Rembrandt's Night Watch - MEdia Dragon Trends

 Court holds that regulation guaranteeing union access to employees is unconstitutionalSCOTUSBlog. Bigger, I think, than the cheerleader case.

 

Articles of Note

Avaricious, vain, envious, lazy: a previously unknown memoir paints a decidedly unflattering portrait of John Locke... more »

New Books

Pablo Neruda’s memoir is stunningly vain, morally abhorrent, and yet beautifully written. A new version renders it complete — or does it?   ... more »

Essays & Opinions

The devious Edmund Curll. Nemesis of Alexander Pope, he both pirated the poet’s work and satirized him endlessly   ... more »

MEdia Dragon Trends - Make Use Of: “With Google’s ubiquity, seeing what people search for is quite interesting. By looking at trending searches, you can easily find what the hottest topics are, which terms people care about, and gain insight into the minds of internet users. Did you know that Google provides a powerful tool called Google Trends that lets you access and filter through this information with ease? Let’s take a look at Google Trends and see how to find what’s trending right now, plus much more. At its core, Google Trends is a web service that lets you check out what’s trending on Google and see what people search for. While useful for business research, it offers a lot of fun for casual use, too. On the Google Trends homepage, you’ll see some starter examples of topics to explore. These include worldwide interest in the World Cup by country in the past week, and overall interest in the word “cupcake” worldwide since 2004…”

The Very First Case of COVID-19 Was Much Earlier Than We Knew, New Study IndicatesScience Alert (David L). NC has been saying for months that modeling at UCSF ascertained Covid was circulating in October.

First COVID-19 case could have emerged in China in Oct 2019 – study Reuters

St. Vincent Nurses Strike for Safer Patient Care Reaches 105 Days on Sunday Making it the Second Longest Nurses Strike in Massachusetts History Massachusetts Nurses Association. June 29 Town Hall Registration.

 

‘People don’t want to go back to the same’: Why some think labor crunch isn’t just about payYahoo Finance

 

Can Interior Design Help Beat the Heat? This House Does It Right Mansion Global. The classism makes my back teeth itch, but there are some interesting tips buried beneath the “signature lived-in, English cottage aesthetic.”

Wild Rice Waters Places Journal

Which living thing is the best ‘mascot’ for long-term thinking? The Long-Termist’s Field Guide

Interview: Marc Andreessen, VC and tech pioneerNoah Smith, Noahpinion

BJPS Launches “Short Reads”

Are you interested in learning about recent work in philosophy of science but lack the time to read a bunch of articles? Well, a new feature at the British Journal for the Philosophy of Science (BJPS), “Short Reads,” may be just what you need, and may provide a model for other journals across the discipline. (more…)

“Engineers of the human soul would wish to deal with…evil by suppression; literature, real literature, deals with it through the power of imaginative sublimation” — also, says Justin E.H. Smith, “philosophy is not a fan club, and if you are treating it as one, this is because you do not really understand what philosophy is” 

 

“The philosophical picture of natural kinds… are not well-suited to the aims of medicine and disease classification” — an interview with Anya Plutynski (Wash. U. St. Louis) on the philosophy of cancer and other questions related to philosophy, science, and medicine 

 

“Whether we frame the relevant decision problems from the perspective of the individual or from an aggregate perspective can make a difference” — Johanna Thoma (LSE) on why the morality of artificial intelligences might rationally differ from the morality of humans 

 

“If speaking our minds is important to developing ourselves as rational creatures, and if such development is at least one important aspect of the good life, then we ought not to sacrifice it willy-nilly at the altar of social status” — Hrishikesh Joshi (Bowling Green) brings together Aristotle and an interactionist account of reason 

 

“There is a switch that can divert the trolley onto another track, away from the bill. But! Lying strapped to that length of track is the filibuster” — the filibuster variant of the trolley problem, from Alexandra Petri (via Kathleen Wallace) 

 

“Maybe in the end numbers will come to seem a little like the way logic as used in the Middle Ages might seem to us today: a framework for determining things that’s much less complete and powerful than what we now have” — have we been tricked by the limits of our epistemology into making mistakes about metaphysics in regards to numbers? (via MR) 

 

“Whatever I knew about masks and vaccines at an intellectual level, violating those expectations still felt wrong” — Evan Westra (York) on the weirdness of going maskless  

 

Gartner: 51% of global knowledge workers will be remote by the end of 2021Brave Search beta now available in Brave browser

1. • Rembrandt’s Night Watch uncropped by AI 300 years after it was trimmed
   • Big data: With great data comes great responsibility
   • “Labels Unwrapped” empowers consumers to make more informed food choices
   • ABA Section of Legal Education releases first-time report on bar passage data
   • Google’s No-Click Searches—Good Or Evil?
   • Report – Nearly 900 Secret Service employees got COVID
   Deep Dive into Plastic Monomers, Additives, and Processing Aids
   

How to Have a Good Meeting: Pulling Wool Over Emplyees Eyes

“The best way to get accurate information on Usenet is to post something wrong and wait for corrections.”

— Matthew Austern

 

Stakhanov: How a Soviet miner from the 1930s helped create today’s intense corporate workplace culture

Recreation and diversion are as necessary to our well-being as the more serious pursuits of life.

Brigham Young  Tacky Quote 

The ATO announced on Wednesday that all its offices in the greater Melbourne Metropolitan area: Dandenong, Box Hill, Docklands and Moonee Ponds will go to “level 2”  until close of business on Friday, 4 June 2021. Jacqui’s Curtis’ announcement of this is included below my signature block.

The ATO’s announcement is welcome. We have been calling for this, or the equivalent of allowing staff to work at home on an ad hoc basis since the Victorian Government announced that all Melbournians needed to wear facemasks while indoors (not at their own home).

The ATO’s initial response was that this was not necessary, it was following Victorian Government policy, or the old response of ‘Trust us, we know what we are doing’. The ASU kept pressing the Office over this issue and reported to you about our concerns and our correspondence with the Office. We now have an outcome that is workable for the Office and its staff in the Melbourne offices.

ATO officials to face unions in court over working from home dispute

 

The APS bargaining policy

 EXCLUSIVE: Trump laughed at Rudy for falling asleep on planes and ‘spitting during meetings’ and would tell him he ‘sucked’ and was ‘pathetic’ after TV appearances, new book claims Daily Mail

1. Ivo Maes, Robert Triffin: A Life.  There should be more biographies of economists, and while this one does not succeed in making Triffin exciting, it is thorough and informative and shows there was more to the man than his famous dilemma.  I hadn’t even known Triffin was from Belgium.

2. Elizabeth Bowen, The Last September.  A wonderfully subtle Irish novel about the Anglo-Irish elite in south Ireland right after WWI, how they self-deceive about the impending doom of their rule and way of life, and the diverse forms those self-deceptions take.  An underrated modernist classic.

3. Cynthia Saltzman, Plunder: Napoleon’s Theft of Veronese’s Feast.  Among other things, this book shows how clearly Napoleon understood the role of art in both reflecting and cementing power.  Nor had I known that Canova, Wilhelm von Humboldt, and Napoleon all had a single intersecting story, revolving around the theft and return of art.

Fabricating accusations

According to the report of the Icelandic magazine Stundin, "a major witness in the United States’ Department of Justice case against Julian Assange has admitted to fabricating key accusations in the indictment against the Wikileaks founder." [previously, previously]

How to Have a Good Meeting

Ransomware claims are roiling an entire segment of the insurance industry

Extreme Calorie Restriction Can Increase Dangerous Bacteria in The Gut, Study Shows. As a friend said once, the folks on the calorie-restriction email lists seem very grumpy and unhappy. 1200 calories a day will do that to you.

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Subject: IT security company exec charged with cyberattack on Georgia hospital
Source: Becker’s Health IT
https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/cybersecurity/it-security-company-exec-charged-with-cyberattack-on-georgia-hospital.html

The COO of an Atlanta-based healthcare network security company has beenarraigned on charges related to a cyberattack on Gwinnett Medical Center in 2018, according to a June 10 Department of Justice news release. Vikas Singla, 45, was indicted June 8 for allegedly conducting a cyberattack on the Lawrenceville, Ga.-based hospital that included disrupting phone service, stealing information from a digital device and disrupting network printer services. He was COO at Atlanta-based Securolytics at the time of the Gwinnett Medical Center breach, according to Mr. Singla’s LinkedIn account.

Washington Post – “The recent surge of ransomware attacks is upending the cyber insurance industry, pushing up the requirements and cost of coverage just as more companies need it. 

Ransomware attacks — in which cybercriminals take over an organization’s computer network and demand a payment to hand back control — have increased in frequency and severity over the past two years. According to blockchain research firm Chainalysis, ransom payments from companies increased 341 percent to a total of $412 million during 2020. “This is a tipping point this year,” said John Kerns, an executive managing director at insurance brokerage Beecher Carlson, a division of Brown & Brown, which sells cyber insurance. “I’ve been in business for 32 years and haven’t seen a market quite like this.” That is pushing insurance carriers to reevaluate how much coverage they can afford to offer and how much they have to charge clients to do so. Underwriters are demanding to see detailed proof of clients’ cybersecurity measures in ways they never have. For example, not using multifactor authentication, which requires a user to verify themselves in multiple ways, might result in a rejection…”

Bishops with Gardens and Cultural Visions SPIŠSKÉ PODHRADIE - Vatican KAPITULA

The Bishop's Palace was built together with the Cathedral as a provosts palace. In the past, there used to be a French park around the palace and its entrance was next to the Hodinová veža (The Clock Tower) from 1739.

According to UNESCO, Slovakia’s superpower is its castles. The country hosts more than 100 castles and double that number of manor houses, all built in different, historically significant eras. Let’s start with the Spiš Castle, dating back to the 12th century, and towering above the eastern horizon of Spišské Podhradie. A museum documents its history, and the scenic landscape around the village can be traversed on foot.

Spišská Kapitula (Hungarian: Szepeshely or Szepesi Káptalan) (both meaning the "Spiš Chapter house") is an exceptionally well-preserved ecclesiastical town on the outskirts of Spišské Podhradie, Slovakia, and overlooking Spiš Castle. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site "Levoča, Spiš Castle and the associated cultural monuments".^[1]

 The town consists of St. Martin's Cathedral (dedicated to St. Martin of Tours), a former monastery, and a single street, all of mediaeval construction and enclosed by a wall. The lower gate gives an extensive view of Spiš Castle, located on an opposite hill. Spišská Kapitula became the main seat of the church administration in the region in the 12th century. In 1776 it became the seat of the Diocese of Spiš (Szepes).

During Covid2019 friends of Andrej Imrich added a wonderful garden to all the other attractions 

SPIŠSKÉ PODHRADIE. Obnovenú barokovú Biskupskú záhradu slávnostne sprístupnili a požehnali vo štvrtok v Spišskej Kapitule.

 Obnovená biskupská záhrada v Spišskej Kapitule

Podľa primátora mesta Spišské Podhradie Michala Kapustu (KDH) je možné zrekonštruovanú národnú kultúrnu pamiatku prirovnať k záhrade na Bratislavskom hrade alebo vo francúzskom Versailles.

Mesto ju obnovilo v rámci projektu Kultúrno-duchovný turizmus miest Spišské Podhradie a Glogów Malopolski podporeného z Programu cezhraničnej spolupráce Interreg V-A Poľsko-Slovensko 2014-2020.

Garden - Zahrada - Pozrite si východoslovenský Versailles. Na Spišskej Kapitule otvorili barokovú záhradu

Virtual Garden Tours Around the World

Hey, (Let’s) Go! – “Escape the heat by “travelling” the world with the virtual tour company, HeyGo. You can cruise the Seine River in Paris, wander through a medieval market town in the Cotswolds, UK, or take a hummingbird and orchid tour in the Ecuadorian highlands, all hosted by local guides. It’s free to sign up and take part in the tours, and if you enjoy your time, there’s an opportunity at the end to leave a tip for your guide. HeyGo will be promoting botanical gardens in the month of July, so let your favorite garden know about this exciting opportunity to share their garden with the world by offering virtual tours—and make a little money along the way! 

Tour a monumental castle, admire religious architecture and explore the gorgeous countryside around this beautiful old town in northeastern Slovakia.

Wander through the streets of Spišské Podhradie and you will rarely lose sight of the impressive castle that looms large over the area. The town also boasts enough ecclesiastical architecture to have earned it the nickname the Slovak Vatican.

Spišské Podhradie is a UNESCO World Heritage site and was built to serve the castle it takes its name from. The massive fortification dates back to the early 12th century and is one of the biggest castles in central Europe. It sits on a large rock, approximately 2,080 feet (634 meters) above sea level.

Walk up the steep hill to get to Spišský Castle and then examine its rooms and ruins. See the old gates, stone columns and a 15th-century Gothic tower. Visit the castle kitchen and the Chapel of Elizabeth Thuringia. Among the other features are the Renaissance and Gothic houses that once belonged to the castle’s owners. Learn about the fort’s history in its museum. View suits of armor, weapons and instruments of torture.

Come back down the hill to explore the town itself, beginning in the main square. Look up at the Baroque-style Marian Column which is topped by a statue of the Virgin Mary. Make your way over to the 16th-century Town Hall.

Check out the religious sites that are spread across the town, such as the Spis Chapter House. This fortified complex is dominated by St. Martin’s Cathedral, a Romanesque church with high, sloping roofs. Other places include the Evangelical Church, the Gothic Roman Catholic Church, the Jewish Synagogue and the Cloister of the Merciful Brothers, which was a hospital established by the Augustinian religious order.

Spend a day walking in the countryside at nearby nature reserves in Drevenik, Sharp Hill and Rajtopiky. Rock climbing is also possible in the surrounding area.

Reach Spišské Podhradie by flying into the airport at Košice, approximately 54 miles (87 kilometers) away. If you arrange your trip for June, you’ll experience the Spis Folklore Festival, which captures the character and color of the region as well as its history.

 

Myths, Lobbies Foster Competitive International Corporate Tax Cutting

Bad ideology, kept alive by lobbying and PR, has fueled an unproductive corporte tax race to the bottom. Is the tide finally turning?

Investigation and Exploration of Undisputed Tax Debts in Australia ...

Undisputed ATO debts increase by 78pc

Tom McIlroyPolitical reporter

Jun 30, 2021 – 5.00am

Undisputed debts to the Australian Taxation Office increased by 77.6 per cent since 2016-17, with a review by the independent watchdog finding the majority is owed by a small number of taxpayers.

Inspector-General of Taxation and Tax Ombudsman Karen Payne launched an investigation into the ATO’s growing $45 billion debt book in late 2019, after a $7 billion increase in uncollected, undisputed tax debts.

Tax Inspector General Karen Payne. Brook Mitchell

The report released on Wednesday considered debt which is not subject to objection or appeal by taxpayers and is not subject to some form of solvency administration, finding not all of the growth is related to disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Collectable debt levels reported by the ATO have grown from $19.2 billion in financial year 2016, to more than $34.1 billion in financial year 2020. In the same period, tax liabilities increased by just 16.42 per cent.

About 60 per cent of collectable debt rests with small and medium-sized businesses, but 5.09 per cent of taxpayers were responsible for more than 63 per cent of cash owed to the ATO.

Just 1.22 per cent of accounts represent 43.44 per cent of individual collectable debt amounts, with the average per account $172,070.

Complaints about tax debt was the number-one complaint we were receiving, pre-COVID.

— Karen Payne, Tax Ombudsman

Ms Payne found common ATO payment plans, which can be automatically set up by taxpayers for debts less than $100,000, are not well known and their use has fallen. That leaves business and individual taxpayers without a key assistance measure to repay debt obligations.

Repayment plans have existed since 2014, with some provided on an interest-free basis.

“We started the review because complaints about tax debt was the number-one complaint we were receiving, pre-COVID. It was also apparent when you look at the raw numbers from the ATO that collectable debts were increasing,” she said.

“We thought it was a good opportunity, particularly in light of the fact that the economy is going to be in a recovery phase coming out COVID-19, to help people struggling with tax debts to access the automated system.”

Among five recommendations from Ms Payne’s report are calls for the ATO to consult widely on better reporting of debt levels, new metrics for the ATO to track its debt collection performance and a new report to Parliament detailing debts which exceed benchmarks on dollar value and age.

Institute of Public Accountants general manager for technical policy Tony Greco said COVID-19 would be a significant factor in the size of the ATO debt book for the period ending June 2021.

Ninety-five per cent of collectable debts were currently paid within 90 days.

RELATED

ATO to disclose tax debts to credit agencies

“Improving the performance of managing tax debt is particularly important as Australia repairs its finances in a post-COVID world,” Mr Greco said.

“It is also important to maintain public confidence in our tax system and the perception that there is a level playing field, otherwise it could impair our high level of voluntary compliance.”

Separately on Tuesday, Assistant Tax Office Commissioner Tim Loh reminded taxpayers that waiting until the end of July to lodge their annual tax return helped to ensure essential data was pre-filled.

Data from banks, financial institutions, private health insurers and government agencies is automatically collected to speed up the lodgment process, helping taxpayers and ensuring any refund arrives more quickly

Tom McIlroy reports from the federal press gallery at Parliament House. Connect with Tom on Twitter. Email Tom at thomas.mcilroy@afr.com