the rest of the day.
I need to walk in order to think about work. I feel lucky to be alive at this time: I’ve had two cataract operations so my sight is fine and I’ve got a new hip so I can walk. I live in Barnes, west London, so I walk along the river or to the duck pond or into the village. At the moment, I walk after dark so as not to waste the light. I like it too: everything looks good in the dark. The other day I got to the end of a book, which I’d worked particularly hard on, I’d only had one day off in the last month, and though it’s always nice to finish something, this time I felt strangely triumphant. So I went out for a walk at about eight in the evening and suddenly there were fireworks going off all around me. I hadn’t realised it was Guy Fawkes night. All these fireworks were going off and the church bells started to ring. I thought: this is very kind, but it’s only a little picture book. It was such a happy thing.
Continue reading
==============================
A Short Analysis of Robert Browning’s ‘Home-Thoughts, from Abroad’
via Interesting Literature
A reading of a classic poem about England
‘Oh, to be in England’: the opening line of Robert Browning’s poem praising England while abroad has become more famous than the poem’s actual title, ‘Home-Thoughts, from Abroad’. Before we proceed to an analysis of the poem’s language and meaning, here’s a reminder of it.
Continue reading
==============================
Building a scale model of our solar system in the desert is an eye-opening exercise
via Boing Boing by Mark Frauenfelder
You are no doubt aware that models of our solar system are not to scale. These guys went to Black Rock Desert to create a scale model of our solar system, starting with an Earth the size of a marble. This required seven miles of empty desert to add the other planets (not including Pluto). There's an awful lot of space between these little spheres.
Continue reading (and watch)
==============================
Moose May Be the Real Canaries in the Coal Mine
via the Big Think blog by Robby Berman
Isle Royale is an 893 square mile island in the northwest corner of Lake Superior, about a four-hour boat ride from Houghton, Michigan on the Keweenaw Peninsula. It’s a pretty rustic place with little development, and as such makes a fascinating isolated ecosystem for the study of the few species that live there, most significantly 1,600 moose and one or two wolves, interrupted only sometimes by visiting scientists or nature lovers.
Continue reading
==============================
Crooner, inspiration, father I never had: Gregory Porter on his hero Nat King Cole
via the Guardian by Gregory Porter
King of cool … Nat King Cole in 1951. Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
When I was five or six, I wrote a love song: “Once upon a time I had a dreamboat / Once upon a time I had a love / Once upon a time I had a dreamboat / And upon that boat I found my love.” I sang it in a crooner style into a tape recorder and played it to my mother. “Boy, you sound like Nat King Cole,” she said. I remember thinking: what a strange name. I must have been old enough to spell out at least N-A-T.
I went to her record collection and, among the Mahalia Jackson and Ella discs, there were five or six by Nat. I put one on, looked at this very sharply dressed, elegant man on the album covers, and out of the speakers came the warm, nurturing sound of his extraordinary voice.
Continue reading
==============================
10 of the Best Poems about Hair
via Interesting Literature
Classic poems about long flowing locks and keepsakes
Lady Lilith by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, via Wikimedia Commons.
Poets and hair: now that would make for an interesting literary study. There’s Lord Byron, of course, who, when he received requests from admiring young women for a lock of his hair, would send them some hair snipped from his dog. But many poets (Byron included) have written poems in praise of hair, or about the beauty of hair. Here are ten of the best poems on a hairy theme.
Continue reading
==============================
Sphinx head discovered in California desert
via Boing Boing by David Pescovitz
Archaeologists digging in the sand dunes of Santa Barbara County, California discovered a 300-pound sphinx head. Notably, the artifact does not date back to ancient times but is only 95-years-old. The sphinx is actually a prop from pioneering filmmaker Cecile DeMille's 1923 movie The Ten Commandments. It was part of the so-called "Lost City of DeMille," a massive Egyptian set made for the movie.
Continue reading
via New Statesman
THE BEATLES. PHOTO: GETTY
The album wasn’t a recognisable art form before the Beatles. If the British pop stars of the time, Cliff, Billy, Marty or Adam released an LP it was to earn extra royalties from their regurgitated singles. When, in February 1964, Cathy McGowan broke the news on Ready, Steady,Go! that the Beatles had reached No 1 in the US charts, her teenage audience knew that “I Want to Hold Your Hand” wasn’t destined to be reproduced as an album track. For UK followers, the Beatles could be relied upon to invariably provide only new music for the extra outlay required to buy an LP.
Continue reading
What Is It Like to Be a Bee?
A philosophical and neurobiological look into the apian mind.
via Arts & Letters Daily: Natasha Frost in Atlas Obscura
A single pound of honey is the lifetime work for about 768 bees, made up of visits to two million flowers. USGS BEE INVENTORY AND MONITORING LAB/PUBLIC DOMAIN
You’re a honeybee. Despite being around 700,000 times smaller than the average human, you’ve got more of almost everything. Instead of four articulated limbs, you have six, each with six segments. (Your bee’s knees, sadly, don’t exist.) You’re exceptionally hairy. A shock of bristly setae covers your body and face to help you keep warm, collect pollen, and even detect movement. Your straw-like tongue stretches far beyond the end of your jaw, but has no taste buds on it. Instead, you “taste” with other, specialized hairs, called sensillae, that you use to sense the chemicals that brush against particular parts of your body.
Continue reading
==============================
via the Big Think blog by Derek Beres
Oxytocin is sometimes marketed as a wonder hormone. This “trust molecule,” which acts a neurotransmitter in your brain, plays a role in mother-child bonding and is implicated in helping promote empathy and generosity. It is especially popular in modern lore for its role in sex: the “love hormone” is stimulated when hugging, kissing, and copulating. It is also delivered via breast milk, hushing the aggravated infant in a flood of chemical bliss.
Continue reading
==============================
via the Guardian by Judith Kerr
Judith Kerr: ‘I’ve spent 94 years looking at things.’ Illustration: Alan Vest
Mine isn’t really a writing day, it is a drawing day and it varies according to the time of year. I can draw by artificial light, but I can’t colour or paint by it, so I always hope to finish a book before the clocks go back. In the summer it is wonderful, I can work until 9pm if I want to, but in the winter I try to get on with it in the morning. The summers are very carefree because I can go out for a walk during the day, knowing I can work the rest of the day.
I need to walk in order to think about work. I feel lucky to be alive at this time: I’ve had two cataract operations so my sight is fine and I’ve got a new hip so I can walk. I live in Barnes, west London, so I walk along the river or to the duck pond or into the village. At the moment, I walk after dark so as not to waste the light. I like it too: everything looks good in the dark. The other day I got to the end of a book, which I’d worked particularly hard on, I’d only had one day off in the last month, and though it’s always nice to finish something, this time I felt strangely triumphant. So I went out for a walk at about eight in the evening and suddenly there were fireworks going off all around me. I hadn’t realised it was Guy Fawkes night. All these fireworks were going off and the church bells started to ring. I thought: this is very kind, but it’s only a little picture book. It was such a happy thing.
Continue reading
==============================
via Interesting Literature
A reading of a classic poem about England
‘Oh, to be in England’: the opening line of Robert Browning’s poem praising England while abroad has become more famous than the poem’s actual title, ‘Home-Thoughts, from Abroad’. Before we proceed to an analysis of the poem’s language and meaning, here’s a reminder of it.
Continue reading
==============================
via Boing Boing by Mark Frauenfelder
You are no doubt aware that models of our solar system are not to scale. These guys went to Black Rock Desert to create a scale model of our solar system, starting with an Earth the size of a marble. This required seven miles of empty desert to add the other planets (not including Pluto). There's an awful lot of space between these little spheres.Continue reading (and watch)
==============================
via the Big Think blog by Robby Berman
Isle Royale is an 893 square mile island in the northwest corner of Lake Superior, about a four-hour boat ride from Houghton, Michigan on the Keweenaw Peninsula. It’s a pretty rustic place with little development, and as such makes a fascinating isolated ecosystem for the study of the few species that live there, most significantly 1,600 moose and one or two wolves, interrupted only sometimes by visiting scientists or nature lovers.
Continue reading
==============================
via the Guardian by Gregory Porter
King of cool … Nat King Cole in 1951. Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
When I was five or six, I wrote a love song: “Once upon a time I had a dreamboat / Once upon a time I had a love / Once upon a time I had a dreamboat / And upon that boat I found my love.” I sang it in a crooner style into a tape recorder and played it to my mother. “Boy, you sound like Nat King Cole,” she said. I remember thinking: what a strange name. I must have been old enough to spell out at least N-A-T.
I went to her record collection and, among the Mahalia Jackson and Ella discs, there were five or six by Nat. I put one on, looked at this very sharply dressed, elegant man on the album covers, and out of the speakers came the warm, nurturing sound of his extraordinary voice.
Continue reading
==============================
via Interesting Literature
Classic poems about long flowing locks and keepsakes
Lady Lilith by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, via Wikimedia Commons.
Poets and hair: now that would make for an interesting literary study. There’s Lord Byron, of course, who, when he received requests from admiring young women for a lock of his hair, would send them some hair snipped from his dog. But many poets (Byron included) have written poems in praise of hair, or about the beauty of hair. Here are ten of the best poems on a hairy theme.
Continue reading
==============================
via Boing Boing by David Pescovitz
Archaeologists digging in the sand dunes of Santa Barbara County, California discovered a 300-pound sphinx head. Notably, the artifact does not date back to ancient times but is only 95-years-old. The sphinx is actually a prop from pioneering filmmaker Cecile DeMille's 1923 movie The Ten Commandments. It was part of the so-called "Lost City of DeMille," a massive Egyptian set made for the movie.
Continue reading
Friday 16 November 2018
The dark side of news community forums: opinion manipulation trolls
an article by Todor Mihaylov (Heidelberg University, Germany), Tsvetomila Mihaylova (Instituto de Telecomunicações, Lisboa, Portugal), Preslav Nakov and Lluís Màrquez (Hamad bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar), Georgi D. Georgiev (Ontotext AD, Sofia, Bulgaria) and Ivan Kolev Koychev (University of Sofia “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Bulgaria) published in Internet Research Volume 28 Issue 5 (2018)
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the dark side of news community forums: the proliferation of opinion manipulation trolls. In particular, it explores the idea that a user who is called a troll by several people is likely to be one. It further demonstrates the utility of this idea for detecting accused and paid opinion manipulation trolls and their comments as well as for predicting the credibility of comments in news community forums.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors are aiming to build a classifier to distinguish trolls vs regular users. Unfortunately, it is not easy to get reliable training data. The authors solve this issue pragmatically: the authors assume that a user who is called a troll by several people is likely to be such, which are called accused trolls. Based on this assumption and on leaked reports about actual paid opinion manipulation trolls, the authors build a classifier to distinguish trolls vs regular users.
Findings
The authors compare the profiles of paid trolls vs accused trolls vs non-trolls, and show that a classifier trained to distinguish accused trolls from non-trolls does quite well also at telling apart paid trolls from non-trolls.
Research limitations/implications
The troll detection works even for users with about 10 comments, but it achieves the best performance for users with a sizable number of comments in the forum, e.g. 100 or more. Yet, there is not such a limitation for troll comment detection.
Practical implications
The approach would help forum moderators in their work, by pointing them to the most suspicious users and comments. It would be also useful to investigative journalists who want to find paid opinion manipulation trolls.
Social implications
The authors can offer a better experience to online users by filtering out opinion manipulation trolls and their comments.
Originality/value
The authors propose a novel approach for finding paid opinion manipulation trolls and their posts.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the dark side of news community forums: the proliferation of opinion manipulation trolls. In particular, it explores the idea that a user who is called a troll by several people is likely to be one. It further demonstrates the utility of this idea for detecting accused and paid opinion manipulation trolls and their comments as well as for predicting the credibility of comments in news community forums.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors are aiming to build a classifier to distinguish trolls vs regular users. Unfortunately, it is not easy to get reliable training data. The authors solve this issue pragmatically: the authors assume that a user who is called a troll by several people is likely to be such, which are called accused trolls. Based on this assumption and on leaked reports about actual paid opinion manipulation trolls, the authors build a classifier to distinguish trolls vs regular users.
Findings
The authors compare the profiles of paid trolls vs accused trolls vs non-trolls, and show that a classifier trained to distinguish accused trolls from non-trolls does quite well also at telling apart paid trolls from non-trolls.
Research limitations/implications
The troll detection works even for users with about 10 comments, but it achieves the best performance for users with a sizable number of comments in the forum, e.g. 100 or more. Yet, there is not such a limitation for troll comment detection.
Practical implications
The approach would help forum moderators in their work, by pointing them to the most suspicious users and comments. It would be also useful to investigative journalists who want to find paid opinion manipulation trolls.
Social implications
The authors can offer a better experience to online users by filtering out opinion manipulation trolls and their comments.
Originality/value
The authors propose a novel approach for finding paid opinion manipulation trolls and their posts.
The mediation effect of political interest on the connection between social trust and wellbeing among older adults
an article by Giovanni Piumatti (University of Oxford, UK) and Deniele Magistro, Massimiliano Zecca and Dale W. Esliger (Loughborough University, UK) published in Ageing & Society Volume 38 Issue 11 (November 2018)
Abstract
Previous research has established significant positive associations between social trust and well-being among older adults. This study aimed to obtain a deeper understanding of the relationship between different sources of social trust and well-being by examining the mediational role of political interest.
A sample of 4,406 Italian residents aged 65 years and over was extracted from a national cross-sectional survey during 2013 in Italy, representative of the non-institutionalised population. Measures included trust in people, trust in institutions, political interest, life satisfaction and self-perceived health.
Mediation path analysis and structural equation modelling were used to test the mediation effects of political interest on the relationship between trust in people and trust in institutions with life satisfaction and self-perceived health. Associations between trust in people, life satisfaction and self-perceived health, and between trust in institutions and life satisfaction were partially mediated by political interest, while the association between trust in institutions and self-perceived health was fully mediated by political interest.
Having high levels of political interest may thus enhance the relationship between social trust and well-being among older adults. These results suggest that interventions to enhance well-being in older adults may benefit from examining individuals’ levels of political interest.
Abstract
Previous research has established significant positive associations between social trust and well-being among older adults. This study aimed to obtain a deeper understanding of the relationship between different sources of social trust and well-being by examining the mediational role of political interest.
A sample of 4,406 Italian residents aged 65 years and over was extracted from a national cross-sectional survey during 2013 in Italy, representative of the non-institutionalised population. Measures included trust in people, trust in institutions, political interest, life satisfaction and self-perceived health.
Mediation path analysis and structural equation modelling were used to test the mediation effects of political interest on the relationship between trust in people and trust in institutions with life satisfaction and self-perceived health. Associations between trust in people, life satisfaction and self-perceived health, and between trust in institutions and life satisfaction were partially mediated by political interest, while the association between trust in institutions and self-perceived health was fully mediated by political interest.
Having high levels of political interest may thus enhance the relationship between social trust and well-being among older adults. These results suggest that interventions to enhance well-being in older adults may benefit from examining individuals’ levels of political interest.
Moving Through Grief: I'm Strong Because I Feel It All
a post by Megan Seamans for the Tiny Buddha blog
It’s been almost six months now. Half of a year without my brother and the grief still visits. I’m pretty sure grief doesn’t actually go away, it just gets further and further apart.
People continue to ask me how I am so “strong” through all of this, mistaking my happy moments as the full picture.
I continue to tell them strength comes because I feel it all.
The story in itself is my therapy, my chance to relive the amazing memories, my chance to show you the waves of grief I ride.
The last thing I told my conscious brother was, “But I believe in miracles, I really do.”
To be fair, the last thing I really told him was a travel story about me using a squatty-potty in Thailand, in hopes that humor would bring him back to responsiveness.
Continue reading
“Grief is the last act of love we have to give to those we loved. Where there is deep grief,
there was great love.” ~Unknown
there was great love.” ~Unknown
It’s been almost six months now. Half of a year without my brother and the grief still visits. I’m pretty sure grief doesn’t actually go away, it just gets further and further apart.
People continue to ask me how I am so “strong” through all of this, mistaking my happy moments as the full picture.
I continue to tell them strength comes because I feel it all.
The story in itself is my therapy, my chance to relive the amazing memories, my chance to show you the waves of grief I ride.
The last thing I told my conscious brother was, “But I believe in miracles, I really do.”
To be fair, the last thing I really told him was a travel story about me using a squatty-potty in Thailand, in hopes that humor would bring him back to responsiveness.
Continue reading
The social–political challenges behind the wish to die in older people who consider their lives to be completed and no longer worth living
an article by Els van Wijngaarden, Anne Goossensen and Carlo Leget (University of Humanistic Studies, The Netherlands) published in Journal of European Social Policy Volume 28 Issue 4 (October 2018)
Abstract
In the Netherlands, physician-assisted dying has been legalized since 2002.
Currently, an increasing number of Dutch citizens are in favour of a more relaxed interpretation of the law. Based on an ethos of self-determination and autonomy, there is a strong political lobby for the legal right to assisted dying when life is considered to be completed and no longer worth living.
Building on previous empirical research, this article provides a critical ethical reflection upon this social issue.
In the first part, we discuss the following question: what is the lived experience of older people who consider their lives to be completed and no longer worth living? We describe the reported loss of a sense of autonomy, dignity and independence in the lives of these older people.
In the second part, from an ethics of care stance, we analyse the emerging social and political challenges behind the wish to die. Empirically grounded, the authors argue that the debate on ‘completed life in old age’ should primarily focus not on the question of whether or not to legitimize a self-directed death but on how to build an inclusive society where people may feel less unneeded, useless and marginalized.
Full text (PDF 11pp)
Abstract
In the Netherlands, physician-assisted dying has been legalized since 2002.
Currently, an increasing number of Dutch citizens are in favour of a more relaxed interpretation of the law. Based on an ethos of self-determination and autonomy, there is a strong political lobby for the legal right to assisted dying when life is considered to be completed and no longer worth living.
Building on previous empirical research, this article provides a critical ethical reflection upon this social issue.
In the first part, we discuss the following question: what is the lived experience of older people who consider their lives to be completed and no longer worth living? We describe the reported loss of a sense of autonomy, dignity and independence in the lives of these older people.
In the second part, from an ethics of care stance, we analyse the emerging social and political challenges behind the wish to die. Empirically grounded, the authors argue that the debate on ‘completed life in old age’ should primarily focus not on the question of whether or not to legitimize a self-directed death but on how to build an inclusive society where people may feel less unneeded, useless and marginalized.
Full text (PDF 11pp)
Is Junk Food Addictive?
a post by Janet Singer for the World of Psychology blog
You’re in withdrawal, experiencing everything from mood swings and anxiety to headaches and insomnia. Perhaps you’ve quit smoking or stopped your regular marijuana usage. Or maybe, just maybe, you’ve cut back on those greasy fries, burgers, and other highly processed food.
A study published in the September 2018 issue of Appetite reported that people who reduced their consumption of highly processed foods experienced some of the same physical and psychological symptoms as those withdrawing from cigarettes or marijuana usage. While studies in mice have shown that reducing junk food can trigger withdrawal symptoms, lead study author Erica Schulte stated that this recent experiment offers the first evidence that these withdrawal-like symptoms can occur in people when they cut down on highly processed foods.
Based on self-reporting, the participants’ withdrawal symptoms were most intense between the second and fifth days after attempting to reduce junk-food consumption. It’s interesting to note that this is the same time span typically experienced during drug withdrawal.
Continue reading
You’re in withdrawal, experiencing everything from mood swings and anxiety to headaches and insomnia. Perhaps you’ve quit smoking or stopped your regular marijuana usage. Or maybe, just maybe, you’ve cut back on those greasy fries, burgers, and other highly processed food.
A study published in the September 2018 issue of Appetite reported that people who reduced their consumption of highly processed foods experienced some of the same physical and psychological symptoms as those withdrawing from cigarettes or marijuana usage. While studies in mice have shown that reducing junk food can trigger withdrawal symptoms, lead study author Erica Schulte stated that this recent experiment offers the first evidence that these withdrawal-like symptoms can occur in people when they cut down on highly processed foods.
Based on self-reporting, the participants’ withdrawal symptoms were most intense between the second and fifth days after attempting to reduce junk-food consumption. It’s interesting to note that this is the same time span typically experienced during drug withdrawal.
Continue reading
Thursday 15 November 2018
How to Feel More in Control When Life Gets Overwhelming
a post by Gianna Cifredo for the Tiny Buddha blog
I’m in the middle of a career transition and it hasn’t been easy. For the first few months after quitting my job—a job which I thought should have been perfect, where I thought I would stay for years—I was paralyzed into inaction regarding anything career-related. I had lost confidence in my own judgment; after all, I had thought that job would be the one and it wasn’t, so did I even really know what I wanted?
This kind of self-doubt makes me second-guess myself to the extreme—my goals, my desires, and even the validity of my feelings. This often means I start doing something, question what I’m doing and how I’m doing it, feel stressed and overwhelmed, and then end up doing nothing.
I’m still in this transition, but where once the self-doubt and overwhelm paralyzed me every day, I’m now taking back control and beginning to shape my life how I want it.
Continue reading
“When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.” ~Confucius
I’m in the middle of a career transition and it hasn’t been easy. For the first few months after quitting my job—a job which I thought should have been perfect, where I thought I would stay for years—I was paralyzed into inaction regarding anything career-related. I had lost confidence in my own judgment; after all, I had thought that job would be the one and it wasn’t, so did I even really know what I wanted?
This kind of self-doubt makes me second-guess myself to the extreme—my goals, my desires, and even the validity of my feelings. This often means I start doing something, question what I’m doing and how I’m doing it, feel stressed and overwhelmed, and then end up doing nothing.
I’m still in this transition, but where once the self-doubt and overwhelm paralyzed me every day, I’m now taking back control and beginning to shape my life how I want it.
Continue reading
Gendered places: Place, performativity and flânerie in the City of London
an article by Louise Nash (University of Essex, Colchester, UK) pubslihed in Gender, Work & Organization Volume 25 Issue 6 (November 2018)
Abstract
This article is concerned with the relationship between gender performativity and organizational place, taking the City of London as the focus for the empirical research, and extending a Lefebvrian understanding of space through the practice of flânerie.
The article explores how the City is imagined, constructed and experienced in and through gender performativity.
This is explored with reference to fieldwork including photographic and interview data, as well as through an embodied, immersive methodology based on the observational tradition of flânerie, showing how this can help to both sense and make sense of organizational place, particularly in terms of how such places can compel feelings of belonging or non‐belonging.
The research looks beyond the spatial configuration of a single organization to encompass the wider geographical location of multiple organizations, in this case the City.
The analysis highlights the interplay between two dominant forms of masculinity, emphasizing how the setting both reflects and affects this interplay. In this way the article contributes to scholarship on organizational place and the placing of gender performativity, and extends Lefebvre's theories of space as socially produced by (re)producing the City through peripatetic practice based on the tradition of the flậneur.
Abstract
This article is concerned with the relationship between gender performativity and organizational place, taking the City of London as the focus for the empirical research, and extending a Lefebvrian understanding of space through the practice of flânerie.
The article explores how the City is imagined, constructed and experienced in and through gender performativity.
This is explored with reference to fieldwork including photographic and interview data, as well as through an embodied, immersive methodology based on the observational tradition of flânerie, showing how this can help to both sense and make sense of organizational place, particularly in terms of how such places can compel feelings of belonging or non‐belonging.
The research looks beyond the spatial configuration of a single organization to encompass the wider geographical location of multiple organizations, in this case the City.
The analysis highlights the interplay between two dominant forms of masculinity, emphasizing how the setting both reflects and affects this interplay. In this way the article contributes to scholarship on organizational place and the placing of gender performativity, and extends Lefebvre's theories of space as socially produced by (re)producing the City through peripatetic practice based on the tradition of the flậneur.
Overcoming age barriers: motivation for mature adults’ engagement in education
an article by Francesco Marcaletti (Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain), Tatiana Iñiguez Berrozpe (Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain) and Kleio Koutra (TEI of Crete, Heraklion, Greece) published in International Journal of Lifelong Education Volume 37 Issue 4 (2018)
Abstract
Education is the main vehicle for empowering adults, and can contribute to community wellbeing. However, regarding mature adults (MAs) (over 45 years old), age has been identified in various studies as a significant barrier to accessing educational activities.
This paper focuses on MAs’ motivations to learn through an exploratory survey undertaken in six European countries.
A K-means cluster analysis based on 16 variables has been run on n = 846 valid cases. Four clusters describing distinctive behaviours and attitudes of MAs towards learning activities were identified. The study confirms that MAs’ motivations to learn are very diverse, overcoming some of the so-called myths of global aging, such as the homogeneity of MAs or the correlation between age and a decline in motivation to learn.
Furthermore, analysing the main motivations of MA learners can be useful for adapting education to cater to their specific needs, boosting a more inclusive education, and promoting MAs’ empowerment.
Abstract
Education is the main vehicle for empowering adults, and can contribute to community wellbeing. However, regarding mature adults (MAs) (over 45 years old), age has been identified in various studies as a significant barrier to accessing educational activities.
This paper focuses on MAs’ motivations to learn through an exploratory survey undertaken in six European countries.
A K-means cluster analysis based on 16 variables has been run on n = 846 valid cases. Four clusters describing distinctive behaviours and attitudes of MAs towards learning activities were identified. The study confirms that MAs’ motivations to learn are very diverse, overcoming some of the so-called myths of global aging, such as the homogeneity of MAs or the correlation between age and a decline in motivation to learn.
Furthermore, analysing the main motivations of MA learners can be useful for adapting education to cater to their specific needs, boosting a more inclusive education, and promoting MAs’ empowerment.
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