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[RTH10260]

Indiana blocks world’s top sex research center from state funds: ‘a scary moment for academic freedom’
What happens to Kinsey Institute may signal if conservative US lawmakers can dictate the bounds of research on sexuality

Carter Sherman
Wed 28 Feb 2024 13.00 CET

The future of the Kinsey Institute, the world’s premier sex research center, is in limbo.

Last April, lawmakers in Indiana’s Republican-dominated state legislature voted to block the Kinsey Institute from receiving any state funds through Indiana University (IU), which houses the institute. Its researchers have spent the months since scrambling to figure out what this means for their work – and Indiana University, they say, has largely left them out of the discussion.

The outcome of the skirmish over the Kinsey Institute and Indiana University will signal whether conservative lawmakers can dictate the bounds of academic research into human sexuality, at a time when far-right politicians are rushing to exert unprecedented control over what is taught in schools and universities around the country.

A proposal, to be voted on by Indiana University’s board of trustees this week, will determine the institute’s fate. Researchers haven’t seen the proposal. But they’re worried it will look like an earlier plan put forward by the university that would spin the institute’s research and education arms out into a non-profit organization while keeping the Kinsey Institute’s storied library of 600,000-plus papers, photos, and artifacts that capture 2,000 years of human sexuality.

That split, researchers say, is unacceptable.

“It leaves Kinsey kind of hollow and vulnerable,” said Zoe Peterson, director of the Kinsey Institute Sexual Assault Research Initiative. “We are not the only group on campus that is vulnerable, either. I think if the administration doesn’t stand up for and fight for the Kinsey Institute, it might open the doors for the state to try and crack down or control other departments or organizations on campus.”

The Kinsey Institute’s research into sex and sexuality has ignited controversy for decades, but this latest battle places it at the white-hot center of a national debate over schools, sexuality, and gender. Nationwide, hundreds of bills have been introduced in recent years aiming to ban certain topics from K-12 schools and universities. Since last year, instruction on issues relating to sex and gender has topped the rightwing’s target list.

But the primary goal of Kinsey Institute, unlike many of the targets of those bills, is research. Its scholars investigate issues like sexual assault, disability and sexual health, and the history of human sexuality.



https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... ds-blocked

[RTH10260]

World’s super-rich head to Gujarat for wedding party thrown by India’s richest person
Bill Gates and Ivanka Trump among guests expected at pre-wedding party for son of Mukesh Ambani, Anant, and his fiancee Radhika Merchant

Amrit Dhillon in New Delhi
Wed 28 Feb 2024 07.21 CET

For one of India’s richest families, a wedding is not just a wedding – it’s a spectacle designed to dazzle even the world’s wealthiest and most powerful people.

It was back in 2018 that India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, threw his daughter, Isha, the most expensive wedding the country had ever seen, where Beyoncé performed and guests attended receptions in Italy’s Lake Como, as well as Mumbai and Rajasthan, at a reported cost of almost $100m (£80m).

But never one to be outdone, even by himself, Ambani is set to throw an even more extravagant affair beginning next month, this time for the wedding of his youngest son, 28-year-old Anant Ambani.

Newspapers across India have been transfixed by details of the wedding celebrations, which will see Anant Ambani marry Radhika Merchant, 29, the daughter of a well-known business family who run Encore Healthcare, a large India pharmaceutical firm. Merchant, who is a trained Indian classical dancer now sits on the board of Encore.

According to Forbes Rich list, Ambani, chairman of the Reliance Industries conglomerate that deals in everything from energy to textiles and telecommunications, is Asia richest man, worth $112bn. Antilla, the Ambani’s 27-storey high home in Mumbai, drew global attention when it was built, reportedly costing more than $1bn. It was listed by Forbes as the most expensive property in the world.

While full details of the wedding, expected to be held in July, have not yet been made public, the three day long pre-wedding party in March looks to be an opulent and star-studded event.



https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/ ... guest-list

[Shizzle Popped]

Indiana blocks world’s top sex research center from state funds: ‘a scary moment for academic freedom’
What happens to Kinsey Institute may signal if conservative US lawmakers can dictate the bounds of research on sexuality

Carter Sherman
Wed 28 Feb 2024 13.00 CET

The future of the Kinsey Institute, the world’s premier sex research center, is in limbo.

Last April, lawmakers in Indiana’s Republican-dominated state legislature voted to block the Kinsey Institute from receiving any state funds through Indiana University (IU), which houses the institute. Its researchers have spent the months since scrambling to figure out what this means for their work – and Indiana University, they say, has largely left them out of the discussion.

Indiana, in a race to become the next Alabama, and succeeding.

[AndyinPA]

The wedding: Retched excess. Also, why there should be no billionaires.

[MN-Skeptic]

The wedding: Retched excess. Also, why there should be no billionaires.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Yay! for millionaires and billionaires actually spending their money!

The biggest problem with the ultra rich is that they don't spend their money and it just continues to increase in passive investments. There is no trickle down. Proportionately the poor contribute more to the GDP than the rich does. So I will praise to high heaven when the ultra rich do put their money back into the economy by hiring wedding caterers, dress designers, etc. That is exactly what is needed.

(That said, I do agree that there shouldn't be billionaires. I just won't condemn them when they are actually putting money into the economy like the rest of us do.)

[pipistrelle]

The wedding: Retched excess. Also, why there should be no billionaires.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Yay! for millionaires and billionaires actually spending their money!

The biggest problem with the ultra rich is that they don't spend their money and it just continues to increase in passive investments. There is no trickle down. Proportionately the poor contribute more to the GDP than the rich does. So I will praise to high heaven when the ultra rich do put their money back into the economy by hiring wedding caterers, dress designers, etc. That is exactly what is needed.

(That said, I do agree that there shouldn't be billionaires. I just won't condemn them when they are actually putting money into the economy like the rest of us do.)

This is a limited one-time thing benefiting a few. It'd be better if they'd spend it on long-term projects that continue to benefit many. The $1 billion to Einstein Medical benefits students, staff, faculty, the school's community and beyond (not to mention patients and research).

[MN-Skeptic]

This is a limited one-time thing benefiting a few.

It's a three day affair in which guests will be spending money on clothes and transportation and hotels. According to the article about the shindig, "About 2,500 dishes are expected to be served to the guests over the three days to ensure they never eat the same dish twice." Think of all the growers of the products going into those meals, the transportation of the ingredients to the stores and bakeries and caterers who will produce those dishes and serve them. Think of all the staff required to set up the grounds for the festivities. Think of the dress designers and seamstresses making the elaborate outfits which will be worn. This is comparable to a city's major festival. There's lots of money trickling down to lots of people. Car rental places. Taxis. Local restaurants.

Again, praise rich folks for spending their money!

It'd be better if they'd spend it on long-term projects that continue to benefit many. The $1 billion to Einstein Medical benefits students, staff, faculty, the school's community and beyond (not to mention patients and research).

I wholeheartedly agree that the money should ALSO go to long-term projects. It benefits the communities and countries they live in for decades to come.

That said... RAISE THEIR DAMNED TAXES! Income taxes. Estate taxes. RAISE THEM!!!!!

[Flatpoint High]

and then there is this... at least they made an attempt

r0tg6rj3kdlc1.png (480.83 KiB) Viewed 527 times

[p0rtia]

JFK

[raison de arizona]

A statement of our values?

[RTH10260]

Las Vegas - an eyesore removed

[RTH10260]

Texas farmers claim company sold them PFAS-contaminated sludge that killed livestock
Two ranches also allege biosolids with ‘forever chemicals’ ruined crops, polluted drinking water and left their properties worthless

Tom Perkins
Fri 1 Mar 2024 12.00 CET

A Texas county has launched a first-of-its-kind criminal investigation into waste management giant Synagro over PFAS-contaminated sewage sludge it is selling to Texas farmers as a cheap alternative to fertilizer.

Two small Texas ranches at the center of that case have also filed a federal lawsuit against Synagro, alleging the company knew its sludge was contaminated but still sold it. Sludge spread on a nearby field sickened the farmers, killed livestock, polluted drinking water, contaminated beef later sold to the public and left their properties worthless, the complaint alleges.

The PFAS levels independent testing found on the farm were “shockingly high”, said Kyla Bennett, policy director for the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility nonprofit, which is assisting in the analyses.

The farms’ drinking water was found to be contaminated at levels over 65m times higher than the federal health advisory for PFOS, one kind of PFAS compound, a Guardian calculation indicates, and meat was as much as 250,000 times above safe levels, the lawsuit alleges.

The complaint alleges the families will likely have to abandon their ranches from which they sell livestock that are later used for beef production.

“It’s devastating and terrifying,” said Mary Whittle, an attorney representing the farmers. “They have developed these properties to be the center of their world … and this is how they make their money.”

PFAS are a class of around 15,000 compounds that are dubbed “forever chemicals” because they don’t naturally break down, and accumulate in the human body and environment. The chemicals are linked to a range of serious health problems like cancer, liver disease, kidney issues, high cholesterol, birth defects and decreased immunity.




https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... -livestock

[raison de arizona]

wow that's super bad

[bob]

Someone in my elevator at work was on the phone, saying, "We need to go get the podium."

In my head: "Lectern! LECTERN!!!"

[John Thomas8]

Portals to other dimensions?

[jez]

It has happened. The place I work for is going to start enforcing/forcing people to go into office at least 3 days a week. They want to set up Technology Hubs where everyone will have a desk, basically. Now comes the questions I have:
For Cyber we have a shorter list then the rest of technology:

• Charlotte
• Dallas
• Minneapolis
• NYC Metro
• Phoenix/Chandler
• San Francisco

Approval required for these locations based on specialized business needs:

• Philadelphia/Wilmington
• San Antonio
• DC Metro

I'm not sure when it will happen, or if I'll get a choice to move, have time to seek an medical accommodation to stay remote, or will be looking for a new job. All my hiring paperwork, including my offer letter, says I was hired Remote, but that does not matter.

It's now a game of wait and see. And of course, I just bought a new car.

[MsDaisy 2]

It has happened. The place I work for is going to start enforcing/forcing people to go into office at least 3 days a week.

That really sucks.

[Foggy]

And of course, I just bought a new car.

A new car!

[jez]

And of course, I just bought a new car.

A new car!

Yes!!! I'm excited (and terrified)! It should be delivered around 3/11. 2024 Subaru Impreza RS. I liked the look, the safety stats, all the fun gadgets and stuff, and the price was right. Plus, the company I work for has VIP pricing with Subaru, which is dealer invoice. My old car is almost 17 years old. It's been a good car, but it's getting to the point that it costs more to fix then it's worth.

I did look at used cars at first, but with the price of used cars vs. similar new cars, the prices weren't much different. So, I could have either gotten something with several thousand miles on it or something brand new, full warranty, etc., for around the same cost. I went with new.

[bill_g]

Hidden Content

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Whoa! That's amazing and awful. You've got good angels.

[pipistrelle]

Gift link: The zombie CVS, a late-capitalism horror story How one Washington, D.C., drugstore got spun by the culture wars into a symbol for America’s shoplifting panic

There is almost nothing left to steal at the CVS in Columbia Heights, and that gives you an idea of which items have actual value.
Blank CDs, for example — the thieves don’t even bother with them. The greeting card section has been left alone. The good magazines like Vogue and GQ and Sports Illustrated are gone, but there are still a few copies of Traditional Home, some special issues of Life devoted to Willie Nelson, and a Woman’s World that declares: “Bye bye, jiggly fat!” No soft drinks, but three gallon-sized jugs of Arizona green tea are still on the shelves on one recent visit.

One comment for bill:

I've read many comments denouncing Portland as a liberal hellhole. When asked if they have ever been there, well, no, but Fox TV assures me it's all bad, because it is a Dem-run city.

[Rolodex]

Someone posted on a local facebook page the other day that they were at a Walgreens and a (black) guy ran in and stole a bunch of cigarettes. First I kind of don't believe it because I think stores lock up their cigs these days (but I don't really pay attention and could be wrong) but then the comments went nuts right away. Pretty much all like this: "If I'd been there he'd been popped because I always carry" "too bad someone didn't cap him; I hate a thief" and lots more about shooting the guy. A few brave folks piped up about what if the thief had a gun, what if others had guns and everyone started shooting, etc.
People have been so hijacked by media to be afraid and angry at everything and that every slight deserves an instant death penalty.

[bill_g]

One comment for bill:

I've read many comments denouncing Portland as a liberal hellhole. When asked if they have ever been there, well, no, but Fox TV assures me it's all bad, because it is a Dem-run city.

Yeah. If Fisher-Price made a See-N-Say for Conservatives, that would be one of the phrases. Pull the string and The Conservative says "Portland is a Liberal Hellhole."

[Shizzle Popped]

And of course, I just bought a new car.

A new car!

Yes!!! I'm excited (and terrified)! It should be delivered around 3/11. 2024 Subaru Impreza RS. I liked the look, the safety stats, all the fun gadgets and stuff, and the price was right. Plus, the company I work for has VIP pricing with Subaru, which is dealer invoice. My old car is almost 17 years old. It's been a good car, but it's getting to the point that it costs more to fix then it's worth.

I did look at used cars at first, but with the price of used cars vs. similar new cars, the prices weren't much different. So, I could have either gotten something with several thousand miles on it or something brand new, full warranty, etc., for around the same cost. I went with new.

Mrs. Shizzle loves driving her 2022 Impreza and the 2024 is supposed to have a number of improvements including much better seats. The RS runs the same 2.5l boxer 4 cylinder as my Outback instead of the 2.0l in my wife's car. This should be a really nice car. My wife's car was built in Lafayette, IN but I think the new generation has been moved overseas since they needed the extra capacity for Crosstreks at the Indiana plant which also builds the Ascent, Outback and Legacy. Anyway, I think you'll really like your new car.

Her little blue Impreza with my Outback behind it.

IMG_6404 copy.jpg (122.71 KiB) Viewed 170 times

[qbawl]

And of course, I just bought a new car.

A new car!

Yes!!! I'm excited (and terrified)! It should be delivered around 3/11. 2024 Subaru Impreza RS. I liked the look, the safety stats, all the fun gadgets and stuff, and the price was right. Plus, the company I work for has VIP pricing with Subaru, which is dealer invoice. My old car is almost 17 years old. It's been a good car, but it's getting to the point that it costs more to fix then it's worth.

I did look at used cars at first, but with the price of used cars vs. similar new cars, the prices weren't much different. So, I could have either gotten something with several thousand miles on it or something brand new, full warranty, etc., for around the same cost. I went with new.

I recently traded my 2006 Acura TL for a new Acura RDX. A lot changes in 17 years. I still am not using half the bells and whistles.
First try I couldn't figure out how to start it. Luckily I noticed one of the display panels telling me what I was doing wrong.
I do love the HUD (Heads UP Display) though as it displays directions when using Maps via CarPlay. Not to mention the way it jerks the steering wheel around when it decides I'm drifting out of my lane. But it is a challenge each trip through the carwash.