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text:
Almost two-thirds of drivers aged 17-25 understand mock emoji road signs better than real world road signs, according to a Sussex based insurance firm.
Research conducted by OnePoll on behalf of MORE TH>N found drivers had difficulty understanding real world road signs, but no problems comprehending their emoji equivalents.
Misunderstood real world signs included the signs for zebra crossings, no bicycles and steep hills, with 27 per cent interpreting the ring road sign as 'carbon neutral' road.
Of the 1,000 young drivers surveyed, 37 per cent would welcome emoji road signs on Britain's highways and byways.
The insurance company set up the research to discover the difficulties these drivers have comprehending official road warnings and notifications.
As part of the experiment, 12 real road signs were selected and emoji equivalents of those signs were designed. Young motorists were then asked to correctly identify the meanings of both the authentic signs and the mock emoji symbols.
A shocking 68 per cent were unable to correctly identify the real road sign depicting a pedestrian crossing. Additionally, 80 per cent could not place the sign for 'no vehicles', 60 per cent answered incorrectly when asked what the sign for a ring road was, and three quarters incorrectly identified the meaning for the 'no bicycles' road sign.
Intruiging misinterpretations also surfaced, as 25% erroneously believed the real sign for 'no vehicles carrying explosives' was a warning of spontaneously combusting traffic.
For seven of the 12 (58%) signs, the emojis were better understood by young motorists than the real life road signs, with comprehension for the emojis most pronounced for signs depicting zebra crossings, ring roads, no bicycles and steep hills.
While those of a certain age may have trouble deciphering the endless stream of smiley faces, emojis are now so deeply embedded in the everyday lexicon of teens and twenty-somethings that they have effectively become a language in and of themselves. The Oxford English Dictionary selected an emoji as the word of the year for 2015.
The majority of young drivers (63%) see no place for emojis on Britain's road signs, believing they are too frivolous for such an important role (85%), could be confusing for older drivers (49%) and would encourage the use of mobile phones (33%) behind the wheel.
Of the one in three (37%) who would like to see the government introduce updated road signs more akin to emojis, 72% of believed emoji road signs would be easier to understand, while half (53%) thought they would improve road safety.
While the emojis used in the research by MORE TH>N SM>RT WHEELS were fictitious, real emojis already appearing on the roads of the UK with worrying regularity.
A third (32%) of those surveyed admitted they will use their phones to send emojis while driving their cars and 17% will use emojis every hour of the waking day. Consequently, one in 20 (5%) young drivers has had a crash or near miss because of an emoji-laden message they were writing behind the wheel.
Kenny Leitch for MORE TH>N said: "Emojis have changed the way the younger generation converses, so it's understandable they can comprehend these symbols with ease. However, emojis have no place on our roads.
"Although, thankfully, there is little prospect of official road signs ever becoming like emojis, we still find ourselves in a situation where a significant number of young drivers do not understand the meaning of authentic road signs.
"This research shows that young drivers would benefit from improving their practical driving experience and knowledge before taking their driving test. As it stands you can pass your test without ever having driven at night or in poor weather conditions and seemingly without remembering even commonplace road signs.
"Young and inexperienced drivers would also benefit from telematics in their car as it focuses their mind on every mile of every journey, promotes greater knowledge of the roads and encourages and rewards them for being safer drivers."
Meaning % Correctly identified meaning real road sign % Correctly identified meaning emoji version
No overtaking 91% 30%
Slippery road 79% 81%
Zebra crossing 32% 78%
Road works 98% 92%
Ring road 40% 83%
No vehicles 20% 17%
No explosives 41% 70%
Steep hill (20%) 13% 18%
No bicycles 25% 40%
No through-road 89% 89%
National speed limit applies 87% 67%
No waiting 78% 79%
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DSM Revision Project
The American Psychiatric Association has formed working committees to revise by 2011 its Diagnostic and Statistic Manual (DSM), the definitive resource on the Diagnostic Criteria for all mental disorders. Statements currently within the DSM Paraphilias criteria are contradicted by scientific evidence, therefore NCSF must conclude that the interpretation of the Paraphilias criteria has been politically – not scientifically – based. This politically motivated interpretation subjects BDSM practitioners, fetishists and cross-dressers to bias, discrimination and social sanctions without any scientific basis. We call on the American Psychiatric Association to remove or drastically restructure the Paraphilias section in the DSM.
The American Psychiatric Association's Paraphilias Subworkgroup Agrees: Kinky is NOT a Diagnosis!
In the proposals for the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual (DSM-V), alternative sexual behavior has been depathologized. NCSF applauds the American Psychiatric Association's Paraphilias Subworkgroup's revisions which state that you can be a fetishist, transvestite, sadist or masochist without having a mental disorder. More work needs to be done but this is an important first step!
Read more about the project. Included is relevant PR responses from the revision committee members as well as our responses to them.
Kinky is NOT a Diagnosis
The APA Paraphilias Subworkgroup Agrees:
Kinky is NOT a Diagnosis
In the new proposals for the DSM-V, alternative sexual behavior has been depathologized. The American Psychiatric Association's Paraphilias Subworkgroup's DSM revisions acknowledge that you can be a fetishist, transvestite, sexual sadist or sexual masochist without having a mental disorder.
NCSF has worked very hard with its DSM Revision Project to make sure these changes take place, and will continue to strongly advocate for clear language of what exactly constitutes a mental disorder. Susan Wright liaisoned with the work group and supplied data that NCSF has gathered about the real-world discrimination and persecution that takes place against BDSM-fetish practitioners because of the DSM-IV-TR. The DSM Revision Petition was also extremely useful in generating comment from community members and mental health professionals urging that the current diagnoses be changed.
Read the "Rationale" section under each diagnosis to see their thinking on the paraphilias. The work group makes it clear that "non-normative" sexual behavior is practiced by healthy people:
"The first broad change follows from our consensus that paraphilias are not ipso facto psychiatric disorders. We are proposing that the DSM-V make a distinction between paraphilias and paraphilic disorders. A paraphilia by itself would not automatically justify or require psychiatric intervention. A paraphilic disorder is a paraphilia that causes distress or impairment to the individual or harm to others. One would ascertain a paraphilia (according to the nature of the urges, fantasies, or behaviors) but diagnose a paraphilic disorder (on the basis of distress and impairment). In this conception, having a paraphilia would be a necessary but not a sufficient condition for having a paraphilic disorder."
"These revisions will affect everything-child custody, job discrimination battles, and even help change the way society views us," says Leigha Fleming, Chairperson and Director of Incident Response. "I think of all the people over the years who have had the DSM used as a tool of discrimination and punishment, and I'm proud of NCSF for continuing the fight to change it. This is the first step towards decriminalization of BDSM, which NCSF is pursuing with our Consent Counts project."
The Paraphilias Subworkgroup is now reconsidering what constitutes "clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning" when determining a mental disorder. The DSM must make it clear that people do suffer distress and impairment because of the societal stigma against alternative sex, but that doesn't mean they are suffering distress that is generated internally.
As part of the development process, the preliminary draft revisions to the current diagnostic criteria for psychiatric diagnoses are now available for public review and comment until April. Personal comments about discrimination and persecution are welcome additions to this commentary to continue to urge the work group to differentiate between sexual minorities and sex offenders.
Just as Norway recently joined Sweden and Denmark in removing consensual paraphilias entirely, NCSF continues to urge the complete removal of these paraphilias from the DSM. However like the incremental removal of homosexuality (to egodystonic homosexuality and then finally taken out in 1987) this is an important step for the BDSM-leather-fetish community.
NCSF needs your support to continue important projects like the DSM Revision Project that directly impact peoples' lives. Please join NCSF to show solidarity! We do so much for very little money, and we need your help.
February 16, 2010
The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom is committed to creating a political, legal, and social environment in the United States that advances the equal rights of consenting adults who practice forms of alternative sexual and relationship expression. NCSF advances the rights and advocates for consenting adults in the SM-Leather-Fetish, swing, and polyamory communities. We pursue our vision through direct services, education, advocacy, and outreach in conjunction with our partner organizations to directly benefit these communities.
Office: (410) 539-4824
Media: (917) 848-6544
Archives of Sexual Behavior (letter to the editor)
NCSF was asked by thge DSM Paraphilias subworkgroup to respond to their proposed changes to the DSM's consensual paraphilias. This is our letter to the editor of the Archives of Sexual Behavior that was published on July 15, 2010.
Depathologizing Consensual Sexual Sadism, Sexual Masochism, Transvestic Fetishism, and Fetishism
[Letter to the editor]
Archives of Sexual Behavior
Archives of Sexual Behavior July 16, 2010 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-010-9651-y The final publication is available at here
Corresponding author:
Susan Wright
National Coalition for Sexual Freedom
410 Guilford Ave, #127
Baltimore, MD 21202
Depathologizing Consensual Sexual Sadism, Sexual Masochism, Transvestic Fetishism, and Fetishism
[Letter to the Editor]
The DSM-V Paraphilias Subworkgroup's suggested revision to differentiate between paraphilias and Paraphilic Disorders appears to be a step forward in depathologizing unusual sexual interests. Paraphilia diagnoses are regularly misused in criminal and civil proceedings as an indication that individuals cannot control their behavior; these individuals turn for assistance to the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF), a national advocacy organization that advances the rights of, and advocates for consenting adults in the BDSM-leather-fetish, swing, and polyamory communities.
One recent child custody case referred to NCSF illustrates the common misunderstanding that legal and social service professionals have with the DSM-IV-TR, and is the first documented reaction to the proposal to differentiate between paraphilias and Paraphilic Disorders. The children were removed in July 2009 while psychological evaluations were performed on the mother and the children, which concluded there was no mental illness.[1} However the case worker with the Department of Social Services Children's Division in the Midwestern state where this case occurred sent the following January 21, 2010 letter to the mother's court appointed psychologist: (DSS, 2010):
"With regards to [mother's] alternative lifestyle; can she separate this from her parenting? There has been some questions arise from other team members regarding her sexual sadism. These are as follows:
"We were made aware at the last FST meeting that while all parties involved have seen the information provided regarding [mother's] blog and website, no action has been taken to determine how it affects the children or is factored into the stated case goal of reunification with [mother]. The following information is relevant:
A. Sexual Sadism is considered a form of paraphilia in accordance with the DSM-IV-TR.
B. [Mother] admitted in court on March 9, 2009 that she was a "domme" – slang for a female sexual sadist.
C. Sexual Sadism involves inflicting pain and suffering on another individual in order to achieve sexual arousal." …
"Sexual sadism on the web has the following information: 'The essential feature of sexual sadism is a feeling of sexual excitement resulting from administering pain, suffering or humiliation on another person. In extreme cases, sexual sadism can lead to serious injury or death for the other person. According to the DSM these catastrophic results are more likely when the paraphilia is diagnosed as severe, and when it is associated with antisocial personality disorder.[2] They may experience distressed or impaired functioning because of the sadistic behaviors or fantasies. This distress and impairment may be due to the fact that the partner is not consenting. The diagnosis of sexual sadism is complicated by several factors, beginning with the fact that most persons with the disorder do not voluntarily enter therapy.'"
"[Mother] indicated she gave up this lifestyle in March. However the blog and stories that were found were posted to her website in May. There are concerns that she is still a moderator of the [BDSM] yahoo group. I have attached pages from her website in hopes that you can explore with [mother] her current involvement with this alternative lifestyle."
The CPS letter concludes with the recommendation that: "Even though [mother] is complying with attendance in therapy, we feel the above issues need to be explored and addressed."
At the final permanency hearing in February, 2010 the mother's lawyer submitted to the judge the proposed revisions for the DSM-V to separate the paraphilias from Paraphilic Disorders, resulting in a court determination to re-evaluate her entire case. The judge specifically chastised the Department of Social Services for not being aware of the proposed changes for the DSM-V. Based on the proposed revisions, in March the mother was awarded custody of three of the children, with the father retaining custody of one child in order to take advantage of his health care coverage.
As this example shows, when individuals who practice BDSM are brought to the attention of authorities, they are regularly misdiagnosed with a mental disorder. In 2009, NCSF was asked for help by 132 people regarding child custody/divorce issues directly involving their alternative sexual practices (NCSF, 2009). The year before, a total of 157 individuals contacted NCSF for help with child custody/divorce issues (NCSF, 2008). In total, almost 500 people each year request help from NCSF because of discrimination or persecution due to their alternative sexual practices.
Therefore the implications of "ascertaining a paraphilia" and "diagnosing a paraphilic disorder" are critical to depathologizing consensual paraphilias. I am concerned that if sexual sadism receives its own diagnosis code separate from Sexual Sadism Disorder, social services and legal professions will continue to think that anyone who practices consensual sexual sadism (or sexual masochism, fetishism and transvestic fetishism) therefore has a mental disorder.
The consensual paraphilias should be mentioned as the healthy comparison to a Paraphilic Disorder, much like various sexual behaviors are referred to in the proposed Hypersexual Disorder. Cybersex and masturbation don't have separate diagnosis codes in the DSM, and it is equally erroneous to assign separate codes for the paraphilias when they are not mental disorders or of clinical concern. For the same reason, the consensual paraphilias shouldn't be listed among the V-Codes.
Separating sexual behaviors (paraphilias) from the mental disorders (Paraphilic Disorders) is the first step in depathologizing consensual alternative sex. The second step is defining what exactly constitutes clinically significant distress. NCSF often consults with individuals who suffer distress and impairment in their social and occupational lives (ie. interpersonal difficulties) because their desires conflict with current societal standards. These standards stem in a large part from the DSM itself: pathologizing unusual sexual interests has led to increased discrimination and discouraged individuals from seeking treatment for physical and mental health problems (Wright, 2008).
A distinction must be made in the DSM-V between distress imposed by societal stigma, and distress that is generated internally. As seen in the above referenced child custody case, mental health professionals are not the only ones who consult the DSM. When attorneys, judges, and social workers read the diagnoses in the DSM, they see "distressed or impaired" as the determiner of mental illness. Without a comprehensible definition, they look at the individual who is on trial or in a child custody battle, and that individual certainly appears distressed. They even speculate that if the individual gave up their BDSM practices, then their life wouldn't be in disarray, so clearly they must be suffering a mental disorder because their sexual behaviors are obligatory or "obsessive" (DSS, 2010).
Therefore the current list by which distress and impairment are diagnosed must be rejected: 1) are obligatory, 2) result in sexual dysfunction, 3) require participation of nonconsenting individuals, 4) lead to legal complications, or 5) interfere in social relationships. Legal complications and interpersonal difficulties are common consequences of the stigma and discrimination against BDSM practices. In the Second National Survey of Violence & Discrimination Against Sexual Minorities, a total of 1,146 (37.5%) of the respondents indicated that they had either been discriminated against or had experienced some form of harassment or violence (Wright, 2008). As a result, 60% of the 3,000 respondents are not "out" about their BDSM interests; the stress of being closeted and/or coming out promotes distress and impairment in these individuals, similar to that experienced by homosexuals.
In addition, once a Paraphilic Disorder is diagnosed, can it ever be in remission? If so, what are the mechanisms for determining that? If the distress and impairment are resolved, does the individual go back to the ascertainment category? As of now, once a mental disorder is diagnosed, it appears to apply for the lifetime of the individual.
Finally, it must be made clear that Paraphilic Disorders are extremely rare. In particular, the descriptive text for Sexual Sadism Disorder needs to clearly state that it is limited to forensic populations, and, as Krueger (2009) states, "virtually all of the published papers using DSM criteria for Sexual Sadism have been done on studies of forensic populations." This will help prevent the conflation of those who practice consensual paraphilias with those who have a Paraphilic Disorder.
[1] All names and locations have been removed to protect the identity of those involved.
[2] Bolded in original letter despite there being no evidence the mother has antisocial personality disorder.
Krueger, R.B. (2009). The DSM Diagnostic Criteria for Sexual Sadism. Archives of Sexual
Behavior, published online 08 December, 2009.
Department of Social Services, Children's Division. January 21, 2010 letter.
National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (2009) (retrieved 5/7/10). 2009 Incident Response Report
[Online]. Available
National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (2008) (retrieved 5/6/10). 2008 Incident Response Report
[Online]. Available
Wright, S. (2008) (retrieved 5/6/10). Second National Survey of Violence & Discrimination
Against Sexual Minorities
DSM Revision White Paper
NCSF and the NCSF Foundation's position on the discriminatory paraphilias section in the DSM.
Because the scientific evidence contradicts the statements currently within the DSM, we must conclude that the interpretation of the Paraphilias criteria has been politically NOT scientifically based. This politically motivated interpretation subjects BDSM practitioners, fetishists and cross-dressers to bias, discrimination and social sanctions without any scientific basis. We call on the American Psychiatric Association to remove or drastically restructure the Paraphilias section in the DSM.
The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistic Manual (DSM) is the definitive resource on the Diagnostic Criteria for all mental disorders. It influences the International Statistical Classification of Diseases (ICD) and other entities throughout the world.
The DSM-IV-TR definition of a mental disorder is that it is "…a clinically significant behavioral or psychological syndrome or pattern that occurs in an individual and that is associated with present distress (e.g., a painful symptom) or disability (i.e., impairment in one or more important areas of functioning) or with a significantly increased risk of suffering, death, pain, disability, or an important loss of freedom… Neither deviant behavior (e.g. political, religious, or sexual) nor conflicts that are primarily between the individual and society are mental disorders…" (p. xxxi)
Yet the Paraphilias section categorizes distress and dysfunction according to certain sexual behaviors, not psychological syndromes or patterns. Behavior itself is not evidence of psychopathology; compulsive hand washing may be a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder, but it is not a hand-washing disorder.
A distinction must be made between the cause and the effect. There is no data to support the Paraphilias as the cause of the distress and dysfunction in individuals. In addition, discrimination and societal pressure cause significant distress for a great number of people, in which the societal stigma is the cause rather than the sexual behavior itself.
There are no clear guidelines in the DSM that distinguish a Paraphilia from "healthy" sexuality. Can paraphiliacs be distinguished from those with "healthy" sexuality, except by differences in their sexual behavior? If yes, how? Can someone prefer those exact same behaviors without meeting the diagnostic criteria? Yes, according to the DSM itself (p. 568). So why not just define the abnormal preference instead of the behavior? Diagnostic criteria that pathologize everyone and do not distinguish pathology from normal variants are useless as diagnostic tools.
The Differential Diagnosis of the Paraphilias states:
"A Paraphilia must be distinguished from the non-pathological use of sexual fantasies, behaviors, or objects as a stimulus for sexual excitement in individuals without a Paraphilia. Fantasies, behaviors, or objects are paraphilic only when they lead to clinically significant distress or impairment (e.g., are obligatory, result in sexual dysfunction, require participation of nonconsenting individuals, lead to legal complications, interfere in social relationships). (DSM, p. 568)
Let's examine each of these "indicators" of psychopathology more carefully:
1. Obligatory
Heterosexual behavior is considered "obligatory" by heterosexuals, just as homosexual behaviors are considered "obligatory" by homosexuals. Neither is considered to be a psychopathology like Sexual Sadism, Sexual Masochism and Transvestic Fetishism.
2. Result in sexual dysfunction
43% of women and 31% of men report sexual dysfunction (Laumann, Paik, & Rosen, 1999). Yet the DSM does not contain a diagnosis for people having difficulty with heterosexual interests such as divorce, sexual harassment, not being able to maintain their erotic attraction to their partner, not having enough sex, or not being able to find a relationship. There is no causation data that finds that being heterosexual causes dysfunction, only correlation. There is also no data indicating if sexual dysfunction is more common among heterosexuals than others.
Any sex can be problematic. Masturbation, oral sex and anal sex were once considered to be mental disorders or symptoms of other mental disorders until these behaviors became an accepted form of sexuality. Nymphomania, Satyriasias, and Erotomania are also no longer considered to be mental disorders because these diagnoses impose a cultural value judgment on sexual behavior, rather than comprising a diagnosable entity.
3. Require participation of nonconsenting individuals
Sexual assault is a crime, not a psychiatric diagnosis. Rape is not listed in the DSM. Why do other nonconsensual sex interests have a diagnosis? For Exhibitionism, Frotteurism, and Voyeurism, the diagnosis can only be made if the partner or other person has not consented to the activity. Sadomasochism without consent is a crime; if the behavior is consensual, then it should be considered the same as any other consensual sex act. Pedophilia is a crime because it involves sexual relations between adults and minors.
4. Leads to legal complications
There are a number of legal complications that can arise from consensual sexual behaviors: child custody disputes, divorce settlements, arrest for obscenity and indecency, etc. Historically homosexuals have broken laws and suffered severe social consequences due to their sexual behavior. On this basis some states denied homosexuals the right to adopt because they were breaking the law in their sexual relations. It wasn't until the abolition of state sodomy laws in Lawrence v. Texas (2003) that homosexual activities became legal throughout the U.S. Yet the DSM removed homosexuality as a diagnosis over 30 years ago.
5. Interferes with social relationships
Discrimination and societal pressure over certain sexual behaviors can lead to a great deal of distress and dysfunction. The individual internalizes societal values, creating a conflict between themselves and society. They can encounter prejudice from friends, relatives, partners and co-workers because of their sexual behaviors. This doesn't mean that the individual has a mental disorder. In addition, therapists' beliefs, socialization, and theoretical perspectives will likely affect their judgments of sexual behaviors when they are asked to treat this distress. Thus the Paraphilias are a diagnosis of social/sexual control.
What scientific data supports the diagnoses in the Paraphilias section?
According to the APA, "The utility and credibility [of the DSM]… require that it… be supported by an extensive empirical foundation." (p. xxiii) The DSM-IV-TR's own revision standards are:
- "to correct any factual errors…"
- "to ensure that all of the information is up-to-date…"
- "to reflect new information available…"
- "changes had to be supported by empirical data." (p. xxix)
The data in the DSM Paraphilias section is not supported by scientific research:
1. Paraphilias
According to the DSM: "The individual Paraphilias can be distinguished based on difference in the characteristic paraphilic focus. However, if the individual's sexual preferences meet criteria for more than one Paraphilia, all can be diagnosed." (p. 569)
"Unusual" sexual interests are commonly found in the general population (Renaud & Byers, 1999; Sue, 1979)
"There is no empirical research suggesting that even those 'appropriately' (according to the DSM criteria) diagnosed with Sexual Sadism or Sexual Masochism are likely to experience either a dangerous increase in the intensity of their SM interactions nor that Pedophilia is a likely outgrowth of these activities." (Klein & Moser, p. 238)
According to the DSM: "Many individuals with these disorders assert that the behavior causes them no distress and that their only problem is social dysfunction as a result of the reaction of others to their behavior. Others report extreme guilt, shame, and depression at having to engage in an unusual sexual activity that is socially unacceptable or that they regard as immoral." (p. 567)
"Four out of five are satisfied with their S/M orientation." (Levitt et al. p. 472)
According to the DSM: "The behaviors may increase in response to psychosocial stressors, in relation to other mental disorders, or with increased opportunity to engage in the Paraphilia." (p. 568)
"The non-clinical studies of individuals with unusual sexual interests demonstrate that these individuals are indistinguishable from those with 'normophilic' (i.e., conventional) sexual interests." (Moser & Kleinplatz, 2003, p. 96)
2. Sexual Sadism
According to the DSM: "Some individuals with this Paraphilia are bothered by their sadistic fantasies, which may be invoked during sexual activities but not otherwise acted on; in such cases the sadistic fantasies usually involve having complete control over the victim, who is terrified by anticipation of the impending sadistic act. Others act on the sadistic sexual urges with a consenting partner (who may have Sexual Masochism) who willingly suffers pain or humiliation. Still others with Sexual Sadism act on their sadistic sexual urges with nonconsenting victims." (p. 573)
"The data suggest that the majority of rapists are not motivated by sadism." (Groth & Hobson, 1983; Hucker, 1997).
According to the DSM: "Sadistic fantasies or acts may involve activities that indicate the dominance of the person over the victim (e.g., forcing the victim to crawl or keeping the victim in a cage). They may also involve restraint, blindfolding, paddling, spanking, whipping, pinching, beating, burning, electrical shocks, rape, cutting, stabbing, strangulation, torture, mutilation, or killing." (DSM, p. 573)
"The inclusion of nonconsent is especially problematic in the case of Sexual Sadism. Although it is clearly possible for an individual with the diagnosis of Sexual Sadism to engage in nonconsensual acts, most "sadists" do not seek non-consenting partners." (Moser, 1999; Weinberg, Williams, & Moser, 1984)
"Just as it is inappropriate to confuse rapists with those individuals interested in consensual sexual activities, the lumping of individuals interested in consensual sexual sadism with those who engage in non-consensual activities is similarly inappropriate." (McConaghy, 1999)
According to the DSM: "Sadistic or masochist behaviors may lead to injuries ranging in extent from minor to life threatening." (DSM, p. 567)
"Although any sexual activity can lead to injury, there is no data to suggest that the practitioners of "sadistic or masochistic behaviors" frequent emergency departments more often than practitioners of other sexual behaviors. A review of the sports medicine and emergency medicine literature reveals numerous studies of specific injuries related to various sports and other activities. If unusual sexual acts resulted in a significant number of injuries, presumably they, too, would appear prominently in the medical literature." (Moser & Kleinplatz, 2005)
3. Sexual Masochism
According to the DSM: "Except for Sexual Masochism, where the sex ratio is estimated to be 20 males for each female, the other Paraphilias are almost never diagnosed in females, although some cases have been reported." (p. 568)
No studies have been found to support the 20:1 statement. Several studies were found that reported a significant number of women in the SM subculture (Breslow, Evans, & Langley, 1985; Gosselin, Wilson, & Barrett, 1991; Levitt, Moser, & Jamison, 1994). By combining the data of Breslow et al. (1985) and Levitt et al. (1994), a ratio of four male masochists to each female masochist was found. Even if clinical samples are overwhelmingly male, no study supports the naming of a specific ratio.
According to the DSM: "One particularly dangerous form of Sexual Masochism, called "hypoxyphilia," involves sexual arousal by oxygen deprivation obtained by means of chest compression, noose, ligature, plastic bag, mask or chemical (often a volatile nitrite that produces a temporary decrease in brain oxygenation by peripheral vasodilation). (DSM, pp. 572-3)
"In contrast to transvestism, bondage during the fatal asphyxial episode was not differentially associated with any specific erotic object or interest that we examined, even bondage pornography." (Blanchard and Hucker, 1991, p. 375).
4. Transvestic Fetishism
According to the DSM: "Usually the male with Transvestic Fetishism keeps a collection of female clothes that he intermittently uses to cross-dress. This disorder has been described only in heterosexual males... Although his basic preference is heterosexual, he tends to have few sexual partners and may have engaged in occasional homosexual acts. An associated feature may be the presence of Sexual Masochism." (DSM p. 574)
"Cross-dressers… are virtually indistinguishable from non-cross-dressers [on the Derogatis Sexual Functioning Inventory (DSFI)]." Brown, et al. (1996, p. 265).
Because the scientific evidence contradicts the statements currently within the DSM, we must conclude that the interpretation of the Paraphilias criteria has been politically – not scientifically – based. Because of this, BDSM practitioners, fetishists and cross-dressers are subject to bias, discrimination and social sanctions without any scientific basis. We call on the American Psychiatric Association to remove or drastically restructure the Paraphilias section in the DSM.
- Blanchard, R., & Hucker, S.J. (1991). Age, transvestism, bondage, and concurrent paraphilic activities in 117 fatal cases of autoerotic sphyxia. British Journal of Psychiatry, 159:371-377.
- Breslow, N., Evans, L., & Langley, J. (1986). Comparisons among heterosexual, bisexual and homosexual male sadomasochists. Journal of Homosexuality 12(1), 83-107.
- Brown, G.R., Wise, T.N., Costa, P.T., Herbst, J.H., Fagan, P.J., & Schmidt, C.W. (1996). Personality characteristics and sexual functioning of 188 cross-dressing men. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 184, 265-273.
- Groth, N., & Hobson, W. (1983). The dynamics of sexual assault. In L. Schlesinger & E. Revitch (Eds.), Sexual Dynamics of Anti-social Behavior. Springfield, IL: Thomas.
- Klein, M., & Moser, C. SM (Sadomasochiststic) Interests as an issue in a child custody proceeding. Journal of Homosexuality, 50 (2/3), 2006.
- Levit, E.E., Moser, C., & Jamison, K.V. (1994). The prevalence and some attributes of females in the sadomasochistic subculture; A second report. Archives of Sexual Behavior 23, 465-473.
- McConaghy, N. (1999). Unresolved issues in scientific sexology. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 28, 285-302.
- Moser, C. and Kleinplatz, P.J. (2005). DSM-IV-TR and the paraphilias: An argument for removal, Journal of Psychology and Human Sexuality, 17(3/4), 91-109.
- Renaud, C., & Byers, E. S. (1999). Exploring the frequency, diversity and content of university students' positive and negative sexual cognitions. Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, 8 (1), 17-30.
- Sue, D. (1979). Erotic fantasies of college students during coitus. Journal of Sex Research, 15, 299-305.
The DSM-5 Says Kink is OK!
The DSM Revision Timeline 1987-2017
Download the Kinky is Not a Diagnosis brochure
The American Psychiatric Association has depathologized kinky sex – including cross-dressing, fetishes, and BDSM – in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). Now the paraphilias are considered to be "unusual sexual interests," while those who have sex with children or people who haven't consented, or who deliberately cause harm to themselves or others, may be diagnosed with a Paraphilic Disorder.
"The APA has made it clear that being kinky is not a mental disorder," says Susan Wright, Spokesperson for NCSF. "That means people no longer have to fear being diagnosed as mentally ill just because they belong to a BDSM group. We've already seen the impact – NCSF immediately saw a sharp rise in the success rate of child custody cases for kinky parents after the proposed DSM-5 criteria was released three years ago."
NCSF would like to thank everyone who participated in signing our DSM Revision Petition and for telling the APA about their own stories of discrimination and persecution. NCSF also thanks every member of the APA Paraphilias Subworkgroup for responding to our concerns, and drawing a hard line between consensual adult kinky sex and those who willfully engage in nonconsensual or harmful activities.
NCSF is proud to build on the work of kink-aware professionals who have come before us, including Race Bannon and Guy Baldwin, who helped make seminal changes in the DSM-IV in 1994.
The following are some statements about the various paraphilias in the DSM-5. Although highly clinical in language, they show the APA's intent to not demand treatment for healthy consenting adult sexual expression:
"A paraphilia is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for having a paraphilic disorder, and a paraphilia by itself does not necessarily justify or require clinical intervention." p. 686
"In contrast, if they declare no distress, exemplified by anxiety, obsessions, guilt or shame, about these paraphilic impulses, and are not hampered by them in pursuing other personal goals, they could be ascertained as having masochistic sexual interest but should not be diagnosed with a sexual masochism disorder." p. 694
"Many individuals who self-identify as fetishist practitioners do not necessarily report clinical impairment in association with their fetish-associated behaviors. Such individuals could be considered as having a fetish but not fetishistic disorder." p. 701
"Clinical assessment of distress or impairment, like clinical assessment of transvestic sexual arousal, is usually dependent on the individual's self-report." p. 703
To support NCSF, go to www.ncsfreedom.org. NCSF relies entirely on your donations to advance the rights of consenting adults and to do advocacy like our DSM Revision Project. Please donate now!
The Atlantic recounts how NCSF, Race Bannon, Guy Baldwin, Charles Moser and Peggy Kleinplatz fought to make the APA acknowledge that BDSM is a healthy form of sexual expression! Read the Full Article
Normal or Not? A Sexual Attraction to Objects
The DSM-5 marks this transition by attaching the term "disorder" when an unusual sexual interest crosses these boundaries. So, hypothetically, someone who simply uses shoes to masturbate or whose partner accepts his unusual interest in shoes could be diagnosed with fetishism, but not a fetishistic disorder — unless the fetish crosses the threshold in one of the ways described above.
Whips, chains and full of life: BDSM practitioners 'healthier and less neurotic' than 'vanilla' peers
Along the same lines, Wismeijer also suggested that accepting one's unusual sexual preferences and choosing to live in a societal niche like the BDSM community might involve huge amounts of psychological work, which could translate into positive mental health.
Press Release - DSM Update 2/16/10
Press Release - Kinky is NOT a Diagnosis 02-02-10
Action Alert - DSM Petition 10/15/09
Kinky is NOT a Diagnosis
Help make history by signing the DSM Revision Petition now! The diagnoses in the DSM-IV-TR still subject people who practice BDSM, fetishes and cross-dressing to bias, discrimination and social sanctions without any scientific basis.
We need 3,000 signatures, but we only have 2,200 now. If you don't speak up and call on the American Psychiatric Association to adhere to empirical research when revising the diagnoses in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM V), then the Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders Work Group won't make a meaningful change.
To sign, go to: www.thepetitionsite.com/1/DSMrevisionpetition
You can make your signature anonymous on this secure petition site so it doesn't appear on the Internet or when the petition is delivered to the APA.
"We, the undersigned, support the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) own goal of making its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) a scientific document, based on empirical research and devoid of cultural bias. A diagnosis of a mental disorder can have a severe adverse impact on employment opportunities, child custody determinations, an individual's well-being, and other areas of functioning. Therefore we urge the APA to remove all diagnoses that are not based upon peer-reviewed, empirical research, demonstrating distress or dysfunction, from the DSM. The APA specifically should not promote current social norms or values as a basis for clinical judgments."
To find out more about the DSM and the Paraphilias section, read the NCSF & ITCR: The Foundation for www.thepetitionsite.com/1/DSMrevisionpetition's "White Paper on the DSM Revision" at www.ncsfreedom.org
October 15, 2009
Press Release - Sweeden Takes Sexual Behaviors Off Their Disease List
Sweden takes sexual behaviors off their disease list
November 25, 2008 -
The Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare is declassifying sexual behaviors as mental illnesses to avoid strengthening prejudice against the behaviors, the Swedish news service Tidningarnas Telegrambyra reported last week. The diagnoses which will soon disappear from the disease registry include sadomasochism, fetishism, fetishistic transvestitism, transvestitism, gender identity disorder in youth, and multiple disorders of sexual preferences. NCSF applauds Lars-Erik Holm, the head of the National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen), who made the decision to declassify the behaviors because they are not illnesses in and of themselves, nor are they something perverse. "These diagnoses are rooted in a time when everything other than the heterosexual missionary position were seen as sexual perversions," Holm said.
"The NCSF's DSM Revision Project has the same goal to change or remove these harmful diagnoses," says Susan Wright. "We know from the hundreds of requests for help that NCSF gets every year through our Incident Response program that Sexual Sadism, Sexual Masochism, Fetishism and Transvestic Fetishism diagnoses in the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistic Manual (DSM) reinforce the negative stereotypes and stigma against alternative sexual behaviors."
To support NCSF's DSM Revision Project, please sign the petition (www.ncsfreedom.org) that will be sent to the APA urging them to adhere to scientific research when revising the diagnoses in the DSM. To find out more about this project, read the NCSF and the ITCR: NCSF Foundation's White Paper posted on www.ncsfreedom.org
A joint Project of NCSF and ITCR: The Foundation of NCSF
Press Release - NCSF Marching Forward
National Coalition for Sexual Freedom
Marching Forward: NCSF proactively advocates for sexual freedom
November 19, 2008 - NCSF is proud to be the only group in the country with a national mission committed to changing the political, legal and social environment for those involved with the BDSM, swing and polyamory communities. The new board of NCSF was voted in at the annual Coalition Partner meeting held in Atlanta in September: Leigha Fleming is the new Chairwoman of NCSF, and new board members Laura
Carlson (Secretary), Klawdya Rothschild, Tim Murray, and Ron Zimmerman have joined existing board members Vivienne Kramer (Treasurer), Jim Duvall, Jim Fleckenstein, and Howie Zusel.
NCSF has directly helped tens of thousands of practitioners, businesses and groups since its founding in 1997. NCSF's newest project is the DSM Revision Project: Kinky is NOT a Diagnosis! The DSM Revision Petition is gathering signatures from individuals and organizations calling on the American Psychiatric Association (APA) to adhere to empirical research when revising the diagnoses in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Susan Wright is working directly with the DSM revision committee to ensure that healthy BDSM practitioners and cross-dressers are not misdiagnosed under the DSM criteria.
Incident Response
Media Outreach Project
Kink Aware Professionals (KAP)
Legal Committee
Education Outreach Program
The Education Outreach Program (EOP) is run under the Institute for 21st Century Relationships by The Foundation of NCSF. ITCR supports the freedom of consenting adults to discover and to practice the intimate relationship structure that best meets their emotional and human needs. The EOP educates law enforcement officials, and our constituents about the risks of selective enforcement and how to minimize the risk of becoming a target. NCSF has published a number of pieces of literature for this program and has trained a team of individuals from across the country to deliver 10 educational presentations from "Traveling With Toys" to "How to Protect Your Event."
For over a decade, NCSF has formed valuable alliances with other advocacy organizations to work on projects that defend sexual freedom rights: Free Speech Coalition, the ACLU, American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists, the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, and the Gay and Lesbian Activist Alliance, among others. Susan Wright is on the Advocacy Committee of the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists.
NCSF is a member of the organizing committee for the Sex Positive Journalism Awards, along with journalist Miriam Axel-Lute and activists from The Center for Sex & Culture. The first award ceremony for the Sexies was held in New York City on October 4, 2008 (www.sexies.org). NCSF also participates in
Consent Counts, a group formed at Creating Change 2007 to take on the work of decriminalizing Leather/kink/fetish/BDSM consensual adult behavior (www.consentcounts.org).
Currently NCSF has 56 Coalition Partners who elect the board and establish the yearly goals at the annual Coalition Partner meeting. Coalition Partners are groups and businesses that serve BDSM, swing and polyamory practitioners. NCSF also has nearly 100 Supporting Members - groups and businesses who actively support NCSF - totaling tens of thousands of members. You can also become an individual member for $25, which goes directly to supporting NCSF programs and projects.
In the past decade, alternative sexual expression has become much more visible to the general public, bringing about an increasing number of attacks. The success of this fight depends on your support. You can become an individual member of NCSF, volunteer to join the NCSF staff, make a donation to NCSF, initiate or help out at a fund-raiser for NCSF, and encourage your group to become a Coalition Partner of NCSF. Every step you take helps us further the sexual freedom movement!
Check out these exciting projects on the NCSF website at: www.ncsfreedom.org
A joint Project of NCSF and ITCR: The Foundation of NCSF


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Jazz pianist Fred Hersch will perform at Hope College on Wednesday, March 28, at 7:30 p.m. in Wichers Auditorium of Nykerk Hall of Music.
The public is invited. Admission is free.
The performance marks a return engagement for Hersch, who has performed at the college a variety of times through the years, most recently in February 2011. His visit to campus has been arranged by the college's jazz-studies area.
"The jazz area has established an excellent relationship with Mr. Hersch and is exceedingly pleased to have him on campus as a continuing artist in residence once again this year," said Dr. Brian Coyle, who is a professor of music and director of jazz studies at Hope. "Mr. Hersch's residency is a major coup for Hope College, due to his international stature, historical importance and busy touring schedule."
Pianist and composer Hersch has been called a "one of the small handful of brilliant musicians of his generation" by "Downbeat." His numerous accomplishments include a 2003 Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship for composition, two Grammy nominations for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance and a Grammy nomination for Best Instrumental Composition. He has appeared on more than 100 recordings, including more than two dozen albums as bandleader/solo pianist.
His career as a performer has been enhanced by his composing, a vital part of nearly all of his live concerts and recordings. In 2003, he created "Leaves of Grass" (Palmetto Records), a large-scale setting of Walt Whitman's poetry for two voices (Kurt Elling and Kate McGarry) and an instrumental octet; the work was presented in March 2005 in a sold-out performance at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall as part of a six-city U.S. tour. Hersch has toured with concert pianist Christopher O'Riley ("Heard Fresh: Music for Two Pianos") and he has also collaborated with artists ranging from Bill Frisell, Toots Thielemans and Charlie Haden to singers Renée Fleming, Norma Winstone and Audra McDonald. He has received commissions from The Gilmore Keyboard Festival, The Doris Duke Foundation, The Miller Theatre at Columbia University, The Gramercy Trio and The Brooklyn Youth Chorus. His solo piano compositions and chamber music are published by Edition Peters. Naxos Records has released "Fred Hersch: Concert Music 2001-2006," a disc of his through-composed "classical" works.
In 2006, Palmetto Records released the solo disc "Fred Hersch in Amsterdam: Live at the Bimhuis"; its release led to Hersch becoming the first pianist in the 70-year history of New York's Village Vanguard to play an entire week as a solo pianist shortly after the disc's release. In addition, he leads a trio and a quintet, and has ongoing special collaborations with jazz and classical instrumentalists and vocalists around the world. His recent projects include "The Fred Hersch Pocket Orchestra: Live at Jazz Standard," released in 2009 on Sunnyside Records and featuring an unconventional line-up of piano, trumpet, voice and percussion.
Hersch has acted as a passionate spokesman and fund-raiser for AIDS services and education agencies since 1993. He has produced and performed on four benefit recordings and at numerous concerts for the charities Classical Action: Performing Arts Against AIDS and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS that have raised more than $250,000 to date.
Hersch has been featured on "CBS Sunday Morning" with Dr. Billy Taylor, and on a wide variety of National Public Radio programs including "Fresh Air," "Jazz Set," "Studio 360" and "Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz." Hersch has also been awarded a Rockefeller Fellowship, grants from The National Endowment for the Arts and Meet the Composer, and six composition residencies at The MacDowell Colony. He conducted a professional training workshop for young musicians at The Weill Institute at Carnegie Hall in 2008 and was awarded the Branigan Lectureship at Indiana University in 2004. A committed educator, has taught at The New School and Manhattan School of Music; he is currently a visiting professor at Western Michigan University and is on the Jazz Studies faculty of The New England Conservatory.
During his residency Mr. Hersch will perform clinics, give private lessons, perform a solo piano concert, and present a lecture/recital on his recovery from a two-month coma.
Nykerk Hall of Music is located in the central Hope campus at the former 127 E. 12th Street between College and Columbia avenues.


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Be Informed, be Realistic, be a Happier Patient
Recent National Survey Reveals an Increase in Facelift Surgery… is it for You?
Ask the Surgeon / Health Tip / What's New
Aging is Inevitable; but Premature Aging can be Fought
Your skin is the largest organ of your body. Collagen and elastin, two protein fibers, give the skin its elasticity and help keep it hydrated. As the skin ages, the fibers become less efficient and are replaced at a slower rate. It is impossible to stop the aging process; however, there are ways you can fight and prevent premature aging with proper hygiene, products, rest, relaxation, and a healthy lifestyle.
Cleanse daily to remove accumulated oils and dirt. Oily, dull skin can make you appear older than you are; wash gently twice a day with a mild cleansing agent designed for the face. Avoid ordinary soaps, which dry and irritate facial skin. Pat your face dry and apply a moisturizer, preferably with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15. Stay out of the sun and apply sunscreen generously before venturing outdoors. Ultraviolet radiation from the sun destroys skin cells. Over time, exposure leads to wrinkles, age spots, a weathered look, and a higher risk of skin cancer. Do you know your skin typeoily, dry, sensitive, combination? Purchase products that are designed for your skin type to ensure your skin will look radiant and youthful.
Adequate rest can help your skin rejuvenate and glow on a daily basis. During the deepest stage of sleep, your body releases growth hormones for cell repair. Without this regenerative effect, your skin's texture, thickness, and elasticity are diminished. The average adult requires seven hours of sleep per night.
Schedule time for yourself, learn relaxation techniques, and make pampering sessions a priority. Stress negatively affects your skin and accelerates the aging process. When you are feeling overwhelmed, nervous, or anxious, one way your body reacts is by producing excess oils in your skin. Be proactive in reducing stress and your skin will benefit.
A healthy lifestyle affects how you look and how you feel. A diet filled with plenty of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables is important for your skin to get the proper nutrients it needs. Drink plenty of water and exercise on a regular basis, which will promote good circulation of oxygen and nutrients to the skin as well.
Will exercising your facial muscles fight the aging process? No, exercising these muscles will not prevent your skin from sagging. As we age, the problem is not muscle laxity, but rater loss of collagen in the skin, the affects of gravity on fat and fascia, and the stretching of facial ligaments. Your skin will benefit more overall if you exercise your whole body, rather than just those facial muscles.
If you smoke, you should quit. Smoking affects the blood supply to the skin, inhibiting proper circulation and increasing wrinkles. Smokers also have a risk for squamous cell cancers that is about 50 percent higher than nonsmokers' risk.
Even after taking preventative measures, you may consider a cosmetic procedure to restore your youthful appearance. Minimally invasive procedures such as a glycolic peel or mini-facelift may bring the results you need; or possibly a surgical procedure such as cheek implants and a facelift to restore fullness and smoothness to your face.
Start with the above factors that you can control and then come in to discuss what other options there are to undo or slow down some of the unavoidable effects of growing older.


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Winmalee High School
An insect is considered advanced if it is indistinguishable from its surroundings. Inspired by the natural world and its cyclic nature, I explored the indistinguishable. If we remove the insect from its familiar surroundings it remains advanced, as well as beautiful. My body of work focuses on the importance of the smaller, indistinguishable elements that are overlooked in our society. Using lead pencil, collage and stitching, I created an artwork in which the indistinguishable is the most significant.


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Saturday July 20, 2019; 04:25 pm EDT
Get help with your bills as winter blows in
As the temperature goes down, utility bills go up. The Anne Arundel County Community Action Agency wants to help.
The agency helps eligible Anne Arundel Countians pay utility bills. The state is the ultimate source of funding, so you'd be getting a bit of your taxes back.
Cierra Fisher, the outreach coordinator, got so few applications from Southern Anne Arundel County that she did a little investigating. After a few trips down Rt. 2 to talk with local partners, she realized that people in need didn't know about the program.
"They don't have easy access to the information like people living in Annapolis," says Fisher. "I think it will catch on once people find out about it."
If you're struggling to pay your bills, go to Mt. Zion Methodist Church, 122 Bayard Rd., Lothian, Mondays 9am-noon. You'll need to bring proof of income for the past 30 days for all household members; a copy of the current lease or a proof of mortgage; a recent BGE bill; Social Security cards for everyone in the household; your photo ID.
Fisher will be waiting to help.


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Kevin Frazier
Entertainment reporter Kevin Frazier of "Omg!Insider" gives hosts of THE TALK the inside scoop from yesterday's Super Bowl media day in New Orleans, Wednesday, January 30, 2013. All week THE TALK broadcasts live from CBS Super Bowl Park at Jackson Square in the heart of the historic French Quarter in New Orleans, airing on the CBS Television Network. Sheryl Underwood, from left, Sara Gilbert, Ken Frazier, Sharon Osbourne, Aisha Tyler and Julie Chen, shown. Photo: Heather Wines/CBS ©2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved


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Banking Technology Vision 2018
April 19, 2018
April 19, 2018
Banking intelligence is personal and relevant, with the power to make smart banks ever more cognitive and future-ready.
As part of Accenture's annual Technology Vision research, we interviewed nearly 800 banking executives across 25 countries to get their views on technology advances in their organizations and across the industry. Our Banking Technology Vision 2018 report highlights five emerging trends that will shape the industry in the next three years.
Trend 1. Citizen AI: The Newest Member of the Banking Workforce
AI is moving out of the back office to become a visible member of the banking team. Are your customers and workforce ready?
Trend 2. Extended Reality: The End of Distance
Pioneering banks are beginning to use VR and AR to engage customers and employees—closing the physical distance gap.
Trend 3. Data Veracity: Build the Future on Truth
With data converging from all across the banking ecosystem, lapses in data quality could be costly.
Trend 4. Frictionless Business: Built to Partner as Scale
Microservices and blockchain may be key technologies to help banks overcome the challenge of legacy systems.
Trend 5: Internet of Thinking: Put Smart Banking on the Edge of Consumer Interactions
For banks to reach the dynamic physical environments they want to serve, they need to bring sufficient computing power.
of surveyed bankers agree organizations are basing their most critical systems and strategies on data, yet many have not invested in the capabilities to verify the truth within it.
About the Authors


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This course focuses on one period or theme taken primarily from 20th century German literature and culture. Possible topics include: Modernism in Berlin and Vienna, the Weimar Republic, Post-1945 German literature, etc. Prerequisite: Any 300-level German course or permission of instructor.May be repeated for credit with different topics. May count towards European Studies minor.
|Distribution Area
|Arts and Humanities
|Any 300-level German course or permission of instructor.
|1 course


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Burrowing Owl
Burrowing owls were named because they live in burrows that have been dug out by small mammals like ground squirrels and prairie dogs.
They have brown spotted feathers and long legs. They have distinctive white eyebrows and yellow eyes. They are one of the smallest owls in North America.
They are about 9.8 inches long and weigh about half a pound. Both males and females are the same size.
They eat small mammals such as moles and mice during the late spring and early summer. Later they switch to insects, especially grasshoppers and beetles. They have also been known to eat birds, amphibians and reptiles.
Burrowing owls are active during the day; most other owls are active during the night. They are especially active during the day when they gather food for their large broods.
They prefer open prairies with low vegetation. They can often be found perching near their burrow on fence posts and trees.
They make loud chuckling or chattering calls and bob their heads to express excitement or distress.
They often nest in loose colonies about 90 meters (295 feet) apart. Burrowing owls mate in early spring. The females lay 3 to 12 eggs. The chicks leave the burrow 45 days after they hatch. They learn to fly at 6 weeks old.
The greatest threat to burrowing owls is habitat destruction and degradation caused primarily by land development. They are also threatened by agricultural development and the use of pesticides and efforts to kill prairie dogs, which live side by side with burrowing owls.
Their predators include horned owls, hawks, foxes, badgers and domestic pets.


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industrial snake more ideas in the pipeline.... sun draws industrial dna snow brings out the best flow from left to right singularities snow dresses up litter in white suit boulevard of slippery dreams submerged above and below trees shiver in cool water clouds break the ice out here, away from people, i remember how it feel… we really are small unabridged this is winter homeward bound rotating shadows snow at night the ice defies the march of spring everything back in line let's go! well worn form a canopy in the urban jungle one for bigooode they wait, that's what they do city tour i want to walk up the side of a mountain.... ever feel like you are somewhere else? hammarby 's transition continues all things come to an end queuing up on empty stalls, the crowd of yesterday… my cloud machine there is a beauty in strength and form sway flip side in deep calm, yet resonates with storm walk across waiting for the rumble under bagis i nearly fell water impersonating CGI which one was mine? don't touch
Posted on 03/20/2008
Photo taken on March 20, 2008
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Science Friday® is produced by the Science Friday Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Science Friday® and SciFri® are registered service marks of Science Friday, Inc. Site design by Pentagram; engineering by Mediapolis.
How does a disk of gas and dust turn into a solar system? Using computer models, researchers examine the birth and evolution of solar systems. They found that our solar system is unusual: if the conditions had been slightly different, planets could have careened into the sun or been expelled into deep space. The findings were published in the journal Science this week. Ira speaks with an author of the study about what makes our solar system special.
Then, we'll hear about an unidentified cosmic object. Astrophysicists at Yale and Oxford have enlisted the public's help classifying pictures of galaxies through the online project called Galaxy Zoo. One of the project's volunteers, a teacher from the Netherlands, came across a picture of a strange gaseous object that some are calling a "cosmic ghost." Scientists aren't quite sure what it is--the Hubble Space Telescope has been enlisted to help solve the mystery.


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Justin Bieber 'Believe' Lands at No. 1 on Billboard Top 200
Congrats to Justin Bieber for notching his fourth Billboard Top 200 No. 1 with 'Believe.' The album cruised into the top slot, as expected, selling 374,000 copies its first week at retail, thanks to endless promotion and of course, the dedication and devotion of Beliebers. It surpasses Madonna's 'MDNA' for the biggest first week bow of the year. Madge sold 359,000 copies of her latest its first week out.
The album did not have the biggest sales week of the year overall. That honor went to Adele and her bazillion-seller '21,' which sold another 730,000 copies the week after the English rose cleaned up at the Grammys. We know, we didn't think there were 73 people, much less 730,000, left out there who don't own '21.'
But back to the matter at hand and JB's celebration. Since this is the Biebs' fourth No. 1 of his career, it's another accolade for him, since he has the most chart-topping albums for any artist in a two-and-a-half year span.
The Biebs also beat his own personal best. He sold 291,000 copies of 'My World 2.0′ its first week; at the time that was his best tally. We must admit, we feel like we're doling out baseball stats, which are courtesy of Billboard.
In other 'Believe' news, the teen's label Island Def Jam confirmed that the next single from the album will be 'As Long As You Love Me.' Funny, JB sings, "We could be starving, we could be homeless, we could be broke. As long as you love me, I'll be your platinum, I'll be your silver, I'll be your gold." Well, if he wants to talk about being platinum and gold, he's on his way to that status, as 'Believe' should hit the million-sold mark sooner than later.
Congrats, kiddo.
Watch the Justin Bieber 'Boyfriend' Video


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Needlepoint Canvases
Needlepoint Alley carries a wide selection of handpainted needlepoint canvases from the nation's top needlepoint designers. Mostly all needlepoint canvases are stitch painted for your stitching pleasure. New needlepoint canvases are arriving in the shop daily, so there's always something new to see.
Snowy Owl (Handpainted from Melissa Shirley)
Handpainted Needlepoint Canvas, "Snowy Owl", by Vikki Sawyer from Melissa Shirley
13 x 10"
13 Mesh
$259 In stock


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Ami Kaufman
Ten post-election, pre-coalition takeaways
There's no doubt about it - Yair Lapid is the star of these election results. His 19 mandates will most certainly give him and his party a senior position in the next government, likely to be led by Benjamin Netanyahu. But before you go reporting about the upcoming Bibi-Lapid coalition, here are a few post-election and pre-government thoughts. 1) Those crazy coalition talks Just as Lapid's unexpected surge happened in the last week before the vote (most polls gave him around 11-12 a few weeks before), the coalition talks can also take some twisty curves. Just today, the two arch-rivals,…Read More... | 6 Comments


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Add to this the approximately 32GW of solar generation supplying local networks with around 28.5TWh in 2012, and the networks are dealing with around 73TWh of variable generation for which they are, as yet, scarcely equipped.
On top of the renewables input, mini gas-fired co-generation plants are becoming increasingly popular for family housing, public buildings, hospitals and other users. These also feed electricity into the local networks.
At the same time, the number of consumers with higher-capacity demands on the local network, such as chargers for electric cars and heat pumps, is expected to grow over the coming years. Clearly, demands on the low- and medium-voltage grids that are meshed to create the distribution networks are changing fast.
The problem is that Germany's distribution network stretching over 471,213 kilometres was originally installed on a top-down principle. Large conventional power stations fed electricity into the high-voltage network that transmitted it down through the medium-voltage grid into the low-voltage network to reach consumers.
As the country adopts more renewable energy, medium- and low-voltage networks must become smart enough to cope with increasing fluctuation in supply and demand, and even flows of electricity changing direction depending on the time of day. The risk that individual components or sections of the meshed system could be overloaded is getting higher with each new renewables installation. But the simple systems installed today in local transmission stations can often neither register nor actively react to such threatening overloads.
More grid
An investigation into the need for expansion and innovation of Germany's distribution network to 2030, published in December by energy agency Dena, estimated that 135,000-193,000 kilometres of new distribution network would be required by 2030. This will require changes to 21,000-24,000 kilometres of overhead high-voltage networks and additional transformer-station capacities.
Investment required over the period 2012-30 would add up to €27.5-42.5 billion, the study said. The average expected annual cost of €1.5-2.2 billion is between double and triple the approximately €750 million 2012 investment in distribution networks, as reported in the first renewable-energy monitoring report published by the German economy ministry, also in December.
Adding to the challenge, the distribution network is split into smaller and larger areas operated by around 850 different network operators. "Many are simply too small to master the complex challenges," says Gero Luecking, a board member at German "green" electricity retailer LichtBlick. "A system of 25 network operators or groups of operators would be significantly more efficient."
Not surprisingly, calls for swift investment in modernising the networks are becoming ever more urgent. But a roadmap for the transformation to intelligent energy networks presented to the economy ministry by federal energy and water association BDEW in February revealed the task could take years. The roadmap defines ten steps necessary to 2022, including basic tasks such as developing a consistent legal and regulatory framework, drawing up standards and norms, and defining the borderline between the electricity market and the needs of the electricity transmission networks — as well as the interaction between the two.
One difficult task is to establish when and if curtailment of wind and solar generation is necessary, and whether compensation for the lost generation should be paid to the operator.
In December 2011, German energy regulator Bundesnetzagentur discussed what is needed for intelligent electricity networks in a paper titled "Smart Grid and Smart Markets". An overall economically sensible relationship between network expansion and curtailment measures must be found and then discussed in connection with the renewables support regime, and with the aim of maintaining the priority feed-in for renewables generation to the networks, the Bundesnetzagentur said.
It questioned the rationale of expanding the network, whether at lower or high-voltage level, to take up every last kilowatt hour of power from renewables, since outside peak generation times much of this capacity would not be in use. Meanwhile, substantial safety margins across the transmission system itself result in much transmission capacity going unused. Germany's ten-year network development plan 2012 for high-voltage networks, published late last year, said network expansion measures are planned under the assumption that they will be used at just 20% of their capacity in normal operation.
Different approaches
Clearly Germany cannot wait years for improvements to the distribution networks when solutions are needed now. Some answers have been found and implemented in North America, but these are aimed primarily at increasing efficiency in operation and maintenance and improving security of supply rather than in dealing with increasing amounts of variable wind and solar electricity feed-in, German Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies VDE said in a November report.
China too will face the same challenges as Germany with its Five-Year Plan target of 160GW of renewables by 2015. But China is tackling its problems with programmes of a scope and means impossible in Germany, whose systems have grown organically over decades.
VDE warns of future challenges in keeping operation of intelligent distribution networks secure. Wireless-sensor-based network controls could be vulnerable to attacks ranging from illegal accessing of transmitted data to manipulation or shutting down of a local distribution network.
Steps forward
Fortunately, demonstration projects are under way in Germany in which distribution grids are being swiftly made intelligent without large investment and where experience in such issues can be gathered.
German company SAG has developed a system for secure and automatic operation of low-voltage networks dubbed Intelligent Network Station, or Ines, which will be rolled out for medium-voltage networks from 2014. It is working in partnership with Wuppertal University and Frankfurt-based municipal energy company Mainova.
"We are convinced that we can reduce the costly investments in the distribution network with this system," says Peter Birkner, a board member at Mainova. The system can dramatically reduce the costs of network expansion. In a pilot project in Frankfurt-Bornheim, investment amounted to just €50,000, compared with €350,000 that had been earmarked for network expansion, says Markus Zdrallek of Wuppertal University, which is responsible for the software development.
The aim is to monitor the real-time situation on the low- and medium-voltage networks and the interfaces between them, and introduce the possibility to steer and automatically control loads on the wires so that the existing network capacity can be optimally used. Infrastructure investments can thereby be reduced or postponed.
SAG's technology makes it possible to get a complete overview of a town or parish local network by equipping and measuring only 15% of the network nodes — points where lines are connected to each other. In critical situations, the power flows can be controlled and precise measures taken to eliminate overloads, for example by steering generation plants such as wind turbines or photovoltaic plants. Interfering in consumer power use takes place only as an absolute exception.
Low impact
The technology operates automatically and existing infrastructure is left as it is. The real-time situation in the local transformer stations can be monitored continuously. This applies to electricity flow, voltage level, capacity use and temperature; data are fed to the next voltage network level for further evaluation.
The situation at a local transformer station can be visualised at any time with a traffic-light system — green for ok, amber for problems brewing and red for critical. The whole system can be retrofitted without having to interfere with existing transformer station switchgear, says SAG.
A similar system for low- and medium-voltage networks has been developed by Westnetz, a distribution network subsidiary of German energy company RWE. The initiative was launched in November 2011 and runs until January 2016. It is part of the Grid4EU innovation for energy networks, a major EU-wide project with a budget of €50 million, €25 million of which is provided by the European Union.
Working with ABB and the Technical University of Dortmund, its pilot project is in Reken in North Rhine Westphalia, a network region that is expected to see much more solar and wind power in the future. In turn, these forms of generation are expected to cause reverse flows of electricity on 70 to 80 days of the year. With such projects only recently getting under way, there is still a lot of exploratory work to be done to find the best ways to optimise existing distribution networks, minimise the need for expansion and maximise the take-up of wind and solar generation.
The distribution grid operator's role will be much broader, and co-ordination with high-voltage levels far more closely monitored. The impact of new technologies such as electricity-storage facilities, increasing demand-side management and benefits of some renewable curtailment, in as far as this is accepted, are all challenges that the distribution network operators have long envisioned but hardly expected to become priorities so quickly.
This article originally appeard in Wind Stats


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I live a good distance away from Montrose, but am open to playing at Memorial Park, its $6 an hour on the weekends and after 6PM. its cheaper during the week and before 6PM. let me know...im available most days.
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I have recently tested positive for BRCA1 gene. My mother died of ovarian cancer 13 years ago at age 57. Although I am healthy, preventive oopherectomy has been advised. I am 49 yo, and perimenopausal. I have had regular CA 125 and ultrasound exams, all normal. Should I seek a second opinion?
Stephen C. Rubin, MD, Professor and Chief of the Division of Gynecologic Oncology, University of Pennsylvania Health System, responds:
Women who test positive for mutations in the BRCA1 gene, and who have a family history of ovarian or breast cancer, have a risk of developing ovarian cancer that has been estimated to be as high as 60%. Screening methods, such as CA 125 and pelvic sonograms, cannot be relied on to detect ovarian cancer early. I strongly agree that women in your situation should have prophylactic removal of the ovaries when they have completed childbearing. Other female members of your family should consider genetic Counseling and testing.


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Charging your iPad every other day only costs you around $1.36 for a full year's use according to a report by the EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute). We already knew that the iPad had amazing battery life but it is always interesting to find out approximately what it costs to keep it charged for a full year. The EPRI carried out extensive tests and discovered that it only consumes 12 kWh of electricity in a year.
The analysis shows that each model of the iPad consumes less than 12 kWh of electricity over the course of a year, based on a full charge every other day. By comparison, a plasma 42" television consumes 358 kWh of electricity a year. EPRI conducted the analysis in Knoxville, Tenn., at its power utilization laboratory. Costs may vary depending on what region that a consumer resides and the price of electricity in a particular location.
The assessment was conducted to determine the load requirements – the amount of power needed to operate the devices -- of the increasingly popular iPad. According to Apple, 67 million of the devices have been purchased worldwide.
EPRI calculations show that the average energy used by all iPads in the market is approximately 590 gigawatt hours (GWh). In a scenario where the number of iPads tripled over the next two years, the energy required would be nearly equivalent to two 250-megawatt (MW) power plants operating at a 50 percent utilization rate. A quadrupling of sales in two years would require energy generated by three 250-MW power plants.
This came as a bit of a surprise to me; I assumed it would cost a lot more during the course of a year. Obviously if you use a charger in your car it will cost you nothing to charge it up but given that its only $1.36 a year it's really not worth worrying about.
As a comparison, notebook computers use approximately 72 kWh of electricity which is six times more than the iPad. The next time you are thinking about getting your notebook out to do something that can easily be done on an iPad, think again. It could save you a few dollars each year just by using your iPad more.
Source: EPRI


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Parent trap: Single parents need fun too
The Background
Med students, law students, psych students, undergrads. Another student date, and the Matchmaker feared that the gray hairs might stage an uprising. So, how about some professors?
Jacob is a 39-year-old religious studies professor who's brand new to town. An "old-school liberal," he was looking for a "malleable ideologue, a smart cookie, spice lover, a good traveling companion, someone who doesn't mind getting lost once in a while and who isn't afraid to admit to being afraid."
Well, that seemed like a tall order until we found Grace, a 39-year-old history professor who is every one of those things and then some.
And the clincher? Both have two children under the age of six. Date not playdate made.
The Date
We sent Jacob and Grace to Fuel Co.'s bistro for some grown-up entertainment.
Jacob: I was first, intentionally– it just seemed to be the polite thing to do. I sat at the bar, tried to look casual, read the wine list, heard the word "reduction" twice, wondered how a cocktail with red wine could possibly not taste horrible.
Grace: I arrived after Jacob, a minute or two late. He was sitting at the bar. We made eye contact, and I sort of waved and then wondered if he was even the date. Then he walked over and joked about the awkwardness of it all, which was a nice way to start talking.
Jacob: Grace looked great. I was worried that perhaps being an academic, she would dress like one– studied dowd but no. She was wearing dark pants, a dark (purple?) top, like a dancer's thing, a simple necklace, lots of earrings (I'm a sucker for multiple piercings, provided they are in the right place). No tongue or cheek or eyebrow, at least not that I noticed.
Grace: From across the room, it was clear that he was cute. He had an impish smile, sparkling eyes. He seemed fit but not in that obsessive-attention-to-the-body way that bores me– he gave off the sense that he was comfortable in his body. He had a cool, understated style, too, black pants, with pleats, which became a kind of running joke, and a black shirt. A kind of casual but not too obsessively cool urban hip look. He also wore an earring– kind of a pirate's hoop.
What did you order?
Jacob: Grace had a martini, the real, only kind, me a designer thing with several kinds of booze, blood orange (it was good, I admit it). And then a really good bottle of chardonnay recommended by the waiter.
Grace: It was one of the best bottles of wine I have ever had.
Jacob: We shared an oyster (I know, I know) appetizer, flash fried, on a bed of some sort of corn pudding, with little scallion sticks. It really was great. Then we ordered salad and stuffed quail poor little guys which was good, and trout tournedos (also was really great) stuffed with something, wrapped in bacon. And we ordered two desserts– two– both chocolate bomb-like things, both really good. The food was excellent. We shared everything it just seemed totally the thing to do.
Grace: Our waiter had a very nice self-deprecating, easy manner, and the manager (I think) checked in on us too... We were having trouble making the time to read the menu, and the waiter kindly prompted us at one point to get our order in ahead of a very large table.
How was the conversation?
Jacob: We talked about everything- sex, drugs, rock and roll, whatever is between. I was a bit worried, since academics can be deadly boring, but we made a little deal not to talk shop and pretty much stuck to it. We have a lot in common, so conversation was no problem- it took us a while to order, though, because we were just jabbering away, not really thinking about the food. I think we could have talked all night, and pretty much did, in the end.
Grace: We are both academics. Talk is a large part of teaching and thinking, of what we do. So we had no problem talking. We talked about our research, about teaching, about our children and exes. We talked about the food– we both have had food businesses in the past, and Jacob described himself as a foodie– and music, and the state of the world, our paths to the academy, the places we have lived, and disastrous dating moments. He has just moved to Charlottesville, and I have lived here a while, so we talked about the town, what he could do with his kids over the weekend, etc.
Anything particularly interesting?
Jacob: Grace is a really smart cookie and knows that intelligence is sexy, but she doesn't abuse this a great combo, really.
Grace: His research and his travels (he works on South Asia and Hinduism and Buddhism), and the way he narrated the recent twists and turns of his very eventful life.
Did you do anything after dinner?
Jacob: Hmm... since we'd had a few, we strolled over to my place for a bit, listened to some music, drank some water, talked. Then I walked Grace back to her car at Fuel, and we moved to her place for a while, talked some more, listened to some more music, drank some whiskey. Then I walked home.
Grace: We went to his place since it was right around the corner to listen to music– we had talked a lot about playing (we both play instruments) and listening to music– and we discovered we were both into an obscure singer-songwriter that few people have heard of. [Vic Chesnutt]
Any kissy-kissy?
Jacob: Just for the record, everyone knows that 39-year-olds don't kiss, geez!
Grace: I neither kiss nor don't kiss and tell.
Would you go out again?
Jacob: Yes, certainly, I would see Grace again, and I hope I will.
Grace: Sure, as friends. I think he needs a little more time since his last relationship, and I have just met someone else I really like. But Jacob is an amazingly fun and smart and sexy guy.
On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate the date?
Jacob: I'd give this date a 10– why not? It was a great time. I suspect, though, that I should never, ever go on a blind date again– this was my first one, and I imagine that the dating gods would want to even things out, give me a real nightmare the next time. I'm told it does happen....
Grace: 10. I had a great time.
Okay, folks. So there you have it. You don't have to be 25 to go on the Blind Date Challenge in fact, we're ready to break any and all age barriers. So if you (or someone you know) is single and between the ages of 40 and 140, write to email@example.com, and let us take BDC to new geriatric heights.
This date was sponsored by Fuel Co. at the corner of Ninth and East Market streets.


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GOP leaders reconsider Paul
MEMPHIS, Tennessee — Not that long ago, most Republican leaders saw Rand Paul as the head of an important faction who, like his father, ultimately had no shot at becoming the party's presidential nominee.
Now the question is no longer whether Paul can win the nomination, but whether he can win a general election.
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The shift follows a year in which the Kentucky senator has barnstormed the country, trying to expand the party's base beyond older, white voters and attract a following beyond than the libertarian devotees of his father, Ron Paul. Although the job is far from complete, Paul has made undeniable progress, judging from interviews with more than 30 Republican National Committee members meeting here this week.
( Also on POLITICO: Romney: Raise the minimum wage)
That he has struck a chord with this crowd is all the more telling because it is heavy with GOP establishment-types who tend to prefer mainstream candidates.
"I don't see how anyone could say it's not possible he'd win the nomination," Texas GOP chairman Steve Munisteri said. "His mission is to convince people of what his coalition would be in November" 2016.
During a speech Friday to the RNC gathering, Paul received a standing ovation after saying that the GOP didn't need to dilute its message but that it had to communicate it better to non-traditional audiences — and suggesting implicitly that he's the guy to do it.
( QUIZ: Do you know Rand Paul?)
"To paraphrase Captain Kirk, we need to go boldly to where Republicans haven't been going," he said. "We need to go from Harlem to Berkeley, to East Los Angeles and Laredo."
Paul has not officially declared he's running for president, he has plenty of critics and also has suffered a series of stumbles that could haunt him down the line. But the pervasive mood here at the RNC spring meeting was that there's no frontrunner for the nomination, which means there's an opening for the 51-year-old Paul.
The senator clearly understands this, and he has kept up as aggressive a travel schedule as any other likely candidate, and not just to early voting states.
Missouri Chairman Ed Martin said Paul quickly sold out the party's Lincoln Day dinner in Springfield. Martin was amazed at how it was not just 500 libertarian true-believers who filled a ballroom, but people from every wing of the party.
"He's a mainstream candidate," Martin said. "A big question for 2016 is who can draw new people in. Rand has an attraction … My wife's not a political person, but she likes Rand a lot."
Paul, who was elected to the Senate on the tea party wave of 2010, has spent much of his time since schmoozing with the GOP establishment. Last weekend, he invited media mogul Rupert Murdoch (who owns Fox News and The Wall Street Journal) to the Kentucky Derby with him – then allowed a New York Times reporter to chronicle it.
( Also on POLITICO: Sunday talk show tip sheet)
The weekend before, he went to the Maine Republican state convention to call for party unity.
"We had some folks that are categorized as 'establishment' or whatever, who told me that if Rand Paul could speak at every convention, I think everyone would see him as a mainstream guy," Maine national committeeman Alex Willette said.
The day before that Maine speech, Paul was in Boston to speak at the Harvard Institute of Politics. He squeezed in a lunch with several members of 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney's brain trust.
At the same time Paul has made efforts to reach out to a variety of groups with which the GOP has struggled to find traction, including young people and racial minorities.
On Friday morning, for instance, he met for an hour with a group of African-American pastors. Afterward, Paul held a press conference to outline his push to get rid of mandatory minimum prison sentences, while advocating for school choice and the creation of economic opportunity zones.
"I want to compete for the African-American vote," Paul said. "I'm about winning elections."
Republican leader say the 2016 primary season calendar could favor Paul, especially the first four states.
Iowa holds caucuses that are likely to be friendlier to Paul than a primary. And in New Hampshire, Paul could benefit from the strong following there for his father.