#Benchmark construction

[bloomzone]

The "Lucky Vicky" Mindset

The Lucky Vicky Mindset, inspired by K-pop idol Jang Wonyoung from the gg ive , emphasizes a positive, resilient approach to life. This mindset encourages self-improvement, focusing on personal strengths, and maintaining a positive outlook even in challenging situations.

୨ৎ Key Principles of the Lucky Vicky Mindset

1. Born Strong from the Start

- Understand that mistakes are opportunities for growth.

- 💌 Embrace failures as learning experiences. If you fail a test or face a setback, view it as a chance to learn and grow stronger.

2. Maintain Your Own Pace

- Avoid comparing yourself to others and focus on your own journey.

- 💌 Set personal goals and milestones. Celebrate your progress, no matter how small. Track your improvement and stay motivated by your achievements.

3. Focus on Strengths Rather Than Weaknesses

- Concentrate on developing your strengths instead of fixating on weaknesses.

- 💌 Identify your unique strengths and find ways to use them to your advantage. Work on improving areas of weakness without letting them overshadow your strengths.

୨ৎ Practical Steps to Adopt the Lucky Vicky Mindset

1. Daily Affirmations

- Start each day with positive affirmations that reinforce your strengths and potential. For example, “I am capable of achieving my goals,” or “I learn from my mistakes and grow stronger.”

2. Reflect and Reframe

- When faced with a setback, reflect on what happened and how you can learn from it. Reframe negative thoughts into positive ones. Instead of thinking, “I failed,” consider, “I learned a valuable lesson.”

3. Goal Setting

- Set specific, achievable goals that align with your strengths and interests. Break them down into smaller, manageable tasks to track your progress and maintain motivation.

4. Mindfulness and Self-Care

- Practice mindfulness to stay focused on the present moment and reduce anxiety about the future. Incorporate self-care routines such as meditation, exercise, or hobbies you enjoy.

5. Surround Yourself with Positivity

- Surround yourself with positive influences, such as supportive friends, inspiring content, or motivational quotes. Engage with communities that uplift and encourage you.

୨ৎ Addressing Challenges

1. Dealing with Negative Feedback

- Understand that negative feedback is part of growth. Use it constructively to improve while not letting it undermine your self-worth. Assess feedback objectively and create a plan to address it.

2. Overcoming Jealousy

- Acknowledge feelings of jealousy without letting them control you. Use others' achievements as inspiration rather than a benchmark for your success. Remind yourself that everyone’s journey is unique.

3. Managing Self-Doubt

- Combat self-doubt by reflecting on your past achievements and the progress you've made. Keep a journal of your successes and revisit it when you need a confidence boost.

[voidsentprinces]

Reminder that if there is stuff you dislike about the updated graphics we are witnessing in the Benchmark or feel somethings could be implemented better. You can still chime in on the forums to provide feedback. There is still a couple months left. And they've been addressing issues a step at a time with each major hurdle. These updates are still not set in stone and there is still time. So rather than just shit posting or raging at some changes make your voice heard. Be constructive in the criticism and remember they are listening particularly intently for these updates.

[rjzimmerman]

Excerpt from this New York Times story:

Last year was the hottest on record, and global average temperatures passed the benchmark of 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial times for the first time. Simultaneously, the growth rate of the world’s energy demand rose sharply, nearly doubling over the previous 10-year average.

As it turns out, the record heat and rapidly rising energy demand were closely connected, according to findings from a new report from the International Energy Agency.

That’s because hotter weather led to increased use of cooling technologies like air-conditioning. Electricity-hungry appliances put a strain on the grid, and many utilities met the added demand by burning coal and natural gas.

All of this had the makings of a troubling feedback loop: A hotter world required more energy to cool down homes and offices, and what was readily available was fossil-fuel energy, which led to more planet-warming emissions. This dynamic is exactly what many countries are hoping to halt through the development of renewable energy and the construction of nuclear power plants.

Put another way, the I.E.A. estimated that if 2024’s extreme weather hadn’t happened — that is, if weather was exactly the same in 2024 as in 2023 — the global increase in carbon emissions for the year would have been cut in half.

It’s not all bad news: Increasingly, the global economy is growing faster than carbon emissions. “If we want to find the silver lining, we see that there is a continuous decoupling of economic growth from emissions growth,” said Fatih Birol, the executive director of the agency.

[maxdibert]

Hi I have read many of your James posts and so far I agree with all of them. What gets me wondering however is someone like Lily Evans - potrayed as the saintly morally good character - dating someone like James - an entitled bully who kept his jerkish behavior even after he supposedly changed. Who do you think she was? Did she excused James's behavior because she found him attractive and thought she could change him? Or that he would change for her? Was she downplaying his faults because she fell in love? Or was she simply too naive? I cannot believe a person who would marry a person with so many faults like James wouldn't also be far off from being jerkish themselves. And what about her relationship with Severus? Was she as attached to him as he was? Why was she friends with him for so long if she was excusing his prejudice for years? I'm so conflicted about her. The author implies she is something but the text kind of goes against that. As someone who is pro snape and knows Lily was a big part of his life what do you think about her, her motives, actions or relationships? I love your opinions a lot btw never stop sharing them😄

I looove to talk about Lily because her character sucks. And not because of her, but because HOW Rowling portrays her. Sooo.. Lets go! Lily is emblematic of a significant issue in the series: the tendency to use female characters as tools for male development rather than as complex individuals with their own arcs. In Lily’s case, her character functions primarily as a moral barometer—she exists to reflect the “goodness” or “badness” of the men around her. Her choices and relationships with James and Severus are less about her own desires, values, or growth and more about how they impact these two men. This framing does Lily a disservice, stripping her of agency and interiority while simultaneously burdening her with the narrative role of deciding who is worthy and who is not

Rowling’s portrayal of Lily is heavily idealized. She is the perfect mother who sacrifices herself for her son, the brilliant and talented witch who stands out even among her peers, and the moral compass who chooses “good” (James) over “evil” (Severus). This construction paints her as infallible, a paragon of virtue, and the embodiment of love and selflessness. However, this saintly image is rarely interrogated within the text.

The problem lies in the dissonance between how Lily is presented and the decisions she makes. If she is meant to represent moral perfection, her marriage to James —a character whose flaws remain evident even after his supposed redemption—creates a contradiction. James, even as an adult, retains the arrogance and hostility that defined his youth, particularly in his continued disdain for Snape. If Lily was as discerning and principled as the narrative suggests, why would she align herself with someone whose values and behavior contradict the ideal of Gryffindor bravery and fairness?

This contradiction weakens her role as a moral arbiter, making her decisions feel less like the result of her own judgment and more like a narrative convenience to validate James’s redemption. By choosing James, she implicitly forgives or overlooks his past bullying, signaling that his actions were excusable or irrelevant to his worthiness as a partner. This not only diminishes the impact of James’s flaws but also undermines Lily’s supposed moral clarity.

Lily’s role mirrors a common, harmful trope: the woman as a moral compass or fixer for flawed men. Her purpose becomes external rather than internal—she isn’t there to pursue her own goals, ideals, or struggles but to serve as a benchmark for others’ morality. It’s as if Lily’s worth as a character is determined solely by her relationships with James and Severus rather than her own journey.

By failing to give Lily meaningful contradictions or flaws, Rowling inadvertently creates a character who feels passive and complicit. Her saintly veneer prevents her from being truly human, as real people are defined by their contradictions, growth, and mistakes. Yet Lily is static, existing only to highlight James’s "redemption" or Severus’s "fall."

This lack of depth reflects a broader issue with how women are often written in male-centric narratives: their stories are secondary, their personalities flattened, and their actions only meaningful in the context of the men they influence. It’s a stark reminder of the gender bias present in the series, where women like Lily, Narcissa, and even Hermione are often used to drive or validate male characters’ arcs rather than having their own fully developed trajectories.

Regarding Lily and Severus relationship, their bond begins in a world where both feel alienated. Severus, growing up in the oppressive and neglectful environment of Spinner’s End, finds in Lily not only a companion but a source of light and warmth that he lacks at home. For Lily, Severus is her first glimpse into the magical world, a realm that she belongs to but doesn’t yet understand. Their friendship is symbiotic in its earliest stages: Severus offers Lily knowledge of her magical identity, while she provides him with acceptance and validation. However, this connection, while powerful in childhood, rests on a fragile foundation—one that fails to evolve as their circumstances and priorities shift. When they arrive at Hogwarts, the cracks in their bond begin to surface. While Lily flourishes socially, Severus becomes increasingly marginalized and becomes a frequent target of James Potter and Sirius Black. This social isolation only deepens his reliance on Lily, but for her, this dependency becomes increasingly difficult to sustain.

It’s important to recognize that Lily’s discomfort isn’t only moral; it’s also social. By the time of their falling out, Lily has fully integrated into the Gryffindor social circle, gaining the admiration of her peers and, most notably, James Potter. Her association with Severus, now firmly positioned as an outsider and a future Death Eater, risks undermining her own social standing. While her final break with Severus is framed as a principled decision, it’s difficult to ignore the role that social dynamics might have played in her choice.

It’s worth considering that Lily’s shift toward James wasn’t necessarily a sudden change of heart but rather the culmination of an attraction that may have existed all along, one rooted in what he represented rather than who he was. James Potter, as the embodiment of magical privilege—a pure-blood, wealthy, socially adored Gryffindor golden boy—offered Lily something that Severus never could: validation within the magical world’s elite.

Though Lily was undoubtedly principled, it’s plausible that, beneath her moral convictions, there was a more human, and yes, superficial, desire for recognition and security in a world that was, for her, both wondrous and alien. Coming from a working-class, Muggle-born background, Lily would have been acutely aware of her outsider status, no matter how talented or well-liked she became. James’s relentless pursuit of her, despite his arrogance and bullying tendencies, may have been flattering in ways that bolstered her sense of belonging. James’s attention wasn’t just personal—it was symbolic. His interest in her, as someone who could have easily chosen a pure-blood witch from his own social echelon, signaled to her and to others that she was not only worthy of respect but desirable within the upper echelons of wizarding society.

This dynamic raises uncomfortable questions about Lily’s character. Could it be that she tolerated James’s antics, not because she believed he would change for her, but because she enjoyed the social validation his affection brought her? Interestingly, this interpretation aligns Lily more closely with her sister Petunia than one might initially expect. Petunia’s marriage to Vernon provided her with the stability and status she craved within the Muggle world. Both sisters may have sought partners who could anchor them in environments where they otherwise felt insecure. For Petunia, that meant latching onto the image of suburban perfection through Vernon. For Lily, it may have meant aligning herself with someone like James, whose wealth, status, and pure-blood background offered her a kind of social and cultural security in the magical world.

If we view Lily’s relationship with James through this lens, her character becomes far less idealized and far more human. Rather than being the moral paragon the series portrays, she emerges as a young woman navigating an uncertain world, making choices that are as practical as they are principled. While it’s clear she disapproved of James’s bullying, it’s equally possible that his persistence, confidence, and status were qualities she found increasingly difficult to resist—not because they aligned with her values, but because they appealed to her insecurities.

It’s also worth noting that Lily’s final break with Severus coincided with her growing relationship with James. This timing is telling. Severus, a social outcast from a poor background, represented the antithesis of James. By cutting ties with Severus, Lily not only distanced herself from the moral ambiguities of his choices but also from the social liabilities he represented. Aligning with James, by contrast, placed her firmly within the Gryffindor elite—a position that would have offered her both social protection and personal validation. And this whole perspective is much more interesting than her image as a moral compass for the men around her. Unfortunately, as with many of her characters, Rowling didn’t put any effort into giving us definitive answers; she just insisted on that unhealthy, idealized view of motherhood and the idea that everything is forgiven if you're on the "right" side and rich and popular.

Sorry for the long text, but whenever the topic of Lily comes up, I tend to go on and on, haha.

[boinkingbattlemechs]

Jenner

Introduced in 2784, the fact that the Jenner was the sole property of the Draconis Combine was long a source of national pride. Designed, produced, and, for over fifty years, solely used by the Combine, the Jenner was meant to be a fast guerrilla fighter that would go on to form the foundation for highly mobile lances. Five Smithson Lifter jump jets, two in each side torso and one in the center torso gave it a jumping distance of 150 meters, while its Magna 245 fusion engine allowed for a top speed of over 118 km/h, making it faster than most other 'Mechs. The drawback of the original model was its armament of a Diplan HD large laser and two Argra 27C medium lasers, all mounted in a turret which could be easily disabled with a well-placed shot, while the medium lasers' targeting systems proved to be bug-ridden. After some tinkering, this setup was eventually replaced with the weaponry found in the JR7-D model, creating a good mix of speed and firepower, though only four tons of armor provide paltry protection compared to other 'Mechs in the same weight range.

The Jenner became the standard light workhorse of the DCMS with the outbreak of the First Succession War, though its reputation would be forever tarnished following its role in the Kentares Massacre. Construction of new Jenners continued at Diplan Mechyard's factory on Ozawa until a raw mineral shortage caused a halt in 2815, though they continued to produce new chassis. In 2823 production resumed on Ozawa, with some 3,000 chassis shipped to Diplan's subsidiary on Luthien for final assembly, which itself was retooling to begin full-scale production; by 2830 both production lines were producing 1,350 Jenners a year. The sheer destruction of the Succession Wars finally took their toll when the last Jenner factory was destroyed in 2848, though so many Jenners had been produced by then that nearly every DCMS battalion had at least one of these 'Mechs well into the War of 3039. While the other Successor States eventually managed to procure operational Jenners (every AFFS regiment along the Combine border had at least one), the design remained in predominant use by House Kurita.

A favorite tactic of Jenner lances was to gang up on larger 'Mechs and unleash a devastating alpha strike. One or two of the 'Mechs would be equipped with inferno rounds, so even if the enemy survived the first strike they were badly damaged and running hot, allowing the Jenners to jump to safety and cool down. A few seconds later the attack would be repeated until finally, the enemy was dead. It was also common practice to pair the Jenner with another Combine 'Mech, the Panther, creating a deadly combination of sheer speed and firepower with the slower Panther providing cover fire for the Jenner's flanking attack. The Jenner was such a favorite among Kurita MechWarriors that it became the benchmark against which all other newly designed Combine 'Mechs were compared.

While rebuilding a Jenner production line on Luthien became a top priority under Gunji-no-Kanrei Theodore Kurita, the necessary construction time along with inexperienced Combine engineers meant that even with ComStar aid this wasn't possible until 3046. The recovery of much lost technology and the Jenner's prominence within the DCMS made it a prime candidate to receive new upgrades, however Luthien Armor Works deliberately avoided any radical changes to preserve the original's core advantages. Hence, while the new JR7-K began replacing the earlier model with little fanfare, it wasn't until the Jenner started to be outclassed by other designs using superior technology that Jenner pilots began complaining. Still, there was reluctance to make any changes, and slowly many commanders began mothballing their Jenners in favor of newer light 'Mechs and OmniMechs. Since then, a few variants have utilized advanced technologies in their design, notably one based on the Clan Jenner IIC, but it would take the devastation of the Jihad for many of the older K models to see frontline combat again.

The primary weapons system on the Jenner is four Argra 3L medium lasers, two each mounted in directionally variable mountings on either side. These provide the Jenner with a powerful close-to-medium range striking capability that does not suffer from a lack of supplies when operating behind enemy lines, though the use of only 10 single heat sinks means it has the potential to run hot. The lasers are backed up by a Thunderstroke SRM-4 launcher in the center torso, supplied by one ton of ammo in the right torso, that can be used after breaching an enemy's armor to try and get a critical strike against vulnerable exposed internal components.

[eretzyisrael]

by John Jeffay

Researchers in Israel are re-writing the history of Jerusalem after advances in carbon dating have allowed them to create a timeline of its construction with greater accuracy than ever before.

They now believe that much of the ancient city’s expansion actually took place at least a century earlier than previously thought, and have been able to link archaeological findings from the City of David archeological site to events described in the Bible.

The research program, funded by the Israel Science Foundation, lasted almost a decade and was jointly carried out by the Israel Antiquities Authority, Tel Aviv University (TAU) and the Weizmann Institute of Science. Their findings were recently published in the science journal PNAS.

The research team employed new radiocarbon dating techniques that can pinpoint, within a decade, the age of organic finds such as grape seeds, date pits and even bat skeletons.

Ancient tree rings from Europe, stored at the Weizmann Institute of Science, served as a benchmark for their timeline, providing data on fluctuations of carbon-14 – the basis of the radiocarbon dating method – found in the atmosphere.

Their discovery challenges the idea that Jerusalem was constructed during the 350 years when the kings of Judah reigned.

“Until now, most researchers have linked Jerusalem’s growth to the west, to the period of King Hezekiah — just over 2700 years ago, following the Assyrian exile,” said Prof. Yuval Gadot of TAU.

[frank-olivier]

The Echoes of Existence: Biology, Mathematics, and the AI Reflection

The convergence of biology, mathematics, and artificial intelligence (AI) has unveiled a profound nexus, challenging traditional notions of innovation, intelligence, and life. This intersection not only revolutionizes fields like AI development, bio-inspired engineering, and biotechnology but also necessitates a fundamental shift in ethical frameworks and our understanding of the interconnectedness of life and technology. Embracing this convergence, we find that the future of innovation, the redefinition of intelligence, and the evolution of ethical discourse are intricately entwined.

Biological systems, with their inherent creativity and adaptability, set a compelling benchmark for AI. The intricate processes of embryonic development, brain function’s adaptability, and the simplicity yet efficacy of biological algorithms all underscore life’s ingenuity. Replicating this creativity in AI systems challenges developers to mirror not just complexity but innovative prowess, paving the way for breakthroughs in AI, robotics, and biotechnology. This pursuit inherently links technological advancement with a deeper understanding of life’s essence, fostering systems that solve problems with a semblance of life’s own adaptability.

The universal patterns and structures, exemplified by fractals’ self-similar intricacy, highlight the deep connection between biology’s tangible world and mathematics’ abstract realm. This shared architecture implies that patterns are not just emergent but fundamental, inviting a holistic reevaluation of life and intelligence within a broader, universal context. Discovering analogous patterns can enhance technological innovation with more efficient algorithms and refined AI architectures, while also contextualizing life and intelligence in a way that transcends disciplinary silos.

Agency, once presumed exclusive to complex organisms, is now recognized across systems of all complexities, from simple algorithms to intricate biological behaviors. This spectrum necessitates a nuanced AI development approach, incorporating varying degrees of agency for more sophisticated, responsive, and ethically aligned entities. Contextual awareness in human-AI interactions becomes critical, emphasizing the need for ethical evaluations that consider the interplay between creators, creations, and data, thus ensuring harmony in the evolving technological landscape.

Nature’s evolutionary strategy, leveraging existing patterns in a latent space, offers a blueprint for AI development. Emulating this approach can make AI systems more effective, efficient, and creatively intelligent. However, this also demands an ethical framework evolution, particularly with the emergence of quasi-living systems that blur traditional dichotomies. A multidisciplinary dialogue, weaving together philosophy, ethics, biology, and computer science, is crucial for navigating these responsibilities and ensuring technological innovation aligns with societal values.

This convergence redefines our place within the complex web of life and innovation, inviting us to embrace life’s inherent creativity, intelligence, and interconnectedness. By adopting this ethos, we uncover not just novel solutions but also foster a future where technological advancements and human values are intertwined, and the boundaries between life, machine, and intelligence are harmoniously merged, reflecting a deeper, empathetic understanding of our existence within this intricate web.

Self-constructing bodies, collective minds - the intersection of CS, cognitive bio, and philosophy (Michael Levin, November 2024)

Thursday, November 28, 2024

[cleolinda]

Samsara (Guerlain, 1989 EdP & 2023 EdT)

A sandalwood overdose embellished by ylang-ylang and jasmine. Samsara is the first woody women's fragrance in perfumery. It is constructed over a beautifully crafted sandalwood, used for the first time in these quantities in perfumery. (Guerlain.com)

From Eau de Tati, the back story:

Jean-Paul Guerlain created Samsara in 1985 for Decia de Powell, the woman he loved and who wore the fragrance for four years before it was launched. Jean-Paul took the opportunity to create the perfume for her, as she could not find a perfume that appealed to her. She liked jasmine and sandalwood, in particular, and these were the raw materials on which Samsara was based.

It seems that Gérard Anthony co-created the fragrance, but Guerlain has always loved a good legend. Whether the Sanskrit word "saṃsāra" ("the concept of rebirth and 'cyclicality of all life, matter, existence'") suits the fragrance as a name is a lengthy discussion I'll leave to others.

On the face of it, Samsara is another Guerlain journey into orientalism (stop that!); it's a classic example of loud 1980s fragrance (outdated); it's a benchmark in the Western perfume industry's use of sandalwood (notable). I wanted to write up this one purely because I already had it on hand: when I say "1989," I mean, my mom gave me an eau de parfum sample in 1989. I would have been about ten years old, and I loved collecting little sample vials that gave me too many headaches to actually use—just to keep in my little treasure boxes full of costume jewelry and tumbled rocks and skeleton keys. Apparently I was a magpie, or maybe a dragon. There's only about five molecules left, but as it turns out, that is more than enough.

I also ordered a fresh decant of the current formulation from the Perfumed Court—all they had was the eau de toilette, not the EdP, so this is not a one-to-one comparison. Instead, we have, on one hand, the most aged a Samsara can get, saved since its debut year, and on the other, the lightest, freshest iteration possible. It's lovely, that new EdT. But it's not what I expected at all. A couple of years ago I managed to uncork the 1989 Samsara, and all I got was this incredible note of mingled sandalwood and jasmine—just the richest, smoothest, deepest thing you've ever smelled. But the new one, from my notes: "BUBBLEGUM??"

Powdery fresh floral, rose? Like a living flower that happens to be powdery, not a cosmetic. Very very fresh and outdoorsy, like a garden. The vague idea of sandalwood underneath. Something a bit sweeter coming out, maybe vanilla jasmine. Very light, very easy to wear. Airy, breezy. Sheer.

And then, ten minutes in, bubblegum came out. Motherfucking bubblegum. I had to look up what the old-fashioned Bazooka Joe-type flavor is, because it's not that—there's no tiny twang of clove or wintergreen hiding behind the fruits and vanilla. This is straight-up Juicy Fruit gum. Which involves banana, pineapple, and maybe peach, for a flavor "resembling jackfruit." Now, apparently jackfruit contains "banana oil," aka isoamyl acetate, so I went and googled it on a hunch: yes, it’s in ylang ylang too. Combine that with Samsara's actual peach note (although it smells fresher than the lactone in Mitsouko) and vanilla—

Basenotes.com: Green notes, peach, ylang ylang, bergamot, lemon, iris and orris, violet, jasmine, rose, narcissus, sandalwood, tonka, amber, musk, and vanilla.

—and you've got a powdery-nectar sandalwood bubblegum. It's so good. Two birthdays ago, I got myself a wide-ranging set of essential oils, just so I could see what things smell like individually; the night after I tried Samsara, I started messing around with them, and it's 10,000% the ylang that's bringing the strange fruity note. I rarely if ever see anyone mention the ylang-ylang in Samsara—they always talk about how strong the jasmine is, but I SWEAR TO YOU that this is what it does on me. In fact, twenty minutes in, Bubble Ylang was mostly what I was smelling.

At the same time, the fresh EdT was really, really powdery—you see iris there in not one but two levels of the note pyramid, and orris is just iris root. The classic Guerlains use the ionones of iris and violet a lot; they're in the house accord, the Guerlinade, which I may also try to get a sample of. But the powder is so much stronger in Samsara than I expected. I was promised a sandalwood overdose, and I'm sitting here with Juicy Fruit floating over a bed of irises—like the row of cool dark purple ones we had lining our driveway when I was a kid—at the half-hour mark. According to my notes, I didn't really get ~sandalwood until an hour-twenty, and even that was still blurring into the ylang-ylang. (Apparently these two notes are really compatible; it's the only thing same combination I liked in Chanel No. 5.) That said, it's lovely and sweet and easygoing if you APPLY SPARINGLY. Of the three Guerlains I've tried, this one was by far the easiest to wear.

Which is wild, because supposedly, Samsara is A Sandalwood Bomb, a true big-hair fume of the '80s that will choke you out of a room. And yet, I didn't even get the sandalwood clearly until more than an hour in. There's two reasons for this, I discovered:

One is that I microdose perfume. I always point this out because I want you to understand that if you apply more fragrance than I do, you are not going to get the tame results I do. If you spray Tyrannosaurus Rex all over yourself, there is nothing god or mortal can do for you. I used two swipes of the Samsara sample wand on my left wrist—and it did project a good bit, but it was comfortable. If I'd done the same on my right wrist to balance it out, I would have considered myself good to go for a perfume-appropriate occasion. Maybe if you didn't deploy FIVE SPRAYS you wouldn’t be choking on it, idk idk.

The other reason is that the current formulation of Samsara uses Australian sandalwood—whereas the original used a much richer Indian variety. I was surprised to discover that Samsara has always been formulated as a meeting of natural and synthetic sandalwoods, though. But the current version has a newer synthetic: Javanol. And the thing about Javanol is that some people can't smell it. And I may be one of them. Because there is no reason "an overdose of sandalwood" should smell this modest to me, in the same perfume that is shouting white floral, unless I physically cannot perceive its loudest component. But I'm smelling some sandalwood; that must be the natural oil.

For more on Javanol, I turn to a fragrance I haven't actually tried yet: Escentric Molecules' Molecule 04. Javanol is, in fact, that molecule. The product website explains, it's a synthetic that

retains the radiance and endurance of natural sandalwood, but is sheer and transparent like no sandalwood in nature. “What I love about Javanol is its almost psychedelic freshness,” says [creator] Geza Schoen. “It smells as if liquid metallic grapefruit peel were poured over a bed of velvety cream-coloured roses.” Javanol is like Iso E Super, the molecule in Escentric Molecules 01, in some ways. Like Iso E Super, it comes and goes. The person wearing it loses the ability to smell it after a short while, only to re-connect with it later.

Well, "it comes and goes" may be why I'm not smelling as much sandalwood in Samsara as advertised, I guess—maybe I’m not totally anosmic to Javanol? The company that makes it, Givaudan, says that the aromachemical has

a rich, natural, creamy sandalwood note like beta santanol combined with  some rosy nuances. It can also be used at very low dosage (below 0.1%)  to bring richness and creaminess to all types of accords. With its exceptional low threshold, Javanol™ is approximately 8 times more effective in wash tests than the most powerful sandalwood product. [...] In the quest for the perfect Indian Sandalwood, Javanol™ is probably the most versatile note with its power, radiance, woodiness and rosiness, blending perfectly with flowers.

Javanol blends so perfectly with ylang and jasmine, in fact, that I can hardly distinguish it through most of Samsara's lifespan on my skin (I appreciate a good olfactory chimera, so that's fine). I can also see why you'd reformulate Samsara, already famous for its Godzilla-sized projection, with the biggest, loudest synthetic sandalwood on the market. But the thing is, the Beast of Givaudan wasn't created until 1996. Javanol may be what Guerlain has paired with Australian sandalwood nowadays, but my original sample was made with [probably a mix of synthetics including] Givaudan's Sandalore and the good stuff—20% (!) Mysore sandalwood.

Mysore Sandalwood Oil is a trademarked perfume oil extracted from the Santalum album variety of sandalwood tree (also known as a "royal tree") in the Mysore district of Karnataka, India. The tree species is said to be one of the best varieties in the world. (Wikipedia, the most concise explainer)

It's also the most expensive. But while I'm sure reformulations are a cost-cutting measure, sandalwood sustainability has also become a huge issue; I'm happy with synthetics if it helps the cause. The Australian sandalwood used in the current Samsara seems to be a popular and less-threatened natural option; it's also in two other fragrances I'm trying at the moment, Le Labo's Santal 33 and Tom Ford's Santal Blush. But it's like the difference between tulle and velvet. You can still use it beautifully, but there is a smoothness and a weight that's missing. People say that Mysore sandalwood is "creamy," even sweet, and it is, but not in a dairy or dessert way; it's legitimately this kind of olfactory texture that's so good. By contrast, the scent of Australian sandalwood feels a little harsh in the top of my nose, full of wood grain and pencil shavings, but also lighter. And yet it blends just as well with the notes of the new Samsara, just in different ways.

As for the old—Mysore and Sandalore® were what greeted me when I uncapped my vintage, 34-year-old sample:

oh my god. ohhhhh my gooooood.

That big sweet fruity ylang-ylang immediately bounced right out—how had I only smelled jasmine in the vial before? I'll stop here and tell you a little bit about ylang-ylang, which is not the note I was expecting to go on about, but here we are:

When you hear about "white florals," they're generally talking about jasmine, gardenia, tuberose (you'll remember this one from HYPNOTIC POISON), lily, lily of the valley—and ylang ylang, even though the latter is a showy yellow flower. I truly don't know how to describe the White Floral if you're not familiar with it, especially since I've never perceived any funky "animalic" indole notes. It's just good to me, very rich, very perfumy, and apparently it does, in an aromatherapy context, have a slightly sedative effect; this may be why people talk about "narcotic" white florals. Ylang-ylang takes the woozy richness of jasmine and, uniquely, adds that fruity, slightly spicy, banana-esque note; I'd love to look for the differences between white florals as I try out more fragrances. With Samsara(s), the jasmine doesn't seem distinct to me, serving instead to support the ylang-ylang, and maybe this is why I only smelled jasmine in the vial: it's my skin chemistry, once again, that's playing favorites.

You know what else my skin apparently loves? Expensive vintage sandalwood. The original Samsara skipped straight to the 1:20 mark and—speaking of narcotics—hit me like a tranquilizer dart. I just curled up on my bed and held my wrist to my nose for about an hour. I was like a cat on the 'nip. My God. I had some hand-me-down incense sticks from the '70s when I was a teenager, and I have been chasing that sandalwood high for three decades. This is it. The blanket of iris, the bergamot blast other reviewers talk about (I only got it the third time I wore the EdT), the supporting cast of notes—barely there. Just the gold.

For about two hours, it was amazing. Then, gradually, Samsara grew more and more overpowering, like a rogue science project slowly ballooning out of control. I ended up wiping it off with a little jojoba oil—not washing it off (DON'T WASTE IT!!), but reducing the amount I had on. There's only about two drops, thick as maple syrup, left in that vial, and that's fine.

Meanwhile, every time I wear the current eau de toilette, it disappears after about three hours.

I wish I'd been able to get a current EdP sample to compare the two formulations directly. But you know what? I still enjoy the iris-forward, sandalwood-backward Samsara. It's easy to wear and it doesn't overstay its welcome, which is a good thing for someone with fragrance sensitivities (me). As much as I love the smooth golden Mysore aspect, I'd rather have the option to reapply than be trapped with the Sandalwood That Ate 1989.

Perfume discussion masterpost

[jcmarchi]

Dr. Mike Flaxman, VP or Product Management at HEAVY.AI – Interview Series

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/dr-mike-flaxman-vp-or-product-management-at-heavy-ai-interview-series/

Dr. Mike Flaxman, VP or Product Management at HEAVY.AI – Interview Series

Dr. Mike Flaxman is currently the VP of Product at HEAVY.AI, having previously served as Product Manager and led the Spatial Data Science practice in Professional Services. He has spent the last 20 years working in spatial environmental planning. Prior to HEAVY.AI, he founded Geodesign Technolgoies, Inc and cofounded GeoAdaptive LLC, two startups applying spatial analysis technologies to planning. Before startup life, he was a professor of planning at MIT and Industry Manager at ESRI.

HEAVY.AI is a hardware-accelerated platform for real-time, high-impact data analytics. It leverages both GPU and CPU processing to query massive datasets quickly, with support for SQL and geospatial data. The platform includes visual analytics tools for interactive dashboards, cross-filtering, and scalable data visualizations, enabling efficient big data analysis across various industries.

Can you tell us about your professional background and what led you to join HEAVY.AI?

Before joining HEAVY.AI, I spent years in academia, ultimately teaching spatial analytics at MIT. I also ran a small consulting firm, with a variety of public sector clients. I’ve been involved in GIS projects across 17 countries. My work has taken me from advising organizations like the Inter American Development Bank to managing GIS technology for architecture, engineering and construction at ESRI, the world’s largest GIS developer

I remember vividly my first encounter with what is now HEAVY.AI, which was when as a consultant I was responsible for scenario planning for the Florida Beaches Habitat Conservation Program.  My colleagues and I were struggling to model sea turtle habitat using 30m Landsat data and a friend pointed me to some brand new and very relevant data – 5cm LiDAR.   It was exactly what we needed scientifically, but something like 3600 times larger than what we’d planned to use.  Needless to say, no one was going to increase my budget by even a fraction of that amount. So that day I put down the tools I’d been using and teaching for several decades and went looking for something new.  HEAVY.AI sliced through and rendered that data so smoothly and effortlessly that I was instantly hooked.

Fast forward a few years, and I still think what HEAVY.AI does is pretty unique and its early bet on GPU-analytics was exactly where the industry still needs to go. HEAVY.AI is firmly focussed on democratizing access to big data. This has the data volume and processing speed component of course, essentially giving everyone their own supercomputer.  But an increasingly important aspect with the advent of large language models is in making spatial modeling accessible to many more people.  These days, rather than spending years learning a complex interface with thousands of tools, you can just start a conversation with HEAVY.AI in the human language of your choice.  The program not only generates the commands required, but also presents relevant visualizations.

Behind the scenes, delivering ease of use is of course very difficult.  Currently, as the VP of Product Management at HEAVY.AI, I’m heavily involved in determining which features and capabilities we prioritize for our products. My extensive background in GIS allows me to really understand the needs of our customers and guide our development roadmap accordingly.

How has your previous experience in spatial environmental planning and startups influenced your work at HEAVY.AI?

 Environmental planning is a particularly challenging domain in that you need to account for both different sets of human needs and the natural world. The general solution I learned early was to pair a method known as participatory planning, with the technologies of remote sensing and GIS.  Before settling on a plan of action, we’d make multiple scenarios and simulate their positive and negative impacts in the computer using visualizations. Using participatory processes let us combine various forms of expertise and solve very complex problems.

While we don’t typically do environmental planning at HEAVY.AI, this pattern still works very well in business settings.  So we help customers construct digital twins of key parts of their business, and we let them create and evaluate business scenarios quickly.

I suppose my teaching experience has given me deep empathy for software users, particularly of complex software systems.  Where one student stumbles in one spot is random, but where dozens or hundreds of people make similar errors, you know you’ve got a design issue. Perhaps my favorite part of software design is taking these learnings and applying them in designing new generations of systems.

Can you explain how HeavyIQ leverages natural language processing to facilitate data exploration and visualization?

These days it seems everyone and their brother is touting a new genAI model, most of them forgettable clones of each other.  We’ve taken a very different path.  We believe that accuracy, reproducibility and privacy are essential characteristics for any business analytics tools, including those generated with large language models (LLMs). So we have built those into our offering at a fundamental level.  For example, we constrain model inputs strictly to enterprise databases and to provide documents inside an enterprise security perimeter.  We also constrain outputs to the latest HeavySQL and Charts.  That means that whatever question you ask, we will try to answer with your data, and we will show you exactly how we derived that answer.

With those guarantees in place, it matters less to our customers exactly how we process the queries.  But behind the scenes, another important difference relative to consumer genAI is that we fine tune models extensively against the specific types of questions business users ask of business data, including spatial data.  So for example our model is excellent at performing spatial and time series joins, which aren’t in classical SQL benchmarks but our users use daily.

We package these core capabilities into a Notebook interface we call HeavyIQ. IQ is about making data exploration and visualization as intuitive as possible by using natural language processing (NLP). You ask a question in English—like, “What were the weather patterns in California last week?”—and HeavyIQ translates that into SQL queries that our GPU-accelerated database processes quickly. The results are presented not just as data but as visualizations—maps, charts, whatever’s most relevant. It’s about enabling fast, interactive querying, especially when dealing with large or fast-moving datasets. What’s key here is that it’s often not the first question you ask, but perhaps the third, that really gets to the core insight, and HeavyIQ is designed to facilitate that deeper exploration.

What are the primary benefits of using HeavyIQ over traditional BI tools for telcos, utilities, and government agencies?

HeavyIQ excels in environments where you’re dealing with large-scale, high-velocity data—exactly the kind of data telcos, utilities, and government agencies handle. Traditional business intelligence tools often struggle with the volume and speed of this data. For instance, in telecommunications, you might have billions of call records, but it’s the tiny fraction of dropped calls that you need to focus on. HeavyIQ allows you to sift through that data 10 to 100 times faster thanks to our GPU infrastructure. This speed, combined with the ability to interactively query and visualize data, makes it invaluable for risk analytics in utilities or real-time scenario planning for government agencies.

The other advantage already alluded to above, is that spatial and temporal SQL queries are extremely powerful analytically – but can be slow or difficult to write by hand.   When a system operates at what we call “the speed of curiosity” users can ask both more questions and more nuanced questions.  So for example a telco engineer might notice a temporal spike in equipment failures from a monitoring system, have the intuition that something is going wrong at a particular facility, and check this with a spatial query returning a map.

What measures are in place to prevent metadata leakage when using HeavyIQ?

As described above, we’ve built HeavyIQ with privacy and security at its core.  This includes not only data but also several kinds of metadata. We use column and table-level metadata extensively in determining which tables and columns contain the information needed to answer a query.  We also use internal company documents where provided to assist in what is known as retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). Lastly, the language models themselves generate further metadata.  All of these, but especially the latter two can be of high business sensitivity.

Unlike third-party models where your data is typically sent off to external servers, HeavyIQ runs locally on the same GPU infrastructure as the rest of our platform. This ensures that your data and metadata remain under your control, with no risk of leakage. For organizations that require the highest levels of security, HeavyIQ can even be deployed in a completely air-gapped environment, ensuring that sensitive information never leaves specific equipment.

How does HEAVY.AI achieve high performance and scalability with massive datasets using GPU infrastructure?

The secret sauce is essentially in avoiding the data movement prevalent in other systems.  At its core, this starts with a purpose-built database that’s designed from the ground up to run on NVIDIA GPUs. We’ve been working on this for over 10 years now, and we truly believe we have the best-in-class solution when it comes to GPU-accelerated analytics.

Even the best CPU-based systems run out of steam well before a middling GPU.  The strategy once this happens on CPU requires distributing data across multiple cores and then multiple systems (so-called ‘horizontal scaling’).  This works well in some contexts where things are less time-critical, but generally starts getting bottlenecked on network performance.

In addition to avoiding all of this data movement on queries, we also avoid it on many other common tasks.  The first is that we can render graphics without moving the data.  Then if you want ML inference modeling, we again do that without data movement.  And if you interrogate the data with a large language model, we yet again do this without data movement. Even if you are a data scientist and want to interrogate the data from Python, we again provide methods to do this on GPU without data movement.

What that means in practice is that we can perform not only queries but also rendering 10 to 100 times faster than traditional CPU-based databases and map servers. When you’re dealing with the massive, high-velocity datasets that our customers work with – things like weather models, telecom call records, or satellite imagery – that kind of performance boost is absolutely essential.

How does HEAVY.AI maintain its competitive edge in the fast-evolving landscape of big data analytics and AI?

That’s a great question, and it’s something we think about constantly. The landscape of big data analytics and AI is evolving at an incredibly rapid pace, with new breakthroughs and innovations happening all the time. It certainly doesn’t hurt that we have a 10 year headstart on GPU database technology. .

I think the key for us is to stay laser-focused on our core mission – democratizing access to big, geospatial data. That means continually pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with GPU-accelerated analytics, and ensuring our products deliver unparalleled performance and capabilities in this domain. A big part of that is our ongoing investment in developing custom, fine-tuned language models that truly understand the nuances of spatial SQL and geospatial analysis.

We’ve built up an extensive library of training data, going well beyond generic benchmarks, to ensure our conversational analytics tools can engage with users in a natural, intuitive way. But we also know that technology alone isn’t enough. We have to stay deeply connected to our customers and their evolving needs. At the end of the day, our competitive edge comes down to our relentless focus on delivering transformative value to our users. We’re not just keeping pace with the market – we’re pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with big data and AI. And we’ll continue to do so, no matter how quickly the landscape evolves.

How does HEAVY.AI support emergency response efforts through HeavyEco?

We built HeavyEco when we saw some of our largest utility customers having significant challenges simply ingesting today’s weather model outputs, as well as visualizing them for joint comparisons.  It was taking one customer up to four hours just to load data, and when you are up against fast-moving extreme weather conditions like fires…that’s just not good enough.

HeavyEco is designed to provide real-time insights in high-consequence situations, like during a wildfire or flood. In such scenarios, you need to make decisions quickly and based on the best possible data. So HeavyEco serves firstly as a professionally-managed data pipeline for authoritative models such as those from NOAA and USGS.  On top of those, HeavyEco allows you to run scenarios, model building-level impacts, and visualize data in real time.   This gives first responders the critical information they need when it matters most. It’s about turning complex, large-scale datasets into actionable intelligence that can guide immediate decision-making.

Ultimately, our goal is to give our users the ability to explore their data at the speed of thought. Whether they’re running complex spatial models, comparing weather forecasts, or trying to identify patterns in geospatial time series, we want them to be able to do it seamlessly, without any technical barriers getting in their way.

What distinguishes HEAVY.AI’s proprietary LLM from other third-party LLMs in terms of accuracy and performance?

Our proprietary LLM is specifically tuned for the types of analytics we focus on—like text-to-SQL and text-to-visualization. We initially tried traditional third-party models, but found they didn’t meet the high accuracy requirements of our users, who are often making critical decisions. So, we fine-tuned a range of open-source models and tested them against industry benchmarks.

Our LLM is much more accurate for the advanced SQL concepts our users need, particularly in geospatial and temporal data. Additionally, because it runs on our GPU infrastructure, it’s also more secure.

In addition to the built-in model capabilities, we also provide a full interactive user interface for administrators and users to add domain or business-relevant metadata.  For example, if the base model doesn’t perform as expected, you can import or tweak column-level metadata, or add guidance information and immediately get feedback.

How does HEAVY.AI envision the role of geospatial and temporal data analytics in shaping the future of various industries?

 We believe geospatial and temporal data analytics are going to be critical for the future of many industries. What we’re really focused on is helping our customers make better decisions, faster. Whether you’re in telecom, utilities, or government, or other – having the ability to analyze and visualize data in real-time can be a game-changer.

Our mission is to make this kind of powerful analytics accessible to everyone, not just the big players with massive resources. We want to ensure that our customers can take advantage of the data they have, to stay ahead and solve problems as they arise. As data continues to grow and become more complex, we see our role as making sure our tools evolve right alongside it, so our customers are always prepared for what’s next.

Thank you for the great interview, readers who wish to learn more should visit HEAVY.AI.

[posttexasstressdisorder]

WhatMatters

Your guide to California policy and politics

By Lynn La

January 29, 2025

Presented by Dairy Cares, Uber, California Water Service and Alibaba

 

 

Good morning, California.

Federal funding freeze prompts chaos, confusion, lawsuits

President Donald Trump speaks during an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center in West Palm Beach, Fla. on Nov. 6, 2024. Photo by Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images

President Donald Trump has called for a temporary freeze on certain federal aid — sowing confusion and concern among California’s state officials and advocacy groups. 

As CalMatters’ reporters explain, a memo from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget directed federal agencies to pause financial grants and loans that could be “implicated” by any of the president’s prior executive orders. 

The directive does not include Social Security and Medicare, as well as “assistance provided directly to individuals,” such as food stamps, Pell grants and rental assistance. It does, however, target “financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the green new deal.” 

Despite the two-page memo’s sweeping breadth, its few details made it unclear which key programs will be affected and for how long. The administration later requested federal agencies to send budget details for 3,200 federal spending programs, and information about whether the programs support undocumented immigrants or promote abortion, “gender ideology,” or “diversity, equity and inclusion” efforts.

The administration intended the directive to go into effect Tuesday, but a federal judge temporarily blocked the order.

Reactions by California’s elected Democratic officials ranged from cautious to dire. Gov. Gavin Newsom said, “We could react to all this or we could have a more constructive wait-and-see.” While California U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman said to CalMatters, “This kind of destabilization is the way authoritarians seize power. ... I think it’s dictatorial.”

California is expected to distribute $168 billion of federal grants and other funding in 2024-25, according to Assembly budget advisor Jason Sisney.

Read more here.

 Focus on Inland Empire: Each Wednesday, CalMatters Inland Empire reporter Deborah Brennan surveys the big stories from that part of California. Read her newsletter and sign up here to receive it.

How will Trump’s second presidency affect your corner of California? CalMatters is working with public radio partners to gather perspectives across the state. Share your thoughts here.

Wildfire newsletter: CalMatters is teaming up with PBS SoCal, LAist and KCRW to offer a free newsletter that delivers new and accurate information about the Southern California fires. Read an edition and subscribe.

 Other Stories You Should Know

 Paying utility shareholders

Power lines in Sacramento on Sept. 20, 2022. Photo by Rahul Lal, CalMatters

When you pay your utility bill, there’s a baked-in cost that you won’t see in any line item. Known as a “return on equity,” this amount goes toward shareholders for the risk of investing in utility companies, writes CalMatters’ Malena Carollo.

The California Public Utilities Commission is responsible for determining the state’s rates of return, which play a big role in companies’ profits. In 2024 the approved shareholder return rate for Southern California Edison, PG&E and San Diego Gas & Electric were around 10% — more than double the rate of 10-year U.S. treasury bonds, which is used as a benchmark.

A CalMatters analysis of return rates dating back to 2020 found that the rates cost California customers hundreds of millions of dollars annually. This comes during a time when Californians pay more than twice the national average in utility bills, with costs nearly doubling within the last decade. 

Some of the price hikes are due to wildfire prevention efforts. Edison equipment is currently under scrutiny by investigators who are looking into the cause of the Eaton Fire that killed at least 17 people.

Read more here.

 

The price to attend CA private college

The Loyola Marymount University campus in Los Angeles on Jan. 17, 2025. Photo by Jules Hotz for CalMatters

Among California undergraduates, about 160,000 pursue degrees at private, nonprofit universities. Private institutions have many benefits, such as smaller class sizes and specific academic programs. But for low-income students, the costs to attend these schools can be exceptionally high, explain CalMatters’ Mikhail Zinshteyn and College Journalism Network reporters. 

A CalMatters analysis found that on average, a low-income freshman — defined as a household income below $48,000 — paid around $21,000 to attend private campuses for one year in 2021-22, the latest year information was available. In comparison, the net price to attend California State University is around $6,000 a year on average, and under $10,000 at the University of California.

There are some exceptions: Stanford, for example, ends up being nearly free for freshmen whose family have incomes below $100,000. But part of the reason why private colleges are expensive is because other than state financial aid for their students, they don’t get the state subsidies public universities receive, which is about $10 billion annually.

Read more here.

 

And lastly: Undercover video

Anti-abortion activist David Daleiden, who recorded clandestine tapes of Planned Parenthood officials, outside a San Francisco courtroom on Feb. 11, 2019. Photo by Jeff Chiu, AP Photo

After nearly a decade, a criminal case involving anti-abortion activists and a controversial video of Planned Parenthood executives in California has concluded. Find out what happened from CalMatters health reporter Kristen Hwang.

 California Voices

CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: The Southern California wildfires will turn California’s chronically unbalanced budget from bad to worse.

 Other things worth your time:

Some stories may require a subscription to read.

 CA regulators deny Trump’s claim that military ‘turned on the water’ in the state // AP News

Edison denied causing 2017 fire, but Feds say utility suppressed evidence // Los Angeles Times

Starting wildfires would be federal crime under CA congressmen’s bill // The Sacramento Bee

Where are the hazardous materials from the LA-fires going? // LAist

Can the Central Valley’s agriculture industry survive Trump? // Los Angeles Times

CA farms fail as land values plunge amid groundwater crisis // The Mercury News

Trump cabinet nominee says she’ll work to kill CA pork law // San Francisco Chronicle

Californians in Congress struggle to counter Trump // Los Angeles Times

Protesters rally against El Cajon proposal allowing city police to assist ICE // The San Diego Union-Tribune

Bonta took donation from casino operator under investigation by his own office // San Francisco Chronicle

 

See you next time!

Tips, insight or feedback? Email whatmatters@calmatters.org. Subscribe to CalMatters newsletters here. Follow CalMatters on Facebook and Twitter.

About Us· How We're Funded· Subscribe· Donate

 

CalMatters 1017 L Street #261 Sacramento, CA 95814 United States

[hehefanfuction]

Why only People with Good Genetics Should Breed and Who are Good and Nice People, Bad People With Bad Genetics shouldn't Breed

In the ever-evolving discussion of human genetics, some argue that only individuals with strong genetic traits should engage in the process of reproduction, suggesting that this selective breeding could lead to a healthier and more resilient population. But what defines "good genetics" and who truly qualifies as a "good" or "nice" person? Proponents of this viewpoint often believe that positive traits like intelligence, kindness, and emotional stability are crucial benchmarks for determining who should pass on their genes. On the contrary, there exists an equally important perspective that recognizes the complexity of human nature. Bad behavior or negative traits are not solely the product of genetics; rather, they can also stem from environmental influences, upbringing, and personal experiences. Therefore, it may be more constructive to focus on nurturing individuals' abilities to grow and improve themselves rather than drawing a line based on a perceived notion of genetic worthiness. The conversation should shift from a simplistic dichotomy of good versus bad genetics to a broader understanding of what it means to be a capable and decent person, considering the potential for everyone to contribute positively to society.

[puppygirldick]

Whether you as a trans girl will "pass" (the most conditional subjective and actively changing socially constructed benchmark) is literally one of the most birth lottery things I can imagine like happenstance being short or tall or something

[tanadrin]

so what the case seems to hinge on is this: City of Mobile v Bolden (1980) held that if you want to challenge the construction of voting districts on the grounds they violate section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, as then written, you have to show not only racially discriminatory effect, but racially discriminatory intent. in 1982, in response to this decision, a bipartisan bill amended the VRA to explicitly ask courts to consider racially discriminatory effects, though not going to far as to require representation to be explicitly proportionally based on race (which is what some opponents of the racially discriminatory effect approach were worried about)

plaintiffs sued alabama over its bad districting maps which continue to have only one black-majority district (that district in itself the product of an even earlier lawsuit), even though they argue most reasonable maps can and should have two, even if you also take into account other principles of redistricting, such as trying to keep political subdivisions and major urban areas together, not producing contorted or splayed out shapes, and, of course, maintaining equal population. alabama has a pretty large contiguous area of black settlement--the Black Belt--which the current map seems to at least partially split up.

alabama’s argument for keeping the current map is 1) continuity with older maps (Roberts points out that maps have been discriminatory in the past is not a reason to keep using them); 2) the gulf coast portion of alabama is a vital community of interest that can’t possibly be split up (Roberts points out that Alabama’s evidence for this is very shaky), and 3) the theory the court should be using around section 2 of the VRA isn’t the one it’s used since Gingles, but something new they came up with, called the “race-neutral benchmark,” which is based on the likelihood of the "median or average” of majority-minority districts that would occur, if you used all the traditional redistricting criteria except race, and generated a large number of possible alternatives by computer. so long as the actual district map resembles the race-neutral benchmark generally in terms of majority-minority districts, the state cannot be construed to have denied anyone’s right to vote on account of race, at least through racial gerrymandering

roberts finds this theory uncompelling; specifically, in amending the VRA congress explicitly said that discriminatory effects matter, not just intent, and section 2 of the VRA requires that minority voters not “have less opportunity than other members of the electorate to participate in the political process and elect representatives of their choice.”

Individuals thus lack an equal opportunity to participate in the political process when a State’s electoral structure operates in a manner that “minimize[s] or cancel[s] out the[ir] voting strength.” Id., at 47. That occurs where an individual is disabled from “enter[ing] into the political process in a reliable and meaningful manner” “in the light of past and present reality, political and otherwise.” White, 412 U. S., at 767, 770. A district is not equally open, in other words, when minority voters face—unlike their majority peers—bloc voting along racial lines, arising against the backdrop of substantial racial discrimination within the State, that renders a minority vote unequal to a vote by a nonminority voter.

alabama’s theory of how this case should be decided doesn’t really make sense in light of either congressional intent in amending the VRA or the court’s jurisprudence since Gingles. the court has explicitly repudiated racial proportionality before (which is a concern alabama resurrects here), e.g., in Shaw v Reno (1993), where north carolina got a second majority-minority district out of its congressional map only by heavily gerrymandering that district’s borders. (north carolina believed this district was required by section 2 of the VRA, but the court disagreed. the difference is that the population in norht carolina brought together by this district was highly dispersed, whereas in alabama it is not)

roberts is content to reject alabama’s “invitation to change existing law” on the basis that alabama has misunderstood section 2 and the relevant past decisions of the court, but he’s also critical of how the benchmark would work in practice; section 2 doesn’t require redistricting to be a race-blind process anymore than it requires it to be perfectly proportional (indeed, it can be neither in practice, under existing law); the “race-blind benchmark” doesn’t actually reflect how redistricting is done in alabama (i.e., it isn’t a randomly chosen result that conforms to the properties of the average map of many randomly generated maps, it’s a product of deliberate design; and the benchmarks ignore certain traditional redistricting criteria, including alabama’s own districting guidelines); and the criteria alabama proposes as necessary to challenge a map that apparently conforms to that benchmark are insanely difficult to meet (e.g., requiring the plaintiff to prove the deviations between the state’s enacted map and race-neutral alternatives can only be explained by racial discrimination). alabama also tries to claim section 2 doesn’t even apply to single-member districts, but this is just flatly wrong

there are also some pretty lengthy shots at Clarence Thomas’s dissent in the footnotes, which are pretty satisfying to read if you’re into that sort of thing

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Experience luxury at Brigade Eternia, an elite residential enclave by the Brigade Group in Yelahanka. This 14 acre project offers premium Brigade apartments in Yelahanka, boasting cutting-edge design and world-class amenities in New Yelahanka Town. Discover meticulously crafted flats in Yelahanka with strategic positioning, making it ideal for those seeking apartments in Yelahanka Bangalore. Explore a new benchmark for Brigade apartments with this prime offering in Yelahanka New Town Bangalore, a sought-after location for both homeowners and investors of Brigade pre-launch projects in Bangalore. Find your dream home in meticulously crafted Yelahanka apartments with excellent connectivity. ✨ Why Choose Brigade Eternia in Yelahanka? ✅ Prime Location in New Yelahanka Town – Adjacent to RMZ Galleria Mall, offering effortless connectivity to prominent hubs. ✅ Spacious 3 & 4 BHK – Intelligently crafted flats in Yelahanka Bangalore, designed to meet diverse lifestyle preferences. ✅ World-Class Amenities – Boasting a sophisticated clubhouse, swimming pool, landscaped greens, multi-sport courts, dedicated pedestrian pathways, and more. ✅Sustainable & High-Quality Construction – Built with eco-conscious, energy-efficient methodologies ensuring long-term sustainability. ✅ Excellent Connectivity – A 25-minute drive to Kempegowda International Airport, with seamless access to major IT corridors such as Kirloskar Tech Park and Brigade Magnum. 📊 Brigade Eternia Apartment Configurations & Pricing: ▪️3 BHK Apartments – Configurations ranging from 1,600 sq. ft. to 2,250 sq. ft. ▪️ 4 BHK Apartments – Spacious units spanning 2,714 sq. ft. to 2,926 sq. ft. 🏠 Brigade Eternia Amenities – Elevating Urban Living ✅ Luxury Clubhouse & Multipurpose Hall – A perfect setting for social gatherings and recreational activities. ✅ Resort-Style Swimming Pool & Kids’ Play Area – Designed to foster relaxation and enjoyment. ✅ Jogging & Cycling Tracks – Encouraging a holistic and active lifestyle. ✅ Expansive Landscaped Gardens & Green Spaces – Creates a serene and environmentally conscious living atmosphere. ✅ 24/7 Security & Uninterrupted Power Backup – Ensuring a secure and seamless living experience. 🎯 Strategic Location Advantages of Brigade Eternia ▪️ Renowned Educational Institutions: Chrysalis High (0.5 km), National Public School (1.1 km). ▪️ Major Business & IT Hubs: Brigade Magnum (4.5 km), Manyata Tech Park (8 km), Kirloskar Tech Park (6.5 km). ▪️ Premier Shopping & Entertainment Centers: RMZ Galleria (0.2 km), Garuda Mall (1.5 km), Mall of Asia (3 km). ▪️ Leading Healthcare Facilities: Sparsh Hospital (2 km), Manipal Hospital (6.5 km). ▪️ Hospitality & Luxury Hotels: Hyatt Centric Hebbal (7 km), Royal Orchid Resort (1.6 km). 🏡 Notable Properties Near Brigade Eternia Brigade Insignia 🌟 Yelahanka – 3 & 4 BHK, 5 BHK penthouses (2,145 - 5,947 sq. ft.) Down By The Water 🌊 Jakkur – 3 & 4 BHK (2,490 - 6,480 sq. ft.) Adarsh Savana 📍 Devanahalli – Plotted development (1,200 - 2,400 sq. ft.) 🎓 Brigade Eternia – A Wise Investment for Discerning Buyers With a legacy of excellence, Brigade apartments in Bangalore are recognized for their substantial appreciation potential, making them a sound investment choice. Owning a home at Brigade Eternia means securing prestigious real estate in Yelahanka New Town Bangalore while embracing an opulent lifestyle. 💼 Who Should Invest in Brigade Eternia? ✅ Families seeking premium Brigade apartments in Yelahanka with generous layouts and premium finishes. ✅ Professionals looking for flats in Yelahanka Bangalore with close proximity to thriving corporate zones. ✅ Astute investors eyeing high-growth Brigade pre-launch projects in Bangalore with impressive ROI prospects. 📞 Contact Us for More Information! 👥 WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/4jMmDoQ 📞 Call: +91 95605 09669 🌐 Visit:bit.ly/42Tlben 📱 Stay Connected for the Latest Updates! 📘 Facebook: https://bit.ly/40mRIqb 📸 Instagram: https://bit.ly/3DYZGhA 💼 LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3E2dGr4

[reasonsforhope]

Non-paywall version here.

"Shortly after a federal appeals court ruling threatened to hamstring Berkeley’s ban on new natural gas hookups, New York state has passed a budget barring gas appliances in new buildings.

New York, which was America’s sixth-largest state consumer of natural gas in 2020, became the first state to enact such a ban when the state’s 2023-24 budget was passed [on May 2, 2023].

“Changing the ways we make and use energy to decrease our reliance on fossil fuels will help ensure a healthier environment for us and our children,” New York House Speaker Carl Heastie, a Democrat, said in a news release.

Los Angeles is among more than 70 California cities and counties that have banned or discouraged natural gas hookups in new buildings. The City Council voted in May to do so, citing climate change. However, no state had passed such a ban until now.

The requirements for electric construction will be phased in starting in 2025, and include some exemptions: “Hospitals, critical infrastructure and commercial food establishments” will be left out, according to Heastie’s statement, as will “buildings where the local grid is not capable of handling the load.” ...

The ban is part of an overall strategy “to reduce our state’s carbon emissions and move us away from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources,” Assemblymember and Energy Committee Chair Didi Barrett said...

Gov. Kathy Hochul... released a statement touting the budget and its “$5.5 billion investment to promote energy affordability, reduce emissions, and invest in clean air and water, building on more than $30 billion committed to climate action. ”

The budget, according to Hochul’s website, includes “nation-leading building decarbonization proposals that will prohibit fossil fuel equipment and building systems in new construction, phase out the sale and installation of fossil fuel space and water heating equipment in existing buildings, and establish building benchmarking and energy grades.”"

-via Los Angeles Times, 5/3/23

[supercreations]

Elegance Series: Luxurious Restrooms with Sleek Aluminum Design

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With a focus on contemporary elegance, the Elegance Series features a seamless, modern design that enhances the overall aesthetics of any environment. The high-quality aluminum panels provide resistance against moisture, corrosion, and wear, ensuring a pristine look over time. Adjustable legs offer stability on uneven surfaces, while customizable finishes allow integration into various interior styles.

These restrooms prioritize both hygiene and user comfort, featuring easy-to-clean surfaces and optimized ventilation. The minimal yet elegant design enhances privacy while complementing modern architectural trends. Whether in premium office spaces, fine dining establishments, or exclusive event venues, the Elegance Series sets a new benchmark for restroom excellence. Elevate your space with a luxurious restroom solution designed for sophistication, comfort, and durability.

For more details, visit:- https://supercreationsindia.com/product/elegance-series/