Before political movements can be understood by others, they need to understand themselves: what they want to be, what they actually are and how they might bridge the gap between aspiration and reality.
Today, the post-George W. Bush, post-Mitt Romney conservative movement is one-third of the way there. Among younger activists and rising politicians, the American right has a plausible theory of what its role in our politics ought to be, and how it might advance the common good. What it lacks, for now, is the self-awareness to see how it falls short of its own ideal, and the creativity necessary to transform its self-conception into victory, governance, results.
The theory goes something like this: American politics is no longer best understood in the left-right terms that defined 20th-century debates. Rather, our landscape looks more like a much earlier phase in democracy?s development, when the division that mattered was between outsiders and insiders, the ?country party? and the ?court party.?
These terms emerged in 18th-century Britain, during the rule of Sir Robert Walpole, the island kingdom?s first true prime minister. They were coined by his opponents, a circle led by Henry St. John, Viscount Bolingbroke, who were both conservative and populist at once: They regarded Walpole?s centralization of power as a kind of organized conspiracy, in which the realm?s political, business and military interests were colluding against the common good.
Bolingbroke is largely forgotten today, but his skepticism about the ways that money and power intertwine went on to influence the American Revolution and practically every populist movement in our nation?s history. And it?s his civic republican ideas, repurposed for a new era, that you hear in the rhetoric of new-guard Republican politicians like Rand Paul and Mike Lee, in right-wing critiques of our incestuous ?ruling class,? and from pundits touting a ?libertarian populism? instead.
As theories go, it?s well suited to the times. The story of the last decade in American life is, indeed, a story of consolidation and self-dealing at the top. There really is a kind of ?court party? in American politics, whose shared interests and assumptions ? interventionist, corporatist, globalist ? have stamped the last two presidencies and shaped just about every major piece of Obama-era legislation.
The problem for conservatives isn?t their critique of this court party and its works. Rather, it?s their failure to understand why many Americans can agree with this critique but still reject the Republican alternative.
They reject it for two reasons. First, while Republicans claim to oppose the ruling class on behalf of the country as a whole, they often seem to be representing an equally narrow set of interest groups ? mostly elderly, rural (the GOP is a ?country party? in a far too literal sense) and well-off. A party that cuts food stamps while voting for farm subsidies or fixates on upper-bracket tax cuts while wages are stagnating isn?t actually offering a libertarian populist alternative to the court party?s corrupt bargains.
Second, as much as Americans may distrust a cronyist liberalism, they prefer it to a conservatism that doesn?t seem interested in governing at all. The sense that Obama was at least trying to solve problems, whereas the right offered only opposition, was powerful enough to overcome disappointment with Obama?s actual results.
Both of these problems dog the right?s populists today. There might indeed be a ?libertarian populist? agenda that could help Republicans woo the middle class ? but not if, as in Rand Paul?s budget proposals, its centerpiece is just another sweeping tax cut for the rich.
NEW ORLEANS -- Military personnel, their families, and military veterans can now get a 20 percent discount on tickets to the Southern Rep theater.
Southern Rep spokeswoman Rachel Gorman says Southern Rep is among 90 theaters in the Blue Star Theatres initiative.
She says the discount will apply to all of Southern Rep's mainstage and lagniappe season shows.
Blue Star Theatres is a partnership among Theatre Communications Group through Blue Star Families. The initiative recognizes the contributions of service families and seeks to build stronger connections between theatres, military families and their communities.
Other participating theaters include The Wilma Theater in Philadelphia, the Burning Coal Theatre Company in North Carolina, and The William Inge Center for the Arts in Kansas.
[unable to retrieve full-text content]"This is another example of how the country's leading tech, media and advertising companies are choosing New York state as the place to bring and expand their business," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. "I am pleased to ...
Just 12% of Unite members would sign up as full Labour Party members, new polling from Lord Ashcroft claims.
The former Tory party deputy chairman said just 30% of Unite members would opt in to funding Labour if reforms to the way the political levy is operated went through.
Less than half (49%) said they would vote Labour if an election were held tomorrow, compared to 23% Conservative, 7% Liberal Democrat and 12% Ukip. At the 2010 election 40% voted Labour, 28% Conservative and 20% Lib Dem.
Labour leader Ed Miliband has proposed ending the automatic opt-in of union members which is currently a major source of funding to his party.
Lord Ashcroft said: "(Unite general secretary) Len McCluskey rightly observes that whether individual trade unionists will rally to Labour will depend on whether Miliband gives them 'reasons to want to be associated' with the party. This is largely about policy. But the policies he himself advocates seem unlikely to have the desired effect. McCluskey is quite right that his members are not queuing up to join Labour. And if Miliband takes his advice, nor will they."
The poll interviewed 712 Unite members from a total membership of 1.42 million. Questions were posed online between July 10 and 17. Other findings of the poll suggested 30% of Unite members already opted out of funding the Labour Party, while a third did not know whether they did or not. Most Unite members, 57%, supported the idea of an opt-in system.
The union's membership was divided over whether Unite had been right to give nearly ?12 million to Labour since the general election, with 46% disagreeing but 43% backing the donations. Almost half, 49%, said future large donations would be wrong.
Unite members were more likely to think the Labour Party did a bad job of representing ordinary working people (47%) than think it did a good job (42%). And a large majority of 86% of members backed the Government's policy of a ?26,000 a year benefit cap.
Mr Miliband said: "I think this poll is proving that we are right to want change, because there are people who want to be part of our party, want to be active members of our party, want to be affiliated to our party. I want to give that that choice and I want to make it a real choice."
If 12% of individuals currently affiliated to Labour through their unions signed up to become full members, that would double the size of the party membership, he pointed out.
Okie dokie, now have had a few thread ideas up, one for Star Trek which I intend to be starting up, though one on my mind at the moment is a holiday style one, seeing as I am on hols at the moment, mixed with a blend of high-school also in the form of a residential trip with the usual drama/action/romance, so thinking they'd be the campers and maybe some locals also as another group, maybe 2 girls and 2 guys in each group, or maybe 3 of each. Just don't want a massive group rp since they tend to not last so long but am willing to expand on number of participants but don't want too many that others get left out. Let me know if your interested, by this thread is preferable over pm. I am also open to suggestions also, but if works well then this rp could be a follow on, or have a pre-quel before the holiday setting to where they are back in school.
Carnegie Mellon, Microsoft researchers demonstrate internal tagging technique for 3D-printed objectsPublic release date: 22-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Byron Spice bspice@cs.cmu.edu 412-268-9068 Carnegie Mellon University
Terahertz imaging could read information encoded inside objects
PITTSBURGHThe age of 3D printing, when every object so created can be personalized, will increase the need for tags to keep track of everything. Happily, the same 3D printing process used to produce an object can simultaneously generate an internal, invisible tag, say scientists at Carnegie Mellon University and Microsoft Research.
These internal tags, which the researchers have dubbed InfraStructs, can be read with an imaging system using terahertz (THz) radiation, which can safely penetrate many common materials. In proof-of-concept experiments, Karl Willis, a recent Ph.D. graduate in computational design at Carnegie Mellon, and Andy Wilson, a principal researcher at Microsoft Research, have demonstrated several possible tag designs and the THz imaging and data processing steps necessary to read them.
The tags themselves come at no extra cost, Willis said, but THz imaging, still in its infancy, can be pricey. As this imaging technology matures and becomes more affordable, however, InfraStructs could be used for a number of applications beyond keeping track of inventory or making point-of-sale transactions.
For instance, they could help mobile robots recognize or differentiate between things. They might encode information into custom accessories used in game systems. Or, they might enable new tabletop computing scenarios in which objects can be sensed regardless of whether they are stacked, buried or inserted inside other objects.
Willis and Wilson will present their findings July 25 at SIGGRAPH 2013, the International Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, in Anaheim, Calif.
Unlike conventional manufacturing, every single thing produced with digital fabrication techniques, such as 3D printing and laser cutting, can differ from the next, even in subtle ways. "You probably don't want to have visible barcodes or QR codes on every object you make," Willis said. Inserting a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag into each component would be a possibility, he acknowledged, but for now that would require interrupting the normal 3D printing process.
InfraStructs, by contrast, can be made with the same layer-by-layer process used for producing the object. In some cases, information can be encoded by positioning bubbles or voids inside the object; those voids reflect THz radiation. In other cases, materials that are reflective of THz radiation might be used to encode the information or create images inside the object.
"The ability to embed 3D patterns gives designers new opportunities in creating objects that are meant to be sensed and tracked," Wilson said. "One idea is to embed a code just under the surface of the object, so that a THz beam can recover its position on the surface, wherever it strikes the object."
THz radiation falls between microwaves and infrared light on the electromagnetic spectrum. It can penetrate many common plastics, papers and textiles but, unlike X-rays, does not harm biological tissues. THz imaging has yet to be fully commercialized. NASA famously has used it for inspecting the protective tiles on the space shuttle, detecting the same sort of voids Willis and Wilson have now used to encode information with InfraStructs.
Willis' work on InfraStructs occurred while he was an intern at Microsoft Research. Additional research on materials, fabrication processes and imaging techniques will be necessary if the tags are to be widely adopted. InfraStructs aim to take advantage of trends toward high-speed electronics at THz frequencies and the rapidly growing capabilities of digital fabrication.
###
For more information, visit the project website at http://www.karlddwillis.com/projects/infrastructs/ or the Microsoft Research Blog.
About Carnegie Mellon University: Carnegie Mellon is a private, internationally ranked research university with programs in areas ranging from science, technology and business, to public policy, the humanities and the arts. More than 12,000 students in the university's seven schools and colleges benefit from a small student-to-faculty ratio and an education characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. A global university, Carnegie Mellon has campuses in Pittsburgh, Pa., California's Silicon Valley and Qatar, and programs in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and Mexico. The university recently completed "Inspire Innovation: The Campaign for Carnegie Mellon University," exceeding its $1 billion goal to build its endowment, support faculty, students and innovative research, and enhance the physical campus with equipment and facility improvements. The campaign closed June 30, 2013.
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Carnegie Mellon, Microsoft researchers demonstrate internal tagging technique for 3D-printed objectsPublic release date: 22-Jul-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Byron Spice bspice@cs.cmu.edu 412-268-9068 Carnegie Mellon University
Terahertz imaging could read information encoded inside objects
PITTSBURGHThe age of 3D printing, when every object so created can be personalized, will increase the need for tags to keep track of everything. Happily, the same 3D printing process used to produce an object can simultaneously generate an internal, invisible tag, say scientists at Carnegie Mellon University and Microsoft Research.
These internal tags, which the researchers have dubbed InfraStructs, can be read with an imaging system using terahertz (THz) radiation, which can safely penetrate many common materials. In proof-of-concept experiments, Karl Willis, a recent Ph.D. graduate in computational design at Carnegie Mellon, and Andy Wilson, a principal researcher at Microsoft Research, have demonstrated several possible tag designs and the THz imaging and data processing steps necessary to read them.
The tags themselves come at no extra cost, Willis said, but THz imaging, still in its infancy, can be pricey. As this imaging technology matures and becomes more affordable, however, InfraStructs could be used for a number of applications beyond keeping track of inventory or making point-of-sale transactions.
For instance, they could help mobile robots recognize or differentiate between things. They might encode information into custom accessories used in game systems. Or, they might enable new tabletop computing scenarios in which objects can be sensed regardless of whether they are stacked, buried or inserted inside other objects.
Willis and Wilson will present their findings July 25 at SIGGRAPH 2013, the International Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, in Anaheim, Calif.
Unlike conventional manufacturing, every single thing produced with digital fabrication techniques, such as 3D printing and laser cutting, can differ from the next, even in subtle ways. "You probably don't want to have visible barcodes or QR codes on every object you make," Willis said. Inserting a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag into each component would be a possibility, he acknowledged, but for now that would require interrupting the normal 3D printing process.
InfraStructs, by contrast, can be made with the same layer-by-layer process used for producing the object. In some cases, information can be encoded by positioning bubbles or voids inside the object; those voids reflect THz radiation. In other cases, materials that are reflective of THz radiation might be used to encode the information or create images inside the object.
"The ability to embed 3D patterns gives designers new opportunities in creating objects that are meant to be sensed and tracked," Wilson said. "One idea is to embed a code just under the surface of the object, so that a THz beam can recover its position on the surface, wherever it strikes the object."
THz radiation falls between microwaves and infrared light on the electromagnetic spectrum. It can penetrate many common plastics, papers and textiles but, unlike X-rays, does not harm biological tissues. THz imaging has yet to be fully commercialized. NASA famously has used it for inspecting the protective tiles on the space shuttle, detecting the same sort of voids Willis and Wilson have now used to encode information with InfraStructs.
Willis' work on InfraStructs occurred while he was an intern at Microsoft Research. Additional research on materials, fabrication processes and imaging techniques will be necessary if the tags are to be widely adopted. InfraStructs aim to take advantage of trends toward high-speed electronics at THz frequencies and the rapidly growing capabilities of digital fabrication.
###
For more information, visit the project website at http://www.karlddwillis.com/projects/infrastructs/ or the Microsoft Research Blog.
About Carnegie Mellon University: Carnegie Mellon is a private, internationally ranked research university with programs in areas ranging from science, technology and business, to public policy, the humanities and the arts. More than 12,000 students in the university's seven schools and colleges benefit from a small student-to-faculty ratio and an education characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. A global university, Carnegie Mellon has campuses in Pittsburgh, Pa., California's Silicon Valley and Qatar, and programs in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and Mexico. The university recently completed "Inspire Innovation: The Campaign for Carnegie Mellon University," exceeding its $1 billion goal to build its endowment, support faculty, students and innovative research, and enhance the physical campus with equipment and facility improvements. The campaign closed June 30, 2013.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Just after a fan-pleasing Comic-Con 2013 panel on Saturday (July 20) wherein Marvel Studios announced that the follow-up to its mega-smash "The Avengers" would be entitled "The Avengers: Age of Ultron," the studio released the conceptual poster artwork for three of its other high-profile upcoming films.
With looks at "Thor: The Dark World,""Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and "Guardians of the Galaxy," it's clear that Marvel's been hard at work. Up first is the second "Thor" film, starring Chris Hemsworth, which hits theaters Nov. 8, 2013 -- which explains why its concept art is the farthest along.
The "Captain America" follow-up, with Chris Evans back in the red, white and blue, hits theaters April 4, 2014. The concept art previews the conflict between Evans' Cappy and Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes, once Captain America's best friend, who's gone evil as the Winter Soldier.
Last, but certainly not least, is the adaptation of "Guardians of the Galaxy," which is set to introduce a whole new set of galactic superheroes from the Marvel universe on Aug. 1, 2014. Featuring a cast that includes Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and Benicio Del Toro, this one's definitely the riskiest bet of the bunch.
Take a look at all the art and let us know which Marvel film you're most excited for.
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Public release date: 22-Jul-2013
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Just after a fan-pleasing Comic-Con 2013 panel on Saturday (July 20) wherein Marvel Studios announced that the follow-up to its mega-smash "The Avengers" would be entitled "The Avengers: Age of Ultron," the studio released the conceptual poster artwork for three of its other high-profile upcoming films.