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Two objections:
Is it truly ecomically efficient to squander the monies that would have been spent on foreign aid to prop up noncompetive domestic industries?
It is incorrect to assert that HIV is "easily avoidable by an inexpensive change of behavior. If were so easy and inexpensive, wouldn't the rules of the marketplace have eliminated those behaviors? I would guess that in those parts of the world where life is still "nasty, brutish and short", the costs of acquiring HIV do not outweigh the percieved gains of the behaviors that cause the disease.
And finally, my own question. Would the monies currently being spent on on foreign aid to cure HIV be better spent on offering rewards to the head of gov't who shows the greatest reduction in HIV infection in his country?
I wonder if it really makes sense to eliminate foreign aid entirely. A few points:
1. Much aid is given for political reasons - carrots. If I remember correctly, the two biggest recipients of US foreign aid are Israel and Egypt. I suspect that this is not because we think that Israel is underdeveloped, or because we think that Egypt spends the money well.
2. Some countries are poor yet have good government. The only example that comes to mind is Botswana, but surely there are others. In these situations, perhaps foreign aid will find its way to worthwhile programs in health, education, or infrastructure. The returns to such spending are probably high enough to justify our sacrifice.
3. I still don't understand why more aid money doesn't go to clean water systems. Although the real problem is water-borne illness, there are other considerations. In the status quo, tap water in India is unsafe, and wealthy people buy filtration systems. If the tapwater were safe, everyone would have clean water and the wealthy could cut out spending on filtration. This might even be an example of multiple equilibria. You can imagine that as incomes rise, more and more people get filtration systems, and eventually everyone has one. This is inefficient if the same cleanliness could have been provided by municipal water plants. Nevertheless, those municipal plants will be redundant once enough people have household filtration systems.
4. Much private foreign aid goes through NGOs that can bypass the corruption of the ruling elite.
5. We are currently dropping tariffs on textiles, if I remember correctly, and while this is probably wealth-maximizing, it has the undesirable effect of removing income opportunities for many developing nations (as the jobs move to China). Tariff reductions are not simple one-dimensional development tools, in other words.
6. Finally, the great hidden trade barrier is our program of farm subsidies. This is a political problem, one that I doubt would be ameliorated by the reduction of foreign aid. It seems like the sort of obvious pork that people could be shamed out of, but it hasn't happened yet, and people are awfully good at rationalizing programs that provide their income.
While I agree with your basic premise, I'm skeptical of your claim that remedies are entirely "within the power" of poor governments. That seems to assume that money is the only limiting factor, and that (at least in the limit) humans will ultimately make rational choices. In my experience, all cultures (including academic culture!) have systemic irrationalities that persist for generations despite negative economic impact.
At some point, the scarcest resource is arguably what the ancients called 'wisdom', which is perhaps what we moderns call 'character.' Proper incentives may well be necessary to form character (which is why I support your general approach), but I'm not sure they are sufficient. In fact, I would argue that relationship is the most effective context for developing character, which is why at least some type of foreign aid could be beneficial -- if used as part of a character-building relationship, not a character-destroying handout.
The foreign aid question, as one writer noted, is really one of politics. By giving aid to a country, we endear them to us politically and hope that they will return the favor someday, if necessary - for instance, if we need a vote in the UN or a base in a foreign war. That may be bribery, but unfortunately it is also realpolitik. The question is whether the expected benefit of the "bribe" outweighs the cost.
Also, regarding such issues as AIDS, clean water, etc., the fact is that some countries are badly managed and could benefit from somewhat of an example. If we spend a little money to teach them about condoms, or about water treatment, then perhaps they will get the message and eventually put their own house in order. The world is made less safe by the presence of dysfunctional governments, and a little bit of leading by example might go a long way.
Finally, I'm not sure I understand the relevance of the discussion about population growth. Of course, population growth can have certain negative externalities, but is that a reason to let people die of AIDS? I hardly think so. Countries with population explosions might want to encourage birth control, but it is inhuman to let sick or starving people die in the streets, whatever the "externalities." The "positive" effects of lower population should not be a factor in the foreign aid calculus, unless we are funding birth control.
I wonder if you could discuss in a little more detail the differences between increased total fertility rates and decreasing adult death rates and the economic implications. It would seem that increased fertility rates have a Malthusian effect on the labor force and wage rates, but this doesn't hold true for adult life expectancy as far as I can tell.
I believe that Becker has made this fertility/life-expectancy distinction, emphasizing that while increased fertility has mixed effects on economic growth, the increasing returns to investment in human capital makes increased adult life expectancy a great good for economic progress.
Is a policy of dispensing condoms really less costly than reducing promiscuity? Perhaps in the short term I can see how one might argue that point successfully, but over any timeframe longer than a week, I sincerely doubt that promiscuity with condoms is less costly to a State than a policy of monogomy without condoms. Promiscuity, even with condoms, rarely attains the pair-bonding strength of a family tie, adn family-centered and neighbor-centered support systems are more efficient in identifying and assisting neighbors in need than any state-sponsored social welfare system yet devised.
The interest by "the west" in the 'underdeveloped' countries with HIV is as a testing ground for (in an ideal world) a pill that keeps you from dying. In a less ideal world, a vaccine. And in the least ideal world a cure.
The 'underpriviliged' are nothing more than lab test animals. The environment of 'try this or die' allows various methods to be tried that can not happen in countries with stronger laws and where the economic value of the people is far less than 'in the west'. (example - Bhopal)
When you have a situation where the actions are not fully explained by various actors, how can an economic analysis be correctly applied. Alas, trying to apply one set of rules to a rigged game with a different set of rules will lead to an incorrect analysis.
Regarding the AIDS epidemic in Southern and Eastern Africa, Judge Posner is naive about the appeal of condoms and, perhaps, too cynical about the degree of "promiscuous sex" among Africans.
First, condoms: For as of yet unexplained reasons, there seems to be a cultural preference among South and East African men for "dry sex" (Google on the term for a description -- not work safe, however). Not surprisingly, this contributes to the spread of AIDS through vaginal abrasions. Also, not surprisingly, it's harder to get men who like unlubricated coitus to use condoms.
Second, "promiscuous sex:" It's probably _not_ true that promiscuity is a major reason that Southern and Eastern Africa have so much worse of an AIDS problem than the rest of the world. Unfortunately, the more rapid spread of AIDS in that part of the world is facilitated by a locally traditional form of sexual structure that Westerners have had a hard time understanding.
An article in Discover Magazine by Helen Epstein, Feb 2004 ( http://www.discover.com/issues/feb-04/features/why-aids-worse-in-africa/?page=3 ) explained the major upgrade that Western statisticians finally realized they had to plug into their models to explain why HIV spreads so much faster in sub-Saharan Africa -- "multiple concurrent relationships." Originally, American computer whizzes assumed that the sexual behavior of Africans resembled to one degree or another various American models -- monogamy, serial monogamy, promiscuity, mistress-keeping, prostitution, etc. But they missed the key difference between Africa and much of the non-tropical world: a large proportion of both the men and women of Africa are involved in simultaneous long term relationships with two or more members of the opposite sex.
This is not widely discussed in the West, where interest in sub-Saharan African life has vastly diminished in recent decades, but James Q. Wilson's recent book "The Marriage Problem" has a couple of chapters on African family structures that are most illuminating for anyone concerned with fighting AIDS.
The author of the Discover article fails to pick up on the cause of "multiple concurrent relationships," but it leaps out from her interviews with African men: the lower level of male jealousy in Africa. The men the journalist interviewed drinking beer in a Botswana bar one morning all claim to have more than one long-term girlfriend. There's nothing surprising in this. What is very surprising for Westerners, though, is the complacency with which they assume that their multiple girlfriends probably have multiple boyfriends, as well. Feminists should be delighted by their enlightened commitment to sexual equality, their assumption that what's sauce for the gander is sauce for the goose, too, but you can see how it contributes to the spread of HIV.
An anthropologist friend of mine living with an African tribe went off on a multi-day trip with some of the men of the tribe. They were supposed to be back, say, Wednesday morning but on Tuesday evening they were making such good time that he suggested they drive onward and get home late that night. His hosts were dismayed at this ungentlemanly suggestion. A good husband, they explained, never unexpectedly showed up late at night. It could create the most embarrassing scenes with his wife and her lover.
Evolutionary psychologists explain why men are more sexually jealous and women are more romantically jealous (i.e., a man more hates the idea of his wife sleeping with another man, while a woman more hates the idea of her husband caring for another woman) by reference to the old rhyme:
Mother's baby
Father's maybe
In other words, a man has to police his wife's sexual fidelity in order to not get saddled working like a dog for 18 years to support another's man's child. But what happens in the large swathes of the world where the husband doesn't expect to slave away to support his wife's children, legitimate or not? Evolutionary psychologists aren't very good at thinking about diversity. They simply assume that humanity is so homogenous that they can understand the whole human race by giving questionnaires to their UC Santa Barbara students.
Indeed, African men are more likely to insist than to object to their women going out into the workplace. By one estimate by an African feminist organization that appeared in the Washington Post, women do not just 50% of the work, but 80% of the work in sub-Saharan Africa.
That's why you sometimes see, for instance, particularly handsome African men who have 100 or so wives: he doesn't keep them locked up in purdah with eunuch harem guards and all the other paraphenalia that traditionally goes along with having lots of wives if a man wants to keep them all faithful. African mega-husbands send their many wives out to work in the fields, where some are seduced by all the lonely bachelors lurking about. But the Big Man isn't too outraged by this because his wives are going to grow enough food to feed their own kids, whoever the father is.
So, the good news is that Africa could kill two birds with one stone by adopting patriarchal monogamy: it could put a big dent in the HIV crisis, and it could greatly lessen poverty by getting men to work as long and hard as women.
On the other hand, adopting patriarchal monogamy would be about as fundamental a change in the family, social, and economic structure as is imaginable.
"All the problems that foreign aid seeks to alleviate are within the power of the recipient countries to solve if they adopt sensible policies."
Surely this is only true in the long-run. A matter of hours before you wrote your post, the Indonesian province of Aceh lost ten times as many people as the US did on September 11, 2001. With foreign aid, more lives can be saved than without it. I entirely agree about tariffs, but right now, the Acehnese need more than the freedom to export.
I think Posner is right with the "Rapid Population Growth is not too good" point. The Western Worlds Aid is massivly influencing the infant death rates in third world countries, but their traditional insights on family clans (many childrens) are not changing from one year to another. It is also still the fact, that families need their children for everyday surviving (work for their family income and rent).
The problem is see is, that the third world countries want to get over a process from the age of enlightenment to todays modern world in about 1/5 - 1/10 of the time the western worlds did. their population is going to explode, which will lead to food shortages and wars. In the meanwhile the leading 1% population of the countries get richer and richer, because they can exploit the poor population.
Economic growth solves the overpopulation problem.
"For developing countries having passed a certain income threshold, rising income is accompanied by exponentially falling fertility rates..."
"Tracing the income-fertility nexus: Nonparametric Estimates for a Panel of Countries"
Holger Strulik & Siddiqui Sikandar, Economics Bulletin, 2002, vol. 15, pages 1-9.
"With money saved from eliminating foreign aid, we could compensate our industries that would be hurt by import competition from poor countries and thus reduce political opposition to tariff reform."
If the impact of free trade on the losers in the US is small enough to be compensated for by current (pitiful) levels of US foreign aid, then free trade will clearly have almost no economic impact at all. If the impact of free trade is that small, it suggests that factor endowments worldwide must be pretty much the same. i.e., everywhere is already equally rich. Good news, indeed.
"But they missed the key difference between Africa and much of the non-tropical world: a large proportion of both the men and women of Africa are involved in simultaneous long term relationships with two or more members of the opposite sex."
What a lot of nonsense! You know absolutely nothing about Africa, and it's well past time you stopped speaking as if you did. Your very willingness to speak of the entire continent as if all its peoples were the same gives away the depths of your ignorance.
There's absolutely no need to reach for "dry sex" or "multiple relationship" theories to explain the scope of the AIDS epidemic in Southern Africa. All one needs to take into account is that:
1 - HIV is a lentivirus which originated in Africa, and which has been spreading amongst humans there since the mid 1960s at the latest, well before it took off anywhere else in the world.
2 - The dormitory system set up for black transient miners during the South Africa during the apartheid years facilitated the spread of the "shebeen" culture which you are so eager to ascribe as typical of Africans in general. What else would one expect poor young men far away from their families, working long hours in arduous conditions, sleeping in disgusting hovels and forbidden any forms of social release in the "white" parts of the country (i.e, most of it) to do but drink and consort with prostitutes?
The telling sign that these points get to the heart of the matter while your "just so" stories do not is that AIDS rates in Eastern and (especially) Western Africa are still much lower than they are in Southern Africa, despite their populations also having played host to HIV for several decades by now. Anyone who deigns to talk about "Sub-Saharan Africans" without any qualification as to what part of this vast continent he's talking about is nothing more than a quack pretending to an expertise he doesn't possess.
Let me also add that the following comments of yours are particularly (if unintentionally) hilarious:That's why you sometimes see, for instance, particularly handsome African men who have 100 or so wives: he doesn't keep them locked up in purdah with eunuch harem guards and all the other paraphenalia that traditionally goes along with having lots of wives if a man wants to keep them all faithful.And where exactly have you seen these mythical handsome guys, I wonder? The despotic potentates of yore would have been glad to have done near as well as this, and yet according to you this is something one just sees every so often amongst African men? Are black men all giant scrotums with heads in your eyes? How could any man sleep with that many "girlfriends" otherwise?
This "hypersexualized Africans" rubbish says a lot more about your own fervid fantasies (nightmares?) than it does about any realities on the ground in a continent you've probably never even stepped foot on in the flesh (and no, flying into Cape Town for a Safari doesn't make you an "old Africa hand"). Come visit sometime and try asking some African male to lend you his girlfriend for the evening - you'll count yourself lucky if you manage to escape unscratched ...
PS: It amazes me to no end that so many "respectable" news organizations are so ready to carry your ludicrous claims as if they were being made by someone who actually had a clue.
I think that health is the result of a good economy, not the other way around. Bad health does have a negative effect on the economy, but keep in mind that countries like the US have had horrific health problems (1918 flu, polio, etc.), yet as GDP per capita grew, life expectancy grew as well.
In 1930, US life expectancy was below 60 years (which explains why Social Security seemed like a good idea), while GDP per capita was $8000. Today, with US GDP per capita at $33,000, life expectancy has grown to 77.2 years.
Rich countries can afford the infrastructure it takes to deliver medicine. They can afford, for example, the AIDS treatment that keeps people alive. They can afford to have effective public health campaigns. They can have refrigeration for vaccines, etc.
I know someone in Western Africa who has more than one wife - but I also know plenty of people in the US who sleep around. I rather doubt there is a cultural difference when you come down to it.
Lots of people, such as Abiola, would rather see Africans die in massive numbers than for the relevant facts to be understood in the West even among the elite audience that frequents this website.
For the role of "dry sex" in the spread of AIDS in Southern and Eastern (but not in Western) Africa in spreading AIDS, note this article from that font of reactionary racism, the Village Voice:
"Sipewe Mhakeni used herbs from the Mugugudhu tree. After grinding the stem and leaf, she would mix just a pinch of the sand-colored powder with water, wrap it in a bit of nylon stocking, and insert it into her vagina for 10 to 15 minutes. The herbs swell the soft tissues of the vagina, make it hot, and dry it out. That made sex "very painful," says Mhakeni. But, she adds, "Our African husbands enjoy sex with a dry vagina."
"Many women concur that dry sex, as this practice is called, hurts. Yet it is common throughout southern Africa, where the AIDS epidemic is worse than anywhere in the world. Researchers conducting a study in Zimbabwe, where Mhakeni lives, had trouble finding a control group of women who did not engage in some form of the practice. Some women dry out their vaginas with mutendo wegudoŚsoil with baboon urineŚthat they obtain from traditional healers, while others use detergents, salt, cotton, or shredded newspaper. Research shows that dry sex causes vaginal lacerations and suppresses the vagina's natural bacteria, both of which increase the likelihood of HIV infection. And some AIDS workers believe the extra friction makes condoms tear more easily."
African Family Structure -- On the prevalence of polygamy in Africa, Abiola should argue with Judge Posner and Professor Becker, who wrote in his 1992 book Sex and Reason, "Polygamy is common in African tribal society in part because each wife of a polygamist works as well as breeds, thus reducing the cost to the polygamist."
In a footnote to that sentence, Judge Posner writes, "For a rigorous demonstration that the demand for polygamy is positively related to the value of the women's contribution to family income, see Gary S. Becker, "A Treatise on the Family" 89-104 (enlarged ed. 1991)."
Later, on p. 259, Judge Posner points out that brideprice, as opposed to dowry, was common in traditional African societies, because wives contribute much of the income. He wrote, "The negative effects of polygamy are mitigated in a society in which women are highly productive of goods besides children, as they were in African tribal society (where polygamy flourished and brideprice was common)..."
Abiola willfully misunderstands my point, which is that promiscuity is _not_ a major cause of the rapid spread of HIV in Africa. His argument about prostitution in mining camps is irrelevant because I pointed out that the evidence suggests that promiscuous sex with prostitutes is not the key to understanding the AIDS crisis in South and East Africa (although, no doubt it contributes to some modest extent). (By the way, the reason powerful interests in Africa have so often hauled African men into forced or voluntary labor apart from their families, as in South African mining camps, is because the women and children won't normally starve without their menfolk around working in the fields.)
As I pointed out, Helen Epstein's Feb. 2004 Discover Magazine article that Western AIDS statistical modelers couldn't come up with an accurate computer model of the spread of HIV in Africa simply by assuming Africans followed Western sexual relationship styles -- of which 1982 Castro Street-style promiscuity was one and heavy use of prostitutes was another. No, it was not until Western statisticians became aware of the widespread African phenomenon of people of both sexes having "multiple concurrent relationships" that they could make their models realistic. Obviously, this doesn't apply to every individual and it varies by culture within Africa, but the important point is that the probability distribution in Africa is shifted in that direction. Epstein's article is at: http://www.discover.com/issues/feb-04/features/why-aids-worse-in-africa/?page=3
Polygamy is one example of this African tendency. It's far more common in tropical Africa (and some other tropical cultures) than in more temperate zones, even where the religion and culture endorse it. That's because it's more affordable because much of the tropical agricultural work is hoeing, which women are at least as good at as men are. Further, the population density in much of Africa has traditionally been low (due primarily to the tropical disease burden -- see John Reader's "Africa: Biography of a Continent"), there hasn't generally been the need to work the land as intensively as elsewhere, so long hours from men aren't as necessary to feed the family as in, say, traditional China.
For an amusing anecdotal portrait in the LA Times of a Kenyan gentleman who has been married more than 100 times, see:
The point is not that African men are "hypersexualized" as Abiola hyperventilates, but that one fairly average man can _afford_ as many wives as, in other parts of the world, only an emperor or sultan could afford.
Megahusbands in tropical Africa don't normally lock their wives up in the harem or employ expensive eunuch harem guards to ensure their fidelity. They send them out to work. Sometimes they are seduced by all the lonely bachelors left over, but since the straying wife can often provide enough food to feed the cuckoo's egg baby, the equatorial polygamist husband tends to be less outraged than in polygamist societies where the husband expects to support his wives and their children.
Thus, as I said, one cause of the rapid spread of AIDS in Africa is the lower degree of male jealousy.
If Abioloa is actually interested in learning as opposed to denouncing, Judge Posner's footnotes recommend the works of anthropologist Jack Goody.
I have but two comments, both minor but, I think, damaging to your central point:
1. You say: "To the extent that these methods of avoiding the disease are infeasible in certain poor countries because of intractable social and economic problems, providing money for costly AIDS ōcocktailsö is a band-aid solution which, as I have just suggested, may actually make matters worse by reducing the incentive to avoid contracting the disease in the first place."
Judge Posner, do you really believe that the availability of drugs for a disease that is still incurable -- drugs that merely lengthen the likely lifespan of the patient -- will provide an incentive to engage in risky sex? What thought process does this assume? "Hmm... I could have this unprotected sex with this untested partner. I might get aids, but I can always extend my life ten years by taking an antiretroviral!" I suggest that such a thought process, or its unarticulated equivalent, is so absurd and ridiculous that nobody would engage in it, and nobody would ever negatively modify their behavior as a consequence of the availiabity of the current crop of medications for aids.
2. Is it really all that cheap to distribute condoms? Note I say distribute, as opposed to make available. In many "third world" countries with widely dispersed rural populations, some with unique and insular tribal identities, some nomadic, it seems reasonable to expect that the cost of distributing any good through the population is fairly heavy. Foreign aid might well be necessary to establish that, non?
Sex Costs and Benefits:
RP says: "Unlike an air- or waterborne disease, HIV-AIDS is easily avoidable by an inexpensive change of behavior, namely using condoms in sex, or by a more costly but still feasible change, namely by avoiding promiscuous sex."
So, condoms are "costly" and avoiding promiscuous sex is "more costly but still feasible". Do these statements reveal information about Prof. Posner's own "possibility frontiers"? More likely they tell us what he thinks about the choices confronting Africans (or "everybody, in particular Africans").
But is it obvious that using a condom is less costly than avoiding promiscuous sex? Not to me. If I were really into having sex with one or a small group of people who I know are "clean", then I might be really put out if they made me use condoms but not at all bothered by being restricted to them.
I wouldn't make an argument that it is more costly to use condoms in general. But I do think the point is controversial and that there is hardly an "average man" to refer to. (I'm just considering men, for the moment.)
On the topic of possibly divergent American and African sex practices: Further inquiry has revealed a number of American women prefer "dry sex" ("that's one more reason its nice to smoke up before", etc.).
[Disclaimer: I do not smoke marajuana or use other illegal drugs. I am not promiscuous.]
This was a surprise to me.
Governments will never be able to control human sexual behavior. The most effective form of social control thus far has been that instantiated by the "holy sacrament" of marriage in Judeo-Christian religious institutions. By controlling the definition and role of marriage in human relations, religious institutions managed to limit sexual intercourse to monogamous pairs.
It's no wonder that governments decided to offer their own form of "marriage" via civil marriage. However, with the rise of no-fault divorce laws and the decreasing moral and legal relevance of "adultery", even the attempt to regulate or sanitize sexual relations through marriage can be deemed a failure.
Would offering free condoms to the poor decrease the incidence of STDs? In the lovely folly of my high school years, I certainly thought so, as I campaigned to install condom machines in the public restrooms. However, having friends who suffer from STDS has forced me to rethink my prior condom idealism.
Many men hate using condoms; and many women are only sleeping with a man in the hopes of pleasing him and thereby winning a longer-term version of his favor. The women who sleep with men for the purpose of pleasing the man (and not themselves, the "fakers", so to speak) are not likely to resist when a man says, "Aww, come on. You don't need that. I'm clean, I swear.."
In the oneupmanship of sexual courtships, there is little room for self-control or rational deliberation. Will men in Africa use condoms if we FedEx large free supplies to them? Tis doubtful. Today the view in some parts of Africa is that condoms CAUSE HIV; tommorow this view might morph into something like the unadulterated sexual irresponsibility of current American youth culture.
Maybe the best way to reduce incidence of STD infection would be to restrict prescrption of birth control to those in monogamous relationships. For everyone else, condoms would be the only choice. (Many girls take birth control and then don't use condoms because they believe the worst thing that could happen to them would be pregnancy. They don't believe that the truly lamentable would be infection with a lifelong disease that could prevent them from having children and seriously restrict their sexual lives.)
I agree with Abiola that "dry sex" theories are frankly uninteresting and incapable of withstanding any rigorous analysis. As long as males are awarded social prestige for their ability to sleep with a large number of women, they will continue to make this, and the accompanying m.o. of recklessness, their secret ambition.
This is a fine discussion of population and policy, and would be appropriate if the assumptions behind CO2/global warming and HIV/AIDS could be so readily accepted. It's disconcerting to see two individuals who care so deeply about resource allocation accept pipular dogma so readily.
First, the Shi article correlates population growth and CO2 emissions...not pop g and global warming. Our understanding of global warming is far too incomplete to identify its causes, predict its effects, or conclude that CO2 is its primary cause. Thus any current allocation of resources to CO2 diminishment is likely to be far from optimal.
Second, HIV and AIDS are two completely different things, one a retrovirus, the other a multifactorial symptom complex, and they do not always coincide (the disease class 'AIDS' was created to separate those cases of severe immune dysfunction where HIV infection was detected, from the many cases where HIV is absent). HIV may not even be a "new" retrovirus. If "jump" theories are correct, it's still uncertain when the jump occurred, and the possible window could be 70,000 years wide. Like CO2 emissions, creating incentives to reduce HIV infection given our current understanding of AIDS would produce a suboptimal allocation of resources.
For now, the focus in developing nations should be on dismantling confiscatory tax systems, improving faulty monetary regimes, and fostering private resource ownership. Good things happen when you get the fundamentals right.
You said:
"All the problems that foreign aid seeks to alleviate are within the power of the recipient countries to solve if they adopt sensible policies. If they do not adopt such policies, then foreign aid is likely to be stolen by the ruling elite, strengthening its hold over the country, or otherwise squandered."
I have to agree with you because I live in Brazil (where corruption has spread). Take the money from the poor americans and give to the rich politics of the Third World doesn't solve anything. But I believe there are other ways to help the development of these countries; in the spirit of charity you can export ideas, studies, thoughts, intellectual instruments... I believe (at least in Brazilian case) people must be introduced to all that.
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The 2012 Verge Art Fair opens tonight at 159 Bleecker Street in New York City. I will be showing a selection of my photos, including my latest work with the Impossible Project's integral film for Polaroid cameras. My friends Leif, Maja, Edmund and Adam are showing as well. We're all in the basement, so if you're in NYC, come check us out, and take in all the amazing work on the two other floors of the space, too!
Tonight's opening runs from 6pm until 10pm and admission is $10. The show runs through Sunday, May 6. A preview of the work I have on display can be seen below.
[flickr-gallery mode="photoset" photoset="72157629593082882"]

subset: commoncrawl


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If Matt Daaaymon was hoping his new Arab-funded film "Promised Land" would do for natural gas "fracking" what "The China Syndrome" did for nuclear power, he'd better hope for a sequel to "Team America" to rescue him from being an embarrassment to the professional Left.
John already took official Power Line notice of the movie a few weeks ago, and I already gave Damon a Green Weenie back in September when news of the Arab financing for the film first broke, but with the film coming out today, the reviews are starting to trickle in like a load of freshly-fracked gas. It turns out that even left-leaning movie reviewers find it risible. For that amazing achievement, Damon deserves a second Weenie.
Take Time magazine's movie critic, Richard Corliss. He finds the movie dubious, at best:
Left-wingers in the mainstream media — by which I mean me — are supposed to lap up a movie that plays to our farm-loving, tree-hugging prejudices. But even we know that well-meaning does not automatically equal good movie. Some organic life is needed. And the only crop Promised Land harvests is Capra Corn. . .
Moreover, he expresses sympathy for the risk-taking entrepreneurs who brought us the gas boon:
You may not feel sorry for the energy barons, even if they risked part of their fortune to extract a form of energy cleaner than coal, safer than nuclear power and cheaper than oil. But a reluctance by U.S. consumers to use natural gas would exacerbate the nation's dependence on oil from foreign countries — like the United Arab Emirates, whose Image Nation Abu Dhabi film company, in a twist more cunning than any in the film, helped finance Promised Land.
Even Mother Jones finds the movie tendentious:
Nothing but good résumés and intriguing publicity behind this movie. And yet it putters out into both embarrassment and creative lethargy, fueled (if that's the term I want) by an acute lack of focus and commitment. Promised Land struggles to compel just as much as it fails to inform. By the film's end, Matt Damon will have taught you precisely two things about fracking: That it's bad for cows, and even worse for heartfelt dramatic monologues delivered by Matt Damon. . .
As for whatever political or social statement the film has to make about the risks of fracking, it's nothing you wouldn't get from skimming the first couple paragraphs of the Wikipedia entry on hydraulic fracturing. The fact that these punches are so tightly pulled all but guarantees that Steve's emotional and professional journey ends in an unsatisfying mess. When Steve finally does find his moral center—culminating in a very public display—the scene is devoid of believable emotion, or believability period. On top of all of this, there is a final plot twist—so unnecessary, so dumb, so out-of-place—that almost singlehandedly tanks any shred of dignity the film once might have possessed. . .
Conservative pundits and the fracking lobby have preemptively declared this movie a dud. Sadly, they may—albeit for completely different reasons—have been on to something.
I like the last little boilerplate touch from MJ: "The film is rated R for language and engulfing mediocrity."
The Puffington Host weighed in derisively, with an article entitled "Yoko Ono, Matt Damon, and OPEC Versus American Energy Independence." Ouch 2! When you're nipped with Yoko Ono and OPEC, you're lost.
In essence, to prohibit fracking, as is Yoko Ono's wont, is tantamount to ripping out the nation's rail system and all that it would entail to the economy, to the management of carbon gas emissions, to the workforce, to the wellbeing of communities, all because of the risk of an occasional train wreck. . .
Abu Dhabi will be applauding heartily if their and Damon's Promised Land film, due for distribution shortly, permits them and their OPEC brethren to continue to fleece the world with their cartel manipulated price of oil and gas.
But I've saved the best for last. Damon is quoted in the New York Daily News saying, "'It's the truth,' Damon says. 'Nobody in Sacramento is telling people in Beverly Hills, "We're going to drill in Beverly Hills." That's not going to happen.'"
Guess what they do in Beverly Hills, Matt? They have oil wells. Have for decades now. The high school even gets royalties from wells on school property. Just like Pennsylvania schools want to do, too.
The Daily News article actually gives away the whole game, as both Damon and co-star John Krasinski ("The Office") appear to be backpedalling as fast as they can from the clear original intent of the movie:
Both Damon and Krasinski resist questions about their own feelings about fracking, though Damon says, "I wouldn't be okay with them drilling on my property — I doubt most people would."
But they are quick to add that the movie isn't taking sides on the subject, either. Rather, the film is about who gets the final word on the question of where and whether fracking should be allowed.
"The truth is it's an incredibly complicated issue," Krasinski says. "For us to come down on one side or the other is not right. There's so much information to be had — and a responsibility to find out what it is.
What do you call a two-time Green Weenie winner? Loser.


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Welcome students! Now that we're all gathered we can start this biweekly lesson on all things skeptical, paranormal, pseudoscientific, and just plain nutty. I want to thank you all for allowing me, the Skeptical Teacher, to present these lessons on behalf of my skeptical colleagues. It's quite a long class, and I know there are other demands upon your time (the weekend is coming, after all), so let's get started… notebooks & pencils out, please. Pay careful attention, because you never know when or where what you learn in Skeptic's Class will turn out to be useful 🙂
First off, since I am a teacher & I'm into all that education stuff, I want to let everyone know about a new organization dedicated to providing skeptical outreach & education to women, the Women Thinking Free Foundation (or WTF Foundation 😉 ). I'm totally promoting this new organization not just because I'm a professional science educator who is interested in seeing more young women become interested in science & skepticism, but also because I happen to be on the WTFF board of directors (so promotion is, like, part of the job description). Here's more info about the WTFF…
Our goal as an organization is to bring science, skepticism and critical thinking to the women of the Midwest. We're planning some great events, campaigns and outreach programs to help provide women with the tools to fight pseudoscience.
Our next lesson comes from Phil over at Skeptic Money, where he puts a new, modern twist on The Last Supper – he calls it Last Supper With Scientists, where rather than revering various religious figures from Christianity one can bask in the imagery of famous scientists both past & present who have made arguably greater contributions to humanity than most religious figures. Can you guess who they are without peeking at Phil's blog for the answers?…
Our next lesson comes from Down Under… Kylie at the well-known Podblack Cat blog has decided to share a few tidbits with us. First, there's her list of skeptical Podblack Finds For 18th April 2010 – which include, among other things, a controversy over something called "Clitoraid" (sounds sexy), a tutorial on scientific skepticism, and superstitions about the money spider. Her second post is a very interesting take on a subject I've never seen addressed before – the issue of Deafness and Skepticism. Check it out!
The 360 Degree Skeptic then follows with a lesson that is of interest to many a skeptic, the question of Biblical fallibility, which is outlined in his post on Biblical Claims and Science. In a post that examines a more contemporary issue, he then goes on to explore the question of self-esteem as related to race and how "we would be wise to heed the quiet" of the neglected null in various forms of psychology research.
Next, Dr. Martin Rundkvist publishes a book review for us on how a U.S. sociologist travels to Denmark to study the Scandinavian view on religion and discovers that they pretty much don't care about it, displaying a marked contrast to how the issue is often addressed (by both the religious & non-religious) in other parts of the world. The book is by Phil Zuckerman and is titled "Society Without God", and Dr. Rundkvist's comments can be read here.
Following that we have a few posts addressing a variety of medical woo, specifically a pair of posts on that skeptics' favorite – homeopathy (one from Skeptics North and another from Science-Based Pharmacy). The folks at Skeptics North take on a popular homeopathic "remedy" called Traumeel while over at SBP they address the question of Homeopathy and Consumer Protection. In addition, the SBP takes some time to examine some… interesting claims regarding whether or not green tea & chili peppers can burn fat.
Our next guest is new to both blogging and the Skeptic's Circle! Please welcome the librarian from the Labyrinthine Library, who is talking today about how recent earthquakes, volcanoes, and other assorted natural disasters are not evidence for The End of the World. In addition to referencing some nice earth science, the librarian also does a cool historical analysis on the topic and concludes – surprise! – there is nothing to fear.
Last, but not least, over at the Stuff and Nonsense blog we have a very informative post regarding how some doctors are continuing to push various forms of anti-vaccination woo. Some of these woo-ish arguments are new to me, so if battling anti-vax is something that interests you, head on over to read all about it.
Well, that's all for now, thanks for attending. I hope you took good notes, because there's going to be a quiz! Yes, I know I didn't tell you that ahead of time, but you – as a dedicated student of skepticism – should be prepared to stand up for science & rationality at any time, announced or not.
See you in a couple of weeks, on May 6th, for the next class over at 360 Degree Skeptic! 🙂


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One of our favorite comic book companies will be showcasing a whole bunch of stuff during next week's San Diego Comic-Con. Top Cow, probably most well known for Wanted, will be bringing lots of exclusives and their talent to the show so we can all meet and enjoy.
Here's all the info you could want on this from the official press release from the company.
LOS ANGELES, Calif., July 14, 2010 – Top Cow Productions, Inc. is proud to announce their exclusive offerings at this year's Comic-Con International in San Diego, which includes an exclusive wraparound cover variant to the publisher's most ambitious project-to-date, Artifacts.
Attendees of the convention have a chance to grab the following exclusives at the Top Cow booth #2629:
Exclusive SDCC variant cover art by Michael Broussard and Sunny Gho of IFS
(W) Ron Marz (A) Michael Broussard (I) Rick Basaldua, Sal Regla (C) Sunny Gho of IFS
Price: $10
Thirteen mystical Artifacts, including the Witchblade, the Darkness and others, guide the fate of the Top Cow Universe. For centuries, it's been whispered that bringing together all 13 Artifacts would herald mankind's destruction. But a mysterious figure has been manipulating events, laying plans to put Armageddon into motion.
The final phase begins here, with the abduction of Hope, the daughter of Sara Pezzini and Jackie Estacado. What ensues will remake the entirety of the Top Cow Universe, from the Witchblade and the Darkness, to the Angelus, Magdalena, and countless others.
Artifacts #1 is the perfect place for faithful readers to see their loyalty pay off, and for new readers to experience the Top Cow Universe. And this exquisite variant cover is the perfect way to commemorate a trip to Comic-Con International.
Exclusive SDCC variant cover art by Kenneth Rocafort
(W) Ron Marz (A) Kenneth Rocafort (C) Sunny Gho of IFS
Price: $10
Carin Taylor is the fastest woman in the world. At least, she'd better be if she wants to save her own life and the lives of her Cyberforce teammates. When a former Cyberdata scientist — and test subject — seeks revenge against the members of Cyberforce, only Velocity can save her friends before the clock literally runs out. Bringing together writer Ron Marz (Witchblade, Angelus) and artist Kenneth Rocafort (Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer) for the first time. This fun-filled variant cover conveys Carin's own sense of whimsy and snappy wit; and like Velocity herself, these covers will soon be gone!
Exclusive SDCC variant cover art by Randy Queen and Sarah Queen
(W) Randy Queen (A) Randy Queen and Sarah Queen
Price: $15
A new armor for Jackie Estacado, the bearer of The Darkness, and a new beginning for Ariel Chylde, the girl who can become creatures from her nightmares! Jackie intercepts a physic plea for help, and frees Ariel from a self imposed, seven-year exile. But what happens when these fan favorite monster makers encounter a new threat that can create anything? Find out this Christmas, when things get dark! Guest starring Witchblade! Created especially for Comic-Con International, Randy and Sarah Queen present this stunning wraparound cover with a virgin front cover showcasing The Darkness and Darkchylde.
PROMO: Attendees can purchase all 3 single-issue SDCC variant covers for the price of $30 (save $5).
Exclusive SDCC variant cover art by Kenneth Rocafort
(W) Mark Waid (A) Kenneth Rocafort (C) Sunny Gho of IFS
Limited to 250 copies
Retail Value: $30
Two of Top Cow's top teams return! Fan favorite writer Mark Waid (Irredeemable, Amazing Spider-Man) and artist Kenneth Rocafort (Madame Mirage) weave a tale of conspiracy, high-octane action, and next-gen technology in a crossover with consequences. The members of Cyberforce and the Hunter-Killer squad must team up to stop Cyberdata and Morningstar from taking control of the world's information networks with the Jett™. Don't miss the opportunity to pick up this extremely limited hard cover edition and get it signed by both Waid and Rocafort!
Exclusive SDCC variant cover art by Jeremy Haun
(W) Rick Loverd (A) Jeremy Haun (I) Haun, John Lucas (C) Dave McCaig
Limited to 250 copies
Retail Value: $30
Produced by Milo Ventimiglia and DiVide Pictures!
The lives of Aaron and Farris, two young and completely different men, are turned upside down when they discover an animalistic and uncontrollable rage living inside them. Meanwhile, two mysterious organizations seek them out for their newfound strength and power for their own purposes. But what good is strength and power when you can't tell friend from foe? Don't miss the opportunity to pick up this extremely limited hard cover edition and get it signed by the entire creative team!
Fans who are unable to attend the show can still purchase the exclusives at a later date online at www.thetopcowstore.com, while supplies last, starting in September. However, there is a limited number of each item, so fans are encouraged to visit the Top Cow booth #2629 early to purchase their SDCC exclusives.
For up-to-date information on Top Cow's plans at Comic-Con International in San Diego, please visit www.topcow.com or follow us on Twitter (@TopCow).


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Sunday Dinner
Roasted Mushrooms Persillade
Bibb Lettuce Salad with Bacon and Croutons
Chocolate Kahlúa Glazed Chocolate Truffle Tart
After a week of the blahs, I knew I wanted some comfort food for Sunday dinner. For me, that is roast chicken, potatoes, and something chocolate for dessert-- my three favorite food groups.
Consisting of three layers of chocolate, this dessert will surely satisfy any chocolate craving. The crust is made from chocolate cookie wafers. The truffle-like filling is rich and creamy, but not too to heavy. The shiny chocolate glaze then pushes the whole package into chocolate heaven.
I added espresso powder to the filling to enhance the chocolate flavor. Keeping with the chocolate/coffee combination, I added Kahlúa to the chocolate glaze in lieu of water. Piped whipped cream rosettes and chocolate covered coffee beans make for a pretty presentation.
Chocolate Kahlúa Glazed Chocolate Truffle Tart
serves 8-10
*Note- the tart can be made without the glaze one day ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before glazing
For the Crust
24 chocolate Nabisco wafers, finely ground
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
For the Filling
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
9 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
2 extra large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Glaze
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
1 3/4 ounces semisweet chocolate
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1 Tablespoon Kahlúa or other coffee liqueur
For the Garnish
Lightly sweetened whipped cream
Chocolate covered coffee beans
For the Crust
Preheat the oven to 350° F. In a medium bowl, stir together the wafer crumbs, butter, and sugar until moistened. Press evenly onto the bottom and up the sides of a a 9-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake until firm, about 10 minutes. Cool on a rack for 15-20 minutes.
For the Filling
In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Place the chocolate in a medium sized bowl and pour the heavy cream over the chocolate; let stand for 5 minutes. Gently stir the mixture until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, espresso powder, and salt. Stir the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture.
Pour the filling into the cooled crust. Bake until the filling is set about 3 inches from edge, but the center should still be wobbly, about 20-25 minutes. (The filling will continue to set as it cools). Cool completely in the pan on a rack for at least 1 hour.
For the Glaze
In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a boil. Add the chocolate and stir until smooth. Stir in the corn syrup and the Kahlúa.
Pour the glaze onto the cooled tart, tilting and rotating so the glaze evenly coats the top. Allow the tart to stand until the glaze is set, about 1 hour. Garnish with rosettes of whipped cream and chocolate covered coffee beans. Enjoy!
Source: Gourmet, September 2008
Labels: Chocolate, Espresso, Sunday Dinner, Sweet Tart
5 comments:
What I wouldn't give right now to be your neighbor!!!ReplyDelete
Nicole, this is beautiful and looks amazingly delicious! I love the espresso and chocolate combination - delish! You always have such pretty whipped cream, too, mine always collapses - what kind do you use?ReplyDelete
This looks absolutely gorgeous! I haven't made a tart for a long time and I think I should start with this....I'm literally slobbering here!ReplyDelete
This is a stunning looking cakeReplyDelete
I would really loooooooooooooove a slice or two :)
Thanks for visiting my blog! I love hearing from family, friends, and bloggers, so please leave a comment. Happy cooking!
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Viewpoint: Amend ACA to Address Transgender Health Issues
The Recorder
March 8, 2013
Transgender individuals face rampant discrimination in nearly every aspect of their lives. One of the most dangerous areas of discrimination is being denied access to health care.
As currently written, the Americans with Disabilities Act explicitly excludes transsexualism as a disability, thus allowing discrimination on this basis in public and private insurance. However, health care providers recognize Gender Identity Disorder, or GID, as a medical condition.
Both public and private insurance providers routinely classify transgender status as a pre-existing condition exempt from treatment, or classify gender-confirming treatments as cosmetic or elective because they seek to change anatomy that is consider normal and functional, ignoring the reality that these procedures treat a medically recognized, treatable condition. "Gender-confirming care" refers to any procedure that helps a transgender person realize his or her authentic gender. These might include hormone treatment or sexual reassignment surgery, or both. For transgender patients, procedures that would otherwise be deemed elective or cosmetic are key to their physical and mental health. For example, facial feminization surgery is frequently necessary for transgender women (people assigned "male" at birth who identify as women) to be able to realize their identities as women, but this is a nearly identical procedure to elective plastic surgeries that are not normally covered by insurance.
More perniciously, transgender individuals who have documents with corrected gender markers are routinely denied coverage for both preventative and life-saving treatments that appear to be gender-incongruent. Gender-incongruent procedures are procedures typically required by people who have a different gender marker. For example, a transgender woman who receives a prostate examination might be denied coverage because "women don't have prostates." Or conversely, a health care man getting a pap smear may be denied coverage because "men don't have vaginas." These denials create insurance nightmares due to apparent gender-incongruence that would be avoidable with sensible public policy.
As lawmakers review Affordable Care Act accessibility guidelines, they have the chance to modify insurance laws and rectify this discrimination. By using California's Insurance Gender Nondiscrimination Act as a model, federal lawmakers can improve access to medical care for transgender people by securing explicit protections for gender-confirming and gender-incongruent procedures.
One transgender man living in a jurisdiction that does not require surgery to correct a driver's license obtained one and other ID with the appropriate gender marker and name. Some years after he had corrected his ID, he sought a double mastectomy. He desired it as gender-confirming care, and there was a history of breast cancer in his family (specifically his grandfather) for which the procedure would serve as prophylaxis. If he had applied for a double mastectomy before his paperwork had been corrected, he would have been applying for a "female" procedure as a person with "female" documents. As it was, his documents indicated that a mastectomy would be a gender-incongruent procedure and was therefore not covered, even though the history of breast cancer in his family was specifically male.
This is exactly the sort of bureaucratic absurdity that burdens both transgender patients and the health care system generally. This man's double mastectomy served two medically sound purposes. First, it functioned as well-established preventative care for breast cancer. Second, it was appropriate treatment for his GID. However, because his plan excluded any transition-related surgical procedures, a procedure that served both a transition-related purpose and a cancer-preventative purpose was not covered. A gender congruency check on his doctor's order showed a mismatch for a mastectomy, since men are not approved for breast cancer preventative treatment because their risk factors do not make that treatment reasonable for insurers to take on.
Patients are left in insurance-coding hell and bureaucratic limbo, fighting appeals for denials of coverage for medically sound care. These denials and their subsequent appeals end up costing insurance companies money investigating the claims, and cost doctors and patients time and money trying to get pre-approval for care that should be routinely approved. In the case of low-cost preventative care procedures, such as pap smears, the cost of appeals can end up being more expensive than the procedure itself. Doctors who are savvy about providing care to transgender insureds use creative coding to ensure that their patients receive the care they need without the hassle of triggering automatic denials that gender-confirming procedures generate.
California is the only state in the nation to recognize this persistent problem. In 2005 lawmakers passed the Insurance Gender Nondiscrimination Act. It does not mandate that providers cover any specific treatments. It does, however, require that if a benefit, treatment or procedure would be covered for any person on the plan, it must cover every person on that plan regardless of the insured's gender.
This "equality framework" was recently made explicit and enacted in California's Department of Insurance regulations, which specifically prohibit discrimination based on an insured's or prospective insured's actual or perceived gender identity or transgender status in four aspects of insurance: (1) limiting or denying access to insurance policies; (2) demanding additional payments or premiums; (3) designating gender identity or transgender status as a pre-existing condition that would limit coverage; and (4) denying or limiting coverage of gender-incongruent procedures and gender-confirming care if such care would otherwise be covered and available.
The equality framework establishes a baseline granting all people access to medically necessary care regardless of their gender, gender identity or transgender status. The ACA passed with certain nondiscrimination provisions, including nondiscrimination on the basis of gender. Unfortunately "gender" has not yet been defined in federal law to include actual or perceived gender identity or transgender status. The absence of such a definition leaves transgender people vulnerable to ongoing discrimination despite the ACA's apparent protection.
A federal equality framework based on the one outlined in the recently enacted California Department of Insurance regulations would ensure that the ACA, passed to make health care more equitable and accessible for all Americans, truly covers all Americans without discrimination.
Kate Walsham is a 3L student at UC-Hastings College of the Law and editor in chief of the Hastings Women's Law Journal. She is currently an intern at the San Francisco public defender's office, and previously worked at the Transgender Law Center and the National Center for Lesbian Rights in San Francisco.


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Now that Seventeen Magazine has listened to its readers and promised not to alter the faces or bodies of their models and "celebrate diverse beauty," teenage activists are setting their sights on Teen Vogue. But the second most popular teen magazine has made it clear that it doesn't care about being accessible. It's never been about that, anyhow.
When 14-year-old Julia Bluhm met with Seventeen editors to discuss her anti-photoshop campaign, she was greeted with friendly smiles, cupcakes and, eventually, pretty solid success: EIC Ann Shoket included a "body peace treaty" in the magazine's August issue that vowed to "never change girls' body or face shapes," "celebrate every kind of beauty in our pages," "always feature real girls and models who are healthy" and "be totally up-front about what goes into our photo shoots" by showing behind-the-scenes photos on their Tumblr.
As we noted at the time, Seventeen's response was delayed and somewhat oblique; the magazine didn't commit to publishing any unretouched photo spreads and pretty much just reconfirmed its current status quo. But the way Shoket acknowledged the desires of Seventeen readers was meaningful enough to encourage 17-year-old Emma Stydahar and 16-year-old Carina Cruz to ask Teen Vogue, the country's second largest teen magazine after Seventeen, to make the same public promise. From their petition:
We're really excited, because Seventeen didn't just promise one un-photoshopped spread a month, they went even further by promising not to change the faces or body size of their models, to listen to readers' feedback and to celebrate beauty in all of its diverse shapes, sizes and colors.
This is huge; the beginning of a revolution in the way girls see themselves across the girls' magazine industry. That's why we're now asking Teen Vogue to do the same.
Teen Vogue: Follow Seventeen's example and pledge not to alter any model's body or face and to celebrate beauty in all its forms.
But, unlike Bluhm, the girls didn't feel welcome at the Teen Vogue offices — they said they were berated by the magazine's staff, who told them that they were clearly unfamiliar with the magazine and that they should "do their homework." Change.org's Shelby Knox, who is working with Stydahar and Cruz on the petition, told us that it was bizarre to see the girls walk out of the meeting with shocked looks on their faces. "It was like something out of a movie," she said. "But they're even more fired up now. They're going to keep pushing."
Stydahar said that she used to read Teen Vogue when she was younger but stopped because it made her feel bad about herself. "I would think, 'I wish I had her waist, her legs, her hair,' but never, 'wow, beauty comes in all different shapes and sizes, and I'm so excited that fashion is available to everyone,'" she told us. But that's what makes Teen Vogue different from other teen magazines like Seventeen; it has never claimed that it wants to make fashion available to everyone or that it strives to be accessible. Teen Vogue's idea of a bargain is a $300 Marc Jacobs backpack. The magazine's sports coverage involves clothing so expensive they won't even disclose the price. And when's the last time you noticed a "real girl" in Teen Vogue that wasn't a celebrity, the daughter of a celebrity or just really stinking rich?
"We feature dozens of non-models and readers every year and do not retouch them to alter their body size. We will continue to show real girls on the pages of our magazine," Erin Kaplan, Teen Vogue's Director of Publicity, wrote to us in an email, adding that the magazine does not retouch models to alter their body size either. But why would they have to? Let's check out the real girls featured in Teen Vogue's August issue. There's Franny Keller, the 14-year-old daughter of a Vogue stylist, Georgia Jagger — yep, Mick's daughter — and "classically trained ballet dancer, rising model, and budding actress" Margaret Qualley who is — shocker! — Andie Macdowell's daughter.
The profile on Qualley starts like this: "Jetting to Europe to hit the catwalk for major labels like Chanel and Valentino isn't exactly a day in the life of a typical teenager..." Exactly — and Teen Vogue is clearly disinterested in featuring real teenagers. I stopped reading Teen Vogue as a teenager when I realized that the magazine literally never featured anyone I could relate to — and when I realized how inadequate it never failed to make me feel. (Does anyone remember the magazine's "Room of My Own" feature? It makes me slightly green with envy just thinking about it right now, even though it no longer exists.) There's nothing wrong with profiling extraordinary role models, of course, but consider the young women Seventeen features: the girls in the running to be the magazine's "real girl" cover star include a LGBTQ spirit crusader, teen pilot and soccer player. The real girls in Teen Vogue are always really, reeeeally privileged.
The magazine's insistence on pretending that all teenage girls can afford $331 "Ashish maroon jackets" and enjoy sifting through the closets of their famous mother's closets is obnoxious but, in my opinion, not a huge deal in the scope of all of the various issues that make girls feel shitty. I guess I never expected Vogue's teenaged daughter to be all that different from her more mature but no less aspirational and impractical namesake. Plus, I know there are actually girls out there who care more about the Met Costume Institute Gala than $20 jeans that fit girls whose legs don't have the same circumference as their arms. Let them read Teen Vogue and the rest of us read Seventeen or Rookie.
But it'll be interesting to see how Teen Vogue handles Stydahar and Cruz if — as Knox promised — they don't back down. Because even though Teen Vogue has "Vogue" in its title, it's marketed towards impressionable young women, not adults; it would be a PR disaster if the magazine straight-out admitted its lack of interest in, as the petition calls for, "celebrating beauty in all its forms." So my bet is that — unfortunately — it won't, no matter how much media attention the campaign receives.
Stydahar and Cruz clearly aren't just looking for more super-thin and perfect African-American and Asian girls modeling clothes that cost more than a year's allowance; they're asking for the magazine to completely change its mindset. Most of all, they want to see Teen Vogue publicly promise that they actually care how the majority of their non-socialite readers feel when they read the magazine. We just really don't see that happening anytime soon.


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So I was a virgin until I was twenty-five (and a half!) and I spent about seven years freaking out about telling people, not telling people, even—so ironically—accepting a job to contribute to a sex and dating column for a women's magazine (they reached out to me; I'd been fired the previous month and needed to do something besides eat burritos in bed on Xanax). I spent the next half a year at three posts a day, all attempting to avoid discussion of actual sex advice because I didn't want to lie or give anyone a faux list of Best Practices for Intercourse. If only I'd applied all of the effort I spent worrying about it to some kind of practical use, I could have done so many important things, like learned French or built a boat with my bare hands or memorized the complete filmography of Danny Trejo.
The thing is, when I finally told people that I was a virgin, it felt like such a massive albatross was lifted from my shoulders that I told fucking everyone—my mom, my editors, bodega cats, an empty Snapple bottle. I would have made a Cafe Press T-shirt of it if I didn't already have more than enough shirts.
Even though you rarely hear about it, I get the feeling that there are plenty of people who are in the situation that I was, and if you're one of those people who feels like never having had sex is a big deal, just know that I was in your position for a really long time and I'm not gonna be able to convince you it's not. But guys, seriously, fuck being embarrassed about being a virgin. And double-fuck having to overcompensate by saying stuff to people like "I'm the least virginy virgin ever" just to make them feel more comfortable talking about dicks at brunch. Fuck that shit up an actual creek.
Not to make this about Girls, but fuck the fact that in all of the bullshit fighting about the Girls girls, nobody mentioned how crappy it is that Shoshanna was the only virgin on television and she was a stereotypical, judgy, Sex & the City-obsessed Chia pet of self-hating catch phrases until she lost her virginity and is now allowed to Grow as a Character.
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Fuck the fact that it can be difficult to be proud of being a virgin without being concerned that people will think you're judging them for not being one. Even writing this, I'm nervous that people will take it the wrong way, like simply by virtue of making the choices that I made, I'm slut-shaming. I'm not.
Fuck wanting to buy a 100-pack of $8.00 Staples business cards that read "I'm not doing it for, like, religious reasons" so that you won't have to say it, over and over, in the same tone of voice you would use if you hit a pedestrian in a parking lot. Because guess what:
- not ready
- religious and/or waiting for marriage
- haven't found someone you want to have sex with
- too busy watching Gritty-Fight-The-System-Dramas on Instant Netflix
- and more!
All acceptable reasons to not have sex! Choose your choices! And stuff! The bottom line is that as long as you actually don't want to, and you're not repressing or sublimating the fact that you actually really, really want to have sex, you're golden.
Fuck that thing where you're immediately like, "It's not because guys haven't like, tried, and I've done other stuff, I'm not like, scared of boners or whatever!!!!111" which is the kind of panicked dialogue I've read on literally dozens of advice columns on women's blogs on the subject and makes me super-sad. You should never have to quantify yourself that way. The awesome thing about female sexuality today (umm, theoretically) is that you can do whatever you want with no apologies and it doesn't define you as a human being the way it would've in the '50s. Casual sex? Baller. Don't want kids? Awesome. Have not yet had someone put one of their body parts into your body parts? Cool. It's not a deficit. Deciding that someone has to get their Grown-Ass Woman Identity literally fucked into them is a big-time feminism fail. To wit, it's been six months since I had sex for the first time and I'm still exactly the same goofy idiot I was before.
Fuck how you feel when your well-intentioned curious friends are like "Don't you want to?" or "You should just get it over with." And your answers are generally like, "Sort of yes, ehh, I don't know, would that make you feel better?" Whenever someone would praise me for it, on the other hand, I'd feel weird, like I was getting compliments on my eye color or birthday or some other incidental thing. I don't think it really merits praise or condescension. It's just a thing. A thing I was.
I realize it's extremely hard to actually say "fuck you" to the loaded, shitty implications of being a virgin that are more or less always projected in your general direction. To that end, I'd state the obvious: the more comfortable and confident you are with it, the less people will question it. No apologies. Why should you apologize for doing what you want? And if you're anything like I am, you'll feel like the number of people who looked at me askance after I told them actually do kind of imbue you with a weird power: they force you to think about why you've made the choice not to have sex yet, which I'd never really thought about before.
A friend of mine came up with a brilliant set of basic life rules that feel pertinent to mention here.
1. Everything changes.
2. You don't know what the fuck is going on.
3. You can do whatever you want.
4. What's wrong with you?
What those rules mean is THERE ARE NO RULES. When you want to have sex, go for it, casual or otherwise. If you don't want to, you don't have to. If you're dating a guy and you care about each other, and it's something you're nervous about, I'd suggest telling him after awhile. Keeping a secret from someone you want to build a relationship with-this goes for guys and girls alike-doesn't bode well for the future. If he gets freaked out and never texts you again, that shit wasn't gonna work out anyway.
And if you're a virgin who's never felt self-conscious about it or compelled to apologize for it, you're about a grillion times more mature than I was, so big ups.


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A definitive ruling on whether courts may certify class actions to decide discrete issues, as opposed to cases or claims, will have to wait. Last Monday, the United States Supreme Court denied a writ of certiorari to review the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling in McReynolds v. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc., 672 F.3d 482 (7th Cir. 2012).
In McReynolds, which was decided after the Court's ruling in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes, the Seventh Circuit had reversed a denial of certification of a class in a disparate impact employment discrimination case, holding that a class could be certified for the limited purpose of resolving the issue of whether a specific policy of the Defendant created an unlawful disparate impact on black stock brokers. For a more detailed summary of Judge Posner's decision in McReynolds, see Deborah Renner's March 1, 2012 CALD post.
The issues that had been presented for review by the Supreme Court were as follows:
(1) Whether the Seventh Circuit's certification of a disparate impact injunction class conflicts with this Court's decision in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes, which rejected certification of a nationwide class that, like this one, asserted disparate impact claims based on employment policies requiring the exercise of managerial discretion; and
(2) whether the Seventh Circuit erred in holding, in conflict with other circuits, that Federal Rule of Civil Procedure Rule 23(c)(4) permits class certification of a discrete sub-issue when the claim as a whole does not satisfy Rule 23(b) and hundreds of individual trials would be needed to determine liability.
The denial of certification means that the lower federal courts will be left to decide whether and under what circumstances "issue certification" is permitted. A procedural tool not often applied in practice until recently, issue certification, at least in some form, is expressly permitted under FRCP 23(c)(4) ("When appropriate, an action may be brought or maintained as a class action with respect to particular issues."). However, a common question that arises in the interpretation of this language, and the one that had been presented for review in McReynolds, is whether issue certification is permitted when the resolution of the issue certified would not eliminate the need to resolve individualized issues before any claim could be resolved.
The federal circuits are split on whether issue certification is allowed to resolve discrete issues short of a full claim. The Fifth Circuit has not allowed issue certification in a class action for damages where predominance cannot otherwise be satisfied, and it has not allowed issue certification in a class action for injunctive or declaratory relief in cases when monetary relief is the predominant relief sought. Castano v. American Tobacco Co., 84 F.3d 734, 745 n.21 (5th Cir. 1996) ("[a] district court cannot manufacture predominance through the nimble use of subdivision (c)(4)."); Allison v. Citgo Petroleum Corp., 151 F.3d 402 (5th Cir. 1998). The Second Circuit has been more open to issue certification. Robinson v. Metro North Commuter, R.R. Co., 267 F.3d 147 (2d Cir. 2001) (holding that "litigating the pattern-or-practice liability phase [of a disparate treatment discrimination case] for the class as a whole would both reduce the range of issues in dispute and promote judicial economy"); In re Nassau County Strip Search Cases, 461 F.3d 219 (2d Cir. 2006) (holding that "a court may employ Rule 23(c)(4) to certify a class on a particular issue even if the action as a whole does not satisfy Rule 23(b)(3)'s predominance requirement."). The approach taken by Judge Posner in McReynolds generally follow the Second Circuit's approach by allowing issue certification even where predominance would not be satisfied with respect to the claim as a whole.
An interesting feature of issue certification is that unlike full-blown class certification of a claim or case, issue certification does not necessarily put a defendant at risk of catastrophic liability in a single stroke, because any individualized defenses to liabilty on the claim as a whole may still be available even after the common issue is decided. On the other hand, it is this feature that often begs the question whether issue certification has any utility in materially advancing litigation that will inevitably require individualized proceedings before reaching finality. It also leaves the procedure vulnerable to a great risk of misinterpretation and abuse, which may explain the Fifth Circuit's skepticism. Plaintiffs may seek and courts may grant issue certification on the mistaken impression that to certify part of a class will hasten the resolution of litigation. Defendants may fear issue certification based on a mistaken belief that certification of even part of a class action puts them at risk of aggregated liability.
The real question with issue certification tends to be whether formally certifying an issue for class-wide treatment creates any practical efficiency that materially advances litigation.
In many cases, there are legal issues, the answer to which indisputably have class-wide implications, but the question arises whether formal certification of these issues is even necessary. For example, common legal issues are often resolved in a preliminary motion. Even if these issues are not resolved on a class-wide basis after a formal order of certification, their resolution has a practical class-wide effect. Examples would be decisions on the interpretation of a particular statutory provision. For example, does the statute confer a private right of action? Is proof of injury required as an essential element of a statutory claim? Whatever the initial court's decision on this type of issue is likely to have a practical impact on any later litigation, so the resolution of the issue in the first case to address it tends to have a practical impact on any other affected litigants that usually avoids the need for duplicate litigation on the same issue.
In other cases, resolution of issue, however indisputably common, can often bring the litigation no further to conclusion. For example, in products liability case against a tobacco company, resolution of the factual issue whether cigarettes cause cancer probably does not move most cases closer to resolution because the primary issue in the case is going to be whether cigarettes caused the plaintiff's cancer.
A big problem with issue certification is that resolution of important issue in a vacuum, without proper context, can have disastrous and unfair consequences later in a case. Answering the question whether the defendant was "negligent" is a problem in most cases becuase the question of "negligence usually depends not simply on whether the defendant breached an applicable standard of care, but also whether that breach caused injury to the plaintiff. So, certifying the question of "negligence" is usually inappropriate due to the necessity to resolve individualized questions of fact. Unless the question on which the class is to be certified is very well defined, certification in these types of case can create serious problems. Certification of whether the defendant breached an applicable standard of care may be a more appropriate question for certification, but only if resolution of that question could materially advance the litigation to a resolution. In many cases, as in the tobacco example noted above, certifying a preliminary question of "breach of the standard of care" does not create any real efficiencies in the litigation as a practical matter.
Thus, there are serious questions whether issue certification has any social utility in many cases. However, not only are there situations in which issue certification is not only beneficial from the perspective of judicial economy, but there are also situations in which issue certification can be used by a defendant to its own advantage. They include:
1) a case in which certification appears imminent, despite the presence of individualized issues; in these cases, issue certification provides a an alternative to full blown certification in a way that may preserve the defendant's ability to avoid having a determination of mass liability in a single case or the defendant's ability to raise important individualized defenses.
2) to illustrate the analytical and manageability flaws in certification of an entire case or claim. In some cases, pointing out issue certification as an option may serve not only to provide an option short of full-blown certification, but also to show to the court how certification of merely the issues that are truly common may not create any real efficiency in resolving the litigation. In these cases, pointing out that issue certification is an option may serve to avoid class certification in its entirety.


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Reporter's Note: President Obama and his family lit the National Christmas Tree this evening.
Dear Mr. President,
I must say that you and your family looked very happy throwing the switch to light the tree by the White House tonight. There are many unpleasant and weighty duties that come with the presidency. It is nice to see you enjoying some of the nicer moments as well.
Which remind me of something wonderful that happened in my own life last evening. My wife and I have been, as we often are, scrambling to prepare for all that the holidays will bring. We've been scrambling to put up decorations, shop for gifts, share some nice moments with the daughter we still have at home and some by phone with our daughter who is at college. At any moment it can be quite wearing, as I am sure you know. On top of which my work load has been absolutely massive lately as I try to deal with several end-of-the-year projects.
So it was no surprise last night that it was about 9:30 before I drove up to our house, and that my wife was still out running errands. I wandered inside to say hi to our younger girl and our dog, and collapse on the sofa for a few moments. I was so tired I could not see straight, and yet I was aware of how much work was still looming before me. Then I heard a noise in the driveway.
I walked to the front door and there was my wife emerging from the car carrying a huge wreath of fresh evergreens with gold ornaments and a big bow on it. Even in the dim light I could see that she was beaming. She came up the stairs holding her prize before her, telling me excitedly how she'd found it at a roadside stand operated by some guy named Pablo, and how nice he was, and how nicely priced it was, and how it would fit perfectly over the mantel…and suddenly, it was Christmas. There is just no other way to describe it. Her infectious joy, lovely smile, sparkling eyes, and overwhelming enthusiasm absolutely made the season for me.
Tell me there will be no tree, no gifts, no quiet moments in church, or rowdy moments around the dining table; no softly falling snow, twinkling lights or seasonal music; no mistletoe or candles; no stockings by the chimney. I won't care. I've known Christmases with all the trimmings and more that could not compare to watching her walk into the house spreading the spirit of the season with every step…happiness, giving, kindness, beauty, love, and faith.
I hope you, and indeed every American, can enjoy just such a moment this holiday season…no matter what faith anyone may follow.
As for me…come what may, I am content.
Filed under: Letters to the President • Opinion • President Barack Obama • T1 • Tom Foreman
Anderson Cooper goes beyond the headlines to tell stories from many points of view, so you can make up your own mind about the news. Tune in weeknights at 8 and 10 ET on CNN.
Questions or comments? Send an email
Want to know more? Go behind the scenes with AC361°


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It's easy for patent trolls who do not produce things, but for certain companies, delaying the competitors' product come out for months could be seen as "profitable" already.
Gaining Momentum Against Patent Trolls: A 2013 Timeline
from the the-snowball-effect dept
The term "patent troll" has been kicking around for about 20 years now (at least according to Wikipedia's etymology), and that's about how long it's taken for the problem to really start getting attention in the broader political world. Progress is, of course, a little slow: tech startups and lots of other companies still face frivolous patent litigation as a major threat and, in many sectors, an inevitable "tax on success." But at the same time, the big picture of 2013 is one of significant progress and growing awareness on multiple fronts:
February: Obama Makes Unexpected Overtures & SHIELD Is Re-Introduced
During a Google Plus "Fireside Hangout" early this year, the president was asked about patent reform, and gave gave a somewhat surprising answer that would turn out to be an overture for bigger things to come. It was the first clear statement from the administration acknowledging that patent trolls are a problem.
Meanwhile, as expected, the SHIELD Act (allowing the victims of patent trolls to seek legal fees) was re-introduced — and again it turns out this wasn't the last we'd be hearing on that front.
April: Rackspace Takes On Erich Spangenberg
Calling him "the most notorious patent troll in America," Rackspace hit back against a lawsuit from Spangenberg by catching him in his own tangled web of agreements. Every year, companies prove increasingly less willing to roll over and settle when the patent trolls come a-knocking, and that pattern alone could be enough to make the whole scam more trouble than it's worth.
May: Legislation, Legislation Everywhere
At the beginning of May, Senator Chuck Schumer introduced a bill that would make it cheaper and easier to get tech patents reviewed by the USPTO. Then, later in the month, Rep. Ted Deutch introduced a bill that would take an important tool away from patent trolls by preventing them from hiding behind shell companies. Then Senator John Cornyn introduced the Patent Abuse Reduction Act with more troll-busting measures, and Rep. Bob Goodlatte released a patent discussion draft.
In the end, four different pieces patent-related legislation were proposed in May, making five so far in 2013. As usual, there were good and bad aspects to most of them — but the important thing was the amount of attention and discussion being given to the issue as a whole. (Also, while all that was happening, the state of Vermont quietly passed a new law targeting patent trolls, and promptly sued one under it.)
June: The White House Doubles Down
Following up on the hints dropped in February, the Obama administration got serious about patent trolls. Obama released a multi-part plan utilizing executive actions (as well as requests to Congress) to start tackling the problem. At the same time, the White House released a report about the broken patent system, with some data showing just how big the troll problem has become.
More In June: The Chief Patent Judge Chimes In
The CAFC, which handles appeals on all patent cases, doesn't always seem aware of just what's going on with the patent system. So it was a little unexpected when CAFC chief judge Randall Rader wrote an NY Times op-ed highlighting the patent troll problem. As we noted at the time, it would be nice to see this realization expressed in the court through better rulings and precedents — but for now, the recognition is an encouraging first step.
Still More In June: The FTC's Gloves Come Off
A June Supreme Court ruling that focused on pharmaceutical pay-for-delay deals had an important side effect: it allowed the FTC to go after patent trolls — and it didn't take long for the FTC to exercise that ability. Later the same week, the FTC announced a sweeping investigation of patent trolls and their business practices. Though patent trolls are often adept at manipulating the courts, they are less prepared for an attack from that angle, and it's going to be very interesting to see what the FTC does.
July: One More Bill Appears In Congress
Finally, just a couple of weeks ago, Reps. Darrell Issa and Judy Chu introduced the STOP Act, which would extend the USPTO's power to aggressively review business method patents. The legislation is closely related to Schumer's bill from May, and brings the total number of anti-patent-troll bills introduced in 2013 to six.
All told, 2013 is looking like the year when the walls are starting to seriously close in on patent trolls. Of course, like most people who game the legal system, they have a tendency for tenacity, but they're also driven by the desire for easy money. There's no need to make patent trolling impossible, just unprofitable — and it's encouraging to see companies, congress, the courts, the administration and agencies like the FTC all making steps in that direction.
This post is sponsored by The Hartford.
Filed Under: ftc, patent reform, patent trolls, patents, sponsored post


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I received a very sad news last night.
A great and talented man – Paul Conrad Buff – founder of PaulCBuff Inc. sadly passed away.
A true inventor, talented, hardworking and all round great man.
You can read more about Paul here on the PCB website >>
Paul was quite a special person to me.
As creatives we try to stay focused, work hard and always on top of our game.
But as many know this can be a tiresome journey and not necessarily a rewarding one, at least not for a while.
I do believe that by applying yourself and working harder than other people you can make your dreams a reality…
Paul was exactly that and what's more important, he understood likeminded people.
I remember as if it were yesterday, around five years ago Paul contacted me directly and said "I love your work, and would like us to work together. How can we help"
I wish that everyone could meet someone like Mr Buff who will simply believe in your efforts and push you in the right direction.
At that time a lot of elements fall into right places for me and I knew that I must did something right and so I decided to try even harder.
Paul gave me and my work an important momentum.
Who knows, maybe I would get where I am anyway, and maybe not.
What I am sure of is that he gave me that kick-start at the very right time in my journey that I will always be grateful for. That bit of oxygen that every runner needs when they hit the wall…
Through the years we worked on many more occasions. His attitude and personal approach that is also an ethos of his company and staff, made that connection very real.
Sometimes life is as simple and beautiful like that.
I hope that you will meet a beautiful soul on your path, as I was privileged to!
So long, MR Buff!
You were and still are a true inspiration!
I am sending my condolences and love to Paul's wife Deborah, his family, and entire crew at PCB Inc.
Jaroslav & AurumLight Team!


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Brazil - 2009
You are unprepared for the immensity in area when you visit the Mato Grosso. Where once very recently there was endless jungle is now endless stretches of soybean and sugar cane fields. And of course devoid of native flora and fauna. When you do reach pockets of prime rain forest the wildlife is stunning in its profusion of color and sound. Unfortunately the Brazilians have no culture of national park set aside land but instead leave it to the ranchers, loggers, miners, and poachers to sort it all out.Read More


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By Alan D. Mcnaire on 30 December 2009 in Big Island News -
Image above: The Central Valley of California in better days. From http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/potd/2006/11/death_valley_national_park.php
Hawaii's food prices have soared over the past few years. Fresh loaves of unsliced bread that used to cost a dollar at KTA's bakery are now $2.79. The cost of everything, from almonds to strawberries, have risen, often drastically. And they're likely to go higher in the coming months, thanks to factors including a major drought in California's central valley, reduced rainfall in (Big Island's) Waimea "vegetable belt" and increased fuel and shipping prices. How high? There's no way to predict, because the state's agency that monitors produce prices and imports has been shut down.
The Hawaii State Department of Agriculture's Market Analysis and News Branch (MANB) was abolished earlier this month as a cost-cutting measure. It was a tiny agency -- eliminating it saved the state only three full-time positions and one half-time job -- but it served an important function. Since 1946, the MANB had been collecting wholesale data on fresh fruits and vegetables and disseminating that information to wholesalers, farmers and decision-makers.
One of its duties was to track fruits and vegetables coming into the state and shipments from the neighbor islands into O'ahu. The abolition of the MANB comes at a time when the Legislature has been struggling to increase the state's food independence. Earlier this year, it passed HB 1271, which was designed to "Ensure Hawaii is energy and food self-sufficient and sustainable to the maximum extent feasible," only to have the bill vetoed by Gov. Linda Lingle. Now the state may be unable even to measure whether Hawai'i is making progress toward food sustainability, or is becoming even more dependent on crops raised elsewhere.
One Hawaii Department of Agriculture (DOA) official, who preferred to remain anonymous, noted that while the cutting of DOA inspectors has gotten press attention, an inspector could be trained in six months. An agricultural statistician would need much more time to be brought up to speed. And trained people weren't all that was lost. "All the relationships that have been built since 1946 -- that's gone," he lamented.
Image above: Sand dunes in California's Death Valley. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sand_dunes_in_death_valley.jpg