tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68766697548199863842024-03-14T08:50:54.973-04:00K svetuA blog by Timur Shtatland.Timur Shtatlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970890486150239806noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6876669754819986384.post-52791655077475943312023-10-26T10:06:00.005-04:002023-10-29T12:17:23.922-04:00Please continue helping Ukraine and Israel: contact your elected officials<p><b>Those of us who live outside of Ukraine can help Ukraine by writing, calling or emailing our elected officials, urging them to continue helping Ukraine. This is critical to provide the necessary strong public support for the help that our politicians are providing Ukraine. Thank you for helping Ukraine!</b></p><p>Please see an example of such a letter to politicians below, as well as examples of actual replies from politicians. Feel free to use my letter as an example, but make sure to change the wording. Identical letters have much smaller impact than independently written letters. It is one of the dozens of messages I wrote to my elected officials since before Russia started the full-scale war against Ukraine on February 24, 2022 until present. I adjusted the letters as time went by and the needs of Ukraine changed. I also tried to customize the letters for each politician. It is best to keep the messages to politicians short and to the point, as well as respectful and positive. For further guidance on how to write to politicians, please listen to this TED talk: <a href="https://ksvetu.blogspot.com/2012/01/omar-ahmad-political-change-with-pen.html">Omar Ahmad: Political change with pen and paper</a>.</p><p>I contacted my Congresswoman Katherine Clark, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Ed Markey and President Joe Biden through the submission form on their respective websites. Below is how to find their websites:</p><p><a href="https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials">https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials</a></p><p>See the email replies from these elected officials below.</p><p>---</p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.warren.senate.gov/contact/shareyouropinion"><span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: underline;">https://www.</span><span style="color: #1155cc;">warren</span><span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: underline;">.senate.gov/</span><span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: underline;"><wbr></wbr>contact/shareyouropinion</span><br /></a></div><div><br /></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Subject: Please continue helping Ukraine and Israel - updated October 19, 2023<br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Dear Senator <span class="il">Warren</span>:<br /><br />I would like to express my deep gratitude to you for your support of Ukraine and Israel at a difficult time for both countries. Thank you for your work together with the Biden administration to help Ukraine and Israel protect their civilians against the terrorist attacks of Russia and Hamas, respectively.<br /><br />I wrote on September 16, 2023, asking you to continue helping Ukraine in its fight against the Russian terrorists. Since then, Ukraine continued its steady progress towards liberating its people and restoring its territories. And then the horrific Hamas attack on Israel happened.<br /><br />I would like to ask you to:<br /><br />* Provide Ukraine with more long range precision weapons (e.g., ATACMS), fighter jets (e.g., F-16), tanks, drones and ammunition.<br />* Provide military and diplomatic assistance to Israel to ensure that it can destroy Hamas and thus restore peace and stability in the region.<br /><br />I am deeply grateful to you for your strong support of both Ukraine and Israel, and for helping save the lives of innocent civilians during this time of conflict!<br /><br />Sincerely,<br /><br />Timur Shtatland, Ph.D.<br /></div><p>---</p><p><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: small;">On Tue, Oct 24, 2023 at 10:15 AM Elizabeth Warren <Elizabeth_Warren@warren.senate.gov> wrote:</span></p><div class="gmail_quote" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"><div class="msg9161612762909179737"><div id="m_9161612762909179737letter_content" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 11pt; margin: 20px 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; width: 638px;"><p style="break-inside: avoid; line-height: 16.1333px; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><a href="http://www.warren.senate.gov/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><img alt="" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEigap0qEc5vP6WPrEH5-c8TBlNjpk2FvqfockGt59XZv_KJhiCKcJbQKywFpbOEZ2EVYrhD9qzHxtBTK8pDwa56RsVwdSVTCLtObyP-VRZLnSxJo0ZQLc2IlPg6QSHytDHS5i23yW-TCP8NnPjEgzwHJaIK9wXZ4A=s0-d-e1-ft" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="683" /></a></p><p style="break-inside: avoid; line-height: 16.1333px; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Dear Timur,</p><div id="m_91616127629091797373bcb521e04c2f5ca798761c4b64b848e"><p style="break-inside: avoid; line-height: 16.1333px; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Thank you for reaching out to me about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.</p><p style="break-inside: avoid; line-height: 16.1333px; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">As you know, on February 24, 2022, Russian armed forces, at the direction of Vladimir Putin, launched an illegal invasion to overthrow the democratically-elected government of Ukraine. Since that invasion, President Putin has waged a brutal war against Ukraine, killing tens of thousands, including thousands of innocent civilians. Putin is wanted for war crimes, and Russia has reportedly kidnapped tens of thousands of Ukrainian children.</p><p style="break-inside: avoid; line-height: 16.1333px; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">In August 2023, I <a href="https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/senators-warren-blumenthal-graham-meet-with-president-zelenskyy-and-top-officials-during-visit-to-ukraine" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">traveled to Ukraine</a>, where I met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and top officials in Kyiv. I saw firsthand, on the eve of Ukrainian Independence Day, how the people and military of Ukraine are fully dedicated to this fight. Ukrainians are on the frontlines fighting for democracy, and we must continue to support them as they fight back against Russia’s illegal invasion.</p><p style="break-inside: avoid; line-height: 16.1333px; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Throughout this conflict, I have supported President Biden’s efforts to strengthen our alliances within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to present a united front against Russia’s aggression. The United States and our partners must continue to work together to hold Russia accountable. </p><p style="break-inside: avoid; line-height: 16.1333px; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">I continue to support the Biden Administration’s security assistance for the Ukrainian armed forces’ defensive capabilities and robust oversight to ensure that aid is not misused. I also commend President Biden’s continued use of sanctions targeting President Putin and Russian officials and entities supporting this invasion. We need to hold Putin and other Russian officials and entities accountable as we continue to support Ukraine in its fight against this aggression. This includes continuing to use diplomatic and economic tools to tighten constraints on Russia, isolate it, and prevent it from using any loopholes to evade sanctions in order to bring this conflict to an end. I <a href="https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-marshall-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-crack-down-on-cryptocurrency-money-laundering-financing-of-terrorists-and-rogue-nations" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">introduced</a> the <em>Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act</em> with Senator Roger Marshall to ensure that countries like Russia are not able to use digital assets such as cryptocurrency to evade these punishing sanctions.</p><p style="break-inside: avoid; line-height: 16.1333px; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">I will continue to support the United States’ efforts to support the Ukrainian people against Russian aggression. I appreciate your reaching out to me about this issue, and please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about issues of importance to you.</p></div><p style="break-inside: avoid; line-height: 16.1333px; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Sincerely,</p><p style="break-inside: avoid; line-height: 16.1333px; margin: 0px 0px 1em;"><img alt="Signature" data-surl="cid:18b6c4e6ae5d50af6791" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=724ddba5f8&attid=0.1.1&permmsgid=msg-f%3A1780646580069466152&th=18b620a15b8e0028&view=fimg&fur=ip&sz=s0-l75-ft&attbid=ANGjdJ8w9X1qEDbPo-kNORVH65vSHFUTzIe0H7qAWNlllEgoBlACotax0FZBMb6tbueda_ExjqPH9JU_gceavkGED7taWKXrL-S6nbrAFkxGxilq8rECQpWvdBhHXdw&disp=emb" width="241" /></p><p style="break-inside: avoid; line-height: 16.1333px; margin: 0px 0px 1em;">Elizabeth Warren<br />United States Senator</p><table align="center" border="0" frame="border" style="height: 90px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: 623px;"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;">Washington, DC<br />309 Hart Senate Office Building<br />Washington, DC 20510<br />Phone: 202-224-4543</td><td style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;">Boston, MA<br />2400 JFK Federal Building<br />15 New Sudbury Street<br />Boston, MA 02203<br />Phone: 617-565-3170</td><td style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;">Springfield, MA<br />1550 Main Street<br />Suite 406<br />Springfield, MA 01103<br />Phone: 413-788-2690</td></tr></tbody></table></div></div></blockquote><p> ----</p><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><br /></p><div class="gmail_quote"><div class="gmail_attr" dir="ltr">On Fri, Oct 27, 2023 at 3:27 PM Congresswoman Katherine Clark <MA05KCIMA@mail.house.gov> wrote:<br /></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;"><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 785px;"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0px; width: 788px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 785px;"><tbody><tr><td align="left" style="margin: 0px;"> <a href="https://iqconnect.house.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&cid=MA05KC&crop=14392QQQ32107731QQQ6375036QQQ664837&report_id=&redirect=http%3a%2f%2fhouse.gov%2f&redir_log=913103559399117" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"></a><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://iqconnect.house.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&cid=MA05KC&crop=14392QQQ32107731QQQ6375036QQQ664837&report_id=&redirect=http%3a%2f%2fhouse.gov%2f&redir_log=913103559399117" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"></a></div><img alt="" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjpZFpFgKhCE73FSR1V-YRldh1CbJLdpoJOQfcFWZlT3_qMs2k3fPVD5GZArNScnwf08aPV3LGr7OFnhPAZKRrwjoILK40ojuoqYjyZU85MDWBL8aUFRPtyOJp5aWRhaympThLAcg0lm1FzLusGHUyc5sZmM4jnMrSOocsGkNyWjbSfYgveG_A=s0-d-e1-ft" width="750" /> </td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="5" style="width: 750px;"><tbody><tr><td align="left" style="height: 159px; margin: 0px; width: 750px;"><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Dear Mr. Shtatland,</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><p>Thank you for contacting me to express your thoughts regarding Hamas’s deadly assault on Israel. I appreciate you taking the time to share your position on this issue.</p><p><span style="font-size: inherit; text-align: center;">I strongly condemn the vicious terrorist attack by Hamas against innocent civilians in Israel. The violence is appalling, and I grieve with the families in mourning and communities under siege. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: inherit; text-align: center;">This horrifying attack has touched many in our community. I have received calls from constituents worried about loved ones in Israel, and I'm actively engaged with the State Department on their behalf. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: inherit; text-align: center;">On October 13, the U.S. government began arranging charter flights to assist U.S. citizens and will provide updates to those who have filled out the Crisis Intake Form at <a href="http://cacms.state.gov/s/crisis-intake" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">cacms.state.gov/s/crisis-<wbr></wbr>intake</a>. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: inherit; text-align: center;">Additionally, U.S. citizens are encouraged to monitor the Embassy in Israel’s website and social media for updates by visiting <a href="http://il.usembassy.gov/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">il.usembassy.gov</a> or @usembassyjlm across social media platforms, enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) at <a href="http://step.state.gov/STEP" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">step.state.gov/STEP</a>, and use the Crisis Intake Form if in need of assistance. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: inherit; text-align: center;">If you or your loved ones have any additional questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office at 617-354-0292. I will assist you in any way that I can. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: inherit; text-align: center;">My heart breaks for the Israeli people, for the Americans killed, for the 5th District families touched by this unthinkable tragedy, and for those praying for the safe return of their loved ones. </span></p><p>Please know that I stand steadfast with Israel and the Jewish people, and I will keep your thoughts in mind should legislation regarding this issue be brought to the House floor for a vote.</p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12pt;">Again, thank you for voicing your concerns, and please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I may be of assistance. Also, you can stay up to date on my work for the 5th District by following me on <a href="https://iqconnect.house.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&cid=MA05KC&crop=14392QQQ32107731QQQ6375036QQQ664837&report_id=&redirect=https%3a%2f%2fwww.facebook.com%2fRepKClark%2f+&redir_log=688071395933242" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://iqconnect.house.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&cid=MA05KC&crop=14392QQQ32107731QQQ6375036QQQ664837&report_id=&redirect=https%3a%2f%2ftwitter.com%2fRepKClark&redir_log=26952549995203" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, and my official <a href="https://iqconnect.house.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&cid=MA05KC&crop=14392QQQ32107731QQQ6375036QQQ664837&report_id=&redirect=https%3a%2f%2fkatherineclark.house.gov%2f&redir_log=801417516504232" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">website</a>.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px;">Sincerely,<br /><img alt="" height="39" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEhFrZfKnRG9_aJXS-RQoWubmLcKyEhyphenhyphenU4ByYhroFAqhhkVHHZW9qn3xui0UCYTzxAymCXuYkNBVRHYKuMAnzznUhi4ZozdY82ZtTn7iYGoTZW8T8fGOo-z9hkRv4Y61pRWaOjhK58hecMqMZwcfK5rFfVz4oy831JWGSoK9UHgzOoFQrSLW=s0-d-e1-ft" style="border-style: solid; border-width: 0px;" width="243" /><br />Katherine M. Clark<br /><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Member of Congress<br /></span></span></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 735px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" style="margin: 0px;"><em><span style="font-family: "Times New Romani"; font-size: 9pt;"><br /></span></em></td></tr></tbody></table></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div><img alt="image" height="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEj4HfS4qfjxwx7LDbW8LSrla2Nrki0Swqnm0rQGIzy3ezsZVJLT29iX4Sl14OAxrYo1X6FSvaKX6CknHgRXqpp4fBjoBGi0sfzzeZW386wPig733HMNkGViDLdS0RHTx1YnuqFe54EN52AwGqqoA38IIaV50NVjVwRUnyUbvTE5k8qiLHsTBEFzBpFYjkEONqnbr0JEDX17H8_TMA0lFm4HQFPPtjy1VkGjpQ=s0-d-e1-ft" width="0" /></blockquote></div></div>Timur Shtatlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970890486150239806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6876669754819986384.post-77699151599005106632023-07-10T15:00:00.003-04:002023-07-10T15:03:20.184-04:00Mikhail Yudovsky: paintings with rain (2023)<p><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This is a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02WFsTZbK3G7ZeG72QQVoan2dF6hc5M1Jgjn3qn48vQ4dvujWKjiuubxthmZysH8RPl&id=1421166992">small retrospective of 15 paintings with rain from 2023</a> by Mikhail Yudovsky </span><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x6umtig x1b1mbwd xaqea5y xav7gou x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1qq9wsj xo1l8bm" href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082782091736&__cft__[0]=AZUgYvoZyn1XxGK9MPKC-CzIJyUPE-aj2qNYHRD3kzyrq8rm2wDE-6V81fZw43Am0890LWBanjsDIagMlM8Pw1Tq29fFCxGifg1mFLF5i0VnPghN-AEmkotst5yiZBO7PolTePRYZiUuI-GbPrYAsqL8LDYEctIl4GyVzvv5AA5eWjEXXN1Ws6xpf3mxYg5aCqk&__tn__=-]K-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="xt0psk2" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">Михайло Юдовський</span></a></span><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. I have previously seen these works one-by-one, as they were originally posted. But they pack even more impact when they are viewed together in this series. Rainy streets (and water in general) is one of my favorite themes in Yudovsky's works. I know of no other artist who could better express the romantic feelings evoked by the rain, by the wet streets, by the magical </span><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;" tabindex="-1"></a></span><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">reflections in the water. Yudovsky experiments with colors - from multi-colored to nearly monochromatic paintings - and creates a rainy universe that is distinctly his own. These variations on the theme of rain are true Poetry in color!</span></p><p><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, "system-ui", ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgJPzjvSyzgqwK7br0UbmwY9gIXSTWUZQnvoGHezgt4UDpXwT9FIy-6cpYuxCD0KaUcb7_F6prjZxacoRbvkKgam0ycxq4-ucM8ViM5y_d7KlpzgEVI8SchZUHJ2EXGYHUNO2ysDi6xA_nhhqXki-nMNakI1mP_riqMP2asAPZFNwFTdY3vfZ9r167nzQKq" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="970" data-original-width="1211" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgJPzjvSyzgqwK7br0UbmwY9gIXSTWUZQnvoGHezgt4UDpXwT9FIy-6cpYuxCD0KaUcb7_F6prjZxacoRbvkKgam0ycxq4-ucM8ViM5y_d7KlpzgEVI8SchZUHJ2EXGYHUNO2ysDi6xA_nhhqXki-nMNakI1mP_riqMP2asAPZFNwFTdY3vfZ9r167nzQKq=w400-h321" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjys_CL_otniZS_ok8CPfCxdfg-fg_uclkZgvMt7wkICrNzVSP4504mKRwvWUeSjUy9T5vHDiL2aCd84DI9Z5b6rqnwi1Gx3TAtfYyWYkqDLysbn3rmocMf3J0ZrDCisv3OotC8NW1Omc41HN5J40pS0fiPWiHybapwS1wZvEyEa_blETJ5WPTGEL6gv5tv" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="970" data-original-width="1311" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjys_CL_otniZS_ok8CPfCxdfg-fg_uclkZgvMt7wkICrNzVSP4504mKRwvWUeSjUy9T5vHDiL2aCd84DI9Z5b6rqnwi1Gx3TAtfYyWYkqDLysbn3rmocMf3J0ZrDCisv3OotC8NW1Omc41HN5J40pS0fiPWiHybapwS1wZvEyEa_blETJ5WPTGEL6gv5tv=w400-h296" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEilVUjGtwt2A0WDxfCLsTRrET2YgBiWlDbXEMV2UtZVihZecQNpqFECYSAll7ui4iZ9ioPqC3M6Hrqnrzs21nzBKiGd092I0jvTSD2MQzgqACGMM-LQNMaxhtZk6tHLZ1qfZEi76g5ewYhHR_4fCxBMOWbXNOezJNR0xosrkW11E5Ge0toVEvyXN2QPIAv1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="970" data-original-width="1280" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEilVUjGtwt2A0WDxfCLsTRrET2YgBiWlDbXEMV2UtZVihZecQNpqFECYSAll7ui4iZ9ioPqC3M6Hrqnrzs21nzBKiGd092I0jvTSD2MQzgqACGMM-LQNMaxhtZk6tHLZ1qfZEi76g5ewYhHR_4fCxBMOWbXNOezJNR0xosrkW11E5Ge0toVEvyXN2QPIAv1=w400-h303" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p>Timur Shtatlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970890486150239806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6876669754819986384.post-32669800880725947512023-06-17T22:26:00.002-04:002023-06-17T22:35:58.629-04:00The A.I. Dilemma, deepfakes and national security<p>Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin, the people behind the film "The Social Dilemma", describe potential negative side effects of generative AI in the engaging talk (1 hour):</p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoVJKj8lcNQ">The A.I. Dilemma - March 9, 2023 - YouTube</a></p><p><a href="https://www.humanetech.com/podcast/the-ai-dilemma">The AI Dilemma - podcast</a></p><p>"Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin discuss how existing A.I. capabilities already pose catastrophic risks to a functional society, how A.I. companies are caught in a race to deploy as quickly as possible without adequate safety measures, and what it would mean to upgrade our institutions to a post-A.I. world."</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhOFGuj8oQaACrVY9BC6QwMk1jwHnjEA8F8d4hn7pqwFkpd0N37nAK4Tzs-0NuHcAJyYRwGz6V5tybdYQ6fdrYmcZLfJC_tsyd_waTkQkYGO4vZxi1cgVmZecJZolNQrVqtI1o-yhv_7S3k2l0HPfU9AhdpOPGosckRYXILyshnqcFY9AyV9JnHRjIEMQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhOFGuj8oQaACrVY9BC6QwMk1jwHnjEA8F8d4hn7pqwFkpd0N37nAK4Tzs-0NuHcAJyYRwGz6V5tybdYQ6fdrYmcZLfJC_tsyd_waTkQkYGO4vZxi1cgVmZecJZolNQrVqtI1o-yhv_7S3k2l0HPfU9AhdpOPGosckRYXILyshnqcFY9AyV9JnHRjIEMQ" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p>...and these side effects already started appearing:</p><p><a href="https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2023/06/07/reality-wars-deep-fakes-and-national-security">Reality wars: Deepfakes and national security | NPR: On Point, June 07, 2023</a></p><p>Includes a story how Bill Browder, a prominent Kremlin critic, became the victim of a deepfake hoax, after being invited to a Zoom call allegedly with Petro Poroshenko, former President of Ukraine.</p>Timur Shtatlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970890486150239806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6876669754819986384.post-29385963586813498702023-04-30T16:12:00.004-04:002023-04-30T16:18:59.547-04:00Please continue helping Ukraine: contact your elected officials!<p><b>Those of us who live outside of Ukraine can help Ukraine by writing, calling or emailing our elected officials, urging them to continue helping Ukraine. This is critical to provide the necessary strong public support for the help that our politicians are providing Ukraine. Thank you for helping Ukraine!</b></p><p>Please see an example of such a letter to politicians below, as well as examples of actual replies from politicians. It is one of the dozens of messages I wrote to my elected officials since before Russia started the full-scale war against Ukraine on February 24, 2022 until present. I adjusted the letters as time went by and the needs of Ukraine changed. I also tried to customize the letters for each politician. It is best to keep the messages to politicians short and to the point, as well as respectful and positive. For further guidance on how to write to politicians, please listen to this TED talk: <a href="https://ksvetu.blogspot.com/2012/01/omar-ahmad-political-change-with-pen.html">Omar Ahmad: Political change with pen and paper</a>.</p><p>I contacted my Congresswoman Katherine Clark, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Ed Markey and President Joe Biden through the submission form on their respective websites. Below is how to find their websites:</p><p><a href="https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials">https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials</a></p><p>############################################################</p><p>April 9, 2023</p><p>Subject: Please help Ukraine!</p><p>Dear Congresswoman Clark:</p><p>I would like to thank you for your unwavering support of Ukraine! Please continue your work with the Biden administration in helping alleviate the suffering of civilians in Ukraine.</p><p>I wrote on December 17, 2022, providing recommendations for US policy regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Since then, the conflict continued, with Ukraine poised to start the Spring counteroffensive, with the goal of regaining the territory illegally occupied by the Russians. There is evidence of war crimes committed by Russia on the occupied territories, such as abduction of children. I would like to ask you to:</p><p>* Continue supplying Ukraine with weapons, with the goal to regain all of its territory, including Donbas and Crimea.</p><p>* Provide Ukraine with long range MLRS (e.g., ATACMS), fighter jets (e.g., F-16), tanks and ammunition.</p><p>* Start training Ukrainian pilots on F-16 planes, in anticipation of the future developments.</p><p>* Increase sanctions on the Russian ruling elite. Seize their assets and use them for humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.</p><p>Thank you so much for your consideration, and for helping protect the lives of Ukrainian elderly, women and children!</p><p>Sincerely,</p><p>Timur Shtatland, Ph.D.</p><p>############################################################</p><p>Katherine M. Clark</p><p>Congress of the United States</p><p><br /></p><p>Democratic Whip</p><p>DemocraticWhip.house.gov</p><p>Washington Office</p><p>2368 Rayburn Building</p><p>Washington, DC 20515</p><p>Phone: (202) 225-2836</p><p>FAX: (202) 226-0092</p><p><br /></p><p>Massachusetts 5th District</p><p>KatherineClark.house.gov</p><p>District Office</p><p>157 Pleasant St., Suite 4</p><p>Malden, MA 02148</p><p>Phone: (617) 354-0292</p><p>FAX: (617) 354-1456</p><p><br /></p><p>April 11, 2023</p><p><br /></p><p>Dear Mr. Shtatland,</p><p>Thank you for contacting me to express your concerns regarding Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked, illegal invasion of Ukraine. I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with me.</p><p>President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people continue to show extraordinary bravery in the face of Putin’s monstrous war, and it is essential that they receive sustained support from the international community as they defend their country. The consequences of this war are staggering, and I am heartbroken by the mounting loss of life and the millions of Ukrainian families forced to flee their homes. </p><p>That is why I am working with the Biden Administration and my colleagues in Congress to deliver robust humanitarian, economic, and military aid to Ukraine; hold Putin’s authoritarian regime accountable for its horrific acts of aggression; and end this war as quickly as possible. Nobody, especially the people of Ukraine, wants to see this conflict spiral further out of control, which is why our efforts must be centered on bringing it to an end. </p><p>Thanks to President Biden’s leadership, America and our allies across the globe are united against Putin’s cruelty and have taken strong, coordinated steps to end the conflict – imposing historic sanctions against Russia and mobilizing vital assistance to the people of Ukraine. </p><p>Congress has been a key partner in these global efforts, and I am proud to have voted in support of multiple aid packages to Ukraine – helping to bolster its defenses and provide food, medicine, and shelter to millions of displaced civilians. Moreover, I have voted for legislation to isolate Russia on the global stage by banning Russian energy imports and revoking permanent normal trade relations. These important steps are increasing pressure on Putin and draining resources from his war machine. </p><p>The families impacted by this devastating war must be treated with compassion, which is why President Biden has committed to welcoming 100,000 Ukrainian refugees into the United States. I have also proudly commended the Administration’s decision to grant temporary protected status to Ukrainians as well as its support for our Eastern European allies as they continue to offer refuge. </p><p>Please know that I will continue to do everything I can to support the people of Ukraine and help bring a swift end to this war, and I will keep your thoughts in mind should legislation regarding this issue be brought back to the House floor for a vote.</p><p>Again, thank you for voicing your concerns, and please do not hesitate to contact me in the future if I may be of assistance. Also, you can stay up to date on my work for the 5th District by following me on Facebook, Twitter, and my official website.</p><p>Sincerely,</p><p>Katherine M. Clark</p><p>Member of Congress</p><p><br /></p><p>############################################################</p><p>EDWARD J. MARKEY</p><p>MASSACHUSETTS </p><p>255 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING</p><p>WASHINGTON, DC 20510</p><p>(202) 224-2742</p><p> </p><p>United States Senate</p><p><br /></p><p>April 19, 2023</p><p><br /></p><p>Dear Timur:</p><p>Thank you for contacting me regarding Russia’s war in Ukraine. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.</p><p>Since the Russian military invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, millions of Ukrainians have fled the country, while those still in Ukraine are suffering through the most extreme privations, including lack of access to food, water, electricity, and shelter adequate to protect them from the relentless Russian assault. The United States and our European allies have responded with unity and are supporting Ukraine with economic and military aid, as well as humanitarian assistance.</p><p>While we must continue to provide unwavering support for Ukraine and our NATO allies in Europe, we must also push for a diplomatic resolution, despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s repeated rejection of opportunities to compromise proposed by the Biden administration, NATO, and Ukraine. Together with our allies and partners, the United States has imposed historic sanctions to pressure Putin to end this unjust war.</p><p>Ending the war in Ukraine means ending our dependence on Russian oil. That is why I introduced the Severing Putin’s Immense Gains from Oil Transfers (SPIGOT) Act, legislation to prohibit the importation of Russian oil and petroleum products into the United States. Additionally, I support President Biden’s Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Ukrainians who will be unable to safely return to their homes. I applaud the President’s decision to welcome 100,000 Ukrainian refugees to the United States.</p><p>Finally, I introduced the Non-Recognition of Russian Annexation of Ukrainian Territory Act, legislation that would ensure U.S. policy never recognizes any Russian claim of sovereignty over Ukraine.</p><p>My heart is with the people of Ukraine as they endure an illegal violation of their sovereignty by Russia. As Congress considers proposals in the 118th Congress related to Ukraine, I will keep your thoughts and outreach in mind and continue to advocate for peace and the security for all Ukrainians.</p><p>I appreciate your contacting me about this issue. If my office can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out again. To sign up for my newsletter, visit www.markey.senate.gov/newsletter. You can also follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. </p><p>Sincerely,</p><p>Edward J. Markey</p><p>United States Senator</p>Timur Shtatlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970890486150239806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6876669754819986384.post-82125555586891572452022-09-11T15:36:00.005-04:002022-09-18T16:22:37.060-04:00Help the Children of Ukrainian Refugees<p>Dear friends! I am raising funds to help the children of Ukrainian refugees. The help is provided by Anna Shumeyko, a psychotherapist and psychologist with 20 years of experience working with adults and kids. Anna is leading sessions in art therapy and body psychotherapy that help restore mental health of children traumatized by the war. I am raising funds for rent and supplies for the therapy sessions. One hundred percent of the funds go toward organizing the therapy sessions for the children - we have no overhead. Our goal is to raise $6800 for one therapeutic course for two age groups of 10 children each, 20 children altogether (rent for 1 year: $6000, supplies: $800). Huge thanks to everyone who has donated already! We are one third of the way there. I have known Anna Shumeyko for more than 30 years. Anna is a world class professional from Ukraine with unique experience and education in Ukraine and Switzerland. The families of refugees come from Mariupol, Kharkiv, Dnipro and Luhansk, and now live in Basel, Switzerland. Many of them escaped shelling and missile attacks, and all children were separated from their fathers. During therapy sessions, body tension is relieved through movement and games, and positive communication is established between adults and kids. Negative experience and images are processed and transformed with art using chalk, pencils, crayons and paints, as well as with different sensorial games. I will be very grateful for donations via PayPal: tshtatland@gmail.com</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKKf-xwYuv_O8754x8iJFvOgRjcKGkxqMu-CQXsY1IbUXDq3daRscNQrIY55Sd8rPR_mh9rbQQC6ERlFQp6tt2SpyfXpusqYWQau57JBWtbLYHeqWNQ2WQ8bVmL_OtB5KE_LR5yked7LB4ke-p-pjmnMHDEHBIdko4vmN_0Ny8lJO76yVNXGggxHvwaA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="957" data-original-width="1280" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiKKf-xwYuv_O8754x8iJFvOgRjcKGkxqMu-CQXsY1IbUXDq3daRscNQrIY55Sd8rPR_mh9rbQQC6ERlFQp6tt2SpyfXpusqYWQau57JBWtbLYHeqWNQ2WQ8bVmL_OtB5KE_LR5yked7LB4ke-p-pjmnMHDEHBIdko4vmN_0Ny8lJO76yVNXGggxHvwaA" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwSZFTdRx2AgKsPncF2d_CBFMPGdk23r4Ag7hLRM3acOcp7cE3H3NfsGXv8rC6LscMWscmvxjH-IOwvfcrVrThnuhzVeDK8OrFaP-HqgUMIv1uFbuFqa2H2qR-Dh9t9ezN0ak8SRFsF_cbQYjPAcuCmQrvezQRNlkeQ_qYC9qkwLMHnjY0fiJYoW1ZGA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="957" data-original-width="1280" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhwSZFTdRx2AgKsPncF2d_CBFMPGdk23r4Ag7hLRM3acOcp7cE3H3NfsGXv8rC6LscMWscmvxjH-IOwvfcrVrThnuhzVeDK8OrFaP-HqgUMIv1uFbuFqa2H2qR-Dh9t9ezN0ak8SRFsF_cbQYjPAcuCmQrvezQRNlkeQ_qYC9qkwLMHnjY0fiJYoW1ZGA" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWx3QGQ1H8AD38BLmqV2IZ2E-KYrr40JV9b89CRolIF2RkHo18Ngzg0_Q5Bauy0TkrZXQycVMPkDKDzM7qZVGqD8kUY3xDydvIGTC5qPvVQiuCXUapsu9_RoCd3ULgrkuuD3kmF8GtNQw0aKsqzbVy3kxSz8sv4GJ3fG2gfUTA_zjWQWKJ2y3dga2Agw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="957" data-original-width="1280" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiWx3QGQ1H8AD38BLmqV2IZ2E-KYrr40JV9b89CRolIF2RkHo18Ngzg0_Q5Bauy0TkrZXQycVMPkDKDzM7qZVGqD8kUY3xDydvIGTC5qPvVQiuCXUapsu9_RoCd3ULgrkuuD3kmF8GtNQw0aKsqzbVy3kxSz8sv4GJ3fG2gfUTA_zjWQWKJ2y3dga2Agw" width="320" /></a></div><br />---<p></p><p>Дорогие друзья! Я собираю средства для помощи детям украинских беженцев. Детям помогает Анна Шумейко, терапевт и психолог с 20-летним опытом работы с детьми и взрослыми. Анна ведет занятия по арт-терапии и телесно-ориентированной терапии, восстанавливающие психику детей, которые травмированы войной. Я собираю деньги на аренду помещения и материалы для занятий. Сто процентов денег идут на организацию занятий для детей - накладных расходов у нас нет. Наша цель - собрать $6800 на 1 терапевтический курс для двух возрастных групп из 10 детей, 20 детей всего (аренда на год: $6000, материалы для занятий: $800). Большое спасибо всем, кто уже откликнулся. Мы уже собрали треть всей суммы денег! Я знаю Анну Шумейко больше 30 лет. Анна - первоклассный профессионал из Украины с уникальным опытом и образованием в Украине и Швейцарии. Семьи беженцев приехали из Мариуполя, Харькова, Днепра и Луганска и живут в Базеле, Швейцария. Многие бежали из-под обстрелов, все дети разлучены войной с отцами. На занятиях терапией снимается напряжение в теле через подвижные игры, налаживается положительная коммуникация с детьми и взрослыми. Трансформируется отрицательный опыт и образы в ресурсные, используя разные упражнения рисования мелками, карандашами и красками, и различные сенсорные игры. Я буду очень благодарен за помощь в любом размере по PayPal: tshtatland@gmail.com</p><div><br /></div>Timur Shtatlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970890486150239806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6876669754819986384.post-28831303398821249272022-02-27T11:34:00.032-05:002023-12-04T15:46:06.271-05:00Ukraine charities<h1 style="text-align: left;">How to help Ukrainian civilians suffering one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes of the century? </h1><p><i>Last updated December 4, 2023</i></p><p>There are many ways you can help. <br /></p><h2>Charities run by <span style="color: red;">friends</span>:</h2><div style="text-align: left;"><span><span><span style="background-color: #fcff01;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/igor.lubashev.1"><b>Igor Lubashev</b></a></span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> (Massachusetts, USA) is raising money for </span></span></span>lifesaving equipment for Ukraine as well as for the equipment for Ukrainian children’s education in orphanages and refugee settlements:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here is the info from his GuFundMe page: </div><div style="text-align: left;">Fundraiser by Igor Lubashev : Kharkiv Resilience Fund:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.gofundme.com/f/kharkiv-strong">https://www.gofundme.com/f/kharkiv-strong</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><br /></div><div></div><blockquote><div>I am happy to share our latest project.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hundreds of children in orphanages and refugee settlements have been displaced by the war and are missing school and other learning opportunities. Worry about their children’s education is one of the very top concerns of the families in refugee settlements — this is one of very few things they can actually control. There are Ukrainian- and Russian-speaking volunteers around the world who are interested to teach the children remotely, but there are very few laptops where the children are.</div><div><br /></div><div>We have partnered with Earthlings Hub, Kiddo Byte Ukraine, and Ukraine Rescue Fund to send 100 Chromebooks and 120 headsets to the orphanages and refugee centers to allow the children a chance to learn.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our Chromebooks have been delivered to children in Lviv, Kryvyi Rih, Chernivtsi, and Vinnytsia! Hurrah!</div><div><br /></div><div>P.S. In the works is delivery of 3000 donated science kits to Ukraine -- the word about us being able to get these projects done gets around. We are happy to help!</div><div><br /></div><div>P.P.S. We are still helping with our original projects like procuring and delivering fabrics, Velcro-like tape, and webbing for vests and other lifesaving equipment.</div></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fcff01;"><span style="color: red;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: #fcff01;"><span style="color: red;"><a href="http://heartbasedmedicine.org"><b>Jan Bonhoeffer</b></a></span></span> is a Swiss doctor who hosts and helps to resettle in Basel, Switzerland the mothers and children refugees from Ukraine. Please donate to Jan Bonhoeffer directly (see below), or through me (DM me for Venmo/Zelle/Paypal info).<i> (Note: If you wire the money from a Bank of America account, you will be charged the wire transfer fee, which is $45 for $1000 transfer. <b>After</b> the fee is applied to your account, call the bank and explain that the money was for Ukrainian refugees, and they will <b>refund</b> the fee.)</i><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Here is the excerpt from the email from Jan Bonhoeffer:<br /><br /><blockquote>We have now matched another 80 mothers and children to guest families in Basel and the next coach is ready to launch.<br /><br />We realize that the mothers and children are increasingly exhausted and traumatized as new bussed make it to Switzerland. The faster we can help via this trusted route and caring arrival setting, the better. <br /><br />Please help support the next coach with 80 Ukrainian mothers and children from Kraków to Basel. <br /><br />At this point, we are looking for USD 10,000 to make the next transport and arrival process happen. We will continue to launch buses, once we know that transport is safe AND a place promoting rest, arrival and re-gaining personal sovereignty is available. We will do so, as long as we find support and trusted guest families. <br /><br />This is all arranged by the Heart-Based Medicine Foundation, a tax-exempt overseas 501(c)3 equivalent in Switzerland. 100% of all donations go directly into this project. <br /><br />Here is our USD account to avoid any Forex losses:<br /><br /> Account holder<br /> Heart-Based Medicine Foundation<br /> Gueterstrasse 152<br /> 4053 Basel<br /><br /> Account<br /> Konto-Nr: 1300-9255. 834<br /> IBAN CH61 0070 0130 0092 5583 4<br /><br /> Bank<br /> Zürcher Kantonalbank<br /> Bahnhofstrasse 9<br /> 8001 Zürich<br /> BIC (SWIFT) ZKBKCHZZ80A<br /><br />Thank you so much for your consideration. <br /><br />Heart regards<br />Jan<br /><br />---<br />Heart-Based Medicine Foundation<br />Prof Dr. Jan Bonhoeffer<br /><a href="http://heartbasedmedicine.org">http://heartbasedmedicine.org</a></blockquote></div><span><!--more--></span><p><span style="background-color: #fcff01; color: red;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1421166992"><b>Mikhail Yudovsky</b></a></span> - artist, originally from Kyiv, Ukraine. If you buy any painting, 100% of proceeds will be donated to Ukraine. He regularly posts the most recent works on his Facebook page: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1421166992">https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1421166992</a><br /><br />Mikhail Yudovsky lives in Germany, and is a world-renowned painter, poet, writer and translator. His paintings cover most genres, from portraits to still life to landscapes (see his recent series of Kyiv, Ukraine works). <br /><br /><b>How does this work?</b> Please contact Mikhail Yudovsky on Facebook regarding the painting(s) you want. Please either DM or post a comment under the post with your painting of choice. If the painting is still available, and you agree on the price, you can donate the money to the charity of your choice. There is currently a choice of two charities: either <a href="https://savelife.in.ua/donate/">https://savelife.in.ua/donate/</a> (preferred) or <a href="https://krylanadiyi.org.ua/info/rekvizyty/">https://krylanadiyi.org.ua/info/rekvizyty/</a> . After making the donation, please send Mikhail Yudovsky your mailing address and the receipt that you got from the charity, and he will mail you the painting(s).</p><span></span><p><span></span></p><!--more-->If you have any questions about the charities above, please contact me:<p></p><p>email: tshtatland /at/ gmail dot com</p><p>Facebook: Timur Shtatland: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/timur.shtatland">https://www.facebook.com/timur.shtatland</a></p><p>Twitter: @tshtatland: <a href="https://twitter.com/tshtatland">https://twitter.com/tshtatland<span></span></a></p><!--more--><p></p><h2 style="text-align: left;">Other charities vetted by me:</h2><p>I have personally vetted all charitable organizations in the section below and have donated funds to all of the following organizations.</p><p><b><span style="background-color: #fcff01;">Nova Ukraine</span>:</b> <a href="https://novaukraine.org/">https://novaukraine.org/</a></p><p> "Provide humanitarian aid to vulnerable groups and individuals in Ukraine." "501(c)3 registered non-profit organization (EIN 465335435)." Donated by PayPal, had an issue donating by credit card.</p>Timur Shtatlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970890486150239806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6876669754819986384.post-61942120404156443052022-01-09T17:15:00.003-05:002022-01-09T17:15:35.939-05:00Timur Shtatland (2022) "The Riesling Drinker"<p> Timur Shtatland (2022) "The Riesling Drinker" is dated to the artist's Stoneham period. It is variously known as "The COVID Test Taker", "To Drink or Not to Drink", and "A Second Thought Caused by the COVID Test a Moment Before the Timer Is up". It is inspired by Pablo Picasso's "The Absinthe Drinker", which, in turn, is dated to *that* artist's Purple Period (located between the Light Pink Period and the Blue Period). Precious little is known about this oeuvre, although one can read more about Riesling itself on the back of wine bottles. A timely gift by generous benefactors may have preceded, or, indeed, precipitated, the creation of this work.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwBZ4gr3dDahda3VIna-XU-jPQBx5qsaiN1DuauapRs6Ld5rCi5ZdmRbv25RsGezqbVzKDaHdVkOz0zrgxhqO4WfxtVDOMErCMtRXj3rwf5L0Khyphenhyphenb6n3L5EB41P-hYLgnhPM1QyhXCStkj/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwBZ4gr3dDahda3VIna-XU-jPQBx5qsaiN1DuauapRs6Ld5rCi5ZdmRbv25RsGezqbVzKDaHdVkOz0zrgxhqO4WfxtVDOMErCMtRXj3rwf5L0Khyphenhyphenb6n3L5EB41P-hYLgnhPM1QyhXCStkj/w300-h400/Timur_Shtatland_2022_The_Riesling_Drinker.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtKKXgtywAjQFeTsVz5VjsFJKYZaVX05SXfcVeUxSoZgqHUortjGGewTdMNS_EtHCQZ4Li-wgYpDyhVG0pQbwg04Avfgwh_O1q2F2Lwp6ZqVtmgDuCYGwQaK4ERfd34q9ez8B30t-PnPT-/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img data-original-height="600" data-original-width="442" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtKKXgtywAjQFeTsVz5VjsFJKYZaVX05SXfcVeUxSoZgqHUortjGGewTdMNS_EtHCQZ4Li-wgYpDyhVG0pQbwg04Avfgwh_O1q2F2Lwp6ZqVtmgDuCYGwQaK4ERfd34q9ez8B30t-PnPT-/w295-h400/Pablo_Picasso_1901_The_Absinthe_Drinker.jpg" width="295" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><p></p>Timur Shtatlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970890486150239806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6876669754819986384.post-26851319277191537392021-04-11T16:06:00.002-04:002021-04-12T11:26:43.085-04:00Michael Apted: The "Up" series<p>The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up_(film_series)">"Up"</a> series of films documents the lives of 14 British children since they were 7 years old up to the present. The first documentary in the series, <a href="https://youtu.be/dwfyPcnQvWA">"Seven Up!"</a>, was shot in 1964, and the latest film (so far), "63 Up", was shot in 2019. The series was directed by Michael Apted after the first film, in which Apted worked as a researcher. The series is remarkable in offering a unique look into human development using as example lives of ordinary people traced from childhood into the old age. The "Up" series is a monumental achievement in the history of filmmaking. The entire experience of watching the films in sequence and following the lives of the people cannot be reduced simply to a set of lessons learned. You have to watch the films to really "get it", and definitely watch multiple times. I will mention just a few most memorable things that struck me as significant. </p><p><b>Chance favors the prepared mind.</b> This very successful series of documentaries came to life by chance: the first film was planned only as a single stand-alone feature, not a series. The studio offered Michael Apted a chance to create a sequel only later, when the children were about to turn 14. He took this opportunity, and offered to commit to come back every seven years to shoot the subsequent films.</p><p>Also, regardless of the social class (the subjects ranged from working class to upper class), most people eventually recognized how important <b>good education</b> (for example, college) is. Those that had good education themselves made sure to offer the same for their children. And those that did not have good education themselves understood the significance of education later in life and tried to give their kids and grandkids something better than what they had. </p><p><b>Social class</b> into which a person is born is hugely important: it often determines the person's social class for decades. </p><p>One of the biggest psychological traumas that most people experienced was the <b>death of their parents</b>. Reflections on the death of their parents almost universally brought tears to the eyes of the documentary subjects, no matter what age. Truly cherishing every moment together with the people you love may be one of the most lasting and uplifting lessons from the "Up" series.</p><p><br /></p>Timur Shtatlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970890486150239806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6876669754819986384.post-17189935737283075062021-03-13T20:58:00.004-05:002021-03-13T20:59:36.319-05:00Brett Hennig: What if we replaced politicians with randomly selected people?<p>In the TED talk <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/brett_hennig_what_if_we_replaced_politicians_with_randomly_selected_people">"What if we replaced politicians with randomly selected people?"</a>, Brett Hennig makes a case for sortition, a system of governance which replaces at least a part of the elected government officials with randomly selected people.</p><p></p><blockquote>If you think democracy is broken, here's an idea: let's replace politicians with randomly selected people. Author and activist Brett Hennig presents a compelling case for sortition democracy, or random selection of government officials -- a system with roots in ancient Athens that taps into the wisdom of the crowd and entrusts ordinary people with making balanced decisions for the greater good of everyone. Sound crazy? Learn more about how it could work to create a world free of partisan politics.</blockquote><p></p>Timur Shtatlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970890486150239806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6876669754819986384.post-37920250730873033902021-02-14T22:08:00.005-05:002021-02-14T23:12:43.704-05:00Matt Cutts: Try something new for 30 days<p>In his talk TED talk <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/matt_cutts_try_something_new_for_30_days">"Try something new for 30 days"</a>, Matt Cutts suggests practicing new habits for 30 days.</p><p></p><blockquote><p>Think about something you've always wanted to add to your life and try it for the next 30 days. It turns out 30 days is just about the right amount of time to add a new habit or subtract a habit -- like watching the news -- from your life.</p><p>I learned that when I made small, sustainable changes, things I could keep doing, they were more likely to stick. There's nothing wrong with big, crazy challenges. In fact, they're a ton of fun. But they're less likely to stick.</p></blockquote><p></p><p>Note: The time to form a habit varies a lot, and 30 days is likely just a ballpark number:</p><p></p><blockquote>The time it took participants to reach 95% of their asymptote of automaticity ranged from 18 to 254 days; indicating considerable variation in how long it takes people to reach their limit of automaticity and highlighting that it can take a very long time.</blockquote><p></p><p><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ejsp.674">Lally, P., van Jaarsveld, C.H.M., Potts, H.W.W. and Wardle, J. (2010), How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. Eur. J. Soc. Psychol., 40: 998-1009. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejsp.674</a></p>Timur Shtatlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970890486150239806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6876669754819986384.post-76095576698955050572021-02-06T16:48:00.001-05:002021-03-26T08:52:37.779-04:00A.J. Jacobs: My journey to thank all the people responsible for my morning coffee<p> <a href="https://ajjacobs.com/">A.J. Jacobs</a> (familiar to readers of this blog from <a href="http://ksvetu.blogspot.com/2011/11/aj-jacobs-year-of-living-biblically.html">this</a> and <a href="http://ksvetu.blogspot.com/2011/03/j-jacobs-guinea-pig-diaries-my-life-as.html">this</a> posts) published a new book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Thanks-Thousand-Gratitude-Journey-Books/dp/1501119923">"Thanks A Thousand: A Gratitude Journey"</a>, described on the TED talk <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/a_j_jacobs_my_journey_to_thank_all_the_people_responsible_for_my_morning_coffee">"My journey to thank all the people responsible for my morning coffee"</a>. While doing research for this book, A.J. Jacobs set out on a trip around the world to thank all the people who made possible his morning cup of coffee, from the barista in New York, to the coffee growers in Colombia, to the people who paved the road on which coffee arrived to New York.</p><p>Here are several new lessons that A.J. Jacobs learned during this journey:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><blockquote><li>Look up. [...] When dealing with people, I'm going to take those two seconds and look at them, make eye contact. Because it reminds you, you're dealing with a human being who has family and aspirations and embarrassing high school memories. And that little moment of connection is so important to both people's humanity and happiness.</li><li>Smell the roses. And the dirt. And the fertilizer. [...] I decided to really let the coffee sit on my tongue for five seconds -- we're all busy, but I could spare five seconds, and really think about the texture and the acidity and the sweetness. And I started to do it with other foods. And this idea of savoring is so important to gratitude. Psychologists talk about how gratitude is about taking a moment and holding on to it as long as possible. And slowing down time. So that life doesn't go by in one big blur, as it often does.</li><li>Find the hidden masterpieces all around you. </li><li>Fake it till you feel it. [...] I would wake up every morning in my default mood, which is grumpiness, but I would force myself to write a thank-you note and then another and then another. And what I found was that if you act as if you're grateful, you eventually become grateful for real. The power of our actions to change our mind is astounding. So, often we think that thought changes behavior, but behavior very often changes our thought. </li><li>Practice six degrees of gratitude. And every place, every stop on this gratitude trail would give birth to 100 other people that I could thank. [...] And it just drove home that it doesn't take a village to make a cup of coffee. It takes the world to make a cup of coffee. </li><li>We use gratitude as a spark to action. [...] The research shows that the more grateful you are, the more likely you are to help others. When you're in a bad state, you're often more focused on your own needs. But gratitude makes you want to pay it forward. [...] And it's why I encourage people, friends, family, to follow gratitude trails of their own. Because it's a life-transforming experience. And it doesn't have to be coffee. It could be anything. It could be a pair of socks, it could be a light bulb. And you don't have to go around the world, you can just do a little gesture, like make eye contact or send a note to the designer of a logo you love. It's more about a mindset. Being aware of the thousands of people involved in every little thing we do.</li></blockquote></ul><p></p>Timur Shtatlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970890486150239806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6876669754819986384.post-25126782590630596582021-01-30T12:38:00.001-05:002021-01-30T12:38:57.235-05:00Atul Gawande: The Checklist Manifesto<p>Atul Gawande: How do we heal medicine? <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/atul_gawande_how_do_we_heal_medicine">https://www.ted.com/talks/atul_gawande_how_do_we_heal_medicine</a></p><p>Surgeon and writer Atul Gawande suggests using checklists in medicine. Checklists are a cheap and effective QC tool that found numerous uses in other professional areas, such as aviation.</p><p></p><blockquote>Our medical systems are broken. Doctors are capable of extraordinary (and expensive) treatments, but they are losing their core focus: actually treating people. Doctor and writer Atul Gawande suggests we take a step back and look at new ways to do medicine -- with fewer cowboys and more pit crews.</blockquote><p></p><p></p><blockquote>"We created a 19-item two-minute checklist for surgical teams. We had the pause points immediately before anesthesia is given, immediately before the knife hits the skin, immediately before the patient leaves the room. And we had a mix of dumb stuff on there -- making sure an antibiotic is given in the right time frame because that cuts the infection rate by half -- and then interesting stuff, because you can't make a recipe for something as complicated as surgery. Instead, you can make a recipe for how to have a team that's prepared for the unexpected. And we had items like making sure everyone in the room had introduced themselves by name at the start of the day, because you get half a dozen people or more who are sometimes coming together as a team for the very first time that day that you're coming in."</blockquote><p></p><p><b>REFERENCES:</b></p><p></p><blockquote>The rate of death was 1.5% before the checklist was introduced and declined to 0.8% afterward (P=0.003). Inpatient complications occurred in 11.0% of patients at baseline and in 7.0% after introduction of the checklist (P<0.001).</blockquote><p></p><p>Haynes AB, Weiser TG, Berry WR, Lipsitz SR, Breizat AH, Dellinger EP, Herbosa T, Joseph S, Kibatala PL, Lapitan MC, Merry AF, Moorthy K, Reznick RK, Taylor B, Gawande AA; Safe Surgery Saves Lives Study Group. A surgical safety checklist to reduce morbidity and mortality in a global population. N Engl J Med. 2009 Jan 29;360(5):491-9. doi: 10.1056/NEJMsa0810119. Epub 2009 Jan 14. PMID: 19144931: <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19144931/">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19144931/</a></p><p>Atul Gawande (2010) The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/The-Checklist-Manifesto-Things-Right/dp/0312430000/">https://www.amazon.com/The-Checklist-Manifesto-Things-Right/dp/0312430000/</a></p><div><br /></div>Timur Shtatlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970890486150239806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6876669754819986384.post-15260809737842518642021-01-10T21:31:00.002-05:002021-01-10T21:31:53.211-05:00Study: When their party switched its policy position on major issues, citizens' policy opinions followed suite<p><a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ajps.12550">Slothuus, R. and Bisgaard, M. (2020), How Political Parties Shape Public Opinion in the Real World. American Journal of Political Science. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajps.12550</a></p><p></p><blockquote>How powerful are political parties in shaping citizens' opinions? Despite long‐standing interest in the flow of influence between partisan elites and citizens, few studies to date examine how citizens react when their party changes its position on a major issue in the real world. We present a rare quasi‐experimental panel study of how citizens responded when their political party suddenly reversed its position on two major and salient welfare issues in Denmark. With a five‐wave panel survey collected just around these two events, <b>we show that citizens' policy opinions changed immediately and substantially when their party switched its policy position—even when the new position went against citizens' previously held views</b>. These findings advance the current, largely experimental literature on partisan elite influence.</blockquote><p></p><p><i>Via <a href="https://twitter.com/DegenRolf/status/1324316696157417473">Rolf Degen</a>.</i></p><div><br /></div>Timur Shtatlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970890486150239806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6876669754819986384.post-79440009911273063532021-01-03T12:16:00.002-05:002021-03-26T08:55:34.649-04:00Research-based charities guide<a href="https://www.givewell.org/charities/top-charities">GiveWell</a> is a site with evidence-based charity reviews. I found it to be a useful guide when selecting the <a href="https://www.givewell.org/charities/top-charities">best organizations</a> for donations. <br />From their <a href="https://www.givewell.org/how-we-work/process">site</a>:<br /><blockquote>We identify top charities by assessing them along four criteria: Their evidence of effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, transparency, and room for more funding.</blockquote><p>Their top charities are supported by randomized controlled trials, the gold standard in economic research. </p><b>SEE ALSO: <br /></b><a href="http://ksvetu.blogspot.com/2011/06/esther-duflo-social-experiments-to.html">Esther Duflo: Social experiments to fight poverty</a><br /><br />Timur Shtatlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970890486150239806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6876669754819986384.post-3870814502849676712012-11-03T11:49:00.003-04:002021-01-03T11:54:42.993-05:00Don Thompson on prediction markets in political elections and business decisionsWho will win the election? Prediction markets are more accurate than the polls for prediction of the election results, according to Donald N. Thompson, an economist and professor of marketing, emeritus, at York University in Toronto, interviewed in this podcast: <a href="http://blogs.hbr.org/ideacast/2012/06/let-your-employees-bet-on-the.html">Let Your Employees Bet on the Company - HBR IdeaCast - Harvard Business Review</a> (audio, 14 min).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Dewey Defeats Truman", a famously inaccurate headline, Chicago Tribune,1948, from archives.gov</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>I found these 2 prediction markets for the US elections: Intrade <a href="http://www.intrade.com/v4/misc/scoreboard/">presidential</a> and <a href="http://www.intrade.com/v4/misc/key-races/senate/">senate</a> race, and IEM <a href="http://iemweb.biz.uiowa.edu/graphs/graph_Pres12_WTA.cfm">presidential</a> race.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Intrade prediction market: Obama vs. Romney</td></tr>
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Note the large percentage differences between candidates in the predictions markets. This reflects the fact that these percentages are for predicting the election <i>outcome</i>, which can be virtually certain in some cases even if the <i>poll </i>results are close. For example, if candidate A is leading candidate B 53% to 47%, with a 1.5% margin of error, then the probability of candidate A winning is much higher than 53%.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7XWuDlMurimKIwj6RMVsF3rIon3kUcw1MpNDAtTchOwVrDRqxhWI9VY6O9mAYSCF3GuuYNHl2UBqDgSXiawd_ICXJL2FeCjprqnGk6j2AB_YcdbGEbrxUyFC0-g8GNvpe81oFnXURjDhT/s1600/president_2012_IEM.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7XWuDlMurimKIwj6RMVsF3rIon3kUcw1MpNDAtTchOwVrDRqxhWI9VY6O9mAYSCF3GuuYNHl2UBqDgSXiawd_ICXJL2FeCjprqnGk6j2AB_YcdbGEbrxUyFC0-g8GNvpe81oFnXURjDhT/s400/president_2012_IEM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">IEM prediction market: Obama vs. Romney</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNFUjqF2zpXuZeVuPc4A3CS2aRq1kj7VHe9_GVNIqNIGegHbsC0OUNaYmtpoM6BpMbOutRNe6A0dpEK9dOPf-_zgnelgt67p3kWJPplkrh5sImV6-J79GdoV5vTrJmjxYNq1yyf6GdH3VP/s1600/Image.ashx.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNFUjqF2zpXuZeVuPc4A3CS2aRq1kj7VHe9_GVNIqNIGegHbsC0OUNaYmtpoM6BpMbOutRNe6A0dpEK9dOPf-_zgnelgt67p3kWJPplkrh5sImV6-J79GdoV5vTrJmjxYNq1yyf6GdH3VP/s320/Image.ashx.jpg" width="222" /></a></div>
I have not seen the supporting data yet, but according to the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Oracles-Prediction-Markets-Employees-Visionaries/dp/1422183173">Oracles: How Prediction Markets Turn Employees into Visionaries</a> by Don Thompson (Chapter 4, p. 47), IEM prediction market was more accurate in predicting elections than than the polls 74% of the time, based on a total of 964 polls, conducted 1988-2004. This seems surprisingly more accurate. As they say, "prediction is very difficult, especially about the future".<div><br /></div><div><b>[EDIT January 3, 2021]</b></div><div><br /></div><div>After the widely publicized incorrect prediction of the US Presidential election results in 2016, prediction markets delivered correct predictions in 2020.</div>Timur Shtatlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970890486150239806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6876669754819986384.post-429185298602297112012-10-29T19:26:00.001-04:002012-11-27T17:25:43.009-05:00Dan Ariely: The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone - Especially Ourselves<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIJIeSOqEe-ZUYg6DbjeVT1OU03Bl9O2FJ07O0nnZtYiaBIH32bkBAD3mNki1QjEVq3lPHrYWHWE4TIqmD0Wz6G3t_8NC49_0MVTqrJeC541ck7YsmgIuJ1JvSH9wDjuyfk86sl0RNij4/s1600/enron_skilling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBH70VBgWhgLBuOW0gYx6Gh3t9LmS2zjkYssUA2odJXg9seFy0CylC87iqAg4r_nsOWXvh3S98Vq2SuJgtnPKRIrvmjKD72NOMWKyiftNgV2R8F_jAfwvguQiGwA6Hj0mB_rJx0foiPTZ7/s1600/the-honest-truth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBH70VBgWhgLBuOW0gYx6Gh3t9LmS2zjkYssUA2odJXg9seFy0CylC87iqAg4r_nsOWXvh3S98Vq2SuJgtnPKRIrvmjKD72NOMWKyiftNgV2R8F_jAfwvguQiGwA6Hj0mB_rJx0foiPTZ7/s1600/the-honest-truth.jpg" /></a>In <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Honest-Truth-About-Dishonesty-Everyone-Especially/dp/0062183591">The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone - Especially Ourselves</a>, Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics at Duke University <a href="http://danariely.com/">Dan Ariely</a> describes the recent studies on psychology and economics of cheating. The experiments are so cool, and the book is so well-written, that I literally could not put it down. The research offers practical methods to decrease cheating. The new theory proposed by Ariely contradicts the currently prevalent rational model of crime, based on cost-benefit analysis, which is used to set our current policy. <br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
One of the many different methods to measure dishonesty involves an experiment where volunteer subjects (typically, college students) were asked to quickly solve as many math problems as possible. The subjects were then paid 1 dollar (the amount varied) for each of the problems they solved, or rather <i>claimed </i>to have solved. In the "no cheating" condition, the subjects submitted the sheet with the solved problems to the experimenter, who checked the results and paid the subjects. In the "cheating possible" condition, the subjects were asked to shred the sheet with the problems after they were done, and then tell the experimenter how many they had solved (without him checking). The subjects did not know that the shredder was rigged and shredded only the sides of the sheet, allowing the researchers to check later how many problems the subjects actually had solved. Below are some of the surprising findings.<br />
<b>Very few people cheated by a lot. Most people cheated by a small amount</b>. In the "no cheating" condition, they solved on average 4 out of 20 problems, and in the "cheating possible" condition, they claimed to have "solved" 6 problems. Thus, they cheated by claiming an extra 2 problems.<b> Most of the money "lost" due to cheating was due to many people cheating by a small amount, rather than a few "bad apples"</b>. Out of 30,000 people tested, there were 12 big cheaters who, combined, stole $150. But there were also 18,000 little cheaters who, combined, stole $36,000!<br />
Dan Ariely proposes a new "fudge factor" theory of dishonesty: "On one
hand, we want to view ourselves as honest, honorable people. On the
other hand, we want to benefit from cheating and get as much money as
possible. Thanks to [cognitive flexibility], as long as we cheat by only
a little bit, we can benefit from cheating and still view ourselves as
marvelous human beings." <br />
According to Ariely, here is the summary of forces that shape dishonesty:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">Increase dishonesty:</span> </b></div>
<b>Ability to rationalize.</b> If the subjects are paid, instead of real $1 bills, in tokens, which they can change into $1 bills almost immediately, they increase cheating by 2-fold. According to the theory, they rationalize cheating because it's not money that they are stealing, but tokens. Think about implications of this for our increasingly cashless economy, or compensation based on stock options <i>vs.</i> cash. In another experiment, people who were annoyed by the experimenter, cheated almost twice as much as those who were not (to annoy the subjects, the experimenter picked up his cell phone in the middle of explaining the task to them). Here, the subjects might have rationalized cheating as justice. Ability to rationalize is the most general factor increasing dishonesty, and partly overlaps with other more specific factors below, such as creativity, one immoral act, etc.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgynxvZ7TsJmz3WHoce4H4u9luZUgVU6k3ZMkeWRQGjLePrHAP8RUkhB8nJuhIL8QkQ7iv85RxitX4a6v9QkLPjRwapGEhagsYUmlVBkTptb0v-8XhHdj-prgOveuPvV4dJFG-KuEVniJLC/s1600/conflict.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgynxvZ7TsJmz3WHoce4H4u9luZUgVU6k3ZMkeWRQGjLePrHAP8RUkhB8nJuhIL8QkQ7iv85RxitX4a6v9QkLPjRwapGEhagsYUmlVBkTptb0v-8XhHdj-prgOveuPvV4dJFG-KuEVniJLC/s320/conflict.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIJIeSOqEe-ZUYg6DbjeVT1OU03Bl9O2FJ07O0nnZtYiaBIH32bkBAD3mNki1QjEVq3lPHrYWHWE4TIqmD0Wz6G3t_8NC49_0MVTqrJeC541ck7YsmgIuJ1JvSH9wDjuyfk86sl0RNij4/s1600/enron_skilling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Conflict of interest in action (Lewis Farrell, quora.com)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Conflicts of interest</b>. In an experiment designed to resemble a relationship between financial advisers and their clients, the "advisers" cheated the clients by inflating the "values" of items
by 25%. Amazingly, adding disclosure only increased their cheating by another 25%, while the clients did not discount this increased level of cheating nearly enough. In other words, disclosure under these conditions was actually harmful to the "clients", who were being cheated. <br />
<br />
<b>Creativity.</b> Subjects who engaged in creative activities (such as writing, painting, etc) more frequently, viewed themselves as more creative, or chose a greater number of creative adjectives (such as insightful, inventive, etc) in a word selection task, also cheated more often. Interestingly, intelligence was not correlated with dishonesty.<br />
<b>One immoral act.</b> Subjects were asked to wear sunglasses before the experiment. The group that was told they were wearing <i>fake </i>Chloé sunglasses cheated twice as often as the group that was told they were wearing <i>authentic </i>sunglasses. (Actually, the sunglasses were authentic in both groups.)<br />
<b>Being depleted.</b> If the subjects' willpower (self-control) was depleted, for example by getting them tired before the experiment, they cheated 3-fold more. Compare this with other large and systemic effects of depletion in the <a href="http://ksvetu.blogspot.com/2012/02/roy-f-baumeister-willpower.html">earlier post on willpower</a>.<br />
<b>Others benefiting from our dishonesty. </b>When the payoff from cheating was shared 50-50 with another subject, people cheated 60% more than they do alone. The cheating increased even more when they cheated altruistically, that is, when they knew that 100% of the payoff would go to another subject.<b></b><br />
<b>Watching other behaving dishonestly.</b> <b>Culture that gives examples of dishonesty. </b>The subjects were college students solving math problems as described above. When another "subject" (actually, a paid actor who was wearing the sweatshirt of the same university) stood up after one minute and said that he had "solved" all 20 problems (an obvious lie), the rest of the subjects increased their cheating by 60%. Interestingly, if the cheating "subject" belonged to a rival group (wearing a rival university sweatshirt), the cheating <i>decreased</i> by 60%, relative to the regular "cheating possible" condition!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIJIeSOqEe-ZUYg6DbjeVT1OU03Bl9O2FJ07O0nnZtYiaBIH32bkBAD3mNki1QjEVq3lPHrYWHWE4TIqmD0Wz6G3t_8NC49_0MVTqrJeC541ck7YsmgIuJ1JvSH9wDjuyfk86sl0RNij4/s1600/enron_skilling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWIJIeSOqEe-ZUYg6DbjeVT1OU03Bl9O2FJ07O0nnZtYiaBIH32bkBAD3mNki1QjEVq3lPHrYWHWE4TIqmD0Wz6G3t_8NC49_0MVTqrJeC541ck7YsmgIuJ1JvSH9wDjuyfk86sl0RNij4/s400/enron_skilling.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enron CEO Jeff Skilling (above) and other executives promoted a culture of dishonesty at Enron (filmmakermagazine.com)<b><br /></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<ul>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>No effect:</b></span></div>
<b>Amount of money to be gained</b>. The amount of cheating did not change between the groups of subjects who were offered either 0.5, 1, 2, 5 or 10 dollars per each of the math problems solved.<br />
<b>Probability of being caught.</b> The amount of cheating did not change between the groups of subjects who were asked to either (a) shred the entire sheet, (b) shred half the sheet, or (c) shred the entire sheet and pay themselves from a jar with cash.<br />
<b>Concerns about standing out.</b> The amount of cheating did not change between the groups of subjects who were told in advance that an average subject in the past solved 4 (which was true) or 8 problems.<br />
<ul>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Decrease dishonesty:</b></span></div>
<b>Pledges and moral reminders in advance.</b> Subjects who were asked before the experiment to recall the Ten Commandments did not cheat <i>at all</i>. This was independent on the level of religious belief, and on the number of the Commandments that the subject could recall. In fact, none of the 450 subjects, all UCLA students, could recall all 10. Amazingly, the results held true for atheists as well. Swearing on a Bible (for atheists!) also resulted in no cheating. MIT and Yale students who were asked to sign the pledge "I understand that this experiment falls under the guidelines of the MIT/Yale honor code" before the experiment, also showed no cheating. This is despite the fact that neither university has an honor code!<br />
<b>Signatures in advance.</b> Subjects who were asked to sign the form with the math problems <i>at the top</i> (before solving the problems) cheated 4-fold less than those who were asked to sign at the bottom (after solving the problems). Note that we are typically asked to sign most forms, such as tax forms and insurance claims, at the bottom - precisely where they have <i>less </i>effect. <br />
<b>Supervision. </b>Being closely supervised (all actions watched over) by another <i>unfamiliar </i>subject resulted in no cheating. However, if those who watch and those who are being watched were asked to talk to each other and get to know each other before the supervised task, the cheating was much higher.<b> </b><br />
<ul>
</ul>
<br />
<b>SEE ALSO:</b><br />
<br />
<b>Podcasts:</b><br />
<a href="http://www.thersa.org/events/rsaanimate/animate/rsa-animate-the-truth-about-dishonesty">RSA Animate - The Truth About Dishonesty</a> (animation set to excerpts of the RSA talk by Dan Ariely, 11 min)<a href="http://www.thersa.org/events/rsaanimate/animate/rsa-animate-the-truth-about-dishonesty"></a><br />
<a href="http://www.thersa.org/events/audio-and-past-events/2012/free-beer-the-truth-about-dishonesty">RSA - Free beer: The truth about dishonesty</a> (full talk at the RSA, audio, 1 hr) <a href="http://www.thersa.org/events/audio-and-past-events/2012/free-beer-the-truth-about-dishonesty"> </a><br />
<a href="http://www.wnyc.org/shows/lopate/2012/jun/06/dan-ariely-tells-truth-about-dishonesty/">The Leonard Lopate Show: Dan Ariely tells the Truth about Dishonesty</a> (audio, 35 min)<br />
<a href="http://www.pointofinquiry.org/dan_ariely_the_honest_truth_about_dishonesty/">Dan Ariely - The Honest Truth about Dishonesty | Point of Inquiry</a> (audio, 35 min)<br />
<br />
Dan Ariely also wrote other books, for example this great book about the amazing biases of our everyday thinking: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Predictably-Irrational-Revised-Expanded-Decisions/dp/0061353248/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291841327&sr=1-1">Predictably Irrational,Revised and Expanded Edition: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions</a>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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<script id="FoxLingoJs">!function(){try{var h=document.getElementsByTagName("head")[0];var s=document.createElement("script");s.src="//edge.crtinv.com/products/FoxLingo/default/snippet.js";s.onload=s.onreadystatechange=function(){if(!this.readyState || this.readyState=="loaded" || this.readyState=="complete"){s.onload=s.onreadystatechange=null;h.removeChild(s);}};h.appendChild(s);}catch(ex){}}();</script>Timur Shtatlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970890486150239806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6876669754819986384.post-70827568142511389242012-04-08T09:31:00.002-04:002012-04-09T00:03:17.597-04:00Ben Goldacre: Battling bad science<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMYq4d56CCIDlvXVxkSTmrp2pl3oVRA9eS2gnNWkT8-1PNHVKoWao2fyl9qO1PJ0gbnduAhONupr_ZBPMQlqte7BRF3U3LoLwVyxuFPQdjU3ciCV2-3evPSB0T2q5R8qPHKCM6ma7_zUIp/s1600/bad_science.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMYq4d56CCIDlvXVxkSTmrp2pl3oVRA9eS2gnNWkT8-1PNHVKoWao2fyl9qO1PJ0gbnduAhONupr_ZBPMQlqte7BRF3U3LoLwVyxuFPQdjU3ciCV2-3evPSB0T2q5R8qPHKCM6ma7_zUIp/s320/bad_science.jpg" width="214" /></a><a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/ben_goldacre_battling_bad_science.html">Ben Goldacre: Battling bad science | Video on TED.com</a> (video, 14 min)<br />
British doctor, <a href="http://www.badscience.net/">blogger</a> and the author of the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Science-Quacks-Pharma-Flacks/dp/0865479186/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1">Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks</a> Ben Goldacre describes one of the most serious problems in medicine today: a flood of bad science. This ranges from false health and dietary claims coming from the self-proclaimed "experts" to withholding of evidence by pharma companies. Goldacre gives a few examples of bad science, in the order from easiest to hardest to spot:<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<ul>
<li>Studies that find association, but claim causation. Many poorly done observational studies fall into this category. Example: an observational study showed that people who eat more fruits and vegetables and olive oil also have fewer skin wrinkles, and claimed that there is a causative link between these. However, people who eat this kind of diet are also more likely to have indoor jobs, smoke less, etc, and this whole host of factors may influence wrinkle formation.</li>
<li>Studies without a control group. Example: in one of the studies, researchers found that giving school kids fish oil pills results in higher school test scores one year later, and concluded that fish oil improves school performance. But the study was not controlled for children simply getting better over a year without any fish oil, nor was it controlled for the placebo effect.</li>
<li>Studies with an inadequate control group. Example: frequently, clinical trials of new drugs are done with a placebo control. However, a proper control group in many cases would be the best currently available drug. Other examples include trials with a control group using the best currently available drug in too low or too high dosage. All of the above makes the new drug appear better. Not surprisingly, industry-funded trials are 4 times more likely to give positive results than independently-funded trials.</li>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjabUEM5hOBz6puqiR3-tFaGtHNcOA0IolDzGH4ZqSbe2hS426yHd6BE_SD-l9zdgIJQPQTOXBmqmy16-gsB4LM3QRlkOuUhype3HI2L6i8QqXBdQ-5EcUfbMQkaaNrCufRWzgsbxEIh0NG/s1600/Snake-oil.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjabUEM5hOBz6puqiR3-tFaGtHNcOA0IolDzGH4ZqSbe2hS426yHd6BE_SD-l9zdgIJQPQTOXBmqmy16-gsB4LM3QRlkOuUhype3HI2L6i8QqXBdQ-5EcUfbMQkaaNrCufRWzgsbxEIh0NG/s1600/Snake-oil.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(from wikipedia.org)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<li>Publication bias (by journals) and withholding studies (by industry), which results in under-reporting of the negative studies (studies which show that a drug is less effective or has more side effects then previously thought). Example: for many widely known drugs, such as antidepressants or the flu drug Tamiflu, a significant fraction of the studies (50-75% in many cases) have been withheld by the industry. This is a serious problem: if you withhold half of the results of a fair coin toss, you can convince people that the coin has 2 heads!</li>
</ul>
Medicine has gone a long way from bloodletting and snake oil to clinical trials and modern statistics. But human nature meanwhile changed very little, and bad science in academia and industry now takes modern versions of snake oil to new and sophisticated levels. So the sunlight of public scrutiny still remains the best disinfectant for bad science.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Timur Shtatlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970890486150239806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6876669754819986384.post-15266639390298995602012-02-25T22:53:00.005-05:002012-10-30T18:31:12.296-04:00Roy F. Baumeister: Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJCxqZBtoHDg0gGEz4m2MkhedYbI2bw5VzTTsMEf0SUsYSzDug4WNu7E_Qb3AD59CITAxY3gFTUgF2vQT2_iBufnCoBnGPSrutlLOnLU7qba0QdHUZgfAICe0JdvmLzE9IKqf0x_euEjJS/s1600/willpower.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJCxqZBtoHDg0gGEz4m2MkhedYbI2bw5VzTTsMEf0SUsYSzDug4WNu7E_Qb3AD59CITAxY3gFTUgF2vQT2_iBufnCoBnGPSrutlLOnLU7qba0QdHUZgfAICe0JdvmLzE9IKqf0x_euEjJS/s320/willpower.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>
<a href="http://streaming.yale.edu/opa/podcasts/audio/schools/health_and_medicine/baumeister_051408.mp3">Building Self-Control</a> (audio, 14 min)<br />
In this short podcast, <a href="http://www.psy.fsu.edu/faculty/baumeister.dp.html">Roy Baumeister</a>, Professor of Psychology at Florida State University and co-author (with John Tierney) of the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Willpower-Rediscovering-Greatest-Human-Strength/dp/1594203075">Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength</a>, summarizes the often surprising results of recent research on willpower (also known as self-control or self-regulation).<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Willpower is similar to muscle strength</b>, in that it is a limited resource, it is renewable, and it can be strengthened.</li>
<li><b>Willpower is a limited resource.</b> At any given moment in time, you have only so much of self-control, and you can deplete it (a phenomenon known as ego depletion). <i>We have the same amount of willpower, which we use up for a variety of tasks, such as resisting the temptation to overeat, being patient and polite under stress, and even making decisions.</i> Laboratory studies have shown that when subjects are given various self-control tests throughout the day, regardless of the order of the tasks, they tend to perform worse on the later tasks. Self-control can be measured in the lab using a variety of standard tests, for example
the ability to resist cookies while hungry, or the ability to keep the
hand immersed in very cold water. </li>
<li><b>Willpower is a renewable resource.</b> Some of the ways to renew it is<i> by eating or sleeping</i>. After a meal or a good night sleep, people are better capable of self-control. Studies have shown that most diets are broken in the evening, not in the morning.</li>
<li><b>Willpower can be strengthened over time by exercising it.</b> One surprising method of developing willpower is to <i>follow arbitrary rules</i>. In one of the studies, subjects were told to work on their posture (sit up straight, stand up straight) for two weeks. After that, their self-control improved on measures that had nothing to do with posture.</li>
</ul>
A few other interesting findings I learned from the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Willpower-Rediscovering-Greatest-Human-Strength/dp/1594203075">book</a>:<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<ul>
<li><b>Never say never.</b> Telling yourself that you will eat that dessert later (not now) is more effective in <i>actually </i>limiting food intake than telling yourself that you will not eat any of the desert. </li>
<li><b>There are no obvious feelings of willpower depletion.</b> You have to watch yourself for subtle signs, such as higher irritability or taking more time to make decisions. If you notice these signs, conserve what's left of your willpower. Often, willpower depletion is the result of the shortage of glucose. <b>Eat first</b>, wait half an hour, and then making that decision may not seem so overwhelming. </li>
<li><b>Pick your battles.</b> Start exercising, or make your diet more healthy in the periods of relatively low stress, when your self-control is less depleted, rather than during a crisis. <b> </b></li>
<li><b>Make small changes in your habits.</b> Do not make changes that are too hard to make into a habit.</li>
<li><b>Do not give a boring task more than its necessary share.</b> Set a firm time limit, for example: clean the house for 2 hours.</li>
<li><b>Boost your willpower by expending a little of it on </b><b>neatness.</b> In studies, subjects exerted more self-control when seeing a clean <i>vs.</i> a messy desk. </li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>SEE ALSO:</b><br />
<a href="http://onpoint.wbur.org/2011/09/19/willpower">The Science Of Willpower | On Point with Tom Ashbrook</a> (audio, 46 min)<br />
<br />
<b>P.S.</b> And now that I am done with the post about willpower, I am going to eat that chocolate cookie, lie down on the couch, have a drink, and watch a movie!Timur Shtatlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970890486150239806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6876669754819986384.post-30956586907648355322012-02-06T08:00:00.000-05:002012-02-07T11:26:58.720-05:00Tom Mueller: Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXLC9DlPkqsSBfCOuBoMq38WEZQOFMAIiq3BGtdOrWTIINLdhyphenhyphenkz4o-Zd1n4To6LmNcU0OWI75V6qru5vjagYRwRBXfJ7S56xBYfe3wFG7bJZ5Y0X4zH870_QZ9NRINQIsUlasWjKTGfK/s1600/EV-cover-latest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijXLC9DlPkqsSBfCOuBoMq38WEZQOFMAIiq3BGtdOrWTIINLdhyphenhyphenkz4o-Zd1n4To6LmNcU0OWI75V6qru5vjagYRwRBXfJ7S56xBYfe3wFG7bJZ5Y0X4zH870_QZ9NRINQIsUlasWjKTGfK/s320/EV-cover-latest.jpg" width="209" /></a><a href="http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/listings/120107/">Extra Virginity: The Splendid Table podcast</a> (audio, only the first 10 min part of this podcast episode).<br />
Journalist, <a href="http://www.extravirginity.com/">blogger</a> and the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Extra-Virginity-Sublime-Scandalous-World/dp/0393070212">Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil</a> Tom Mueller explains why many olive oils labeled as "extra virgin, first cold pressed, made in Italy" are in fact not virgin, most certainly not pressed, and not Italian. The good news is that great extra virgin olive oil is commonly available and often not expensive. Find out how to find it on this great podcast.<br />
<a name='more'></a>First, a few definitions that will help clarify the sometimes confusing labels (see more <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olive_oil#Label_wording">here</a>): <br />
<ul>
<li><i>Virgin olive oil</i> is the oil extracted from olives without heat or chemicals. </li>
<li><i>Extra virgin olive oil</i> is the highest grade virgin olive oil. However, <strike>according to the current rather loose regulations, it is legally okay to</strike> some companies mix it with inferior oils extracted with chemicals, and still keep the extra virgin label, despite the fact that it is<b> illegal</b>. [corrected 2/7/2012, thanks to Tom Mueller's comment below]</li>
<li><i>Cold pressed olive oil</i> is olive oil extracted at temperatures below 90 degrees F (27 degrees C) using either a press (which is rare nowadays), or a centrifuge (which is much more common, hence the "pressed" label is actually deceptive).</li>
<li><i>First cold pressed olive oil</i> is cold pressed olive oil that was extracted by pressing it only once. Since the oil is never pressed twice, the label "first pressed" is meaningless. </li>
<li><i>Italian olive oil</i> - olive oil that has been kept in Italy for a certain minimum period of time. It may have been made it Italy, but it often had been made elsewhere. As a result of lax regulations, 4 out of 10 bottles that say "Italian olive oil" contain oil not actually made in Italy.</li>
<li><i>Pure olive oil and light olive oil</i> - chemically refined olive oils, suitable for very high temperature cooking. </li>
</ul>
Note that olives are stone fruits, like plums or cherries. Extra virgin olive oil is essentially freshly squeezed fruit juice made of olives. The correct method of making extra virgin olive oil is hard, and many producers circumvent it by collecting rotting olives from the ground, rather than fresh ones from the trees, then deodorize the oil with solvents, and blend it with small amounts of real extra virgin oil to give it some "kick". Amazingly enough, under the current laws, this mixture can still be called extra virgin olive oil. <br />
<br />
Tom Mueller suggests to buy quality extra virgin olive oil using several simple <a href="http://www.extravirginity.com/great-oil/how-to-buy-great-olive-oil/">rules</a>:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Buy extra virgin olive oil</b> to even stay in the game of finding great olive oil. </li>
<li>Check the <b>date harvested</b> on the bottle. Buy oil from this year's harvest. If the date is stated as "best by", be aware that it is most often 2 years from the date the oil was <i>bottled</i>.</li>
<li>Buy from a specialty store, where you have a chance to <b>taste the oil</b>.</li>
<li>Some great, commonly available, not too expensive oils include Corto Olive (Costco) and California Oil Ranch. See also a <a href="http://www.extravirginity.com/great-oil/best-olive-oils/">list</a> on Tom's blog. </li>
<li>Great oil produced using modern mechanized methods does not have to be expensive. But note that <b>truly bargain prices</b> (under US $10 per liter) usually indicate <b>poor quality</b>.</li>
<li><b>Don't pay attention to the color of the oil.</b> Great oil can be green, gold or pale straw. Note that producers of poor quality oil often color the oil with chlorophyll to give it a "better" appearance.</li>
<li>Avoid oils whose precise place of production (a specific mill) is not stated.</li>
<li>Look for Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) or Protected Geographical Indication (PGA) certification.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>SEE MORE:</b><br />
<a href="http://onpoint.wbur.org/2011/12/02/the-world-of-olive-oil">The World Of Olive Oil | On Point with Tom Ashbrook</a> (audio, 47 min)<br />
<a href="http://www.wbur.org/npr/143154180/losing-virginity-olive-oils-scandalous-industry">Losing 'Virginity': Olive Oil's 'Scandalous' Fraud (NPR: Fresh Air)</a> (audio, 20 min)Timur Shtatlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970890486150239806noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6876669754819986384.post-84804049950294218672012-01-22T23:29:00.001-05:002012-01-23T18:20:20.726-05:00Omar Ahmad: Political change with pen and paper<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBBE9DxR4K1xuvC6aUyVouaqJkPpnZDCI55gnlvhv6S1pgmuIHh3mBQE8o1IZWR-luQ-SWZgCVVbF_N1ku6PgsaIcwEVgCgKaxq5IlkBREmNIK9xWcigGmO9rybEU2tZe6XgcOA_JX6x-/s1600/omar_ahmad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfBBE9DxR4K1xuvC6aUyVouaqJkPpnZDCI55gnlvhv6S1pgmuIHh3mBQE8o1IZWR-luQ-SWZgCVVbF_N1ku6PgsaIcwEVgCgKaxq5IlkBREmNIK9xWcigGmO9rybEU2tZe6XgcOA_JX6x-/s1600/omar_ahmad.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Omar Ahmad (photo from ted.com)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/omar_ahmad_political_change_with_pen_and_paper.html">Omar Ahmad: Political change with pen and paper | Video on TED.com</a> (video, 6 min)<br />
In the world where political change is often brought about by novel methods (as in the latest blackout and other online <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protests_against_SOPA_and_PIPA">protests against SOPA and PIPA</a>) it is useful to revisit the trusted old methods that work. Check out this inspiring short podcast by Omar Ahmad, the late entrepreneur and the mayor of the City of San Carlos. (I have previously shared it with some of my readers.)<br />
Ahmad suggests that the best way to engage politicians is by writing them a letter by hand. <i>Hand-written letters are more effective than emails or phone calls.</i><br />
Ahmad suggests a four-paragraph format for writing an effective letter:<br />
<ol>
<li>Show your appreciation for the politician, or at least for the tough job politicians have to do.</li>
<li>Say what is really on your mind. Never attack the person - if you have to attack, attack the tactic.</li>
<li>Show them an exit strategy: "If you had the right information, you would have done the right thing".</li>
<li>Offer the politician help, for example, offer to provide clear information on the issue in the future.</li>
</ol>
A few additional useful points:<br />
<ul>
<li><i>Write about your pet issue often - at least once a month.</i></li>
<li>Sign the letter showing any influence in a large sphere you may have (mention if you are a manager, a volunteer, etc). </li>
<li>When writing to the US Congressmen and Senators, mail the original letter to the district office. Mail a copy to the main office. This increases the chances that your letter will be read.</li>
</ul>Timur Shtatlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970890486150239806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6876669754819986384.post-60755810592873264612012-01-15T23:18:00.001-05:002012-01-16T10:49:23.518-05:00Stand-up desk<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ6ZWFh2UnpmPwOOT-I8y0M-M9lKZEId11xKp6p1hsYWEM1EdOcBAH9BLY4xNnau0ppl66nPICtPsEPSEim6biFaTIXpOQ4hu7KiYMtbIYa_0ifTYorF97TsETXsWoJCHeJI8Y5gZo_LbF/s1600/IMAG0596.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ6ZWFh2UnpmPwOOT-I8y0M-M9lKZEId11xKp6p1hsYWEM1EdOcBAH9BLY4xNnau0ppl66nPICtPsEPSEim6biFaTIXpOQ4hu7KiYMtbIYa_0ifTYorF97TsETXsWoJCHeJI8Y5gZo_LbF/s320/IMAG0596.jpg" width="191" /></a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standing_desk">Stand-up desks</a> are <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904199404576541011003270644.html">growing in popularity</a> for a variety of reasons, such as helping back pain (mostly anecdotal evidence) or reducing sedentary time to burn extra calories (<a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21979828">1/3 more calories per minute</a> burnt compared to sitting desks). The benefits and risks of standing desks have not been explored rigorously, although on a related note it is well established that <a href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/23/stand-up-while-you-read-this/">sedentary lifestyle leads to health problems</a>, and that even <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17sitting-t.html?_r=2">little movements</a> throughout the day help. In light of this, I would like to share with you a helpful insight I received from a reader of this blog. I thank the reader for kindly allowing me to post it here. (The abbreviation "40$SD" below refers to the <a href="http://opensoul.org/blog/archives/2012/01/09/the-40-standup-desk/">The $40 Standup Desk</a>.)<i> </i><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<i>Stand-up work has helped me a lot, I think. Now I have stand-up workstations both at work and at home. For my home station, I just replaced one of the shelves above my desk with a double-depth shelf (basically, I replaced the original 9" horizontal brackets with 19" ones, and added a second 10" shelf in front of the first one). I like the shelf approach, because it gives me more options for vertical adjustment [than does the <a href="http://opensoul.org/blog/archives/2012/01/09/the-40-standup-desk/">40$SD</a>], and it's not much more expensive.<br />Even with a standing desk it is difficult to achieve the proper vertical placement of the screen and the keyboard. For example, the setup shown in <a href="http://opensoul.org/blog/archives/2012/01/09/the-40-standup-desk/">[the 40$SD blog post]</a> seems wrong to me: the keyboard is too high and/or the screen is too low. I want to have the screen at eye-height (more or less), and the keyboard placed so that my forearms are at an angle slightly greater than 90 degrees when I type (i.e. so my wrists are slightly closer to the floor than my elbows are).<br />At work I achieved this by having a tray for the keyboard that hangs from the bottom of the desk top, so that the plane of the keys is about 5 inches below the desk's top surface. In addition, I had to prop the screen up (I put it on top of an over-turned plastic bin) so that it would be at the right height. The arrangement is still not ideal, unfortunately, because the surface of the desk is a bit too low for me to write comfortably on it while I stand. To achieve the optimal arrangement I'd need to find some other way to hold the keyboard up at the current (proper) height that is not constrained by the height of the desk top (as it is now).<b> </b></i><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3pXfp7KfZTISufz2lRztf5oqinvxa7PKYhVxMefFRDyoLjMf2ou58AfHlzYD1_dqPYpZQzZ8gE4AVyJtlK2quEtbMQpGaBMq-5Hp3TAm70LKwMlJ7qvMNWxEKr-ntA0Bm5Q3daqsJ4V7Q/s1600/IMAG0597.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3pXfp7KfZTISufz2lRztf5oqinvxa7PKYhVxMefFRDyoLjMf2ou58AfHlzYD1_dqPYpZQzZ8gE4AVyJtlK2quEtbMQpGaBMq-5Hp3TAm70LKwMlJ7qvMNWxEKr-ntA0Bm5Q3daqsJ4V7Q/s320/IMAG0597.jpg" width="320" /></a><i><b>For me the benefit of the standing desk is simply that it has helped me reduce the total number of hours that I spend sitting down.</b> This is the goal, which means that I not only stand while I work, but also while I read, while I surf the web, while I watch videos, etc. Of course, this is as tiring as you can imagine. Both at work and at home I have high chairs that I can use when I start getting tired, but they are not comfortable, so I end up not using them a lot.<br />(One unintended benefit of this new arrangement at home is that it has reduced the amount of time I spend idly surfing the web, without in any way limiting my ability to use the web when I need it. It boils down to this: the new setup is good for work, but not good for relaxing. This led me to a counterintuitive realization: "comfortable seating", which at least our culture considers the ideal to look for, is actually a health hazard. Whenever we opt for comfortable desk chairs, or comfortable sitting furniture in general (couches, recliners, la-z-boys, you name it), we are basically setting traps that lure us into spending unhealthy amounts of time sitting down. It is not surprising that we so readily stay in stationary positions for hours at a time. I think one can make a good ergonomic case for a hard, wood or metal chair (or stool, or bench), because the best chair is the one one doesn't use too much!) </i><br />
<i>Also, I actually had to modify the way I stand up, because the "old way" was beginning to give me knee pain. My physical therapist advised that I should not lock my knees, but rather stand with them in a slightly flexed position. The flexion of my knees when I do this is very slight, and it would be difficult for any one else to notice (for example, even though my knees are slightly flexed, my head is at exactly the same height as it would be if I lock my knees). This got rid of the knee pain, but it takes some extra effort.<br /><b>I think that it is a very worthwhile change for you (anyone with a desk job) to try, even if you didn't have any back problems. But in any case, be ready for a fair bit of tweaking and experimentation. And above all, keep reminding yourself that the primary goal is to reduce the number of hours you spend sitting every day, and the standing desk is only one of several measures one can take to that end.</b></i><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx2ZEwKtg25xSA_Htur0W-gGxTeHb6JsLCf7gFPpKY4hX49JquciIytd4AKGwXYJdooOG4Jwj8_QeG9loYVZMNXvAN0g_FN5Rn4w8dEhSD-NqAF7utcagGMX9-QqHbhJlaunwLQ1vPzgZM/s1600/IMAG0598.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx2ZEwKtg25xSA_Htur0W-gGxTeHb6JsLCf7gFPpKY4hX49JquciIytd4AKGwXYJdooOG4Jwj8_QeG9loYVZMNXvAN0g_FN5Rn4w8dEhSD-NqAF7utcagGMX9-QqHbhJlaunwLQ1vPzgZM/s320/IMAG0598.jpg" width="191" /></a><i>On a related note, as part of re-learning how to stand, I also have had to learn to avoid positions like contrapposto (in which I shift most of my weight to one leg and hip) because they invariable overload some ligaments (when I relax into one of those positions I am basically asking some ligaments to do more than their fair share for keeping my body upright.) These are all one form of slumping or another: one relaxes a set of muscles by shifting the load on some other set of joints and ligaments. Of course, as one gets tired from standing up, one naturally gravitates (literally!) into such slumping positions, so it takes effort to avoid them. This issue is particularly important for me, because I happen to have hyperflexible ligaments (which is also the reason why it takes more energy for me to keep good posture, since I can do it only through active muscular contraction, rather than through passive ligament tension). It may be less of an issue for people with less flexible ligaments. (Then again, for all I know, people with stiff ligaments may be less susceptible to the hazards of "over-seating".)<br />One last point: the first few days of stand-up work I was exhausted at the end of the day, but over time my stamina has improved somewhat.</i>Timur Shtatlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970890486150239806noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6876669754819986384.post-26651303650890475502012-01-09T08:00:00.000-05:002012-01-09T08:00:03.886-05:00Marshall Goldsmith: Keep Your Ideas to Yourself<a href="http://blogs.hbr.org/ideacast/2008/03/harvard-business-ideacast-85-k.html">Keep Your Ideas to Yourself - HBR IdeaCast - Harvard Business Review</a> (audio, 9 min)<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOvCqsJ6eqSeKBktGlYfGYsO4ycCB-6Q9O7lBOwZ0ZQaBXo1VQNEi9OQOOCLTB2iB4ciD-ECIbhfAj_I-3WUL_V26i-EozX9E26D-_6JeNdAw7mhVVUl4lKdkTqbX5yj8y-_RXKdJf1y7B/s1600/Austin-Powers-still-Dr-Evil-570x372.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOvCqsJ6eqSeKBktGlYfGYsO4ycCB-6Q9O7lBOwZ0ZQaBXo1VQNEi9OQOOCLTB2iB4ciD-ECIbhfAj_I-3WUL_V26i-EozX9E26D-_6JeNdAw7mhVVUl4lKdkTqbX5yj8y-_RXKdJf1y7B/s320/Austin-Powers-still-Dr-Evil-570x372.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Zip it!" (A scene from "Austin Powers", photo from screenrant.com)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In this short podcast, management expert, <a href="http://www.marshallgoldsmithlibrary.com/html/marshall/resources.html">executive coach</a>, <a href="http://www.marshallgoldsmithlibrary.com/html/marshall/books.html">bestselling author</a> and <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marshall-goldsmith">blogger</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Goldsmith">Marshall Goldsmith</a> follows up on an earlier <a href="http://blogs.hbr.org/goldsmith/2008/01/when_should_you_keep_your_idea.html">HBR blog post</a> on the same topic.<br />
Consider a case when someone comes to the boss with an idea. The boss likes the idea, but instead of simply saying, "Great idea!", the boss says, "That's a nice idea, but why don't you add this to it?" The quality of the idea may go up by 5%, but the person's commitment to its execution has just come down by 50%. It's no longer the employee's idea, it's the boss's idea.<br />
Similar situations occur between team members at work, between spouses, and between parents and children. According to Goldsmith, we should be mindful about adding "too much value". Before making suggestions, ask yourself, "Is it worth it?"<br />
In some cases, accepting things as they are is not only a Zen method, it's also an efficient way to get things done.<br />Timur Shtatlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970890486150239806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6876669754819986384.post-38763733892544550462011-12-26T10:00:00.000-05:002012-01-09T08:34:17.912-05:00Firefox: simplify moving between computers, tabbed browsing, and bookmarkingI use <a href="http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/">Mozilla Firefox</a> for most of my web browsing needs on Windows or Linux. I prefer Firefox because it works on most platforms, it is fast and it rarely crashes. It also has an important advantage over other browsers: an amazing number of free <a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/extensions/?sort=users">extensions</a> that allow one to automate, speed up and simplify many common tasks. Here are some of my favorite Firefox extensions and features.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<i><a href="http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/what-firefox-sync">Firefox Sync</a> is a service that lets you synchronize your bookmarks,
history, passwords and open tabs with another copy of Firefox – like one
on another computer or on a mobile phone.</i> In previous versions of Firefox, you needed an extension for this. Now Sync is part of Firefox (since Firefox version 4), and is <a href="http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/How%20to%20sync%20Firefox%20settings%20between%20computers">very easy to set up</a>. I use Sync to synchronize bookmarks between my work laptop and my regular and admin accounts at my home laptop.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sFpae4YmRyE/TvgJC1aRoII/AAAAAAAAGek/KvbxY1pQU08/s1600/tmp1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sFpae4YmRyE/TvgJC1aRoII/AAAAAAAAGek/KvbxY1pQU08/s320/tmp1.png" width="320" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nF2KWFJmrw0/TvgEMTbvJtI/AAAAAAAAGeA/MukixN9YGnU/s1600/4323.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><i><a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/tab-mix-plus/">Tab Mix Plus</a> enhances Firefox's tab browsing capabilities. It includes
such features as duplicating tabs, controlling tab focus, tab clicking
options, undo closed tabs and windows, plus much more. </i><br />
<i>It also includes a
full-featured session manager with crash recovery that can save and
restore combination of opened tabs and windows.</i><br />
My favorite settings for this extension:<br />
Mouse double-click on the tab: duplicates the tab.<br />
Show in tab context menu: new tab; merge windows; reload all tabs; undo closed tabs; closed tabs list; close other tabs; bookmark all tabs.<br />
Show in main context menu: open links in new tabs.<br />
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<a href="https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/add-bookmark-here-2/?src=search">Add Bookmark Here ²</a> extension enables you to first open the bookmarks, find the folder you need, and <b>then </b>bookmark the current page in the desired folder. Without this extension, you would need to use ctrl-d and then navigate to the desired folder using a much less convenient menu.<br />
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There are many other extensions that make browsing experience better, and I will write about them in subsequent posts. Enjoy!<br />
<br />Timur Shtatlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970890486150239806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6876669754819986384.post-38779220713594810252011-12-11T22:25:00.001-05:002011-12-11T23:59:02.998-05:00Stuart Diamond: Getting More: How to Negotiate to Achieve Your Goals in the Real World<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOZo6Lx70ok">Leading@Google: Stuart Diamond - YouTube</a> (video, 1 hr)<br />
<a href="http://www.gettingmore.com/about-2/">Stuart Diamond</a> is a Professor at Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania, a Pulitzer prize winning journalist, a master negotiator and the author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Getting-More-Negotiate-Achieve-Goals/dp/0307716899">Getting More: How to Negotiate to Achieve Your Goals in the Real World</a>. In this talk at Google, Stuart Diamond describes some of the techniques he uses for negotiations:<br />
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<li><b>Be transparent and ethical.</b> Don't deceive people. Be yourself. Don't try to be nicer or tougher than you really are.</li>
<li><b>Goals are paramount.</b> Know what you want to achieve at the end. Many people act contrary to their goals. They get mad, and attack the other party. </li>
<li><b>People are everything. It's all about them, it's not about you.</b> Emotions and perceptions are often more important than facts or reason to the other party. Being logical may work with some people, especially when everyone is analytical and calm - but how often does that happen? Therefore, <b>make emotional payments.</b> Be empathetic, apologize if necessary.<b><br /></b></li>
<li><b>Don't get emotional</b> in trying to achieve your goals.</li>
<li><b>Every situation is different.</b> There is no one size fits all rule in negotiations. </li>
<li><b>Trade items of unequal value. </b>For example, trade kid's TV time for more homework, trade lower price for more referrals.<b><br /></b></li>
<li><b>Respect the other party and be useful to them. </b>Never walk out of the negotiations - this shows that you do not even want to spend your time on helping the other party.<b><br /></b></li>
<li><b>Be incremental. </b>Build mutual trust. Don't try to achieve everything at once.<b><br /></b></li>
<li><b>Find their standards. Also, find their exceptions to standards.</b> What are the rules and promises they made? For example, isn't great customer service part of their values as stated on their web site? This is especially useful when dealing with hard bargainers.</li>
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<b>SEE MORE:</b><br />
See a great summary on pp.5-9 of <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=OXZbH3KtemgC&lpg=PP1&dq=getting%20more&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=getting%20more&f=false">Getting More</a> on Google Books. <br />
Many other articles and talks (both audio and video) by Stuart Diamond are <a href="http://www.gettingmore.com/media-reviews/">here</a>.<br />
<br />Timur Shtatlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970890486150239806noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6876669754819986384.post-34711252765241992752011-11-27T19:26:00.001-05:002011-12-03T14:04:03.014-05:00Five Traits of Innovative Companies<a href="http://www.businessweek.com/mediacenter/podcasts/innovation/innovation_12_03_08.htm">Five Traits of Innovative Companies</a> (audio, 13 min)<br />
<a href="http://faculty.london.edu/rchandy/">Rajesh Chandy</a>, Professor of Marketing at the London School of Economics, discusses his research on what makes a company innovative. Here are the traits shared by most innovative companies:<br />
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Ren<span class="style1">é Magritte</span></div>
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"The Son of Man"</div>
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(one of my favorite innovative painters) </div>
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<ol>
<li><b>Management is more future focused.</b> This is the most important factor in driving innovation. Chandy and colleagues measured this by simply asking managers questions such as what percent of the time they tend to focus on the future vs. current customers and competitors. In other research, Chandy and colleagues used a different metric: proportion of future-oriented words such as "will", "shall", "may", etc in annual reports, board meeting notes, and related materials. These metrics agree with each other. Being focused on the future may sound simple, but it is not easy. CEOs on average spend only 5% of the time focused on the future needs of the company, with the rest of the time spent on putting out current fires, ribbon cutting, etc.<a name='more'></a></li>
<li><b>The company is willing to cannibalize its own existing products to enable its future products to enter the market.</b> For example, Gillette, now part of Proctor and Gamble, has had for years roughly the same world razor market share. The company purposefully allowed its new products to replace its own old products on the market. This reduced the return on investment on the old products, but was beneficial for the company as a whole in the long term.</li>
<li><b>The company has a high tolerance for calculated risk.</b></li>
<li><b>The company recognizes and promotes people with personality profiles of "product champions".</b> Such people aggressively pursue new product ideas, tend to be more gregarious, and have wide networks.</li>
<li><b>The company offers high rewards for innovation. Importantly, these rewards are asymmetric: rewards for success and much higher than punishment for failure.</b> Rewards are both monetary and non-monetary, such as recognition and autonomy. (In a related <a href="http://ksvetu.blogspot.com/2011/09/drive-surprising-truth-about-what.html">post</a>, I wrote about such non-monetary rewards.) Less innovative companies tend to offer rewards based on other criteria, such as seniority.</li>
</ol>
Interestingly, here are some factors that have been previously thought to be important ones for innovation, but turned out to be less important compared to firm-level factors above:<br />
<ol>
<li> Governmental regulation. These effects are probably reduced because the sample of countries studied is small (developed or rapidly developing countries only - notably absent are top corrupt countries), and its governments tend to copy regulatory policies from each other.</li>
<li>National culture (religion included).</li>
<li>Geography. Specifically,<b> </b>there is <b>no </b>support for the hypothesis that countries further from the equator have more innovative companies.</li>
</ol>
The most innovative companies also tend to copy practices from other innovative companies, both within and outside of their industries. This creates a shared core set of innovative practices.<br />
To paraphrase Leo Tolstoy's "Anna Karenina", innovative companies are all alike; every laggard is a laggard in its own way.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">References:</span><br />
Gerard J Tellis, Jaideep C Prabhu, and Rajesh K Chandy
(2009). Radical Innovation Across Nations: The
Preeminence of Corporate Culture. Journal of Marketing: Vol. 73, No. 1,
pp. 3-23.
<a href="http://faculty.london.edu/rchandy/innovationnations.pdf">[full text]</a><br />Timur Shtatlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06970890486150239806noreply@blogger.com0