Saturday, October 06, 2018

How the world works: Do earthquakes make people more religious?

Shakespeare: “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”

 I suspect that no one who is charming thinks himself charming, and anyone who thinks himself charming probably isn’t as charming as he thinks.
“It was at just this time of year that I first arrived, at the age of nine, in the suburban demiparadise I still call home. After the first day of school, I joined a gang of boys heading straight to the park to climb trees and harvest conkers. We had to throw sticks – there was nothing like this year’s easy largesse – but that only made it more fun. I looked around me at the park, lit by a mellow September sun, and knew I'd arrived in a rather special place.”



I note that the fun police are as vigilant in England as they are in the U.S. See “School bans ‘nut allergy’ conkers.”
Richard Denniss: Not sure how to say this...but according to the Australian Financial Review
@BenOquist
and I are among the 20 most powerful people in the country. I can assure you I will be using my newfound power to reduce inequality and emissions. Wish me luck! #auspol

Do earthquakes make people more religious? 

'Unauthorised': Privatised land titles registry hiked fees by 1900 per cent


  • by Esther Han

 Outgoing tax head calls for checks on ATO Commissioner's power
The Battle for Our Minds Consortium News


Here is an excerpt from Tim Herrra in the NYT, under the title “Three [sic] Tips to Have Better Conversations“:

To be a true conversation superstar, try these tips:
  • Be attentive and give eye contact.
  • Make active and engaged expressions.
  • Repeat back what you’ve heard, and follow up with questions.
  • If you notice something you want to say, don’t say it. Challenge it and go back to listening.
  • For bonus points, wait an hour to bring up that thing you didn’t say earlier.
And keep in mind that when you say something declarative, seek out the other person’s opinion as well.

Those seem mostly wrong to me, and perhaps better targeted at the median USA Today reader who has to make small talk at a company picnic.  I would suggest some slightly different tips, admittedly not for everyone in all situations:

1. Set up the conversational premise so you, and the other person, have easy outs, if it is not a good match.

2. Don’t assume the conversation will last an hour.  Rapidly signal what kind of conversation you are good at, if anything going overboard in the preferred direction, again to establish whether the proper conversational match is in place.

3. If you notice something you want to say, say it.

4. Be worthy of a good conversation.

Rinse and repeat.  I would stress the basic point that most conversations are bad, so your proper goal is to make them worse (so they can end) rather than better.

What is conversation for anyway?  I don’t even recommend being charming, or trying to be charming, unless a work situation is forcing you to do so.  Let yourself be sullen when the mood beckons.  Feel free to let eye contact lapse.  Don’t repeat back what you’ve heard.  Say something surprising.  Be willing to go meta.  Most of all, try to establish a “we actually can have a more genuine conversation than we thought was going to be possible” level of understanding, taking whatever chances are needed to get to that higher level of discourse.

By the way, do not use alcohol, not if you wish to learn something or maximize your powers of discrimination.


Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war
Julius Caesar is Shakespeare’s political thriller, a masterpiece of intrigue and treachery. Stand witness to the assassination that leads to a life and death struggle for power in the republic.






MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Bill Patterson had a choice: Give up your source or go to jail. The Fresno Bee reporter’s choice to be imprisoned, along with three colleagues, drew international attention and helped change laws that protect journalists. The decision by Patterson, who died Sunday, and his colleagues reverberates today, said retired attorney Phil Fullerton, who represented him. "What they stood for is overwhelmingly important at this time in our country,” Fullerton said. “The ability for the press to gather information is absolutely imperative and Bill, early – 40 years ago – stood for this right.”

Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service shuts down youth service
"We definitely need to have services that are tailored, that are culturally appropriate, that understand the client base." (ABC)

From the Air Force, to law, to CEO to board director: Meet Dr Kirstin Ferguson
"It’s taken me decades to feel confident in my own leadership. I am ok with my vulnerabilities." (Women's Agenda)

Who missed out on the ABC board?
"The independent panel produced its nominees, but the government had other ideas. Now it’s sitting on the names." (Inside Story)
New York Times op-ed:  The Senate Should Not Confirm Kavanaugh, Signed, 2,400+ Law Professors (and Counting):
We are law professors who teach, research and write about the judicial institutions of this country. Many of us appear in state and federal court, and our work means that we will continue to do so, including before the United States Supreme Court. We regret that we feel compelled to write to you, our Senators, to provide our views that at the Senate hearings on Sept. 27, Judge Brett Kavanaugh displayed a lack of judicial temperament that would be disqualifying for any court, and certainly for elevation to the highest court of this land. ...
We have differing views about the other qualifications of Judge Kavanaugh. But we are united, as professors of law and scholars of judicial institutions, in believing that he did not display the impartiality and judicial temperament requisite to sit on the highest court of our land.
At least 38 Tax Profs signed the letter...

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