firehose

hodad

Ms. Dr. on the USA Today blog.

#BlackLivesMatter will soon be more than just a Twitter hashtag for students at Dartmouth College.

The school will offer a course this spring titled “10 Weeks, 10 Professors: #BlackLivesMatter,” examining structural violence against communities of color. The lessons in the pilot course will be split into 15 sections that span more than 10 academic departments, including — but not limited to —  anthropology, history, women’s and gender studies, mathematics and English, according to The Dartmouth.

Abigail Neely, a Dartmouth geography professor, says the course was inspired by a workshop led by Rev. Starsky Wilson, co-chair of the Ferguson Commission – a community-based think tank created by Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon. On Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, Wilson led a two-hour seminar at the school and encouraged faculty to think about ways to integrate the events in Ferguson into an academic setting.

English professor Aimee Bahng says the objective of the course is to contextualize the systemic, extrajudicial killings in Ferguson and around the nation.

“We want to bring this moment into conversation with a historical trajectory,” says Bahng.

Bahng says that the course will also study structural forms of violence – including redlining, housing discrimination and the prison-industrial complex – and how they compound state violence against minorities.

Neely says the challenge and innovation of the course is its transgression of traditional department boundaries.

“The point really is to use the tools our disciplines offer us,” says Neely. “And to sort of offer up different ways of thinking about this really complicated and intractable problem that we’re living through in this moment, and to recognize that no single discipline is enough.”

While they will not lead their own sections, Bahng and Neely are working to coordinate the Ferguson Teaching Collective at Dartmouth.

Chelsey Kivland, a postdoctoral fellow in the anthropology department, is a member of that collective.

Kivland says she was contacted to lead a course section since she already teaches an “Ethnography of Violence” class, which spends a week analyzing police brutality and the ways in which various forms of violence – institutional, symbolic and physical – nourish each other.

Kivland says she plans to expand on that curriculum and study how the media dehumanize men and women of color by drawing comparisons to animals, invoking discourses about respectability and cherry-picking images and videos of police brutality victims.

“One of the reasons I’m really motivated to teach this course at this time is to continue the conversation,” Kivland says. “I do feel that people are already starting to forget (about Ferguson), but these are really urgent matters that play out in people’s daily lives. Only occasionally are they punctuated by a mass movement.”

Kivland says the upcoming electoral season serves as another impetus to further the dialogue about state-sanctioned violence and potential policy reforms.

And students seem to be curious about the course.

Adria Brown, a senior Native American studies major, says she was excited to hear about the class but is concerned about student enrollment.

“I do wonder who will take the class – whether it’ll be kind of preaching to choir or if they’ll get different points of view,” says Brown. “But I still think – no matter what – that it’s worth having the class to really interrogate this topic.”

Brown also says it is inspiring to see contemporary social justice movements being translated to the classroom.

Kevin Gillespie, a senior English and government double major and president of Dartmouth’s NAACP chapter, says he’s hopeful that the interdisciplinary course will facilitate better understanding of racial oppression.

“As a black man, it’s incredibly hard to have this reality,” he says. “It’s something that all of us wake up with every day, so I’m really happy that this course is happening. This is exactly what this college needs.”

Original Source

https://twitter.com/NotFaulty/status/562948892145491968/photo/1

Original Source

The People’s Bank of China just cut the reserve requirement ratio (RRR) for banks—the percentage of deposits that banks must set aside in case of financial distress. The first broad cut to the RRR since May 2012, the reduction effectively frees up as much as 600 billion yuan ($96 billion) for banks to loan, according to Capital Economics.

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The move came as a surprise; while economists had expected an RRR cut at some point in 2015, most didn’t expect it to come so early.

While some point to slowing growth, the more likely cause for the cut has to do with liquidity. Or to put it another way, there isn’t enough cash in China’s financial system.

Where might this money be going?

Out. December data shows capital outflow of about $118 billion—the biggest since December 2007:

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To understand what this has to do with the RRR, it’s important to understand why China’s is unusually high.

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China’s economic growth model is not export-led, as is commonly assumed, but rather, investment-driven. This model has created the longest sustained period of high growth perhaps in history—37 years and counting. The engine for this is simple: Chinese savers are forced to subsidize cheap loans to (mostly state-run) industrial companies. In recent years, that lending has shifted toward property developers as well.

But maintaining cheap exports is still critical to the Chinese state. The sector supports millions of manufacturing jobs. And because forcing savers to pay for industrial policy discourages consumption, if the PBoC didn’t rig the currency to make exports cheap to foreign consumers, Chinese households sure wouldn’t be able to buy all those goods. Jobs would vanish, and the unemployed masses would riot in the streets. So the PBoC cheapens the yuan, buying dollars off exporters (and outside investors), and paying them more yuan than it should.

If those extra yuan gushed into the system, soaring inflation would threaten Party stability. So the PBoC does two things: It “sterilizes” money inflows, forcing Chinese banks to buy its bonds, and keeps the RRR unusually high, preventing them from loaning out the extra money it prints.

These policies are pillars to China’s financial stability as long as more money is flowing into the country than out. When that trend flips, the Chinese government has much less control over money flows than many realize.

First, liquidity gets dangerously tight—and since so many Chinese companies depend on banks rolling over their loans to stay afloat, a sudden disappearance of liquidity risks forcing mass bankruptcy.

It gets worse, though.

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Capital outflows cheapen the yuan relative to the dollar. That’s scary because it shatters confidence in China’s economy, but also because Chinese companies have borrowed heavily in dollars—more than 80% of China’s registered debt is either in US or Hong Kong dollars (the latter of which is also tied to the greenback), as Chen Long, economist at GaveKal, notes. In order to prevent the yuan from shedding value, the PBoC has been drawing down its $3.8 trillion in foreign-exchange reserves—selling greenbacks to boost the yuan’s value. The problem is, buying yuan drains even more yuan from China’s financial system.

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The PBoC has to cut the RRR in order to replace the money that has already gushed out of the system, notes Patrick Chovanec of Silvercrest Asset Management.

China’s financial accounts are too opaque to know exactly how severe the outflow is. But for a country already hovering on the brink of deflation, any big sudden disappearance of money is ominous.

The feature image is by Flickr user David O’Hare (image has been cropped).

You can follow Scott on Twitter at @Disalmanacarian and his book at @Disalmanac. We welcome your comments at ideas@qz.com.

Doghouse Diaries

Yosemite Firefall

World’s most miserable countries (larger)

A Siberian husky named Cora and a young fox named Teagen are living out a real-life version of The Fox and the Hound at their home in Chicago, Illinois. The odd couple are the best of friends despite the overwhelming odds of the two animals becoming enemies.

They’re supposed to be sworn enemies, with one forced to hunt and kill the other for sport. But despite their natural instincts, you’d be forgiven for thinking they were a couple of playful pups, as this unlikely fox and hound pairing have formed an unbreakable bond. Whether they’re play fighting in the garden, or snuggling up together on the sofa, Cora, a Siberian husky, and Teagan, a young vixen, are completely inseparable.

TUSCALOOSA, AL—Having traversed such unforgiving but target-rich environments as the Texas hill country and the swamplands of the Deep South, University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban finally returned Wednesday from a two-year recruiting ...

The Heinz History Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has recreated the set of the classic American children’s television show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, which had been produced in Pittsburgh throughout the entirety of the series.

Featuring select artifacts from the popular children’s show, the new display marks the first time these items are on long-term view. Highlights from the “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” installation include:

• The entryway and living room set that Mister Rogers walked through to begin each show;
• King Friday XIII’s Castle;
• Great Oak Tree, the residence of Henrietta Pussycat and X The Owl;
• Picture Picture, the display that helped Mister Rogers teach children using interactive media;
• McFeely’s “Speedy Delivery” tricycle; and
• A variety of additional items from the “Neighborhood of Make-Believe,” including King Friday XIII’s telephone, Henrietta Pussycat’s outfit, Chef Brockett’s hat, Harriett Elizabeth Cow’s desk, and the bench that Mister Rogers sat on during each show.

Also on view is a life-like figure of Mister Rogers, wearing his iconic sweater, necktie, khakis, and sneakers.

images via Heinz History Center

via Coudal Partners

Saved:

A budget and expenses tracking app for iOS with an emphasis on quick input and easy-to-read charts, plus support for multiple currencies and Touch ID.

App Store

The Late Late Show with Jim Gaffigan got weird Jan. 30 -- really weird. A blizzard forced CBS to air the show with a skeleton crew, leaving guest hosts Adam Pally and Ben Schwartz to piece together things as best they could. It featured an interview with Bears tight end Martellus Bennett that one might say "went off the rails," but it was never on the rails to begin with.

These are the best moments:

Favorite fonts

Discussing his voice

A really weird alt-reality story

Pretending to get angry with the hosts

Seriously, stop what you're doing and watch this.

h/t @WiseTenderSnob

The NFL confirmed that Lynch fulfilled all of his media obligations, and that his controversial "Beast Mode" hat did not violate league policy.

Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch made headlines leading up the Super Bowl for his standoffish behavior with reporters and for wearing a "Beast Mode" hat at Media Day that possibly violated league policy. There was speculation that Lynch could have been fined for either or both of those incidents, but NFL spokesman Michael Signora confirmed to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network on Wednesday that Lynch will not receive any discipline relating to the hat or his media antics.

The league said that Lynch fulfilled all of his media obligations during Super Bowl week -- he was there so he wouldn't get fined, and he didn't. The NFL also noted that the hat Lynch wore during his media sessions was made and given to him by an officially licensed brand, New Era, and therefore he was not in violation of league policy.

It was believed that because the hat -- which featured a prominent "Beast Mode" logo on the front -- promoted Lynch's personal brand, it was in violation of league policy. The rules state that players cannot wear a brand that has not been approved by the NFL during press conferences or on the field. However, apparently the league felt that because the hat was made by an official licensee and was in the team's colors, it was acceptable for Lynch to wear it during the week.

Lynch was previously fined $100,000 for not speaking with the media in November.

postcardsfromspace:

bigredrobot:

Eartha Kitt as Catwoman

Flawless.

Important faces.

everythingrhymeswithalcohol:

madameatomicbomb:

moonblossom:

kinpunshou:

so this morning i was playing with the slow-mo mode on my phone, hoping to get a majestic vid of a bumblebee taking off

but instead i found this dumbfuck

Oh my god its little flailing legs. I’m dying.

too turnt

Nectar too sweet

unstoppablyplushjuggernaut:

this-url-is-already-taken-sucker:

itsstuckyinmyhead:

Mario Kart and Tumblr

that haiku though

Actual thing said during a Mario kart race at my house this week: “FUCK YOU BABY PEACH HOW MY ASS TASTE”

dr-archeville:

x09:

foxadhd:

Meet Bayard Rustin

yes!

Bayard Rustin was in the film Selma, portrayed by Ruben Santiago-Hudson.

aworldfortheyoung:

lil-bit-ghei:

The story behind the gif: the guy wouldn’t stop opening his daughter’s mail so she mailed “herself” a glitter bomb to teach him a lesson

Good

Source: YouTube (NSFW language, obv.), user edamame

Daily Dot says it was from a son to his father. edamame doesn’t gender their self.

The product is the Spring Loaded Fucking Glitter Everywhere Tube.

To find out, we ranked every state by the fast-food options available there, concentrating on a variety of factors, including: 1) the big chains (Burger King, KFC, etc.) that began there 2) the regional ones (Whataburger, Culver’s) that also originated there 3) the cool, little chains just in that state 4) the variety of choices and presence of enviable franchises 5) the deliciousness and uniqueness of their options in general We also created a set of criteria to determine which places were fair game: there had to be counter service, food had to generally take between 1-8 minutes to prepare, and there had to be at least three locations for a place to be considered a chain. Also, no pizza. 50. Vermont, 48. Maine, 46. Rhode Island ("the Talking Heads are from there, though, and David Byrne often sings about fast food"), 45. New Hampshire, 42. Oregon ("Even its precious Burgerville is Washington-based"), 40. Washington ("like post-recession Seattleites, a huge number of Burgervilles are now located in Oregon"), 38. Connecticut, 29. Massachusetts (for Dunks, Honey Dew Donuts, and Boston Market), 7. Louisiana, 2. California, 1. Texas

While the actor’s estate set up a separate trust for Susan Schneider Williams that includes among other things their Tiburon, Calif., home and “all costs related to the residence,” the children believe her request for “all expenses associated with daily upkeep as well as unexpected renovations and improvements” is pushing for more funds and a sign of “greed.” There is also disagreement over which of the actor’s personal memorabilia belong to which trust.

Jace Connors might've just been another wingnut who lets Call of Duty bleed into reality, but he's become a popular figure inside GamerGate, which has egged him on through increasingly bizarre and disturbing acts. This culminated with a video on January 30th, showing Connors' wrecked car on the side of the highway: In the video, the very obviously disturbed man says he was on his way to confront Wu at her home outside Boston—this, after she tells me he'd uploaded a video threatening to "kill her Assassin's Creed style" with a knife. A Skype transcript between Connors and a friend he'd asked to accompany him to Wu's house is almost as unsettling as the video:

rainbowbarnacle:

turretsyndr0me:

standalone of this post

THAT HAT OH WOW

“You’re not unreliable - your health is.”

- shout out to all my chronically ill people who get shit for being late, for cancelling, because their health prevents them, and feel like jerks because of it. It’s not your fault. (via runningonspoons)