Anthony Couto, Comic Book Resources; Bendis’ Take on Superman’s Truth, Justice & The American Way
"Talking all things Superman at his spotlight panel for Emerald City Comic Con, Eisner Award-winning writer Brian Michael Bendis offered a renewed approach to a classic Superman motto: Truth, Justice and the American Way.
Bendis said he’s found new relevance in Superman’s “truth, justice and the American way” adage, which helped inspire him to take on the Man of Steel. “Truth is under siege in our society today,” Bendis continued. “Justice — we see it every day on video, justice is not being handed out to everybody. The American dream, that is also under siege. These things, that seemed cliche just five years ago, are now damn well worth fighting for.”"
Sunday, March 4, 2018
Donald Trump Sure Has a Problem with Democracy; New York Times, March 4, 2018
Editorial Board, New York Times; Donald Trump Sure Has a Problem with Democracy
"Though George Washington was elected unanimously, he was always a reluctant president. He pursued a second term in 1792 only at the urging of his cabinet, and in 1796, when he insisted it was time to step down, he famously warned that not to do so risked a return to the very tyranny Americans had fought to overthrow...
Mr. Trump was surely joking about becoming president for life himself. But there can be little doubt now that he truly sees no danger in Mr. Xi’s “great” decision to extend his own rule until death. That craven reaction is in line with Mr. Trump’s consistent support and even admiration for men ruling with increasing brutal and autocratic methods — Vladimir Putin of Russia, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines, to name a few."
"Though George Washington was elected unanimously, he was always a reluctant president. He pursued a second term in 1792 only at the urging of his cabinet, and in 1796, when he insisted it was time to step down, he famously warned that not to do so risked a return to the very tyranny Americans had fought to overthrow...
Mr. Trump was surely joking about becoming president for life himself. But there can be little doubt now that he truly sees no danger in Mr. Xi’s “great” decision to extend his own rule until death. That craven reaction is in line with Mr. Trump’s consistent support and even admiration for men ruling with increasing brutal and autocratic methods — Vladimir Putin of Russia, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines, to name a few."
Saturday, March 3, 2018
Who needs ethics anyway? – Chips with Everything podcast; Guardian, March 2, 2018
[Podcast] Presented by Jordan Erica Webber and produced by Danielle Stephens, Guardian;
Who needs ethics anyway? – Chips with Everything podcast
"Technology companies seem to have a bad reputation at the moment. Whether through honest mistakes or more intentional oversights, the likes of Apple, Facebook, Google and Twitter have created distrust among consumers.
But as technology develops, and as we hand over more control to artificial intelligence and machines, it becomes difficult for developers to foresee the negative consequences or side-effects that might arise.
In October 2017, the AI company DeepMind, a subsidiary of Google, created an ethics group made up of employees and external experts called DeepMind Ethics & Society.
But are these groups any more than a PR strategy? And how can we train technology students to preempt an ethical disaster before they enter the workforce?
To discuss these issues, Jordan Erica Webber is joined by Dr Mariarosaria Taddeoof the Oxford Internet Institute, Prof Laura Norén of NYU and student Kandrea Wade."
Friday, March 2, 2018
Never have we seen such chaos and corruption; Washington Post, March 1, 2018
Eugene Robinson, Washington Post; Never have we seen such chaos and corruption
"Any other president who displayed such cavalier disregard for previous policy positions and total ignorance of basic facts would have provoked an uproar. Trump barely gets a shrug. Nobody expects him to be consistent. Nobody expects him to know anything about anything. He is defining the presidency down in a way that we must not tolerate.
I spent years as a foreign correspondent in Latin America. To say we are being governed like a banana republic is an insult to banana republics. It’s that bad, and no one should pretend otherwise."
"Any other president who displayed such cavalier disregard for previous policy positions and total ignorance of basic facts would have provoked an uproar. Trump barely gets a shrug. Nobody expects him to be consistent. Nobody expects him to know anything about anything. He is defining the presidency down in a way that we must not tolerate.
I spent years as a foreign correspondent in Latin America. To say we are being governed like a banana republic is an insult to banana republics. It’s that bad, and no one should pretend otherwise."
Trump Management Style, Year 2: See Year 1; New York Times, March 1, 2018
James B. Stewart, New York Times; Trump Management Style, Year 2: See Year 1
"With over a full year under Mr. Trump’s belt, and his unorthodox management style fully in evidence, I asked several experts to assess the president’s abilities as a manager."
"With over a full year under Mr. Trump’s belt, and his unorthodox management style fully in evidence, I asked several experts to assess the president’s abilities as a manager."
The Trump administration is in an unethical league of its own; Washington Post, March 1, 2018
Max Boot, Washington Post; The Trump administration is in an unethical league of its own
"One of the great non-mysteries of the Trump administration is why Cabinet members think they can behave like aristocrats at the court of the Sun King. The Department of Housing and Urban Development spent $31,000 for a dining set for Secretary Ben Carson’s office while programs for the poor were being slashed. The Environmental Protection Agency has been paying for Administrator Scott Pruitt to fly first class and be protected by a squadron of bodyguards so he doesn’t have to mix with the great unwashed in economy class. The Department of Veterans Affairs spent $122,334 for Secretary David Shulkin and his wife to take what looks like a pleasure trip to Europe last summer; Shulkin’s chief of staff is accused of doctoring emails and lying about what happened. The Department of Health and Human Services paid more than $400,000 for then-Secretary Tom Price to charter private aircraft — a scandal that forced his resignation.
Why would Cabinet members act any differently when they are serving in the least ethical administration in our history? The “our” is important, because there have been more crooked regimes — but only in banana republics. The corruption and malfeasance of the Trump administration is unprecedented in U.S. history. The only points of comparison are the Gilded Age scandals of the Grant administration, Teapot Dome under the Harding administration, and Watergate and the bribe-taking of Vice President Spiro Agnew during the Nixon administration. But this administration is already in an unethical league of its own. The misconduct revealed during just one day this week — Wednesday — was worse than what presidents normally experience during an entire term...
Given the ethical direction set by this president, it’s a wonder that his Cabinet officers aren’t stealing spoons from their official dining rooms. Come to think of it, maybe someone should look into that."
"One of the great non-mysteries of the Trump administration is why Cabinet members think they can behave like aristocrats at the court of the Sun King. The Department of Housing and Urban Development spent $31,000 for a dining set for Secretary Ben Carson’s office while programs for the poor were being slashed. The Environmental Protection Agency has been paying for Administrator Scott Pruitt to fly first class and be protected by a squadron of bodyguards so he doesn’t have to mix with the great unwashed in economy class. The Department of Veterans Affairs spent $122,334 for Secretary David Shulkin and his wife to take what looks like a pleasure trip to Europe last summer; Shulkin’s chief of staff is accused of doctoring emails and lying about what happened. The Department of Health and Human Services paid more than $400,000 for then-Secretary Tom Price to charter private aircraft — a scandal that forced his resignation.
Why would Cabinet members act any differently when they are serving in the least ethical administration in our history? The “our” is important, because there have been more crooked regimes — but only in banana republics. The corruption and malfeasance of the Trump administration is unprecedented in U.S. history. The only points of comparison are the Gilded Age scandals of the Grant administration, Teapot Dome under the Harding administration, and Watergate and the bribe-taking of Vice President Spiro Agnew during the Nixon administration. But this administration is already in an unethical league of its own. The misconduct revealed during just one day this week — Wednesday — was worse than what presidents normally experience during an entire term...
Given the ethical direction set by this president, it’s a wonder that his Cabinet officers aren’t stealing spoons from their official dining rooms. Come to think of it, maybe someone should look into that."
A code of ethics to get scientists talking; Nature, February 27, 2018
Editorial, Nature; A code of ethics to get scientists talking
"“Pursuing the truth means following the research where it leads, rather than confirming an already formed opinion.”
That statement opens one of seven presentations in a ‘Code of Ethics for Researchers’ produced by a group of scientists convened by the World Economic Forum. These scientists, drawn from many countries, are all under 40 but well established in career terms, with decades of research and leadership ahead of them. This combination makes them well qualified to explore the realities and pressures of modern lab life, so their ideas deserve to be considered by the scientific community...
As the authors state, their purpose is to stimulate open conversations “to safeguard a positive and sound research environment”. Accordingly, Nature readers may do themselves and others some good by visiting http://wef.ch/coe and providing feedback. Even better, they might discuss the ideals expressed, and consider how to live up to them in their own lab, research institution or funding agency. We at Nature are trying to do so, too."
"“Pursuing the truth means following the research where it leads, rather than confirming an already formed opinion.”
That statement opens one of seven presentations in a ‘Code of Ethics for Researchers’ produced by a group of scientists convened by the World Economic Forum. These scientists, drawn from many countries, are all under 40 but well established in career terms, with decades of research and leadership ahead of them. This combination makes them well qualified to explore the realities and pressures of modern lab life, so their ideas deserve to be considered by the scientific community...
As the authors state, their purpose is to stimulate open conversations “to safeguard a positive and sound research environment”. Accordingly, Nature readers may do themselves and others some good by visiting http://wef.ch/coe and providing feedback. Even better, they might discuss the ideals expressed, and consider how to live up to them in their own lab, research institution or funding agency. We at Nature are trying to do so, too."
Thursday, March 1, 2018
Professor Tells UN, Governments Of Coming “Tsunami” Of Data And Artificial Intelligence; Intellectual Property Watch, February 21, 2018
William New, Intellectual Property Watch; Professor Tells UN, Governments Of Coming “Tsunami” Of Data And Artificial Intelligence
"[Prof. Shmuel (Mooly) Eden of the University of Haifa, Israel] said this fourth revolution in human history is made up of four factors. First, computing power is at levels that were unimaginable. This power is what makes artificial intelligence now possible. The smartphone in your hand has 1,000 times the components of the first rocket to the moon, he said, which led to a chorus of “wows” from the audience.
Second is big data. Every time you speak on the phone or go on the internet, someone records it, he said. The amount of data is unlimited. Eden said he would be surprised if we use 2 percent of the data we generate, but in the future “we will.”
Third is artificial intelligence (AI). No one could analyse all of that data, so AI came into play.
Fourth is robots. He noted that they don’t always look like human forms. Most robots are just software doing some function...
Eden ended by quoting a hero of his, former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, who told him: “Technology without ethics is evil. Ethics without technology is poverty. That’s why we have to combine the two.”
"[Prof. Shmuel (Mooly) Eden of the University of Haifa, Israel] said this fourth revolution in human history is made up of four factors. First, computing power is at levels that were unimaginable. This power is what makes artificial intelligence now possible. The smartphone in your hand has 1,000 times the components of the first rocket to the moon, he said, which led to a chorus of “wows” from the audience.
Second is big data. Every time you speak on the phone or go on the internet, someone records it, he said. The amount of data is unlimited. Eden said he would be surprised if we use 2 percent of the data we generate, but in the future “we will.”
Third is artificial intelligence (AI). No one could analyse all of that data, so AI came into play.
Fourth is robots. He noted that they don’t always look like human forms. Most robots are just software doing some function...
Eden ended by quoting a hero of his, former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, who told him: “Technology without ethics is evil. Ethics without technology is poverty. That’s why we have to combine the two.”
Eden challenged the governments, the UN and all others to think about how to address this rapid change and come up with ideas.
He challenged the governments, the UN and all others to think about how to address this rapid change and come up with ideas. Exponentially."
Wednesday, February 28, 2018
UMD should require ethics courses for all students; The Diamondback. February 26, 2018
Julian Savelski, The Diamondback; UMD should require ethics courses for all students
"All Terps have the ability to become true leaders; not just intelligent and competent, but moral, too. Many already are, yet we can all benefit from taking a moment to reflect on our decisions to determine how we can be better in the future. And, though not a panacea, university-mandated coursework in ethics would go a long way. It is up to the administration and students alike to produce a generation of leaders who uphold moral and ethical values as dearly as they hold success.
Julian Savelski is a junior government and politics and philosophy major. He can be reached at juliansavelski@gmail.com."
"All Terps have the ability to become true leaders; not just intelligent and competent, but moral, too. Many already are, yet we can all benefit from taking a moment to reflect on our decisions to determine how we can be better in the future. And, though not a panacea, university-mandated coursework in ethics would go a long way. It is up to the administration and students alike to produce a generation of leaders who uphold moral and ethical values as dearly as they hold success.
Julian Savelski is a junior government and politics and philosophy major. He can be reached at juliansavelski@gmail.com."
Ruth Simmons on Cultivating the Next Generation of College Students; New York Times, February 28, 2018
Marguerite Joutz, New York Times; Ruth Simmons on Cultivating the Next Generation of College Students
"In 2012, after a distinguished career in higher education, which included serving as the president of Smith College and Brown University — where she was the first black woman to lead an Ivy League institution — Ruth J. Simmons retired and moved back to her home state, Texas.
She didn’t think she’d ever work at a university again. But after several years, Prairie View A&M University, a historically black school with about 9,000 students, came calling...
M.J.: You’ve led several institutions that are all very different from each other, and the topic of leadership is something you’ve talked a lot about. In another interview with The Times you said that it’s much easier to lead people “if you convey the underlying principles.” Can you elaborate?
R.S.: One thing that I’ve learned is that the perceptions of what it takes to be a leader are often based on prototypical models that don’t have much truth in reality. People look at the institutions that I have led and they see dissimilarities. I see similarities. When people think in terms of leadership, they’re often thinking about the kind of specific skills needed for different types of enterprises. I think of leadership as more of a disposition — the ability to step into a situation to learn about the history of the enterprise, the opportunities that it faces, the culture that exists and the people who are served by it. To look at all of that, to listen to stakeholders and then to think about how that enterprise or institution should best be served. There is no one model of leadership if you approach it that way. What I have tried to do wherever I go is to start where the institution is rather than try to import particularly rigid constructs from other places. In that sense, I think a leader is more than anything else a facilitator. A person who is able to come in to show a community a picture of what it is, to provide some insight into what it could be — how it could be different or improved perhaps — and then enlist the help of people who are there and others who support that institution in order to move forward together.
I don’t subscribe to the model of hero leadership, which is identifying somebody who can come in and have magical powers and then wield the wand and fix things that have not been fixable before. I don’t see that. I think leadership is a community affair."
"In 2012, after a distinguished career in higher education, which included serving as the president of Smith College and Brown University — where she was the first black woman to lead an Ivy League institution — Ruth J. Simmons retired and moved back to her home state, Texas.
She didn’t think she’d ever work at a university again. But after several years, Prairie View A&M University, a historically black school with about 9,000 students, came calling...
M.J.: You’ve led several institutions that are all very different from each other, and the topic of leadership is something you’ve talked a lot about. In another interview with The Times you said that it’s much easier to lead people “if you convey the underlying principles.” Can you elaborate?
R.S.: One thing that I’ve learned is that the perceptions of what it takes to be a leader are often based on prototypical models that don’t have much truth in reality. People look at the institutions that I have led and they see dissimilarities. I see similarities. When people think in terms of leadership, they’re often thinking about the kind of specific skills needed for different types of enterprises. I think of leadership as more of a disposition — the ability to step into a situation to learn about the history of the enterprise, the opportunities that it faces, the culture that exists and the people who are served by it. To look at all of that, to listen to stakeholders and then to think about how that enterprise or institution should best be served. There is no one model of leadership if you approach it that way. What I have tried to do wherever I go is to start where the institution is rather than try to import particularly rigid constructs from other places. In that sense, I think a leader is more than anything else a facilitator. A person who is able to come in to show a community a picture of what it is, to provide some insight into what it could be — how it could be different or improved perhaps — and then enlist the help of people who are there and others who support that institution in order to move forward together.
I don’t subscribe to the model of hero leadership, which is identifying somebody who can come in and have magical powers and then wield the wand and fix things that have not been fixable before. I don’t see that. I think leadership is a community affair."
Why I'm Writing Captain America And why it scares the hell out of me; The Atlantic, February 2018
Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic; Why I'm Writing Captain America
"Finally, but most importantly, I have to thank the black comic creators I admired as a youth, often without even knowing they were black—Christopher Priest, Denys Cowan, Dwayne McDuffie, specifically—without whom none of this would be possible. There has long been a complaint among black comic creators that they are restricted to black characters. I don’t know what it means to live in a world where people restrict what you write, and the reason I don’t know is largely because of the sacrifices of all those who were forced to know before me. I have not forgotten this.
Captain America #1 drops on the Fourth of July. Excelsior, family."
Is There A Difference Between Ethics And Morality In Business?; Forbes, February 27, 2018
Bruce Weinstein, Forbes; Is There A Difference Between Ethics And Morality In Business?
"In practical terms, if you use both “ethics” and “morality” in conversation, the people you’re speaking with will probably take issue with how you’re using these terms, even if they believe they’re distinct in some way.
The conversation will then veer from whatever substantive ethical point you were trying to make (“Our company has an ethical and moral responsibility to hire and promote only honest, accountable people”) to an argument about the meaning of the words “ethical” and “moral.” I had plenty of those arguments as a graduate student in philosophy, but is that the kind of discussion you really want to have at a team meeting or business conference?
"In practical terms, if you use both “ethics” and “morality” in conversation, the people you’re speaking with will probably take issue with how you’re using these terms, even if they believe they’re distinct in some way.
The conversation will then veer from whatever substantive ethical point you were trying to make (“Our company has an ethical and moral responsibility to hire and promote only honest, accountable people”) to an argument about the meaning of the words “ethical” and “moral.” I had plenty of those arguments as a graduate student in philosophy, but is that the kind of discussion you really want to have at a team meeting or business conference?
You can do one of three things, then:
1. Use “ethics” and “morality” interchangeably only when you’re speaking with people who believe they’re synonymous.
2. Choose one term and stick with it.
3. Minimize the use of both words and instead refer to what each word is broadly about: doing the right thing, leading an honorable life and acting with high character.
As a professional ethicist, I’ve come to see #3 as the best option. That way, I don’t have to guess whether the person I’m speaking with believes ethics and morality are identical concepts, which is futile when you’re speaking to an audience of 5,000 people."
Conservative Groups Want ‘Harmful’ LGBT Books Segregated at Iowa Library; Daily Beast, February 24, 2018
Tatyana Bellamy-Walker, Daily Beast; Conservative Groups Want ‘Harmful’ LGBT Books Segregated at Iowa Library
"Conservative groups in Iowa are demanding a library in Orange City shelve LGBTQ materials, including books and DVDs, separately to everything else, claiming they could "harm" children.
The groups equate the reading of such books to drug use and eating Tide pods."
"Conservative groups in Iowa are demanding a library in Orange City shelve LGBTQ materials, including books and DVDs, separately to everything else, claiming they could "harm" children.
The groups equate the reading of such books to drug use and eating Tide pods."
The Iceman Cometh Out; New York Times. February 19, 2018
Stephanie Burt, New York Times; The Iceman Cometh Out
"Superhero comics address, and empower, straight white nerdy boys. That’s been true of most comics, for most of their history. But is it the genre’s central truth? For some of us, it never was. As Ramzi Fawaz, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has pointed out, superhero comics are the only popular genre in which anomalous bodies are not just tolerated but celebrated: The same thing that makes you look weird means you can save the world. Moreover, comics — because they involve stories of human (and superhuman) conflict and change; because they show hand-drawn pictures, with stylized faces; because they often appeal to us first in childhood — invite identification: We read them in search of ourselves, or our future selves.
These facts about comics explain — in part — why the X-Men became the most successful superhero franchise of the 1980s. Mutation, the source of X-powers, could stand, well or badly, for stigmatized real-world identities, as well as for the outsider status most kids, at some point, feel. The best X-books integrated real-world diversity too. Under Chris Claremont (who wrote many of them from 1975 to 1991) the core cast included a few women of color, one of them a virtual god, along with very strong hints of queer sexuality. More than almost any other gaudy bang-pow-pop cultural property, X-books offered — then and since — an imaginative space where L.G.B.T. readers could feel at home."
"Superhero comics address, and empower, straight white nerdy boys. That’s been true of most comics, for most of their history. But is it the genre’s central truth? For some of us, it never was. As Ramzi Fawaz, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has pointed out, superhero comics are the only popular genre in which anomalous bodies are not just tolerated but celebrated: The same thing that makes you look weird means you can save the world. Moreover, comics — because they involve stories of human (and superhuman) conflict and change; because they show hand-drawn pictures, with stylized faces; because they often appeal to us first in childhood — invite identification: We read them in search of ourselves, or our future selves.
These facts about comics explain — in part — why the X-Men became the most successful superhero franchise of the 1980s. Mutation, the source of X-powers, could stand, well or badly, for stigmatized real-world identities, as well as for the outsider status most kids, at some point, feel. The best X-books integrated real-world diversity too. Under Chris Claremont (who wrote many of them from 1975 to 1991) the core cast included a few women of color, one of them a virtual god, along with very strong hints of queer sexuality. More than almost any other gaudy bang-pow-pop cultural property, X-books offered — then and since — an imaginative space where L.G.B.T. readers could feel at home."
Monday, February 26, 2018
Cuts to Welsh libraries see paid staff fall by 20%; BBC News, February 21, 2018
BBC News; Cuts to Welsh libraries see paid staff fall by 20%
"Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) figures reveal full-time paid staff fell from 1,112 in 2012-13 to 890 in 2016-17 - a 20% drop.
"Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) figures reveal full-time paid staff fell from 1,112 in 2012-13 to 890 in 2016-17 - a 20% drop.
Meanwhile, the number of volunteers increased 13-fold, from 93 to 1,288.
The Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) said councils were finding "innovative ways" of keeping services in a climate of cuts.
CIPFA chief executive Rob Whiteman said the overall budget cut to Welsh libraries in the last decade had been less than that in England - 18% compared to 25%."
Friday, February 23, 2018
Patent Trolls Target Small Businesses With Lawsuit Threats. Here's How One Startup Fought Back; Inc., February 22, 2018
Minda Zetlin, Inc.; Patent Trolls Target Small Businesses With Lawsuit Threats. Here's How One Startup Fought Back
"Why are they targeting small businesses?
For years, these entities made their money by suing or threatening to sue large corporations with deep pockets. This worked well because they could take advantage of the rule that companies can be sued anywhere they do business, and large companies tend to do business in every state. Patent trolls found a few federal court districts where they had greater odds of winning. From their point of view, life was good.
But in May 2017, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that companies could only be sued for patent infringement in the state where they reside. That made collecting much harder for patent assertion entities. Many turned their attention to small companies and startups for which the cost of defending a patent case could pose an existential threat. They began sending letters containing a simple proposition: Pay us a (relatively reasonable) one-time fee and we'll sell you a permanent license and drop our planned lawsuit."
"Why are they targeting small businesses?
For years, these entities made their money by suing or threatening to sue large corporations with deep pockets. This worked well because they could take advantage of the rule that companies can be sued anywhere they do business, and large companies tend to do business in every state. Patent trolls found a few federal court districts where they had greater odds of winning. From their point of view, life was good.
But in May 2017, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that companies could only be sued for patent infringement in the state where they reside. That made collecting much harder for patent assertion entities. Many turned their attention to small companies and startups for which the cost of defending a patent case could pose an existential threat. They began sending letters containing a simple proposition: Pay us a (relatively reasonable) one-time fee and we'll sell you a permanent license and drop our planned lawsuit."
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Tech's biggest companies are spreading conspiracy theories. Again.; CNN, February 21, 2018
Seth Fiegerman, CNN; Tech's biggest companies are spreading conspiracy theories. Again.
"To use Silicon Valley's preferred parlance, it's now hard to escape the conclusion that the spreading of misinformation and hoaxes is a feature, not a bug, of social media platforms -- and their business models.
Facebook and Google built incredibly profitable businesses by serving content they don't pay for or vet to billions of users, with ads placed against that content. The platforms developed better and better targeting to buoy their ad businesses, but not necessarily better content moderation to buoy user discourse."
"To use Silicon Valley's preferred parlance, it's now hard to escape the conclusion that the spreading of misinformation and hoaxes is a feature, not a bug, of social media platforms -- and their business models.
Facebook and Google built incredibly profitable businesses by serving content they don't pay for or vet to billions of users, with ads placed against that content. The platforms developed better and better targeting to buoy their ad businesses, but not necessarily better content moderation to buoy user discourse."
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Ford's president of North America is out over 'inappropriate behavior'; CNN Money, February 21, 2018
Julia Horowitz and Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN Money; Ford's president of North America is out over 'inappropriate behavior'
""We made this decision after a thorough review and careful consideration," CEO Jim Hackett said in a statement. "Ford is deeply committed to providing and nurturing a safe and respectful culture and we expect our leaders to fully uphold these values."...
The culture at Ford's factories has also come under scrutiny following a lengthy investigation by the New York Times, which explored decades of misconduct at two plants in Chicago."
""We made this decision after a thorough review and careful consideration," CEO Jim Hackett said in a statement. "Ford is deeply committed to providing and nurturing a safe and respectful culture and we expect our leaders to fully uphold these values."...
The culture at Ford's factories has also come under scrutiny following a lengthy investigation by the New York Times, which explored decades of misconduct at two plants in Chicago."
Whatever Trump Is Hiding Is Hurting All of Us Now; New York Times, February 18, 2018
Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times; Whatever Trump Is Hiding Is Hurting All of Us Now
"Putin used cyberwarfare to poison American politics, to spread fake news, to help elect a chaos candidate, all in order to weaken our democracy. We should be using our cyber-capabilities to spread the truth about Putin —just how much money he has stolen, just how many lies he has spread, just how many rivals he has jailed or made disappear — all to weaken his autocracy. That is what a real president would be doing right now.
My guess is what Trump is hiding has to do with money. It’s something about his financial ties to business elites tied to the Kremlin. They may own a big stake in him. Who can forget that quote from his son Donald Trump Jr. from back in 2008: “Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross section of a lot of our assets.” They may own our president.
But whatever it is, Trump is either trying so hard to hide it or is so naïve about Russia that he is ready to not only resist mounting a proper defense of our democracy, he’s actually ready to undermine some of our most important institutions, the F.B.I. and Justice Department, to keep his compromised status hidden.
That must not be tolerated. This is code red. The biggest threat to the integrity of our democracy today is in the Oval Office."
"Putin used cyberwarfare to poison American politics, to spread fake news, to help elect a chaos candidate, all in order to weaken our democracy. We should be using our cyber-capabilities to spread the truth about Putin —just how much money he has stolen, just how many lies he has spread, just how many rivals he has jailed or made disappear — all to weaken his autocracy. That is what a real president would be doing right now.
My guess is what Trump is hiding has to do with money. It’s something about his financial ties to business elites tied to the Kremlin. They may own a big stake in him. Who can forget that quote from his son Donald Trump Jr. from back in 2008: “Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross section of a lot of our assets.” They may own our president.
But whatever it is, Trump is either trying so hard to hide it or is so naïve about Russia that he is ready to not only resist mounting a proper defense of our democracy, he’s actually ready to undermine some of our most important institutions, the F.B.I. and Justice Department, to keep his compromised status hidden.
That must not be tolerated. This is code red. The biggest threat to the integrity of our democracy today is in the Oval Office."
'Access+Ability' exhibit showcases designs for, and by, those with disabilities; CNN, February 21, 2018
Erin Gabriel, CNN; 'Access+Ability' exhibit showcases designs for, and by, those with disabilities
"Eye-catching objects designed for, and by, people with physical and other disabilities are the focus of the current "Access+Ability" exhibition in New York.
More than 70 exhibits, including colorful prosthetic leg covers and jeweled earrings that are also hearing aids, are featured as examples of "inclusive design" at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.
"There has been a surge of design with and by people with a wide range of physical, cognitive, and sensory abilities," according to the museum's website.
The new exhibit -- like the museum itself -- aims to reflect that trend. "This year Cooper Hewitt embarked on a very ambitious initiative about accessibility, about making our campus, our program, who we are, much more accessible and it seemed like the perfect moment to do the exhibition 'Access + Ability,' " said Cara McCarty, the museum's curatorial director."
"Eye-catching objects designed for, and by, people with physical and other disabilities are the focus of the current "Access+Ability" exhibition in New York.
More than 70 exhibits, including colorful prosthetic leg covers and jeweled earrings that are also hearing aids, are featured as examples of "inclusive design" at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.
"There has been a surge of design with and by people with a wide range of physical, cognitive, and sensory abilities," according to the museum's website.
The new exhibit -- like the museum itself -- aims to reflect that trend. "This year Cooper Hewitt embarked on a very ambitious initiative about accessibility, about making our campus, our program, who we are, much more accessible and it seemed like the perfect moment to do the exhibition 'Access + Ability,' " said Cara McCarty, the museum's curatorial director."
6 Core Values and 5 Emotional Intelligence Skills Leading to Sound Ethical Decisions; IPWatchdog, July 6, 2017
Bernard Knight, IPWatchdog; 6 Core Values and 5 Emotional Intelligence Skills Leading to Sound Ethical Decisions
"Ethical conduct is required in all jobs and by all organizations. It also applies to positions at all levels. Anyone can disagree with a substantive business or legal decision, but make an ethical mistake and your company, firm or individual career could be in jeopardy. I explain below some excellent tools to avoid ethical missteps...
This article discusses how you can use core values and emotional intelligence skills to avoid ethical mishaps. These skills are easy to gain and can save you from an unintended ethical mishap. For more on the importance of emotional intelligence, see my prior IPWatchdog article."
"Ethical conduct is required in all jobs and by all organizations. It also applies to positions at all levels. Anyone can disagree with a substantive business or legal decision, but make an ethical mistake and your company, firm or individual career could be in jeopardy. I explain below some excellent tools to avoid ethical missteps...
This article discusses how you can use core values and emotional intelligence skills to avoid ethical mishaps. These skills are easy to gain and can save you from an unintended ethical mishap. For more on the importance of emotional intelligence, see my prior IPWatchdog article."
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Creating Chaos Symposium on the Future of Libraries speakers share how they innovate in education; American Libraries, February 11, 2018
Terra Dankowski, American Libraries; Creating Chaos
Symposium on the Future of Libraries speakers share how they innovate in education
"[Peter] Piccolo [executive director of innovation at the Imaginarium: Denver Public Schools Innovation Lab] kicked off “Libraries Transform: Education Innovation” at the American Library Association’s 2018 Midwinter Meeting & Exhibits in Denver on Saturday by sharing his organization’s framework for creating change: design thinking and research, two concepts familiar to library professionals. The session was part of the Symposium on the Future of Libraries series, and Piccolo was joined by copresenter Nina Sharma, managing director of the University of Denver’s Project X-ITE.
“As human beings, we’re not biologically wired to change,” Piccolo said. “You have to manage change intentionally.” He offered 10 key takeaways to spur innovation and inspire attendees, including creating psychological safety for employees so they’re inclined to take risks; eliminating structural barriers so people have incentive to innovate; inviting “diversity of perspective and creative chaos” instead of waiting for eureka moments; and being an ambidextrous leader who does not confuse innovation with implementation.
Piccolo also stressed that innovation means having a bias toward action—even if that means failure. “Failure has been romanticized,” he said. “There’s bad failure and good failure, and when there’s good failure you have to know how to improve.”
Monday, February 19, 2018
The students at Florida’s Douglas High are amazing communicators. That could save lives.; Washington Post, 2/17/18
Margaret Sullivan, Washington Post; The students at Florida’s Douglas High are amazing communicators. That could save lives.
[Kip Currier: This article touches on the overarching themes of our past two weeks of learning modules in my LIS 2700: Managing and Leading Information Services course: (1) the power of effective communication, and (2) managing change and being a "change agent".]
"Telegenic and media-savvy is one way to describe David Hogg, a lean and dark-haired senior at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
But maybe a better way is this: Change agent.
And what could be more sorely needed than a change agent right now? Because the mass shootings in America have become a horror of repetition in which meaningful change has come to seem impossible.
Enter Hogg. The 17-year-old is the school’s student news director, who not only interviewed his fellow students during the horrific massacre at his school on Wednesday, but then spoke with passion to national media figures, providing footage that has now circled the globe.
In a level gaze directly into CNN’s camera, Hogg called out politicians for their hapless dithering."
[Kip Currier: This article touches on the overarching themes of our past two weeks of learning modules in my LIS 2700: Managing and Leading Information Services course: (1) the power of effective communication, and (2) managing change and being a "change agent".]
"Telegenic and media-savvy is one way to describe David Hogg, a lean and dark-haired senior at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
But maybe a better way is this: Change agent.
And what could be more sorely needed than a change agent right now? Because the mass shootings in America have become a horror of repetition in which meaningful change has come to seem impossible.
Enter Hogg. The 17-year-old is the school’s student news director, who not only interviewed his fellow students during the horrific massacre at his school on Wednesday, but then spoke with passion to national media figures, providing footage that has now circled the globe.
In a level gaze directly into CNN’s camera, Hogg called out politicians for their hapless dithering."
Sunday, February 18, 2018
More than 40 percent of Trump’s first Cabinet-level picks have faced ethical or other controversies; Washington Post, February 16, 2018
Aaron Blake, Washington Post; More than 40 percent of Trump’s first Cabinet-level picks have faced ethical or other controversies
"President Trump came to Washington promising to “drain the swamp.” But after less than 13 months, more than 40 percent of the people he originally picked for Cabinet-level jobs have faced ethical or other controversies. The list has grown quickly in recent weeks.
Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt are that latest to have their questionable travel practices probed. The Washington Post reported Wednesday that an inspector general's report determined Shulkin and top aides misled ethics officials about expenses for a controversial 10-day European trip Shulkin took with his wife. The Post also reported Sunday that Pruitt has spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on first-class travel; since then his agency has said it obtained a waiver for him to fly first-class for security reasons.
The two of them join three other Cabinet-level officials who have faced ethical questions over their travels."
"President Trump came to Washington promising to “drain the swamp.” But after less than 13 months, more than 40 percent of the people he originally picked for Cabinet-level jobs have faced ethical or other controversies. The list has grown quickly in recent weeks.
Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt are that latest to have their questionable travel practices probed. The Washington Post reported Wednesday that an inspector general's report determined Shulkin and top aides misled ethics officials about expenses for a controversial 10-day European trip Shulkin took with his wife. The Post also reported Sunday that Pruitt has spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on first-class travel; since then his agency has said it obtained a waiver for him to fly first-class for security reasons.
The two of them join three other Cabinet-level officials who have faced ethical questions over their travels."
Saturday, February 17, 2018
Christopher Bailey Takes a Final Walk Down the Burberry Runway; New York Times, February 17, 2018
Elizabeth Paton, New York Times; Christopher Bailey Takes a Final Walk Down the Burberry Runway
"“Trying to be both a C.E.O. and creative director backfired for Christopher Bailey,” said Luca Solca, head of luxury goods at Exane BNP Paribas. “Quite simply, he took on too much.” Josie Cox, the business editor at The Independent, a London newspaper, was equally blunt in a recent article about Mr. Bailey’s departure: “He became C.E.O. and couldn’t quite hack it.”...
“Burberry was clearly at the start of a new chapter. Would I, could I, commit to another five or 10 years there, and keep doing what I know in a world that is so familiar? Or do I explore another way of life, and at the same time spend some more time with my husband, Simon, and my two beautiful little girls?” (Mr. Bailey married the British actor Simon Woods in 2012. The two have two daughters, Iris, 3½, and Nell, 2.)...
“Whatever he touches will turn to gold,” Ms. Campbell added. “It isn’t just because he is a visionary. It is because unlike many people in this business, he is so decent. He treats everyone from a C.E.O. or celebrity to an intern with a basic level of kindness and respect. He only deserves the best.”"
"“Trying to be both a C.E.O. and creative director backfired for Christopher Bailey,” said Luca Solca, head of luxury goods at Exane BNP Paribas. “Quite simply, he took on too much.” Josie Cox, the business editor at The Independent, a London newspaper, was equally blunt in a recent article about Mr. Bailey’s departure: “He became C.E.O. and couldn’t quite hack it.”...
“Burberry was clearly at the start of a new chapter. Would I, could I, commit to another five or 10 years there, and keep doing what I know in a world that is so familiar? Or do I explore another way of life, and at the same time spend some more time with my husband, Simon, and my two beautiful little girls?” (Mr. Bailey married the British actor Simon Woods in 2012. The two have two daughters, Iris, 3½, and Nell, 2.)...
“Whatever he touches will turn to gold,” Ms. Campbell added. “It isn’t just because he is a visionary. It is because unlike many people in this business, he is so decent. He treats everyone from a C.E.O. or celebrity to an intern with a basic level of kindness and respect. He only deserves the best.”"
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