“The last words Albus Dumbledore spoke to the pair of us?'
Harry is the best hope we have. Trust him.”
“Everything can be replaced”
-Bob Dylan (I Shall be Released)
There is truth in wine and children.
Police watchdog loses boss after criticism
The government announcement came two weeks after LECC chief commissioner Michael Adams, QC, said there was a "significant corruption" problem with NSW Police.
“A hundred men in one; a stranger transforming into a hundred strangers.”
Klose introduces Lassehn to a small group of like-minded anti-Nazis including Dr Bottcher and Friedrich Wiegand. Wiegand is wanted by the Nazis and living under a false name. Where Lassehn typifies those who have grown disillusioned and disgusted by National Socialism, Wiegand best represents those who have resisted all along. Wiegand has already spent time in a concentration camp as a political prisoner and, in the course of the novel, he will come under suspicion again, placing his wife in danger. His eldest son, Robert, on the other hand, has fully embraced fascism having “willingly allowed the poison of National Socialism to seep into him.” All live with the fear of discovery, as Wiegand explains:
“Experience has taught me that everyone observes everyone, that everybody suspects his neighbour, whether it’s because he fears he’s being spied upon or because he himself is a spy, quite apart from those creature who, without actually being spies, like to make themselves tools of the party, to demonstrate their loyalty and reliability.”
Men are like wine: some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age.
Pope John XXIII
- If you do not have patience you cannot make wine or children
The plaque, designed by architect Petr Hajek, is made of resin, with a sheet of paper conserved inside, which bears the inscription “I lived here, too, Václav Havel.”
Its unveiling was initiated by Jaroslav Solc, a deputy mayor of the Prague 2 district where the house is situated.
Prague 2 Mayor Jana Cernochova said the plaque corresponds to Havel’s nature. “It is very modest, very simple, and also very witty. Simply, it is Havel-like,” Cernochova told reporters.
Ivan Havel said his brother moved out from the house twice in his life. For the first time, he moved to Prague-Dejvice after marrying his first wife Olga in the 1960s. His second departure was for Prague Castle in his capacity as president.
- Earth used to be the queen of beds
- There now exists four large-scale studies that use this multivariate methodology (see here, here, here, and here). All four studies are conducted cross-culturally and report on an analysis of narrow personality traits (which, as you may recall, is where most of the action is when it comes to sex differences). Critically, all four studies converge on the same basic finding: when looking at the overall gestalt of human personality, there is a truly striking difference between the typical male and female personality profiles
- In collaboration with the Prado Museum in Madrid, the World Wildlife Fundaltered a few paintings from the museum’s collection to highlight the future effects of climate change: extinction of species, sea level rise, desertification, and climate refugees.
When It Comes to Your Future: Who Do You Trust? – Global Speaker and Thought Leader, Best-Selling Author, and Futurist Bill Jensen
reviews critical facets of human capital management through the lens of
the much heralded arrival of the robot manager. One key take-away from
this article – Trust is a people issue.
The Neuroscience of Trust HBR – Paul J. Zak
– “Companies are twisting themselves into knots to empower and
challenge their employees. They’re anxious about the sad state of
engagement, and rightly so, given the value they’re losing. Consider
Gallup’s meta-analysis
of decades’ worth of data: It shows that high engagement—defined
largely as having a strong connection with one’s work and colleagues,
feeling like a real contributor, and enjoying ample chances to
learn—consistently leads to positive outcomes for both individuals and
organizations. The rewards include higher productivity, better-quality
products, and increased profitability. So it’s clear that creating an
employee-centric culture can be good for business. But how do you do
that effectively? Culture is typically designed in an ad hoc way around
random perks like gourmet meals or “karaoke Fridays,” often in thrall to
some psychological fad. And despite the evidence that you can’t buy higher job satisfaction,
organizations still use golden handcuffs to keep good employees in
place. While such efforts might boost workplace happiness in the short
term, they fail to have any lasting effect on talent retention or performance.
In my research I’ve found that building a culture of trust is what makes a meaningful difference. Employees in high-trust organizations are more productive, have more energy at work, collaborate better with their colleagues, and stay with their employers longer than people working at low-trust companies. They also suffer less chronic stress and are happier with their lives, and these factors fuel stronger performance…”
Ancient DNA confirms humans wiped out northern hemisphere’s version of the penguin The Conversation
Cronies Everywhere Project Syndicate
Delivering the goods: Drones and robots are making their way to your door CBS
Texan ‘Rodeo Ants’ Ride on the Backs of Bigger Ants Smithsonian
Texan ‘Rodeo Ants’ Ride on the Backs of Bigger Ants Smithsonian
Susan Gubar, Late-Life Love: A Memoir.
Bernardine Evaristo. Girl, Woman, Other: A Novel. The Booker co-winner and yes the focus of black women’s gender-fluid lives in Britain sounds too PC, but I was won over. There is a Straussian reading of it as well.
Elizabeth Strout, Olive, Again: A Novel.
On the classical music front, Jean-Paul Gasparian’s Chopin CD is one of the best Chopin recordings ever, which is saying something.
HSBC PENALTY
The bank at the center of our
2015 Swiss Leaks investigation has agreed to pay a $192 million penalty for
helping Americans evade taxes. HSBC Private Bank said bankers had traveled from
Switzerland to the United States between 2005 and 2007 to recruit clients and
open “undeclared accounts.” Court documents also revealed bankers were actively
soliciting clients to hide assets
using codenames, numbered accounts and offshore networks.
CHINA INTEL
Even before we released our
China Cables investigation, journalists and researchers had been working hard
to extract information from China’s secretive Xinjiang region. After all, leaks
from the Chinese government are extremely
rare. Technology – and sheer perseverance – have helped researchers
and reporters gain insight
into what’s happening. We take a look at how the information has become public
since the first English reports were published in 2017.
OFFSHORE’S DIRTY WORDS
The Panama Papers pre-trial
continues in the U.S., with defense attorneys turning their attention to the “four-letter
word synonymous with illicit financial activity.” They argue that words like
“shell” company and “tax haven” (yes, we know they’re more than four letters!)
would inflame the
passions of the jury. Their example? The scene from Panama
Papers-inspired film The Laundromat, where Meryl Streep’s character links shell
companies to the death of her husband. The trial starts January 13.
NEW BOARD MEMBERS
We’re proud to announce three new
members for our board of directors: Tony Norman, Birgit Rieck,
and Dapo Olorunyomi. Welcome to the ICIJ family!