#b says 'sure its easy [science jargon]'

[captainadwen]

finally finished project hail mary. the last few chapters got really, really good. like, can’t put it down good.

unfortunately it took 400 pages before it got that good

[no1trash2003]

GCSE is an absolute, inarguable joke.

Recently, contravercy has sprung up about the usefulness of the new spec GCSE. As of June of this year, 2019, I completed my allotted gcse's. I can say with absolute certainty that the exams I partook in were a joke.

Last year, I completed 3 GCSE courses early, English lit, Physics and Biology. My school made a complete mess of this. We learned all of my two science courses within the year, with 3 different qualified teachers (all separately after they fled the school) and 5 supply teachers, none of whom knew anything about the subject. I can say without a doubt that my year was unprepared and suffered the consequences. This, along with how hard the gcse was supposed to be now, resulted in many of my peers not even showing up on the exam day after collapsing under the pressure of preconceived failure. Many of those who tried in the gcse, learning the entirety of the course in their own time in other words, did well.

In other words, it was easy. Well, at least, answering the questions was. After getting their results back many were shocked at their low grade, but as it turns out (and as many of them knew) Mark's were not given on how correct an answer was or how thought out it was. No, Mark's were given entirely based off how many key words you could shove into your 6 marker, or how much flowery bullshit you could beat your english answer with.

Just to put this into context, I didn't try in my y10 GCSE's. I knew for my science GCSE, it was entirely based off memorisation. I knew for my English GCSE I had to spell out the obvious with some pretty words sprinkled on top. I slept in class, I drew for my art GCSE, I did maths- all in my english lessons, and my science lessons which early into the year virtually became free periods.

I went into the exam apathetic. In the holidays that followed, I lost no sleep.

We didn't have a results day, so I called up the school when the y11's got their results. In English lit, I was a few Mark's off a 9, A*. In biology, a 6, B. In physics, 7, A. To put this even more into perspective, I have dyslexia, a learning disability affecting language with which I received no accommodation for in or outside of my exams. I also suffer from auditory memory gaps.

Without a doubt I can say my exams were a joke, simply because of how well I did. My friends, who studied for hours and stressed to the point of it being labelled a disorder, came back with lower grades than me.

They knew the content better than me, without a doubt. Their understanding was deep where mine was shallow. They could recite key words off by heart. They did everything they could to do well in these exams, and were evidently lied to when they were told their efforts would be rewarded.

So, if not depth of understanding or key words separated a 9 from a 6, what does? What reason am I granted the ability of easily sliding by my gcse's when they struggled?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

In the being of the year, I'd taken one look at the mark scheme and known. My results would be completely meaningless. All it took in english, was saying the book or poem i was writing about was shit, fluffing it up with worthless words, and the mark scheme shat out an 8, A*. In my Physics GCSE, all it took was maths to get that 7. I didnt know shit about anything else. In biology, much the same.

I did well because I knew how to bullshit my way through. I knew where to slap a pretty word to seem smart and I knew how to use a calculator to its fullest potential. These skills, unfortunately, have nothing to do with the supposed gcse topic and are not in the spec.

I did better because I could lie better- and no, I didnt bother cheating

How is that not a joke? HOW can something so fickle and abstract decide my future, and the future of my friends? Why does it condemn those that seek knowledge for knowledges sake, and reward those like me, who know well enough that the whole thing was a sham?

This idea was strongly reinforced when I went onto Y11.

It was filled to the brim with more of the same. Shove in some flowery words, say something is a bit shit, do some maths. This time, however, I wanted to test a theory.

What difference would trying make?

There were exams I'd have to try in, like Fine Art and maths, but the rest were just as bullshit as the last year. For example, in chemistry, we had an actual teacher for a grand total of 3 weeks, and the course spec was so basic and boring that a 3 year old could understand it- if, you know, it wasnt overloaded with pointless bullshit to the point of looking to be gibberish. It was like asking someone to memorize a dictionary, and testing them on a small specific section of it that is to be randomly selected. The results would obviously be completely random.

Its easily understood that people are simply better at some things and worse at others. Someone who is good at this randomly selected section of the spec will do better in the exam than someone with a more rounded understanding of the spec as a whole. The exam is completely and utterly the bitch of this concept.

I find nanotubes (and related fullerines) as well as maths easy. I did well in the chemistry paper. I'm good at testing for things, I did well. My friend knew everything there was to know about atoms, radiation and reactions. This was not heavily featured in the exam, so they are marked lesser. My other friend had a good understanding of the spec as a whole, but due to this couldn't answer the highest level questions with the most Mark's as their understanding was left shallow. They are marked lesser. Trying didnt make a difference, and I see that now more than ever, at least for chemistry.

In geography, I tried my best. I know that, unfortunately, my memory issues dragged me down. As sad as it is to say, my learning disability and memory issues, both diagnosed officially, held me back in the memory based exams. Fortunately, I had my understanding of the subject as a small consolation. It was secondary to the memory aspect unfortunately, and mostly answered low mark questions. How sick is it, that understanding is secondary in the face of memory. Truly, a these exams were built around memorizing a textbook. Trying didnt make a difference. In the end, I failed to memories much of anything. The things based off understanding were obvious and required little to no effort to grasp. I know I could slept those classes away, and the only difference would be a slight increase in my health. The exam, evidently, was a joke.

Now, to the main reason I wrote this long winded and obvious rant.

The English Language GCSE.

Of course I tried my hardest. In every mock bar one I got high 9's. I helped my classmates. I participated and revised and stressed. I turned up to the exams, feverish with tonsillitis. I tried my best, both for the exam and to not throw up. I littered my words with as many false pleasantries and flowery bulshit as I could. I called the basic and dull literature what it was, basic and dull, a thing discouraged by teachers despite earning me my 9s. I wrote some depressing drivel in the final question 5, making sure to put mild, professional and somewhat abstract opinions into it (again, something that gave me 9's)

I left the exam without pride. I was sure I'd done well, but the success I was meant to feel was only grief for the years I'd lost in a classroom, miserable.

Later, I would feel proud. Maybe I'd see. Maybe, hopefully, my theory was wrong- at least in regards to English language.

Then, article after article poured into my feed. One particular article on Mumsnet called the marking scheme ' a shitshow'.

So I sat down, weeks after the official end of Y11, and reviewed the markshemes we'd based the entire course on at my school.

The articles were right. It was vague jargon, and completely subjective. It called for judicious quotes, with nothing to specify what should be considered such. It called for a high and sophisticated vocabulary, and again, completely contradicted this when looking at exams from the previous year which were marked as such. It was without a doubt the most completely ambiguous thing I'd ever read, and the people marking my exam seemed to agree. Sleep deprived and stressed to fuck, the reality of it has passed my by but was now clear as day.

In the end, my hard work didnt pay off. It doesn't matter now if I get a 9 or a 3. I know theres little chance it will be a reflection of my exam. For better or worse.

My classmates seem to understand this as well as me. So, what did the GCSE's actually manage to teach us?

It taught us to accept failure. Success is a bold faced lie entirely based off luck.

Those bold enough to say hard work is rewarded have their heads shoved in the sand.

Trying made no difference.

I see, now, what was going through those peoples heads last year, when they didnt show up for the exams or classes. Hard work is not rewarded and they were going to fail from the start.

They were too honest, and clearly, the only thing valued in GCSE's is the ability to lie so well that the exam marker is also tricked. Trying at this point would be a hopeless, draining task.

All that the GCSE's gave me was problems. Now, getting up in the morning is harder than my exams ever were. I abandoned everything for those exams, like many others. I lost my health, physical and mental. I lost my personality and sense of self. I lost years of my life, that should be cherished, to dispare. These gcse's are a tortuous joke and I wish more than anything that I'd never bothered in the first place because in the end, it wouldn't have made a difference.

Now, I'm moving on to collage to do much of the same. All I see ahead of me is misery, but unfortunately, this apearese to be an unchangeable reality placed upon us as a sick twisted joke. I've accepted this, as sad as it is, but I cant stand by as people lie to themselves and others, saying GCSE's are in any way worth it outside of a number on some paper.

Education is long dead. That's what GCSE's taught me.

Update- results: english lan, 7 (gonna get remarked), lit, 8. Maths-8. Bio-6. Chem-7. Physics-7. Art-9. Computer science-7. Geo-7

[pursuitoftrivialities]

Card #1: Henry Ford and the Telephone Gardener

Welcome, all, to our first foray into knowledge.

Geography

Q: What African country's name means "lion mountain" in Portuguese?

A: Sierra Leone's

True (though sexist?)

We start our journey with an easy question.

The country takes its name from the Lion Mountains near Freetown. Originally named Serra Leoa (Portuguese for 'lioness mountains' [which is why the question is sexist]) by Portuguese explorer Pedro de Sintra in 1462, the modern name is derived from the Italian spelling, which was introduced by Venetian explorer Alvise Cadamosto and subsequently copied by other European mapmakers.

These days, Sierra Leone is a predominantly Islamic country, a former British Colony which gained independence in 1961, and went through a civil war in 1996.

Source: Wikipedia

Entertainment

Q: What size shoes does Trapper John wear on TV's M*A*S*H?

A: Twelve

True

This question nearly broke me.

I'm a big M*A*S*H fan, I've seen the show dozens of times. It was my dad's favorite show, we had it on DVD, I've watched through the entire series several times. And yet I had no idea what the answer to this question was.

I couldn't find any information online, so I proceeded to do the only rational thing: watch the first three seasons of M*A*S*H (the seasons that Trapper John is in) to figure out when they would have possibly mentioned this particular factoid.

Already on question two, I'm having to do hours of (enjoyable) research.

As it turns out, the answer is found in Season 3, Episode 12 "A Full Rich Day". It's a throwaway comment made by Hawkeye after a man collapses in front of him and Trapper.

Hawkeye: "It's his chest and shoulder. Recruiting office got their money's worth out of this guy. Let's prep him.

Trapper: "And you can remove my foot from my mouth."

Hawkeye: "It's about a size 12-ectomy."

Someone on the Trivial Pursuit team is a bigger M*A*S*H fan than I am, for sure.

Source: M*A*SH Season 3, episode 12 "A Full Rich Day". (currently on Hulu)

History

Q: Who mass-produced the T, A, B, C, F, R, K, N, R and S?

A: Henry Ford

True

(Though I don't know why it lists "R" twice)

Between 1903 and 1908, Ford produced the Models A, B, C, F, K, N, R, and S, selling hundreds or a few thousands of most of these per year. The Model T was the first mass-produced model in 1908, which totaled millions sold over 20 years. In 1927 it was replaced with the Model A, the first car with safety glass in the windshield.

Source: Wikipedia

Arts & Literature

Q: What's "genuine imitation leather," according to the Quarterly Review of Doublespeak?

A: Fake leather

True

More interesting than the answer is the fact that this magazine existed. Unsurprisingly, the publication was headed by the National Council of Teachers of English.

It began as the Public Doublespeak Newsletter in 1974, and was renamed The Quarterly Review of Doublespeak when American linguist William D. Lutz took over as editor (1980 to 1994; the publication continued until 2000).

Lutz wrote a famous essay The World of Doublespeak and the book Doublespeak: From "Revenue Enhancement" to "Terminal Living" in 1989. They describe the four different types of doublespeak, which he explains as Euphemism, Jargon, Gobbledygook, and Inflated Language.

He also wrote the books The New Doublespeak: Why No One Knows What Anyone's Saying Anymore in 1996, and Doublespeak Defined: Cut Through the Bull**** and Get the Point in 1999.

Source: Wikipedia and NCTE Archives

Science & Nature

Q: What can you ask a New York City telephone gardener to do for your plants?

A: Talk to them by phone

Unknown

I cannot find any information on this, to the extent that one of the search results is this very Trivial Pursuit card.

If you have any information, please let me know.

Sports & Leisure

Q: How many fouls is a National Basketball Association team allowed in each quarter before bonus free throws are allowed?

A: Five

True

I know zero things about basketball, so I'll just drop this in.

The NBA Bonus rule is found under Rule 12 Part B Section 5 in the official NBA rule book (click here to view it). It states that:

“The first four common fouls committed by a team in any regulation period (quarter) shall result in the ball being awarded to the opposing team on the sideline nearest where play was interrupted.  The ball shall be awarded no nearer to the baseline than the free throw line extended.”

When an NBA team draws the fifth common foul of a quarter, they are awarded with penalty free throws. The player who was fouled will get to shoot two free throws. 

I had this one flagged as being possibly outdated simply because I don't know how often these kinds of rules change, but it seems to still be the case.

Source: Sports Fan Focus

Altogether, not a bad spread.

Come back Friday and we'll try to figure out where 1400 extra feet came from, and discuss who begat two different Reubens.

[catescher]

Introduction to Worldbuilding

1) What is worldbuilding?

A) Definition of the term First off, before some grammar nazis get on my case: There exist two ways of writing this term - worldbuilding and world-building. I’ll go with the first one, simply because I’m more used to it. But the second one is correct as well and according to Merriam Webster more common in published edited text. But now to the real topic: What is Worldbuilding? In short, it’s the “art of creating a new fictional world” or a whole fictional universe, most commonly used in Fantasy and Science-Fiction. Who would have thought, right? But now you may ask yourself: What’s the difference to setting? Worldbuilding emphasizes that the created world is a completely new one. Setting can be also used in the case of real existing or based on real existing places. The meaning of the word is still in flux, and I’ll tell you under the next point why that is.

B) History of Worldbuilding So, first and foremost: If you think you know how old the term Worldbuilding is… Think again. It’s older than you’d think it is. Not kidding. If you said or thought that it’s surely from the 20th century, with Tolkien and co. spearheading it… You’re thinking of the modern definition of worldbuilding. What we Fantasy Writers do. No. The term dates back to the early 19th century in a meaning related to the term we know and cherish, but not exactly sharing that same meaning. Merriam-Webster says in this article that the first appearance of the term was in 1805, used primarily by scientists to explain geological formations. It is a sort of worldbuilding, if you get technical, just not the one we are interested in right now. Wikipedia tells us that the term showed up 1820 in the Edinburgh Review, a cultural magazine promoting the ideas of romanticism amongst others. I’d love to get my hands on said edition, because Wikipedia does not tell us in which context worldbuilding was used. Making a slight time skip ahead, in the late 19th century it slowly evolves to the meaning we know. Around this time, it leaves behind the scientific jargon and enters the imaginative realm of novelists and poets. It describes how artists see the world, the artist’s imagination of it if you so will. In 1920 Worldbuilding has a brief call back to its scientific origins: A.S. Eddington in “Space Time and Gravitation: An Outline of the General Relativity Theory” (page 160 to be exact, full-text here) to describe the thinking out of hypothetical worlds with different physical laws. And no, as far as I could tell he did not mention magic which is to be honest still an interesting thought experiment. In the second half of the 20th century, it became used as a term referring to the creation of a whole new world - the meaning we know as writers. It actually appeared in 1965’s R. A. Lupoff’s critique of Edgar’s Rice Burroughs: Master of Adventure. Since then, it has appeared in both Sci-Fi and Fantasy criticism. In the past two decades or so it had grown in popularity, no longer only existing in literature, but also in TV-Series, Films and Video Games. No longer do characters sustain multiple stories, no, now one world sustains multiple characters and multiple stories. What I mean is, that instead of revolving around one character and only this character, there is a world and there are multiple characters with their own stories. One example would be Star Wars: Characters may appear in multiple movies, but there are different stories with them without being tied to one character necessarily. Mostly, if you count out this one totally messed up family sparking intergalactic war every generation. Not to mention that Star Wars and quite a few other franchises not only encompass one type of media, now, there are movies, books, TV Shows, video games, comics, merchandise, a Disney Ride… But this is a mess for another time.

2) Personal aside: Why is worldbuilding important for me

A very personal note. Skip, if you don’t want to hear me ranting.

So, why is it important to me? Simply put: I’m fascinated by worlds. Call it escapism, call it fantasy, call it reverie - I love those worlds. How different they are. How similar they are. How people make up this shit on their own and how I can create something like that. I can do that, I once realized, and then the damage was done. I created worlds where I could be a hero, a damsel in distress, a queen, a witch. I could have adventures, I could do whatever I wanted and be whoever I wanted. Who doesn’t want that? For me, it’s the ultimate form of creativity. Unbridled, chaotic creativity. And from this chaos, I can gather stories, fairy tales, legends, myths. I can delve into the history, I can make up a magic system, I can create technology, I can storm castles, I can destroy kingdoms and people. That shit is better than drugs for me. Full disclosure, this blog series is going to be an attempt in reigning in this creativity. Admittingly, this chaos has screwed me over more than once. Jesus Christ, did it screw me.

3) Methods of Worldbuilding (overview)

This is just a quick overview. Don’t take this as gospel - I just summarized Wikipedia and added my own thoughts. If you can’t identify with a method listed here, remember the first rule of writing: Do what suits you best.

A) Top-Down So, first one is basically you go from the big, general plane to the detailed plane. With that I mean that you create/determine broad characteristics, for example, major geographical features and climate and go from there. To use a Sci-Fi example, you first take a planet and think about where it's located in a solar system or galaxy, then you think about what kind of climate is on this planet and where it is stable enough to sustain life and then you figure out where the continents go. That kind of stuff. Next steps would be to figure out what kind of aliens you have, how far they are coming with technology (space ships for example), and then you would go into the diplomatic relationships between countries, social structure, military, history and whatever you think is important, down to small groups and subcultures. Pro: World “makes sense more”, more comprehensive and better fitting Con: It might take a while to complete the whole world or until it is completed enough for the setting to be useful

B) Bottom-Up

With the Bottom-Up approach, you create what you need first. You create the immediate location needed for your story first, and in details, such as local lawas and local cultures. Then, from your position outward, you create on a on-need basis or a lot less detailed world. You can fill in later, if you need or want to.

Pro: You can use that world quickly to tell your story or you can work parallel to your own story on it Con: It's very easy to include inconsistencies

C) Combine them

And then there is always the last approach - Combine them, and work from multiple sides to create your world. Sounds awesome - you’ll just have a lot more work.

4) Next time, on Do It Yourself - Worlds Edition…

Common mistakes, traps and problems as well as a glossary of terms I’ll use

[coldrealitycampaigns]

Doing Comms: What does a Communications Advisor Do All Day?

Photo: Shadows from the Tailenguak Cliffs fall on Iceberg from Humboldt Glacier, Kane Basin, Nares Straight, Greenland.© Dave Walsh – More details

  I do comms and strategy. That is, I write and communicate, mostly on environmental campaigns and science issues, as well devising ways to help organisations achieve their ambitions. As people – friends, family, even clients – are often perplexed as to what this involves, I thought I’d have a go at actually communicating about what I do all day.

When I say action, I’m not necessarily demanding that everyone takes to the streets – but I do want pressure where it can foment change – ideally for the better- ideally one for the better. If it helps contribute to a narrative that needs pushing in the right direction (“we need to end fossil fuel use”, “the EU must end overfishing”, “plastic bags are bad for the environment” etc.) that’s good. If a policymaker or company executive feels the weight of media – and by extension, public – pressure from a story, even better. If they digest, consider and then act to do the right thing – job done.

But wait. Before all that there’s the strategy, a way of setting course for an ambitious but reachable destination, supplied with whatever time and resources are available – ideally to stop a bad thing happening, or to kick start a process that will do some good in the world.

To get the results that an organisation or campaign needs, like get a ban on something at the forthcoming international meeting; X percent reduction in carbon emissions by Y date; or convince company A to end doing something bad by date B, a range of activities need to be wheeled out.

Every situation is different – but it may include lobbying of politicians and bureaucrats, enabling citizens through petitions and protests, and getting press coverage. Making sure a story is spread throughout national, international and social media not only helps highlight a problem, but can encourage ordinary people, business leaders and policy makers that change can and will happen, through determination and harnessing of political will. By taking political discourse into the public sphere, decision makers – such as a reluctant government minister – can realise that the cat is out of the bag – a matter previously discussed only in rarefied political environments is now in the public domain, and has to be faced up to – and ideally dealt with. So they might as well be part of the solution.

The communications that drive this kind of political change or broader scientific understanding must not only be clear, and ethically and scientifically rock-solid, they must illustrate the overall  importance and political, national or other context of the issue, in language that non-experts can understand. The signal can be honed and polished, but the message must never be be lost or dumbed-down. There’s a knack to layering information so that a reader, viewer or listener can learn about a subject, while they’re consuming the story.

#HFOFreeArctic

In April, I visited the International Maritime Organization’s Headquarters in London (IMO), the UN body that governs global shipping, for a meeting of its Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC72). Amongst the issues on the agenda was a proposal to ban heavy fuel oil (HFO) – the world’s dirtiest transportation fuel – from Arctic shipping. I was there as communications advisor to the Clean Arctic Alliance, a coalition of 18 NGOs campaigning for a ban on HFO.

Pancake Ice and floes – on Arctic Sea Ice, Fram Strait, between Greenland and Svalbard, September 2009. In August 2012, Arctic sea ice hit a record minimum – this will affect weather and the global climate, as the ice cap reflects much of the sun’s solar energy back into to space. With sea ice melting away, the dark water below absorbs more solar energy, which in turn causes more melting.

  The challenge of illustrating the environmental risks posed by an Arctic shipping disaster is relatively easy. It’s not difficult to conjure up images of the cataclysmic outcome of thousands of tonnes of black oil spreading across an ocean, clinging to sea ice and icebergs.

Telling the story of how burning fossil fuels in the Arctic accelerates the ice melt is more complex, but at least can be visualised. Imagine black carbon particles, puffed out of ship exhausts, before falling on snow and ice. Instead of bouncing the solar radiation back into space, this black stuff absorbs the heat of the sun, melting the ice and exposing the dark waters below, which in turn absorbs yet more heat, which warms up the ocean even more, melts more ice, and potentially opening up more routes for yet shipping.

The fix for this is cinch. Ban ships from carrying and burning HFO in the Arctic.

However, the path to achieve this fix is not so straightforward, and hard to explain (never mind tweet). When someone – say, a journalist, or a friend – asks me about how to get a ban on HFO, do they really want to hear jargon-packed monolog on how “the IMO first needs to agree on setting forth on a work plan regarding the mitigation of the risks of heavy fuel oil in the Arctic, then it goes to the scientific committee and…”

Are you still reading?

When I started helping develop communications around the need to ban heavy fuel oil back in 2016, it was necessary to find a balance between broadly communicating the risks around the very real potential of an Arctic oil spill, focussing on the technical aspects of regulatory and economic outcomes of a ban to shipping media, and convincing environmental journalists that the ban is both necessary and politically achievable.

To do this, I have had to pull the HFO issue out of the rarefied environment of the IMO into public discourse, so that it could be discussed in shipping, environmental and Arctic media not just as a nice to have (that we might phase it out) but as a must have – then continuing the discussion so that the inevitability of a ban becomes rooted in people’s minds. Decision-makers and their advisors – hopefully – come to see the ban, not as some weird fringe topic being wielded by a bunch of polar-bear-loving-hippies, but as a win-win solution; as something achievable, politically desirable and quite simply, a good thing.

This time last year, we could talk about a “phase out” of HFO from the Arctic – any mention of a ban was unpalatable politically, or within the shipping world. But by July 2017, when IMO member states supported “a proposal to identify measures which will mitigate the risks posed by the use of heavy fuel in Arctic waters”, the idea of a ban starting becoming relatively mainstream. When national governments begin to make stronger demands than NGOs, you know you’re on to something.

The discourse – with help from the network of organisations that make up the Clean Arctic Alliance, and progressive elements within national governments and the shipping industry – transformed from “this can’t be done” to “a phase out is possible”, to “a ban is the best way to mitigate the effects of HFO in the Arctic to, finally, “a ban is the only way forward”.

Before the April meeting, the HFO ban was proposed by Finland, Germany, Iceland, Norway, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and the US. During the meeting, supported for the ban came from Australia, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Estonia, Ireland, Japan, the League of Arab States, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK.

I can’t claim that all of these countries support a ban on heavy fuel oil from the Arctic simply because they read a quote from us, but I do believe that our communications work helped pave the way. Perhaps it was just the right time – a HFO ban was discussed a meeting when IMO member states were debating ways to start cleaning the shipping industry’s greenhouse gas emissions, and our team was busy talking to country representatives during the coffee breaks.  Perhaps they were persuaded by the scientists, campaigners, shipping industry representatives and indigenous leaders who spoke up – and spoke strongly in favour of a HFO ban during the two well-attended side events at the IMO, not least Sheila Watt-Cloutier, an environmental, cultural and human rights advocate from Canada, who delivered a powerful and moving speech:

“Everyone benefits from a frozen Arctic and that everything is connected and we can no longer separate the importance and value of the Arctic from the sustainable growth of economies around the world. Everything is connected through our common atmosphere, not to mention our common spirit and humanity. What affects another, affects us all. We know that as the Arctic melts, other places such as the Small Island Developing States are sinking.”

Read more in our blog about the heavy fuel oil ban – The World’s Dirtiest Fuel will be Banned from Arctic Shipping. Here’s How – By Sian Prior and Dave Walsh

Dave Walsh is an communications and strategy consultant based in Barcelona. He advises a number of campaigns and institutions, including the Clean Arctic Alliance and Our Fish, and is board member of The Arctic Institute.  

  Doing Comms: What does a Communications Advisor Do All Day? was originally published on Dave Walsh

[bengalivashikaran-blog]

Tips For Finding The Best Astrology Book

Nearly everyone reads their horoscope infrequently. However those of us who've an excellent deeper interest in astrology are drawn to hunt out more in depth information. Having an astrologer look at, and clarify, your beginning chart can often allow you to higher understand yourself and the choices you have got made will make in the future.

However with so many astrologers on the market, how do you choose the proper one for you?

Yes, expertise is important, but...

If you happen to had the chance to deliver ten experienced astrologers together to examine your chart, there could be no mistake that, for the most half, they would interpret the chart precisely the identical way. What makes all of them completely different is the way wherein they convey what they are seeing.

Discovering an astrologer whose "voice"--whose fashion of speaking--is one that resonates with you is the most important thing when selecting an astrologer.

Take into consideration what sort of fashion would most appeal to you. Do you want an astrologer who speaks in very technical astrological terms or one which is ready to translate issues into very basic, easy descriptions and does not bombard you with jargon? Do you like an astrologer who takes a very serious and cerebral approach, or one which sees astrology from a extra artistic and mystical perspective?

Some astrologers combine chart interpretation with counseling. You're encouraged to convey up an ongoing challenge you're having in your life so the astrologer can pinpoint it in your chart and provide help to see you have the aptitude to alter things. This may be helpful when you've gotten been dealing with an issue for a very long time and you need a fresh outlook.

Different astrologers do no counseling whatsoever and like to only describe your astrological characteristics. This is beneficial through the occasions in your life when you're doing self-examination and want to get an even more detailed understanding of who you are.

Beforehand, know what your wants are and what you need out of an astrology studying. It will help you to raised find an astrologer that can accommodate you.

Whereas in search of out an astrologer who has decades of experience has its benefits, if you do not feel you might be on the same wavelength as him/her, you will get little or no out of the experience.

How do you discover the most effective astrologer for you?

Many astrologers have Web pages on which they offer free weekly or monthly horoscopes, free articles and astrology tutorials. Up to now couple of years, astrologers have begun to supply podcasts, Net radio shows and downloadable audio. Take note of these astrologers who have gone the extra mile to, not simply give of their abilities freely, however those that share their passion for astrology. Spend just a few weeks studying (or listening) to their phrases. This is how one can greatest get a way of whether or not their style is one which will be of use to you.

Don't fall into the entice of believing if someone is a well known astrologer, has been published or has made TV or radio appearances they are better than others. The secret's to choose an astrologer who you are feeling a connection with.

After getting a way of an astrologer based on their Web presence, request a quick cellphone conversation with them. Be aware of the vibe you might be selecting up and how this particular person leaves you feeling. Like every other sort of service you search out to help make your life better, the particular person you might be working with should do their best to make sure you feel empowered after the session. Ask the astrologer to explain their method and take be aware if what they're saying feels like it could possibly be of value to you.

Most people love to purchase astrology books as a way to understand the mysterious science that influences their lives. The reason is that individuals are curious to know more concerning the science that has the potential to foretell future and analyze the character and different traits of an individual. Go to a ebook shop and you'd discover astrology books in abundance. In earlier days, the sacred scriptures of this science were obtainable to only some experts and realized ones in this field. As of late, books on astrology could be simply bought from an area bookstore, present in public libraries and on the internet.

However, there are particular vital issues it's essential to perceive relating to buying astrology ebook.

Astrology is an enormous matter and the options of the topic cannot be covered in a single e-book. There are several types of Astrology and every kind of astrology can be explained in a number of books collectively.

Here are certain suggestions for buying the best astrology book for your self.

a) Understand your curiosity:

Spending money on any e-book related to astrology could be a waste of time. You could perceive that there are several types of astrology. It's worthwhile to understand the essence of every sort of astrology and the one you'd be most desirous about, prior to purchasing a book.

As an example, psychological astrology uses symbolic language to find out personality parts, astro-meteorology predicts the climate, Synastry compares natal charts to seek out relations, medical astrology predicts potential well being problems, mundane astrology makes horoscopes, esoteric astrology is the astrology of soul and Horary astrology appears for a solution to any question requested in keeping with the date and time of delivery. Now, you require analyzing the kind of astrology you are most thinking about and then start searching for a book under the class.

b) Research:

You'll want to make a lot of research earlier than you purchase a e-book on astrology. Visit as many guide stores as you'll be able to and evaluate books in accordance with your pursuits and specification talked about on it.

c) Internet:

Web is the best choice for purchasing a guide on astrology. You could find endless choices on-line and even search for the rankings of each guide earlier than purchasing one.

d) Recommendations and score:

This is really necessary when purchasing a e-book on astrology. At all times search for lists of recommended books and books referenced in bibliographies. Do not forget to take a look on rankings given to different books on astrology by the readers. It will show you how to select the most effective book available for learners.

e) Author:

Guantee that the creator of the astrology e book you're purchasing is reputed and acknowledged widely for his/her work.

Studying astrology just isn't difficult. Many people have gained expertise in this art by way of studying good books and spending high quality time to be taught the essence of astrology. The bottom line is to find a good e-book on astrology and the one which holds your curiosity. You should also discover out whether or not there's a guide on the lines you are studying that you've got enjoyed studying prior to now.

1. Your North and South Nodes of the Moon symbolize the direction of soul growth (North Node) and your skills, traits, items (and challenges!) from the previous (South Node.) Though the Nodes of the Moon aren't planets, they're factors the place the Moon's orbit of the Earth intersects with the Earth's orbit of the Solar, and are valuable signal posts for reworking your life. Find the astrological signal (Aries by Pisces) and home (one of twelve in your beginning chart, beginning together with your ascendant on the far left of your chart wheel) occupied by your North Node. Your South Node will at all times be precisely reverse your South Node in astrological signal and home.

2. Learn where Saturn (planet of discipline, construction, karma) is in your delivery chart (astrological sign and house.) This could inform you the place you might be likely to feel a way of lack in your life, a little bit of insecurity. By figuring out this area of life in an objective approach you may deal with that sense of need and insecurity. You can shore up your sense of strength and security in that area of life with some further construction or release your insecurity and go ahead.

three. Study where the planet Neptune is in your beginning chart (astrological signal and home.) Because the planet symbolizing spirituality, inspiration, and dreaming, the location of Neptune in your beginning chart might help you learn to carry inspiration into your daily life.

4. Learn the place the planet Pluto is in your delivery chart (astrological sign and home.)

In astrology the planet Pluto represents the most highly effective, often unconscious forces of transformation in your life. Understanding what astrological sign and home it's in may help you combine your innate transformational powers into your aware life.

5. Upon getting situated your North and South Nodes of the Moon, your Saturn, Neptune, and Pluto you'll be able to read concerning the significance of every within the astrological signal and house the place it resides in your start chart. You'll be able to learn about the that means in any good astrology book that talks about the Nodes of the Moon and the aircraft

When going to an astrologer to have your chart read, one should contemplate a number of information earlier than consulting an astrologer. What sort of system does the astrologer makes use of, what's his or her qualification and time of apply, and most significantly was the astrologer taught by a guru or are they guide learn? Why is that it's vital for an astrologer to be wanting at the 'proper' charts? The research of right charts will give probably the most accurate prediction for the client.

There is not just one 'delivery chart' in astrology, fairly many birth charts for each side of life. If you want to know about your profession, there is a separate chart from the principle start chart. If you want to find out about marriage, there is a separate chart. If you want to know about children, there may be additionally a separate chart. The principle delivery chart acts as the receiver of a signal, like tv for example.

The Divisional chart, which talk about different features of life, act just like the signal going into the receiver of the tv. What good is a tv if the single isn't there? These are the questions which might be requested and answered within the astrology e book: Astrology @ The Pace of Light, by Kapiel Raaj. He not only answers among the most elementary Free vashikaran mantra for love back questions of astrology, however he dives into the secrets and the Masonic history of astrology which has been a foundation of not simply the eastern facet of the world, but has been in the DNA of United States since George Washington Period, who was one of many largest followers of astrology and numerology, by way of which he crated 'Freemasons'.

This is one astrology guide you may ever need. Inside this guide the master of astrology does not simply go into the ABCD technique of astrology, however by the end of the ebook, you your self shall be an skilled at reading charts of not just your personal, but anyone you come throughout.

Astrology is not just about the solar sign, but it surely's far more advance and deeper than that. Astrology dives into moon sign, 9 planetary indicators, facets, degrees, including 27 constellations that differentiate every individual's fate though they is perhaps born just seconds aside. These are the minuet details that are shown in inside the e book. Even in the case of Numerology title change, the writer shows the way to change your title, but most significantly methods to convey in regards to the energy of the brand new identify so it will probably break the power of the outdated title that has been with you and will proceed to be with you for remainder of your life, even with the brand new title in place.

But there are cures you can perform to carry the optimistic power of the new name. There are such a lot of misconceptions on astrology, signs, and that means that most individuals simply ignore this divine science. The that means of indicators have additionally changed all through time, for example: Libra is not a girl holding a balancer, quite, a man holding a balancer while walking available in the market as a 'enterprise men', so Libra just isn't a sign of balance, but a sing of business, or businessmen.

Astrology is a field the place lots of people are significantly occupied with, but do probably not know a lot about. Most people take what, about 20 seconds of their every day lives to read their day by day horoscopes on the paper and then learn the horoscope of a pal or of an workplace mate proper after, and this has become a traditional observe achieved in lots of of offices and homes. But allow us to say that you simply actually wish to know extra about astrology and how it impacts your daily life, what do you have to do?

Nicely, the internet is a great supply. If you want to know extra about astrology and the issues that it does to you, might as effectively ask the web astrologers yourself. Below are a few of glorious websites with in house on-line astrologers that will offer you essentially the most useful info on and about the area of Astrology.

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1.0: Dissecting Dan Harmon’s “10 Minute Long Song” Metaphor

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>You walk into a room in which a song has been playing for 8 minutes and everyone in that room tells you that the song sounds pretty well like it is going to end soon. It is on its third chorus, and you seem to hear the beginnings of what sounds like a bridge. Also you are pretty sure it is a pop song.

It is difficult to know where to begin, personally, with “problematizing” a theory postulated by the very man who opened my eyes to the concept of “problematization”-- by all means a sociology jargon. Dan Harmon is misunderstood in much the same way still today as he has always been, for the cult of personality surrounding him. But he is an impressively intellectual protege to both Joseph Campbell and (less notably) Spalding Grey, one of the most original writers in American history. I, like Dan Harmon, would agree that the work of Campbell and Grey might be a bit more worthwhile for fireside chats than say, Stein and Mensch, Ryan and McCain.

We are way way way way past the days when some headline from the frothy tops of the Today Show daily news has the potential to stir up a national conversation about fascism and apartheid. This might have been true in 2015 when Black Lives Matter protests were still attracting sizeable crowds. It is worth talking about that crowds at protests have dwindled. It is worth asking why.

So we dig deeper than the Today Show, into the realm of visionaries-- Camus, Laozi, hell, even Orwell. Zamyatin anybody? Harmon.

I hate to break it to him and to you, but our president half-consciously tweeting jibberish about coffee in the middle of the night really was the ultimate shark jump for this whole charade. But rejoice, because that means that we’re one step closer to taking it off air.

And I want to problematize the problematizer, but that does not make me his adversary. I have a respect for Harmon to the point where I am actually hurt by the arrogance and the ignorance and the anger that spews forth from these people who claim to actually follow him, but hey, that is a whole different story for a whole different day.

I want to dive right into what the point of this whimsical but officially inaugural post for FBC is about: Please refer to the meat of the opening monologue to the free E250 of his Harmontown podcast-- in the absence of actual transcriptions by yours truly all I can say is that it is easy to access and is between the 10 and 30 minute mark.. Recently Dan Harmon has taken on a bit of what we could call a “pro-praxis” position as an anarchist, meaning simply that he is willing to apologize for politicians. I am putting words in his mouth, only not. (paraphrase: ‘I just want to go back to the horrible thing with the two corporations rigging debates;’ ‘politics used to be the enemy but now it is actually the thing that we need to use to work against Trump supporters’-- yes, he was being glib, to an extent.) This represents a shift in ideology, since prior to the 2016 campaign of Trump Dan soundly swore against essentially all things polis, “political,” all things having to do with reptilians in suits doing corruption and greed.  The metaphor he used was, as far as I can tell, “a ten minute long song that you are just entering the room to hear, it is 8 minutes in, and the ‘older’ people are there (here) to say that the ‘song’ is going to end in two minutes because they know the general structure of ten minute long songs throughout history.” “If they tell you the song is about to end, listen to them.” I’m sorry Dan, but first of all, what? Second of all, what? And thirdly, what? Impeachment? Also, as an additional aside... really? Number one is painfully obvious- you just literally said that you haven’t been paying attention to the song these past eight minutes. How ageist is that? What about my 19-year old ass in 2008 getting a call from my best friend who worked for the Obama PAC, 10pm November 8th, listening to a parade of college students screaming on the streets of Bellingham, Washington, while you washed the cheeto dust out of your hair? You said yourself you weren’t listening to the song that whole time, and fifteen years of age under your belt doesn’t amount to a time machine, bruh. I was talking about Elizabeth Warren in 2011. I was lost in Adbusters and Mother Jones and Democracy Now! as a teenager. I debated socialist theory with my friends in middle school. Secondly, and this is crucial, what the hell is a 10-minute long song? “21st Century Splendid Man?” “Roundabout?” Beethoven’s 9th? Good god man, do you actually think that people still listen to that music? No, we are on future shock time, and there is no time for Manheim Steamroller in the life of a real life Millennial. Ever heard of a little band called Charles Bronson? Or a genre called Break-core? To extend your metaphor, we have to examine the actual science of music theory, which operates as so: pop song, like “art music” and traditional folksong, is an abstract form that is and can only be understood by the light of the historical existence of individual works. (so, to go along with point 1, not only would you have had to have been listening to the first 8 minutes of the song, you must also have had to have an actual set of historical data involving songs that last ten minutes with codas near the eight minute mark, which by all means would make you a scholar of little more than, yes, one good King Crimson album and a couple of Yes songs and Beethoven.) Epistemologically we should contend with the idea that there are in fact many 30-second pop songs for every 10-minute pop song**, just like there are 4-year terms for every giant unending empirical world megastate.  **(see: Philip Tagg’s “axiomatic triangle” theory-- this is actually very important to fully understand my argument involving this VERY imperfect extended metaphor.) Third, and there has to be a third because, style: where is this leading? All I am hearing is the exact opposite of what Barack Obama said in 2004 at the DNC, which by all accounts is an evocation of Jeff B. Davis’ post-neoliberal and anti-praxis, nonpartisan stance-- if Democrats want to act like they are saving the world while they secretly wage wars and profit off prisons, they really, really, are not any better than the other side. It seems to me that if Dan Harmon himself is saying to bring in the suits, the alt-right has literally already won. They have detached the anarcho-syndicalist arm entirely from the American left and replaced it with an ersatz. To ask the question was it the Russians, or is Democracy to blame? is the best way to completely fool and bamboozle yourself if you are the sort of person who likes to have faith in the common sense of her neighbor, but I suppose that is the way the tides are turning, so so be it.