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I Know Dino Podcast Show Notes: Kaatedocus (Episode 226)
Episode 226 is all about Kaatedocus, the smaller cousin of Diplodocus and Barosaurus.
A new basal ornithopod with skinny arms, Mahuidacursor lipanglef, was described in Argentina source
A hadrosaur was found in Montana with marks showing it was probably chewed on by a juvenile T. rex source
Tracks from the Middle Jurassic of China appear to be the first evidence of quadrupedal theropod walking source
Several institutions in New Mexico are working together this spring to photograph, scan, map, and model the Clayton Lake Dinosaur Tracksite source
Dinosaur Journey Museum in Fruita, Colorado, has a new 6ft 4in Apatosaurus femur on display source
The Natural History Museum at Tring in the UK has a new, free exhibition, that shows off the dinosaurs of the British Isles source
The U.S. Postal Service is coming out with new T. rex stamps this year source
The Canadian Mint has a new, limited edition glow in the dark dinosaur coin of a hatching Hypacrosaurus source
The dinosaur of the day: Kaatedocus
Sauropod that lived in the Late Jurassic in what is now Wyoming, US (Morrison Formation)
Looks similar to Diplodocus and Barosaurus
Classified as a Diplodocinae
Estimated to be about 46 ft (14 m) long
Lived earlier than Diplodocus and was smaller than Diplodocus, and helps with understanding the evolution of diplodocids
Also found further north than other diplodocids from the Morrison Formation, so it's possible they moved south over time
Had a long whiplash tail, a long neck, an elongated head, and peg teeth (but there are subtle differences in the skull and vertebrae, like a U-shaped notch between the frontal bones)
Skull looks like a juvenile diplodocid (large eye openings and a rounded snout)
Had large teeth, and looked like it was smiling
Probably used gastroliths to help digest
Described in 2012 by Emanuel Tschopp and Octávio Mateus
Barnum Brown (known as Mr. Bones) led a team from the AMNH in 1934 on Barker Howe's land in near Shell, Wyoming. In 6 months they found about 4,000 fossils in an area of 45 x 65 ft (14 x 20 m). Brown said the site was "an absolute, knockout dinosaur treasure trove!" Brown had heard about the site in 1932 from a local collector who had found some large sauropod leg bones that were partially exposed.
The expedition was funded by Sinclair Oil, and the finds from the trip became Sinclair's logo (the green sauropod)
Brown decided to study the fossils on location to figure out the relationships between individuas. Roland Bird suggested they make a quarry chart and draw a map to show where each bone was found
In the quarry they also found more sauropods (and the first preserved skin tissues of sauropods), as well as ornithischians and Allosaurus. Seemed that there was a group of sauropods being stalked by carnivores and they ran into a watering hole that was a muddy death trap
After 2 months of making the map, they packed the bones into 140 cases and shipped them back to the museum (weighed 69,000 pounds). However, not many of the fossils were prepared or put on display. Many of the fossils were destroyed in a warehouse fire in 1940, the WWII happened. Brown never made it back to the quarry or got to study the bones
In 1989 Hans-Jakob Siber, founder of the Swiss Aathal Dinosaur Museum, reopened the Howe Quarry and found more bones, including some neck vertebrae and a partial skull of a sauropod, at first thought to be Barosaurus or Diplodocus
In 2012 Tschopp and Mateus looked at the bones that were left from the quarry and at AMNH. Tschopp said that "Howe Quarry is the reason I became a paleontologist." (He's still working on the collection from the quarry, and identifying bones based on Bird's quarry map)
They named specimen SMA 0004 Kaatedocus siberi (in 2013 Schmitt and others referred another partial skull from the Howe Quarry to Kaatedocus)
Specimen includes a skull and cervical vertebrae
Type species is Kaatedocus siberi
Name "Kaate" means small in the Crow (Absaroka) language (one of the tribes in northern Wyoming). The word "docus" alludes to Diplodocus and the Greek word "beam"
The species name "siberi" is in honor of Hans-Jakob "Kirby" Siber, who organized and funded the excavation, preparation, and curation of the Kaatedocus holotype
The SMA 0004 is the only specimen from Howe Quarry to be described and properly identified, so far. Need more analysis to better understand diplodocid phylogony and faunal changes in the Morrison Formation
Tschopp and Mateus said they believed the specimen was a subadult because of its small size and the skull features
They also said Kaatedocus "is an example of Cope's Rule, which predicts body size increase during evolution"
Other dinosaurs that lived around the same time and place include Barosaurus, Stegosaurus, Allosaurus
Can see Kaatedocus in the sauropods exhibit on the 4th floor of the AMNH, and fossils casts are part of the juvenile sauropod in the Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda
Fun Fact: A few dromaeosaurs are the same size (weight) as modern raptors. Microraptor is about the same size as the peregrine falcon. Velociraptor & Dromaeosaurus are the same size as the Andean condor.
Top dinosaur discoveries and stories of 2018
Ledumahadi mafube the massive sauropodomorph no one expected from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ledumahadi_NT.jpg
Best discovery: Ledumahadi source
2nd best discovery: Jinyunpelta source
Best listener question: What species of modern bird is the closest living relative of theropods, or more specifically raptors?
Most controversial paper: Spinosaurus probably couldn't swim very well source
Best dino food study: Dromeosaurs probably didn't pack hunt source
Best dinosaur biomechanic study: "Puncture-and-Pull Biomechanics" source
Best paleopathology study: Diplodocus femur and hip pathologies source
Best new tracksite: Goddard Space Flight Center tracks source
Best extinction paper: How widespread forest fires affected bird evolution source
Best baby dinosaur discovery: A nestling-sized skeleton of Edmontosaurus source
Best Book (fiction): Bolivar (published end of 2017) source
Best Book (non-fiction): The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs
Best board Game: Jurassic Park: Danger source
2nd best board game: Cluedo: The Stolen Stegosaurus Mystery game source
Best Video Game: Jurassic World: Evolution
Best movie release: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Best Video (live action): Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom parkour
Best Video (animated): College Humor Jurassic Park with other prehistoric creatures
2nd best Video (animated): Jurassic Park in heels
Best story about dinosaurs bringing people together: A four-year-old received over 100 dinosaur toys after his house burned down
Check out these stories, our fun fact, and dinosaur of the day Thecodontosaurus in episode 214 of the I Know Dino Podcast!
I Know Dino Podcast Show Notes: Thecodontosaurus (Episode 214)
Episode 214 is all about Thecodontosaurus, a Triassic sauropodomorph discovered in 1830s England.
The dinosaur of the day: Thecodontosaurus
Sauropodomorph that lived in the Triassic in what is now England
Small, bipedal
About 3.9 ft (1.2 m) long, weighed about 24 lb (11 kg)
Largest ones estimated to be 8.2 ft (2.5 m) long
Had a short neck and large skull, with large eyes
Front limbs were shorter than hindlimbs
Hands were long and narrow, and had a large claw on each
Had five digits on its hands and feet
Tail was longer than the rest of the body
Had powerful back legs, could reach low hanging tree branches
Maybe could have swam? Used its tail as a rudder and strong limbs for swimming
Lived on a tropical island
Had serrated, leaf-shaped teeth
Sharp teeth could tear up leaves
Originally thought to be carnivorous
Name means "socket-tooth lizard"
Found in 1834 at the Durdham Down quarry
Originally described and named in 1836
One of the first dinosaurs discovered (fourth or fifth named dinosaur, though Dinosauria as a concept didn't exist until 1842)
Thecodontosaurus was at first thought to be a weird reptile that was similar to both lizards and crocodiles
Quarry workers found "saurian animals" remains in Bristol's limestone quarries. They took some bones to the Bristol Institution for the Advancement of Science, Literature and Arts, so Samuel Stutchbury could see them. He was away, so his colleague Henry Riley took a look. When Stutchbury came back, he asked for more specimens. David Williams, a country parson and geologist, was aso excited. So there was a race between Williams and Stutchbury and Riley to describe the bones.
Stutchbury and Williams didn't trust each other (Williams thought Stutchbury was selfish in trying to get all the fossils to the Bristol Institution, and Stutchbury thought Williams was trying to poach fossils). They both worked on descriptions of the dinosaur. However, Williams didn't have as many fossil material as Riley and Stutchbury so he didn't try to turn his report in 1835 into a legitimate description of the animal. Riley and Stutchbury named Thecodontosaurus and gave a short description in a talk in 1836 then finished their paper in 1838 and published in 1840
Name refers to the roots of the teeth not being fused with the jaw bone but instead in separate tooth sockets (like modern lizards)
Originally Riley and Stutchbury though it was a member of Squamata (lizards and snakes). Owen did not consider it to be a dinosaur (assigned it to Thecodontia in 1865). Then in 1870 Thomas Huxley found it was a dinosaur, though thought it was a Scelidosauridae. Modern analysis is still not conclusive (sometimes seen as a basal sauropodomorph, or may have come before the prosauropod-sauropod split)
Only one valid species, the type species Thecodontosaurus antiquus (though many other species have been named)
Species named in 1843 by John Morris, in his catalogue of British fossils
Species name means "ancient" in Latin
Holotype consists of a lower jaw
Holotype was destroyed in WWII in November 1940 during the Bristol Blitz
Some bones survived (184 are now part of the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery, and more fossils were later found near Bristol at Tytherington)
About 245 fragmentary specimens are currently known
Peter Dalton assigned another lower jaw as the neotype in 1985
Lots of other misassigned species, some now considered to be other genera, some are dubious
Riley and Stutchbury also found some carnivore teeth that they named Paleosaurus cylindrodon and Paleosaurus platydon. In the late 1800s, there was a theory that they were from carnivorous prosauropods, with similar bodies to Thecodontosaurus but with teeth that could slice. Arthur Smith Woodward named Thecodontosaurus platydon in 1890 based on this, and Friedrich von Huene named Thecodontosaurus cylindrodon in 1908, but now they're both not considered valid
Once, Thecodontosaurus fossils were mistakenly described as a different genus. In 1891, Harry Govier Seeley named Agrosaurus macgillivrayi. He thought the fossils found in 1844 that came from the northeast coast of Australia. But it was foun in 1999 that Riley and Stutchbury probably sent those bones to the British Museum of Natural History and were mislabeled. (In 1906, Friedrich von Huene said they were similar to Thecodontosaurus and named the species Thecodontosaurus macgillivrayi. Now it's considered a junior synonym of Thecodontosaurus antiquus.
Part of the Bristol Dinosaur Project, which for ~4 years thousands of volunteers helped gather and preserve its fossils (lots of lab, research, and outreach work)
Fun Fact: From episode 180: Stegosaur plates form from the same osteoderms that make up the armor on ankylosaurs
This episode is brought to you in part by TRX Dinosaurs, which makes beautiful and realistic dinosaur sculptures, puppets, and animatronics. You can see some amazing examples and works in progress on Instagram @trxdinosaurs
And by Indiana University Press. Their Life of the Past series is lavishly illustrated and meticulously documented to showcase the latest findings and most compelling interpretations in the ever-changing field of paleontology. Find their books at iupress.indiana.edu
This Week in Dinosaur News: Fast Raptors, T-rex Jaws, Superducks, The Good Dinosaur, and More
Here's what came out this week in dinosaur news:
A new raptor nicknamed "the Ferrari of raptors" was large enough it could have killed a T-rex, according to Smithsonian Mag and KU Paleontological Institute
T-rex and Allosaurus could open their jaw up to 90 degrees, according to Tech Times and Royal Society Open Science
Probrachylophosaurus bergei, nicknamed "Superduck," had complex nasal crests, according to Reuters and PLOS One
According to National Geographic, baby Maiasaura had an 89.9% mortality rate their first year and adult Maiasaura had a 44.4% mortality rate
The Good Dinosaur will feature two composers and focus on the music, unlike other Pixar films, according to Variety
The University of Kansas built an app to help people find and classify fossils, according to Daily Herald
...Next Page


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Home / 2022 / June / Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities
Dear Campus Community,
I am thrilled to announce that UC Santa Cruz is one of the founding members of the Alliance of Hispanic Serving Research Universities. The group, officially launching today and comprising all 20 of the nation's top research universities that are also classified as Hispanic-Serving Institutions, aims to increase opportunity for those historically underserved by higher education. Our collective goals are to double the number of Hispanic doctoral students enrolled at alliance universities by 2030, and to increase the number of Hispanic professors at the institutions by 20 percent.
This is an important effort, and I'm proud that our campus has committed to effecting real change in this area. Hispanics and Latinos are the largest minority group in the United States, yet they continue to be underrepresented in higher education. We have roughly 19,000 undergraduate and graduate students on our campus, with a quarter identifying as Hispanic or Latinx. We strive to be a student-centered university focused on advancing the success of our undergraduate and graduate students. Our campus holds the distinction of being one of only two members of the prestigious Association of American Universities designated both as an Hispanic-Serving Institution and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution, highlighting our commitment to equitable educational access and research excellence. By joining with other universities, though, there is more that we can accomplish.
As R1 universities — designations given to universities with very high research activity — alliance members are well-positioned to train the next generation of Hispanic and Latinx scholars, who as a group are underrepresented in graduate programs. We can increase the number of Hispanic doctoral students with speed and at scale. In 2020, alliance universities produced 6,090 doctoral graduates, 9 percent of whom were Hispanic or Latinx. This is better than the national average, but it isn't good enough. Because we educate so many of America's undergraduates, we can broaden the pathway to graduate school and inspire more highly qualified students to continue their education to a higher level.
The universities we are joining in this push are research powerhouses like UC Santa Cruz, with a combined enrollment of more than 750,000 students. I believe deeply that we can make a real difference, improving Latinx representation in the upper reaches of higher education. That promises to improve the trajectories of thousands of individuals, families, and communities, and will undoubtedly result in more world-changing research outcomes. Over and over again, we have seen that a wider range of voices, viewpoints, and experiences leads to more discoveries and breakthroughs.
We have the ability, and the responsibility, to change the face of higher education, and I am excited that our campus will be a key player in this effort.
Cynthia Larive
Last modified: June 9, 2022 128.114.113.87

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Join the GODAN Secretariat on Wednesday, November 29 at 2 pm GMT for a 1-hour Twitter chat. In celebration of reaching 600 partners, we invite everyone to discuss how the GODAN partnership network has impacted their organisation and their commitment to open data for agriculture and nutrition.
For partners who cannot attend and prefer to pre-schedule their Tweets, the following 6 questions will be asked in 10-minute intervals.
Tweet us at @godanSec if you plan to join in and we can send you a reminder Tweet before it starts!
NextTaiwan approved the maize event MON87427 x MON89034 x TC1507 x MON87411 x 59122 (HT + IR) for food use.


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The 2019 Australian World Swimming Trials are current being held from 9 to 14 June 2019 at the Brisbane Aquatic Centre in Brisbane, Queensland. The event is the selection trails for the 2019 World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju, South Korea.

Following Australia's performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics where 29 medals were won and finishing 10th on the medal tally, Swimming Australia announced in the February 2017 that the timing of the selection trails would be modified. Historically, the trails were held in April several months before the Olympics were held. This will be now changed to follow the American model where the trails are held six weeks before.

A Para Grand Prix will be held in conjunction with the trials on the 13 to 14 June 2019.

The legends relay was a mixed 4 × 50 m freestyle event swam on the fourth night of the meet. The team were:
 Team Frame - Trevor Green, Marcelo Figueredo, Aaron Boersma and Linley Frame
 Team Fraser - David Barrett, Brendan Dyer, Therese Crollick, Sandra Wylie
 Team Rickard - Jane Sadler, Michael Lee, Jennifer Campbell, Brenton Rickard
 Team Gallen - Jason Burgess, Jodie Greensill, Gillian O'Mara, Michelle Gallen
 Team Flouch - Jamie Coates, Casey Flouch, Todd Robinson, Kylie Fletcher
 Team Schipper - Martin Banks, Janette Jeffrey, Gerry Tucker, Jessicah Schipper
 Team FFrost - Nick Ffrost, Maree Antonio and Russell Booysen

The event was won by Team Flouch in a time of 1:57.99, followed by Team Gallen (2:02.86) and Team FFrost where Nick Ffrost swam the backstroke and freestyle legs (2:17.02).

Schedule

M = Morning session, E = Evening session

Medal winners
The results are below.

Men's events

Men's multiclass events

Women's events

Women's multiclass events

Legend:

Records broken
During the 2019 Australian World Swimming Trails the following records were set.

Commonwealth, Oceanian and Australian records
 Men's 200 m individual medley – Mitch Larkin, St Peters Western (1:55.72) (final)
 Women's 400 m freestyle – Ariarne Titmus, St Peters Western (3:59.35) (final)

Notes

References

World Swimming Trails
Australian World Swimming Trails
Sports competitions in Brisbane
2010s in Brisbane
Australian World Swimming Trails
Olympics trials

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News and Press Releases NEWS FLASH: DR Congo: Arrest Sudanese President al-Bashir, wanted for genocide
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NEWS FLASH: DR Congo: Arrest Sudanese President al-Bashir, wanted for genocide
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The ICC has issued arrest warrants for President Bashir for his alleged involvement in war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur.
"The Democratic Republic of Congo should not shield President Omar al-Bashir from international justice," said Muthoni Wanyeki, Regional Director for East Africa at Amnesty International.
"His visit to the country is an opportunity to enforce the arrest warrants and send a message that justice must prevail."
If the DRC does not arrest President Bashir, it will violate its obligations under the Rome Statute of the
International Criminal Court.
President Omar al-Bashir flew to Kinshasa this evening to take part in a meeting of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
Ten years after the conflict in Darfur started, widespread and systematic violations of international human rights and humanitarian law continue unabated. Civilians continue to be subjected to unlawful killings, acts of torture including rape, and #####ngs. Over 460,000 people have been displaced in 2013 as a result of inter-communal violence and clashes between government forces and armed opposition groups.
An arrest warrant for President Bashir was issued by the ICC in March 2009 on charges of crimes against humanity and war crimes. A further arrest warrant with three charges of genocide in Darfur was issued in July 2010.
Amnesty International has called on all members of the international community to ensure full accountability for crimes under international law committed in Sudan.
Campaigners have filed legal actions to bring Omar al-Bashir to face justice before the ICC in countries he has previously visited, including Nigeria and Kenya.
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General Election 2019: Labour Vs the Tories on Fox Hunting
With the General Election just two days away, I wanted to take a look at how the campaign promises of the two main parties relate to animal welfare and animal rights, and their overall track records in these areas.
However, since Animal Aid have produced an extremely comprehensive overview of proposed policies, covering all parties and even the individual voting records of MPs by constituency, I thought it might be more useful to offer a broader context on a specific issue, and direct you to Animal Aid's brilliant guide at http://voteforanimals.org.uk/.
The issue I've opted to write about is among the most divisive. It has gone beyond just animal welfare, and has come to signify the divide between the left and right, the wealthy and the working class, the urban and the rural voter. The Spectator called it "the single most viral topic of the election" in 2017, and a YouGov poll placed it among the top ten 'recognisable' policies during that election season.
It's fox hunting, of course. Frequently, I encounter people who believe that hunting with hounds is already against the law, and therefore, it has become a moot point. But this is not quite the case.
A quick disclaimer; quite obviously, I am vehemently opposed to hunting in all its forms, and historically, the Conservative Party have been associated with the pro-hunting community.
That doesn't mean that this is going to be a rant against the Tories. I am inclined to believe that the internet has become such a global-scale screaming match between the left and right, that even the most eloquently made arguments from both sides are simply lost in the cacophony.
So instead, I'll try to give you an overview of both parties and their history on this issue, and let you draw your own conclusions. I'll happily accept allegations that this piece has an anti-hunting bias, but whether or not it's anti-Tory, I hope, will depend on your assessment of the facts, and how much you value the humane treatment of animals.
The Current Hunting Act
When Labour won the General Election in 1997 under Tony Blair, they pledged a free vote in Parliament on whether the hunting of mammals with groups of hounds, most notably foxes, should be banned.
After years of bouncing back and forth between the House of Commons and the House of Lords, repeated public enquiries into hunting, and numerous clashes between pro and anti-hunting protesters, the Hunting Act was born - voted into law by a majority of 356 votes to 166 in September 2004.
Though the Act, which prohibits the hunting of some wild mammals with dogs, was welcomed by animal rights groups, many came to regard it as a deeply flawed piece of legislation, with loopholes that allow hunters to flagrantly flout the law, and little to no policing of continued hunt activity.
For example, the Act does not totally prohibit the use of dogs to 'flush out' mammals for shooting above ground, nor does it cover 'trail hunts', where hunting dogs follow an artificial, pre-laid scent.
Critics say that these omissions to the Act, particularly relating to trail hunting, offer a smokescreen for hunting groups to continue killing foxes and other animals with hounds.
They suggest that it's almost impossible to prove whether hunts are following an artificial, or real, scent, should any effort be made by authorities to do so. And when animals are killed, hunters are able to claim that it was accidental - that they simply crossed paths with the pack on a trail hunt.
Anti-hunt groups have also suggested that there is little to no attempt to police hunts, or that in close-knit rural communities there is bias on the part of local police towards the hunters.
As the current legislation stands, many believe hunting with dogs to be illegal only figuratively - not in practice. This is the reason for the continued existence of organisations like the Hunt Saboteurs, who attempt to record the activity of so-called trail hunts, and prevent them from making kills. Follow them on Facebook for numerous examples, they say, of hunting groups openly breaking the law, and instances of intimidation against them by members of the pro-hunting movement.
Pro-hunting groups deny all of the above allegations, and claim that trail hunts adhere to the law, that hunting in general is a countryside tradition not understood by city dwellers, and that conversely, it's hunt 'sabbing' that equates to harassment and intimidation.
It is also worth noting that polls indicate that the public is against a repeal of the fox hunting ban by a wide majority, with a steady decrease of those in favour over the past twenty years, across both urban and rural regions. Polls in 2017 suggested that public sentiment against the 'sport' was at an all time high.
Conservatives on fox hunting
The Conservative Manifesto for the 2019 election contains just one line relating to fox hunting; "we will make no changes to the Hunting Act."
This is a break from tradition.
The 2017 Tory Manifesto under Theresa May promised "a free vote, on a government bill in government time, to give parliament the opportunity to decide the future of the Hunting Act."
Similarly, David Cameron's Manifesto in 2015 pledged to "protect hunting and shooting" and "give Parliament the opportunity to repeal the Hunting Act".
All three Conservative Prime Ministers in the past decade have been open about their support for fox hunting, with David Cameron and Boris Johnson admitting that they have personally participated in hunts. Other Notable Tory MPs who are existing hunt members include Jacob Rees Mogg, current Leader of the Commons.
In 2005, in an article for Spectator magazine, Boris Johnson wrote;
"I loved my day with the hunt, and hope they have the courage and organisation to keep going forever."
He even appeared to support hunting groups breaking the existing law, stating;
"they are going out with the hounds this Saturday, and if the hounds pick up a fox, so be it."
In February 2013, during his tenure as Mayor of London, Johnson also called for a cull of urban foxes, telling the BBC;
"They may appear cuddly and romantic, but foxes are also a pest and a menace, particularly in our cities" and on Twitter; "I would have no hesitation in supporting urban fox hunts - possibly on bikes."
Some commentators have suggested that the Conservatives have opted to remove any pro-hunting sentiment from their Manifesto because it proved so unpopular in 2017.
When Theresa May announced her intent for a commons vote on hunting ahead of the previous election, she was met with a huge backlash on social media, leading to her relinquishing her promise in January 2018 - after the Tories had made shock losses in seats.
The Manifesto does, however, mention plans to make "intentional trespass a criminal offence", whereas previously, it has been merely a civil offence. This will effectively criminalise the work of hunt saboteurs and restrict trail hunting entirely from public view. In lieu of repealing the Hunting Act, this may be a means to further protect hunters who break the law from prosecution.
Hunt monitor Penny Little said to the Telegraph;
"They [the Conservatives] are sneaking in a move that could leave illegal hunting completely unscrutinised, and allow it to continue without even the present, very slight, risk of prosecution."
Historically, the Conservative Party has been the party most opposed to a ban on hunting. At the time of its conception in 2004, just six Tory MPs out of a total 143 voted in favour of the Hunting Act - compared to 318 Labour MPs out of a possible 321. Boris Johnson was among the MPs who repeatedly voted against the ban on hunting and its various amendments in 2002, 2003 and 2004.
There is some evidence that anti-hunting sentiment is growing among the modern Conservative party, however. Around 80 out of a total 298 MPs have publicly stated that they will not support a repeal of the current Hunting Act if given a 'free' vote, according to Conservative Association group, Conservatives Against Fox Hunting. However, the pressure to 'toe the party line' is a factor that must be considered should such a vote take place.
In summary, whilst it is a relief to the majority that the Conservative Manifesto suggests no plans to repeal the Act, since the current legislation is, in the view of many, failing to prevent hunters from breaking the law, foxes will continue to be killed under the current Tory government unless efforts are made to strengthen it.
The Tory party's history on this issue suggests that no such effort will be made in the near future. Their proposed changes to laws relating to civil trespass may actually result in even fewer prosecutions for illegal hunts and therefore weaker deterrents for hunters, whether this is an intended consequence or not.
In 2016, approximately 250,000 people attended the UK's annual Boxing Day Hunt. In the hunting season between November 2017 and April 2018 alone, the League Against Cruel Sports reported 284 instances of illegal hunting and 41 foxes killed.
Labour on Fox Hunting
For the 2019 election, Labour has released an 'Animal Welfare Manifesto' which further develops their stance on issues relating to animals, and suggests a growing interest in animal welfare policy within the party.
This Manifesto broadly declares support for the Hunting Act and proposes various amendments to strengthen it, such as;
"Develop a National Wildlife Crime Strategy and make illegal hunting and all wildlife crime a reportable offence.
Enhance and strengthen the Hunting Act, closing loopholes that allow for illegal hunting of foxes, deer and hares. This would include:
Review penalties under the Hunting Act 2004 to ensure it is an effective deterrent, including consulting on the introduction of custodial sentences, bringing it in line with the penalties for other wildlife crimes.
Introduce a new 'recklessness' clause to prevent trail hunts being used as cover for the illegal hunting of wild mammals.
Remove the exemption for 'research and observation'.
Remove the exemption 'use of dogs below ground to protect birds for shooting."
Whilst previous Manifestos did not devote as much attention to animal welfare, both the 2017 Manifesto under Jeremy Corbyn and 2015 Labour Manifesto under Ed Milliband professed support for the Hunting Act.
The 2019 Manifesto is the first time that loopholes within the existing law have been addressed by the party, however, something that anti-hunting organisations have highlighted as a huge step forward. Martin Sims, Director of Investigations at the League Against Cruel Sports said of the move;
"We welcome the bold plans announced by the Labour Party to tackle wildlife crime and fox hunting by strengthening the Hunting Act, making it the effective deterrent it should always have been, and committing extra funding to allow police to successfully prosecute the perpetrators… We support the moves to close down the loopholes and remove the exemptions that the fox and deer hunts are currently exploiting to kill British wildlife."
Labour's Shadow Environment Secretary, Sue Hayman, also said of the manifesto pledge:
"While the Tories continue with their mass slaughter of badgers and flip flop on bringing back fox hunting, Labour is determined to bring animal welfare policy into the 21st Century, based on the latest science and understanding.
"We are calling time on those who have been allowed to get away with illegally hunting, maiming and killing wild animals such as deer, hen harriers, foxes and hares.
"By increasing the number of wildlife and rural police forces across the country we will help protect both wild animals and property in rural communities, and ensure a crackdown on the types of crimes against animals that this Tory government has turned a blind eye to. Labour is the true party of real change when it comes to animal welfare."
A forecast in July 2015 by The Telegraph suggested that around 213 Labour MPs of a total 232 had professed some level of support for the hunting ban, with the stance of remaining MPs being unknown.
In his memoirs, Tony Blair has professed some regret for his part in launching the Hunting Act, stating "If I'd proposed solving the pension problem by compulsory euthanasia for every fifth pensioner I'd have got less trouble for it."
However, it's clear that the modern Labour party is largely committed to maintaining the existing legislation, and it's promise of finally transforming it into an effective ban on the blood sport is a move we in the animal rights community have been calling on for years.
Why I Choose to Rescue 'Vermin'
I Once Stole a Cat - & I Don't Regret it. Here's Why
Cats, Dogs & the New Corona Virus: Making Sense of What We Know So Far
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Chris Moneymaker
Chris Moneymaker is a professional American poker player He has made a living out of playing the game with an innovative technique which is now referred to as the Moneymaker Effect
Jennifer Harman
Jennifer Harman is a professional poker player from America She holds the record of being a woman who has won two bracelets in the World Series of Poker This honor is shared by only one other woman worldwide
Ray Romano is an American actor who is very well known for super hit TV show Everybody Loves Raymond Ray was born in Queens District of New York in the year 1957 and right from the childhood was highly interested in standup comedy
Ray Romano'S
Ray is a famous American comedian. He worked in over 15 movies, 21 TV shows and 3 video games. Ray was also honoured with two Emmy Awards and almost 4 People's Choice Award. Ray is known to be one of the highest paid actors in America.
Brad Garrett is an American stand up comedian TV personality executive producer movie and voice actor He is mostly known for his role of Robert Barone in the television series Everybody Loves Raymond He also is a professional poker player


This dataset contains 4km and 5km Channel 3 water vapor imagery from the GOES-11 satellite taken during the HIPPO-3 project. The imagery are in JPG format. To preview imagery and order files, please click on a companion dataset below for the leg of interest.


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Toyota Helps a Young Inventor; Look at His Dad's Toyota Desk
By Mark Graban	 On Oct 3, 2017 Last updated Oct 4, 2017
Toyota USA shared a nice video featuring an 11-year old inventor, Bishop Curry, pictured at left with a design drawing. His dad, Bishop Curry Sr. works for Toyota Financial Services and he's also in the video.
The elder Curry works as an "Operational Excellence Consultant" for TFS. From his LinkedIn profile, it sounds like he works to apply the Toyota Production System in Finance (and he now lives near me in the DFW area with the opening of the Toyota North American HQ here in Plano). Welcome to the area!
Hear Mark read this post (subscribe to the podcast)
I've long heard that Toyota hasn't had quite the same culture and TPS / Lean approach outside of manufacturing, but they have been working to catch up. TFS has been a customer of our friends at Gemba Academy as a way to learn Lean (and even Six Sigma, as I've heard, even though Toyota doesn't use formal Six Sigma in their factories). Toyota's not uniformly or perfectly Lean… they're learning and practicing, it seems.
The spread of TPS outside of Toyota factories goes to show that process improvement methods and this management system apply anywhere, as their non-profit TSSC group has long proven in healthcare and non-profits (read more about their 25th anniversary).
It's interesting to see that the word "Lean" is used in his list of methods used in his job profile:
Back to the Young Inventor for a Minute
Anyway, here is the video with 11 year-old Bishop being an experimentalist – thinking like an engineer and an entrepreneur (maybe there's a kid's scholarship available for Lean Startup Week?).
Will his invention work? Is it the best solution? Will anyone buy it or help him produce it?
I don't know. And that's the point… engineering, product design, and entrepreneurship requires experimentation, prototyping, testing, and risk taking. He's learning how to do all of these things. I think that's awesome. He can only prove or disprove his idea in practice, as is true with any startup or big company "intra-preneurship" effort. The same is true with small continuous improvement ideas… we can only prove or disprove that ideas work in practice.
Where I Obsess About Seemingly Minor Details
In the video, some small details beyond his invention jumped out at me. I was looking at his dad's Toyota workplace.
For one, the elder Bishop is shown at his stand up desk (I'm guessing the video was shot back in California, before the move to the new buildings in Texas).
I noticed Toyota is setting a good example when it comes to desk practices (beyond the standing desk and the multiple monitors, which are proven to improve productivity).
When looking at what some other companies do, I've complained for a long time about what I think are misguided "Office 5S" or "Lean Office" initiatives that will insist it's "Lean" to do things like telling employees they must:
Put tape around your keyboard and desk items
Remove family photos as "non productive items"
See this post as one classic example of clunky "Lean Office" initiatives that just alienate employees:
Bad Lean / 5S Hits the UK Media
Back to Toyota
What do you see on Curry's desk?
Of course you do. Having family photos there are good for morale. It's humane. There are studies that show it's good for productivity to have family photos on your desk. It also goes to show that Toyota focuses on improvements that matter, rather than mindlessly using Lean tools.
What don't you see?
TAPE AROUND HIS LAPTOP (OR OTHER ITEMS)!
Again, Toyota seems to be setting a good example of not blindly using Lean tools.
By comparison, below is a photo shared with me the other day where a company put tape 5S corners around a huge multifunction copier (not at Toyota, but a large company).
Why did they do that?
What problem is that tape solving?
Has the copier ever moved or gone missing?
Maybe the people who did this didn't have a good coach working with them? Maybe it's an expected mistake that's made as people develop and "practice Lean?" Are the people who put tape around the copier reflecting on what they did and what effect it had?
Are they "implementing 5S" or using a Plan-Do-Study-Adjust process? Are they studying their results, reflecting, and possibly adjusting?
It's Natural to Make Mistakes, But…
I know I seem judgmental when I criticize others for "doing Lean wrong" or using the L.A.M.E. label that I've grown less fond of over time.
It's natural (and expected) that we'll make mistakes or errors in judgment when we're new to anything, Lean included. I made mistakes… and reflecting on that was the inspiration for the book Practicing Lean where 15 others also shared their stories and lessons learned about our early mistakes.
I think all of the contributors to the book were fortunate to have good mentors. They helped us learn from our mistakes.
Hopefully, nobody is making the same mistakes over and over.
One problem with high profile (and, forgive me, misguided) Lean Office initiatives is that it gives Lean a bad name. That might keep others from discovering the true depth and breadth of what Lean is about.
If people hear that Lean is about telling people not to put sweaters on the back of their chairs, they might choose not to learn about Lean and then the might not ever discover the joy of empowering everyone to participate in Kaizen (continuous improvement).
Lean gone wrong leads to articles like this one from TED Ideas:
"Why every office should scrap its clean desk policy"
I agree with the the headline, but disagree with the author's assertion that Lean = clean desk policies.
"… 5S has somehow bled from car assembly lines, operating theaters and semiconductor manufacturing plants, where it might make sense, to the office cubicle, where it does not."
I agree that clumsy copying of tools for physical spaces might not make sense in a cubicle that's not a shared workspace. My friend Dan Markovitz (listen to my podcast with him) and others have long made the case for the benefits of "information 5S" when it comes to computers and such… those are organizational methods that might actually improve productivity in a way that putting tape around your phone would not.
This TED Udeas article cites a workplace study that I blogged about here:
Depersonalized Workplaces are L.A.M.E., not Lean, Harming Productivity and People
The one key learning is that morale and productivity improve when employees have some control over the design and decoration of their space. Of course.
The TED article, erroneously equates a "Lean" office with one that's "Spartan."
"The first was the lean office, a spartan space with a bare desk, swivel chair, pencil and paper."
A truly "lean office" would be effective – better safety, quality, productivity, morale, etc.
The article draws a conclusion that I'll edit – replacing the word "lean" with the more accurate "spartan."
"The empowered office was a great success — people got 30 percent more done there than in the [spartan] office, and about 15 percent more than in the enriched office."
There's a story in the article about Virginia Mason Medical Center that makes me cringe:
"However, 5S enthusiasts at the Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle didn't get the memo. Doctors and nurses there were in the habit of hanging a stethoscope on a hook, but management came up with a tidier solution: a drawer marked "stethoscope." The medical staff kept on hanging the stethoscope on the hook.
What to do? "Eventually," said a supervisor, "we had to remove the hook."
It sure sounds like the doctors and nurses preferred the hook. So management removed it? Yikes, that couldn't have been good for morale… and VMMC is often considered to be an exemplar Lean organization with many books out there about their approach.
If you're using a stethoscope a lot, why put it in a drawer if you're going to be accessing it all the time? That sounds like more motion, time, and hassle… and Lean is supposed to REDUCE that. Lean isn't about hiding our tools… it's about having them ready and available to use.
I wonder if VMMC has learned from this? Did the hooks ever come back?
Toyota and Kaizen Recognition
Below is a photo showing young Bishop with one of his engineering mentors.
Behind them is a "kaizen recognition" bulletin board. It's hard to make out the detail, but it's great to see they are giving recognition. That's an important part of the Kaizen process… improvement leads to recognition, which leads to more improvement… a virtuous cycle.
I admire what Bishop is doing to work toward solving and preventing a problem that matters – children dying after being left in hot cars.
And thanks to Toyota for helping him and sharing the story… and the inadvertent Lean lesson.
Here are some of my past blog posts on this topic of "bad office 5S":
A Video Showing Office 5S Gone Wrong
Throwback Thursday: How My Blog Rant Helped Keep an Office 5S Initiative from Being "L.A.M.E."
It's Awful When the Person Teaching #Lean Doesn't Get the Bad 5S Joke
This WSJ Article (as do Many Organizations) Misses the Point of 5S
More "Lean Office" Silliness
5SHealthcareLean OfficePDSAToyotaVirginia Mason
#Lean Enterprise Institute Announces New CEO
Am I "Resistant to Change" When it Comes to iPhones?
Join us for an Expert Panel Webinar on Improving the Covid Vaccination Process
Learning From These Charts About Patients and Dignity (and Improvement)
Blaming "Human Error" Isn't an Excuse for Wasting 500 Doses of…
Responding to a One-Sided Article That Trashes Lean in Healthcare [Updated]
Ryan McCormack says 3 years ago
I once pushed back on a lean sensei who asked me to use 5S to re-organize my personal workspace ('what problem will that solve?', 'I have my own system', 'Nobody else uses the space'). After being worn down by my defiance, he finally explained to me that he was trying to teach me the discipline of establishing a standard, testing a standard, and improving a standard – NOT how to improve my organization skills or even remove waste. Through this lens, I more readily understood the purpose of the lesson (I still didn't agree with it and we used a different routine to practice on).
Frighteningly, 5S is a common entry-level lesson used to introduce people to Lean, often taught from a starting set of principles of "eliminate variation through blanket standards" and "inspect for compliance" – principles I've come to know as antithetical to lean thinking principles. This approach is often positioned as the "foundation of Lean". If this is the foundation, it's no wonder that staff and leaders hate it and don't sign on for more. Start from (useful) principles and start from need.
Thanks for sharing the story, Ryan.
I agree that there are probably more meaningful places to learn and practice 5S… such as a real business problem that would make somebody's work easier. Then we're demonstrating that 5S and Lean are helpful instead of then forcing people to "buy in" or go along with what we're telling them to do… even if it's for their own good.
Your sensei was well intended… but I think we need to have a better recognition that "do this because I said so" (even when it's "good for" the person we're pointing that) isn't a good pathway to change. We might get, at best, compliance… and that's not what Lean is about.
I wish folks would think and use judgment instead of falling back on "we should always start with 5S." Why? "Because that's how I was taught."
5S can be a VERY helpful method and a great way to get started… except when it's not the right way to start.
Toyota Helps a Young Inventor; Look at His Dad's Toyota Desk | Mark Graban | LeanBlog | Michel Baudin's Blog 3 years ago
[…] Sourced through LeanBlog […]
Read Michel Baudin's thoughts here…
He starts:
Over the years, Mark has posted several times about misguided efforts at "Office 5S" that don't improve performance and are resented by office workers. Generally, I agree with him. Tidying up desks doesn't have much of an effect because most of the work isn't done on the desk but inside a computer network. Where organization is required is in the databases and software applications an office relies on, more than in the furniture or the copier.
Click the link above for his full comments…


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John Helmer: Kremlin Lapels Point to Putin as President for Life
Yves here. I know craazyman, and presumably other male readers, will enjoy learning about this sartorial indicator. Plus we need a break from Trump.
By John Helmer, the longest continuously serving foreign correspondent in Russia, and the only western journalist to direct his own bureau independent of single national or commercial ties. Helmer has also been a professor of political science, and an advisor to government heads in Greece, the United States, and Asia. He is the first and only member of a US presidential administration (Jimmy Carter) to establish himself in Russia. Originally published at Dances with Bears
As if it weren't already certain, President Vladimir Putin intends to run again for president in 2018. He has made this visibly obvious (lead image), though it's not yet officially so. The signal Putin has chosen – a unique one in the history of European and American leaders of state — is one which kings display on their chests. That's peaked lapels instead of notched lapels on their suit jackets. Until Putin, the last president in Moscow to wear peaked lapels was Mikhail Gorbachev. By the time he did that in August 1991, he had just five months left in power.
Lapels are to men's coats as foreskins are to penises. They lost their function long ago. These days, lapels are a leftover, a fashionable decoration to some, a fetish to others.
In the evolution of men's coats in the European climate, rows of buttons ran all the way up the jacket to allow it to close with a collar at the neck. Military uniforms always buttoned under the chin. With climate warming; closed vehicles for travelling; interior heating in houses; and empires with tropical spots, it became customary to fold jacket collars open at the neck, then open them all the way down to the waist. This opening created jacket flaps, aka lapels. Removing the buttons, notches and froggings to fasten them eliminated the old function, leaving behind a fashion. In tailoring terms, as modelled by Russia's last tsar Nicholas II, the lapel started with a decorative flap (below, left); then cut to a notch (centre), or to a peak (right).
Regime change doesn't mean lapel change. The more men who have replaced the Russian monarchy, and the less militarized their rule, the more variety in their lapels.
Left, Josef Stalin wore notched lapels; Vladimir Lenin with shawl lapels; Mikhail Kalinin in peaked lapels.
Senior Kremlin leaders have always had the services of the Kremlin tailor. The latest in that line to talk, an Indian who made suits for then President Dmitry Medvedev in 2010, was ordered by the security services to keep silence. A spokesman for Putin's press service said today there is no information on where his suits come from.
Tailors come and go, but the fashion in lapels has not. Since 1991, notched lapels have been the uniform for the business day. For tailors, cutting peaked lapels requires exceptional skill. The result – curvature of the lapel, stitching at the lapel edges, and the design of the peaks – is invariably more distinctive than notching. In this way, peaked lapels are the cut of politicians who are secure in their power, and confident of keeping it. The peaked lapel cut makes a politician stand out from his colleagues, rivals, opponents. The members of the Soviet Politburo didn't wear them; Lenin did; Stalin could, though he preferred military jackets. Nikita Khrushchev, Leonid Brezhnev, Yury Andropov, and Konstantin Chernenko were never seen in peaked lapels.
When Boris Yeltsin was on the rise, he wore notched lapels. As he deteriorated in mind, as well as in power, his lapels did too. Here (below, left) the over-confident Mikhail Gorbachev (peak lapels) in August 1991, still President of the Soviet Union, was meeting Yelstin (notches), then President of Russia. And here, below right, is Yeltsin announcing his exit on December 31, 1999, his notches slipping almost into shawls.
In the modern history of men's costumes, no source of cutting skill and design has lasted as long as Savile Row, the street of bespoke tailors in London since 1850, when the tailors succeeded the doctors because the owners of the mansions in Mayfair began to live longer and could afford to worry more about the cut of their cloth than of their liver.
Bespoke, or made to measure suits must always be more expensive than machine-made garments. But British politicians who aim to get elected don't want to appear to have paid too much on Savile Row; that's because they don't want voters to suspect them of stealing the money and lavishing it on their vanity. The greatest lapel cutter in Savile Row history was Tommy Nutter (below, left), who practised on the street between 1969 and 1976. Pop singers (right) wore his suits; politicians didn't dare.
Prime Minister Tony Blair never wore peaked lapels except in evening suits, and claimed he bought his business suits from an Armani rack in Italy. Gordon Browne, the Labour Party Chancellor of the Exchequer under Blair from 1997 to 2007, then Blair's successor as prime minister, 2007-2010, bought and wore Savile Row tailoring. So did David Cameron, the Conservative Party Prime Minister between 2010 and 2016, Likewise, they paid a lot for their Savile Row suits, but they concealed it by notching their lapels. In his formal evening dress Cameron wore shawl lapels (left) more often than peaked lapels (right).
The only British politician to wear peaked lapels regularly in public is the king in waiting, Prince Charles. In continental Europe it's the same. Politicians elected by the people wear notched or shawl lapels; politicians elected by God or divine right wear peaked lapels. In addition to Price Charles (below, left), that in includes King Carl Gustaf XVI of Sweden (centre), and King Felipe VI of Spain.
In the US Presidents Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower wore peaked lapels from time to time. Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, the two Bushes, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama never – except for evening costume.
Kings serve for life; prime ministers, chancellors and presidents for one or two terms, or if they are lucky, three or four. Peaked lapels mean the wearer thinks he is in for life. There is only one exception to the rule that fixed-term or short-run political leaders in Europe and America always wear notched lapels. There was one prime minister to wear peaked labels through four terms and nine years, a record in Italy; that was Silvio Berlusconi.
This entry was posted in Curiousities, Guest Post, Politics on February 10, 2017 by Yves Smith.
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witters February 10, 2017 at 3:41 am
I don't have a jacket, or a suit.
Sometimes funerals are an issue.
PlutoniumKun February 10, 2017 at 5:03 am
I know someone who had the same problem, he went to his fathers funeral in the only black top he had, his Manchester United away strip jersey.
Given that his father was an Arsenal fan, it was considered not in the best taste…..
Katharine February 10, 2017 at 9:05 am
I thought black for funerals was an anachronism. Over fifty years ago, I remember the daughters of a man who had had a hard, hard death from cancer appearing at his autumn funeral, one in bright yellow, the other in bright orange, celebrating his release. I wouldn't do that if I were not near kin or sure of their feelings in the matter, but I have never worn black to a funeral.
It is amazing how many social conventions hang on against all reason, and in some matters of dress it seems men are much more constrained than women. In a way that's an advantage: pick up a tie and a suit that fits at Goodwill and you have the rudiments of the uniform. But it's a strange custom.
Suits as we know them come out of a more egalitarian era. The Versailles crowd dressed in all kinds of styles. Men's styles were extravagant as courtiers jockeyed for position. This was common among the upper classes. The Pope's dress collection wasn't Papal state specific. Browse photos of plantation owners.
ckimball February 11, 2017 at 12:40 pm
Katherine.. Maybe when our society had more cultural bounds and less spoken personal words, to dress in black to signal that grief had come was helpful .
The black suit or the dark suit (if you could afford a suit probably the most common) being a more formalized structure of clothing could be worn to show respect for the whomever died and for the grief of others in the immediate circle and to align oneself with those concerned
and the feelings that may come. In the past, I have thought about the condition of mourning and felt that the tradition of a year in black was not a bad idea. It may have been a good idea to help people remember that people experiencing grief are not in "normal" life but
someplace else wherever it has taken them where normal routine is interrupted.
Prosthetic Conscience February 10, 2017 at 9:43 am
As Katharine remarks above, Goodwill is your friend here. Especially, try shopping at a Goodwill close to a wealthy neighborhood.
Vanessa February 10, 2017 at 4:33 am
Hang on a minute, Mr. Helmer. Pardon my digression, but foreskins have most decidedly not lost their function. My husband swears by his to provide the nuanced sensation that many American men will never know, and I concur for an entirely different but just as supportive reason. Just as the appendix was once regarded as a vestigial organ, and is now recognized to play a crucial role in healthy immune function, the foreskin is now regarded by science as an essential part of the male anatomy, providing immunological defense, physical protection for the glans, and delightful innervation. I pity the mutilated, most of whom had no say in the matter.
Now back to your regularly scheduled sartorial programming…
reslez February 10, 2017 at 5:31 am
As soon a I read that paragraph I knew it would trigger someone ahahaha. More and more medical professionals refuse to circumcise infants. There are studies that show no difference in sensation but how would I know as someone with the wrong biological parts etc. It's been shown helpful in preventing HIV where that's prevalent but that's a decision an adult can make for him or herself.
skippy February 10, 2017 at 5:56 am
Something about an object in surgery above the patients view…..
Disheveled…. hay do the Koreans still get all done in the head wrt of removal of the membrane between the tongue and floor of the mouth so they can speak English correctly – ???? – i hear its not cheap…
OIFVet February 10, 2017 at 8:45 am
The peaked lapel gap is a national security threat and a personal disgrace. Also, tons of ink have been spilled about the horrors of vaginal mutilation but one hardly ever hears about the horrors of penile mutilation. Just another example of the pervasive sexism in the US. Or of the power of the mohel lobby over MSM and the AMA. I am not sure which, and having just now realized the glaring absence of peaked lapel suits in my closet I am too distraught to investigate the matter further.
Yves, you are a genius. I woke up in the middle of the night with a terrible stomachache and you posted the perfect thing to read while moaning in pain and waiting for the NSAIDs to kick in. NC has an uncanny ability to anticipate my needs as a reader to analyze Kremlin menswear at 4 AM! Gods bless your insomnia and here's to getting the lapels we deserve as a nation once again. #MAGA
Old yoga bum February 10, 2017 at 6:39 am
3 am, cant sleep, possessing neither peaked, notched nor fore. Great read to start day. Lets hope no one reads this to Mr T! Or maybe they should! Tweets about peaks and notches would be a welcome comic relief!
Anti-Schmoo February 10, 2017 at 6:13 am
Frankly, Pres. Putin's leadership has been a joy to see; along with his venerable diplomat Lavrov.
If the past is indicative of the future; long live the king…
Ryan February 10, 2017 at 6:52 am
Dirk77 February 10, 2017 at 8:24 am
I read somewhere that Gorbachev regards Putin's reign as a necessary phase to a better age for Russia. Presumably this would be the democratic socialist one that Gorbachev himself wanted to put in place until the US helped to mess everything up. I hope so.
The great flaw with the USSR was the age of every functionary was basically the same, and they retired in 1990 or so. The result was a government with no government.
Yeltsin and his gang sold everything that wasn't nailed down. Gorbachev sees a country that needs a steady era after Yeltsin and Western looting but one that isn't too ideologically driven and relatively conservative in its approach. Putin might want to conduct a mass purge, but he knows he can't fire all the people in one sector without having the problem of everyone being the same age.
jo6pac February 10, 2017 at 8:49 am
Optimader February 10, 2017 at 8:45 pm
Just so long as you are not a journalist that offers critical analysis.
integer February 10, 2017 at 8:39 am
These sure look like peaked lapels to me. Sigh.
yup…and in royal purple no less.
Yves Smith Post author February 10, 2017 at 11:49 pm
Wow. excellent catch!
Adding that maybe somebody who's better at color than I am can figure out what shade of purple that is. (I tried getting the HTML hex number with a color eyedropper tool, but that wasn't helpful.)
A lot depends on how the photographer set the white balance. Also, the material was quite reflective, which introduces some issues into the analysis. That said, I found a pic of Clinton walking down the street after her concession speech, which imo would have the best chance of having the correct white balance due to the pic being taken in natural light, and from a brief analysis of the RGB values I would say the color is indeed royal purple.
Optimader February 11, 2017 at 12:21 pm
Integer,
Lamberts color drop method takes advantage of the healthy human eye's incredibly nuanced perception of color- iirc best evolved for characterization of green ( as slide on page 28 implies)
Deep dive info on the science of color perception/ quantification for you to bookmark and read sometime. Fascinating stuff
http://www.elscolab.nl/pdf/color.pdf
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lab_color_space
(A different Lambert?)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambert%27s_cosine_law
We have a Hunter color analyzer –in our case under-utilized just as a QC device to measure whiteness. Before we got it, i never appreciated how many shades of white the human eye can perceive.
But whenever i need to match the odd paint color, it analyses to a bulletproof characterization.
The standard for spectrographic measurment of color
https://www.hunterlab.com/color-measurement-instruments.html
3.14e-9 February 11, 2017 at 6:05 am
Because color is dependent on light, it's hard to get a "true" color reading in a case like this. There are too many variables, starting with the camera that shot the photo and where the photographer was in the room. The additional variable here making it extremely difficult is that satin is a shiny fabric, so folds and wrinkles reflect light differently. You can place the eye-dropper in twenty different spots and get 20 different readings.
I have a version of that photo saved in my files. It's her Third Way signal. The photo I have is more brightly lit, but I did some additional color and light correction so that the red on the flag in the background was truer to the red of the American flag, without turning Hillary into a lobster.
I took about ten samples, and the two closest matches are #512578 and #542a7b. These are very blue purples, but "royal purple" does have more blue than red, as the Wikipedia entry notes.
Color may be a one of the best examples of subjective truth, as it depends on our perspective and how "enlightened" an environment we're in. Team Hillary obviously didn't see the right shade of purple. #711a57 would have been more like it.
JoeK February 13, 2017 at 1:50 am
Bill's appear to be peaked also. The plot thickens.
Hemang February 10, 2017 at 11:42 am
Pray what is the difference between a President for life ( Putin ; Russia) and the neo-liberal Class being the ruler for life ( in the West)? An individual eventually dies; the Neo liberal class with its Krugmans dont. Let us cut this Trump and Putin bashing…..The present is as disgusting as the past always was.
digi_owl February 10, 2017 at 12:05 pm
I can't tell if this is Helmer satirizing (cold war) analyzers, or being serious…
Dead Dog February 10, 2017 at 3:26 pm
Suits and shirts change with the seasons.
Flared pants come and go.
Pleated trousers?
1990s – remember there were four, five buttons? 1970s two??
A trusted tailor told me the button rule, pointing to the top 'Always' pointing to the middle button(s) 'Sometimes' pointing to the bottom one 'Never'
Checked my small collection of suits (only need them occasionally now) – no notched lapels. Feeling a little insecure now.
My memory of them is that they are an old style, more often seen in the double breasted, which will make a comeback.
Love the diversity of subjects here. Saturday is always better with NC to deliver me the real news and get to the real issues.
Long live Putin!
yenwoda February 11, 2017 at 3:18 pm


Resume: Irredentism may cause all the risks stemming from the strong identity of a great power and its imperial heritage, which fuels the temptation to regard the modern borders as "casually drawn" and "unfair," to get mixed with nationalism. This is a very dangerous cocktail.
After the 2014 Ukraine crisis many in the world are increasingly apprehensive of Russian irredentism and the idea of the Russian World as they are seen as Russia's claims to territories with which it has cultural or historical ties. It is worth trying, as far as possible, to return the Russian World to the cultural, non-aggressive, and constructive realm.
– Many, including yourself, describe irredentism as one of the worst threats to international security. What makes it so dangerous?
– It is not irredentism as such that is dangerous, but its variety that suggests the forcible redrawing of borders. This is a risk for everyone. Russian irredentism may jeopardize both Russia and the entire world. However, not all irredentism is fraught with such a threat.
– But isn't it true that any irredentist movement suggests the possibility of uniting compatriots by taking over foreign territories?
– Let's make it clear right away what irredentism is and what potential risks it may pose. We'll start with a little bit of history. The term emerged in the nineteenth century to denote the Italian national movement that sought to "liberate" lands populated by ethnic Italians, as its members believed, from the rule of the Austrian Empire. At about the same time—in the middle of the nineteenth century—German irredentism appeared, which was equally eager to reclaim German lands. It should be noted that many other similar ideologies and movements spread in the Balkans. The gist of irredentism is that people belonging to one nationality should live in one state. Those who have remained outside a common country after unification certainly suffer and must be rescued.
Irredentism becomes a political practice; in other words, a public movement relying on a certain force. This force is backed up by the state—Piedmont in Italy and Prussia in Germany. The narrative that begins to dominate after the victory of irredentism maintains that this movement is hailed by all people who are to become part of a future nation.
– But this support is not comprehensive, is it?
– Of course, it isn't. At a closer look, it turns out that far from all Italians wanted to be rescued. At the time they did not even know they were Italians. Far from all Germans wanted Prussia to rescue them. This is one of the potential problems related to irredentism.
– What other political manifestations of irredentism deserve attention?
– Like any political practice, irredentism has its own nationalist-centered ideology. In the twentieth and twentieth-first centuries, there have been many examples of such ideologies—some tragic, and others more or less civilized. For instance, the ideology of Nazi Germany was unmistakably irredentist. Unification of all Germans was one of its cornerstones. The post-war Federal Republic of Germany was irredentist, too, because it did not recognize Germany's division into two states and wanted the two parts to unite. That's irredentism, too.
Firstly, some irredentist ideologies and movements rely mostly on military strength and, secondly, seek to take over—or liberate—not whole countries, but only their parts.
Modern China is certainly irredentist. In fact, the Greater China concept implies that all countries that once constituted parts of greater China are to merge with the parent country again. It is believed that Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan are all parts of China and must officially become its integral territories. That said, China harbors no plans for all of Malaysia (where seven million Chinese, accounting for 24 percent of the population, are obviously discriminated against) or for any of its territories.
Therefore, the question of the unification of West and East Germany, China, and Russia and Belarus was or may become a subject matter for long talks and, possibly, an agreement, but not necessarily a casus belli. But when irredentism goes as far as annexing the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia or Alsace from France and so on, no agreement looks possible.
– What if such a movement has no country to rely on? Take the Kurdish movement, for instance. Does it look very similar to the Italian irredenta?
– Good question. It doesn't look the Italian case. The Italians didn't have their own nation state, but they had Piedmont. The Kurds have no groundwork like that from which to build up. But the Kurdish movement's ideology is certainly irredentist. Imagine that the Kurds at a certain point obtain their own autonomy, say, within Syria. That would mean from that moment on they will see making preparations for the further unification of all Kurds and eventually establishing a full-fledged nation state as one of the key tasks of their newly-gained quasi-state.
This is what makes the situation so terrible for the Turks, who are well aware that the existence of Turkey within its current borders is incompatible with strong Kurdish irredentism. In a situation like this it would be laughable, alas, to raise the question of what a fair settlement might look like, because a solution that both parties would find fair enough just cannot exist.
– This is possibly the greatest paradox of irredentism: the desire for justice is one of its driving forces, but irredentism leaves no room for justice for all?
– The priority of the irredentist movement is the well-being of people who belong to your own nationality and justice for them. If justice is to be understood in this way, then it would be entirely fair to sacrifice a number of people of a different nationality so that your own nation would prosper. In any event, they would have to be removed from the territory that became ours. It is a very special logic and very special vision. In a situation like this "justice for all," or justice understood in the common way just does not exist.
Take off the glasses of irredentism and a very different criterion will take center stage. How many human lives will this or that scenario take to implement—the fewer lives, the fairer the scenario will look, regardless of whether this national drive materializes or not.
– Does Russian irredentism have any special features?
– In the Russian context it looks like this: When we say that Belarus and Russia are one state and that in reality they are the same people and so on—that's irredentism. But this sort of irredentism does not necessarily (or by any means) lead to violence and tensions, because it is about the unification of two states. Or the takeover of a smaller state by a larger one. Also, we maintain that this will be possible only if the people of Belarus vote for such a solution in a plebiscite. Discussing the possibility of unification will only be feasible in that case.
But should we say that we see an unprotected Russian minority in Kazakhstan, and for that reason northern Kazakhstan must be annexed from Kazakhstan to Russia, that would be a casus belli. In a situation like this we would hardly be able to expect understanding on the other side, whether it be Kazakhstan or Ukraine.
– Is it possible to interpret the idea of repatriation of compatriots without the annexation of territories as irredentist?
– In a sense, yes. But strictly speaking, irredentism as a rule involves territorial takeovers. It is possible to say that the return of compatriots without territorial acquisitions is an alternative to irredentism. The point of departure is the same: we are a divided nation. But the method of addressing the problem differs. Reunification is achieved by inviting and accommodating all those who feel uncomfortable elsewhere. Even more so because in Russia nobody thinks that we don't have enough land and that we won't be able to accommodate all those Russians who have found themselves abroad. Germany proclaimed such a policy after World War II. All Germans who feel uneasy elsewhere are welcome home. In this respect there is a great deal we should borrow from the Germans.
– But what threat does Russian irredentism pose then?
– The focal point of Russian identity is the idea of a divided nation in combination with a very strong self-awareness as a great power. A great power addresses the issues of justice the way it deems right, and not always (or not even very often) in a pacifist way, but by using the military. The risk of letting irredentism follow the German templates of the 1930s is quite real.
– In other words, launching territorial expansion? After all, this is precisely what Europe is afraid of consciously or subconsciously. Some express such fears out loud, while others try to score points on them. But the fears do exist.
– Irredentism is not the sole motive that may be used to justify territorial expansion. The string of arguments may look like this: "We need more black-skinned colonial subjects. Their climate is good for growing coffee. They work their plantations well enough. We like coffee and drink it in large amounts and we will always be able to sell what we don't use to others." In a sense this is ideology, too, but not irredentism.
As far as Russia is concerned, irredentism may cause all the risks stemming from the strong identity of a great power and its imperial heritage, which fuels the temptation to regard the modern borders as "casually drawn" and "unfair," to get mixed with nationalism. This is a very dangerous cocktail.
– And that leads to negative synergy. One negative factor feeds and ferments another, right?
– Yes, negative synergy would be the correct term to use here. When such aims become a major component of ideology, the backbone of identity, at a certain point they may go out of control.
– How does such an ideology take shape and who launches the process? Is it a grassroots product or are there people specially trained for this?
Most likely the question had been agreed on in advance. To put it in a nutshell, we have Kiselyov—a high-profile media figure with a certain influence in society (possibly, it was a major factor that eventually propelled him to a far higher position in the media). And we have the country's top official who agreed to answer the question, but remained very evasive. However, no one heard him say something like "Stop talking nonsense," or "Putting the question this way would be very dangerous and counter-productive." The answer sounded like "Let's avoid fueling tensions here, we do understand, of course, that yes, we are a divided nation, but such things should not be said aloud." In short, a certain encouraging signal was given.
An enormous number of people took this to heart. Sometimes people arrive at such conclusions through a very painful personal experience of separation—those who, for instance, lived in Central Asia, had to resettle in Russia after losing everything they had, who didn't receive the best treatment, and who had no protection from Russia.
– No, not exclusively. There was a geopolitical explanation. The Americans could arrive and deploy their ships. In that case it would not matter at all who lives in Crimea. There should be no U.S. ships. It's the place for our fleet only. This is what really matters. There was a juridical and procedural explanation, too. The people of Crimea, regardless of their ethnic identity, wanted to join Russia and expressed that desire in a referendum. This is not irredentism: What if Kazakhs decide they would like to join Russia and hold a referendum on the issue?
– Some of the regions of Kazakhstan?
– No, just Kazakh or the Kyrgyz people. That would be a democratic expression of their will by a group of people who wish to join Russia. Imagine that Russia responds to this, but then the question is why. Only because it respects the democratically expressed wish of a certain group of people or because it regards these people as its own? That's where irredentism begins. In one way or another, the presence of irredentism in the public sphere and our politics is easily noticeable and tangible. Although we cannot say that irredentism has become the core of our identification. This is not so.
– Is the concept of the Russian World an irredentism or some other parallel matter? Or is one nothing but a symbol of the other?
– The term 'the Russian World' has many interpretations. Incidentally, it is not the only such concept. There is Holy Rus, for instance. For the Russian Orthodox Church it is even more significant. But let us look at which activities the Russian World Foundation devotes itself to. Cultural issues, libraries, centers for language study, festivals, science projects, etc. The Germans do the same at their Goethe Institute and the French have their own centers that promote, develop, and encourage interest in national culture, the arts, and so on. One does not have to be an ethnic Russian to have a sense of belonging to the Russian World. And such a feeling should not necessarily manifest itself in politics.
The political aspect of the Russian World is interpreted differently as well. And the interpretations change with the passage of time. In November 2009, Patriarch Kirill made a lengthy, fundamental speech about the Russian World. He said we should learn to respect the sovereignty of those countries that to a greater or lesser extent belong to the Russian World. That we must rid ourselves of the "big brother" complex, that we should by no means impose anything on others, and that there must be relations of partnership and respect, etc. It used to be that way.
Clearly, no place for such pronouncements is left in the wake of 2014, but at that time Patriarch Kirill was an advocate of promoting the Russian World through "soft power." He made frequent pastoral visits to Ukraine, Belarus, and Moldova to say that we belong to one culture and faith (but not one church, incidentally!), and so on. Clearly, after 2014 those who disagree with the Russian World concept (and who were against it before 2014) have grown even more certain that the Russian World concept is tantamount to an annexation.
– It looks like they have enough reasons to think so.
– Yes, and we provide ever more causes for alarm. But let's get back to the Russian World Foundation. How do you interpret the participation of its chairman, Vyacheslav Nikonov, in the Immortal Regiment procession, holding a portrait of his grandfather? After all, he is not an ordinary citizen, but a politically significant figure, the Foundation's chairman and legislator.
– And very dubious implications, too. And what is even more remarkable is that no one took the trouble to caution the man. This prompts the following conclusion: Either Russia's top political leadership does not pay enough attention to the Russian World theme, or it agrees that this theme should be presented in public precisely in this way. As Stalin might have said, "Both are worse." On the one hand, the concept of the Russian World is in deep crisis, but, on the other, it has gained momentum and has become deeply ingrained in the public mind.
In 2014 the situation changed drastically, and then once again. In 2014 many thought that it was just the start of a long journey, of a "Russian Spring," but with time it became clear that this was not the case. The Russian World concept must be reconsidered and reformulated in a creative way. The realization is yet to be achieved of what was right and what went wrong. We need to try to return the Russian World to the realm of culture, constructive and devoid of aggression.
– A crisis can be creative. Irredentism in Italy was a reaction to crisis, and a very creative reaction it was. But such creativity has many sides. In some places force may be used to quash dissent, and in others, new remarkable symbols are invented.
One of the problems with our identity was that the theme of the Great Patriotic War and the victory in that war was at the very center of collective historical memory. At the same time, it was portrayed in intensely red, Communist colors, which was one of the factors for the crisis conflict. The country and society in general reacted to that crisis in a very creative way. The St. George ribbon, which replaced the red color, was the first very remarkable proposal. It is not accidental that the Communists were very angry when it was introduced.
The ribbon was a substitute for the hammer-and-sickle emblem as the symbol of victory and made it possible to link the feeling of pride from the military victory with the memory of events of earlier periods. It was a great success. People outside Russia who felt they were part of the Russian World liked the idea very much. This was the case in Moldova, Ukraine, and the Baltic States.
The Immortal Regiment was another symbolic response to that crisis. These two solutions have coped with their task remarkably well.
– In Russia it often happens that great creative ideas proposed by unofficial authors are "nationalized" by the state and inevitably become bureaucratized.
– This is true and it is very bad. But if we expand the "Russian-World-is-a-suitcase-without-a-handle" metaphor… you know, it is very important what is inside the suitcase. If we find nothing but cobblestones, then it should be dropped. But if it contains something precious to you, then repair the suitcase and attach a handle to it. A handle and a pair of wheels would be better still. Much more convenient.
Then the suitcase should be opened and its contents sorted through. Some things should be thrown away, and others kept and repacked. Handling the Russian World concept today with only one thought in mind of how to get rid of it would be counterproductive. It contains great resources, including symbolic ones, very important and effective.
– We've gradually approached the question of whether irredentism can be good at all. It turns out that an irredenta that encourages the nation's creative endeavor is apparently a good irredenta, isn't it?
– Such matters do not necessarily require a description in irredenta-related terms. For example, let us ask ourselves this. Does the Russia-Belarus Union have a special value in its own right? What is to be done to fill it with substance? Is it worth doing that? And if yes, what should that substance be like? And on what grounds should that be done? To a certain extent these are irredentist problems, but in general they extend far wider to incorporate such matters as nationalism, identity, attitude to the past, historical memory, and many other things.
– When tasks of such a scale are on the agenda, one can say they are akin to a dialogue of cultures and civilizations.
– It is possible to say such a dialogue is underway when cooperation and mutual understanding are proclaimed as the ultimate goals from the outset. The moment you begin a dialogue, you wish to open yourself to your partner and do your utmost to let him understand you the right way. And you expect reciprocity. But what if you begin negotiations in a situation of political rivalry? Then it turns out that openness—the greatest value and the most attractive feature of a dialogue—is your weakness. What is called dialogue often turns out to be not a dialogue, but discursive confrontation. We enter into negotiations hoping to know our opponent's intentions better and to say as little as possible about our own plans. We begin a discussion not in order to identify points of agreement, but to expose our rival's sore spots, and then to deal a blow. We think we are entering into a dialogue, but in reality we are trying to impose our own values and interpretations on our opponent, if his discursive position is weaker than ours.
It is very important to remember that Ukraine and Belarus have been the place for such simultaneous dialogue and rivalry for centuries, and they remain so today.
– In a situation like this the role of a mediator looks a lucrative prospect.
– In the 1990s the idea of becoming a bridge was very popular. Everyone was eager to serve as a bridge. Russia wanted to work as a bridge between the West and the East. Ukraine hoped to become a bridge between Europe and Russia. And so did Belarus. At a certain point it became clear, though, that if relations between large partners (or entities) develop well, no bridges are needed. They contact each other in person and do pretty well without go-betweens. Moreover, they find it inconvenient that somebody exists between them, nurturing the ambition to serve as a mediator. It turns out that no bridges are necessary at all.
Moreover, how can someone who has a poor understanding of the other side lay claim to the role of a mediator? Russia has a poor understanding of China and Europe, so how can it serve as an intermediary? Ukraine in its nationalist configuration has a bad understanding of Russia and Europe. What kind of bridge will it make? This space, which some see as a likely bridge, in reality is becoming a scene of rivalry and confrontation. External forces fight for control of this space. And very often, if the bridge-related allegory is to be extended, the force that feels it is losing control of the situation blows up the bridge in full conformity with the ABCs of military tactics.
For this reason, I would be very cautious in using terms such as 'bridge' and 'dialogue.' In front of us there is a vast field of ideology and rivalry. Regrettably, these days cooperation in our relations with the people who are on the other side of the imaginary border of the Russian World leaves much to be desired. Our relations with Europe, for instance, are very bad. And they will remain bad for quite some time.
Today it is important to remain aware of all this and avoid a tailspin of confrontation. At this point it would be very good to at least remember that we are not enemies. The "friend-or-foe" alternative is false. "Neither-friends-nor-foes" is much better.
– This sounds pretty much like the stratagems China has followed for so long and quite successfully.
– How very true. If we are to achieve a rapprochement with China, this is the skill we should master first.
– Since we are on the subject of China, how can manifestations of Russian irredentism affect such global projects involving Russia and China as One Belt-One Road and others?
– They make a very poor match whenever Russian irredentism becomes aggressive and generates some Molotov-style memos on retaking Bessarabia or northern Kazakhstan. Intentions to develop infrastructures or work on trans-border communication projects within the framework of such a "cloud" initiative as the New Silk Road are in stark contrast to the idea of redrawing borders. If Russian irredentism is understood as a policy of taking territories away from our neighbors, then our hope to assume the role of security provider in Central Asia will look not very well founded.
– But what is the creative potential of Russian irredentism then? Is there anything positive about it at all?
– When Russia says it is prepared to take on the financial and other burdens of providing people who identify themselves with Russian culture with everything that concerns Russian culture, it is all right. Any attempt to move further, though, will entail real problems. Neighbors need to be negotiated with on how to deliver our books and films, and on the mode of operation of our cultural centers. In this context it is clear, for instance, that the whole set of soft power tools that the Russian World had in Ukraine has been eliminated by the ongoing conflict. In other words, for those in Ukraine who saw their main task as achieving this state of affairs, the conflict has been a success.
We should not just declare that the people who belong to Russian culture must have the right to resettle here. We must think about what they will live on. They should be entitled to support from both the Russia government and society. The Russian people must have a chance to spend part of the taxes they pay for these purposes. It is possible (and mandatory) to make use of the Western experience—each individual is given the right to transfer a certain, minor, part of his taxes to the bank account of a certain confessional community, and the latter will be free to decide how to use the funds. In each individual case the percentage may be very small, but, in the aggregate, quite an impressive sum can be raised this way.
Also, each Russian individual must have the opportunity to declare that two percent of the taxes he or she pays should go to the resettlement support fund, which pays for rental housing for repatriates, for instance, for the first three years following resettlement, and for the services of childcare centers, thus allowing the adults go to work. And so on and so forth.
– Even in the heartland of Russia there is an abundance of vacant land. Let them come and breathe new life into rural areas!
– But why should we send people who have lived their entire lives in big cities to live in the country? To places our people seemingly accustomed to rural lifestyles are leaving? What is this? An experiment in survival? That's idiotic! Our rural population is shrinking. Incidentally, it is shrinking everywhere, while major urban centers continue to grow. Those who come from big cities should feel free to settle in urban areas and look for a job there. If people resettle from rural areas and wish to settle down in the countryside, they must have the opportunity to do so.
The repatriation program must not be pegged to quotas. For example, we lack certain kinds of specialists, so only they will be welcome. It should be different. We invite you here merely because you are Russian. This is reason enough why we are prepared to accept and support you. Immigrants normally yield quick returns to the country that has accommodated them. This is a goal worth working towards. If irredentism in the broadest sense is a desire to rescue members of one's own people living beyond the national borders, then what I've just described should be termed resettlement-based irredentism.