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Child Nutrition : The Risks Posed By Poor Diet
- By Kimeng Hilton
- 21 oct. 2019 14:03
- 0 Likes
The United Nations Children's Fund in a recent study warns that poverty, urbanization, climate change and poor eating choices are resulting in unhealthy diets for many of the world's children.
"Despite all the technological, cultural and social advances of the last few decades," said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director, "we have lost sight of the most basic fact that if children eat poorly, they live poorly." Commenting on the United Nations report entitled, "The State of the World's Children 2019: Children, Food and Nutrition," released on October 15, 2019 in New York, USA, the United Nations Children's Fund chief warned that millions of children subsist on unhealthy diets for want of better options.
"The way we understand and respond to malnutrition needs to change: It is not just about getting children enough to eat; it is above all about getting them the right food to eat. That is our common challenge today," Fore noted. The study found that at least 1 in 3 children under five - or over 200 million children - is either undernourished or overweight.
Almost 2 in 3 children between six months and two years of age are not fed food that supports their rapidly growing bodies and brains. This puts them at risk of poor brain development, weak learning, low immunity, increased infections and, in many cases, death, the report said.
Because of poor diet, the study discloses, 149 million of the world's children are stunted or too short for their ages, while 50 million children are wasted or too thin for their heights. Some 340 million children - or 1 in 2 - suffer from deficiencies in essential vitamins and nutrients such as vitamin A and iron; and 40 million children are overweight or obese. The report warns that poor eating and feeding practices start from the earliest days of life.
Though breastfeeding can save lives, only 42 per cent of children under six months of age are exclusively breastfed and an increasing number of children are fed infant formula. Sales of milk-based formula grew by 72 per cent between 2008 and 2013 in upper middle-income countries such as Brazil, China and Turkey because of inappropriate marketing and weak support for the promotion of breastfeeding.
The report also notes that climate-related disasters cause severe food crises. Drought, for example, is responsible for 80 per cent of damage and losses in agriculture, dramatically altering what food is available to children and families, as well as the quality and price of that food. To address this growing malnutrition crisis in all its forms, UNICEF made an urgent appeal to governments, the private sector, donors, parents, families and businesses to help children grow healthily.
This can be achieved by empowering families, children and young people to demand nutritious food for example by improving nutrition education and using proven legislation, and urging food suppliers to offer incentives for the provision of healthy, convenient and affordable foods. The UN agency further recommended that healthy food environments be built for children and adolescents by using proven approaches such as accurate and easy-to-understand labelling, and stronger controls on the marketing of unhealthy foods. Mobilising health, water and sanitation, education and social protection to scale up nutrition results for all children and collecting, analyzing and using good-quality data and evidence to guide action and track progress, will help to improve the situation.
Same category
Planification urbaine : un manuel de procédures et un guide disponibles
- 07 août 2020 12:37
- 0 likes


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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Adding clean natural gas to a high-performance vehicle without the loss of performance is no simple task. With the gift of a Subaru WRX to the College of Engineering, the Thomas D. Larson Pennsylvania Transportation Institute (LTI) now has the ability to see how different clean natural gases affect the performance of the car under various measurements.
The car was originally profiled in Subaru's Performance Magazine in which readers could help alter the car's interior and exterior to their liking. The car would be driven to events and shows to display the changes it would go through, along with being featured in their magazine. Tom Salvino of Subaru said that the car got so much response that they needed to find something beneficial to do with the car once they were finished with it.
"We wanted it to live on and wanted to donate it to an educational institution for automotive education," said Salvino.
Sheila Gallucci-Davis, an alumna who works at Subaru and is also a member of a Penn State advisory board, suggested that Penn State would be a great home for the further exploration and improvement of the car. The Subaru WRX is now housed at the LTI.
From the project, Salvino says that Subaru hopes to see students benefit from the educational side of working with the car along with ultimately finding a way to develop more fuel-efficient cars.
Creating a fuel-efficient car comes with many challenges. One of the obstacles that Joel Anstrom, director of the Hybrid and Hydrogen Vehicle Research Laboratory, said they faced with this project was finding a place to inject the clean natural gas within the car in a way that doesn't increase the costs or cause a loss of power.
Anstrom and his team will undergo various trials that will focus on measuring the economy, performance, carbon footprint and much more. "This is a chance to answer the question of: Is this type of fuel good for performance?" Anstrom said.
"The ultimate goal is to match or exceed the performance of the equivalent model Subaru running on 93 octane gasoline," said Maximilian Ripepi, a graduate student in engineering mechanics who is a part of the team working on the car.
Ripepi also said that he and Anstrom are planning many other projects for the car. One of them includes an active airfoil design for performance road handling characteristics.
Ripepi and Anstrom frequently enter the car in competitions around Pennsylvania to test its performance capabilities. The competitions are meant to serve as a gauge for the capabilities of the vehicle once it is equipped with the compressed natural gas systems and other adjustments from other projects.

subset: commoncrawl


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Good day, Since the beginning of this year, whenever i come to Second Life more than 30 minutes, i get disconnected whenever i try to move to another Sim : the loading screen for teleportation never manage to contact the region i'm aiming for and then i'm disconnected from all servers. What is surprinsing, is the fact that if i don't move from the sim i'm standing, i can still talk to other people, interact with object, share items with others people in chat, etc. I noticed the same problem with the marketplace : after 20 minutes, whenever i try to buy something on the marketplace, the item never reach me. I have to go offline, then come back to see the item in my inventory. It's like i'm being trapped each 20 minutes and it is quite frustrating. If someone share the same issue or know a way to clear this problem, please, my SL experience is falling apart bit by bit these days. Regards.


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As explained by senior fisheries officer Latishia Maui, the high-tech, satellite-based system allows MMR to track and monitor fishing activities across the Pacific region by charting the position, speed and direction of registered fishing vessels displayed on a bank of wall-mounted video screens.
"I can click on the actual vessel and a whole bunch of information pops up. The latest location for the vessel, the course, the speed, and what time that information came in," Maui told a crowd of distinguished guests gathered together in the OMC last Thursday.
While under normal circumstances the information can take as long as four hours to update on-screen, MMR officers have the ability to reduce that update time to as little as 15 minutes if they deem it necessary.
"For longline vessels, the information reloads every four hours and for purse seine vessels it reloads every hour. So we get an updated position every hour and every four hours," said Maui.
"But if I was suspicious about a certain vessel, I can drop that polling rate to as low as 15 minutes. So I can see a position every 15 minutes until I'm satisfied that she's OK and she's not doing something silly."
During the presentation Maui also explained how MMR works with Maritime Police and Police Patrol Boat Te Kukupa during national and regional missions. MMR usually sets up an operational HQ at the OMC, where fisheries officers work around the clock to provide information to Te Kukupa on vessels of interest, enabling Te Kukupa to intercept and board them if necessary.
The VMS is part of MMR's Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS) conducted for Cook Islands and foreign-flagged fishing vessels in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean and the Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries Agreement area.
The programme forms part of the overall management of the fishery and includes observation and port sampling. Fisheries observers are placed on fishing vessels to collect independent data during fishing trips. A pool of Cook Islands fisheries observers are deployed out of Pago Pago in American Samoa, where the Cook Islands Fisheries Field Office is based.
MCS is used as an important tool to combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing activities in Cook Islands waters and includes boarding and inspections of fishing vessels at sea or at port.
Fisheries compliance officers take part in sea patrols and several regional operations each year. Surveillance operations can include aerial and sea surveillance assistance from the QUAD nations: France, Australia, New Zealand and the US.
Note: In last Friday's story headlined, 'PM opens Ocean Monitoring Centre' Ben Ponia, head of the Ministry of Marine Resources (MMR) was quoted as saying that MMR had collected almost $90 million of revenue for the country last year. What Ponia actually said was $19 million.


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Our daily service ends with this prayer: We'd like to teach the world to drink, dry rosé pink wine. We'd like to buy the world a glass and keep folks happy all the time. That's the pink thing. [repeat until the bottle is empty]
Rosé is just a color. And these wines go by other names like Pink, Rosado, Vin Gris, Rosato, Kretzer, and Weissherbst to name a few. Well-made pink wines are based on a red skinned grape(s). They have all the best qualities of a white wine with some of the qualities of a red wine. By letting the red grape skins soak in the wine for a short period, the wine takes on a pink color. If the same wine were to have the skins left in longer, the wine would become fully red. Most rosé wines are fermented dry or nearly dry making them easy to drink, very food friendly, and a great compromise between red and white wines, especially in warm weather. However, we preach year round pink drinking.
You can read more of our thoughts on pink wine in an article in Fifteen-501 magazine. Scroll to the bottom of the page when you get there.
Now seeking disciples... -Salamanzar


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Plein Air Florida seeks to promote this special genre for the benefit of artists, collectors and enthusiasts that appreciate the freshness and unique qualities of original paintings created on location. We are constantly looking for ways to provide services and meaningful content to our members.
I'm often asked why we don't have membership dues. Well, we feel it should be open to all that have a sincere interest, and a willingness to participate. There is a small subscription for Artist webpages. Yet, it takes much time, effort and yes money to keep the website online with fresh content.
Please consider making a voluntary donation to help defray the costs involved in maintaining this website and the organization as a whole; the amount is up to you.
Plein Air Florida appreciates your support. Your generosity makes our efforts possible. We also want to recognize and thank all those that contribute in their own way at the local level.
©2002-2020 Plein Air Florida - All Rights Reserved


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Lawmaker closes 2013-14 session with 6 laws on the books and 3 awaiting the governor's approval
Late legislative nights to close out Michigan's 2013-14 House session were productive for state Rep. Bruce Rendon, who saw one bill signed into law and three more awaiting the governor's signature before the end of the year. "I believe this has been a good term because I was able to successfully work on issues and ideas that our local residents were having, and get them fixed," said Rendon, R-Lake City. "There are always more items to work on, so I'll get back on them in the new year and also continue to listen to people's concerns to be their voice in our government." House Bill 5472 was signed into Public Act 373 of 2014, a law creating an alternative court track docket for individuals chronically behind in child support payments. Those with eligible medical, psychological, substance abuse, illiteracy, homelessness or unemployment conditions could qualify for an alternative compliance plan. Three other bills awaiting Gov. Rick Snyder's consideration after the Legislature's approval include:
- HB 4485, which addresses insurance licensing requirements and notifications for self-storage owners who only sell policies for stored property;
- HB 5036, that requires Michigan community colleges to inform applicants that military, National Guard or reserve service transcripts may qualify for class credit; and
- HB 5743 to allow all adoption hearings to be held in the same county where parental rights were terminated so the same judge can preside over the proceedings.
In total, Rendon introduced 16 bills and seven resolutions in the House during his second term in office. Previous Rendon bills signed into law include revising qualified forest property tax rules; using military experience toward building license training qualifications; restructuring the state's snowmobile advisory council; allowing optional ORV helmet use on private property, similar to snowmobile rules; and creating a college tuition assistance program for Michigan National Guard members. His resolutions, which all passed, indicated Michigan's support of hunting and fishing rights, gun safety, Stand4Change, Hispanic Senior Citizens Day, America Recycles Week, Sons of the American Revolution Day and Hispanic Heritage Month. Rendon can be contacted by addressing letters to the State Capitol, Lansing, MI 48909-7514; calling his toll-free Lansing office number at 1-888-DIST-103 (1-888-347-8103); sending e-mail to email@example.com or visiting his online office website at www.RepBruceRendon.com.


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The last time OPEC splintered, and the Saudi energy minister demonstrated that when it comes to the "cartel", the only opinion that matters was that of, well, Saudi Arabia, was on November 27, 2014, when in the infamous "OPEC Thanksgiving Massacre", OPEC effectively broke up after Saudi Arabia decided it could put shale out of business by sending the price of oil so lower, it would cause mass shale defaults and regain market share.
The result was two-fold: oil prices crashed (both immediately as shown below) and over the longer-term, while the Saudi strategy proved to be an epic disaster as it woefully miscalculated that shale's breakeven price was far lower than the Saudi advisors (Goldman and Citi, as well as a handful of hedge funds) had estimated.
As a result, two years later, OPEC reconstituted itself when in late 2016, it agreed to cut output by 1.5mmb/d.
That strategy worked better, as the price of Brent rose from $30 to as high as $80 over the next 18 month, in fact rising too far, as first concerns about demand destruction emerged, followed by Trump directly attacking OPEC (and by implication his close "friends" in Riyadh) on Twitter, demanding lower oil prices (and thus more oil production) or else risk watching his entire fiscal stimulus crash and burn as a result of soaring gas prices.
We bring this bit of not so ancient history because tomorrow OPEC may break apart again, for the simple reason that Iran, OPEC's third largest producer, finds itself in a lose-lose situation, in which it either agrees with a production boost, thereby effectively greenlighting US sanctions against itself and allows Saudi Arabia to take over much of its market share, or defies Saudi Arabia, and along with Venezuela, causes OPEC to splinter again.
Sure enough, with just hours to go until tomorrow's meeting, Iran has continued to reject any increase in OPEC oil production, potentially dooming any effort by Saudi Arabia and Russia to get a consensus decision tomorrow.
According to Bloomberg, during today's Vienna talk, ministers from some of the world's largest oil producers failed to secure the sought-after compromise that would allow the cartel to ease back on its production cuts.
And here is where it gets interesting: while Iran alone can veto any change to the group's output policy, there is historical precedent for the Saudis to act alone and increase supply when they see an urgent need. And even though Saudi Arabia also finds itself between a rock (the Aramco IPO which desperately needs even higher oil prices) and a hard case (President Trump who demands higher oil prices), Crown Prince MbS will have no choice but to yield to the latter, and overrule the Iran veto, concluding the process in which Trump effectively splinters OPEC.
Sensing what is about to happen, Iran - which again has virtually no upside tomorrow no matter what the OPEC decision is - was not happy:
"It wasn't a good meeting. It was just ceremonial statements" Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh told reporters after walking out of the meeting of the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee. "There were proposals but I don't think we can reach an agreement."
Well, an agreement can be reached. It just won't include Iran.
So what is the most likely outcome should Iran veto the production boost, and Saudi Arabia overrules it?
Well, as Bloomberg explains, there is still a small chance that Iran will comply; if the Saudi position were to prevail, it would allow the cartel and its allies to partially offset the impact of the collapse in Venezuela's oil industry and feed fast-growing demand, mostly out of China.
On the other hand, failure would leave the Saudis and Russia with the choice of acting alone to increase production - breaching the historic agreement that ended a three-year oil slump - or do nothing a risk surging prices and supply shortages in the second half of the year.
The most likely outcome is the former, as the Saudi energy minister Al-Falih noted earlier: "our costumers have spoken loudly and we must listen to them," in reality referencing just one "customer": Donald J. Trump. He also warned his fellow oil producers about rising consumer anxiety and the potential for high prices to have a negative impact on demand.
* * *
Iran's veto a non-factor, the next question is what shape the production boost will take. And here, it appears that as we previewed yesterday, the most likely outcome is an output boost of 1+ million b/d.
Quoting an OPEC delegated, Bloomberg said that energy ministers were focusing on the following scenarios, adjusting the group's daily quota higher by 1 million, 1.5 million or 1.8 million barrels, the person said.
Still, any of those proposals would result in a smaller volume of oil flowing to the market than the headline number suggests because several countries are unable to increase output. For example, the 1 million barrel-a-day increase would translate to just 600,000 barrels a day of crude flowing back on to the market, according to Bloomberg calculations based on data from the International Energy Agency.
The only route to a production boost that Iran has publicly suggested -- allowing the handful of countries that have voluntarily cut deeper than necessary to restore some output -- would deliver far less extra oil to the market than any of those proposals.
If, however, the Saudi and Russian position prevails and OPEC manages to boost real output by over 1 million bpd, watch the price of oil.
And incidentally, if indeed the oil cartel is about to splinter again for the second time in four years, it is most likely that oil prices will tumble, if what happened in Nov. 2014 is any indication. Sure enough, oil fell after Iran's walkout earlier today. Should OPEC dissolve itself again tomorrow, watch for a far greater drop in the coming days.


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the lost and found
27 July - 20 August
Join us for the opening on Friday 27 July at 5.30pm
The Lost And Found by Blackheath artist Rebecca Waterstone is a suite of found objects, forms and abstract reliefs, exploring the elements of shape, colour, line and composition. These found forms take on new life, combined into fresh compositions with a quiet, solid presence. The themes of resurrection, veiled beauty and preservation run through these works.
Through a hybrid approach that references minimalism, modernist abstraction, colour-field painting and constructivism, relationships are formed between the shapes, proportions, textures, and colours of discarded and redundant items. These objects, now devoid of practical use, find new life and value through being composed into works that retain, and highlight, the materials' inherent aesthetic qualities.
The geometric language is one of squares, rectangles, circles, arcs, and truncated segments. The works can be thought of (individually, and as a group) as akin to that of a jigsaw puzzle, with the individual components coming together to make up a complete, unified whole.
Within the assemblages and collages, attention is drawn to the materiality and character of residual surface markings, wear and tear. These serve as potent fragments, revealing a concentrated sense of the objects' history. There is great beauty in their weathered nature. Muted, distilled, applied (or found) colour defines and delineates space within the edges of the vertical plane. The symbiotic duality that characterises the reconfigured forms, lends gravitas to the individual elements. They are stronger together than apart.
The works are arranged on the wall as a single mass of related components. The negative architectural space surrounding them plays an important part in holding the group together as a whole, creating harmony, and unity with the physical presence of the works.
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Do you have a love for acting? Do you want to give back to the community? Sign up for the six-week immersive acting certificate program.
Fairfield University's Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies is launching a six-week immersive acting program, Patients and Performance: Healthcare Method Action Certificate Program from September 19 to October 24, 2017. This certificate program is free and open to public and will meet on Tuesdays from 2-5 p.m.
As part of the program, participants will be certified in exchange for 10 unpaid hours served in the role of standardized patient in our brand new simulation center. Upon completion of the 10 unpaid hours, simulation actor will earn $15/per hour. Each week, participants will layer acting methods in improv while participating in empathy building experiences that will allow actor to immerse themselves in the role of a patient.
The certificate program will be taught by Anka Roberto, DNP, PMHNP-BC, APRN, a visiting professor at the Egan School of Nursing, and Tom Schwans, MFA, an adjunct professor in the Visual & Performing Arts department at Fairfield University.
Dr. Roberto is a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner with a research interest in the area of trauma in children. She is a National League for Nursing Simulation Leadership Fellow and completed the International Nursing and Clinical Simulation in Learning Fellowship last year. She co-taught the very first "Acting the Medical Patient" course in Fall of 2016, which has led to her passion for inviting humanism and empathy while training future healthcare providers.
Tom Schwans is a professional actor and director in New York City. He has acted at major theatres across the country. He is the co-founder and executive director of The Guerrilla Shakespeare Project in NYC. He has served as an associate artistic director of The Old Creamery Theatre in Iowa and the interim artistic director of The Deertrees Theatre Festival in Maine. He came to Fairfield as a guest director in 2009 and is now an adjunct theatre professor as well as a director of many of Theatre Fairfield's mainstage shows.
To register and learn more about the certificate program, please visit fairfield.edu/SONacting .


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After "Work Bitch," Britney Spears really whipped us into shape. But now, the femme fatale is shedding the dominatrix suit of her aggressive first Britney Jean single for a spritz of something lighter: "Perfume," a song she released Sunday (November 3) night.
The song begins with quick pizzicato strings and a melodic piano line. Deep piano chords play under Britney's voice as she sings, "I want to believe it's just you and me/ Sometimes it feels like there's three of us in here, baby."
"So I, I wait for you to call/ And I try to act natural/ Have you been thinkin' 'bout her or about me?" she belts in the chorus. "While I wait, I put on my perfume/ I want it all over you/ I'm gonna mark my territory."
Brit gets a little angsty, despite the sweet voice, adding, "I hope she smells like perfume." Paranoia and insecurity flood the song's lyrics as she sings about an unsure lover. The production pushes the track ahead at a moderate pace, with even cymbal crashes and the sawing bows of an orchestra.
Spears' eighth album, Britney Jean, is scheduled for a December 3 release date, and, according to Britney, recording the album has been an "incredible journey."
In a handwritten letter she delivered so her fans in October, she wrote, "I poured my heart and soul into this album, and it's been an incredible journey. I've learned a lot about myself, and as I am finishing, I am reminded of the incredible foundation that has supported me for the last 15 years," she wrote. "I can't believe this is my eighth studio album and I know I keep telling you that it is my most personal record yet, but it's true and I'm really proud of that."


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New member seated, board moving ahead with track repair
WOOD RIVER — A new board member was seated and the East Alton-Wood River High School District is set to accept bids for the resurfacing of the school's track.
Amy Harding, of Hartford and a current member of the Wood River-Hartford Elementary school board, was sworn in at Tuesday's meeting. She replaces Melissa Walter-Bock, who resigned in early April.
Joining the high school board was something she has been considering for some time.
"There's been a few openings in the past here, but I had other commitments so I couldn't come up here," she said during a break in the meeting. "I was able to work it out. I'll just finish this term that will end in April, and see what happens from there."
She has served on the Wood River-Hartford board for six years, and will also remain a member of that board.
"I'm just going to jump in and see how they do things here," Harding said. "It will probably help me understand the transition from elementary to the high school."
The board also heard an update on the resurfacing of the track.
Superintendent John Pearson said bids would be opened Thursday and are expected to be approved at the June 14 meeting.
Work is expected to start July 11 and should be completed by early August.
The project includes making repairs to several sections of the track, then resurfacing and re-striping the track.
Pearson said one contractor estimated the project would cost about $130,000. It will be paid with Health/Life/Safety funds.
He noted the last time the track was resurfaces was about nine years ago.
"We've really stretched the life of that track," he said.
In other business, Pearson said the district will have some "extra work to do" to be ready for changes in how the district will handle suspensions and expulsions.
The changes are coming because of the passage of SB 100, which emphasizes keeping students in school, and requires additional documentation when students are given suspensions and expulsions.
The board has passed the necessary policy changes, but administrators now have to prepare a list of alternative disciplinary actions.
The board will also have to deal with a separate drug-related suspension policy. The policy requires a five or 10-day suspension for certain drug violations. However, the new state law expressly prohibits "zero-tolerance" regulations and requires all suspensions to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.
"It may be moot because we're going to try a whole bunch of interventions," Pearson said.
Reach reporter Scott Cousins at 618-208-6447.


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Queso was used to be called Cheese the last time I saw them live at our school grounds more than a decade ago. I always took safe precautions whenever these guys hit the stage after almost getting pinned down in a riot which ensued during their performance at the UP fair way back during the late 90's. From contagious grooves coupled with visceral riffs, the approach of Queso's music to the audience delivers a backbone that can send someone drifting in frenzy. Queso never takes any performance calmly, and whenever they strike, they hit hard right through your senses.
Queso's influence on the audience's sanity is attributed to Ian Tayao's overwhelming stage presence. Whenever I shoot a rock gig, I always look-out for jumpshots & it is always rewarding to capture one. The Queso gig served me several trophies, compliments of Ian's agile ability to flip through the air.
Although the crowd's age group were mostly middle-aged professionals, with vigour cut half than that of a metalhead in puberty, Queso's 10x Karma has never stopped them from breaking into a moshpit.
The Queso + Greyhoundz gig was well received by pinoy fans who have been away from the OPM rock scene since they left home to escape from the harsh realities of the Philippine economy. Although the turn-out was not quite what was expected, everyone within the venue had their fair share of bliss that night. We all owe our gratitude to Pinoytuner & Requiem Rising for bringing the guys here.


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In response to some of my friend Confused's comments in my "Out of the mouths of innocents" post, where she talked about how Canadians had "voted for a minority government," Joseph from Canada's Debate responded:
I didn't vote for a majority or a minority, I voted for a single MP, and I wanted my party to win it all.The first part of this statement is a simple fact--Canada's voting system does, in fact, mean that we get only one vote, and so we have to direct our preferences for the local riding and for the shape of the government into the same action. The second part of this statement, though--the part that says "I wanted my party to win it all"--is personal to Joseph. And I'm curious how many people feel the same. Putting aside questions of what was realistic, I'd like to know how many of you thought the ideal outcome of the last election would have been a majority government consisting only of the party you voted for. 'Cause I'll tell you quite honestly that wasn't the case for me. And this is due not to a lack of faith in the NDP, but to a well-founded nervousness about single-party majority governments.
I wonder how many Canadians are aware how rare it is across the world's democracies for a single party to assume complete control of a country's governance. Parliamentary systems that use some form of proportional representation to elect their MPs--that is, most parliamentary systems--tend to form stable government coalitions in which multiple parties govern together. In some countries, like Germany, there have even been government coalitions when a single party did manage to squeak out a majority on its own, simply because it's seen as better to have a strong multiple-party majority than a weak majority alone. Even the U.S., which still elects its Congress by means of the outdated first-past-the-post voting system, has checks and balances in place to make it unlikely for the same party to control the House of Representatives and the Senate and the Presidency. Only in Canada and a few other countries is it considered normal to want one party to "win it all."
A smart British historian once mused that "power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." And unfortunately for us, a look at many of Canada's longest-running single-party majority governments--the federal Tories under Mulroney, the federal Liberals under Chrétien and Martin, and the Alberta PCs for most of recent history--doesn't exactly seem to contradict that. Given the combination of this and the unlikelihood of Canadians uniting behind any single political party these days, isn't it time to start thinking seriously about a better way of doing things? One that looks more like the successful political cultures of stable European democracies, and not like giving in to the worst aspects of our current political culture?
Resisting the pull of cynicism since 1969.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
"Winning it all" is not desirable
In response to some of my friend Confused's comments in my "Out of the mouths of innocents" post, where she talked about how Canadians had "voted for a minority government," Joseph from Canada's Debate responded:
Posted by Idealistic Pragmatist at 8:16 AMRecommend this post at Progressive Bloggers
Labels: coalition governments, political culture
16 comments:
Although I agree with you there are valid historical reasons for this.
Given that the Dominions are birthed from the British parliamentary tradition where the House of Lords were the senior body, where the Prime Minister and the monarch often agreed, and of course the validity of a single party in charge when a democracy was facing off against a series of polities that were all ruled by near-absolute monarchs.
That said our system is sadly out of date today. However I tend to think something along the Australian model with a Senate that has power (and is elected under STV) and whose members regularly serve in the cabinet is at least something we should explore. Opening the Constitution should not be the bug-a-boo it is if we just want to do incremental change.
Of the other dominions Australia follows a model where the Senate has real power and New Zealand has a unitary but MMP system (that said, it hasn't worked out as well as expected there—the minor parties have continued to weaken and both National and Labour have been able to generally operate as if they were in charge by themselves. In addition the 4th Labour government and the National government following would have been unable to implement the unpopular but needed economic policies to save New Zealand from becoming a third world country if it been under MMP).
As long as we're talking about other models, adopting the Australian Labor Party model of the caucus electing the leader of the party would solve all these silly one-member-one-vote or convention problems :) Easy and cheap to change leaders if you're in opposition.
Also both the New Zealand and Australian Labo(u)r Party caucuses elect members to cabinet, which serves as a useful check on the Prime Minister's power given that he is of course an elected dictator.
Plus people tend to overlook that proportional representation would serve to much strengthen party loyalty and MPs would be much less independent.
CES Franks idea of expanding Parliament by a hundred or more MPs and reforming the system so that the route to power is not solely through the PM/Cabinet/Committee is also an interesting one.
Combine the above with Independent riding associations that can defy the PM (no more unilateral parachuting or even that silly women only nominations idea that's popped up) would also be nice, but wouldn't happen under PR. That a popular MP would have a power base outside the parliament and couldn't be turfed just because he disagrees.
What I'm getting at is that just switching the Commons to some of proportional representation (MMP, if we had to) is not the be-all and end-all situation. I'd like to see some discussion about adopting the best parts of other dominions systems as well.
- Oxford County Liberals said...
I could start again about how Canada has no historical precedent for coalition governments.. and I doubt any of the parties - particularly in the poisonous atmosphere (maybe with the exception of the Greens) would agree to doing it... but I wont ;)
(I do obviously agree with Keller though that the preferred method is MMPR).
- Idealistic Pragmatist said...
wednesday keller,
Some points of disagreement:
* I have different data from New Zealand. Coalitions were unstable at first, as the parties were getting used to the new system, but seem to be working much more as they should now. The books published as a part of the New Zealand Election Study are thorough and fascinating, detailing the ups and downs of accommodating a country's political culture to a new system.
* There also isn't a whole lot of evidence to support your notion that proportional representation would "serve to much strengthen party loyalty and MPs would be much less independent." Indeed, Canada has one of the most whipped party systems in the democratic world, and we have first-past-the-post. There's nothing inherently more party-promoting about forms of PR like MMP, and STV even arguably promotes more independence.
That said, some of your proposals have merit. Keep them coming!
- Idealistic Pragmatist said...
Yeah, funny how you just made those claims about how coalition governments "just wouldn't work" in Canada by stating them over and over again instead of actually providing some evidence from the world's democracies. I mean, if we look at New Zealand, we can see that switching to proportional representation does tend to make the parties realize they have to form coalitions. A counterexample or two would go a long way toward making you sound like an open-minded discussion partner instead of someone who utterly refuses to acknowledge he might not have all the answers.
One thing I think even you can't disagree with, though: a coalition between the Liberals and the NDP is certainly much more likely to happen than a merger. (And thank goodness for that.)
You misunderstand me. Coalitions in New Zealand are stable, but the minor parties have bleed support and this trend is continuing.
Furthermore based on actual running of the government the coalition partners that aren't National/Labour have limited power relative to what is seen in Europe. Furthermore even the newly centrist National Party has at best two coalition partners, and that's iffy. If they get they might well be stuck with a minority full stop, coalition or not.
You also failed to address my point: If the 4th Labour government and the following National government had been under MMP I doubt the harsh but needed fiscal restraint would gone through and New Zealand's currency would have collapsed—at that point they would have been functionally equivalent to t a third world country and the World Bank/IMF would have had to step with their (horrible, and I'm a classical liberal) SAF programs.
That said the papers I've read on New Zealand PR do indicate an increased trust in government and over-all satisfaction with the PR system (bar standard left/right partisanship) and people believe their votes count for more (excepting the Maori).
Australia under FPTP has a long-running coalition called (conveniently) The Coalition which is a near-permenent alliance of the Liberal and National Parties—something along the lines of the PC and Reform parties agreeing to not compete and merge cabinet posts/governance.
So to some extent I agree with Tribe, it's not in our political culture at the moment but there isn't anything stopping us if Australia can do it.
I stick with the dominions, by the way, as they share very similar political, economic, and social cultures as compared to Europe or the United States.
Oh no doubt Canada is one of the most whipped parliaments but I was proposing weakening those bonds. Based on the evidence I've seen PR would not weaken those bonds, but you're probably right—it would be hard to strengthen them.
While if one were to combine MMP with independent riding associations, 100+ more federal MPs, and a few other reforms I'd be much happier with PR. As it is though I dislike just bringing in MMP without other reforms.
I have got to proof-read better.
Australia uses an instant-runoff system rather than FPTP.
Essentially you rank in order of preference (as you feel like it, or following the How-To-Vote cards handed out by your party) and they flow based on elimination of lower ranking candidates.
Nevertheless the system is closer to FPTP than PR.
- valiantmauz said...
I didn't want majority for any of the three major parties. I wanted the Liberals chastened, the Conservatives given a chance to show their stuff, the NDP with enough seats to have influence and at least one seat to go Green.
Of course, that kinda sorta happened by accident (missing Green seat notwithstanding) and had exactly zero to do with my one vote for my single MP. I don't like majorities; with a healthy majority, the government can do whatever it damn well pleases for the duration of it's tenure, even if, as has happened, the majority is in fact granted by a minority of citizens. That is a recipe for resentment and apathy in the voting population. What point is there in voting when your views can be safely ignored?
I think that holds true wherever one happens to be on the political spectrum. I have no doubt that three consecutive Liberal majorities contributed to general feelings of disenfranchisement among conservative voters - that utter powerlessness translates to a rather unpleasant spirit of vindictiveness when the disenfranchised regain power.
My opinion, for what it's worth.
- Alex said...
The power of the party leadership vis-a-vis individual candidates has plenty to do with financing law, manner of nomination, whether the system is open- or closed-list, and how the actual rules of the parliament work, in addition to the electoral system, so saying that PR must have a certain effect isn't accurate. (Especially given IP's point that Canada already has a very whipped system).
Yes, Australia elects the lower house using instant runoff, and if you want a multiparty system it's worse than FPP, since second preferences flow to the big parties. (IRV works better for single offices, e.g. US president). On the other hand MMP in NZ hasn't worked exactly as was thought. But I'd argue that Canada has many more societal cleavages (linguistic, regional especially) than relatively quite small NZ and one could expect more of a variety of parties with strong backing to emerge. After all, there's already five "national" parties with FPP!
Not being Canadian I am curious... IP or anyone else... what is the opinion of Socons about PR? I would think it would benefit them just as much as the left and Greens.
- Idealistic Pragmatist said...
Thanks for your thoughtful comments. Your observation that Canada already has a multiparty system is an important one. This is one of the major differences between New Zealand and Canada: in New Zealand, the shift to PR was expected to create a multiparty system where one did not already exist, but in Canada, that change to a multiparty system has already taken place. Switching to PR in Canada would therefore just be a way to allow the already-existing system to function as the voters want it to. I would expect some changes in the party structure under PR in Canada, but not the radical ones that might be expected if we didn't already have a multiparty system.
To answer your question, then: from what I've observed, the majority of the Canadian electoral reform movement is made up of the left and the centre-left, but then again, so is the Canadian political scene. They're by no means the whole shebang, either--there are even sitting Conservative MPs who support PR. And I suspect the social conservatives would support it if they knew more about it.
Many of us have tried to move the electoral reform discussion away from a discussion of "which parties would benefit," though, arguing instead that it's Canada would benefit. Given the way FPTP reinforces already-fractious regional divisions, that's pretty difficult to argue with. In Canada, electoral reform is not just a matter of fairness, but a real chance to take a bite out of some of Canada's worst demons.
- Phugebrins said...
You forget that there exist a sizeable number of countries whose governments are formed from the parties who do win it all. Countries like Tajikistan, Singapore, and Zimbabwe, where the governing parties win outright. And then you've got the more subjective situations of one-party majorities: countries in which the ideological difference between the first and second parties is either negligible or at least smaller than that between different members of that party: places like Venezuela, the US, a number of European states, and probably quite a few places elsewhere.
- Idealistic Pragmatist said...
How does stating the fact that it's rare among the world's democracies for a single party to assume complete control count as "forgetting" that it ever happens at all?
Are you trying to argue that it's not rare? If you are, you'll have to name a lot more than three examples, all of which are from rather marginal "democracies" anyway...
Many so-con voters would love it. I know many conservative religious people (including my mom) who hold their noses and vote Conservative simply because it's the only choice they have.
If she was in Europe she'd make a good Christian Democrat. She (and others like her) deserve a voice in parliament.
- JG said...
Singapore's a democracy now?
- James Bow said...
I sort of thought Singapore _was_ a democracy. Zimbabwe, on the other hand...
- JG said...
It is... sort of. Singapore's more of a managed, vaguely authoritarian, one-party state with the institutional trappings of a parliamentary democracy. They haven't had a change of government in 48 years, the sort of longevity even Alberta governments don't dream of.
The best article I've ever read about Singapore is called Disneyland With The Death Penalty by William Gibson for Wired Magazine in the early 90s.
Google the title and it's the top hit.
Pull quotes:
"It's like an entire country run by Jeffrey Katzenberg," the producer had said, "under the motto 'Be happy or I'll kill you.'" We were sitting in an office a block from Rodeo Drive, on large black furniture leased with Japanese venture capital.
And, in many ways, it really does seem like 1956 in Singapore; the war (or economic struggle, in this case) has apparently been won, an expanded middle class enjoys great prosperity, enormous public works have been successfully undertaken, even more ambitious projects are under way, and a deeply paternalistic government is prepared, at any cost, to hold at bay the triple threat of communism, pornography, and drugs.
The only problem being, of course, that it isn't 1956 in the rest of world. Though that, one comes to suspect, is something that Singapore would prefer to view as our problem. (But I begin to wonder, late at night and in the privacy of my hotel room - what might the future prove to be, if this view should turn out to be right?)


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Most often it is a narcotic plant consumed by chewing the leaves. In addition, kratom leaves are crushed, eaten fresh or dried form, make the infusion. The leaves are added to alcoholic drinks, tea making, smoke them, also can be isolated from an extract of the young shoots, resulting in a resin.
The resin is prepared after repeated digestion in water, tree leaves, and then from the mass, which is obtained with the help of small balls of flour rolled. They can be stored for a long time before they are eaten. Smolny balls are the most popular way to consume food kratom. Find out more on click here.
Often this drug user is the peasants, workers and farmers to brighten up their everyday life and hard working day. Women take the leaves are very rare. The studies did not give a clear answer on the availability, depending on the plants in the villages where the practice of their method: according to some scientists, the dependence is, but others claim that there is.
Probably when the drug dose is high enough, and consumption is frequent, it acts on receptors and humans still occurs addiction. Speaking about the farmers, there are those who chew gum 3-10 times a day, while the novice enough only a few leaves to obtain the desired effect. Some of whom could be attributed to the particularly dependent individuals, increase the dose to 30 leaves every day. What also it is not the limit.
However, in some parts of the state parents prefer to give their daughter in marriage to the one who uses kratom rather than, for example, for a smoker of cannabis. This is due to the fact that consuming kratom is considered diligent workers, and marijuana smokers – and lazy gluttons. This myth created by the kratom consumers inform all that chew kratom to improve efficiency as it increases the strength and desire to work.
In August 1943, the Thai government issued a decree on kratom consumption. Of course, they could not approve a law to cut down the narcotic plant completely, but the decision was an act which states that the tree grew illegally. Surplus cut down trees, and the funds from the sale go to support dependent on kratom. Today the situation is such that the Thai law puts this plant dope on a par with heroin and cocaine. In fact, to the consumers of this substance in the state are more loyal. As with any law of this kind, the prohibition of tree kratom has caused an increase in its price on the black market. Often people use kratom fellow – Mitragyna speciosa as a legal alternative, but this is less effective entheogen.


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Hunter's Legacy Launches for PS4 with a Hype Trailer
Lienzo's 2D metroidvania platformer Hunter's Legacy has launched for the PS4 and along with it an exciting launch trailer.
Hunter's Legacy puts players in control of Un'Amak, a powerful huntress cat journeying to rescue the Kingdom of Iripur . The game released for PC via Steam in July of last year and to mostly positive reviews. The trailer has a hint of comedy, featuring various adorable kittens, and shows the fast, varied game-play.
View the new trailer below.


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and then I picked up some kind of tummy flu… For the first time in like 15 years I offered the contents of my poor tummy to the white porcelain god (thought I would die!).
I'm up on my feet now though and will first of all read and anwser comments. Plus read all new blog posts in my followed feeds of course, I hated not being able to keep up!
Archive for March, 2009
and then…March 17, 2009
and then I picked up some kind of tummy flu… For the first time in like 15 years I offered the contents of my poor tummy to the white porcelain god (thought I would die!).
Flounces embroidery patternsMarch 3, 2009
Through Google and then through Jane Austen Today I found some pretty simple but beautiful authentic 18th century embroidery pattern designs for white embroidery on Victoria and Albert Museum. At first I thought I wanted to make a pattern of my own for the flounces, but I wanted to look up some time typical designs to get the right look and that's when I found these. Why not use them? I don't have to do everything myself from scratch!
The story of the patterns is well worth reading, but I'm not going to go into that here and now – do go read about it (and find more patterns) here.
Cuffs on my mindMarch 2, 2009
Who was I trying to fool? How did I ever come to the conclusion that there probably wouldn't be much blogging for a couple of weeks?
I had some errands downtown today and thought I might aswell go to the neelde crafts shop and see if they had some stuff I needed. First off I had to buy a new embroidery frame/embroidery hoop(?). But I was also on the hunt for a really thin white cotton fabric…
See I have been thinking about cuffs/engageantes (difference?), the white cuffs that go under those attached to the sleeves. I've seen a lot of cuffs in pretty straight forward laces. But I've also seen them in thin cotton fabric with white embroidery (whitework embroidery). I don't know why, I've just allways thought those net-ish laces felt a bit hard and sharp on they eye, the cotton embroided ones feel softer some how, hehe. ^^; And since I don't know and don't want to bother learning how to make pillow lace and tatting and such, and since I'm cheap – I would have to go buy some mass produced lace that doesn't look very good. Instead I said to myself: why not stick to something I know something about – like embroidery?
So anywhoo, I'm guessing some of you are wondering what I'm thinking, so here's an example of what I have in mind:
These are a pair of engageantes from LACMA, silk embroidery on cotton. LACMA has some great examples of these kinds of engageantes btw.
The shop where I bought the frame didn't have what I wanted though so I went to my usual "secret" strawberry spot – Myrorna; a big Swedish chain of second hand stores where the profit goes to people in need. I had a look at the corner with curtains, table cloths and sheats and stuff, but found nothing. Then I came to think of blouses, the spring/cummer "collection" was up and there was a lot of thin clothing. I found exactly what I wanted in the "big sizes seciton"!!! A tunic of a really thin cotton fabric, plus it was really big, hehe. ;P So yeah, that's what I'll be using for the engageantes (or what ever they're called). =D
Going on…March 1, 2009
So in case you're wondering…
I've been away from home for a week = low activity. And there might be low activity for about 2 weeks forward since I have an exam in pedagogy. I've also had a health issue that might have been contributed to making me tired and since I've been a bit tired I want to focus all my strength on studies. I have not run out of things to blog though… Here's a to-do-list:
- Anwser comments!
- Put up photos of me in new wig
- Put up photos of some lace things I've been trying out
- Trow around some thoughts on cuffs


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68% Bamboo (derived viscose), 27% Cotton, 5% Elastane
Loosely knot the tie of our new Trenamene Dress for a soft, flattering drape. Made from easy bamboo jersey with a touch of stretch, it'll carry you through busy days and on to stylish evenings with friends. Falls to the calf with 3/4 length sleeves.


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Georg W. F. Hegel was not an existentialist, but without Hegel it is possible the works of Søren Kierkegaard would not be as well-known or influential. Kierkegaard wrote in opposition to Hegel — using Hegel as a symbol of all things wrong with classic Cartesian philosophy.
Existentialism, like most Continental philosophy, owes a great deal to the works of Hegel. How philosophers read and apply Hegel has resulted in the "Hegelian" left, right, and even a centrist application of Hegel.
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was born 27 August 1770, in Stuttgart, Swabia. Hegel's father, Georg Ludwig Hegel, worked in the department of finance for the Duchy of Württemberg. Hegel was the oldest of three children, and therefore bore a great deal of responsibility. Hegel's mother died when he was just eleven, resulting in even greater responsibilities for the young Hegel.
His brother, Ludwig, would eventually serve in Napoleon's army. Christiane, Georg's younger sister, came to depend upon him emotionally in place of a parent. This attachment might have resulted in an emotional breakdown. According to Hegel, Christiane was jealous of other women in his life. When Hegel eventually married, Christiane developed "hysteria" and resigned from her work as a governess. In 1820, Christiane was committed to an asylum for one year. Once released, Christiane's relationship with Hegel remained strained. Only three months after Hegel's death, Christiane drowned herself.
Georg Ludwig Hegel instilled an anti-Catholic bias in his children; he was a Protestant. The Hegel family had fled persecution by Catholics in Austria a generation earlier. Deep divisions between Lutheran Protestants and Catholics made Austria dangerous for Protestants. In Germany, the Hegels rose in social standing, which also dictated one son was expected to enter the clergy. Georg Ludwig assumed his eldest son would be a minister.
Like many of his contemporaries from the emerging middle class, Hegel was fluent in Latin, Greek, German, and could read several European languages. In fact, his mother had schooled him in Latin for several years. Hegel developed a passion for reading as a boy; he took notes on all he read. At the age of fifteen Hegel even started a journal of his readings. In these journals, he would record his own ideas and theories. Unfortunately, Hegel did not always utilize these notes, preferring to quote sources from memory. As a result of trying to memorize "simply everything," many of his essays contain erroneous citations -- but most are minor flaws no affecting the underlying themes.
Hegel enrolled at the University of Tübingen in 1788 as a student of theology. As a student, Hegel met Friedrich Schelling. Schelling, five years younger than Hegel, was also a student of theology. One thing the two students shared was an interest in philosophy, especially Greek philosophers.
In 1789, several students at the university formed a political club of sorts. Hegel joined this group, primarily to engage in the discussions concerning the French Revolution and the concepts of freedom. There is some irony in this, as Hegel's works later gave rise to Karl Marx. While a member of this group, Hegel formed ties to several Jacobin secret societies, which he considered "ruthlessly suppressed" by authorities. Throughout his life, Hegel celebrates the French Revolution -- Bastille Day became a personal holiday for Hegel.
Hegel completed his studies in 1793. The records indicate he was not considered exceptional by the professors, though sufficiently skilled to work as a Lutheran clergyman. According to historian Will Durant:
He was graduated from Tübingen in 1793 with a certificate stating that he was a man of good parts and character, well up in theology and philology, but with no ability in philosophy.
- The Story of Philosophy; Durant, p. 239
After graduating from the university, Hegel befriended J. W. von Goethe, the German literary giant. The two corresponded frequently, and Hegel also visited Goethe on many occasions. Hegel often wrote in praise of Goethe's genius. Goethe was a symbol of German civilization for Hegel and many others. While Hegel might have admired the French Jacobins, he came to think of Germany as a superior collection of states.
Many university graduates found early work as tutors. Hegel followed this tradition, becoming a resident tutor for three years in the Swiss city of Berne. Carl Friedrich Steiger von Tschugg, Hegel's employer, was a Berne patrician. As a result, Hegel was given a unique view of politics, something from which he had been shielded in parent's home. So disgusted was Hegel by politics that he wrote:
The intrigues among cousins and aunts at our princely courts are as nothing compared to the combinations here. The father nominates his son, or the son-in-law who brings in the biggest marriage portion, et cetera. To get to know an aristocratic constitution, you just has to spend a winter here before the Easter election.
- from a letter to Schelling, 16 April 1795
It became clear to Hegel elections were not about the public good, but rather the good of a ruling class. Hegel began to wonder if the promise of the French Revolution could never be realized -- the people were not able to understand how politicians manipulated public sentiments. From his three years in the con Tschugg household, Hegel carried a cynicism. Worse, he began to experience bouts of depression.
Hegel's depression might have a number of explanations, but the manifestation was clear: he doubted his beliefs, his intellect, and his ability to establish a career. Lloyd Spencer writes:
He was not helped either by comparing what seemed like his own slow progress with the dazzling brilliance of his young friend Schelling, already busy developing an idealist philosophical standpoint.
- Introducing Hegel; Spencer, p. 23
With great relief, Hegel move to Frankfurt am Main in October 1796. There he joined his former university roommate, Friedrich Hölderlin. While now recognized as a great poet and scholar of Greek tragedies, Hölderlin was considered a radical in his time. He held unpopular political beliefs, non-traditional views on religion, and was prone to volatility. While Hegel remained his friend for many years, Hölderlin's emotional troubles eventually were too much for Hegel, who was dealing with his own emotional problems and those of his sister.
In 1803, Schelling wrote to inform Hegel their classmate had suffered a mental collapse. Hegel refused to assist his former roommate and never mentioned Hölderlin again. It is likely Hegel was not demonstrating a lack of compassion, but rather a recognition of his own frail emotional nature. Hölderlin apparently suffered from schizophrenia, spending the last three decades of his life under care. Amazingly, he continued to write, though unable to communicate with visitors. Hegel knew of his friends demise, but felt unable to assist.
Hölderlin had introduced Hegel to Immanuel Kant's works, forever changing Hegel's works. Kant forever changed the complexion of German philosophy, becoming one of the most important philosophers in world history. Kant developed what he named "critical philosophy." Many in Germany, including Hölderlin and Hegel, viewed Kant as a revolutionary. Some even hoped a political revolution would result due to Kant's popularity. Kant's three "Critiques" are among his most influential works. The "Critiques" are Critique of Pure Reason (1781), Critique of Practical Reason (1786), andCritique of Judgement (1790). Kant left a deep impression upon Hegel -- and many others. The successors of Kant were known as the German Idealists, including Hegel, Schelling, and Fichte.
Hegel's father died in 1799, leaving his son a small inheritance. Apparently, the inheritance was not efficiently utilized; in January 1801, Hegel arrived in the seat of German philosophy, Jena. He was poor and disheartened, lacking a career, money, and recognition. Schelling was a professor of philosophy at the University of Jena and had published five books. Hegel's tendency to measure himself against his friend compounded his self-doubts. When Hegel was able to secure lecture's at the university, it was only as an unsalaried lecturer.
Schelling was forced to leave Jena in 1803, after falling in love with the wife of a well-known scholar. Schelling, at the age of 28, married Caroline Schlegel, who was 40. The Schelling's moved to Würzburg, where he spent time studying and writing. Hegel remained in Jena and struggled until 1807, when he was finally offered a salary by the university.
Early on 13 October 1806, Napoleon invaded Jena, having bombarded the city for most of the night. Hegel had romanticized Napoleon, and wrote of the invasion:
I saw the Emperor -- that World Soul -- riding out to reconnoiter the city; it is truly a wonderful sensation to see such an individual, concentrated here on a single point, astride a single horse, yet reaching across the world and ruling it....
Napoleon represented France, which seemed more advanced politically to Hegel. Instead of viewing Napoleon as a dictator, Hegel saw the promise of new rights and the end of feudalism. But Hegel's dream would not be realized. While Napoleon marched toward defeat in Prussia, Hegel's personal life also collapsed.
Hegel's son, Ludwig, was born 5 February 1807. Ludwig's mother was the wife of his landlord, indicating an affair during 1806. Less than three weeks later, Hegel accepted the editorship of a Catholic daily newspaper in Bavaria. The newspaper, Bamberger Zeitung, supported Napoleon, as did much of Bavaria. Hegel found himself in a good position, but it was a brief tenure.
In 1808, an associate of Hegel's found him a position as the headmaster at a gymnasium, a classical school for boys. Appointed Rector in 1808, Hegel would remain at the post until 1816. Because Hegel had also been a tutor of young students, he developed an insight into education:
Serious study of the ancient classics in the best introduction to philosophy. But perhaps not a road open to everyone.
With a stable career -- and income -- Hegel married Marie von Tucker, nearly 20 years his junior, in 1811. A year later, Marie gave birth to a daughter, who did not survive. By 1816 the Hegel's had two young sons; Hegel decided to also arranged for his illegitimate son, Ludwig, to join the family household. Apparently the relationship between Ludwig and his father was strained. Ludwig eventually moved to the East Indies.
As an instructor, Hegel had time to write a three volume work on the study and teaching of philosophy. Published in 1812, 1813, and 1816, Science of Logic would seal Hegel's place in philosophy. The massive, abstract work catapulted Hegel to the forefront of German academia. To his satisfaction, Hegel was offered positions at several major universities, including Berlin, Heidelberg, and Erlangen. Berlin's Minister of Education sent an observer to Hegel's classroom only to find Hegel's lectures marked by "false pathos, shouting, and roaring, little jokes, digressions... arrogant self-praise...." The University of Berlin decided to delay their offer, while university officials asked Hegel to carefully consider his presentations. Hegel accepted a post at Heidelberg.
The university required professors to base lectures upon recognized texts. Hegel, of course, decided he would write a text for the course and teach his own works. Published in 1817, Encyclopaedia of the Philosophical Sciences in Outline is considered the most complete overview of Hegel's philosophy. The text is only an outline, intended for students attending his lectures, but it stands alone. The work apparently changed opinions in Berlin -- Hegel was asked to join the university staff by the newly appointed Prussian Minister for Religious, Educational, and Medical Affairs, Baron Karl Sigmund von Altenstein. Hegel now found himself involved in politics, at least indirectly.
In 1821, von Altenstein appointed Hegel to the Royal Academic Board of Examiners in Brandenberg. The board was expected to reform the Prussian educational system. Schools were becoming more humanistic, with less emphasis on religion. Hegel enjoyed his role in reforming an educational system he had earlier criticized. He believed changing the education of young men would eventually change Prussia and Germany.
During the last decade of his life, Hegel tried to refine his theories. He delivered many lectures and tried to expand his philosophy in various essays and texts. It became increasingly clear the system of philosophy he had developed was both too abstract and too rigid in many ways. Hegel continued to lecture until the end of his life, but the lectures were notoriously disorganized.
Hegel had become absent-minded near the end of his life. Anecdotes abound, including one story of Hegel arriving for a lecture wearing only one shoe. Yet the real decline in his later years was marked by a hypocrisy: Hegel came to believe his theories were "truths," able to withstand time. This belief contradicts Hegel's own theory that all thoughts decay, replaced by new ideas. It is clear Hegel came to believe he was the most influential philosopher of his time.
In 1831, a cholera epidemic swept across Germany. Hegel was ill for only one day. He died quietly, in his sleep, on 13 November.


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Is the power grid getting more able to withstand extended heat waves, like the one that baked New Jersey with temperatures above 90 degrees for at least seven consecutive days last week?
That's a question some are asking in the wake of the summer surge that saw heat indexes topping 100 degrees for several days, but relatively few power outages and fewer frantic calls on customers to conserve energy to avoid potential brownouts.
In the opinion of energy executives, power grid operators, and analysts, that performance can be traced to several factors, which reflect ways the energy sector has promoted reliability in recent years.
They include increased demand-response to have big users of energy cut back their usage during peak periods; a boost in distributed generation, such as the 1,100 megawatts of new solar systems that have been installed in New Jersey over the past decade; and more aggressive efforts to cut energy use through conservation and energy efficiency.
"It's a probably a combination of everything,'' said Ray Dotter, a spokesman for PJM Interconnection, the operator of the nation's largest power grid, which includes New Jersey.
"It was really hot and hot for a long time as well as there were high prices,'' noted Paul Patterson, an energy analyst with Glenrock associates in New York. "The question is what is going on in the market. Is it demand-response, distributed generation, or other factors?'' he asked.
Typically, electric utilities experience problems the longer a heat wave goes on. "They used to call it the three-day effect,'' Dotter said. As the heat wave progressed, the power grid would come under more stress, leading to additional calls for industry and consumers to reduce their power use, he said.
During last week's heat wave, the peak-demand day for PJM was Thursday, when power suppliers delivered 158,156 megawatts of electricity to customers, well below the peak-demand day registered in July 2011, when it hit 165,492 megawatts. Instead of growing each day, however, the peak demand during the recent heat wave remained relatively flat, according to Dotter.
To some, the ability of the power grid to weather the heat with relatively few problems suggests some of the more expensive projects undertaken to make the system more reliable may not have been needed.
"Load growth is slack and it is going down because of distributed generation,'' said Dennis Wilson, president of Renewable Power Inc., a solar and energy efficiency firm based in Parsippany. He cited the huge amount of solar installations built around the state.
Wilson questioned whether the controversial Susquehanna-Roseland transmission line, a high-voltage power line cutting through three national park systems in the New Jersey Highlands with an eventual cost of $1 billion, including its Pennsylvania extension. Advocates of the power line said it would decrease congestion on the power grid that cost consumers in the state more than $1 billion each year.
"Was this really needed?'' asked Wilson, calling the transmission project a "last-gasp'' effort by the utility to lock-in guaranteed returns on its investment.
Dotter disagreed, noting the reliability provided by the Susquehanna-Roseland project might not have been needed this past few weeks, but it eventually will enhance the reliability of the grid once it is in operation, which is expected to occur in June 2015.
But Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, argued otherwise. "It shows the market is working better than the BPU,'' he said, citing subsidies handed out by the agency to promote development of new natural gas plants to provide additional generating capacity in the state, a development that might not be needed in the wake of recent developments.


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Hello everyone. It's been somewhat longer than I originally intended it to be between blog entries. My camping weekend really should have had its own. Two days from now, I'll be heading off to Lake Joseph for my week's vacation. To top that off, a few things have happened in between. I won't go blow by blow through the weekend for a number of reasons. Despite this editing on my part, this will still be a long entry. I've had a great deal to reflect upon.
The weekend got off to a lamentable start. Ron and his new friend both let time run away from them and weren't ready at anywhere near the time they were supposed to be. Sadly, it seems that alcohol, cigarettes and time have taken a heavier toll on Ron than when I last got together with him. He hasn't lost any of his kindness but his motivation to get things done in timely fashion has ebbed away. It's becoming easier and easier for him to just drink rather than anything else. It's painful enough for me to have the odd glimpse of this inner destruction of good character. I can only imagine what that's like for his parents living across from him. Things were a tad tense on the way up. \mark, our driver and defacto camp leader, is a very time-oriented fellow. He likes things organised, on time and done. We got to the site late and everyone was tired. Due to this, some corners, or should I say tent flaps, were figuratively cut.
For most of the time, there were five of us. Ron, my fellow blind camper and friend. Don, a new friend of Ron's, was a professional chef who has knowingly chosen to work for a restaurant run by mobsters. Adrian, an acountant, was Mark's long-time friend. They had done a lot together and he shared Mark's helpful disposition. He was the newby on this trip who had never gone camping before. I've mentionned Mark before, and last but not least, there was me. On saturday, we were joined by another Ron and his wife Jen. Had things worked out, we would have also had a John. Two Rons, a Don and a John in our rough and mostly merry company. I kid you not.
Conversation took many interesting turns. Poor Mark, doubtless tired from stres and all, was kept awake long into the early morning by Don and I going into the matter of religion. Due to a bad experience as a child, he had become a pretty firm non-believer. My friend Ron has become just short of hostile to the ideas of God and salvation. Between those two, I had my theological hands full and then some. Due to alcohol intake on their part, the conversation suffered from tragic circularity with nothing really getting resolved. I did, however, manage to impress Don a little I think. I gave him a few new points to consider at any rate.
Adrian was a very observant and considerate fellow. Early on, he learned that Ron and I were on the same program with roughly the same income. He noticed that while I had an iPHONE, Ron didn't even have an ordinary cellphone. Basically, the reason for that boils down to Ron's vices chewing up every scrap of spare cash he has. With no such adiction, I have a much easier time making ends meet and saving up for the odd purchase. I'm also free to wait until I come into some spare cash. Ron cannot. Things you're adicted to don't tend to let you do that. I feel no great sense of superiority about this. If anything, it creeps me out. Had circumstances been different, I might easily have given in allowing similar temptations to totally ruin me. I feel a deep disapointed sadness at what vitality and purpose cigarettes, alcohol and so much idle time have robbed my friend of. I still hold out some faint hope that he'll either take up editing Audyssey Magazine again or summon at least enough resolve to pass the torch onto someone else. He has a bad tendency to turn turtle and go silent rather than face up to things. I find myself wishing I could just snap my fingers and fix everything giving Ron a fresh chance at it all. I looked up to him so much as a younger man. Volunteering with St. John's Ambulance for ten years teaching advanced CPR, earning the friendship of such excellent people as Mark, Jamie and others. He inspired me to try to make the best of my circumstances, that even with no job or marriage, there were still plenty of reasons to try to do good in the world. The core of him is still there but it has been badly worn away. Like other concerned people in his life, I've had to reach a point of accepting that he likely won't pull out of this. Come what may, I'll always respect him for who he was and try to be the best friend to him that I can be. I'll pray for him to a God in whom he doesn't believe, hang on and keep hoping. Thanks to Earle's spectacular transformation, I find that still possible.
Getting to talk to a character like Don was worth a great deal to me. I've never met anybody like him. I could never make the moral compromises that he has. I simply couldn't justify them to myself like he manages to do. It was sometimes hard to tell when events happened as he believed they did for the reasons he ascribed to them. There was an aura of "shit happens and I just go where fate takes me." about him. A lot like what seems to have taken hold of Ron. Don was, I think, being completely honest as he saw things. I didn't have a sense that anything was made up for my benefit. There were definitely areas where he wouldn't go into detail. I imagine such waryness is a pretty important survival tool. Despite our differences, I found I liked him on the whole.
The weekend didn't go without its mild misadventure. I won't reveal which of us tried drugs for the first time other than to say it most definitely wasn't yours truly. I've never felt comfortable with the thought of injesting anything stonger than alcohol merely for recreation. I was, however, fascinated to be able to hear someone else do so while sitting beside me. The result was nothing like my hazy preconceptions of possible phantasmic hallucination. So far as I could tell, he perceived nothing that wasn't already actually present. However, he couldn't trust that we or anything he saw around him was actually real. He said everything was like a dream or movie. It seemed to disturb him somewhat. He also retired earlier than Ron, Don and I so I presume the experience wore him out somewhat. There was a hike to a nearby beech with nothing but uncomfortable rocks to sit on. This resulted in Ron, Don and I heading back and having a longer walk as Don got "turned around". Neither Ron or I could be of much assistance. The most annoying of the misadventures was a direct result of friday's late arrival and incomplete work on our tent. It rained on sunday morning and that rain came right through the mesh hole at the top of our tent where a flap ought to have been installed. It pooled in the tent and on the air matress. I packed all my things up damned pronto. Poor Don's sleeping bag was beneath the matress. Not only was poor Don freezing for want of his bag but the unused thing must also have been quite wet and a pain to pack for him.
The food was excellent. Don and Mark really know what they're doing when it comes to food and we ate very well. There was steak, jerk chicken, wonferful mushrooms and grilled vegetables. I never knew mushrooms had gills or that taking the skin off them made them sweeter. Don certainly knows his business well. He feels quite justified keeping his secrets and the better pay offered in exchange for such discression. I gained quite a bit of valueable if sad insite into how corruption can take hold in our lives. It has made me do a lot of soul searching over the past while.
As always, I had a terrific time with Ron and company. All of them have good hearts and you couldn't ask for a safer group to have such an excursion with. I consumed something on the order of ten beers, shared three, and came home with five untouched. I was so caught up in conversation that I lost track of everyone else's tally. This peek into the shadier side of life has proved to be a somewhat somber burdon for me to think on. I feel older than when I left on that friday afternoon. I don't consider myself above corruption at all. I just keep it to a relatively small scale in my own life. I purchase my music and books these days. However, I'm unwilling to part with les honestly gotten gains obtained during my marriage where boredom was the intractable enemy for Rebecca and I. Everyone else seemed to partake in it so why shouldn't we? There was no way we could have pourchased any of it so we weren't costing them sales they could have had. It's so damnably easy to rationalise and justify these things to yourself. It's only later that you realise how hollow those justifications really are. I could have been standing on much higher moral ground had I been willing to deal with less stimulation. But then, I wouldn't have come to a great many realisations and conclusions. I literally wouldn't be the same man I am today. Despite completely believing what Ken told all of us at the Dam about chocolate that isn't fair trade certified, I stil enjoy the occasional Mars bar. My not doing so just won't really make a shred of difference to anyone other than guilt-ridden rationalising me. No, reader. I try to live a good moral life but don't pretend to be above petty temptation. We all fall short of the mark.
I've gotten an external battery for my iPHONE. Seeing as I'm not using its GPS capability rather than my Trekker Breeze, it's a pretty necessary bit of kit. Also, should we have another blackout, I can keep my phone going at least twice as long. I should have attended to that ages ago but the need didn't seem as obvious until I found out how much power location services use up when they're being heavily monitored by a GPS app. Hats off to the developer of the Ariadne app. I'm finding it even more helpful than the Breeze. I suspect that the GPS receiver in the iPHONE has a lot to do with my I prefer an app costing less than twenty dollars over a device costing just short of a thousand. It seems to get a location fix pretty much immediately. No standing around for five minutes waiting any more. Rather than routes, Ariadne uses a landmark approach pointing out the nearest "favorite" at it calls points of interest. You can also examine a list of favorites ordered by distance. There's a map feature which lets you move your finger around a map of your surroundings. It announces or makes sounds for streets and other features. You can zoom it in and out. Also, it rotates so that it shows what you face. I haven't found a way for it to display favorites on the map which aren't streets. Mainly, the favorites I have marked are in a park area around a lake near my building. I've successfully gotten to the Dam and back with it. My father and I walked to Symposium and I put in landmarks to help get me there. This bread crums method seems to work better for me to my surprise. Next on the ajenda after my trip is marking out the route to the bank. It's thankfully a lot easier to edit landmark names and such on Ariadne than it was on the Trekker. Typing quickly on the iPHONE, however, is a skill that continues to elude me.
I've heard from Adam and Steve. Both have gone through rough spots lately. Adam didn't end up getting the job he had hoped would result from his internship. A pretty big disappointment for him. I hope he's got the stamina to stick it out and find another path to something he can live with. He's been pretty busy for the past while so I haven't gotten together with him. That'll happen for shure once I'm back from Lake Joe. I can't really help him all that much. I did connect him to Michelle McQuigge, a blind journalist I know. She's at least very familiar with the territory. Sounds like she was able to inform him of some resources which might be useful. I hope something works out for him soon. It's been a long road of many jobs. A really good one for HP as tech support was lost due to the recession. My friend's work life is only vicariously glimpsed through conversations and bits of it that he recounts to me. I don't have nearly the same feel for him in that sphere of life that I do in others. I just hope something which keeps him engaged and that lasts comes along for him soon.
Job hunting is such a dehumanising process. I wish there was a way to automaticaly grant people the basic opportunity to make an honest living without having to go through that. Later, if they wished, they could seek to improve their job situation knowing that they at least had a contributive place in the work world. You'd think some social scientist or industrialist could work out the details for something like that. There should also be more of a formal system of exploring various career options prior to actually going to university or coledge and being saddled with debt possibly with credentials that don't seem to be valued enough even to get people in the door. If competition could be moved one rung up somehow so that people weren't just left dangling, perhaps, that would at least minimise the soul-sapping waste of young ardour and life when nobody even gives you a damned chance to prove your worth. I've known too many people who have been stuck searching, hoping for the dots to somhow be connected. As it is, I think the current system is wasteful and unsustainable. We've seen an substantial mainly peaceful Occupy movement. Perhaps, if things carry on as they have much longer, we'll see more people like Don, happy to keep his mouth shut and do a good job for bad people. When honesty gets you nowhere, more young people might well look at less societally desireable alternatives. I'm amazed how much more sympaathy I have for a man like Don than I would have even ten years ago.
Steve has had to deal with the death of an uncle. I had a good long conversation with him and have been invited up to a cottage at the end of the month. It's a sort of pre-birthday event. Should be a lot of fun spending the weekend with Steve and a number of his friends. This summer has been so much more eventful than even last year's hot season. I've been enjoying it thoroughly although it has very much depleted my bank acount. My family is willing to help with that a bit thank goodness. I expect things will slow down in the autumn. It's been such a mixed bag of mostly positive experience. I've learned a lot already and we're just getting into July.
Lake Joseph beckons. I'll be going there tomorrow. Things are all packed and ready other than the laptop I'm writing this blog posting on. As always, I have hopes. There's a small chance I'll find a special lady. A somewhat more sustantial chance that I'll perhaps encounter new friends or people with interesting life stories. For all its faults, Lake Joe seems to attract people of good character to work there. You also get interesting campers like Ethen was last year. That, above all else, is what keeps me going back year after year; the people. I could definitely do without some of the mentally challenged folk, particularly the ones who are really round the bend. However, I'm willing to chance that to be in a place set up for blind people. It has always been there when I've needed there to be somewhere different to go which I could afford. I know a lot of familiar people will be up there including Janet and Lori. That will be interesting to hear how they approach their second week at the place. There are always little sociological curiocities of that sort. Lindsey will be up there also. A good guy named Rob emailed me to say he'll be there. We had some excellent chats when last I encountered him. I think the Lake Jo dice are loaded in my favour this time around. A good thing too. I need this week away to rejuvinate and perhaps better integrate some of what I've written about here into my thinking. On that note, I believe I'll sign off and get this entry posted. I'll likely publish a blog entry about my trip upon my return. Meanwhile, you may find the odd audioboo courtesy of my iPHONE. Later, folks.
Friday, June 29, 2012
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text: Up against the White House's "alternative facts" and attempts to hide climate data, can new allies—citizens and science—prevail against politicians and corporations? Climate science is looking like a new front line, and scientists are increasingly its freedom fighters. Citizens need to support them by engaging in daily research, demanding truth, and forcing government and industry to use research for the common good.


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After packing my life into two small bags, I embarked on the most wild adventure of my life, travelling directly from my temporary home of 8 months in Sicily, hitching rides through Italy, flying to Germany, swinging into Prague, flying to Greece, Budapest and then settling in Australia. I took way too many photos and…Read more [Photography] Florence & Uffizi Gallery
10 Things Backpackers in Europe Know are True
I'M BACK ONLINE! Or at least I'm in one place for more than a few hours. Over the past 30-something days I've been on a wild ride through Europe. I backpacked north through Italy from Sicily to Milan, flew to Munich, hitched a ride to Prague, spent a week in Greece, five days in Budapest, and…Read more 10 Things Backpackers in Europe Know are True
#FoodPorn: My Best Shots of Italian Eats
Ciao a tutti, When 10/10 people think of Italy, first they think of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, THEN they think of a mouth-watering bowl of spaghetti, an artfully garnished slice of pizza, a milky cappuccino dusted with sugar, a gently dripping cone of gelato, or a glass of wine juxtaposed with a platter of cured meats…Read more #FoodPorn: My Best Shots of Italian Eats
10 Serious Inconveniences about Living in Italy
Ciao a tutti, I just have to tell you, living in the land of carbs, men and wine isn't all spaghetti and rainbows, it can be a really frustrating experience for a few overall reasons: 1. Italian Bureaucracy. Bureaucracy is a huge problem in Italy, where there's a different policy for every situation, and a missing form will get you…Read more 10 Serious Inconveniences about Living in Italy
Buona Pasqua! Spending Easter in Sicily
Ciao amici 🙂 Did you know Sicily is famous for its Easter (Pasqua) Celebrations? Having the Pope and the Vatican obviously makes Italy a central hub for Catholicism, and the most important event in the Catholic Religion is actually not Christmas, so we're lead to believe, but the events surrounding Easter. In my country, Easter…Read more Buona Pasqua! Spending Easter in Sicily
9 Things You'll Fall in Love With When Living in Sicily
Sure, you can feel this way after a few days of travelling throughout the rest of Italy, but there's something about living and breathing a culture that you just can't get from being a tourist. I had to make sure I said Sicily and not "Italy" because the island has a rather different culture than…Read more 9 Things You'll Fall in Love With When Living in Sicily
5 Reasons Why Teaching English Abroad Will Make You a Better Business Professional
For many recent graduates in North America, teaching English in a foreign country is simply a way to travel, get to know a culture and earn money at the same time, but did you know that teaching English can also improve your performance as a business professional? I've been teaching English to adults in Italy for…Read more 5 Reasons Why Teaching English Abroad Will Make You a Better Business Professional


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Photos from 1. Glitter Guide 2. Gingerella 3. Butter London


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Reflections of Round Two 2-12-12
Hay all* Thanx for coming out for round 2! We are starting to get a wonderful Sangha of folks happening! The SPARKS are FLY'N! Our 1st time sitting a full zazen period* I commend you all for your courage of coming together & taking on the practice* This practice period had a focus of loving-kindness & the Buddha's seeing past fixed views. Only good from here… The ripples spread out & the lotus blooms, the voice of reason, the voice beyond Samsara* May all beings be free! I'll be working on the Website this week & also we realized that we really need to...Read More
Review of U-Z Opening Practice Service Feb 5th 2012
U-Z Opening Practice Service was a truly wonderful experience. It is a bottomless pleasure to help keep the wheel of Dharma in motion. To hear the Sangha Covenant for the 1st time brought tears to my ears. We are truly here to actualize good in this world – starting with ourselves, & ending with… well, there is none! Everything went smoothly & the energy shared was positive & supportive. Even though it was everyone's first time practicing the chants together, it carried through rather well! The space is just perfect for our practice. Clean, warm, a gentle sacred...Read More


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The top QB prospects in the 2016 class are currently participating in the Elite 11 competition at the Nike Headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. Kiante Enis, a Michigan commit, wished Brandon Peters, his fellow Wolverines pledge, good luck at the event.
@Kenis_12 Right on bro bro〽
— Brandon Peters (@Bpeters2118) July 5, 2015