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I know I've been MIA for a bit, but I just wanted to share my article for Atwood Magazine! I'm really excited about this article as it really reflects my writing style.
Read it here.
I know I've been MIA for a bit, but I just wanted to share my article for Atwood Magazine! I'm really excited about this article as it really reflects my writing style.
Read it here.
If you're a gamer like me, you have your own unique standards that you use when evaluating a game. For me its the whole package. But above all, the plot, the aesthetic, and the soundtrack. There are so many video game classics with amazing soundtracks: Legend of Zelda, every Final Fantasy, Halo 3, just to name a few. Although there are many amazing video game soundtracks, its not like I'd ever listen to them other than while playing the game.
When I got Stardew Valley I was surprised to find that the game included a soundtrack. I've never purchased a video game that came with a soundtrack, I thought it was quite strange. I also was not too keen on playing the game as it was taking it back to the old school 8bit style. Not that I have anything against this choice, I just made the assumption that the game would be a very simplistic version of other games like Harvest Moon or Animal Crossing. I was so wrong, it was a unique combination of the two. After 10 minutes of playing this RPG, I realized its depth and was amazed at its detail, all the way down to the music. Indie games are special in that they put the time and effort into details like these, and these skills are beautifully highlighted in this game.
At the beginning of the game you inherit your grandfather's farm. You are entrusted with his legacy. Where you go from there is your choice, the game has endless possibilities and opportunities. Its addicting. I think that what makes it most addicting is the music that keeps you going. Each unique track creates soundscapes that perfectly compliment the aesthetic. At one point I was totally immersed and forgot the game was 8bit. After playing the game for so long I realized why one would want to own a soundtrack. Each song is unique with its own flavor of synths and drum kits; above all they are deeply relaxing.
The general musical theme of the spring months are bright banjos and guitars. The summer is tropical and hazy. The fall has warm synths with hints of a cold brightness that follows. Winter is by far my favorite season of music. It's melancholy ethereal synths perfectly compliment the magic of a white winter.
But my favorite song on the whole entire album is the 2:05 minute track, "Spirit's Eve Festival." If you're not into video game music thats fine, but just give this track a shot, you won't be disappointed. The track plays while you are in town for the festival having a fun ghoulish time playing games while skeletons walk around in a large cage. The song's syncopated synths are so dark, I would want to sample this song if I were a producer for sure.
Eric Barone, under the alias of Concerned Ape, created everything. The music, art, programming, and design. Not only did he do all these things, but he was teaching himself to do all of these things while making the game. Four years later it released on February 16, 2016 and sold one million copies in only two months. I am blown away that one man could develop this game.
I personally don't listen to video game music other than when I'm playing the game. But when I'm feeling own I throw on Stardew Valley while I'm drinking my coffee, and feel a bit better.
Listen to "Spirit's Eve Festival," on YouTube.
Listen to the album on Spotify.
"ConcernedApe." Stardew Valley, Concerned Ape , stardewvalley.net/presskit/sheet.php?p=Stardew%2BValley.
I've just written my longest article thus far for Noise Artists. If you love shoegaze you will absolutely love the shoegaze scene in Spain. You'll hear many influences, from Beach House to Lush.
Read the article here.
Genre: Synth pop, dark pop, dream pop, cold wave
Get lost in a dark dreamy world with French group Fragrance. Their underwater sounding vocals lull you into a colorful world of airy and grimy synths. I'm really starting to get into dark pop and this is a good segue into the subgenre.
Songs you might like:
Artists you might like: Liste Noire, HoRD, Black Nail Cabaret, Paradox Obscur, Antipole, Geometric Vision, ACTORS, L'An2000
Listen to my dark pop playlist here.
Visit their Spotify page here.
If you like dream pop make sure to check out my review for ViVii's new EP! This Swedish couple will steal your heart with their dreamy synths.
Read my review here.
One of my favorite things about music is the way that music evolves with time. As time passes music genres influence each other, sometimes changing the genre into something completely different. This is interesting to observe with dub music.
In order to understand dub history, we must understand some of socioeconomic aspects that impacted Jamaican society in the early 70s. During this time period Jamaicans were not able to spend their money on records, they did not have the financial means to do so. Thus when record producers made records, they were taking their chances. Thus they found a solution, play the records in dancehalls in order to observe the audience's reception. This practice would open the doors for a new Jamaican genre, dub.
One of the dub pioneers was Rudolph Redwood. He would produce instrumental versions of tracks, and thus dancehall DJs would add their own singing or rhymes over the music. This was given the name "toasting," which would eventually give rise to dancehall music. Using these sorts of instrumental tracks in this manner was commonplace in the Jamaican music industry.
The focus of dub were the instrumentals, not the singers. Sound engineers would remove or rearrange instrumentals, they would never add. These sound engineers are the ones who laid the groundwork so many genres that would follow. If it were not for dub we would not have so many genres: jungle, house, garage, grime, and essentially any music driven by technology. Dub sound engineers were the first to utilize sound boards as musical instruments.
This was just a brief synopsis of the history. If you want to read more, be sure to check out the sources. Stay tuned for future posts about all different varieties of Jamaican music, rocksteady, ska, and reggae and dub-a-dub.
This playlist will give you the dub essentials, from the master himself, King Tubby, to others like his apprentice, Scientist. Sit back and relax and let this dub playlist lead you into summer.
Listen to the playlist here.
Bush , John. "THE DREAD LIBRARY." Debate Central – Since 1994, debate.uvm.edu/dreadlibrary/bush.htm
l, Pablo. "Reggae – Origins Of Dub." UDiscoverMusic, 10 May 2018, http://www.udiscovermusic.com/in-depth-features/reggae-origins-of-dub/.
If you like ambient drone on the lighter side of the spectrum be sure to check out my guest post for BADD PRESS.
Read it here.
If you like ambient drone but sure to check out my guest review for BADD PRESS on David Newlyn's "Church Fires."
Read the review here.
I'll be visiting in France in a few short weeks and its the closest I've ever been to the land of my ancestors, Spain. That being said, I decided to start another spotlight segment, international artists. I love a lot of international music, this is just a taste. Stay tuned for a bunch of international segments like this one!
On this playlist you'll hear a array of genres and influences: synth pop, synth rock, post-punk revival, dream pop, folk pop (with emphasis on the pop) funk synth and more! Even if you don't speak Spanish you'll love these melody driven tracks.
Click here to find the playlist on Spotify.
What do you think of the music scene going on in Spain?
Hey loves! I just wrote a guest post article review for Fadeawayradiate blog! The review is for Washed Out's new single "Face Up." The review is different from the one on my blog, so check it out here!
Brooklyn Magazine just released an intriguing new article about the unique genres that have come from various regions of the USA. I discovered this article when clicking the discover on the WordPress homepage.
Geographers, sociologists, and anthropologists talk about the idea of "sense of place." Essentially "sense of place," is the idea that geographic places have their own unique characteristics. These characteristics range from physical to conceptual. Our geographical location has a relation to the way we think and live. Our location develops our identify and our understanding and relationship we have to the outside world.
Observe how "sense of place," changes regional music.
Read the article here: "The Musical Map of the United States"- Brooklyn Magazine
Agnew, J.A.; Duncan, J.S. (1989). The power of place: Bringing together geographical and sociological imaginations. Boston: Unwin Hyman Publishers.
First post! I've been thinking about starting a music blog since college, but I was always too intimidated by the many amazing music blogs out there. My goal is to make this page easily accessible, with enjoyable playlists and new music. In addition to new music, I want to bring attention to some older music that is still relevant.
Lets begin with a little mystery, a music mystery. This mystery is something that I've been trying to solve for a couple years, ever since this artist blessed my ears with his music.
In grad school circa 2014, I stumbled upon an artist named "Dylan Hill," on one of my then go to music blogs, "Indie Shuffle." This Melbourne artist track listings were bare, only four songs. But those four songs made an impression on me. I'd never heard melodies so beautiful, so well composed, the syncopation filled me with faith for the electronic music industry. The production was so crisp and the melodies had a driving force behind them that made you want to sway to the beat forever. His brand of ambient electronica was so perfectly executed, I could not understand how more people didn't know about him. I could not get enough. I listened to "She Fell," and "The Fall," on a nonstop loop. I even went so far as to find Dylan's FB, add him, and tell him how much I loved and appreciated his music. To my surprise he replied with great thanks. We chatted a bit more about mundane things. I continued to listen to his music and I anxiously anticipated more music.
Then all of a sudden Dylan disappeared. Disappeared from the internet. One day I went to his soundcloud page, and it was gone. I scoured the internet for any signs of him or his songs, songs I felt I could not live without, songs I should have downloaded. All I could find were old posts from music blogs, with the tracks disabled and non existent. This is his only trace of his on the black hole of the internet:
This link actually has one of his old songs, along with a music video: https://vimeo.com/136590627
Since then I have been unable to track Dylan down, and trust me, I tried. I even went so far as to email that random "Mysteries," podcast to see if they could help. Whelp, they never answered, and here I am, still puzzled about Dylan Hill's whereabouts.
Then a couple weeks ago, I decided to try my luck again. I found that Dylan is now performing under the stage name "Casper Cult," along with a girl named Alisha Lindsell. I was excited to hear this new music, but was disappointed with what I heard. Ambient electronic syncopated beats still dominates his style, but they are nowhere as original and catchy as his original tunes.
It seems that the song "Industrial Love," follows in the same vein of his previous works. Check it out here : "Industrial Love," by Casper Cult
The mystery still lingers, why did Dylan completely scrap his beautiful music for new songs that are subpar? His old music stood out from the generic ambient electronica, while his new releases are anything but unique. What happened, Dylan?


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We must already be creeping into our winter hibernation — the quantity of pictures and videos this month is far slimmer than usual.
Speaking of Goldbug, this kid is obsessed with Richard Scarry. And my heart leaps with joy every time I stumble upon a quiet Soren studying one of his books in his room.
We closed out our trip on Saturday, which was both Tim's birthday and Small Business Saturday, one of our favorite days of the year. We brunched at French Louie, then bought each other gifts at A Cook's Companion, Atlantic Bicycles, and Stinky BKLYN (rounding out our SBS fun back in Boston with dinner from Fiorella's and a Christmas purchase for S at Magic Beans). During our drive back, I tried to get Soren to make some birthday memories for Tim.
Tagged: A Cook's Companion, ABC Home, Atlantic Bicycles, Brooklyn, City Bakery, Duplos, Fiorella's, French Louie, Goldbug, IKEA, Magic Beans, market basket, Richard Scarry, Small Business Saturday, Stinky BKLYN, Thanksgiving

subset: commoncrawl


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All replies
Re: Am I charged for incoming calls from US?em_just_helping Sep 28, 2018 3:03 AM (in response to magenta6307490)
- Member Since: Sep 27, 2018
Also, the logic is, that's INCOMING. You did not make the call and are only receiving it.
Re: Am I charged for incoming calls from US?magenta6307490 Sep 28, 2018 4:17 AM (in response to em_just_helping)
- Member Since: Sep 28, 2018
Right, I get the logic but there are other carriers that (at least used to) charge for an incoming OR outgoing call.
So, since incoming calls are cellular (unless that person's on wifi, too), there is no fee for taking their call, right?
Re: Am I charged for incoming calls from US?em_just_helping Sep 29, 2018 4:07 AM (in response to magenta6307490)
- Member Since: Sep 27, 2018
The link at the top gives a better explanation.
Oh, wifi calling IS NOT free even if you are both on WIFI (especially international calls).
You are thinking about third party app calling (like facetime / fb)
YOU on Wifi --> Wifi Network --> Internet --> Tmo Servers convert your call to NORMAL cell call --> Tmo Tower --> Other phone
See, it goes through the normal cell tower. No way for it to know that the other phone is also on wifi calling.
The only reason it is free in the US with TMO is WHEN you have unlimited minutes:
TMO tower (checks your plan, decides if you are charged or not) ---> Other phone
And since it goes through the towers:
TMO tower (checks number if international or local then checks your plan, decides how much you are charged) ---> Other phone
While calling via App is like this (no TMO tower involved)
FacebookGuy --> Internet --> Facebook Server <-- Internet <-- FacebookGirl
Re: Am I charged for incoming calls from US?drnewcomb2 Sep 29, 2018 6:07 AM (in response to magenta6307490)
1 of 1 people found this helpful
- Member Since: Mar 9, 2014
In theory, if you are on WiFi, you should be able to receive incoming calls from anywhere for free (with your plan). If you are roaming the local cellular system, you will be charged the appropriate rate for whatever country you are in. I say "in theory" because the system has been known to produce some strange results. It would be best to put your phone in airplane mode then turn WiFi back on to make sure you aren't using cellular.
Re: Am I charged for incoming calls from US?magentatechie Sep 29, 2018 6:52 AM (in response to drnewcomb2)
- Member Since: Sep 20, 2017
Agreed with drnewcomb2 100%, it's the only way to be sure that you won't accumulate cellular charges (other than going into your settings and selecting "Never Use Cellular Network" from your WiFi calling options, just don't forget to switch it back when you are ready to get back onto T-Mobile's cellular network officially).
And outgoing calls made on WiFi to US numbers are indeed free, according to the above document.
If you have an unlimited plan (T-Mobile ONE™ or Simple Choice rate™), all incoming calls, all incoming messages, and all outgoing calls and messages to U.S. phone numbers are free while connected to Wi-Fi Calling.
If you accept/make a call and you are not on WiFi with WiFi calling enabled (very important to make sure it is on, as sometimes it's not automatic), incoming and outgoing calls to/from any country (including the US) are billed at $0.25/minute, provided you are in a Simple Global country.
Re: Am I charged for incoming calls from US?magenta6307490 Sep 29, 2018 12:14 PM (in response to magentatechie)
- Member Since: Sep 28, 2018
Thank you very much for your help! I appreciate all the details.
Re: Am I charged for incoming calls from US?magenta6307490 Sep 29, 2018 12:13 PM (in response to drnewcomb2)
- Member Since: Sep 28, 2018
Great, thank you for your help....all of these pieces are really helpful.


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The most interesting tower of Moscow Kremlin with chimes and Christ in icons
The tower was constructed in 1491 during the reign of Ivan III by Pietro Antonio Solari. This is recorded in memorial inscriptions on the white stone plaques installed on the tower. The Spassky Gate was the main of the Kremlin gates and people worshipped it as sacred. It was forbidden to pass through it on horseback and men had to take off their headwear in front of the image of Christ the Redeemer that was painted on the outside of the tower and lightened by an everburning icon-lamp.
Every procession went from Kremlin through this gate and every Russian ruler starting with tzar Mikhail Fyodorovich Romanov (reign 1613-1645) solemnly passed through it before their coronation.
New clock on the Spassky Tower was made in 1625 under the guidance of Christopher Galloway, an English mechanic and watchmaker. At that time it played the music and measured the daytime and the nighttime though it didn't have hands back then. The present clock was made in 1852 by Budenop brothers.
In 1996, during Boris Yeltzin's inauguration the chimes played again after being silent for 58 Soviet years. Now, at 12 and 6 o'clock they played 'Patriotic Song', and at 3 and 9 o'clock — 'Glorify' choir melody from opera 'Life for Tzar' (both by Mikhail Glinka).
The image of Spas Smolensky (or 'the Saviour from Smolensk' in English) is considered to be the first Russian icon of 'the Savior with his adepts falling down' type. It was painted in gratitude for conquering Smolensk and placed above the Frolovsky Gate of Kremlin in 1514. In 1521 it was replaced by a fresco painted on the wall facing the Red Square to commemorate the rescue from the siege of Mehmed-Giray's army.
On the August 25, 2010 it was reported that restoration of Spas Smolensky icon was finished and it was ready for opening. The restorers found out that the older image had been painted against the yellow (ocher) background while the newer one was painted on golden background.
The tower was crowned with a figure of two-headed eagle till 1935 when it was replaced with a red star. The first Spassky Tower Star, bigger than the present one, was made of copper, coated with gold and encrusted with Ural gems.
The Tower was named Spassky after its icons of Spas Smolensky and Spas Nerukotvorny (literally from Russian 'The Saviour Not Made By Hand') which were placed above the gates at the both sides of the tower. The icons on the tower had been considered lost for the long time after the 1917 Revolution until they were found under the plaster during restoration.
Another name of the Spassky Tower is Frolovsky (after the church facing the Kremlin Gate).
The tower's height is 67 m or 71 m with the star.
The clock-face exceeds 6 m in diameter. Its minute and hour hands are 3.27 m long and 2.97 m long respectively.
Feast your eyes on architectural symbol of Moscow
100 m
Visit the symbol of Russian statehood
320 m
The largest national historic museum in Russia
410 m
Architectural monument of ancient Russia on the Red Square
100 m
A glance at the very Lenin
160 m
1 km
A free postgraduate program of interdisciplinary researches about a city
1.5 km
One of the most significant theatres of the world has been opened after renovation
870 m
House of the Romanovs
480 m
1.5 km
The old english court (1555)
330 m
Terem palace was built in 1636 on order of tszar Mikhail I Fyodorovich Romanov (1596 –1645)
380 m
House-studio of the architect Melnikov, a world-famous masterpiece of the Soviet avant-garde
The only surviving of the bridgehead towers of the Kremlin


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BMW Group Future Exhibition at the Roundhouse
The 'BMW Group Future Experience' came to the Roundhouse in June, as part of its anniversary tour which celebrates 100 years of the BMW Group, together with all four of its brands: BMW, BMW Motorrad, Rolls-Royce and MINI.
The worldwide tour began in Beijing, before arriving here at the Roundhouse in London. The immersive and interactive exhibition invited guests to explore the next 100 years of mobility and includes three innovative 'Vision Vehicles'.
The exhibition was a 24-day booking for our team. Before the event our team took the event organisers on 15 site visits and conducted 52 hours of meetings to make sure everything was planned perfectly. Then, when it came time for the big build, our team worked with the organisers on a 192-hour build, involving 1,739 members of crew.
During the exhibition's time at the Roundhouse over 2,000 people came through the doors, over the course of eight different events, in addition to a whopping 4,835 exhibition attendees. Catering was provided by our excellent approved caterer The London Kitchen – our guests got through 2,145 of their delicious cheese straws!
This unique exhibition gave particular insight into how advances in technology and design might provide exciting solutions for the mobility of tomorrow, and what visitors can expect to see from BMW in the future. The exhibition was in London for just nine days, before moving on to its next destination: Los Angeles.
For more information on venue hire please contact our events team on email@example.com or 020 7424 6771.


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An Investigation to Determine the Strains in A Hollow Cast-Iron Disk, Cooled From the Interiorby G. Leverich,
Serial Information: Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers, 1888, Vol. XVIII, Issue 1, Pg. 44-49
Document Type: Journal Paper
Abstract: DataNotAvailable
Subject Headings: Strain | Cast iron
Services: Buy this book/Buy this article
Return to search


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Public Comment
People with Potential: Providing Sanity to the US' Struggle for Israel's Peace
For Americans who are burnt out by the negative and aggressive public dynamic between opposing political factions on Palestine-Israel peace, hope lives! I am thrilled to introduce you to some incredible people with their priorities in order who are coming from the Holy Land and speaking sanely about how to move forward. These people have already demonstrated the ability to reach a diverse political spread of people, and they are only in the earliest stages of their work.
Izzeldin Abuelaish
Palestinian Father who lost his daughters in the Gaza War
Izzeldin Abuelaish, a Palestinian OBGYN who worked at an Israeli hospital delivering Palestinian and Israeli babies, does not advocate for BDS. This man, who loves and respects women, is unabashedly for peace. He won the hearts of Israeli and American Zionists alike, when he travelled on speaking tours after his daughters and niece were killed by IDF blasts to their home in January 2009. The incident shook up Israel, as Abuelaish was being interviewed on Israel television network news immediately after the shelling took place. The Gaza War ceasefire followed several days after. Since then, Dr. Abuelaish has won awards and been hosted by many faith and community organizations around the world.
Noteably, in Greenwich, Connecticut last year, two Zionist Jews wrote heartfelt appreciation and praises for Dr. Abuelaish.
Don Synder wrote for the Stanford Advocate May 12, 2011: We hope apostles of peace such as Dr. Abuelaish prevail in this long-festering conflict.
Alma Rutgers devoted her 2011 Father's Day piece in the Greenwich Time to Abuelaish: How many could experience such devastating loss and not feel hatred toward the perpetrators of injustice? And not desire revenge? Dr. Abuelaish refuses to succumb to hatred. "Hatred is an illness," he says. "It prevents healing and peace."
Author of the autobiographical book, "I Shall Not Hate," Abuelaish is currently a professor in Toronto, Canada and has created a foundation Daughters of Life to support education and leadership for girls and women, in memory of his daughters. If you ask Dr. Abuelaish, he will tell you that women should be in charge.
Aisha Saifi and Leslie Wolf
Midwives together promoting simple newborn and maternal wellness through bonding
Aisha Saifi, a Palestinian midwife, and Leslie Wolff, an Israeli midwife, are two women collaborating to promote the practice of skin-to-skin contact after birth to improve health outcomes. Working together through a coexistence program with other midwives, currently fiscally-sponsored by the Interfaith Encounter Association, Saifi and Wolff were well received when they presented their campaign at Sweden's Kangaroo Mothercare Conference.
Many incredible Palestinian – Israeli coexistence efforts are simultaneously taking place across Israel, ranging in form from environmental volunteer days, to intentional dialogue groups, to interfaith programs, to educational institutes, and inter-generational cultural exchanges.
The skin-to-skin campaign by Aisha Saifi and Leslie Wolff, a transnational effort resulting from a coexistence program, exemplifies the potential powerful outcomes of coexistence work.
The impact of the war on women and families is well-understood. Yet these midwives who serve people directly affected by the Israel-Palestine conflict have risen above the tension to raise awareness of a universal human health need, in turn nurturing humanity's interpersonal bonding and connectedness during a time of great fragmentation.
The effects of modernization on women are in some respects as damaging as war, in the way that maternal instincts and practices have been replaced with technology and lifestyles that are void of wisdom and continuity and that interfere in critical familial relationships. Progressive reproductive justice advocates in the United States have much to gain from these midwives who are responding to an urgent crisis with brilliance, love and wisdom.
Alon Tal
Environmentalist brings Global Greens universal values to Israel Politics
Other advocates who stand at the forefront of a livable future are environmentalists. Possibly the most-known environmentalist in Israel, Alon Tal might be the best qualified progressive Zionist to address the left wingers in the US who are furious with Israel. Co-Chair of the Israel Green Party, Tal speaks the language of Green Party members around the world – including that of the Green Party of the United States.
In 2010, Tal crafted a "constructive" response to Amnesty International's biased report on water access for Palestinians, published in the Israel Journal of Foreign Affairs.
On his current visit to the US, Tal has been talking about his work as founder of the US-based Green Zionist Alliance, and as founder of Israel's Aravah Institute, which involves cross-border collaborations and environmental studies and advocacy. On tour, he decries the current state of democracy in Israel, presenting an honest and hopeful, socially-conscious outlook.
The US Green Party has been boycotting Israel now for almost a decade, and its national platform calls for a one-state solution – two misguided positions built on disengagement with Israel. Being the Israeli leader of a sister party to the US Green Party, Tal is in a position to create collaborative opportunities between like-minded party members who agree on the principles described in the Global Greens Charter, through international Green channels – which are parallel to the values and global structures of today's international spring and occupy movements.
Local Green elected officials and candidates in the US are generally supportive of coexistence efforts, which are aligned with the Green Party of the United States' 10 Key Values, and are open to cultural exchange with their Israeli and Palestinian counterparts despite the national US Green Party's exclusionary policies. It's likely Tal has the mental capacity and skill to conduct critical bridge-building civility diplomacy while simultaneously running for and winning a pioneering seat for the Israel Green Party in the Knesset.
These four people's primary work, before politics, is in the profession of life. Dr. Abuelaish an OBGYN, midwives Aisha Saifi and Leslie Wolff, take care of human beings at the beginning of life. Environmentalist Alon Tal advocates for responsible practices that heal and protect the living environment, human and earthly habitat. Spiritually it makes sense to see these birth-oriented persons at the head of a rational and loving process that offers hope to a future of peace.
These inspirational people, while being very special, do not only exist in silos. There are thousands of people working together to make social change in Israel, and addressing these same dynamics amongst communities around the world.
It's very likely that these and other reasonable and inspirational people are coming through your area. But if they're not, no one with social media has an excuse any more to stay out of societal issues. We all have a responsibility to search until we find and pursue the avenues we think will lead to peace.
Wendy Kenin serves on the Berkeley Peace and Justice Commission, and is a California Delegate to the National Committee of the Green Party of the United States. By day she is the Community Engagement Specialist at UpStart Bay Area, a Jewish social innovation hub based in San Francisco. A member of the Occupy Oakland Media Committee, Wendy tweets @greendoula. Founder of the Jewish childbirth assistance network Imeinu Doulas, Wendy is a Shabbat-observant, kosher-keeping mother of 4 children in Berkeley, California.
This piece was first published in the ACCESS blog of the American Jewish Committee.


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ADMA Appoints Jeannette Scott As Director Of Legal & Regulatory Affairs
The Association For Data-Driven Marketing (ADMA) has appointed Jeannette Scott as its new director – legal and regulatory affairs. Ms Scott joins ADMA from the Heart Foundation, where she spent five and a half years, most recently as the foundation's national manager – legal, compliance and risk.
In her new role, Ms Scott will deal with all aspects of marketing and advertising compliance including developing resources and education initiatives, and holding compliance-related events.
A key responsibility will be providing support to members on their compliance, legal and consumer privacy obligations. With many in the industry still struggling to meet their privacy compliance challenges nearly a year after new privacy laws came into effect, ADMA will be helping members avoid privacy breaches that could result in heavy fines and brand reputational damage.
Prior to working for the Heart Foundation, Ms Scott was a lawyer in the hospitality industry sector and was Compliance Manager for Accor Premiere Vacation Club. During her time at Accor, she received a national recognition award from the Australian Timeshare and Holiday Ownership Council.
"Jeannette has a strong track record when it comes to marketing and advertising compliance in the non-profit and hospitality sectors. She's a great fit to take our regulatory affairs work to the next level in 2015 and beyond, and will assist me in representing the industry in Canberra," said Jodie Sangster, ADMA CEO.
"Marketing compliance is a complex area and we want to ensure we're providing as much support as possible to our members and the industry at large. Jeannette has significant commercial, legal and regulatory knowledge as well as practical experience that places her in a unique position to identify with and understand our members' current and changing needs," added Ms Sangster.
"I'm really delighted to be joining ADMA at this time," said Ms Scott. "Members and the broader industry are still getting to grips with the updated privacy laws and my job is to help them get their houses in order. I have a compelling reason to make a difference and accelerate progress in industry compliance as a result."
Ms Scott holds a Bachelor of Laws from Queensland University of Technology and was admitted as a barrister of the Supreme Court of Queensland in 1996. Her professional experience includes criminal law, financial services and privacy, and she is a member of various professional bodies including the Australian Corporate Lawyers Association and the GRC Institute where she chairs the not-for-profit discussion group.
In 2006, she was one of the inaugural recipients of the designation CCP (Certified Compliance Professional) from the Australasian Compliance Institute (now known as the GRC Institute) and was a member of the former ADMA Council that worked closely with the Australian Communications and Media Authority prior to the rollout of the Do Not Call Register legislation in 2007.


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According to Greg (2003), diffusion theory can be defined as a set of generalizations regarding the typical spread of innovations within a social system. This theory shows how, why, and the rate at which the coming ideas and technology extend through cultures. This theory for long has remained as the reference in studies. Rogers and Seidel (2002), in their article Diffusion of News in of the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001from Prometheus, defines diffusion and innovation as follows;
Greg (2003) argues that, diffusion is the process through which an innovation is conveyed via a certain channels over time among the members of a social system. As he continues to elaborate each member of the social system approaching his/her owns innovation-decision undergoes the following steps;
Rogers and Seidel (2002), explains the events of the September 11, in their article shows some of the innovative ideas, which can be applied. Rogers and Seidel in their article, were trying to find out how attack news of the September 11 spread. In doing so they evaluated effectiveness of various channels which were used to convey information among the people. In reference to Rogers and Seidel article, auto messaging can be an effective innovation, which can be applied spread information among the people who use mobile technology.
Auto messaging is an idea, whereby a common message can be send to several people at once. The senders' needs to write the message intended for the group or the list in his/her phone book then forward the message to that group. Research shows that messaging system of communication much faster and can reach many respondents simultaneously. This kind of of communication is only complicated when there is need to give different types of information to various people according to their location.
In some countries, codes are used in messaging strategy to inform people on any breaking news. People receive information on their mobile of any event which is on spotlight. Directions might be given if it is cautious matter, which requires people to take precautions. For instance, if it is a fire break out, people can be told directions to move or flee. Message can also be sent in voice, whereby delivery mode is by voice communication. This kind of messaging is useful because it has higher rate of motivating people to take action.
Messaging and communication strategy requires careful installation and programming. For instance, different breaking news requires different method of conveying. The massaging technology can also be used as a tracking tool, to shows the locations of the sender and receiver of the message. When this system is fully implemented, user can learn it easily and become familiar with it. When there is breaking news occurs, continuous reliable communications that correlate with what is in the real scene are told.
There is careful coordination from the source and the receivers of the message, although sometime a rumor can find its way into the communication channel and spread with the same speed as the real story. In order to succeed in this innovation, determined efforts to diffuse are actually based on the characteristic of the situation. In to convince people perception in regard to a particular innovation it is advisable to plead with opinion leaders.
To follow these opinion leaders is the simplest approach to foment positive attitudes toward creativity. There is various opinion leaders who change agents should aim at relying on the nature of the system. In most of the communication system are for enhancing interaction between people with common backgrounds. In case some ideas vary from norm are viewed as eccentric and unnecessary.
Multiple recipients messaging technology is appropriate to avoid conveying same massage differently to different people. This is also applicable in cases where instant response is required. It can also be programmed to be sending reminders in specific time intervals. It is also economical to communicate via messaging system compared to calling. Message can also be stored for future reference unlike calls, which if not recorded cannot be referenced.
Primarily, all expression and intonation employed in actual communication can possibly be incorporated in the text message, but often many people who send short messages frequently, tend to ignore this. Rather, they embark on abbreviation, due to ease of writing even the perceived complicated and long phrases and terms using only a few words. This is attained by eliminating all the vowels from a word, and remains only with the consonant. This practice enables one to convey a lot of information with a very short message.
In conclusion, we can generally agree that, messaging technology is very effective and should be embraced in communication. It has been found that, there is no detrimental effect of messaging application on spelling. Therefore, it is clear that benefits of messaging technology are more compared to its shorting comings.


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Lt Harold Ozanne joined the Royal Navy Mediterranean Fleet in July 1899 and was based on HMS Hibernia in Malta Harbour
After 12 years under construction in Plymouth, Hibernia was launched in 1804. She served as the Flag Ship of the Mediterraean fleet for nearly 50 years
She was then moored in Grand Harbour Malta for another 50 years as a depot ship
By the time Harold Ozanne joined her she was nearly 100 years old. Living conditions on board were such that in April 1900 Harold Ozanne was hospitalised with 'Mediterranean Fever' (Brucellosis) which is caused by drinking unpasteurised milk. Interestingly the officers were served fresh milk whilst the sailors had to make do with tinned.
Sailors (above) working on a boat on the deck of the Hibernia.
The Hibernia was broken up for scrap in 1905 and her contents sold off; (above) a dresser from the Hibernia sold recently at auction in Malta.


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Hazel is hands-down one of my top Mac productivity software tools. And it's one of those tools that tough to describe exactly why you would want it, because what it does is up to the user. In its most simplest form, Hazel is a utility that watches folders you tell it to watch, and does things to files that meet the criteria you set up. A very small set of actions it can perform are things like setting the color label of the file, renaming a file, moving files into subfolders, moving files to other folders (including the Trash), run AppleScripts and Automator actions, import files to iPhoto or iTunes, open files, set Spotlight comments, and lots more.
If you've ever used Smart Playlists in iTunes, then you'll understand how Hazel works. But Hazel goes a step further and lets you perform actions on the files that meet the criteria in the "Smart Playlists". If you are familiar with Folder Actions in OS X, Hazel is like Folder Actions on steroids. The best way to explain Hazel is to give you a few of my usage examples, but keep in mind that there are not "built-in", nor are you limited to these actions. They are just some of the many things I use Hazel to automate on my Mac.
The screenshot below from the Hazel website gives you an idea of how rules are constructed for a folder which you've told Hazel to monitor:
That should give you a good idea of how rule sets are "built" and what kind of actions you can have Hazel perform. The top section is the "if the file meets this criteria" and the bottom section is the "do these things to those files".
A good example folder rule set is the "desktop cleanup". It's a simple set of rules you build that look for files whose Date Added metadata is older than say, a month. You can tell Hazel to move any files that have been added to the desktop over a month ago to a folder on the Desktop named "Hazel desktop cleanup" or whatever you prefer it to be named. Hazel runs in the background (and does not slow down your system, I've been using it for years), and polls the files for the folder it's been told to watch. When files on your desktop are older than a month, Hazel will automatically move them to the "Hazel desktop cleanup" folder you specified earlier. You could additionally tell Hazel to set those files with a Finder color label of Red, to give a visual indication that they've been processed by Hazel.
Once you get a feel for how Hazel works, it actually becomes fun to devise these Rube Goldberg setups to automate anything you do repetitively on your Mac. Lets go with another example.
Say you like to save a copy of all your screenshots to Dropbox. It's a waste of time to manually drag them from the default location over to your Dropbox folder of choice. Instead, set up a Hazel rule that watches your screenshots folder for new images, and have Hazel copy any image files whose color label is not Green to your chosen Dropbox folder. And then have Hazel set the color label to Green so that file is not copied the next time.
Here's another great one: Hazel can actually determine the source URL for files saved form the web. So if you save PDF receipts to your downloads folder, you can tell Hazel to move only those that came from the phone company website to your Receipts folder which you created in your Documents folder. I like to take this one step further, and have Hazel add today's date to the end of the file name so I can see which bill is for which month, since usually those PDFs are always saved with the same generic file name.
Once Hazel "clicks", you'll start looking for ways to use it to automate things. It actually gets to be a bit fun. And with support for running Automator actions and AppleScripts, you can get deep down the Hazel rabbit hole with your automation.
One of the more advanced rules I use in Hazel is for my cartooning client folders. I always use the same structure for subfolders within each client project folder: Sketches, Documents, Reference, and Vector Art. I got tired of manually creating these every time I added a new client, so I used a combo of Automator and Hazel to automate the process. Hazel watches my main Clients folder of new folders added in the last minute, and runs the Automator action which creates the new subfolders within each individual client folder. It then sets that client folder's color label to Green so Hazel will not run this rule again.
The possibilities for Hazel are truly endless, and much of the way you use hazel depends on your specific needs or workflow. If any of this sounds like something you might like, trust me once you "get" Hazel, you will place it high on your must-have Mac software lists as I have. There's a free demo version available and a ton of Hazel articles, reviews and user workflows listed on the site, so there's no reason not to give it a go.
Related articles
- Auto-Increment File Names in OS X with Hazel (georgecoghill.wordpress.com)
- My Must-Have Mac Apps, 2012 Edition (macstories.net)
- Hazel Screencast (macstories.net)


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In his latest weekly letter, John Hussman offers up this real crowd-please of a line regarding Ben Bernanke:
Why does the Fed want this? Simple. Chairman Bernanke believes that by creating a bubble in speculative assets, people will "feel" wealthier and keep consuming - regardless of the fact that real incomes are stagnant and debt burdens are already intolerable, and despite the fact that there is extremely weak evidence for any such "wealth effect" in the historical record. Undoubtedly, it would be difficult for Bernanke to refrain from these reckless policies when everyone is crying "do something!" But the willingness to tolerate short-term criticism in the interest of long-term benefit is part of what separates leadership from cowardice.
A couple things here.
First a very minor thing: Hussman is talking his book, as Hussman has been betting against this whole rally. So Hussman has his own reasons to chide Bernanke for being a coward.
The bigger thing is that Hussman gets the "coward" move totally wrong.
Based on Bernanke's own writing (from before he was Fed chairman), he probably knows that the proper thing to do is ease A LOT more than he is doing now. Almost every economist seems to think that if Bernanke were still an academic he'd be urging way more pumping than what's currently going on.
But now that he's the Fed chair, politics and "credibility" come into play, and so Bernanke is probably being more reserved than he otherwise would be.
As Paul McCulley has been arguing, the Fed desperately needs to start acting reckless, in a way that's traditionally not been what central banks do. But for Bernanke to really start getting reckless, he'd risk the wrath of politicians and market participants calling him a bubble-addicted fool. He might also risk the future independence of the entire Fed.
But the willingness to take this kind of criticism is exactly what "leadership" would be right now. As economists like Karl Smith have argued, the biggest risk to the economy is that the Fed gets too jumpy about criticism, and tightens prematurely.
In fact, Hussman is probably wrong about everyone crying "do something." The vast majority fo the stuff we read from Wall Street (including a lot of buy-side investor stuff) is that Bernanke is distorting the market and blowing bubbles. It's the academics, who don't seem as motivated by market swings, urging him to "do something."
If there is a cowardice move, it's being too conservative, and simply going with the popular idea that easing is bad.
For more on McCulley's call for a more irresponsible Fed, see here >


text: East Timor's decision to free a former Indonesian militia leader has created a backlash against the government. Maternus Bere, a Timorese-born Indonesian citizen accused of crimes against humanity, was indicted by the UN for his role in the atrocities of 1999 that preceded the country's independence. East Timor's supreme court is investigating whether his release was illegal and the decision could determine whether a tribunal is set up to try others accused of similar crimes. Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley reports from Dili, the capital of East Timor, where victims' families and survivors feel that justice has yet to prevail in one of the world's youngest nations. SOURCE: Al Jazeera Politics Asia Pacific East Timor


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Rehabilitation Services
VHA Rehab Solutions offers support—at home, work or school—to help people preserve or regain their independence. Services include: Physiotherapy to:
- Assess fall risks and improve mobility
- Provide mobility and Assistive Devices Program (ADP) assessments
- Promote health, reduce pain and prevent injury
- Teach caregivers how to safely lift and transfer
- Suggest therapeutic exercises for recovery from surgery, illness or injury
- Perform chest physiotherapy
- Perform chest physiotherapy
Assess ergonomics and return-to work suitability
- Assess and treat developmental delays and fine motor problems
- Teach sensory and motor skill techniques
- Teach strategies to manage daily activities after illness or disability
- Support palliative care clients and their families
- Assess clients for return-to-work suitability
- Offer strategies to manage anxiety and depression
Speech-Language Pathology that:
- Treats language and speech difficulties
- Assesses and treats swallowing and feeding problems
Dietetics to:
- Assess and optimize diet and nutritional needs for individuals with:
- Complex and chronic swallowing difficulties
- Manage chronic conditions resulting in excessive weight loss/gain
- Manage blood glucose levels for those with diabetes
Social Work Services that:
- Help clients access government and community supports
- Help clients and their families deal with difficult social and emotional issues
All of our rehabilitation service providers are regulated health-care professionals and adhere to the highest standards of client care.
We currently provide rehabilitation services to adults and children in the Greater Toronto, London and Ottawa areas. For more information about our services in Ottawa, please visit Champlain Rehab Solutions.


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I've previously written about the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), which seeks to document all kinds of historic engineering objects– but especially structures and ships. A forerunner of HAER is HAMMS, theHistoric American Merchant Marine Survey. HAMMS was a New Deal project intended to employ marine architects and surveyors. Much has been written elsewhere of HAMMS, and one of its biggest champions, Howard I. Chapelle, so I'll only mention that it lasted about 18 months, 1936-1937, and yielded drawing sets for over 400 vessels, large and small.
The HAMMS collection is a wonderful resource for historians and ship modelers, but there's a problem. Unlike the HAER works, which are indexed online and are freely available for download from the Library of Congress, the HAMMS material is held tightly by the Smithsonian and is by no means free.
I've posted some examples of HAMMS plans to give you an idea of what's available… follow the link to the article:


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The Ambassadors are a prestigious group of Chamber members who represent MACC and support the economic growth and development of the Mid-Ohio Valley. Ambassadors serve as key liaisons between the Chamber and the business community by being our "eyes and ears." They work to increase membership, improve member retention, strengthen awareness of chamber benefits and assist with MACC events. Being an Ambassador not only helps us, but helps each Ambassador get to know area business leaders and better understand their community.
Mona Barrett, Sweetapple Farm
Phone: (740) 678-2581
Email: email@example.com
Sandy DeLong, Peoples Bank
Phone: (740) 376-7215
Email: email@example.com
Dr. Jennifer Dennis, Back 2 Back Chiropractic & Wellness Center
Phone: (740) 568-9000
Email: email@example.com
Nancy Felix, Wash. Co. Board of Developmental Disabilities
Phone: (740) 374-6278
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Lori Hart, Huntington Bank
Phone: (740) 373-2886
Email: email@example.com
David Howell, WTAP TV
Phone: (304) 375-6393
Email: email@example.com
Tom Hushion, WMOA/WJAW
Phone: (740) 373-1490
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Kristen Lord, Copper Leaf Interior Design
Phone: (740) 373-9993
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Laura Miller, Settlers Bank
Phone: (740) 373-9200
Email: email@example.com
Chad Mugrage, First Baptist Church
Phone: (740) 373-1273
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Jason Rollins, WesBanco Bank
Phone: (740) 373-0237
Email: email@example.com
David Treadway, Merrill Lynch - Bill Mannix
Phone: (740) 568-7860
Email: email@example.com
How to Join
Ambassadors are selected from interested personnel either employed by or retired from Marietta Area Chamber of Commerce member businesses. When electing new members, consideration is given to visibility in the community, community interests, and a willingness to support Chamber and Ambassadors activities. Interested to be an Ambassador? Contact us today at 740 373-1883.
Meeting Information
Meetings are held the third Tuesday of each month. These meetings begin at 3pm and are followed by visits to local businesses. Quarterly Meetings are also held the third Tuesday of the following months: March, June, September, and December. Ambassadors are requested to wear a navy blue blazer or a navy blue polo shirt and their name plate, which should be worn at all meetings and functions when members are representing the Chamber as an Ambassador.
The annual fee is $25.00. Funds collected offset the cost of plaques and other specific Ambassador materials. Ambassadors also are expected to provide their own appropriate classic navy blue blazer and attire.


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Continuing a series of essays about Star Trek in honor of Discovery's return this month.
"I think of myself as something of a Star Trek purist, assuming there can be such a thing. I consider only the Original Series, the Animated Series, and the brilliant ST:TMP Director's Edition to be pure canon, along with a very few publications such as the wonderful Star Trek Maps. For me, it is these properties that most purely constitute Star Trek. Concerning Paramount… Why the effort to forget or supplant the Original Series, the show that prompted the entire Star Trek phenomenon? I'm a great fan of the original, and I have not been happy with the way the current "powers that be" have taken such a revisionist stance with the universe the classic series created."
—Shane Johnson, Author of the reference books 'the Starfleet Uniform Recognition Manual' (1985), 'Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise' (1986) and 'Worlds of the Federation' (1987)
From an interview in 2001.
Not about Star Trek: Enterprise. Not about Discovery.
About the Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager era of Trek. The same evocation of emotion the current crop of Canonites feel about Discovery right now.
Many Discovery naysayers are not remembering (or their grandfathers were still in diapers for) the backlash Star Trek: The Next Generation got for its vast differences to the original Trek—differences that included tone, look, and continuity (Yes, continuity. And Enterprise isn't the only culprit here. there are many instances where the series in the 1987-2005 Trek era referenced things that happened "100 years ago" or "200 years ago" that not only contradict events mentioned in The Original Series but in each other as well).
"Watered down Trek," older fans called it. And there is documented proof of this in the form of newspapers and magazines from the era.
Star Trek has even tried to warn us about holding on to the past before, in countless episodes and in the films. Even just looking at Star Trek II, III, VI and VIII, they touched upon Khan's vengeance, Kirk dwelling in the past, Scotty's bitterness over new technologies, the reluctance of members of the Federation and Klingons to let go of hatred, Picard's obsession with the Borg, and more.
Star Trek: The Original Series purists felt the series from The Next Generation onward violated canon—that same canon that is now being touted as one cohesive all-inclusive piece until the arrival of Discovery.
While I disagree with Shane Johnson's sentiments, his books are admittedly all fantastic and were a formative part of my teen Trek years. I'm sure some of today's fans will use Mr. Johnson's quote as justification for their continued Discovery bashing, but that argument only really holds water if they also dismiss everything post Star Trek: The Original Series—where the real deviations began. Otherwise, what's happening here isn't all that dissimilar to the past.
The only difference?
The internet.
Gone are the days of complaining via letter campaigns and convention get-togethers. Now fans can grouse in real time.
Welcome to the same dawn of any new production era of Trek. All this has happened before, and it will all happen again.
Like the Borg before them, today's fans will adapt.


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Far too often I've had people tell me that they refuse to discuss 9/11 Truth because Noam Chomsky rejects it. So here is my rebuttal to Chomsky's misinformed, fallacious, and downright bizarre statements about 9/11 conspiracies.
Noam Chomsky Manufactures 9/11 Consent
Meet Noam Chomsky, Academic Gatekeeper- Corbettreport Oct 26, 2013
Noam Chomsky on 911 conspiracy
Noam Chomsky debunked on 9/11 Truth!
The Shame of Noam Chomsky and the Gatekeepers of the Left. -TAKEN FROM CHAPTER FIVE OF BARRIE ZWICKER'S 'TOWERS OF DECEPTION'
David Ray Griffin Vs. Noam Chomsky on 9-11 Conspiracy
Where Noam will not roam:Chomsky manufactures consent, supports the official stories of 9/11 and JFK
Chomsky: "It Doesn't Matter Even If There Was A Conspiracy Behind 911"
William Blum to Noam Chomsky: How Could It NOT Matter Whether 9/11 Was a False-Flag Op?
Zinn: 9/11 Truth Is For "Fanatics", Has "No Practical Political
Significance" - New comments cause more outrage after leftist historian
said he didn't care about what really happened on 9/11


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I'm with Langmann
The time is now folks...
I think we can prevent all these murders if --For the love of gawd... if it only saves one life.
a) Knives had serial numbers and were registered --
b) Knives had lockable sheaths and are locked in a cabinet --
c) Alan Rock writes a bill that states: Self defence is not a valid reason to buy a knife --
d) In order to move their knives out of the kitchen people need to apply for an Authorization to Transport document which specifically states the purpose of the movement of the knife and the time limit allowed. People must travel in as short a distance as possible – say to the couch, and not stop in the bathroom while moving the knife. --


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Changing Axis of an Object according to null's position with Python
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Detailed look into mograph formula effector and formula appendix for writing your own formulas…Read More
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Today we're going to share with you a quick – time-saver tip…Read More


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It is impossible to miss Rudy's Chicken as you drive down Lancaster Avenue through southern Dallas. The overwhelming aroma of chicken and grease will hit you long before you see the peeling red and orange paint that marks the storefront. The string of ruby brake lights are a beacon, guiding you, oh so slowly, to a single drive-thru window where white paper bags turned translucent with oil mark what for some has been an hour-plus wait.
The tired, old chicken-shack has been getting a lot of attention as of late. Their Facebook page has nearly 40,000 followers, and City Council member Dwaine Caraway has been touting the fried bird at numerous council meetings.
Caraway said the drive-thru line was so long during the lunch and dinner rush, a bottleneck formed along Lancaster Avenue. Rudy's had become a quality of life issue for residents, and Caraway was ready to heed their call (and ostensibly grab some more fried chicken). The chicken shack also stands in the way of a $3.4 million redevelopment project.
Last week, The Dallas Morning News reported that the council agreed to provide an $890,000 grant to Rudolph Edwards, who owns and operates the takeout restaurant. The money will be used to build a brand new Rudy's Chicken with a double drive-thru, which could alleviate Lancaster Avenue's traffic woes, and according to Caraway, "will continue to serve the people this remarkable, secret recipe chicken."
I recently made the trek out to try to figure out what makes this chicken so remarkable. I stood in line to the walk up window, waited about 10 minutes for my turn (this was 2 p.m., after the lunch rush) and proceeded to order a breast and two thighs. I forked over $4.75 and waited out front for a few minutes before I was handed my own grease-stained, paper bag.
For comparison I stopped by Williams Fried Chicken on Corinth Street and placed the same order. And then because I have absolutely no regard for my personal well-being I stopped by the Chicken House in East Dallas for a little more, you know, research.
Back on my couch, I tore open the bag from Williams. Instantly, the smell evoked a childhood memory of the KFC my father used to serve at football tailgates. Williams chicken smelled awful -- like spent frying oil and cheap fast food. The crust was crisp and the chicken was juicy, but it was also unnaturally soft and rubbery.
The meat from Chicken House was the exact opposite. Dry and tough, it wasn't much more pleasurable, but the crust was crunchy, not too oily and full of flavor.
Rudy's was clearly the leader, even before I took a bite. When I tore open the bag, which was now stained red with grease and chili powder, the brash scent of pickled jalapeño filled the air. This chicken was greasy. Too greasy. So greasy, the bed of fries it sat on was reduced to a soft, pulpy mess of potatoes. Two slices of white bread were also inundated with oil, and my heart quivered as I took my first bite.
Was it good? Maybe. I wanted to talk to Caraway to find out why it was so special.
If you question the council member's chicken qualifications he's quick to answer. "I'm the chicken king of the United States of America," he said. "In fact my mother said I'm going to be laying eggs when I die, because I love chicken."
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So why is Rudy's so good?
"They have a secret recipe, " Caraway told me. "Some people call it crack chicken, because we don't know." He also pointed out that you get a lot for your money. My order came with a mass of french fries, pickles and two slices of bread. "You get the whole meal when you go to Rudy's," Caraway said.
You also get a Dead Sea's worth of sodium, which I think is the reason behind most of the appeal. Rudy's chicken is so salty I puckered when I took a bite. After the chicken emerges from the fryer, while it's still sizzling and as absorbent as a sponge, the cooks hit it hard with salt and chili powder. Salty, spicy, juicy, fatty -- Rudy's chicken is the kind of food that makes your synapses and neurons go haywire. You know it's terrible for you but you keep on munching, wiping the grease from your chin (or not) as you go.
It's hard to argue with a line so long it restricts traffic patterns and causes the need for City Council's intervention. But as far as fried chicken goes, Rudy's is not all it's clucked up to be.


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Lord Carlile of Berriew QC, & Ors, R (on the application of) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2014] UKSC 60 (12 November 2014)
The vibrant young Iranian men and women of North London who can be seen driving around waiving posters shouting "Maryam Maryam!" must have been disappointed by this judgment. Like Lord Carlile QC and the Parliamentary claimants, they expected much more from British justice but alas it was not to be. Paradoxically, Lord Sumption JSC's judgment is more of a victory for the Theocracy in Tehran than it is for the UK: the Mullahs will no doubt be amused that Mrs Maryam Rajavi will remain excluded from addressing meetings in the Palace of Westminster on democracy, human rights and other policy issues relating to Iran. Britain's interference in Iranian affairs and the murky legacy of Empire remained Lord Sumption's point of departure – "the passage of time" he said "heals many things" but that in Iran's case "injured pride can subsist for generations".
Rajavi has a strange problem. She is someone – a woman with democratic credentials opposing the Ayatollahs, a "dissident Iranian politician, resident in Paris" – who the British establishment ought to greet with open arms. She did visit the UK in 1985, 1990, 1991 and 1996 but since 1997 she has not been permitted to set foot on British soil. It is the position of the British government that Rajavi's exclusion, pursuant to paragraph 320(6) of the Immigration Rules, would be conducive to the public good for reasons of foreign policy and in light of the need to take a firm stance against terrorism. This is so because of her de facto leadership of Majahedin e-Khalq ("MeK" also known as PMOI, MKO etc). MeK was formerly proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000 but de-proscribed in the UK (2007), in the European Union (2009) and in the United States and Canada (2012).
It initially opposed Mohammed Shah Reza Pahlavi and joined forces with Ayatollah Khomeini's Islamic Revolution in 1979. Subsequently, MeK, which supported Saddam Hussein's Baathist regime in Iraq during the bloody Iran-Iraq War (1981–1989), was purged by the Ayatollahs for perpetrating terrorist violence inside Iran. Rajavi was deputy commander of the opposition National Liberation Army during this time and has also been the President-elect of National Council of Resistance since 1993. Indeed, it is the present Home Secretary Mrs May's stance that allowing Rajavi to enter the UK will be seen as a provocative and deliberate political move against Tehran and will trigger demonstrations/unrest outside the British Embassy similar to when MeK was deproscribed in the UK. The executive's overall case was that Rajavi's entry to the UK with a view to discussions with Parliamentarians would pose an appreciable risk of (i) reprisals, either instigated by the Iranian government or resulting from an 'uncontrolled public reaction', against persons for whose safety Britain is responsible such as locally engaged staff of the British Embassy in Tehran and British nationals inside and outside Iran; (ii) damage to British property still in Iran, and; (iii) a significant impairment of the UK's ability to engage diplomatically with Iran on important issues, including nuclear non-proliferation, the Middle East and human rights. In the absence of embassies of the US or Israel, overtures to Rajavi would be costly for the UK (or "Little Satan").
In 2010, Lord Carlile of Berriew QC and other parliamentary interlocutors, lobbied Mrs May to rescind the exclusion regarding Rajavi but it was upheld and requests for reconsideration were similarly rejected. Judicial review proceedings did not provide relief to the claimants (sixteen cross-party members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords and Rajavi). The Divisional Court (Stanley Burnton LJ and Underhill J) [2012] EWHC 617 (Admin) dismissed the claim for judicial review of the Home Secretary's decisions in February 2011, October 2011 and January 2012 to ban Rajavi from entering the UK. The Court of Appeal (Arden, Patten and McCombe LJJ, see here) [2013] EWCA Civ 199 unanimously upheld that decision.
The Supreme Court
The Supreme Court held that, on the Foreign Secretary's recommendation, the Home Secretary was entitled to exclude Rajavi because her entry into the UK would risk jeopardising its diplomatic and economic interests with Iran and might create violent backlash (in Iran) causing damage to British property and endangering the safety of British and local embassy personnel.
Threshold Argument
The court was unanimous in its rejection of the argument that the Home Secretary's reasons were legally irrelevant because they were contingent on Iran's potential reaction and that country did not share the principles enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Lord Sumption's conclusion on "the threshold argument" turned on Rehman [2003] 1 AC 153 where Lord Slynn held that the phrase "conducive to the public good" was subject to the Home Secretary's discretion and the question was one of judgment and informed by fact.
In light of Sürek v Turkey 7 BHRC 339 – where it was held at para 58 that freedom of expression "constitutes one of the essential foundations of a democratic society and one of the basic conditions for its progress and for each individual's self-fulfilment" – Lord Sumption said at para 13 that according to the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), which was at one with the common law, freedom of expression had always been treated as a core right protected by the ECHR and that the more important the right, the more difficult it would be to justify any interference with it. Therefore, the exceptions in article 10(2) had to be construed strictly and the need of any restrictions had to be established convincingly. The trouble, as identified by Lord Sumption at para 15, with the claimants' point was that "it involves treating as legally irrelevant something which is plainly factually relevant to a question which is ultimately one of fact." The House of Lords rejected an analogous argument in Corner House Research [2009] AC 756 – where the Serious Fraud Office's decision to discontinue a criminal/corruption investigation into BAE Systems plc was upheld because the Saudis threatened to retaliate by withdrawing co-operation in counter-terrorism. In Corner House, Lord Bingham rejected the argument that a court of review was able to impose/substitute its own views on the constitutional decision-maker. The Supreme Court regarded Lord Pannick QC's distinction – that Farrakhan [2002] QB 1391 and Naik [2011] EWCA Civ 1546 were different as their views were unacceptable to the Home Secretary whereas Rajavi's values and opinions were unobjectionable – "as contrary to principle" because it was suggestive that the executive's "views about the visitor's opinions or their consistency with our collective values might make all the difference to the question whether a restriction on freedom of expression is justifiable": para 17. In reality, the issue of the visitor's presence/activities turned on its effects.
Lord Neuberger PSC similarly held at para 63 that the distinction was not justifiable either by logic or the wording of paragraph 320(6) and, albeit expressing regret because of the context of this case, his lordship therefore found it "impossible to accept that the same decision could not be made if the Home Secretary was concerned that a person's presence in the United Kingdom would damage the national interest abroad." Even Lord Kerr, who would otherwise have allowed the appeal, at para 144 rejected the argument – advanced on a misconstruction of United Communist Party of Turkey v Turkey (1998) 26 EHRR 121 – that an interference with article 10 rights can never be justified on the basis of an apprehension of action which is out of accord with ECHR standards.
Lawfulness and Proportionality
As for whether the Home Secretary's decision was justified and proportionate, i.e. lawful, it was held by majority (4-1) that the Home Secretary's anticipatory evaluation about Iran's probable reaction deserved respect from the judiciary not only because of the constitutional separation of powers but also because of the superior experience and advice available to the executive. In doing so, the court rooted its decision in deference to the executive in terms of institutional competence and also on constitutional grounds. Lord Sumption said:
49. … We have absolutely no evidential basis and no expertise with which to substitute our assessment of the risks to national security, public safety and the rights of others for that of the Foreign Office. We have only the material and the expertise to assess whether the Home Secretary has set about her task rationally, by reference to relevant matters and on the correct legal principle. Beyond that, in a case like this one, we would be substituting our own decision for that of the constitutional decision-maker without any proper ground for rejecting what she had done.
Lord Sumption explained at para 19 et seq that applying the proportionality test in Bank Mellat (No 2) [2014] AC 700, in particular at paras 20, 21, 69 and 70, context defined the degree of weight or respect given to the assessment of the primary decision-maker. (Like the present case, Bank Mellat also arose out of a government decision in the conduct of foreign policy because HM Treasury restricted access to the UK's financial markets by a major Iranian commercial bank, namely Bank Mellat, owing to its alleged connection with Iran's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes.) Moreover, his lordship clarified at para 20 that not all Convention rights were of equal weight and not all subjects called for the same degree of respect for the executive's judgment. Referring back to his judgment in Bank Mellat at para 21 and that of Lord Reed at para 71, Lord Sumption reminded everyone of the majority and minority view that "no review, however intense, could entitle the court to substitute its own decision for that of the constitutional decision-maker." Yet, despite his overall decision, Lord Sumption did not overlook academic critiques of "deference" (such as TSR Allan, Human Rights and Judicial Review: a Critique of 'Due Deference' [2006] CLJ 671 and J Jowell, Judicial Deference: Servility, Civility or Institutional Capacity? [2003] PL 592) and he said at para 22 that "at least part of the difficulty arises from the word, with its overtones of cringing abstention in the face of superior status." His lordship said that at times deference (which is embedded in constitutional separation of powers and pragmatism vis-à-vis the evidential value of certain judgments of the executive) is no more than recognising that (even where ECHR rights are engaged) the decision-maker's function is not usurped by a court of review.
Both sources of deference, i.e. constitutional separation of powers and pragmatism, were considered in detail by Lord Hoffman in Rehman [2003] 1 AC 153 where the Home Secretary wanted to deport the appellant because of his association with an organisation which supported terrorism in the Indian subcontinent (Kashmir) and therefore his presence in the UK was not conducive to the public good. Rehman, where it was "rightly" argued that one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter, remained central to the court's reasoning because it addressed the relationship between the courts and the executive – in that case it was held that a person's activities may adversely affect the UK's national security if they seek to overthrow a foreign government which would in turn take reprisals against the UK, affecting the security of the UK or its nationals. Lord Sumption extracted Lord Hoffman's speech at length because it was the most definitive analysis of the question at play in the present case and "because it distinguishes the two distinct sources of the court's traditional reticence in this area which are often elided": para 26. The testing question critical to the outcome of the present appeal was how far the principles articulated in almost five decades of case law could be adjusted in cases unlike Rehman which are founded on the complainant's Convention rights or other fundamental rights recognised at common law – the answer depended on the reason for the court to respect independence of the executive's decision.
Lord Sumption, who otherwise accuses the ECtHR of exceeding its judicial competence, was clear at paras 28 and 29 that although it "did not abrogate the constitutional distribution of powers between the organs of the state which the courts had recognised for many years before it was passed", the Human Rights Act 1998 has modified traditional notions of the constitutional distribution of powers and under section 6 "any arguable allegation that a person's Convention rights had been infringed was necessarily justiciable". Similarly, as identified by Lord Bingham in Shabina Begum [2007] 1 AC 100 the jurisprudence of the ECtHR exacted a standard of review of the proportionality of decisions of public authorities which was not only formal and procedural but to some extent substantive. Lord Sumption accepted that there was no absolute constitutional bar to any inquiry which is both relevant and necessary to enable the court to adjudicate in relation to reviewing the compatibility of executive decisions with the ECHR. But, on the other hand, he also said that standard of review stopped short of transferring the effective decision-making power to the courts.
Remembering Lord Phillips' expression in Abbasi [2003] UKHRR 76 that in adjudicating on a complaint about the infringement of Convention rights nothing which is relevant can be a "forbidden area", Lord Sumption held at para 34 that the court had to (i) test the adequacy of the factual basis claimed for the decision; (ii) consider whether the professed objective could be "necessary", as reflecting a pressing social need; and (iii) review the rationality of the supposed connection between the objective and the means employed, and to consider whether a less onerous alternative would have been available without unreasonably impairing the objective. Moreover, he said that despite being the "ultimate arbiter of the appropriate balance between two incommensurate values: the Convention rights engaged and the interests of the community relied upon to justify interfering with it … in determining the weight to be given to the evidence, the court was entitled to attach special weight to the assessments of a primary decision-maker with special institutional competence."
For Lord Sumption, "Ministers are politically responsible for the consequences of their decision" whereas "Judges are not" and at para 32 he held that the former's predictive judgment about Iran's reaction was entitled to a large measure of respect from the courts. This was so not only because the constitutional separation of powers assigned such judgments to the executive but also because the executive was more competent, had better advice and was more experienced in dealing with such matters. According to Lord Sumption – who found this case to be an "archetypal example" of a situation where there may be a range of judgments which could be made with equal propriety, in which case the law is satisfied if the judgment under review lies within that range – predictive and other judgmental assessments of a political nature "involve a judgment or prediction of a kind whose rationality can be assessed but whose correctness cannot in the nature of things be tested empirically": para 32.
In light of Al Rawi [2008] QB 289 (where Laws LJ held that depending on the subject matter, the law accords to the executive an especially broad margin of discretion) and Miranda [2014] 1 WLR 3140 (where Laws LJ held that Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 did not offend article 10 and that "free speech is not a creature of democracy; if anything, the converse") it was hard to distinguish the fair balance question (i.e. that a measure is offensive because it fails to strike the right balance between private right and public interest) in the proportionality test from a political question to be decided by the elected arm of government.
In the event qualified rights such as article 10 are engaged, the court must decide for itself whether they have been interfered with and if so whether the interference is justifiable. Although conscious that the court was not bound to accept the Foreign Office's evaluation of the consequences for UK-Iranian relations if Mrs Rajavi were admitted on British soil, Lord Sumption held that Mrs May's decision was indeed rational. A proper basis for rejecting her views was required and in this case there was none. Similarly, the appellants' grounds of challenge were not aimed at the evidential basis or the good faith of her decision and she had neither trivialised the value of article 10 nor exaggerated the risk and had therefore she was not wrong in principle. Lord Sumption held at para 39 that the Home Secretary had not underrated the value of freedom of expression and he thought at para 44 that Arden LJ's para 57 conclusion that the interference with article 10 rights in this case was "in effect a denial of the right" was "too extreme a view".
Although he accepted that the proposed venue (the Palace of Westminster) and the proposed attenders (members of the Houses of Parliament) added symbolic value to the occasion, Lord Sumption nevertheless held that Rajavi had not been denied the right to express her views, nor the Parliamentarians the right to receive them. The force of the point lay in the Home Secretary's view that the risk to the safety of personnel and property outweighed the particular restrictions of freedom of expression associated with her decision, a question she had plainly addressed herself. Lord Sumption explained at para 46 that:
The decision calls for an experienced judgment of the climate of opinion in Iran, both inside and outside that country's public institutions. The exercise is made more difficult by the intense political emotions engaged in Iran, combined with a large element of irrationality and the involvement of potentially violent mobs. The consequences of a failure to engage with this complex and unstable society are sufficiently serious to warrant a precautionary approach. It is the proper function of a professional diplomatic service to assess these matters as best they can. It follows that the only reasonable course which the Home Secretary could have taken once Rajavi's position was raised with her by Lord Carlile, was to draw on the expertise of the Foreign Office, as she did. Having received what was on the face of it a reasoned professional assessment of the consequences of admitting Mrs Rajavi, it is difficult to see how she could rationally have rejected it. This court is no better and arguably worse off in that respect than she was. We have no experience and no material which could justify us in rejecting the Foreign Office assessment in favour of a more optimistic assessment of our own. To do so would not only usurp the proper function of the Secretary of State. It would be contrary to long established principle which this court has repeatedly and recently reaffirmed. It would step beyond the proper function of a court of review. And it would involve rejecting by far the strongest and best qualified evidence before us. In my opinion it would be a wholly inappropriate course for us to take.
Overall, Lord Sumption held at para 53 that on the undisputed facts before the Home Secretary it had not been demonstrated that she or the lower courts had been guilty of any error of principle and therefore "[t]here was no factual or legal justification for the court to take a different view" and accordingly the appeal was dismissed.
Lord Neuberger felt at para 70 that the court needed to "be extremely diffident" in differing from a ministerial decision, on grounds of proportionality, in a case where the vital diplomatic and economic interests of the UK were stake. The UK's national traditions and institutional culture meant that it was "impossible" to challenge the existence of such risks and or the likelihood of such risks eventuating or the potentially gravity of their consequences.
Just as it is normally impossible for a judge to challenge the existence of such risks, once they are believed by the Foreign Secretary to exist, so it would normally be impossible for a judge to form a view as to how likely such risks are to eventuate and how serious the consequences would be. The decided authorities mentioned by Lord Sumption confirmed this – Rehman [2003] 1 AC 153, Chandler [1964] AC 763, CCSU [1985] AC 374, Ferhut Butt (1999) 116 ILR 607, Abbasi [2003] UKHRR 76 , A [2003] UKHRR 76 Jones [2007] 1 AC 136 and Gentle [2008] AC 1356.
As for the idea that the consequences of Rajavi entering the UK had been exaggerated, Lord Neuberger concurred with Lord Clarke JSC that, save in exceptional circumstances, the court was not in a position to act on this. The fact that Mr O'Flaherty – a Foreign Office official responsible for diplomatic relations with Iran who supplied witness statements supporting the letters conveying the second and third decisions – had not been cross-examined fortified this analysis. Equally, because the risk of grave harm was there even a low probability of it occurring meant that the executive was the better judge as regards its scope and react accordingly.
In conducting a balancing exercise, Lord Neuberger said that it was the province of the executive to assess the risk (which was "real" or perhaps even "substantial") of possible harm to the UK's economic and diplomatic interests and that there was a lack of evidence for the court to form its own view of the risks. He held that the decision to exclude Rajavi was proportionate. The appellants' article 10 rights did not outweigh the risks identified in this case and Lord Neuberger said this:
74. Furthermore, although the effect of the decision would be to impede political discussions with Mrs Rajavi, those discussions would not by any means be prevented: they could be conducted by videolink or (less convincingly bearing in mind the numbers involved) by the Parliamentarians visiting Mrs Rajavi in France. In addition, the decision not to admit Mrs Rajavi into this country was taken at the highest possible level, both at the Home Office and at the Foreign Office, namely by the relevant Secretary of State. It is also worth mentioning (although it is not a decisive point) that, as those objecting to the decision are members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords, it would, at least on the face of it, be relatively easy for the decision to be challenged in Parliament.
An expansionist of human rights law, Lady Hale DPSC, who at para 83 found this to be a "very troublesome case", remained unconvinced that the appellants' article 10 rights were sufficiently important to jeopardise the "fragile but imperative" relationship between Iran and the UK. Eager to make her position as clear as she could, her ladyship said that Rajavi's case was not like Corner House (which was neither a human rights case nor a traditional judicial review). But this did not mean that Corner House or Rehman were irrelevant and it needed to be understood that some decisions were better made by the primary decision-maker rather than the courts. Lady Hale said at para 88 that she and her colleagues did not "frank" those judgments but instead accorded them "great respect." Like Lord Sumption, Lady Hale reiterated Lord Bingham's famous words in A – that a judgment is not shown to be wrong or unreasonable because that which is thought likely to happen does not happen – and her analysis ended with the following rationale:
109. … In the end, I have reluctantly concluded that the risks anticipated by the Government, which we must accept are real, are, in the unusual circumstances of this case, sufficient to justify the interference with Mrs Rajavi's and, more importantly, the Parliamentarians' rights. No one can doubt the huge importance of what is going on in the Middle East to the national security of this country and of the whole world. Recent events have served to emphasise that our relations with Iran are not only "fragile" but also "imperative". I cannot conclude that the Parliamentarians' right to meet Mrs Rajavi face to face in the Houses of Parliament is sufficiently important to put that relationship at risk. They have the unique advantage that the Government can and must answer to Parliament for what the claimants see as an affront to their rights as Parliamentarians.
Going through the test as articulated by Lord Wilson JSC in Quila [2012] 1 AC 621 at 45 – and repeated in identical terms by Lord Sumption in Bank Mellat (No 2) – Lady Hale said that she did not doubt that it is for the court to make the proportionality assessment but that by the same token she did also not doubt that on some parts of that assessment the court should be very slow indeed to disagree with the executive's assessment.
Lord Clarke JSC said at para 111 that he was "extremely sceptical" about the Home Secretary's reasoning to exclude Rajavi from the UK from engaging in discussions about democracy and human rights in Iran but his lordship said that notwithstanding his instinct to join Lord Kerr in allowing the appeal he instead came to agree with Lord Neuberger's judgment and shared the conclusion that there was "no basis upon which the court could properly allow the appeal". Lord Clarke emphasised that in the absence of cross-examination of the witnesses or without a challenge to their veracity or reliability there was no evidence pointing towards a disproportionate decision and held at para 115 that "short of 'genuflection'" the court needed to give "very considerable respect" to the Home Secretary's decision.
The sole dissenting voice belonged to Lord Kerr who would have allowed the appeal. For him, the intensity of the review contemplated by Lord Sumption was insufficient because "[c]onvincing reasons for the interference must be provided – convincing, that is, to the court that is required to examine and assess them." In his lengthy dissenting judgment, he held that the court is not required to "frank" the Home Secretary's decision but give respect to it. Moreover, the court was competent and constitutionally required to assess the importance of the right infringed and it was wrong to give special weight to the Home Secretary's point of view. Lord Kerr accepted that the Home Secretary has institutional competence in assessing the risks to the UK if Rajavi entered but he thought that she did not have the competence to assess the importance of the article 10 right and his lordship explained at para 155 that "[t]o conflate the two elements of the exercise is plainly wrong."
He also found it incorrect to assume that the Home Secretary's specialism in assessing the risk to British interests inhibits the court from performing the balancing exercise. Deference to the Home Secretary's views did not end the court's role and function because it is "entirely competent – and duty bound – to reach its own independent judgment": para 156. (In his brilliant blog, Dr Mark Elliott concluded that "what really separates Lords Sumption and Kerr is not an interpretative disagreement about the meaning and effect of the HRA, but a more-fundamental ideological dispute concerning the respective functions of judges and politicians.")
In striking the right balance, Lord Kerr thought that in comparison to Corner House the present case did not expose an explicit threat. He considered that, although rightly regarded as "solid countervailing factors", the arguments couched in anticipated retaliation against Iranian employees and UK citizens and property were perverse and rooted in anti-democratic beliefs and could therefore not be allowed to prevail. In comparison, the interference with the appellants' article 10 rights was direct and immediate but the risks of retaliation were not known exactly. Lord Kerr ultimately said at para 168 that the UK has "cherished and championed" the values, some of them for centuries, which Rajavi stood for. Moreover, because of the fact that the Parliamentary appellants considered her exclusion to be a matter of supreme national importance in relation to freedom of speech, this case was "one where only the most compelling and pressing circumstances would justify a restriction on the article 10 right."
Lord Sumption's introductory remarks about Iran's injured pride are a bit one sided. In reality the West (America, Europe, etc) was seriously humiliated when the Turban replaced the Crown in Iran. The undignified manner in which the West lost Iran to the Ayatollahs was pretty shameful. Only twenty-five years before the 1979 Revolution, a US/UK sponsored coup deposed Mossadeq's government and restored the monarchy to power. Inevitably, western thirst for cheap Iranian oil was responsible for bringing the Shah to the throne but he lacked political legitimacy. Unsurprisingly, when the anti-Shah demonstrations began in 1978 the oil workers were the first to strike. However, a lot has happened since then and, irrespective of the politics of oil and traditional enmities, these days it is counterproductive to alienate the Iranians.
After all, they are opposed to extremist forces such as Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Earlier in the year Iran hinted at cooperating with the US in helping the Iraqis overcome their problems. Just earlier this month Iranian jets were reported to be pounding ISIS targets in Iraq. But, more problematically, Iran denies that it is producing nuclear weapons and wants sanctions against it to be removed whereas the West suspects that the Iranians are secretly developing nuclear weapons with Russia's cooperation. Last month's nuclear talks with the US, UK, France, Germany, Russia and China were described by the Russian chief negotiator Sergei Ryabkov as a "crucial moment" for a settlement and according to him to let the opportunity pass would be a "serious mistake with grave consequences". John Kerry's meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Vienna gave the impression that the West is willing to compromise with Iran but that the Iranians are keen not to budge from what the West perceives to be their uncompromising position of not addressing the concerns of the UN nuclear weapons inspectors. As the UK's Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond put it, "[t]he prize for Iran is huge" and a compromise with the West would allow the Iranians access to vast amounts of frozen assets and free trade with world. Despite missing yet another opportunity to resolve their differences on sensitive issues the parties have extended the deadline for a target date for a deal until July 2015.
The Supreme Court's judgment – which took several months to be handed down and coincided with last month's nuclear talks – is careful not to antagonise the Iranians: after all, as identified by Lord Kerr at para 170, the majority judgment turns on the fact that the Iranians, who could not care less about human rights, will not decipher between the court and the executive and would invariably see a judgment in Rajavi's favour as an act of defiance and provocation. Just like the judicial decision to de-proscribe MeK was seen as a political decision by the Iranians, history would be repeating itself.
Because the court was answering the question whether the interference "was necessary in a democratic society", the majority judgment also contains another angle for lawyers in the Indian subcontinent/South Asia because it easily lends itself to be being read as a judicial statement about the limits of what the courts can and cannot do. From that standpoint, the day is probably not far when judges elsewhere – for example in a country like Pakistan where "necessity" has been used as a justification to murder democracy, uphold the executive's unlawful dissolution of Parliament and put guaranteed constitutional rights in abeyance to legitimise military rule – take Lord Sumption's rationale beyond its immediate or "logical" conclusion to uphold human rights violations.


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