control

9Dec

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

POLITICS

Sinema Out, Warnock In – Democrats Narrowly Control The Senate And Republicans The House, But Gridlock Won’t Be The Biggest Problem For The New Congress

In the wake of the 2022 U.S. midterm elections, a general sense of the political landscape in the upcoming 118th Congress has taken shape. With Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s announcement that she is leaving the Democratic Party and Sen. Raphael Warnock’s victory in Georgia’s runoff, Democrats will maintain control in the Senate, while Republicans will take control of the House. Divided government sparks fears of gridlock, a legislative standstill. At face value, this makes sense. Given the different policy priorities of the two major parties, you might expect to see each party passing legislation out of the chamber it controls that has little chance in the other chamber – and thus no chance of becoming law. Logically, this means a less productive legislature than one in which a single party with...

Brain-Computer Interfaces Could Allow Soldiers To Control Weapons With Their Thoughts And Turn Off Their Fear – But The Ethics Of Neurotechnology Lags Behind The Science

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, VIDEO REELS

Brain-Computer Interfaces Could Allow Soldiers To Control Weapons With Their Thoughts And Turn Off Their Fear – But The Ethics Of Neurotechnology Lags Behind The Science

Imagine that a soldier has a tiny computer device injected into their bloodstream that can be guided with a magnet to specific regions of their brain. With training, the soldier could then control weapon systems thousands of miles away using their thoughts alone. Embedding a similar type of computer in a soldier’s brain could suppress their fear and anxiety, allowing them to carry out combat missions more efficiently. Going one step further, a device equipped with an artificial intelligence system could directly control a soldier’s behavior by predicting what options they would choose in their current situation. While these examples may sound like science fiction, the science to develop neurotechnologies like these is already in development. Brain-computer interfaces, or BCI, are techno...

Religious Lies, Conmen And Coercive Control: How Cults Corrupt Our Desire For Love And Connection

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

CULTURE, Journalism

Religious Lies, Conmen And Coercive Control: How Cults Corrupt Our Desire For Love And Connection

Project Mayhem is an all-male cult – but unlike the real cults that Sarah Steel writes about in Do As I Say, Project Mayhem is fictitious. It comes from the mind of Chuck Palahniuk in his masterpiece novel Fight Club, a dark exploration of contemporary masculinity that describes how a group of men come together to form a fringe group with fringe ideas – and how this can go wrong. Project Mayhem exhibits many key elements of what we see in cults. In Do As I Say, Steel (creator of the podcast Let’s Talk About Sects) explores how cults usually exhibit some of the following attributes: they have unique in-group language, they require intense work schedules of members, their leaders will often deliver endless sermons, and they will restrict access to media. Members are directed not to ask que...

Politicians Seek To Control Classroom Discussions About Slavery In The US

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

EDUCATION, POLITICS

Politicians Seek To Control Classroom Discussions About Slavery In The US

Of all the subjects taught in the nation’s public schools, few have generated as much controversy of late as the subjects of racism and slavery in the United States. The attention has come largely through a flood of legislative bills put forth primarily by Republicans over the past year and a half. Commonly referred to as anti-critical race theory legislation, these bills are meant to restrict how teachers discuss race and racism in their classrooms. One of the more peculiar byproducts of this legislation came out of Texas, where, in June 2022, an advisory panel made up of nine educators recommended that slavery be referred to as “involuntary relocation.” The measure ultimately failed. As an educator who trains teachers on how to educate young students about the history of slavery in t...

Offices Are Too Hot Or Too Cold – Is There A Better Way To Control Room Temperature?

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

Journalism

Offices Are Too Hot Or Too Cold – Is There A Better Way To Control Room Temperature?

In any office, home or other shared space, there’s almost always someone who’s too cold, someone who’s too hot – and someone who doesn’t know what the fuss around the thermostat is all about. Someone’s too hot and someone’s too cold. Collage by The Conversation, combining images by Monika Wisniewska and Antonio Guillem/Shutterstock.com, CC BY-ND Most often, building owners and operators find out how their heating and cooling systems are doing by asking occupants if they’re comfortable or whether they want to be cooler or warmer. However, everyone has a different ideal temperature at any given time, based on all sorts of factors, including their age and gender, their physical activity level, what they’re wearing and even how much stress they’re feeling at the moment. This is a complex prob...

Take Proper Control Of Your Company Web Site

8Jun

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

FOR BUSINESS

Take Proper Control Of Your Company Web Site

I recently carried out a web-site review for a solid and successful company. It had followed most of the 'rules' for getting high traffic, but had somehow missed the mark. I suspect that a large number of visitors found the site unconvincing, uninspiring and unmemorable. The site certainly did little to enhance the company's otherwise very high reputation. I quickly spotted the problem, but it took me a while to figure out the underlying cause. The problem itself was really very simple. Each page was fine on its own, but the site as a whole was not coherent. Some pages had long paragraphs while others were written in bullet points. Sentences varied hugely in length and complexity. Key staff were profiled by some departments, but not by others. Even key branding language varied, including, ...

How Do You Live With Yourself: How Landlords Unfairly Control People’s Lives

7Mar

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

LIFESTYLE, TOP FOUR

How Do You Live With Yourself: How Landlords Unfairly Control People’s Lives

The last 20 years have seen a boom in private renting. Approximately 4.6 million households in England, about 19% of all households, now rely on a private landlord for the roof over their head – and there are growing concerns over poor standards in the sector. In 2018, a quarter of privately rented houses failed to meet the decent homes standard, meaning that they have a serious hazard, are not in a suitable state of repair, do not have reasonably modern facilities or lack adequate heating. There is also growing evidence of the adverse effects renting and landlord practice can have on tenants’ wellbeing. Research has shown that private renting can cause renters anxiety due to a lack of security and control over their home. With this in mind, we examine five ways that landlords can exerci...

‘Real Housewives’ Opens Up A Debate On Wealth, Control And Intimate Partner Abuse

9Nov

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

TELEVISION

‘Real Housewives’ Opens Up A Debate On Wealth, Control And Intimate Partner Abuse

Erika Girardi's divorce sparks questions from fans — and speaks to larger issues of financial control in marriage. Jennifer Gerson Originally published by The 19th In December 2020, class-action lawyer Tom Girardi was sued by a class of his former defendants from the 2018 Lion Air flight crash in Indonesia. Tom Girardi, they said, defrauded them and funneled cash from settlements to his personal accounts. Some of that cash, the lawsuits say, went to his wife, Erika Girardi, one of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and a chart-topping dance pop performer who went on to write a New York Times-bestselling memoir and star on Broadway in the long-running musical “Chicago.” (Both Girardis will be referred to by their first names in this article for clarity.) When the Bravo show’s 11...

Taliban Seize Control – Afghan Government Collapses – 5 Essential Reads

16Aug

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

IN OTHER NEWS, POLITICS

Taliban Seize Control – Afghan Government Collapses – 5 Essential Reads

POLITICS Catesby Holmes, The Conversation Panic and turmoil grip Afghanistan after Taliban insurgents captured the capital city of Kabul and the president fled on Aug. 15, 2021. There would be “no transitional government in Afghanistan,” Taliban officials told Reuters news service. The insurgent group “expects a complete handover of power” – though many nations may not recognize a Taliban government that took power through armed struggle rather than by continuing the now-failed internationally mediated peace negotiations. Fearful citizens aiming to escape the rule of radical Islamic fighters were “lining up at cash machines to withdraw their life savings,” according to the Associated Press, and overrunning the Kabul airport’s tarmac as U.S. military evacuation flights tried to take off...

After Each Mass Shooting, Gun Control Fails Quickly In Congress But States Often Act – Including To loosen Gun Laws

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

IN OTHER NEWS

After Each Mass Shooting, Gun Control Fails Quickly In Congress But States Often Act – Including To loosen Gun Laws

Recent mass shootings at three spas in Atlanta, Georgia and a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado have renewed calls for new gun legislation. The U.S. has been here before – after shootings in Tucson, Aurora, Newtown, Charleston, Roseburg, San Bernardino, Orlando, Las Vegas, Parkland, El Paso and other communities across the United States. Congress has declined to pass significant new gun legislation after dozens of shootings, including shootings that occurred during periods like this one, with Democrats controlling the House of Representatives, Senate and presidency. This response may seem puzzling given that national opinion polls reveal extensive support for several gun control policies, including expanding background checks and banning assault weapons. But polls do not determine polic...