State of the Union? Truthfully–chaotic, unless Trump says this
When Donald Trump gives his first actual State of the Union address, what the
country really needs is a confessional, not fake news.
We need the president to come clean. Did he attempt to fire Special Counsel
Robert Mueller at the start of the Russia investigation last summer? The
president doesn’t deny it, and just says “fake news.”
But those who believe in the rule of law will require something more. Because as
more news organizations confirm that Trump’s attempt to fire Mueller was halted
by White House attorney Don McGahn, then we have a pathway to impeachment.
Was Trump’s intent to obstruct justice? What was Trump trying to hide by firing
the Special Counsel to end the investigation into Russia’s influence in the
Trump campaign? And what of the endless statements by Trump and his toadies that
there was no attempt to fire Mueller?
A State of the Union Confessional. #SOTUC. That’s what we need.
But why stop there?
With the American public watching, Trump could also come clean on DACA. Discard
the statement from a former Bannon lackey who has become the lead Trump
A pathway to citizenship for 1.8 million undocumented Dreamers in exchange for a
$25 billion Border Wall was the headline. But the plan strikes at the heart of
American immigration values.
Family values are supposed to matter to conservative immigration hardliners. But
this plan would end family visas for parents and siblings and restrict
immigration to spouses and children.
It’s the way many of our Asian American families have been built for
generations. In immigration terms, we don’t have family trees so much as a
strong family unit in the multi-generational homes we build in America.
But in these hateful and xenophobic times, “chain migration” is seen as the
The new plan also pushes the parents of Dreamers deeper into the shadows. When
Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents
(DAPA–the parent version of DACA) was blocked by the courts, undocumented
parents had no recourse.
In this new Trump deal, kids stay, parents go home. Can you hear Reality Show
Don say, “Goodbye?”
That’s the “rule of law” Trump believes in. His rules.
Maybe the State of the Union will give Trump a pathway to the truth.
But I doubt it.
That’s why it’s best if he just keeps it short. Short lies are better than long
Maybe he should just address us in his preferred mode.
Imagine a “State of the Union Tweet.”
#SOTUT would be short, not necessarily sweet, yet somewhat kingly– at least the
“tut” part. Very fitting for the “very stable genius” who is “like, really
THE SOTU ADDRESS I’D LIKE TO HEAR
Unfortunately, protocol and ego probably won’t allow Trump to skip his first
real State of the Union address. (Last year’s technically was just a speech
before the full Congress).
But if President Trump is honest on Tuesday (don’t hold your breath), he’d at
least say these words:
“The state of the union is chaotic because I am a president the likes of which
the world has never seen! I caused the shutdown. I promised to sign whatever
came before me, but I am not a man of my word. So sue me. My word is still worth
more than Stormy Daniels’ word, and my lawyers under a fake name paid her
$130,000 to shut up. Did she? How can you trust a porn star?
“So we had a shutdown, but thank goodness the shutdown didn’t cause the
cancellation of this speech. Because even when I gave last year’s speech, which
wasn’t really a SOTU, I knocked it out of the park. 47 million viewers! Higher
ratings than Obama!”
Fantasy? Then imagine Alec Baldwin playing DJT. There’s truth in satire.
Still, after the recent government shutdown, Trump in his first State of the
Union address has a special opportunity to show real leadership.
Trump should acknowledge that all our rancorous issues on border security and
DACA are fixable.
He could say something like, “It will only happen if we work together. It will
only happen if we can have rational, constructive debates. It will only happen
if we fix our politics.
“A better politics doesn’t mean we have to agree on everything….But democracy
does require basic bonds of trust between its citizens. It doesn’t work if we
think the people who disagree with us are all motivated by malice, or that our
political opponents are unpatriotic. Democracy grinds to a halt without a
willingness to compromise; or when even basic facts are contested, and we listen
only to those who agree with us. Our public life withers when only the most
extreme voices get attention. Most of all, democracy breaks down when the
average person feels their voice doesn’t matter; that the system is rigged in
favor of the rich or the powerful or some narrow interest.
“Too many Americans feel that way right now. It’s one of the few regrets of my
presidency–that the rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse
instead of better. There’s no doubt a president with the gifts of Lincoln or
Roosevelt might have better bridged the divide, and I guarantee I’ll keep trying
to be better so long as I hold this office.
“But, my fellow Americans, this cannot be my task– or any President’s–alone.
There are a whole lot of folks in this chamber who would like to see more
cooperation, a more elevated debate in Washington, but feel trapped by the
demands of getting elected. I know; you’ve told me. And if we want a better
politics, it’s not enough to just change a Congressman or a Senator or even a
President; we have to change the system to reflect our better selves.”
Trump could say that. If he stuck to the prompter.
But then he’d be plagiarizing President Obama, who said it first in his very
last State of the Union in 2016.
Trump could also say he understands diversity and say he’s inspired by “voices
that help us see ourselves not first and foremost as black or white or Asian or
Latino, not as gay or straight, immigrant or native born; not as Democrats or
Republicans, but as Americans first, bound by a common creed. Voices Dr. King
believed would have the final word–voices of unarmed truth and unconditional
Why not? A few weeks ago, Trump talked about DACA being vital and his wanting to
sign a “bill of love.”
Wouldn’t it be great if Trump talked about love in his first State of the Union.
He could stop talking about the stock market rising, and focus instead of his
rising hopes for all of us, the American people to come together as one.
Maybe Trump could describe a vision of an ideal American: “Clear-eyed.
Big-hearted. Optimistic that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the
final word. That’s what makes me so hopeful about our future. Because of you. I
believe in you. That’s why I stand here confident that the State of our Union is
Once again, those are all Obama’s words in his last SOTU.
What a difference an administration makes.
are exactly what the country needs to hear on T uesday. Something to unite us
Sure, it would be great to hear that kind of rhetoric again: Hopeful, inclusive,
forward-looking. Not about the stock market’s rise. But a deep message about how
we as a nation are together as a people with a common purpose.
But that’s not what we’ll get from the Big Birther.
Because in these Trump times, division is a virtue and the state of the union is
Emil Guillermo is an independent journalist/commentator. Updates at www.amok.com. Follow Emil on Twitter, and like his Facebook page. The views expressed in his blog do not necessarily represent AALDEF’s views or policies.


OTTAWA - Contribution rules for a popular tax shelter continue to perplex ordinary Canadians, despite a year-long information blitz by the Canada Revenue Agency and the big banks.
The agency sent out almost 103,000 letters to holders of tax-free savings accounts this month warning they likely over-contributed in 2010 — and now must pay additional tax.
That number is up sharply from the 72,000 letters issued on June 1 last year for the same excess contribution problem in 2009.
The tax shelter "is still a relatively new program and, naturally, some misunderstandings might still exist regarding the rules and may have led to inadvertent over-contributions," said spokesman Noel Carisse.
The over-contribution issue, which cropped up last year, prompted the Canada Revenue Agency to revamp its TFSA website and issue brochures and tip sheets, while the big banks made similar web changes.
But thousands of Canadians are still tripping over a little-understood wrinkle about the timing of deposits.
The rule says account holders can put back the amounts they withdraw from a TFSA only in a later calendar year. If they do so in the same year, they face a tax hit for their "over-contribution," even though they're only replacing the withdrawn funds.
Focus-group surveys commissioned by the agency last year indicated Canadians found the official TFSA website confusing and difficult to navigate, even after it was revamped to better highlight the over-contribution rule. Other internal reports suggested the agency's language in describing TFSAs to the public has been unclear.
Millions of tax-free savings accounts were set up after they came into effect on Jan. 1, 2009. Canadians can deposit up to $5,000 each year, and any earnings in the account attract no taxes, though deposits do not reduce taxable income as do RRSP deposits.
In the campaign for the May 2 election this year, Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised to double the annual contribution limit to $10,000 once the federal deficit is eliminated.
The current crop of warning letters was mailed Aug. 18, the day before a news release from Revenue Minister Gail Shea and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty advising Canadians the government would consider waiving extra taxes owed.
"We will once again be as flexible as possible in cases where a genuine misunderstanding of the TFSA contribution rules occurred," said the joint release. "It is important that we hear from you if you want to be considered for this administrative relief."
Of the 72,000 Canadians issued warning letters last year, 43,000 sent in cheques for the extra tax amounts. Another 23,000 successfully applied for tax waivers, for an average of $235 each.
Carisse noted that of the 6.7 million Canadians who currently have tax-free savings accounts, fewer than 1.5 per cent fell afoul of the rules this year, a slightly lower percentage than last year.
And he said only 10,000 of the letters issued this year went to people who got the same letter last year.
"This indicates that approximately 90 per cent of individuals contacted last year took steps to comply with the TFSA rules, which also suggests that the CRA's education efforts in regard to the TFSA have been largely successful," he said.
Letters that were sent Aug. 18 also contained detailed individual forms outlining the excess contributions, along with a pre-addressed envelop for those sending in a cheque. Excess amounts are taxed at the rate of one per cent for each month there is an over-contribution.
This year's letters were issued more than two months later in the season than last year's because the agency dealt with many more TFSA accounts that were opened in 2010, and because the Aug. 18 mail-out package was revised to include more explanatory material, Carisse said.
"In future, we expect to mail the packages earlier in the year."
He added that the agency is stepping up education efforts, including web-based seminars with financial institutions this fall to provide more technical information about the accounts.
A spokeswoman for the Canadian Bankers Association says members increased efforts to explain the rules to clients when the over-contribution problem first arose last year.
"While banks provide advice to their clients, since taxpayers can open multiple TFSAs at multiple financial institutions, a bank can never be certain of a client's aggregate TFSA contributions," said Maura Drew-Lytle, director of media relations, in Toronto.
"We also recommend that if people do want to move funds from one TFSA to another, they do it by direct transfer rather than a withdrawal and a recontribution. Doing this will not affect their contribution room."


text:
Roblox Punch Simulator Codes give exciting in game rewards. We will be listing codes for Punch Simulator. We will also tell you how you can redeem these codes to level up your character by getting rewards.
Roblox Punch Simulator Codes 2021 (Complete List)
Below we are listing the codes. Use them to get rewards and other stuff. The code list that we are providing you is up to date.
We are also providing the list of expired codes. Even though expired codes do not work, listing them will help you to save time by not trying them.
Roblox Punch Simulator Codes (active)
Below is the list of active and working codes for you to redeem to get rewards.
- LunarUpdate: Redeem this code and earn 500k power as free reward.
- Sonic: Redeem this code and earn 500 speed as free reward.
- LunarTraining: Redeem this code and earn 20 minutes of 5x power boost as free reward.
- x2SpeedBoost: Redeem this code and earn 10 minutes of speed boost.
- x2PowerBoost: Redeem this code and earn 10 minutes of power boost.
- Remake: Redeem this code and earn 100k power as free reward.
- FreeGems: Redeem this code and earn 25k gems as free reward.
- FreeBoosts5x: Redeem this code and earn 10minutes of all 5x boosts.
- FreeBoosts2x: Redeem this code and earn 10 minutes of all 2x boosts.
- FreeBoosts: Redeem this code and earn 7 minutes of all boosts as free reward.
- Free2xPowerBoost: Redeem this code and earn 15 minutes of power boost.
- Fast: Redeem this code and earn 2k of speed as free reward.
Roblox Punch Simulator Codes (out of date)
Below is the list of expired codes.
Note: We recommend you to use these codes as soon as possible. This is because these codes tend to expire after some time.
How to Redeem Codes in Punch Simulator?
The process to redeem the codes is very simple. Following process is especially useful for those who do not know how to redeem codes. Just follow the below given set of instructions to redeem the codes.
Step 1: Enter the game and find the menu on the lower left corner of the screen.
Step 2: Click on it. Now find and tap on “Codes.”
Step 3: Copy the code from the above list and paste the code in the box.
Step 4: Now press the “Redeem” button.
If the code has not expired yet, you will get your reward.
Note: These codes work only once for each player. You will not be rewarded extra if you use a particular code multiple times.
What are Punch Simulator Codes?
Roblox Punch Simulator Codes help you to gain an extra edge over your fellow gamers. Using these codes boost your gaming experience and progress.
The codes are of immense help in the game. You get free items and upgrades buy using these codes.
To Sum Up
So above we have listed codes for this game. We will be adding new codes as soon as they are released. If you need codes for other games, do let us know in the comment section.
Do you like to push other players off the map? Do you like running over other players? Welcome to Punch Simulator.

domain: hobby


text:
For Quinn Whitney Wilson, getting messy is part of the creative process. Whether it’s curating a world tour for American singer and rapper Lizzo, or directing a new music video, Quinn takes on creative blocks like stereotypes — you just need to crush them.
As part of our Go create project, we joined Quinn on set in Kyiv in Ukraine and at her home in Los Angeles to explore her creative process, and to catch a glimpse of the world through her eyes captured with the new Polaroid Go camera.
Developing: When does inspiration come most easily to you?
Quinn: Inspiration comes most easily for me when I am able to experience whatever I am working with in a tactile way. I really like to use my hands when I am working, and even if it means printing out pictures or cutting up a piece of paper that’s maybe like a texture or a color, just being able to use swatches and materials and tactile things during the creative process really helps me shape whatever I will be working on creatively.
Developing: How do you typically start your creative process?
Q: I start my creative process with a ton of research and a ton of post-it notes. I have to really handwrite everything in order to feel I am connected to whatever I am creating.
Developing: How has the Go played a role in your creative process?
Q: The Polaroid Go has been really helpful. Being able to just have it by my side when I find inspiration, or when I have a memory or an interaction that I want to remember. It’s really handy, and small enough that it fits literally in any bag that I bring with me.
Developing: What is something you wish people understood about the creative process?
Q: I wish people understood that it can be really messy to be creative. And when I say messy, I mean like internally. I feel like a mess half the time. I feel so uncreative some days and so creative other days, and that’s just a part of the process. Not every day has to be most creatively fulfilling. All that matters is that you try every single day to be as creative as you possibly can, and eventually you will get the hang of it.
Developing: How do you get out of a creative block?
Q: I go through creative blocks every single day. At a certain point in the day, I feel like it is so difficult to get my ideas out or to get past a slump, but I just wake up in the morning and I do it again. And over time, I realized that it is kind of what my process is. It’s not stopping even though it feels difficult sometimes to get my ideas or thoughts out or to even feel creative at all. It is just part of the process, and I’ve learnt to love it, and to know that it is never going to stop me from being fully and happily creative.
“The Polaroid Go has been really helpful. Being able to just have it by my side when I find inspiration, or when I have a memory or an interaction that I want to remember. It’s really handy, and small enough that it fits literally in any bag.”
Developing: How have you stayed inspired over the past year?
Q: I took this past year as a way to reconnect with a lot of my references and resources; to become reconnected to who I was as a younger creative person. I think when we are given time and space it is a lot easier to remember that most of the things that we are attracted to are things we have always been attracted to.
Developing: Share an example of how something inspired you and what did you made from that inspiration?
Q: I was inspired by this reference that King Princess showed me from a Weezer music video from the early 2000s, and there’s this specific color of blue that I really fell in love with. I ended up incorporating it into the music video that I made with her called ‘Pain’. I feel like pulling references even if it’s just a color or a texture or a pattern can be so fulfilling for newer projects.
“I feel so uncreative some days and so creative other days, and that’s just a part of the process. Not every day has to be most creatively fulfilling. All that matters is that you try every single day to be as creative as you possibly can, and eventually you will get the hang of it.”
Developing: What recommendations would you give to your fellow creatives seeking inspiration?
Q: If you are seeking inspiration — although this might sound corny — I do really stand behind thinking about yourself and maybe what you liked as a kid or what you listened to as a teenager or what film you and a parent, sibling or friend watched over and over again. It’s those things that you liked when you were younger, when you were creating for anyone else other than yourself, that are the most important references.
Developing: What excites you most about the Go create project?
Q: It’s been exciting to be a part of the Go create project. To remember that documenting parts of my process, including shoots that I might be on or even when I am just gardening, count as important memories and references that I can use later on. The Polaroid Go makes it really easy for me to capture these really important moments.
Developing: What’s your dream project?
Q: My dream project is working with a team of people that I genuinely care about, from the crew to the talent to whoever is working in post. I really care about the relationships with the people I create with, and I feel that is pretty much the dream: to work with your friends and family and loved ones.
Developing: What do you hope to achieve with the Go create project?
Q: I hope to show young people an example of an artist who is vulnerable enough to show that she fumbles a lot, but continues to be creative because I have to.
Developing: What’s next for you?
Q: Next, I plan on doing a lot of directing. I want to have a feature. I want to have a series. I want to do a ton of music videos. I want to do a lot of things all at once, which is kind of my nature. I plan on doing all of those things, at least once.
Get up-close with the next generation of creators with our Go create project. Check out this interview with Arlo Parks: the British singer-songwriter sensation opens up about how she finds fresh inspiration to make her music. Or get out there and Go create with the new Polaroid Go camera.

domain: artistic


text:
(MENAFN) While fully automated vehicles remain a future prospect, the automotive industry has witnessed a surge in the prevalence of hands-free driving technology in recent years. These systems serve as a stepping stone toward autonomous driving, enabling drivers to disengage from the steering wheel in specific situations. Coupled with automated braking and acceleration features, hands-free driving enhances convenience, particularly during long-distance journeys or in heavy traffic, reducing driver fatigue. To provide insights into the capabilities of available systems, automotive experts at Edmunds conducted a thorough examination of four prominent hands-free drive systems: Ford’s BlueCruise, General Motors’ Super Cruise, Tesla’s AutoPilot with Full Self-Driving Beta, and BMW’s Driving Assistant Plus.
Ford has introduced its hands-free driving system, BlueCruise, available on select vehicles. BlueCruise enables hands-free driving on most U.S. highways without traffic signals or intersections. Edmunds conducted a comprehensive test of this system on the electric Mustang Mach-E, equipped with the latest version known as BlueCruise 1.3.
The assessment conducted by Edmunds serves to provide consumers with valuable information about the functionality and performance of hands-free driving systems offered by leading automotive manufacturers. As the automotive industry continues to evolve with advancements in autonomous driving technology, these hands-free features represent a significant development in making driving more convenient and less demanding for users.
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.

domain: topicality


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domain: health


text:
With Esbjerg defeated that meant that both Viborg, with whom Patrik spent the first half of the campaign with in Denmark, and his current side Silkeborg have now gained promotion following impressive seasons.
Patrik has been ever present since joining Silkeborg and has helped the side to a successful campaign. They have four matches remaining this season and actually come up against Viborg tomorrow.
Also abroad the Turkish Super Lig is about to reach a very exciting conclusion with three teams pushing for the title with two games left following Galtasaray’s latest win. The victory over top team Beşiktaş now means that Halil Dervişoğlu and his teammates are just three points behind them going into the final two games. Fenerbahçe sit second, one point ahead of Galatasaray. Halil came on in injury time in the 3-1 win over Beşiktaş on Saturday as goals from Ryan Babel, Radamel Falcao and Arda Turan did the damage. They will take on Denizlispor today.
Also in Turkey, Kasımpaşa picked up a 1-0 win away at Erzurumspor recently and are 15th in the table. Julian Jeanvier has been a long term absentee for the side through injury.
In Poland, Joel Valencia missed Legia Warsaw’s 0-0 draw with Stal Mielic. Legia have already been crowned champions of the Ekstraklasa.
Fixtures in the EFL were brought to a close at the weekend and there were a couple of victories for our players. In SkyBet League One Dom Thompson played 90 minutes for Swindon Town as they went out on a high with a 4-3 win over Wigan Athletic away from home. Swindon already had their fate sealed this season and will be playing in League Two in the next campaign. Scott Twine grabbed the winner in the win at Wigan with a free-kick in stoppage time as Town actually came back from 3-1 down to get the three points following a red card for Wigan.
Arthur Read was the other Bees player to taste victory as he played 83 minutes for Stevenage in their 1-0 win away at Scunthorpe. Elliott List got the all-important goal as Stevenage finish the season in 14th with Arthur getting significant minutes over the course of the campaign in SkyBet League Two.
Jaakko Oksanen played the final six minutes for AFC Wimbledon as they drew 0-0 with Lincoln City away from home whilst Ellery Balcombe missed Doncaster’s 4-1 home defeat to already promoted Peterborough United. The result meant that Rovers finished 14th in League One.

domain: game


After my absence (ten days in Menorca don’t you know, with a few days of sloth either side), I thought I would kick off my blog entries again with a little more about rejection. Ah, rejection, my old friend.
You see, dealing with rejection comes hand in hand with life anyway, but I’ve found even more so when trying to pursue a career in the creative arts. I’m sure you will have at some point heard the familiar story of a now-famous author who collected rejection letters by the box load, the pop and rock stars that were turned down by some retrospectively stupid talent scout. Well, that’s because it’s true no doubt. There must be a handful of people who tried something first time and were given licence to continue by some purse-string, but I would guess it is the few, not the many.
The more important question I’ve found is how you deal with it and what you make of it. There seems to be a number of stages and responses that occur, whether you like it or not, normal, human responses to someone telling they don’t think you (or your work) is good enough:
Denial – Yes it is good enough! The person has obviously had a taste transplant or wasn’t paying close attention! They have all the potential-spotting potential of a grapefruit!
Woe – Oh god. It’s not good enough. I’m not good enough, basically. I may as well give up on everything, ever.
Resolve – So, one person doesn’t think it’s good enough? I need to try someone else then. Do I trust the future of my work to one person I’ve never met, who for all I know, didn’t even read/hear/see the thing? Keep on at it.
Acceptance – Yeah. It isn’t good enough. I need to start again and make it or the next project better.
Can you guess which two of the above are my recommended options in this situation? That’s right, resolve and acceptance (in that order – resolve has to give way to acceptance eventually, if rejection is still happening). Not saying that I’ve eliminated denial and woe, they are instinctive reactions, you can’t stop them, but you can deal with them.
To use an example that spurred me into writing this brief exploration of rejection, I’ve just had two rejections for the same sit-com script from two different production houses.
The first was the BBC. They have a submission window twice a year now where you can send off your scripts for any genre/platform, along with the thousands of others, and hope it progresses through the review stages. First stage, where 80% of all submissions fail, is a scan through the first ten pages. If nothing jumps out, slaps the readers face, tweaks their nose and says ‘I’m fresh, unique and exemplary!” – you won’t get past this stage. Which is fair enough. This is the stage my script failed at. Which again, is fair enough. After this stage, if you are lucky, the remaining 20% of submissions get filtered further by more detailed reading and second opinions, and they are eventually left with just 1% being taken further, and even then there is no guarantee it will get past the first development meeting and even get made.
Unfortunately, being one of thousands rejected at stage one, you get absolutely no feedback, other than the generic ‘don’t be disheartened, it just didn’t grab out attention this time etc…’. So, I have no specific advice to build on here. I understand why they can’t offer this though, they really do have a lot of scripts to read.
The second rejection I received was from an independent production house, responsible for most of the better radio comedy on BBC4 at the moment, and a huge chunk of the television comedy legacy to come out of the rallying, alternative 80’s and beyond. This was what I like to call positive rejection. I received a letter, specific to me, referencing my script name and the characters in it, with actual feedback about the reasons for not wanting to take it on.
Before I go into those reasons, here is the programme synopsis, can you spot why it failed?
“Set in and around the offices of small-town weekly newspaper ‘The Herald’ in the fictional market town of ‘Dulton’ in the Midlands. The Herald and its small team are thrown into turmoil with the arrival of a new editor, Barry Barryson, an American with a mysterious past who seems to have walked straight out of the ‘Daily Planet’ and into rural England. Barryson wants sex, scandal and scoops, but these things are in short supply in a town where planning application for a new lamp-post is front page news.
Senior journalist James Boon is the old guard of an easy life and easy journalism. The arrival of Barryson rocks his world, and he doesn’t like it. Together with his junior journalist Erica Roberts and photographer Steveo Brough, he is determined to oust Barryson or at the very least, ignore him and his crazy ideas and hope he eventually goes away. In the meantime however, the paper must go on! That cow that thinks he’s a horse won’t interview himself.
‘The Herald’ will revolve around the main cast of Boon, Erica and Steveo while Barryson wanders in and out of the action with frantic speeches and bizarre ideas that set the pace and story of the action. It will focus on the dynamic between the core cast within the coverage of the various twee local news stories that arise in Dulton. Other characters will come in as necessary for each storyline, but never at the expense of the core cast who will drive the episodes with their banter and reflections on events, rather than being overly ‘situation’ based. Boon is the dominant voice, the real leader of the group, who believes himself to be senior in both years and wit to his junior colleagues. In this he is at least half right, but as with all great schemers, his plans often go awry.
In this pilot episode we are introduced to the cast through the arrival of Barryson and the reactions of the existing staff. Future episodes will continue to run the core plotline of Boon’s attempt to oust or avoid Barryson, while introducing individual plots based on various overblown local news stories.
This idea was inspired by a weekly newspaper in a small town where I used to live that literally ran an article once on a cow that thought it was a horse. It was published weekly, so if anything exciting really did happen, you had to wait a week to read about it. This paper and others like it are a constant source of comedy plots so I think ‘The Herald’ has potentially a long life-span without fear of falling into cliché and forced situations.
Coupled with a vibrant dynamic between the main characters and their individual stories, I believe this is a formula for a successful radio comedy along the lines of BBC Radio 4’s ‘Cabin Pressure’, and will appeal to a similar demographic.”
Okay, so without the actual script to read (available on request by the way), maybe this isn’t enough to go on, but I will give you a clue – it was the crazy American editor. At least, that was one of the reasons cited in the rejection letter. His presence, his character, just wasn’t ‘believable’, I’m told, and I agree.
The positive feedback I received was that the opening scene was ‘better than most’ and made the producer laugh. The opening scene featured the existing staff of the newspaper talking amongst themselves, and as I was writing it, I felt at ease with the dynamic. Unfortunately, this scene led up to the arrival of the new crazy American editor, bursting into their lives, and basically disrupting my easy dynamic and setting the tone-o-meter to ‘whacky’.
This may have worked for other production houses – think of the IT crowd with the two bosses (played by Chris Morris and Matt Berry respectively). They were both ‘whacky’, ‘whirlwind’ characters who owned all their scenes and scoffed in the face of believability… but it wasn’t the producers of ‘The IT crowd’ I had sent this to, and even if I had, would they want to pursue another show with that kind of force present in it, having done it so well already?
So do I re-write (again) this script sans whacky American editor? No. I don’t think so. I think it’s time to move on. This was only my second attempt at a sit-com pilot script, which I had already adapted from a TV script to Radio, figuring that the overheads of radio production would make it more likely to get looked at (a tip I still think is correct). The original TV version had its own round of rejections some time ago, and all in all, this idea is now a few years old and it’s sad to see it limping to its demise, one rejection letter at a time, when I could just take it out back, and blow its brains out.
I have reached acceptance, and now it is time for something new, learning the lessons that this script has taught me, absorbing the advice of the industry professionals who have offered it, wrapped as it was in rejection, and pouring this into the next project. Of course, this script will lurk in the background, and may even surface again one day, but even if not, it will be just as important as my successes, for it will have informed them and shaped them by its negative presence.
I suppose there is some kind of metaphor in there for more important things in life, but that wasn’t the point, but if you want it, take it… I don’t care. Eat my metaphor.
Thanks for reading.
Ps – If anyone wants to read the script of ‘the Herald’ – please message me. You are welcome.
P.ps – If any ‘budding’ writers are reading this, one thing I need to mention, while this script was being submitted and I was waiting for a response, I didn’t sit idle – Sit-com scripts are just one aspect of my work, and the best advice I’ve heard when submitting work is to forget about it until you get your response. In the meantime I worked on several other projects, and that is the key. There’s no point writing one thing and then waiting for several weeks or months to find out it has been rejected. Send it, move on, send it, move one and so on.


Also: Dockless bikesharing in New York’s transit-hungry fringes, and cities’ vertical economy.
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Summer school: If you’re an avid urbanist, the odds are good that you’ve encountered the term “inclusionary zoning” at some point. And if you’re like me, you probably nodded along without actually asking, “wait, what’s that mean exactly?” Well fear not, reader, CityLab University is here to explain it all.
Benjamin Schneider gives an intro course on inclusionary zoning, walking us through the history of the affordable housing policy and how leaders have used it to address city segregation. This syllabus comes packed with frequently asked questions, a case study, viewpoints, a toolkit, and a reading list—explaining all the acronyms and jargon along the way. Even if you’re already an expert, keep it on hand to share with people you know who could use the lesson: CityLab University presents: Inclusionary Zoning.
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We are able to supply water from the River Murray to properties across the state thanks to five major pipelines.
The raw water pipelines are:
The treated water pipelines are:
The Mannum to Adelaide Pipeline was the first major pipeline built from the River Murray to serve the needs of Adelaide. The pipeline began operating in March 1955.
The Mannum to Adelaide Pipeline is 60 km long.
This pipeline goes from Mannum to Modbury. It supplies water to the metropolitan network through the Anstey Hill Water Filtration Plant. It also directly supplies residents in the Torrens Valley and Eastern foothills.
The Mannum to Adelaide Pipeline can also deliver water to six reservoirs.
The second pipeline built to supply Adelaide with drinking water was Murray Bridge to Onkaparinga. This pipeline was completed in 1973.
The total length of the pipeline is 48.6 km, 23 km of which is underground.
Starting about 3 km north of Murray Bridge, the pipeline goes to the Onkaparinga River. The Onkaparinga River channel carries the water to the Mount Bold Reservoir. The water also goes to the Summit Storage Water Treatment Plant.
The Swan Reach to Stockwell Pipeline was built to supply the Barossa Valley, Lower North and Yorke Peninsula areas. It was first used in the 1960s and was designed to supplement existing water supply.
The pipeline is 54 km long.
The pipeline serves townships and farm land along its route, from Swan Reach on the Murray to Stockwell in the Barossa Valley. The water is treated at Swan Reach as it is pumped into the pipeline.
The Morgan to Whyalla Pipeline is in fact two pipelines. The first was built in the 1940s, the second was built in the 1960s to cater for a growing population in the Upper Spencer Gulf. The dual-pipeline system can now deliver 66,000 megalitres of water annually.
The pipeline is 379 km long.
Starting at Morgan on the River Murray, the water moves through four pumping stations on its way to Whyalla. Branches of the pipeline serve Iron Knob, Jamestown, Peterborough and many other small towns and farming districts.
The pipes lie side by side until near the Baroota Reservoir. From there, the second line heads across the Spencer Gulf, travelling underwater for 14 km to Whyalla.
As with the Swan Reach to Stockwell Pipeline, water is treated at the beginning of the pipeline, as it is pumped into the system.
The Tailem Bend to Keith Pipeline feeds a large number of branch mains. It was also the last of the major pipelines completed, at the end of the 1960s.
This pipeline is only 132 km long, but it feeds 800 km of branch mains, and covers an area of 6,470 km.
The water is treated and pumped into the pipeline at Tailem Bend and then travels to Keith.


text:
Last month, I wrote a piece at HBR about how humans and algorithms will collaborate, based on the writings of Tyler Cowen and Andrew McAfee. The central tension was whether that collaboration would be set up such that algorithms were providing an input for humans to make decisions, or whether human reasoning would be the input for algorithms to make them.
One thing I thought about in the process of writing that piece but didn’t include was the question of whether one of these two models offered humans a higher value role. In other words, are you more likely to be highly compensated when you’re the decider adding value on top of an algorithm, or when you’re providing input to one?
I was initially leaning toward the former, but I wasn’t sure and so didn’t raise the question in the post. But the more I think about it, the more it seems to me that there will be opportunities for highly paid and poorly paid (or even unpaid) contributions in both cases.
Here’s a quick outline of what I’m thinking:
It seems totally possible for the post-algorithm “decider” to be an extremely low level, poorly paid contribution. I’m imagining someone whose job is basically just to review algorithmic decisions and make sure nothing is totally out of whack. Think of someone on an assembly line responsible for quality control who pulls the cord if something looks amiss. Just because this position in the algorithmic example is closer to the final decision point doesn’t mean it will be high value or well paid.
Likewise, it’s totally possible to imagine pre-algorithm positions that are high value. Given that the aggregation of expert opinion can often produce a better prediction than any expert on his or her own, you can easily imagine these expert-as-algorithmic-input positions as being relatively high value.
Still, the onus is on the experts to truly prove useful in this scenario. Because if they’re not adding discernible value, waiting in the wings is the possibility for the algorithm to aggregate an even greater range of human judgment — say via social media — that could be done cheaply or even for free.
I’m not sure where this leaves us except to say that I don’t see much reason for us to be “rooting” for algorithms to be inputs to humans or vice versa. In all likelihood this is not the right question. The relevant question, and a harder one, is simply how do we apply human judgment in a way that enhances our increasingly impressive computational decision-making powers.

domain: philosophy