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While in Chisinau, High Commissioner Thors handed the second price in the video contest Our school, our diversity to Alisa Feghiu and Liviu Rotaru from Elena Alistar Theatrical Lyceum in Chisinau, Moldova.

OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM) Astrid Thors visited Moldova from 23 to 25 May 2016 to discuss issues including the draft integration strategy developed with HCNM’s assistance to the Bureau for Interethnic Relations, relations between Chisinau and the autonomous territorial unit of Gagauzia, and the education of national minorities. The High Commissioner also visited Tiraspol.

In Chisinau, the High Commissioner discussed the draft integration strategy with Prime Minister Pavel Filip and other interlocutors and encouraged the Government to fulfil without delay its commitment to adopt the strategy. “Adoption of the integration strategy will underscore the Government’s commitment to promoting an inclusive, diverse society,” said Thors. “Even more important will be the strategy’s implementation. I am ready to assist the Bureau for Interethnic Relations in this process.”

The High Commissioner praised the parliamentary decision in November 2015 to establish a permanent joint working group between the Moldovan Parliament and the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia. She discussed the functioning of the working group with its co-chairs, Member of Parliament Elena Bacalu and People’s Assembly Member Gheorghii Leichu, Speaker of Parliament Adrian Candu, and the Bashkan of Gagauzia Irina Vlah. Thors encouraged the working group to be fully utilized as the primary platform for discussing issues related to the functioning of the autonomy so that questions that may contribute to tensions can be successfully addressed.

With Minister of Education Corina Fusu, the High Commissioner discussed implementation of the Education Code and the effect of education reforms on schools teaching in minority languages, including optimization of the school network and new procedures for the selection of school directors. “Having heard from national minority representatives that education is a primary concern, I encouraged the Minister to ensure that national minorities are consulted when implementing reforms,” she said. The High Commissioner noted with interest the adoption of a new programme to improve teaching of the State language in minority-language schools, remarking that it provides an opportunity to expand multilingual education as a tool for integration.

The High Commissioner met members of the Council of Ethno-Cultural Organizations in Chisinau and with the Transdniestrian de-facto authorities and civil society representatives in Tiraspol. She visited the Theoretical Lyceum Alexandru cel Bun in Bender and learned about the practical difficulties the school faces in maintaining its operations as a Moldovan-administered school teaching in the Latin script. Thors welcomed the active efforts of the OSCE Mission to Moldova and the German Chairmanship of the OSCE to find sustainable solutions for the Latin-script schools among other issues as part of the Transdniestrian Settlement Process, and noted the anticipated resumption of talks in the 5+2 format, which she discussed with Deputy Prime Minister on Reintegration Gheorghe Balan and Transdniestrian Chief Negotiator Vitaly Ignatiev.

The High Commissioner also met with Deputy Prime Minister on Social Issues Gheorghe Brega, Director General of the Bureau for Interethnic Relations Oleg Babenco, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Lilian Darii, and representatives of civil society and the international community.

Related Stories

• OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities holds fifth regional summer school on multilingual and multicultural education in Central Asia
• Language rights, participation, security and access to justice fundamental to welfare of communities in Kosovo, says High Commissioner Thors
• High Commissioner Thors, in her OSCE Permanent Council address, discusses country engagement and highlights the increase in hate speech targeting national minorities

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Addressing the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on 2 June 2016, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Astrid Thors described country engagement and highlighted the disturbing increase in hate speech.

The statement covered the High Commissioner’s activities since her last statement to the Permanent Council in November 2015. During this period Thors visited Kyrgyzstan, Serbia, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova.

The High Commissioner expressed concern about the increase in hate speech targeting national minorities. Thors called for renewed efforts to tackle hate speech in order to prevent tensions and to promote integration with respect for diversity.

Thors also informed the Permanent Council about the work her institution is doing together with researchers to identify best practices that highlight the bridge building potential of national minorities in diverse societies.

The full statement can be found here.

Related Stories

• OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities holds fifth regional summer school on multilingual and multicultural education in Central Asia
• Language rights, participation, security and access to justice fundamental to welfare of communities in Kosovo, says High Commissioner Thors
• OSCE High Commissioner encourages inclusive approach to integration and education issues in Moldova and welcomes joint working group on Gagauzia

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During her visit to Kosovo from 7 to 10 June 2016, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Astrid Thors focused on education, implementation of the framework of language rights and access to justice.

The High Commissioner continues to urge for the adoption of the Strategy for the Protection and Promotion of Language Rights, contending that it will make the implementation of legislation more efficient and improve the quality and the consistency of different language versions of legal acts. “When in place, the strategy will lead to positive results quickly,” said Thors.

The visit included Prishtinë/Priština, Mitrovicë/Mitrovica, Prizren, Janjevë/Janjevo and Gračanica/Gracanicë where Thors met with ministers, local authorities, media representatives, judges, university professors and students, as well as representatives of the international community. The High Commissioner was joined in several meetings by the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo Jean-Claude Schlumberger.

Thors commended the recent adoption of an administrative instruction of the Ministry of Education Science and Technology, which will make it easier for members of non-majority communities to pursue studies at universities in Kosovo as it, among others issues, improves the functioning of the existing quota system.

Whilst visiting the University of Prizren, the High Commissioner expressed concern that courses taught in Turkish and Bosnian have not yet received official accreditation for the next academic year. Such courses cater to the fundamental needs of non-majority communities in Kosovo. “I encourage relevant authorities to take urgent measures so that these options remain available also the next academic year,” said Thors.

High Commissioner Thors discussed extensively with a number of stakeholders the prospective establishment of the Association/Community of Serb majority municipalities as well as ways to overcome the current stalemate in the process. She heard views on the need to respect the relevant legal framework but also to meet the expectations of concerned communities, in north Kosovo as elsewhere. Thors also noted the concerns expressed by Serbs living outside Serb majority municipalities, as well as non-Serb non-majority communities, who fear they will not benefit from the process.

In several meetings Thors pointed to the need to improve access to justice for all non-majority communities, to thoroughly follow up on crimes targeting them, as well as to fully enforce their property rights. “When such crimes are investigated and prosecuted, it sends a powerful and reassuring message to non-majority communities that their rights will be effectively protected by the authorities.”

On the last day of her visit, Thors attended a class of Serbian language instruction for Kosovo Albanian officials from the municipality of Prishtinë/Priština, part of a flagship partnership project on language acquisition by municipal officials sponsored by the Office of the Language Commissioner and the HCNM, with German funding, and implemented by the ECMI Kosovo.

The visit served to underline the importance attached by the High Commissioner to language learning as a key building block for integrated societies: “Speaking more than one language is beneficial, both for the person who speaks them and for society as a whole; it is even more important for local government officials, who regularly engage with members of public, to be able to communicate with every person in their community.”

Related Stories

• OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities calls for renewed dialogue between all political and social actors in Croatia
• OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities holds fifth regional summer school on multilingual and multicultural education in Central Asia
• High Commissioner Thors, in her OSCE Permanent Council address, discusses country engagement and highlights the increase in hate speech targeting national minorities

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Rachel Bending

As part of a one-year project to support the engagement of national minority youth and civil society in public discussions and public service, a roundtable discussion was held at the OSCE Mission to Moldova on 24 June 2016.

The event brought together 23 representatives of the Moldovan Parliament, the authorities of Gagauz-Yeri, civil society and the international community to discuss institutional dialogue between central and Gagauz authorities.

Independent researchers from the Comrat-based NGO Piligrim-Demo presented a recent report detailing the joint commissions formed over the years to initiate dialogue on the implementation of Gagauzia’s status as an Autonomous Territorial Unit. They outlined their recommendations for improving the functioning of the current working group established between the Parliament of Moldova and the People’s Assembly of Gagauzia. 

“Such discussions on the process of dialogue between civil society, the expert community and members of the Parliament and People's Assembly are important as they provide critical input to the process and build common understanding of issues,” said Jale Sultanli, Country Manager Moldova of the Crisis Management Initiative (CMI). Participants from Comrat and Chisinau welcomed the opportunity to study past and present practices to strengthen co-operation between the central and regional authorities in Moldova.

Related Stories

• Law students hone their public presentation skills on legal aid at OSCE-supported training course in Moldova
• Law students and paralegals trained to raise awareness about state guaranteed legal aid at OSCE event in Moldova
• OSCE Mission to Moldova supports youth engagement in second debate tournament of 2015

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A week-long regional summer school on multilingual and multicultural education was held from 10 July to 16 July 2016 in Cholponata in Kyrgyzstan - the fifth regional summer school organized as part of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities’ (HCNM) Central Asia Education Programme.

Organized by the HCNM in co-operation with Kyrgyzstan’s Ministry of Education and Science, UNICEF and the Office of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights in Kyrgyzstan, the summer school brought together 86 participants representing education institutions of the Central Asian States and of the wider region, including teacher trainers, methodological experts, university and pilot school managers and teachers, as well as international experts.

The summer school was aimed at providing practical expert support to further develop the capacity of education authorities and practitioners within multilingual and multicultural education.

Opening the summer school, Deputy Minister of Education of Kyrgyzstan Toktobubu Ashymbaeva highlighted the important role of the teacher in multilingual education programmes.

During the week, participants discussed pre-service and in-service teacher training, as well as facilitating the implementation of multilingual education programmes. Participants also developed training materials aimed at monitoring and evaluating multilingual and multicultural education programmes. As a result, eleven thematic materials were developed with the aim to further adapt them for practical use within the education institutions of the region.

Flera Saifulina, Head of the National Education Department of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Tatarstan in the Russian Federation, found that the diverse forms of activities enabled participants to express their opinions, raise concerns and receive comprehensive answers from fellow experts. She also expressed satisfaction to see how education is used for the integration of societies in the Central Asian countries.

Tatiana Aderikhina, Co-ordinator of Education and Child Protection Issues at UNICEF Kazakhstan, said: “I am glad that the cooperation between HCNM and UNICEF Kyrgyzstan continues as it brings synergies and benefits the target country.”

Zaiyrbek Ergeshev, representative of the Department of the Ethnic and Religious Issues of the Presidential Administration of Kyrgyzstan, concluded that multilingual and multicultural education is an important factor for forming a civic identity.

Since 2012, the High Commissioner has been implementing the Central Asia Education Programme, aimed at promoting multilingual and multicultural education and developing bilateral and multilateral co‑operation in the region to improve the education of national minorities and promote the integration of society.

Related Stories

• Preservation, inspiration and dialogue: Twenty years of The Hague Recommendations Regarding the Education Rights of National Minorities
• Language rights, participation, security and access to justice fundamental to welfare of communities in Kosovo, says High Commissioner Thors
• High Commissioner Thors, in her OSCE Permanent Council address, discusses country engagement and highlights the increase in hate speech targeting national minorities

Advance tickets available for the sunset cruise aboard The Adventuress
Call now (425) 303-9070 to reserve your place on board!!

The Adventuress is a nearly 100 year old sailing vessel.  She is the “crowning jewel” of the Pacific Northwest’s collection of wooden boats.  Originally commissioned in 1913 for scientific research in the Arctic, today this Port Townsend based National Historic Landmark sails the seas offering environmental education, traditional sailing experiences and fun for the whole family.

Every year for the past 10 years, KSER and The Adventuress have teamed up for a joint fund-raising sail from Everett.  There’s always good food, good fun and good music performed by a local musician that makes the 3 hours on the water fly by like the gulls off the starboard side.

This year the sail happens from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 7th and for the first time, you can reserve tickets for this sail.   

$60 per ticket will secure  a berth aboard the Adventuress for the April 7th sail. There are only 40 spaces available and when we offer them “on the air” we always sell out.  So, call your friends, email the family and get together a group and order your tickets now for this fun(d) raiser for both KSER and The Adventuress.  Call (425) 303-9070 anytime Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to order those tickets.

Don’t be left standing on the dock waving to The Adventuress as she sets sail when you can be on board, raising the sails, pulling the lines and taking the helm in a three hour sunset cruise. 

Call (425) 303-9070 and reserve your spot on The Adventuress, Saturday, April 7thfrom 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Plans to launch second frequency continue
The Federal Communications Commission in 2010 awarded the KSER Foundation a permit to begin construction of a second frequency – 89.9 FM KXIR – that will improve our coverage in five counties: Snohomish, Island, Jefferson, Skagit and North King County.

The KSER Board of Directors has formed a committee dedicated to this project. This committee meets regularly and is executing on a detailed plan to explore options that will get 89.9FM on the air by November 2013. The long-range plan is to have 89.9FM and 90.7FM develop distinctive programming, giving listeners the power to choose what they want, when they want. But for several years, you’ll hear KSER on both frequencies. 

 

KSER General Manager Bruce Wirth resigns

 

Thank You and Farewell to Danny Holiday
KSER is saddened to bid farewell to our radio colleague Danny Holiday.  Danny, host of the popular Rock 'N' Roll Time Machine, heard most recently Saturday mornings on KSER, passed away February 20, 2012 after a long illness. 

(Program note: KSER is planning a broadcast tribute to Danny Holiday.  Watch the website and keep listening to KSER for more details.)

Danny's Rock 'N' Roll Time Machine focused on the music of the 1950s and '60s, the formative years of rock 'n' roll, and of deejays like Danny Holiday. Raised in Everett and transplanted to Anacortes, Danny developed an early passion for rock music and brought that zeal to radio stints at KOL in Seattle during the "boss jock" era, and later to the Rock 'N' Roll Time Machine on KZOK and KBSG in the 1980s and '90s.  During the 1970s he worked in the record industry, getting to know and promote many famous artists.

After a period of retirement, Danny felt the call of the microphone and revived the Rock 'N' Roll Time Machine on KSER. He called his three-hour programs, "a back-roads approach to the music", incorporating bits of artist trivia, alternate recordings, personal stories and Danny's wry personality.  As he used to say, "there is not another show exactly likely this one anywhere in the world." We would add that Danny was surely a one-of-a-kind too. 

Recognition open house scheduled for March 13

The KSER Board of Directors has announced that KSER General Manager Bruce Wirth has resigned. He will complete his duties at KSER on Feb. 29.  

Effective March 1, News and Public Affairs Director Ed Bremer will take on the role of Interim General Manager and assume responsibility for the day-to-day operations of KSER. A search for new leadership, led by a committee of board and community members, is currently underway.

Bruce began working for KSER in August 2006. During his five years, both weekly audience and annual income for KSER have doubled. Bruce also dramatically improved online services to listeners by launching a new KSER website that now includes live playlists, a playlist archive and the new Radio Replayer.

The KSER Board of Directors invites you to join in a recognition celebration of Bruce’s service to KSER at an open house from 6 to 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 13 before the monthly board meeting.

If you have any questions, please contact the president of the KSER Board of Directors at boardprez@kser.org.

The Search for a new manager has begun
The KSER Board of Directors has begun the search for a new Manager.  A committee of board and community members is seeking input from many sources to determine the best skills and characteristics to take KSER forward.  A job description is being developed and a nationwide search will begin soon.

If you have any questions, please contact the president of the KSER Board of Directors at boardprez@kser.org.

Know someone who speaks up to make a difference?
Plan now to nominate him or her for the KSER Voice of the Community Award!

This annual award recognizes local voices that speak up and out about community or cultural concerns impacting Snohomish or Island counties with positive results for your local community – no matter the size!

You can nominate an organization, a business or an individual of any age that makes a positive community impact or an individual or organization that makes a positive cultural impact.

Nomination forms will be available at the KSER studio and on www.KSER.orgbeginning early March. Deadline for submission is July 31, 2012.

Winners will be recognized at the KSER Voice of the Community Award Celebration to take place Saturday, November 10.

Questions? Email KSERVoice@gmail.com.

Applications open for Board of Directors and Community Advisory Board
The KSER Foundation is always interested in receiving applications from qualified, dedicated community members who are interested in serving on the KSER Board of Directors or the Community Advisory Board (CAB). 

The CAB meets quarterly to offer input, suggestions, comments or concerns about KSER's service to the community. For more information, click here.

The KSER Board of Directors is responsible for governing the KSER Foundation. Board members typically serve a three-year term, unless appointed to fill current open seats, and are limited to three consecutive terms. For more information click here or contact boardprez@kser.org.

Today's cool hack of the day: faraday cages, leaky microwave ovens, and using AirPods Pro as hearing aids in a country where you aren't allowed to

[CW: strong, bleak/dark/violent humour, profanity] Frankie Boyle's American Autopsy was recorded shortly after the 2016 US election, and includes contributions from guests Sara Pascoe, Katherine Ryan, Michelle Wolf, Desiree Burch, and (unfortunately) Richard Osman. The show is based around three propositions concerning America, voted on by Americans in the audience. Link originally from a late 2016 post.

"He's pulled strings like that before. And it baffles me, right? Because it really does make zero sense." A sweet, strange, short piece of memoir (note that the title has a NSFW profanity in it) about a workplace, and saving geckos, and a sorting-out of a misunderstanding, and what builds trust.

Phones had become kids' entire worlds: their classrooms, entertainment and their primary connection to friends and peers. (slMacleans)

Spoiler alert: there is no easy solution!

90s kids remember when an episode of Pokémon sent hundreds of viewers to the hospital with seizures or convulsions. But there is far more to the story of Pokémon's banned episode. Writer AJ of Anime Feminist takes a closer look at the investigation of the incident, and its lasting effects on photosensitivity research and accessibility standards.

With a depth of up to 160 feet, the temperature inside the network of tunnels and chambers hovers between 68 and 72 degrees all year round, with humidity sitting at a comfortable 40 percent. Thanks to the miners' use of an extraction technique called the "room and pillar method," the enormous underground cavities left behind are supported by 16-foot pillars; the space is open, regular, and, expansive enough to accommodate nearly anything that can fit through its above-ground, drive-in entrance ramps. from Since the '60s, Ford Has Stored Cars Underground in a Kansas City Cave [Hagerty]

Tracking Trump's picks for his cabinet and administration (CNN)

Names include: WH Chief of Staff Susie Wiles Secretary of State Marco Rubio Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth Attorney General Matt Gaetz Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard Ambassador to the UN Elise Stefanik Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee Special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff National security advisor Mike Waltz CIA director John Ratcliffe EPA administrator Lee Zeldin WH counsel Bill McGinley Border czar Tom Holman and co-directors of the as-yet-hypothetical Department of Government Efficiency, Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk Yet to be announced: a role for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

The key to taking effective action in a Trump world is to avoid perpetuating the autocrat's goals of fear, isolation, exhaustion and disorientation.

You can view the author talking about this article here (or watch the whole episode, the first hour and a half is very informative). You can also try your hand at a choose your own adventure style playing out of Trumps second term.

That staff of Reasons To Be Cheerful staff sharing interesting news: See what stories caught our attention this week, from a scrappy, solar-powered New York lifestyle to early media literacy lessons in Finland.

"To look at the Earth from space is like a child looking into a mirror and realizing for the first time that the person in the mirror is herself" [ap: Samantha Harvey's space-station novel 'Orbital' (g) wins the Booker Prize for fiction]

Content Warning: Incredibly ugly upcoming U.S. Politics. Stephen Miller and Donald Trump's public promise for a "bloody story" - plans for sweeping raids and mass deportations of 10 to 20 million people living in America are expected to start when Trump assumes office and begins on day one.

People living all across the United States, from farm camps in the backwaters of Florida to the ethnically diverse neighborhoods of major cities will likely be greviously impacted. Currently it is expected that the combined utilization of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), National Guard, local police, trained and armed civilians and possibly even the US Military will take part in the raids to capture legal and illegal immigrants. Sympathetic police departments will have their funding slashed if they don't participate in the raids. Surprisingly, some research suggests a majority of Americans support mass deportations and concentration camps, which was reflected in the election results. Whether the popular support continues after it begins depends on the effectiveness of ICE and the Department of Homeland Security's indoctrination and propaganda programs that they have already been preparing for this moment, as well as the mass media's whitewashing of the proceedings as an "affordable housing program," among other things. So the question is, what can we realistically expect? ICE's "Citizens Academy" program offers up some clues...

The academy trains civilians to operate multiple firearms, use lethal force, perform surveillance on immigrants, and conduct raids while also acting as a public relations initiative to try and sway public opinion about ICE, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the HSI unit of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). "We ran Border Patrol Citizen Academies back when I was an agent as well," Jenn Budd, former Senior Border Patrol Agent, whistleblower, and author of Against the Wall told Unicorn Riot. "The entire goal is to indoctrinate locals into why it's okay for us to violate people's rights." The training materials that show where to strike people with batons to subdue them are but the tip of the iceberg in terms of violence. While the ICE presentation on using force contains the "Monadnock Baton Chart" (presumably named after baton manufacturer Monadnock) showing the degrees of damage inflicted on a suspect based on where they're struck with a baton, the majority of this part of Citizens Academy training covers when to use deadly force.

What could happen to the people swept up? The program is generally portrayed as mass deportations, but already it has become clear that many countries (even Mexico) are expected not to welcome the tidal wave of migrants. Instead, the prison-industrial complex which is being flooded with investment money is gearing up to build large scale prisons and camps to house them. Many of these migrants can be expected to be kept there for years on end, with the Supreme Court supporting indefinite detetion of immigrants, an affirmation of long standing U.S. policy. Slavery in America is still legal in the prison system (even California voter's just reaffirmed) and many companies could stand to make a lot of money off of the cheap workforce. The prior Trump administration focused on breaking families up, but this time they promise to include everyone in the family, no matter the immigration status, even denaturalization of American citizens. How will it be payed for? The operation is projected to cost upwards of $300 billion or much more and this has frequently been cited as a major reason that the invisioned plans will falter. If Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency's (DOGE) plans for freeing up $2 trillion of the yearly federal budget succeeds, there appears to be plenty of money to reallocate. Even without these slush funds, Trump has already declared that the operation has "no price tag." Some recent and historical parallels In China, many Uyghurs have been put into forced labor prison camps for decades now, and the Xinjiang region has long been at the technological vanguard of state of the art large scale surveillance and population control research and development. American and Western tech companies can take what they have learned in Xinjiang and finally bring it home for wide spread use domestically. During the Holocaust, many "good Germans" helped to report their neighbors, and already Americans are arguing whether it is ethical to call in ICE on theirs. America has a long history of anti-immigrant campaigns and attacking ethnic communities, including Operation Wetback in 1953-54, the Japanese Internment Camps during WWII and tracing back to events like the Trail of Tears and traditional American slavery, to name a few. Hoping for the best While the years of preparation for Project 2025, combined with the GOP's complete control of all of the branches of the federal government suggests things are going to be harder to stop. It is good to remember that for all intents and purposes this will be an unimaginable kakistocracy and the revolving door of grifters is likely to spin even faster than it did during the first Trump administration. Major logistical questions remain - how fast can they actually scale up, for example, or deal with the massively inflated costs, bribes and outright theft chipping away at the budget. The chaos caused by replacing 50,000 federal employees with largely incompetent hacks while gutting government agencies left and right alone will likely slow down any plans significantly due to the complex and tightly coupled systems that make up the US government. Fortunately the ACLU and many other organizations and Democratic state governments vow to legally fight back against the upcoming operations. And lastly, it is likely that there will be large scale public action. Whether it is in the form of protests, strikes or imaginative work arounds for whatever crackdowns that are coming, there many Americans who will push back.

'About Sensations', 1948 Aviator film (slyt, 5:30) ((CW warning, sexism)) "In 1943, Lt. Robert Osborn, in collaboration with Commander Seth Warner, created the "sage of safety" character for a column in the BUAER News Letter produced by the Bureau of Aeronautics to address the increasing aircraft mishap rate. Osborn's illustrations commingled with Warner's narrative accounts of aircraft accidents." " Case in point: this 1945 Navy training film produced at Warner Bros. Cartoons featuring cartoonist Robert Osborn's character Grampa Pettibone. I'd never come across anything about this in all my years of research." 'The Grampa Pettibone collection'

the last link has PDFs.

My great-aunt went on to earn her master's degree at Smith College School for Social Work, and then settled in a teaching position in the newly formed Richmond Professional Institute at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. That's where she briefly mentioned meeting "Anne, a newcomer from Ohio" in 1929. The two would be together for the rest of their lives. from Odd Birds by Shane Mitchell [The Bitter Southerner]

Koala intruder in bedroom startles couple getting home from work. Something soft and cuddly on a bed can be a welcome sight if that something is inanimate, like a pillow — but in the early hours of Wednesday morning an Adelaide couple were forced to contend with a friendly, if unexpected, intruder.

Hey hey it's the podcast again. Loup and I talk about the Ask the Mods Anything questions and reveal the winners of the Halloween Costume Contest. Thank you not_on_display for the mixing.

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Other mentioned links Kid ballots Neighborhood costumes in Vermont Dark Matter on FanFare Mr. Crocket movie on FanFare MeFi 25th in Cambridge Jessamyn on Wikipedia Mastodon post about "Hey that's my grandmother" on Flickr Wikiproject LGBTQ+ Studies and policies on pronouns and gender identity The Cooter Clock origin story MLTSHP community Yarnify community StumbleUpon still exists! Halloween Costumes

Hi all, this is a message from MetaFilter's BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) board. In the interest of highlighting and growing the global perspective here on our little corner of the web, we want to encourage BIPOC members to post a bit more to the site. So we're going to use this second week of November to encourage members who don't consider themselves Western world natives (Diasporic BIPOC welcome here) to make a post or two about their culture.

To that end, we have a few suggestions/themes, but no one has to feel bound to use them, they're merely suggestions: How does your culture use rice cookers? What is one thing about your culture that people have misconceptions about or have stigmas within Western cultural perceptions? How does your country or culture view/treat cats (past and present)? What's a particular food item that is popular in your culture and what are some of the popular variants? The posts don't have to be long or filled with links, but it's ok if they are! Single link posts are absolutely fine on MetaFilter and have a long history on the site. We're doing this as a way to showcase the width and breadth of MetaFilter's global community. No other community is forbidden or discouraged from posting during this event, we merely ask other communities to highlight or share their culture with others on MetaFilter. Keep in mind that MetaFilter is more than front page posts. If there's a particular Project you've been working on, music you've created, or media you like, then you can share all these things on the Projects, Music, or FanFare pages! Our only request is that you tag these posts with 'BIPOC' or let the mods know and we'll add the tags.

Escuche el programa de este miércoles 13 de noviembre. La Luciérnaga, un espacio de humor y opinión de Caracol Radio que desde hace 31 años acompaña a sus oyentes en su regreso casa.

I know this topic is going to be coming up more and more, but I haven't found much information on my own. Are there reputable companies that help US citizens in all aspects of becoming expats in Europe?

From the initial research we've done, the road to becoming an expat is long and difficult. There are so many things to consider, from the types of Visas necessary to the logistics of the actual move, and all the bureaucracy in the middle. Certainly, there must be companies whose specialty is guiding Americans through it all. I'm guessing we will see a lot of scammy ones pop up, too.

Please let us know if anyone here has found and used such a (reputable) service!

... about stories I tell myself. So you lived life for some amount of time. You learned some lessons. You tell yourself, Ah I see now the I should do this with that, move this way when that way comes, and so on. Then after even more experience, you discover that the story you have been telling yourself is wrong or at the very least inadequate

What is that story?
How does it make you feel to discover it has been wrong?

A couple of weeks ago, my old colleague (lets call her M) passed away tragically, and turns out all signs point to spousal abuse and eventual tragedy. We weren't super close, but I was her first manager, and over the years, we ended up working together a lot, with her even managing me at times. She was a pretty big deal in our company eventually. I know that some of my other current and ex colleagues knew her. They may not know about the situation, I am conflicted about letting people know and also pushing for our company to address it. Some details inside

My company was pretty small, 200 people, which was as close as you could get to a company with people distributed across the country. We got bought by a huge company and M left a year or two into the acquisition. My company is still a formal entity in the new large company. Many but not all of these people live in the same area that M resided. Circumstances of the situation, which are rich attractive white people means that this is already BIG NEWS (like local tv, and local paper) in the city but outside city have not likely reached.

I'm not sure why exactly I have the urge or the urge not to pass on the information. My non-urge is if you didn't interact with this person on a daily basis after you left, your life would be same if you didn't hear it. On the other hand, if you do find out and nobody told you would feel out of the loop and a weird sensation fo not knowing. Also there's something about me maybe processing this grief. But rather not put it on others. It feels like gossip almost too?

Categories of colleagues:

- Set of ex colleagues i talk to almost daily on slack: where I found the information, we are processing it daily
- ex/current Colleague/friends who I talk to monthly (On text/chat): im thinking about texting and telling them about if they've heard
-Current colleagues i dont talk to but are all part of the same organization: I'd like to ask leadership to make a statement, or something acknowledging it. This situation is traumitizing to me and i cannot fathom how it would make the women in my organization or those who work with them closely feel

In advance of Black Friday, looking for e-drums that fit particular criteria...

I'm looking for a set of e-drums that I can basically learn to play on. My criteria:

- mesh heads
- Can connect to a computer for recording (I want to accompany myself on guitar and bass, eventually)
- Inexpensive (<$1000)
- Most importantly, has some kind of learning mode! My favorite kind of drumming-but-not-really in the past was playing Rock Band. So any kind of mode where I can play along with patterns or more would be great. Not expecting anything that will make me amazing, just something to make practice more interesting, really.

Any suggestions?

So I was watching a movie that's close to 40 years old that featured not only the "I'm too old for this shit!" line but also the trope where there's a cop announcing he's due to retire in a few days who more or less immediately gets killed. What is the earliest appearance of this trope? (This will by its nature be a spoilery thread. Since I'm looking for examples that are 40+ years old, I don't think that should be an issue for most people, but if you're some kind of anti-spoiler monastic even on movies old nearly enough to retire from the police force themselves, feel free to opt out.)

The movie I was watching was To Live and Die in LA, by the way.

I'm fully expecting someone who frequents those movie trope pages to have a handy link for this, but I'm also figuring some example by example sorting may be in order.

I figure there were probably antecedents to this trope, like maybe WWII movies where a guy's stint is up the next day, then he gets killed by a sniper or what have you. I'm interested to hear about those too, but I'd also like to know where it started with cop movies, what some classic examples are (Lethal Weapon springs to mind), and even if it's appeared much since it's 1980's heyday.

I really like the Fossil Asher leather briefcase but $395 is out of my price range. Can MeFites recommend a similar brown leather briefcase that is under $250? I would like to buy from a company that pays workers fairly and has safe working conditions. Leather alternatives are fine. (Unfortunately, MeFi favorite Tom Bihn is a little too casual for my work environment(s).)

Like many people here in the United States, my spouse and I are not happy about the recent election here. But we did not get here without precedent; for example, the Nixon administration and Spiro Agnew specifically were very aggressive in demonizing the press as political enemies for reporting on the corruption rampant within that administration. What are some good videos we can watch with other (sympathetic) family members to help them understand the historical underpinnings of our current situation? Some examples of the sort of thing I am talking about below the fold:

Stanley Karnow's Vietnam: A Television History

BBC's Oppenheimer

American Experience's series on LBJ

So 20th century (and earlier, especially slavery/slavers' rebellion related) US history with a political bent, even if politics isn't the main thrust. As always, thanks in advance.

My desktop computer accesses the internet via cable connection. Years ago, my son connected a router to my desktop computer so that I could use my laptop via the router. My laptop will no longer connect to the internet via the router. The router seems to have died from old age (everything is blinking and it looks okay ... it's like the lights are on but nobody's home), and so I've decided to disconnect it, but I don't know what steps I need to take to do so.


I clicked around on my laptop and encountered a diagram that shows the laptop is active, and the diagram has an arrow that points to a router icon and shows that the router is active, and there is an arrow that points to a globe icon and shows that the worldwide web is NOT active.

I assume that I should assume that the router has died, and so I want to disconnect the router to get it out of the way. How do I do this?

Is it a matter of just unplugging the router and all of the connections? If I do this, will my desktop that is connected to the internet via cable still be able to access the internet without the router, or do I need to somehow tell my desktop that the router is gone and that it needs to start using the cable, instead, now?

I'm usually quite successful finding answers via YouTube tutorials, but I have had not luck with this so far.

I moved into a new place and the landlord requires renter's insurance with his name and coverage amounts he specified. I got a policy from Lemonade but they can't add him as additional insured, just additional interested. When you've had policies due to landlord requirements, how did you list your landlord and which company? I don't have other insurance to bundle.

Some friends and I saw what looked like mini Halloween or Christmas lights, strung over some bushes as decoration. The light was solid orange, but when we walked by, or even just moved our heads, a green glow appeared behind or alongside each one. It wasn't an afterimage - it was clearly something that was coming from the bulbs. They didn't change color on their own, or twinkle or fade or have any other effects.

I'd really like to find some of these, not necessarily orange and green, but small lights where a different colored glow appears with movement. Is this something anyone is familiar with, or can suggest a search that would find them?

How can I redirect a task at work that I do not possess the skills to complete and cannot learn how to do in a timely manner? Sometimes I know it immediately, and sometimes it takes me a bit to find out. I usually say, "Hey, I don't think I'm going to be able to address this in a timely manner because it's not part of my wheelhouse. Could we delegate it to someone else on the team?" when I am working with a manager. Is this the right route?

Example scenario: I have been asked to address accessibility issues on a marketing website. This task requires an understanding of accessibility requirements, code overrides, and the website host (Framer) in general. I've already gotten two tasks totally wrong because despite my best efforts to learn as I go, I'm a visual designer, not a front-end developer!

I initially asked a developer colleague I don't know very well for guidance, but today I admitted to him that I am out of my depth and asked if he could please address the failed tickets instead of me so they're done correctly. I cannot tell if this is diva behavior. Is it okay to essentially say "I'm not the right person to do this," when asked to do something? Should I be trying harder?

I slept poorly last night because I hate inefficiency but dislike being viewed as incompetent even more.

My family and I are greatly interested in events featuring people who were directly involved with the Civil Rights movement, specifically the fight against segregation and racism. I am keenly aware that time is limited for hearing them speak in person, and I want my kids to be able to meet them and hear their stories.

To give you an idea of the sorts of things I mean: over the past year, we have been able to book a tour of Selma with Joanne Bland (which was an incredibly wonderful experience!), and attend a panel discussion with Bernard Lafayette and other Freedom Riders.

Aside from repeatedly doing internet searches for names of people we would be interested in seeing, is there a way for us to keep track of upcoming events along these lines that we might be interested in? We're willing to travel, so we're looking for more than local options. And if you happen to know of upcoming events along these lines, please share!

Thanks in advance for any ideas you may have.

I am considering getting a new car. My current car predates all the sort of smart screen tech and, because of the principle of the thing, I am concerned about privacy issues in the event that I get a more recent vehicle.

I'm in the early stages of consideration and never was much of a car fanatic, so I'm curious if anyone could point me to some online resources to help me consider my options in the event that I have to go that route? I frankly would not want one of the big touch screens in my car even apart from privacy, just because they seem like a huge distraction, but if the only models in my price range have screens, I want to clamp down on them as much as possible.


I may not actually get a car with smart tech; I am mainly just hoping to gain more information to help make my decisions here.

There are plenty of famous examples of ad campaigns explicitly targeting competitors going back a few decades. What are some examples in the modern era, possibly using social media and/or other new forms of attack?

I'm trying to remember the title of a book that, realistically, I probably read about somewhere here on MeFi. It's post-apocalyptic, I believe it was written by a female author.

The plot summary, as I remember it: Humanity has ruined/is in the process of ruining the environment, and so an unknown entity releases a virus(?) that makes everyone infertile. As a result, an unknown entity puts together a system of cameras, computers, etc. that will record the last days of humanity for posterity. The book is comprised of chapters about the last human on earth (female, named Sarah?), as well as flashbacks of when the world was circling the drain. There are also additional chapters that are written from the point of view of the AI(?) that is compiling the data of the last human on earth. The last human on earth is not happy about her situation, and destroys the drones and cameras that are recording her last moments.

Maybe the cover was blue?

Thanks in advance!

So, in a recent question, someone used ChatGPT to identify someone's 'remember this book' and I thought 'huh, I wonder if ChatGPT can identify my so-far-unsolved remember this book?' So I threw in the text from my previous Ask and ChatGPT came up with a plausible sounding response -- "The Road to Rio: A Journey Across the Americas" by Australian journalist and author, John A. Lee -- but now I can't find any evidence that that person or that book exists. Is it a hallucination or can you help me find it?

Here's the full text of the ChatGPT response:

It sounds like you're recalling "The Road to Rio: A Journey Across the Americas" by Australian journalist and author, John A. Lee. The book is a travelogue that covers Lee's hitchhiking journey across both North and South America, in the post-World War II era. While the exact dates are not always clear, the references to events like the opening of the Alaska Highway strongly suggest a timeframe that fits the 1940s, with a focus on the era immediately following the war. The connection to Prince George, British Columbia, in the narrative also helps to date the book as being closely tied to the time when the Alaska Highway was opened, which makes sense given the events you've described.

As for the mention of a dog and the author's travels through various parts of the Americas, including the Darien Gap and eventually reaching Brazil, this sounds like it aligns with the broader scope of Lee's journey and the adventures he experienced during his time on the road.

This book, while not as widely known today, was quite popular when it was first published and is still cherished by those interested in mid-20th-century travel writing, particularly for its unique perspective from an Australian author exploring the Americas. Your memory of finding it at the University and its plain orange binding might indicate it was a reprint or an edition from the 1950s or 60s. Does this sound like the book you're thinking of?

When I asked it where I could find the book, it told me that it might have been wrong and just gave me general ideas for searching. I tried WorldCat and couldn't find it. Can you? Or is ChatGPT wrong?

I looked for a previous post for this, but the one closest to my ask is ten years old. I'm looking for websites with good writing on current events – not even mostly political, but also pop culture, accessible science-y content, and other stuff I might not even know I'll like...

I've realized that my online perusing world has gotten very small, and after this past week I've had to stop looking at some to save my sanity (farewell Reddit main page randomness). I like Boing Boing and Laughing Squid, for reference. That old ask recommended these, all of which I've read here or there, but never had as regular online visits:

The New Republic
The Atlantic
The New Yorker
Vox
Raw Story

Thoughts on their current quality? What other sites do you head to after you catch up on MeFi?

I'm looking for recommendations for picture books (think ages 3-6) that include (but do not have to be about) interracial friendships. I am NOT looking for mixed-race families, there are tons of those. It's fine if that's also present but it's not the specific thing I need.

">Max and Kate would be a perfect example of what I'm looking for.

Can you suggest holiday dinner dishes that would satisfy a group of three that includes a pescetarian, a traditionalist, and a pre-diabetic? Bonus points for an entree, recipe, and being easy to cook (especially if it can be prepared ahead).

Social media posts falsely claim that Elon Musk banned author Stephen King from X, the social media platform owned by Musk. The rumor that King was banned originated on a satirical website. King's X account remains active, and he used it on Nov. 13 to debunk the claim.

The post Musk Did Not Ban Stephen King from X, Contrary to Online Claims appeared first on FactCheck.org.

The Apalachin Meeting was a summit of some 100 Mafiosi from the US, Canada, and Italy that was raided after their fancy cars and out-of-state license plates aroused the suspicions of law enforcement agents in Apalachin, New York. Fifty-eight Mafiosi, including bosses Carlo Gambino and Vito Genovese, were detained. Perhaps the most significant consequence of the raid was that it confirmed the American Mafia's existence, a fact that had long been denied by what prominent law enforcement official? Discuss

Famously public-spirited and generous, Copland came to be unofficially regarded as the US's national composer. Although his earliest works show European influences, the American character of the greater part of his compositions is evident in his use of jazz and American folk tunes. He is best known for his three ballets based on American folk material: Billy the Kid, Rodeo, and Appalachian Spring, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize. For what films did Copland compose music? Discuss

A discovery of absolutely epic proportions has just been revealed, but the corporate media in the United States almost entirely ignored it.  A team of scientists led by Dr. Irving Finkel has deciphered the oldest map in the world, and we are being told that it actually reveals the location of Noah’s Ark.  This is …

Is it a good or bad thing? On Saturday evening, Donald Trump gave a strong signal of what his second term would be like, writing on Truth Social: “I will not be inviting former Ambassador Nikki Haley, or former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to join the Trump Administration, which is currently in formation. I very much …

After fifty years of leftist dominance and indoctrination in the schools, this really doesn’t come as a surprise, but it’s a good indication of where we are as a culture: it is now more socially acceptable and easier overall for students to declare that they are homosexual than it is for them to reveal that …

‘The plight of Jews today … would be greatly helped through a revival of Christian faith’ World War II ended almost 80 years ago, and yet, amazingly, Jews again are being persecuted in earnest in some parts of Europe. CNN reports on last week’s clash in Holland after a sports event: that Israeli soccer fans were beaten …