Like a curate's egg, they say, meaning good in parts, is how to describe the UK budget, which has to be given high marks for reducing some taxes and not increasing any of the main ones, although continuing with the Air Passenger Duty is a triumph of Treasury arithmetic over economic good sense – they just don't dare to believe that scrapping it will generate far more than is lost in terms of income from tourism. Or perhaps the house rules don't allow speculative accounting: I can easily believe that without the GBP8bn the books just won't balance. This is an election budget, in case you hadn't noticed: it's two years away, but it is already casting a long shadow over British politics. That's the reason for the worst feature of the budget, which is the insane plan to prop up the housing market with loan guarantees. It's scarcely credible that when they haven't even finished cleaning up the mess from the debt crisis, they are eagerly going about creating the next destructive housing market bubble. It's like the first injection of morphine: you can always come off it afterwards, you tell yourself, and it's wonderful without the pain. But any watching doctor knows that it's the beginning of the end.
Curate's egg applies also to the other main budget this week, the one in Canada. Business welcomed it, as did most individual taxpayers; and the economic good sense of this government will deliver a budget surplus within two years. But I don't like all this harping on about "fairness", and the constant tightening of the screw in terms of tax evasion. Are people more evasive or businesses more manipulative than they were yesterday? The answer coming from the tax authority will be "Yes!" but that's not what's going on – it's that every revenue agency always wants more, and perceives new loopholes to close all the time. They were there before, but unnoticed. The consequence is a creeping criminalization of the populace and growing complexity of the tax code. Everyone remarks about this in the USA, but it's true of all the main advanced economies. "Major new powers of oversight and information collection," harrumphs the Finance Minister. Major new chapters of dense verbiage I think to myself. And major lip-smacking on the part of tax advisers. And publishers. Think I'll ask for a rise!
The world of tax throws up all kinds of improbabilities. Whenever I see some inexplicable piece of economic behaviour, I think to myself, never mind "Cherchez la femme," just "Cherchez l'impot," and you'll understand. So no prizes for guessing why a law firm from a small island in the Caribbean went to a patch of desert in the Arabian Gulf to organize financing for an oil refinery outside Cairo. That's the BVI and Dubai, of course. The future of "offshore" lies with corporate transactions, it has been obvious for a while: this week the last of the UK's offshore dependencies, Jersey, threw in the towel and along with Guernsey and the Isle of Man will sign mini-FATCA IGAs with the UK as well as with the IRS. All three of those places are pretty much finished as tax havens for individuals, and they don't care: they want fund managers, insurance companies, corporate IP holding companies, SPV flotations on AIM and the like. It will be interesting to see how the "fairness" merchants set about trying to stop them. Perhaps they won't even try, for all their public rhetoric?
What is going on in the Turks and Caicos islands? In the spat between the islands' elected Prime Minister and the UK's Foreign Office, the islands seem to be getting it all wrong. Battered by a fall in tourism, their main meal-ticket, and hamstrung by bureaucracy, and as it turned out, corruption, the islands were in a mess in 2009 when the UK took over and tried to clean things up. Far from being grateful, the new administration is behaving like a surly child, and you have to wonder whether the UK has really extirpated the culture that brought the islands to their knees in the first place. As William Hague says, the TCI is welcome to become independent; but that is impossible, given that they are heavily in debt and not yet recovered from the tourist downturn, although visitor figures have begun to climb back. Grow up! is my advice.
Here's another tax authority boss showing where his priorities lie, and demonstrating his belief that all businesspeople are criminals: " . . . does not regard it as legitimate for international businesses to be left alone to adopt very aggressive structures." It could have been in any one of a number of English-speaking countries, not that they have any monopoly of anti-business sentiment, but in this case it was in Australia. The tax authority is presumably a-political, but the country's socialist government will no doubt be very happy to hear this gentleman's remarks. For a tax collector "aggressive" simply means "tending to reduce the tax payable in my bailiwick." One after another, these people miss the point, which is that any company has a duty towards its shareholders to minimize costs, and tax is a cost. If the person in question doesn't think that the MNCs are breaking the law, and indeed he does not claim that they are, then he should concentrate on trying to create a business-friendly tax system and stop peddling such inimical tripe.
Poor old Cyprus. There is plenty about the crisis earlier on in this week's issue, and by the time you read this they will all presumably have worked out a solution, so I won't go on about the actual deal any further. Inevitably it will lessen the island's attractiveness as a business destination, if only for a while. Cyprus will recover; but the point I want to draw out of this affair is that the EU-wide despositors' guarantee creates a gigantic mountain of moral hazard, both for banks and for depositors, and therefore it increases risk and reduces competition, which is the opposite of what any government should want to achieve. Of course I am not against deposit insurance, but it should be provided against assets that are sufficient to cover 100% of any likely level of claims, which if you think about it is the case with any normal, private insurance company. It was completely wrong of the EU to say at a stroke that all deposits under EUR100,000 were covered. Covered by whom? Covered by what? Not by the banks, who were not required to pay into an asset pool, but were let off the hook by a bland statement that individual countries would "stand behind the guarantee." Suppose that Cyprus had accepted the haircut as originally proposed, being 7% or so of insured deposits, which equals about half of the EUR5.8bn that was to be provided. That EUR3bn or so is insured, right? So the government, which hasn't got any money, has to pay it back to the people it has just robbed. Ah, no, says the government, we are going to give you shares in that oil and gas instead. What a joke! What kind of insurance is that?
Methodology: each week (this is the 45th) three countries are given encomiums and three are given execrations. Those are the entries below with descriptive links. In the following week, each encomium counts as + 1 for that country, and each execration counts as – 1, being added to that country's existing score. Over time, therefore, a ranking will build up for each country, and further countries will join the listing. Germany has a neutral ranking, since in the second week it had an execration and in the first week it had an encomium, leaving it at neutral; then it had an execration in week four, thus dropping to – 1, and another one in week six, dropping to – 2; finally in week 13 it got something right, so it went back up to – 1; then in week 16 it gained a further star, so then it was in neutral territory until week 23 when it dropped back to minus one, but reverting to neutral territory in the following week..


These Baileys Chocolate Caramel Tarts are outrageously good! With their buttery tart shells, Baileys salted caramel filling, and glossy chocolate topping, these mini tarts are delicious, gorgeous, and great for St. Patrick's Day–or any time of year!
I love every recipe I share here with you, but I am especially excited to share these gorgeous mini tarts today. They're made with Baileys Irish Cream, so you can call off the hunt for the perfect St. Patrick's Day dessert now.
But there's no law that says we can only enjoy Baileys one holiday a year (thank goodness!), so I'm sharing these with you in the hopes that they become your new favorite go-to when you need a sorta fancy, but also really easy, tart recipe.
Gold leaf (if you're fancy!) or store-bought chocolate truffles, or both!
Let's break these tarts down. They start with my tried-and-true tart dough. It's the BEST because it's super crisp and buttery, easy to make in the food processor, and requires no fiddly rolling and chilling before pressing it into the pan.
Basically, it's the little black dress of tart doughs, and I love any excuse to make up a batch!
This tart dough is wonderful with these chocolate/caramel flavors, but it also works beautifully with fruit, like in these Persimmon Almond Rosette Tarts, and this Candied Kumquat Tart.
If you want a chocolate tart dough variation, check out these Dulce de Leche Swirled Tarts, or these Matcha Chocolate Tarts.
The first layer of filling is a salted caramel made with Baileys Irish Cream liqueur. Caramel may seem intimidating, but for these tarts, we're taking the cheater's route and using store-bought caramels. I know. But I was thinking of you!
The tart already has 3 components, so I wanted to simplify the recipe a bit. Plus, the addition of Baileys makes the caramel really flavorful, and more than makes up for the usual mediocre taste of wimpy store-bought caramels.
The top layer is a silky-smooth chocolate ganache made with equal parts Baileys and cream. The Baileys flavor is a little more subtle in this layer, just a light note in the background of the dark chocolate ganache.
I love all the textures in these tarts. The shells are crisp and buttery, the caramel is soft but not runny, and the chocolate has a similarly luscious, in-between texture: substantial enough to hold its shape when you cut into it, but soft enough so that it starts melting as soon as it hits your mouth.
B) this recipe is ABSOLUTELY for you. I didn't find the final flavor to be overwhelmingly alcoholic, at all, but if you're not into it, you can swap heavy cream for some (or all!) of the Irish Cream, and it will work out just as well.
This recipe comes together easily, so you'll have a little time to finish these tarts and really make them pop. You have a lot of finishing options!
Gold leaf — if these are for a special occasion! It's edible, easy to apply, and did I mention the BLING?
Round chocolate truffles – I used caramel Lindt truffles and they were gorgeous and so fast and simple!
A drizzle of caramel sauce. Caramel on your caramel? Yes please!
Listen–I will be the first to tell you the gold leaf is NOT necessary, so don't be intimidated by these pictures.
However, it IS a really fun touch for a dessert inspired by St. Patrick's Day! If you have some, try adding a few flecks to the top of your chocolate tart and bask in the beauty.
These Baileys Chocolate Caramel Tarts are outrageously good! With their crispy and buttery tart shell, Baileys Irish Cream salted caramel filling, and glossy chocolate topping, they are delicious and absolutely gorgeous.
This recipe yields 7 mini tarts, but they're very decadent and many people would find half of a tart to be a satisfying dessert. So depending on your audience, this can either feed up to 14 people or 7 very happy people!
Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse briefly until everything is well-blended.
Add the cold cubed butter and pulse until it is in small pea-sized pieces.
Add the egg yolks and pulse in long 5-second bursts until the dough starts clumping together.
Turn the dough out of the food processor and knead it lightly several times to incorporate any extra flour. At this point, the dough can be wrapped and refrigerated for several days. If you're ready to use it now, spray seven 4-inch tart shells (with removable bottoms) with nonstick cooking spray.
Press the dough in an even layer into the bottom and sides of each pan. Place the shells on a baking sheet and freeze them for 30 minutes. While they're in the freezer, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Spray the tops of the tart dough with nonstick spray, then press a square of foil onto the shells, shiny side down, and fill the foil with dry beans, rice, or pie weights.
Bake the tart shells for 15-18 minutes, until the sides start to take on a little color and the centers no longer looks raw, then carefully remove the foil and weights. Bake for an additional 7 minutes, until the shells turn golden brown. Let them cool completely before filling.
Unwrap the caramels and place them in a large microwave-safe bowl. Add the Baileys and salt. Microwave the caramels in 30-second increments, stirring after every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth.
At first they will resist melting, but after 1-2 minutes they will soften and melt together. Switch to a whisk once they start to melt, and whisk the caramel until smooth and free of lumps. Let it cool to room temperature before filling the shells.
Before you make the ganache, start assembling the tarts. Remove the cooled shells from the tart pans and place them on plates.
Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl. Pour the heavy cream, Baileys, corn syrup, and salt into a saucepan and place the pan over medium heat. Bring the cream mixture to a simmer, and once small bubbles appear all along the sides of the pan, pour it over the chopped chocolate in the bowl.
Let the hot cream soften the chocolate for one minute, then gently whisk them together, until all of the chocolate is melted and your ganache is smooth and shiny. Add the room temperature butter and whisk it into the ganache until incorporated.
Pour the ganache on top of the caramel in the tart shells, filling each one up to the top. Gently tap the tarts against the counter to smooth out the chocolate and remove any air bubbles.
If you're making these in advance and have time, you can let them set at room temperature—this will keep the ganache shiny and will give your chocolate a lusciously soft texture. If you need to speed the process up, refrigerate the tarts until the chocolate is set—this is faster, but the tops of the tarts often get dull during the process of refrigeration and coming back to room temperature.
Once the chocolate is set, decorate the tops however you'd like—add a sprinkling of large flaked sea salt, a drizzle of caramel, a touch of gold leaf, a chocolate truffle—or all of the above! For the best taste and texture, you DEFINITELY want to enjoy these tarts at room temperature.
How GORGEOUS are these tarts Elizabeth?! And that edible gold leaf on top?? OMGee! Totally over the top yummy! Wish I could grab that fork and devour one myself right now!
sugar hero indeed!!! i don't know where to start with these! love all the flavors, especially that Irish cream, but that pretty gold leaf really sets it apart. I'll be looking for these at the end of my rainbow!
Oh my gosh, Yum! Gimme chocolate. Love that caramel sauce too.
Such luscious little tarts! I absolutely love the gold leaf and that caramel is speaking to me!!
Wow, I am super impressed. That ooozing caramel is killing me! So inviting and gooooorgeous all at the same time. So gonna make these. Thanks for sharing the little black dress tart secret recipe. I have had many tartfails and this one is gonna make me look like a hero. Thanks Sugar Hero!
We obviously speak the same dessert language! Oozing caramel always elevates everything to the next level of awesome! These are amazing and I want to over dose on them immediately and the flecks of edible gold leaf are the perfect touch.
Oh wow you had me at ooozy caramel! These look insanely delicious!
Oh my! This has my name written all over it!! Thanks for sharing!
AH! I am obsessed with these! So delicious!
Stunning. I rarely indulge in sweets, but wow, these lovely tarts are so tempting! All dressed up with edible gold leaf, they'd add a touch of elegance to a special occasion year 'round! It's been a pleasure to connect with you through this link party Elizabeth… Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Ha! Ha! You sound like me. I always have every intention of sharing a holiday themed treat well in advance of the actual holiday but it either makes it onto the blog the day of the holiday or after the fact. So big kudos to you for getting it up ahead (I know how challenging that can be).
I'm definitely loving the gold leaf on these chocolate caramel beauties. I think it adds a level of elegance & sophistication to a holiday that is not necessarily known for that. I think it would also look cute with shamrocks cut out of any extra pie dough if gold leaf is not part of the kitchen arsenal (fortunately I have some still waiting to be used). And can we talk about that caramel oozing out from underneath that luscious chocolate? I don't know how you could contain yourself. I would have scarfed the whole delicious thing down in one sitting.
Yum! I always think about buying a bottle of Bailey's but haven't done it yet. These look SO delicious! They are definitely going on my "make soon" list!
PS. Thanks for using store-bought caramels! Making caramel is one of those once-in-a-while things that I don't look forward to doing.
These are the most decadent tarts I think I've ever seen!
One of the things I love so much about your blog posts are all the props! Everything matches so well. I love how you decorated the truffles with the gold flakes too. Oh! and the gold sprinkle cups are so pretty. I hate caramel that's too runny and yours looks like the perfect consistency. Awesome!
You had me at Bailey's salted caramel. Omg. Love this so much!
I have been searching for a recipe exactly like this for some time. I am going to make these for a children's fundraiser that I am chairing, but I am absolutely no good at converting the amounts to cups. Would you mind terribly advising me on how to convert some of the ounces into cups. I would be forever grateful to be able to make these for our gala. Thank you so much.
Have you made this in a 10 inch tart pan? If so, any adjustments?
I have not, I think it would work just fine. The caramel might flow more making it a little messy to serve, but still delicious! Thank you so much!
Can I make these the day before serving and leave them at room temperature over night?
Can they be left at room temperature over night?
Yes, absolutely! Leaving them at room temp will make sure the ganache stays shiny, and the chocolate and caramel both have a nice soft texture.
Just made these today, and FYI your flour conversion is wrong. 10oz in cups is 1.25 cups, not 2.25!
Hi Rosie, For all-purpose flour, 1 cup weighs 4.5 oz, so 10 oz is indeed 2.25 cups. The 8 oz=1 cup rule is only true for FLUID ounces (liquid measurements), all dry ingredients have different masses and thus 1 cup will weigh different amounts depending on what the dry ingredient is. Hope that helps.
Can I make this in a pie tin with a premade pie crust? If so, how would you suggest I firm up the caramel so it isn't quite as messy when I am cutting into slices?
Por favor también lo puede traducir en español.?
Mis disculpas, pero en este momento no tenemos las recetas traducidas en diferentes idiomas.
Hi, I would love to make this it sounds sooo wonderful !
Do you think this could be made into a single tart? If so what size tart pan could I use ?
Could I use something other than baileys?
absolutely if you want to avoid alcohol you can substitute with an equal amount of heavy cream. You could also just substitute with your favorite liqueur if baileys isn't your thing. Thanks!
Wondering if I can make this in a springform pan?
Yes, definitely. A springform pan would work just fine!
Gorgeous! The caramel filling and glossy topping are a wonderful nuance which makes a big difference.
Hey Apollo, Thank you so much! So glad to hear you loved it!


text:
Jan Looten (1617–18 in Amsterdam – c. 1681 in United Kingdom) was a Dutch landscape painter. He is first recorded in Amsterdam at his wedding with Catelijntje Harmans in September 1643, as a 25-year old painter from Amsterdam, son of Laurens Jansz Loten. In or after 1664 he moved to London and later to York. Samuel Pepys reportedly visited his studio in 1669 and was "unimpressed" with his work and was recommended to Simon Verelst, who he saw more favourably.

He taught the painter and draftsman Jan Griffier.

Four landscapes attributed to Jan Looten are in the Royal Collection, two of which were painted in circa 1675 for King James II of England.

References

External links

1618 births
1681 deaths
Painters from Amsterdam
Dutch Golden Age painters
Dutch male painters
Dutch landscape painters
Dutch expatriates in England

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Description: Cleaner/Restorer Pack, 6 of each 24oz btls.


text:
Chefology: Nature's Three Ways to Make a Delicious Mushroom
Understanding the ecology of mushrooms can play a big role in the narrative that ties together a dish.
By Scott Jones and Benjamin Wolfe·	 8/8/2013, 11:55 a.m.
Mycologists don't have a lot going for them in terms of woo factor. They tend to hang out in dark stuffy rooms with cabinets full of dried mushrooms. They use big words like conidiophore and cleistothecia. And they study organisms like the dung fungi, the destroying angel and this phallic beauty. But when Ben (a mycologist) and Scott (a chef) went on their first date five years ago, Ben's endless rambling on the wonders of mushrooms helped win Scott over. He demystified edible mushrooms and explained how the biology of fungi affects the way mushrooms are grown. And with that spore of an idea planted in Scott's head, the menus at No. 9 Park express an appreciation for the culinary and biological diversity of mushrooms.
One of the first mycological lessons that Ben taught Scott was that mushrooms have three different ways of making a living: by rotting dead stuff (saprotrophs), by sucking the life out of other living things (parasites), and by forming mutualistic relationships with tree roots (mycorrhizal symbionts). In this post we'll explore how the biology of each of these types of mushrooms affects how they grow and how they are used in fine dining.
SAPROTROPHS
The most widespread mushrooms are the rotters. Known as saprotrophic fungi, these mushrooms live on materials that were once alive, like the stump of a tree or a pile of dung. As they spread their fuzzy mycelium, they release enzymes (chemical scissors) that chop up the organic material they live on and turn it into food. These are the mushrooms you see popping out of stumps of dead trees, in your lawn, or sometimes even in your houseplants. Because they are so good at rotting dead things, they play important roles in recycling nutrients in forests and other ecosystems.
Most saprotrophic fungi are easy to grow and many are now cultivated in mushroom facilities around the world. Because they are easy to grow anywhere (all you need is a cool damp room with dead stuff!), they are cheap and generally don't have a specific season.
Photo by Ben Wolfe
Three species of saprotrophic mushrooms. Top: beech (Hypsizygus tessellatus), Bottom left: cremini (Agaricus bisporus), Bottom right maitake (Grifola frondosa).
The most famous saprotrophic mushroom is Agaricus bisporus. This species gives us the button mushrooms, creminis, and portobellos that are so commonly found in grocery stores and scattered across your pizza. Other saprotrophs include oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) and shiitakes (Lentinula edodes). Like button mushrooms, you can usually find them in good markets year round.
Because most fine dining restaurants seek out interesting, seasonal ingredients, these ubiquitous saprotrophic fungi are rarely on tasting menus. But two saprotrophs stand out. The beech mushroom (Hypsizygus tessellatus) and wild harvested hen of the woods or maitake (Grifola frondosa) are delicious when pickled or simply roasted.
Another group of mushrooms are parasitic and make a living by stealing nutrients from another living organism (called a host). The host is commonly a living tree that may slowly die as the fungus sucks the life out of the tree. Chicken of the woods (Laetiporus species) are often saprotrophic on rotting dead logs, but they can also be parasitic on living oak trees.
Chicken of the woods (Laetiporus species), a parasitic mushroom.
The host of the parasite can also be another mushroom. The lobster mushroom is actually two fungi in one. The fungus Hyphomyces lactifluorum grows on the outside of another mushroom, giving the characteristic red appearance of the lobster mushroom. Because the host mushroom can be one of many species, the flavor varies from one batch of lobster mushrooms to the next.
We typically don't like cooking with many edible parasitic mushrooms because they tend to have the unpleasant foamy and squishy textures that people negatively associate with mushrooms. These mushrooms benefit from being cooked long and slow in olive oil, or seared and marinated in olive oil, and seasoned heavily with garlic and herbs. Our favorite way to eat them is to grind them and treat them like meat. To do this, first grind or finely chop the raw mushrooms, then sear them in a heavy-bottomed pot with onions and garlic, tomatoes, and herbs, and then finish them off with cream and butter. The mushrooms can be served over pasta or alongside your steak or chicken. This method of cooking eliminates that unpleasant texture, while retaining the wonderfully earthy flavor.
MYCORRHIZAL
Some of the most difficult to find and most highly prized mushrooms are mycorrhizal. These fungi wrap their fuzzy hyphae around the roots of trees in the soil (mycorrhizal = fungus root). The tree gives the fungus sugar and in return, the fungus provides protection from pathogens as well as increased access to nutrients in the soil. Unlike the parasitic fungi that slowly drain their host of resources, the mycorrhizal fungi provide benefits to their host and the relationship remains friendly.
A root of an oak tree being colonized by a mycorrhizal mushroom. The shiny white roots are covered in fuzzy white fungal threads. For a sense of scale, the root is about 1/16 of an inch thick.
The mycorrhizal fungi are a culinary gold rush. Truffles (Tuber species) grow on the roots of oaks and hazelnuts and are the most sought after mycorrhizal mushrooms in the world. Boletes (Boletus edulis) are highly prized for their nutty flavors and grow on the roots of many tree species, including pines. A number of different chanterelles (Cantharellus species) are edible and grow on the roots of a wide variety of trees. Morels (Morchella species) are thought to be partially mycorrhizal, but they may also be saprotrophic or parasitic (it's a challenging thing for mycologists to prove). The candy cap mushroom (Lactarius species) is a delicious dessert mushroom that tastes like maple syrup and grows with oaks and pines on the west coast of the US.
Mycorrhizal mushrooms. Top left: ovolo (Amanita caesarea), Top right: morels (Morchella), Bottom left: bolete (Boletus edulis), Bottom right: chanterelles (Cantharellus cibarius), Center: summer truffle (Tuber aestivum).
Mycorrhizal fungi are incredibly hard to cultivate, because you need to grow both the fungus and a living plant host. We haven't figured out how to replicate this intimate interaction to produce large quantities of mushrooms. Most of these fungi are collected in the wild leading to a strong seasonality of mycorrhizal mushrooms. In spring the waves of morels begin – black, blonde, grey. They start small and get bigger as the summer warms up. Porcini show up in the early summer, disappear, then come back for early fall. Ovoli, or Caesar's mushrooms (Amanita caesarea, the favorite of Claudius Caesar, emperor of Rome), come and go throughout the summer. They are always insanely expensive, there are only a few pounds available, and we always want them. Chanterelles enter the scene later in the summer. And black truffles make a triumphant entry in the late fall and early winter.
Understanding the ecology of the mushrooms can play a big role in the narrative that ties together a dish. Truffles are often mycorrhizal partners of hazelnut trees, so pairing truffles with hazelnuts within a dish is a nod to the ecology of producing the raw ingredients. Matsutake mushrooms (Tricholoma matsutake) are often associated with pine trees and we've used them at No. 9 Park with both pine nuts and pickled spruce tips with surprising success.
Photo by Scott Jones
Peach and wild mushroom salad, a summer favorite at No. 9 Park. Morels, porcini, chanterelles, and black truffle all featured on this salad.
Knowing about the biology of these mushrooms also helps us respect the origins of the raw materials that make up our menus. Knowing the difficulty in finding these mushrooms, picking them, transporting them, or even the difficulty in simply getting them to grow at all makes us treat the mushroom differently. When a rare shipment of ovoli mushrooms are dropped off secretly by the back door of No. 9 Park, we all quietly and gently clean the stems, wash them by hand, and discuss how to use them. We consider their humble beginnings as a tiny filament wrapped around the root of a tree in a forest. As we work to highlight their flavors, we also savor their biology.
Chefology
Eight Fun Takeout Ideas near Boston-Area Beaches

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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5 sites for men only – Covering the topics you care about most
By Komando Staff, Komando.com
Can you believe that the internet has been around for decades now? It's true.
I remember surfing the internet for the first time on my home computer in the early 1990s. I can still hear the sound it made when connecting through the dial-up modem.
We've come a long way since then. Internet speeds are super fast compared to the early days. Long gone are the days of waiting minutes for a website to load.
Since crazy slow internet speeds are a thing of the past, we are now able to accomplish more in a much quicker time-frame. Some days I'm finished looking at my favorite websites so quickly I have extra time on my hands. If you're like me, you are always looking for some helpful website suggestions.
That's why you need to know about these 5 sites for men only, covering the topics that you care about most.
1. Guns
With a slogan like, "Firearms, not politics," gun-enthusiasts are bound to love The Firearm Blog. Politics set aside, this blog shares informative content about firearms, including product reviews, demonstrative videos, news, safety tips and more.
The Firearm Blog has been featured by Fox News, The New York Times, Engadget, CrunchGear, Gizmodo, The Tech Report and other media outlets, and has attracted a large social media following on Twitter and Facebook.
Why you'll love it: Hands down, the best thing about The Firearm Blog is the high-quality videos they produce to demonstrate how various guns perform. The close-up shots provide a true glimpse as to what it would be like to fire these guns yourself. When you watch them pull the trigger, you can almost feel the kickback.
2. Gear
Cool Material is a great source for insightful articles about the gear guys want. Whether you're into camping, tech or drinking a few beers with your friends, this site is your one-stop-shop for anything you need.
The blog posts reviews, articles and workshops that are both entertaining and informative. Plus, there is a shop where you can buy unique products, a gift buying guide called Men's Gifts, and a whole page dedicated to discounts.
Why you'll love it: This site has something for everyone and publishes in-depth articles about gear, as well as other interesting topics, like "The History of the Smoking Jacket," and, "Beer Names We Love". It also appeals to many age groups, offering content aimed at both the younger crowd and men with more life experience.
3. Cars
There are cars, and then there are cars. That's what sets Classic Car Envy apart from all the rest. There are thousands of sites out there that post reviews of the latest models to hit the lots. But this site is dedicated to the restoration of cars that are now classics, including muscle cars, trucks and hot rods.
Classic Car Envy also shares videos that document the whole process, so you can watch these cars as they're transformed from scrap metal to eye-catching vehicles.
Why you'll love it: This site caters to true car enthusiasts who love classic models, and although it does offer informative articles and videos, the content isn't filled with jargon that only mechanics can understand.
You'll also love the videos because you won't believe the transformation that takes place as these cars are built from scratch.
4. Fishing
No, not phishing. This time, we're talking about actual fishing – as in, where you bait the hook, toss out the line, reel it back in and hope you catch something. And when it comes to actual fishing, the best site you can visit is called the Ultimate Fishing Site.
The site has been around for over a decade and is currently the largest fishing blog on the internet, which means these guys know what they're talking about. And, don't worry. It's not just videos and posts that chronicle random people on their fishing excursions. It's a site full of tips and information about fishing techniques, equipment, news from the fishing world and more.
Why you'll love it: Ultimate Fishing Site recognizes that fishing is different for everyone, especially when it comes to their geographical location. So, fishermen everywhere will love the section that breaks it down state by state.
For example, since I live in Arizona, I was able to see that the best places to fish in my home state are Lake Powell, and in Rim Country or White Mountains.
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text:
Texas remains among worst states for pedestrian deaths in new report
Dug Begley Feb. 27, 2019 Updated: Feb. 28, 2019 10:56 a.m.
Texas remains among worst states for pedestrian deaths in...
1of2Harris County Sheriff's Office deputies investigate where a driver fatally struck a pedestrian on Beltway 8, just south of Philippine Street on Wednesday.Photo: Godofredo A. Vasquez, Houston Chronicle / Staff photographer
Texas and Houston, despite greater focus on road safety, continue to trail other places in curbing pedestrian deaths, a new estimate of 2018 deaths found.
In the first six months of 2018, 298 Texas pedestrians died on or along roadways, the Governors Highway Safety Association said in its report, released Thursday. The death count was 32 higher than for the first six months of 2017, tying Georgia for the largest increase in pedestrian fatalities.
Nearly half of the nation's states experienced an increase in pedestrian deaths, something the report's author, Richard Retting, called "dreadful, unacceptable and shameful" following years of declines.
"Nobody goes out for a walk on any given day and is planning to be hit by a car," said Retting, director of safety research for Sam Schwartz Consulting and a former New York City traffic safety official.
DANZER ZONE: Pedestrians say Houston's car culture, apathy puts them in crosshairs
Researchers did not pin the increase on any one factor, but noted jumps in nighttime incidents and those involving small trucks and sport utility vehicles, and alcohol and drug use by both drivers and pedestrians.
Proposed solutions include some familiar goals of safety officials in Houston: Increased policing, better maintenance of sidewalks and crossings and changes in the area's driving culture.
Samantha Ketterer, Julian Gill, R.A. Schuetz, Dug Begley, Houston Chronicle
Metro bus driver charged after pedestrian run over in...
By St. John Barned-Smith, Staff writer
New taskforce targets unsafe drivers on Houston roads
The "report only underscore the urgency of fixing our streets and driving culture now," said Oni Blair, executive director of LINKHouston, a local advocacy group. "There's no reason for people to die walking in our city."
Pedestrian incidents are common in Houston, despite most trips to work and school happening by automobile. Two pedestrians were killed in Houston in just a six-hour span on Wednesday.
A man died around 1:30 a.m. at Gray and Hamilton, when police said a minivan driver turning from Gray went over a curb and struck the man, who was standing on the edge of the road. Police said the man was dragged several feet by the vehicle, but there is no indication the driver stopped to help him.
Around 7:30 a.m., Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said a vehicle turning from Beltway 8 onto Philippine Street near Jersey Village struck a man attempting to cross the feeder road, killing him. The driver stopped.
According to the GHSA report's authors, the Sun Belt is an especially dangerous place. California, Texas, Florida, Georgia and Arizona have 46 percent of the pedestrian roadway deaths nationally, though they amount to less than a third of the population. Among the five states, only California had fewer pedestrian fatalities in 2018, compared to 2017.
Nationally from 2008 to 2017, the number of pedestrian deaths increased by 35 percent, while overall roadway fatalities declined 6 percent.
BUILDING BLOCKS: Metro investing in sidewalks so elderly, disabled can get to bus stops
Major cities in the states where pedestrian deaths are high are not spared, but show some mixed results. Though Texas's death count climbed, Houston had a decrease in deaths, from 79 to 73, from 2017 to 2016, according to the report. While encouraging, it still left the city's fatality rate noticeably higher than 2015, and the decline was outpaced by other major cities such as New York, Los Angeles and San Antonio that saw decreases of more than 10 percent from 2016 to 2017.
The findings mirror a Houston Chronicle analysis last year that found the Houston metropolitan area is the deadliest place for roadway crashes in the nation, where pedestrian and bicycle fatalities in particular are more common than in most other urban areas. Reasons for the crashes also are constant: Intoxicated drivers and pedestrians alike are a growing concern for experts, subpar sidewalks and crossings put pedestrians in harm's way, and a lack of lighting is making some nighttime crossings particularly dangerous.
All are fixable problems, with effort.
"Street lighting is the most effective method to reduce crashes that I know of," Retting said.
The small trucks and SUVs so popular with many Texans also seem to play a role in the severity of crashes, the report found. Though drivers of passenger cars strike and kill more pedestrians, the number of SUVs involved in fatal crashes increased by 50 percent since 2013, compared to 30 percent for cars.
Despite the troubling trends, there is optimism Houston is moving toward safer streets, Blair said. The Gulfton community is urging street improvements and more investment in crossing guards for children after a preschooler was killed in 2017. Near Northside's management district is investing in new sidewalks and street crossings. Houston Public Works, working with cycling advocates and LINKHouston, is addressing the problematic intersections in the city.
"While pedestrian safety needs more attention at every level - from government leaders to community members - we are heartened by the actions Houstonians are taking to make streets safer," Blair said.
Reporter Julian Gill contributed to this story.
twitter.com/DugBegley


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text:
Cheers 2015!!! May this be your blessed year!
Fletcher	Amazon, Authors, books, famous people	Amazon Best Books of the Month, books, Dijon, Mystery, Wine	15 Comments
My favorite book of 2014?
Difficult to choose but this one for me takes the prize. If you like wine and you love France or is it the other way round, if you love France and well you have to be a wine lover of course– the ghost of the grape – then you will get much enjoyment from this book. And some excitement too. I will now look at a glass of wine with a different eye. Excuse the pun!
The reviews:-
Journalist Maximillian Potter uncovers a fascinating plot to destroy the vines of La Romanée-Conti, Burgundy's finest and most expensive wine.
In January 2010, Aubert de Villaine, the famed proprietor of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, the tiny, storied vineyard that produces the most expensive, exquisite wines in the world, received an anonymous note threatening the destruction of his priceless vines by poison-a crime that in the world of high-end wine is akin to murder-unless he paid a one million euro ransom. Villaine believed it to be a sick joke, but that proved a fatal miscalculation and the crime shocked this fabled region of France. The sinister story that Vanity Fair journalist Maximillian Potter uncovered would lead to a sting operation by some of France's top detectives, the primary suspect's suicide, and a dramatic investigation. This botanical crime threatened to destroy the fiercely traditional culture surrounding the world's greatest wine.
SHADOWS IN THE VINEYARD takes us deep into a captivating world full of fascinating characters, small-town French politics, an unforgettable narrative, and a local culture defined by the twinned veins of excess and vitality and the deep reverent attention to the land that runs through it.
"A rare book that transcends the narrow interests of wine lovers."—The New York Times, named a Best Wine Book of 2014
Maximillian Potter, an award-winning journalist, is the senior media adviser for the governor of Colorado. He was the executive editor of 5280: Denver's Magazine, and previously a staff writer at Premiere, Philadelphia, and GQ. He has been a contributing editor to Men's Health/Best Life and Details, and contributes to Vanity Fair. Potter is a native of Philadelphia, with a BA from Allegheny College and an MSJ from Northwestern University's Medill School. He lives in Denver with his wife and two sons.
Cheers!!! On 2015!
Stuff that Nightmares are Made of.
Fletcher	Uncategorized	Amazon Best Books of the Month, Catherine the Great – Portrait of a Woman, November 2011, the guillotine	6 Comments
One has to be careful what you read before bedtime. I was reading that magnificent book – Catherine the Great – Portrait of a Woman, written by Robert K Massie when late at night I came to the chapter on the French Revolution which had an enormous effect all over Europe and even so far as Russia – especially the beheading of Louis V1 and Marie Antoinette (which had a great effect on Catherine).
See Picture in my sidebar for some or other reason photo uploading is out of order
Then Massie discusses the guillotine which was supposedly a more humane manner of execution because this sudden 'chop' is a quick death BUT there are those who believe the brain does not die immediately and that awareness still lasts for a while. He mentions the case of a doctor that did an experiment where he called the persons' name and saw the eyes focus and the fludder of the eyelids for a moment. And apparently there were more cases of this kind. *shudder*
NOT BEDTIME READING! BEWARE
From its first use, there has been debate as to whether the guillotine always provided a swift death as Guillotin had hoped. With previous methods of execution intended to be painful, there was little concern about the suffering inflicted. As the guillotine was invented specifically to be humane, however, the issue was seriously considered. The blade cuts quickly enough so that there is relatively little impact on the brain case, and perhaps less likelihood of immediate unconsciousness than with a more violent decapitation, or long-drop hanging.
Audiences to guillotinings told numerous stories of blinking eyelids, speaking, moving eyes, movement of the mouth, even an expression of "unequivocal indignation" on the face of the decapitated Charlotte Corday when her cheek was slapped
Read Here if you dare!
Amazon Best Books of the Month, November 2011: Once upon a time, there was a minor German princess named Sophia. In 1744, at the age of 14, she was taken by her ambitious mother–removed from her family, her religion, and her country–to a foreign land with a single goal: marry a prince and bear him an heir. Once in Russia, she changed her name, learned the language, and went on to become the world's richest and most powerful woman, ruler of its then-largest empire. She is remembered as Catherine the Great.
There may be no better author than Robert K. Massie to take on the daunting task of documenting this most rare of human lives. Massie, a former president of the Authors Guild, is a seasoned biographer of the 400-year Romanov dynasty, most notably with Peter the Great: His Life and World, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1981 and remains one of the most arresting biographies I've even encountered.
In his page-turning chronicle of Catherine II, Massie (now 82) compiles the most complete and compelling narrative to date of this singular woman. Married to an incompetent man-child who was unwilling or unable to help her fulfill her primary role–giving birth to a son–she ultimately grew to become a trailblazer among monarchs: friend of philosophical giants, incomparable patron of the arts, prosecutor of multiple wars, pioneer of public health, maker of kings, and prodigious serial lover.
Indeed, her accomplishments and shortcomings as an autocrat and a woman make for a remarkable saga, but that's not to say that just any author could do justice to Catherine's lasting legacy. (Many have tried.) Massie situates Catherine's early life and three-decade reign as empress amidst the tumult of the European Enlightenment, enriching his own narrative with telling excerpts of her letters and rich discussions of her political environment and personal motivations.
Put simply, Massie is just the man to take this endlessly fascinating life and craft an utterly memorable book. Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman is a towering accomplishment, one of the year's best books in any genre. –Jason Kirk


text:
$LOAD_PATH << File.expand_path("../../lib",  __FILE__)
require 'test/unit'
require 'use_tinymce'

class UseTinymceTest < Test::Unit::TestCase

  @@helper_args = nil
  # add refute methods for ruby 1.8.7
  if !self.instance_methods.include? :refute_respond_to
    def refute_respond_to(obj, func, msg = nil)
      assert ! obj.respond_to?( func, msg )
    end

    def refute(expr, msg = nil)
      assert ! expr, msg
    end
  end

  # add fake helper_method method if required for testing
  unless self.respond_to? :helper_method
    def self.helper_method *args
      @@helper_args = args
    end
  end

  def setup
    self.class.instance_variable_set("@use_tinymce", nil)
    # params = nil
  end

  include UseTinymce::Base

  def test_methods_defined
    assert respond_to?(:use_tinymce?), "#{self} has public method :use_tinymce?"
    assert self.class.respond_to?(:use_tinymce), "#{self.class} has method :use_tinymce"
  end

  def test_class_instance_variable_initialized
    assert self.class.instance_variable_get("@use_tinymce").nil?, "#{self.class}#@use_tinymce is nil"
  end

  def test_use_tinymce_defaults_to_false
    refute use_tinymce?, "use_tinymce? defaults to false"
  end

  def test_use_tinymce_all
    refute use_tinymce?, "use_tinymce default is false"
    self.class.send(:use_tinymce, :all)
    assert use_tinymce?, "use_tinymce :all causes use_tinymce? to be true"
  end

  def test_use_tinymce_sets_values
    refute use_tinymce?, "use_tinymce default is false"
    self.class.send(:use_tinymce, :edit, :new)
    assert self.class.instance_variable_get("@use_tinymce") == [:edit, :new], "use_tinymce :edit, :new works"
  end

  def test_use_tinymce_checks_params
    refute use_tinymce?, "use_tinymce default is false"
    self.class.send(:use_tinymce, :edit, :new)
    assert use_tinymce?(:edit), "use_tinymce? true when action => :edit"
    assert use_tinymce?(:new), "use_tinymce? true when action => :new"
    refute use_tinymce?(:index), "use_tinymce? false when action => :index"
    assert use_tinymce?('edit'), "use_tinymce? true when action => 'edit'"
    assert use_tinymce?('new'), "use_tinymce? true when action => 'new'"
    refute use_tinymce?('index'), "use_tinymce? false when action => 'index'"
  end

  # test 'helper method called'
  def test_helper_method_called
   refute @@helper_args.nil?, "helper_method called with at least one argument"
  end
end

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Nils Johan Artur Bejerot, född 21 september 1921 i Adolf Fredriks församling i Stockholm, död 29 november 1988 i Västerleds församling i Stockholms kommun, var en svensk psykiater och forskare. Bejerot har kommit att kallats den "svenska narkotikapolitikens fader".

Biografi
Bejerot bedrev en omfattande föreläsningsverksamhet över hela landet. Han debatterade intensivt för nolltolerans mot narkotika och publicerade 600 uppsatser och debattartiklar samt ett tiotal böcker i ämnet. Totalt hade han över 100 000 deltagare på sina tvådagarskurser. Under många år föreläste Bejerot vid polisskolan (sedermera Polishögskolan) om bland annat drogmissbruk, psykiska störningar och förhandlingsteknik. Han utbildade så gott som alla Sveriges poliser, vilket tillsammans med hans dagliga insatser som psykiater, gav honom epitetet "polisläkaren".

Uppväxt
Nils Bejerot växte upp i Norrtälje under ordnade förhållanden med en far som var banktjänsteman, och flyttade under tonåren med familjen till Uppsala. Han var som barn engagerad i scouterna, en tummelplats för alla sociala klasser och den första miljörörelsen, som han i efterhand beskrivit i positiva ordalag.

I skolan var han inte framstående, utan betraktades som bråkig. Vid femton års ålder fick Bejerot lungblödningar och lades in på Uttrans sanatorium i två omgångar för tuberkulos. Där träffade han intressanta människor, återfick läslusten och läste under de tre år han var inlagd in hela realskoleexamen genom Hermods korrespondenskurser.

Studier
Bejerot började studera medicin vid Karolinska institutet i januari 1947. Sedan ungdomsåren var Bejerot aktiv medlem i Sveriges kommunistiska parti samt i Clarté och Socialistiska Läkare, en organisation han också var sekreterare för en tid. I sin första bok Barn – Serier – Samhälle (1954) debatterade Bejerot för att dåtidens serietidningar innebar ett mentalhygieniskt samhällsproblem, och profilerade sig som en företrädare inom seriedebatten i Sverige.

Efter kontroverser inom SKP i samband med Sovjetunionens invasion av Ungern 1956 lämnade Bejerot sitt vänsterpolitiska engagemang för att tillbringa mer tid med studierna. Till skillnad från många andra av emigranterna från SKP gick han aldrig vidare till SAP, inte så mycket för att han inte sympatiserade med dess politik som att han hoppades att han kunde påverka mer och friare om han verkade självständigt. I efterhand har han också gett uttryck för att han helt enkelt ville "testa om systemet tillät att man tog sig fram utan att först ha inhandlat ett avlatsbrev". Bejerot avlade läkarexamen 1957, och fullgjorde specialistutbildning inom psykiatri 1957–1962 vid Södersjukhuset och Sankt Görans sjukhus i Stockholm.

Läkarkarriär
År 1962 började Bejerot arbeta som socialläkare i Stockholm. Han hade då redan viss erfarenhet, då han 1954 var vikarierande läkare vid barnavårdsnämnden i Stockholm. Där kom han av en tillfällighet att bli den förste att diagnostisera intravenöst narkotikamissbruk i Europa, och från 1958 hade han varit psykiatrisk konsult vid Stockholms polisdistrikt. 1965 blev han konsultläkare vid allmänna häktet i Stockholm.

1963 studerande han, på ett stipendium från WHO, epidemiologi och medicinsk statistik vid London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Insatser mot narkotika

Vid 60-talets mitt började Bejerot engagera sig för krafttag mot den då snabbt växande narkotikaanvändningen. Bejerot bidrog kraftigt till att Polisens insatser mot illegal narkotikaverksamhet gavs mycket högre prioritet. Han följde utvecklingen av intravenöst missbruk genom att föra statistik över antal häktade med stickmärken från sprutor. Polisen uppmärksammade att narkotika i hög grad fanns med i bilden när det gällde grövre brottslighet. Antalet anhållna för illegal droghandel ökade kraftigt, från 189 anhållna år 1965 till 1546 anhållna år 1968 och 2930 anhållna år 1969. 1969 utökades antalet befattningshavare vid Rikspolisstyrelsens narkotikakommission till 90 tjänster. I polisdistrikten avdelades särskild personal för narkotikabrott, speciellt under första halvåret 1969. Detta bröt den trend som då funnits i flera år med 10 % per år stegring av kriminaliteten.

Bejerot följde noga försöket med legalförskrivning av narkotika i Stockholm, undersökningar som bildade grund för hans tes om den epidemiska drogspridningen. Han protesterade mot försöket genom att skriva artiklar och böcker och hävdade att försöket stred mot beprövad erfarenhet från andra länder. Begreppet epidemisk var troligen inspirerat av den samtida debatten i Storbritannien där en stor statlig utredning, Brain-rapporten (1965), beskrev narkomani som ett socialt smittsamt tillstånd och rekommenderade att personer som var beroende av heroin skulle behandlas vid särskilda center där de under en tid hölls isolerade från resten av samhället. Bejerots goda kontakter med den engelska debatten om narkotika underlättades av att hans hustru Carol Bejerot var engelskspråkig, och hon var en viktig medhjälpare i hans forskning.

År 1969, i samband med skandalerna kring legalförskrivningsprogrammet, tog Bejerot initiativet till bildandet av Riksförbundet Narkotikafritt Samhälle, RNS.

År 1972 använder regeringen Bejerots undersökningar som ett av motiven för höjning av maximistraffen för grovt narkotikabrott och grov varusmuggling.

År 1974 disputerade han vid Karolinska institutet på avhandlingen "Narkotikamissbruk och narkotikapolitik". Han blev docent 1975 och erhöll professors namn 1979 av den borgerliga regeringen för sina insatser.

Vid Svenska Carnegieinstitutets grundande 1982 utsågs han till chef för dess vetenskapliga verksamhet och var kvar i den rollen fram till sin död 1988.

Nils Bejerot blev med åren känd som en partipolitiskt obunden men mycket inflytelserik opinionsbildare inom narkotika- och socialpolitik genom sina många böcker, kurser och föredrag. Han var dessutom under delar av 1980-talet krönikör i FiB/Kulturfront.

Det misslyckade experimentet med legal förskrivning av amfetamin
Narkotikabruk förekom i Sverige redan innan andra världskriget. Emellertid var bruket tidigare begränsat till vissa kretsar av bohemiska konstnärer, författare och jazzmusiker i storstäderna, främst Stockholm, vilka använde bland annat morfin, amfetamin, eller cannabis. Någon gång på slutet av 1940-talet till början av 1950-talet ökade amfetaminbruket i dessa kretsar, och injektionsbruk av en lösning av amfetamin och vatten blev vanligare. Från bohemerna spred sig vanan till kriminella under början av 1950-talet och 1954 diagnostiserade och medicinskt dokumenterade Nils Bejerot det första fallet av det han kom att kalla "epidemiskt missbruk" när han som vikarierade socialläkare på barnavårdsnämnden kom i kontakt med en 15-årig flicka med amfetaminpsykos.  Fram till slutet på 1950-talet var dock förekomsten ganska beskedlig, och när den då började öka mot början av 1960-talet stod myndigheterna handfallna. Erfarenheterna av amfetaminanvändning var över huvud taget begränsade eftersom fenomenet var nytt i hela Europa, och erfarenheterna av kampen mot 1800-talets opiummissbruk (som hur som helst inte ägde rum i Sverige) hade till stor del fallit i glömska. Det stod klart att narkotikamissbruk drev kriminalitet och var hälsovådligt för missbrukarna själva och efter debatt under våren 1965 startade ett legalförskrivningsprojekt i Stockholm ur några läkares praktik. Tanken var att läkare skulle få rätt att skriva ut narkotika på recept till kroniska missbrukare i syfte att minska deras kriminalitet och dödligheten bland dem.

Bejerot, som vid det här laget var en av landets mest informerade läkare på området, engagerade sig därefter i den narkotikapolitiska debatten som han såg som tendentiös och präglad av "år av ensidigt knarkliberal missinformation i radio-TV och en rad stora dagstidningar.". Det fanns uppfattningar om att missbruk är en följd av sociala och ekonomiska omständigheter och således därför borde lösas genom sociala och ekonomiska åtgärder. Bejerot angrep detta socialt inriktade synsätt och formulerade en teori inspirerad av driftteori och epidemiologiska modeller som byggde på att narkotikabruk spred sig genom sociala kontakter på ett snarlikt sätt som smittsamma sjukdomar i övrigt : "... narkomani av epidemisk typ är en höggradigt smittsam sjukdom bland särskilt mottagliga".

"Ingen debutant lär sig den avancerade intravenösa injektionstekniken utan att en annan missbrukare introducerar honom i den; det är alltså fråga om "kontaktsmitta" i en ny bemärkelse"(Bejerot 1969) Den epidemiska typen av missbruk orsakas enligt Bejerot inte primärt av sociala eller ekonomiska missförhållanden, utan beror på drogernas effekter på drogbrukaren, den förmodade inledande njutningen och tillvänjning vid fortsatt bruk. Bejerot var inte först med att beskriva drogmissbruk som ett smittsamt tillstånd, så gjordes också i den samtida debatten i Storbritannien.

Den epidemiska narkomanin hade en rad karakteristika som enligt Bejerot skiljde den från andra former. De viktigaste av dessa egenskaper var enligt Bejerot: Snabb spridning, historisk avgränsning, geografisk avgränsning, etnisk avgränsning, åldersmässig avgränsning, kotteri-, grupp- och klientelavgränsning, modekänslighet för preparattyp och modekänslighet för administrationssätt. "I vissa fall fördjupas ett epidemiskt missbruk, slår fast rot och blir stationärt; det ändrar då så småningom karaktär både till klientel och legal status och blir endemiskt."(Bejerot, 1969) (Med endemiskt menade Bejerot ett mer spritt missbruk som efter ett antal år har fått en viss social acceptans i delar samhället.)

Farhågorna var att antalet sprutnarkomaner skulle fortsätta öka och spridas till andra delar av Sverige om några motåtgärder inte sattes in.. Bejerot lanserade i sin bok också ett program för motåtgärder i 5 punkter. Enligt Bejerot fanns det därutöver andra missbrukargrupper, däribland en liten grupp med terapeutiskt missbruk som blivit beroende genom att de inom sjukvården behandlats med beroendeskapande medel. Risken för att dessa missbrukare skulle sprida sitt missbruk till andra bedömde Bejerot som liten och de kunde därför behandlas på ett annat sätt.

Legalförskrivningsprojektet såg han som stridande mot vetenskap och beprövad erfarenhet inom narkotikaområdet. Genom att förse narkomaner med narkotika förväntade han att spridningen snarare skulle accelerera. Bejerot lät som polisläkare polissköterskorna räkna antalet gripna med injektionshål och drog utifrån detta slutsatserna till sin doktorsavhandling. Den epidemiska modellen för drogers spridning, som Bejerot i sin tur lånat från den engelska socialpolitiska debatten på 1960-talet, kritiserades hårt när han framförde den av vissa sociologer. Kritikerna hävdade att Bejerots studier inte följde de vetenskapliga tillvägagångssätt som epidemiologiska studier vanligen gör, med jämförelser med andra delar av befolkningen , dels för att resultatet bygger på polisstatistik, som i sin tur inte nödvändigtvis speglar den verkliga kriminaliteten, och lika väl kan spegla polisens prioriteringar och enskilda polismäns personliga preferenser. Framför allt kritiserades Bejerot för vissa av sina förslag till åtgärder, skärpta straff för narkotikabrott och tvångsomhändertagande av de mest "smittsamma" narkomanerna, och för följande påståenden:
"I samband med en stor aktion, som den svenska polisen i början av 1969 inledde mot den illegala narkotikahandeln, bromsades epidemin upp. Fortlöpande socialmedicinska undersökningar visar att antalet debutanter i intravenöst missbruk under 1969 var avsevärt lägre än under de föregående åren....Under försöket med en liberal narkotikapolitik och en omfattande förskrivning av narkotika till missbrukare (från våren 1965 till våren 1967) blev fördubblingstiden enligt en omfattande stickmärkesundersökning bland stockholmspolisens arrestanter väsentligt kortare än tidigare (Bejerot 1975)".

Enligt kritikerna hamnar förändringen av ökningstakten för antalet sprutnarkomaner under legalförskrivningen 1965-1967 innanför den statistiska felmarginalen när Bejerots grunddata kompletterats med statistik från några år längre in på 1970-talet, och dessutom började antalet sprutnarkomaner minska innan effekten av de hårdare motåtgärderna kunde ha vunnit kraft.

Även Bejerot tillstod att ökningstakten avtog under några år i början på 1970-talet, men han såg den sjunkande ökningstakten som effekt av flera olika motåtgärder från samhället sida: Successivt skärpta straff för innehav och försäljning av narkotika, fler narkotikapoliser, fler gripna och åtalade för narkotikabrott samt gripandet av Karl Pauksch år 1973, som var ansvarig för en betydande del av smugglingen av amfetamin till Sverige i början på 1970-talet. Bejerot hade själv genom sina böcker, artiklar, med mera  bidragit till att dessa motåtgärder genomfördes.

Andra tycker att begreppet epidemiskt är olyckligt då liknelsen med narkomani som en smittsam sjukdom som inte tar hänsyn till den enskildes fria vilja, de sociala förhållanden som utgör en grogrund för drogmissbruk. Kritikerna av smittspridningteorin hävdar att den leder till felaktiga slutsatser om vilka motåtgärder som är mest verkningsfulla. Även om teorin är intuitivt tilltalande för den som betraktar narkotikabruk som en sjukdom, så föredrar många drogforskare begreppet diffusion för att beskriva spridning av beteenden, varor och föreställningars inom och mellan kulturer. Antagandet där är att beteenden sprider sig långsamt inom en liten grupp pionjärer, för att sedan snabbt sprida sig i samhället. Ökningen avtar efter en mättnadsnivå och därefter är spridningen stabil med endast små förändringar över tid. Att ökningstakten för en viss typ av drogmissbruk kan följa en sådan s-formad kurva över tiden var Bejerot väl medveten om.

Bejerots doktorsavhandling år 1974 var en efterhandsutvärdering av legalförskrivningsprojektet. Avhandlingen och disputationen medförde att Bejerot blev medicine doktor. Avhandlingen väckte viss uppmärksamhet och dess vetenskapliga metod kritiserades i mycket hårda ordalag av främst vissa sociologer som  betecknade det som "kvasivetenskap". (Bejerot var å sin sida mycket kritisk mot delar av den sociologi, inspirerad av förebilder i USA, som vid den tiden lärdes ut vid landets socialhögskolor)  Andra gav Bejerot mycket beröm för hans arbete. En av dem som varit kritiska är professorn i socialt arbete Sune Sunesson som hävdat att avhandlingen saknar "varje skymt av godtagbar forskningsmetod". Samma typ av kritik framfördes i osedvanligt hårda ordalag redan i samband med disputationen men avhandlingen godkändes trots kritiken av betygsnämnden och fakulteten beviljade efteråt Bejerot docentkompetens,  det vill säga Bejerot ansågs uppfylla de vetenskapliga kvalifikationerna för att handleda doktorander. Att få docentkompetens innebar att avhandlingen bedömdes vara godkänd med överbetyg.

Bejerot om faktorer som ökar risken för missbruk
Innan Bejerot började delta i debatten om narkotika var den dominerade uppfattningen i Sverige att missbruk av narkotika var ett privat hälsoproblem och att åtgärderna borde inriktas mot langarna.  Bejerot vände på detta och framhöll snarare vikten av åtgärder mot efterfrågan på narkotika, mot missbrukarna och spridningen av missbruket till nya personer. Åtgärder som enbart riktades sig mot langarna ansåg han vara ineffektiva.

Han opponerades sig också mot arbetslöshet och dålig privat ekonomi som förklaring till ökad användning av narkotika, vissa av hans samtida debattörer påstod detta. Bejerot påpekade att alkoholmissbruket på 1930-talet varit jämförelsevis begränsat i Sverige trots hög arbetslöshet och ekonomisk kris. I polemik med det som på den tiden lärdes ut på till exempel socialhögskolan framhöll han att det inte fordras någon störd personlighet eller några bakomliggande sociala problem för att en individ skall utveckla ett giftberoende. Det räcker i princip med att vissa ämnen tillförs kroppen i tillräcklig mängd under tillräckligt lång tid. Tiden är olika för olika substanser, från några veckor eller till och med kortare vid kontinuerligt missbruk av heroin till 5–10 års vid intensivt missbrukande av alkohol i medelåldern.

Nils Bejerot betonade istället fem andra faktorer som orsaker som ökar risken för individen och för att en missbruksepidemi kan bryta ut.

 Tillgång till tid
 Tillgång till pengar
 Tillgång till drogen
 Exempel på användning av drogen i den omedelbara omgivningen
 En tillåtande ideologi i samhället i förhållande till drogen, exempelvis för användning eller innehav för eget bruk.

Bejerot hävdade att man bör skilja på missbruk och beroende. På missbruksstadiet kan personen fortfarande viljemässigt styra sin konsumtion. När ett beroende har utvecklats antar det en driftsmässig prägel som finns kvar även om man tar bort de faktorer som initierade missbruket. "Individen förlorar då styrningsfunktionen över sitt giftbegär, beroendet tar överhanden och dominerar individen och hans livsföring".. Detta skulle dock inte tolkas som att drogmissbruk och drogberoende inte går att behandla. Beroendet är ett inlärt tillstånd det vill säga det är också möjligt att lära om, att lära sig att leva utan droger. Behandling av drogmissbrukare skall ha drogfrihet som mål, detta till skillnad mot andra debattörer som istället betonar minskning av skadeverkningarna (harm reduction på engelska).  Bejerot kritiserade till exempel konstruktioner med mångårig metadonbehandling av opiatmissbrukare i program som inte syftade till drogfrihet.

Spridning av missbruk
Bejerot kritiserade också den i USA mycket kände sociologiprofessorn Alfred R. Lindesmith för att ha grundat sina tidiga slutsatser på djupintervjuer med missbrukare som nästan alla var av den terapeutiska typen. Lindesmith var en anhängare av "the British system" den fram till slutet av 1960-talet mycket liberala narkotikalagstiftningen i England. Under 1950-talet och fram till slutet av 1960-talet utförde brittiska privatläkare en mycket snabbt växande och omfattande legal förskrivning av opium och heroin till missbrukare med ett betydande läckage till den illegala marknaden. Ökningen beskrevs som en narkotikaepidemi.

Bejerots hävdade att bruket av narkotika sprids genom någon form av personliga kontakt med personer som redan använder narkotika. Bejerot använder ofta jämförelsen med epidemier i den vanliga medicinska betydelsen. Sådana epidemier kan bekämpas på flera sätt men ett vanligt sätt är att så snabbt försöka identifiera smittbärarna, isolera dem från kontakter med icke smittade och behandla dem under kontrollerade former. Chansen att begränsa spridningen är större ju tidigare man kan identifiera de smittade personerna och sätta in åtgärder. I den andra så kallade Brain-rapporten, en stor brittisk statlig utredning som kom 1965, beskrivs narkomani som en socialt smittsamt tillstånd (addction as a ...a socially infectious condition). Den närmast föregående stora utredningen i Storbritannien (år 1926) definierade problem med narkotikamissbruk som ett personligt och privat problem ("an individualised pathology"). Bejerot hänvisade ofta till erfarenheterna från England.

Den förändring i tankesätt som Bejerot, RNS och deras sympatisörer efterhand åstadkom i Sverige, kom att berättiga kriminalisering av bruk och aktiva åtgärder riktade mot basen i narkotikapyramiden – den enskilde drogkonsumenten som kan inkludera tvångsomhändertagande för vård, men även arresterande, böter och i undantagsfall fängelse. Detta var en uppfattning som kommit att kritiserats för att vara hårdhänt och inhuman. Helt enkelt att narkomanen var ett offer för sin sjukdom och att det var orättvist att bestraffa missbrukaren en extra gång, utöver själva missbruket. Nils Bejerot själv ansåg att denna typ av kritik förväxlade orsak och verkan. En liberal narkotikalagstiftning skulle skapa till en risk för en narkotikaepidemi som sedan skulle slå över i en rekyl med ännu hårdare lagstiftning.

Önskvärda åtgärder
Det är ett missförstånd om man tror att Bejerots förslag till åtgärder enbart bestod av att sätta folk i fängelse. Han önskade, liksom RNS, att påföljderna skulle utvecklas. Enligt Bejerot kunde åtgärder som passade för en typ av missbrukare vara kontraproduktiva för en annan typ, till exempel genom att öka spridningen, trots att det handlade om samma substans. Se vidare artikeln narkomani. De borde bygga på villkorliga fängelsedomar som ålade missbrukaren att styrka fortsatt drogfrihet med urinprov, att följa distinkta föreskrifter alternativt ge missbrukaren möjligheter att i stället utföra samhällstjänst eller ingå kontrakt om behandling på någon godkänd institution. Om missbrukaren återföll i brott eller inte iakttog föreskrifterna skulle missbrukaren få avtjäna det utdömda fängelsestraffet. Uppföljning av andra myndigheter än polis och åklagare var också viktiga i hans perspektiv. I hans samtid var dock detta i Sverige så självklart så det fanns ingen anledning för Bejerot att föra någon omfattande polemik om att man bör göra åtgärder av typ stöd till familjer, föräldrar, rådgivning, frivillig vård och så vidare. Det han ville visa var att det inte räckte att erbjuda frivillig vård.  Missbrukare ofrivilliga att söka vård, smittbärarna, skulle identifieras och isoleras, omhändertas för tvångsvård om det var nödvändigt, för att skydda dem själva och  för att skydda andra medborgare. Bejerot föreslog att straffet för innehav av narkotika till ex. kunde vara skogsröjning i Norrland. Människor som inte lyckades göra sig fria sitt missbruk ville han betrakta som "kroniskt smittsamma".

Återfall
Vidare framförde Bejerot en teori om varför många typer av behandlingar av narkomaner misslyckas. Han menade att narkomaner ofta söker vård utan att ha som avsikt ge upp sin djupa förälskelse i drogen. Deras syfte är istället att undkomma de negativa komplikationerna av drogen och att senare kunna ta ett återfall som en medveten handling.

Alkohol och uteliggare
1982 gav Bejerot uppmärksamhet åt en intervju med kriminologen Leif Lenke i Stockholms-Tidningen på sin krönikeplats i Folket i Bild/Kulturfront. I den långa stycken citerade intervjun berättar Lenke om sina rön angående brottslighet bland invandrade finländska alkoholister, 1979 skall dessa ha svarat för hälften av alla gaturån i Stockholm. Detta ledde till en situation där Stockholms kommun till slut hade börjat vägra ge socialbidrag till invandrade finska alkoholiserade uteliggare och i en del fall ge dem en enkel biljett till Finland. Själv fyllde Bejerot i med sina erfarenheter från häktet, där han träffat många alkoholiserade finländska uteliggare. Bejerot och Lenke var så långt överens om beskrivningen av vad som hänt. Båda var överens om att hårdare tag och fler poliser i slutändan inte hjälpte mot människor som begår brott i en omöjlig och djupt krisartad situation.

Men Bejerot drog andra slutsatser av situationen än Lenke. Han accepterade inte att arbetslösheten var den avgörande förklaringen till alkoholismen och pekade på att Sverige på 1930-talet hade haft både hög arbetslöshet och få alkoholister. Orsakerna till detta ansåg han vara många men viktigast var den gamla arbetarrörelsens medvetenhet att alkoholen i sig är en folkfördärvare. De finska alkoholisterna tog sig till Sverige då "det är normlösare och generösare här".  Här fanns "gott om tid, gott om alkohol och gott om pengar". Bejerot använde sin historiska analys för att förklara sammanhangen: han var övertygad att människor tar ansvar först under ansvar, det vill säga att goda individer bildas genom växelverkan mellan kollektiv och individ. Utifrån den ståndpunkten kritiserade han den svenska socialpolitiken, som avskaffat nykterhetslagen till förmån för 1982 års socialtjänstlag. De gamla nykterhetsnämnderna hade avskaffats redan 1971. Enligt nykterhetslagen skulle olika åtgärder vidtas i en stigande skala. Först skulle myndigheterna försöka tala alkoholisten till rätta. Om inte det hjälpte utdelades en varning, och om inte heller det hjälpte skulle alkoholisten omhändertas för tvångsvård. I stället delade socialbyråerna enligt Bejerot ut pengar eller ville få alkoholisterna förtidspensionerade så att de slapp se alkoholisterna på socialbyråerna. Tills Sverige återfick en nygammal alkohol- och nykterhetspolitik måste polisen, enligt Bejerot, ändå "försöka garantera tryggheten på gator och torg". Några av hans kritiker har efter Bejerots död tolkat dessa fem ord som ett yrkande på höjda murar. Som Bejerot såg det samlade polis- och kriminalvård under början av 1980-talet ihop spillrorna av decenniers tanklösa ultraliberala socialpolitik, ett inte helt okontroversiellt omdöme om den förda politiken. Bejerot beskrev själv vilken alkoholpolitik han ville ha i en artikel strax innan sin död. Han ger där sitt stöd till ett återinförande av alkoholransonering med ett elektroniskt datakort med en inprogrammerad maximal tilldelning av 45 cl ren alkohol per månad. Det motsvarar ca 4,6 flaskor lättvin eller 1 flaska brännvin per månad.

Stockholmssyndromet
Bejerot var i tjänst som konsult i sin funktion av polisläkare under Norrmalmstorgsdramat år 1973, där han bidrog med analyser av kidnapparnas psyke. Han kom snabbt fram till att den professionelle bankrånaren inte skulle ha något att vinna på att skada sin gisslan. Därmed hade polisen ett psykologiskt övertag redan från början. I enlighet med Bejerots råd beslutade regeringen att gå med på att förhandla men att aldrig gå med på någon flykt. Dramat slutade lyckligt på det sjätte dygnet genom att rånaren gav upp. I en efterföljande analys av gisslans reaktion myntade han begreppet Norrmalmstorgssyndromet, numera mest känt som Stockholmssyndromet; Begreppet 'Stockholm Syndrome'  har använts på miljontals sidor på Internet.

Serier
År 1954 gav Bejerot ut boken Barn – Serier – Samhälle om seriehjältarnas övermänniskoideal och pekade på vad han uppfattade som våldsromantik, snedvridna kvinnoroller och rasism i serievärlden. Hans egna barn var då tre respektive två år gamla. Boken var i stort en anpassning av en amerikansk förlaga; Fredric Werthams Seduction of the Innocent.

Bejerot avfärdade förslag om regelrätt censur eller förhandsgranskning men var välvillig till lösningar som att reglera spridningen av alstren och sätta straffsatser på olämpligt innehåll – på samma sätt som man gjorde med pornografi vid denna tid – samt eventuellt införa åldersgränser. Så drastiska åtgärder rekommenderade han dock inte. Det ideala scenariot han såg framför sig var istället ett statligt eller inofficiellt granskningsråd med representanter från folkrörelser och fackförbund där de förläggare som så önskade kunde få sina produkter granskade. Godkända produkter skulle sedan få tryckas med rådets garantimärke på omslaget. Bejerot skrev att en civiliserad framtid skulle komma att förfäras över seriemagasinens epok.

Eftermäle
Bejerots krav på nolltolerans uppfattades länge som extremt, men under sent 1970-tal skedde en omsvängning. Under 1980-talet var han en av Sveriges mest inflytelserika opinionsbildare. Han var tveklöst den som betytt mest för att vända svensk narkotikapolitik i restriktiv riktning, vilket också lett till att han blivit en omstridd person, både före och efter sin död. Han är också känd för att efter sitt arbete med Norrmalmstorgsdramat ha myntat den internationellt spridda termen Stockholmssyndromet. Långt efter hans död har hans böcker och artiklar påverkat debatten i Sverige om hur man skall se på drogberoende.

Familj
Bejerot var far till fyra barn: docent Eva Bejerot (född 1951), journalisten Lena Bejerot (född 1952), Peter Bejerot (1955–1970) och psykiatern Susanne Bejerot (född 1955). Han avled till följd av lymfom efter en längre tids sjukdom.

Referenser

Externa länkar

www.nilsbejerot.se, material om och av Nils Bejerot.
Den nationella baksmällan, Arena, 2002, nr 6.
, Johan Hartelius: Narkotikaepidemier II, Efterkrigstiden

Vidare läsning

Män
Födda 1921
Avlidna 1988
Läkare från Stockholm
Svenska innehavare av professors namn
Svenska kommunister
Svenska psykiatrer
Svenska serieteoretiker
Svenskspråkiga fackboksförfattare
Sveriges narkotikapolitik


text:
By Jeffrey Feldman
Did Limbaugh Try To Incite Violence?
For weeks, now, Rush Limbaugh has been trying to incite political violence by giving on-air military-sounding orders, effectively 'commanding' his listeners to wage war against the U.S. electoral system.
The right-wing pundit's 'orders' to his Republican listeners have been clear: vote in the Democratic primaries as a coordinated tactic for sowing division in the opposition party. The goal of such 'chaos,' Limbaugh has stated explicitly, is to foment hatred between different parts of the Democratic Party leading, ultimately, to street riots during the Denver convention.
The ongoing incident raises a serious question:
How does Limbaugh's bid to incite political violence with radio broadcasts differ from previous instances where radio has been used to that end (e.g., Rwanda)?
Most Americans would agree that using radio to incite political violence is not only wrong, but the attempt itself represents a massive failure in our democracy. How Limbaugh's broadcasts differ from, say, radio broadcasts that incited violence in Rwanda and Kenya, for example, can help us to understand exactly what Limbaugh was doing and the exact danger it poses.
Calls To Incite Violence vs. Calls For Acts of Violence
During the Rwandan genocide of 1994, radio broadcasts called for direct acts of violence to be committed by one faction of the Rwandan public against another. These broadcasts drew considerable attention because (1) radio was the major source of information for the listeners in question, (2) the audience was largely non-literate, and (3) there was an ongoing nationalist struggle into which the broadcasts fed (emphasis mine):
In March 1992, Radio Rwanda was first used in directly promoting the killing of Tutsi in a place called Bugesera, south of the national capital. On 3 March, the radio repeatedly broadcast a communiqué supposedly sent by a human rights group based in Nairobi warning that Hutu in Bugesera would be attacked by Tutsi. Local officials built on the radio announcement to convince Hutu that they needed to protect themselves by attacking first. Led by soldiers from a nearby military base, Hutu civilians, members of the Interahamwe, a militia attached to the MRND party, and local Hutu civilians attacked and killed hundreds of Tutsi (International Commission 1993: 13-14).
(from "Hate Media in Rwanda")
The broadcasts in Rwanda, thus, were directly engaged using false reports as propaganda, the goal of which was to encourage listeners to commit acts of violence. The effort worked, and subsequent investigations linked the violent language to the actual deaths, thereby including the broadcasts within the framework of the genocidal action both legally and morally.
In stark contrast, Limbaugh's broadcasts were removed from encouraging direct acts of violence, focusing instead on creating the conditions for violence--what Limbaugh described as 'chaos.' In this transcript (Apr 23, 2008), Limbaugh explains how his broadcasts are intended to incite political violence. Notice how he describes creating conditions for violence rather than actual violence (emphasis mine):
This is about chaos. This is why it's called Operation Chaos! It's not
called Operation Save Hillary. It's not called Operation Nominate Obama. It's called Operation Chaos! The dream end... I mean, if people say what's your exit strategery, the dream end of this is that this
keeps up to the convention and that we have a replay of Chicago 1968, with burning cars, protests, fires, literal riots, and all of that. That's the objective here. And there has been nothing that's happened on the battlefield for my vision of this to change just because Hillary won. We got what we wanted last night, and people want me to change course now? "We got what we wanted, okay, now time to support Obama." No. If Obama runs the table with the rest of these primaries, it's over, and the superdelegates are going to have a much easier choice choosing him, because he'll end up with a big lead.
(from "Why It's Called Operation Chaos")
So the goal of the 'operation' for Limbaugh is not to encourage his listeners to commit acts of violence, but encourage his listeners to commit acts of politics that 'end' in Democrats committing acts of violence on each other.
Even though the violence is one step removed for Limbaugh in comparison to the 1990s broadcasts in Rwanda, Limbaugh clearly includes the eruption of political violence as an ideal goal of his rhetoric.
Framing the Opposition As A Violent Threat, 'Self-Defense'
Interestingly, even though Limbaugh's attempt to incite violence differs from the Rwandan example, his framing of the political opposition shows a striking similarity.
Namely, while Limbaugh defines the American Left as a clear, violent threat to the well being of his listeners. The broadcasts, in other words, are framed as an effort to incite violence amongst the Left as a larger strategy for preventing that so-called Left from committing acts of violence on his listeners (emphasis mine):
We don't burn our cars. We don't burn down our houses. We don't kill our children. We don't do half the things the American left does. We need the American left -- and this is another great thing about Operation Chaos; nothing to do with my ego. We need as many ignorant Americans to wake up and find out exactly who the modern-day Democrat Party is as dominated by the far left in this country. We need that to be seen. Now, I am not inspiring or inciting riots. I'm dreaming. (singing to the tune of White Christmas) "I'm dreaming of riots in Denver." Remember 1968? And which party did that? It was the radicals in that party, the anti-war radicals, the same bunch of clowns that are running around defining the Democrat Party today.
(from "Screw the World! Riot in Denver!")
The violence in Limbaugh's broadcasts, in other words, is not just the attempt to incite riots, but also a way of defining the Left as destructive murderers of children--as a violent threat to the American people.
In Rwanda, the radio broadcasts did not just invoke Hutu to kill Tutsi's, but did so by claiming falsely that Tutsi's had killed large numbers of Hutu and that, therefore, Hutu must form self-defense groups to prevent Tutsi from killing again. Defining Tutsi as murderers, in other words, was a crucial part of violent Hutu broadcasts that led to the genocide of Tutsi.
Disturbingly, Limbaugh is not alone in using broadcast media to repeatedly define the American Left as a violent threat to American citizens, but is helped in this effort by a large cohort of right-wing TV pundits.
The final point of comparison is the role of nationalism in the broadcasts, and in particular the relationship between calls for violence and civil war.
In Rwanda, the radio broadcasts explicitly called for the start of a civil war, using an explicit language of genocide and defining the act of a killing as an 'extermination' of 'cockroaches':
After 6 April, RTLM called on all Hutu to 'rise up as a single man' to defend their country in what was said to be the 'final' war. One announcer predicted that the war 'would exterminate the Tutsi from the globe ... make them disappear once and for all' (Chrétien et al. 1995: 205). RTLM staff carried forward all the themes so vigorously developed in previous months, emphasizing the cruelty and ruthlessness of the Tutsi (RTLM transcripts: 15 May; 9, 14, 19, 20 June 1994). As one announcer said, using the term inyenzi or cockroach to refer to the RPF and its supporters, 'the cruelty of the inyenzi can be cured only by their total extermination' (Chrétien et al. 1995: 204; RTLM transcript: 3 June 1994).
(from "Hate Media in Rwanda - Incitement")
As mentioned above, Limbaugh does not use any rhetoric in his broadcasts that call for direct violence, but instead calls for his listeners to create the conditions for violence. Nonetheless, Limbaugh introduces and dwells on the question of civil war.
Consider, for example, this extended discussion between Limbaugh and a caller from his May 6, 2008 show. Notice Limbaugh's argument in response to the caller's attempt to define 'operation chaos' as a violation of the American tradition of civil debate:
CALLER: Well, my point is that I try and keep -- I try to listen to different points of view, and I can't say that I always agree with you, but I still like to listen, all right? And I think that the problem right now in this country is the uncivil discourse.
RUSH: That's not the problem
CALLER: You know, I -- I had a whole bunch of signs down by my road --
RUSH: Look, Chris, I'm getting up to it on time here. I --
CALLER: Okay, well, I'll let you go, Rush. It's not --
RUSH: No, I want you to listen to this one more thing here. I don't mean to be rude, here. I really don't.
RUSH: But the problem is not the discourse. Go back and read how people spoke to one another in the days of the founding, some of the early days around the Civil War.
CALLER: And it was that bad?
RUSH: Oh, it was worse! It was worse. The problem is not "discourse." Discourse is productive. It's people debating ideas. The problem in America is too much liberalism. The problem in America is too many liberals, too many people are ignorant. Our most expensive commodity in this country is ignorance, not discourse, not uncivil discourse. There are too many ignorant people who have been short-changed by our education system. In a more balanced and educated society, liberalism would be but 20% of the elected seats in this country. But they have for 50 years weaned a bunch of people away from self-reliance, created a bunch of dependents among every demographic group out there, and that's how they profess to get elected. But they are destroying the country. They are destroying the institutions and traditions that made the country great. Everything liberals try to fix gets worse. The most recent example, we are now producing food for fuel, and we have food riots around the world. We have starvation around the world.
(from "Operation Chaos and 'Civil Discourse'")
Limbaugh's argument here is profoundly disturbing. While he invokes the Civil War to claims that his efforts to incite violence are all part of good healthy debate of ideas, he then suggests that Liberal ideas have led to the destruction of American institutions and mass starvation--an situation his listener might naturally interpret as a pretext for civil war.
Limbaugh's argument, in other words, is simple: it is not his broadcasts that incite violence, but Liberal ideas.
Conclusion: Limbaugh Broadcasts Violence
When a prominent radio figure begins systematically calling for his listeners to engage in acts that intended to bring about political violence, citizens have a responsibility to examine the implications of such a development.
In Limbaugh's case, the comparison to Rwandan hate radio shows the right-wing pundit's differences and similarities to past uses of broadcast media to incite violence. Limbaugh does not call for direct violent action, but he defines the American Left in ways that suggest violent action against them may be warranted.
Moreover, Limbaugh specifically claims that calling for citizens to create chaos leading to violence is a healthy part of the Democratic process, but that holding Liberal political views is a threat to democracy's survival--thereby leading his listeners to see the political opposition as a civil enemy.
Should Limbaugh be free to continue these broadcasts? Of course. But that freedom does not release journalists from analyzing Limbaugh's violent-rhetoric in a broader context and discussing the implications it holds for Americans.
(cross posted from Frameshop)
Rush Limbaugh Media Elections 2016 Rwanda


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Turlocks Griffin wins CCC singles, MVP honors
Turlocks Davis Griffin is the 2017 CCC Singles Champion and was named the leagues Most Valuable Player. Griffin topped Andrew Rosero of Pitman in the finale on Thursday, 6-3 and 6-0. - photo by CANDY PADILLA/The Journal
Updated: April 28, 2017, 6:34 p.m.
The Central California Conference hosted the boys tennis tournament for singles and doubles this past week and Turlock and Pitman High saw mixed results in both.
The singles started on Tuesday from Pitman High, and in the end, the town of Turlock saw a CCC crosstown finale after Davis Griffin (Turlock) and Andrew Rosero (Pitman) battled it out on Thursday from the Brenda Athletics courts.
Griffin was able to handle Rosero and topped him in straight sets, 6-3 and 6-0.
"I knew Davis was going to win," said Turlock head coach Jack Schneider. "He was in tune. Andrew never had a chance in that match, he tried to do what he could, but he wasn't ready, next year for sure after I work with him. He is one of my students and we will make changes, he can be the Davis of next year."
Schneider said what made Griffin so tough as opposed to others in the CCC was his variety.
"He can slice, his RPM on the tennis ball is more than I have ever seen at the high school level," said Schneider. "Part was switching rackets and you can see right away, speed was there, a lot more power than last year."
This was one of the reasons that Griffin earned CCC MVP honors.
Before facing Rosero, Griffin had to battle fellow Bulldog Shayan Niakan in the semifinals. The senior player, Griffin, came out on top.
On the doubles side, Turlock's Ziya Ziya was back in action after winning the doubles tournament a year ago with Kellen Ireland. This time Ziya was with Niakan and the two made their way into the finals after winning three straight matches on Thursday.
This set up a finale against the Delgadillo brothers from Atwater, where the duo from Turlock fell, 6-4, 3-6 and 7-5.
"Really cool and exciting to see Ziya and Shayan do so well," said Schneider. "Shayan deserves some credit because he played so great. Shayan came into his own in this tournament and will be big dog next year."
Next for Turlock is a team match in the Division-I Sac-Joaquin Section Tournament against an opponent yet to be named at a time yet to be determined on Tuesday.
"Great season, I couldn't be happier, couldn't ask for anything better," said Schneider. "I love the kids I have this year, they were awesome."


text:
Ashley Spicer, Reporter, anchor
Roxy Tyler, Web producer
Published: April 1, 2019, 10:44 am
Tags: Florida, Local, News
Be careful, alligator mating season begins Monday
Gators are especially active during mating season, April through June
File photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images
MIAMI – Monday kicks off mating season for alligators - no fooling! The reptiles take the mating season, which lasts from April 1 through June seriously and experts say so, should you. That's because you will likely see more alligators roaming around over the next few months as they look for love.
Gators are more aggressive during mating season and can kill. Last June, during mating season, an alligator dragged a 47-year-old woman to her death while she was walking her dog in Davie, Florida.
Former gator trapper Bob Shoemaker has a 3-foot-long pet alligator named Squirt that he trapped on a call a couple of years ago and says he is harmless but that's not the case for larger alligators.
"Over 6 foot or 7 foot, start looking at them more. If they are under 5 foot, they are just eating things they should be eating," Shoemaker said.
He said when they grow to 6 feet long, they are mature and start breeding.
"You go to alligator farms and you see them the males shake in the water, it's their call for the females," Shoemaker said.
A female alligator can lay several eggs and are very protective of them.
If you see an alligator in your neighborhood, even a small one, he said, the biggest mistake you can make is to feed it.
"He's not coming closer unless he's ever been fed. If they've been fed once, it's all over. They start getting used to food.
Shoemaker said gators under 5 feet aren't really a problem and nothing to fear, but when they get bigger they can look for bigger meals but they aren't looking to eat people.
"They eat small things. So cats, dogs, a raccoon, turtles, something like that," he said.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recommends people stay safe by never feeding an alligator, keeping your distance, and keeping pets on a leash and away from a body of water.
The FWC urges people who believe an alligator poses a threat to people, pets or property to call the FWC's toll-free Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-FWC-GATOR (866-392-4286).
When someone concerned about an alligator calls the hotline, the FWC will dispatch one of its contracted nuisance alligator trappers.
Copyright 2019 by WJXT News4Jax - All rights reserved.
Ashley Spicer
Lifetime Floridian anchors weekends and reports weekdays on issues in Nassau and Baker counties and beyond.


How many people still play Pokémon Go as of February 2018?
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